Dark Light

The two ponies woke up in each other’s embrace.  They had each other back, after a month of being apart; they could see each other again. Dark Light decided to check on his son and walked to the house’s guest room and quietly tiphoofed over to the crib so as to not wake the hitherto asleep Applejack. The act was pointless as when as his son saw him he started shouting dad at the top of his little foal lungs. The sleeping orange mare woke up a little tired but fairly startled.

“Well, looks like somepony’s happy tah see y’all,” she said, followed by a yawn. She got out of her bed. “Is it ok with yah if ah use yer shower?” she asked.

“Yeah, sure. Shim might be using it at the moment but after that it’s all yours. I’m going to go and make breakfast, do you want anything? We probably have some apples somewhere. I could make you an apple and oats mix if you want,”

“Why thank you kindly, don’ mean to impose or nuthin’ but I can’t decline such a nice offer,” The orange pony said. Dark Light smiled nodded and trotted downstairs to go to the kitchen. As he reached the foot of the stairs, he noticed a small roll of parchment on the floor by his door. He saw it was addressed at him and so he opened it.

Dear Prince (yes, the title is finalised) Dark Light,

I have decided to give you some time to settle back in to Ponyville before your coronation, therefore it will be next week on Saturday. I would like it if your ‘princess’ would come along and be with you throughout the ceremony as I know the two of you will need some time to be together for the health of you both. Finally, I would like to ask you to tell Rainbow Dash to both stop sending letters to me, asking for more time off for Soarin, he will have the next month off so that they can spend more time together and also, she is to teach both you and Twilight how to make use of your wings.

From

Princess Celestia

He sighed and made breakfast for the four ponies in the house.

After the group had finished breakfast, Applejack said she would try and get the six others who were on the trip together so that he could show them all that he was alive at the same time. She came back an hour later and said that they were all at sugar cube corner. Dark Light walked over to the café with the orange mare, trying to hide his wings with a saddle bag and wearing a fedora so as to hide his face. They arrived at sugar cube corner and Dark Light cautiously looked around to see if he could spot any of his friends, noticing they were all gathered around a fairly large table, Applejack and he walked over to the table and he took of his fedora, revealing his face.

“DARK LIGHT!” All the ponies around the table yelled in confused joy.

“Yup, before you ask, I have no idea either. Oh and also,” He removed the saddlebag by extending his wings and catching it with his magic before it hit the ground.

“Do we have a curse or something that makes all of our newer friends turn into alicorns or something?” Rainbow dash said, both surprised and confused. All the others shared the expression.

“I have the coronationey thingymadohicky on Saturday next week, and apparently I am the first male alicorn, and being an alicorn should come hand in hand with being a princess but I have been let off and given the title of prince. So, yeah. That’s a thing,” the grey alicorn said. “Oh, and Rainbow Dash and Twilight, you might want to read this,” He said, getting the scroll from Celestia out. Twilight seemed a bit iffy about it but the rainbow Pegasus seemed to love it.

“WOOO! A whole month with Soarin! And I get to teach royalty how to fly!” she squealed, “This is going to be great!”

The week passed quickly, Dark Light managed to get in the air quicker than Twilight despite the fact that she had had her wings for longer than him, but she managed to start flying a few days after Dark Light. The Grey prince was both anxious and excited at the prospect of his coronation. It was basically just a large celebration of him getting wings but he liked the idea of being important for once.

When he arrived at Canterlot, with his friends, wife and child, they were immediately escorted to a carriage and taken to the palace. During the time they were on the carriage, Twilight gave Dark Light some helpful tips on how to act which she had learnt from Cadence. It was surprisingly helpful, knowing what to do and when to do it saved on any nasty surprises during the ceremony. They arrived at the palace in due time and entered swiftly, when they ran into Princess Celestia.

“Hello, Dark Light,” She said. “And hello Shimmer, Flash, Twilight, Applejack, Big Mac, Rarity, Pinky Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy,” she followed, greeting each of the others with a smile and a nod, which was returned by all of them (aside from Bold Flash, who was too busy playing about to notice a word the princess was saying) as she escorted them to a dressing room. “Dark Light, you should go and get ready, the rest of you, can have the next few hours to your selves. Oh and Shimmer, dear, you can go in to the dressing room with Dark Light, if you wish,” Shimmer nodded politely and joined her husband in his dressing room.

“Hey Shim. You coming to watch me get dressed?” He said with a smile. They both laughed and gave each other a kiss, before the prince was dragged off to be made handsome for his coronation. There was a lot to be done, from makeup to clothing, which was a sort of military looking get up with a slightly regal golden tinge to it. It was expertly designed to match his coat. “I wonder how many ponies know I’m alive,” The grey prince said.

“I think a lot of them do know, how else would they ‘advertise’ the coronation?” his wife said. The couple continued to converse and the time flew by, there was a short rehearsal and a little briefing but then he was ready for the real thing. He was standing in the same room as the one he was standing in before his wedding. So much had happened since then, his son, him going on a long journey, his kiss, no, kissES with Applejack, killing Chimera (which he still regretted) and getting his wings. Yeah, a lot had happened, and now he was here, about to be officially crowned prince. He already had his princess, he would always have her. He was called to be taken to the main hall to start the ceremony, so he left his room and, accompanied by his wife, he trotted his way to the front doors, and then it began. The doors opened, and there was a fanfare, as Dark Light marched up to the front.

They got to the end of the ceremony, and Dark Light and Shimmer went over to the balcony. There was a multitude of ponies cheering aloud as he stood there. He was about to start speaking when he heard something that resembled screaming. He turned around just in time to see an earth pony ten feet away from him holding a clean blade, which was aimed directly at him. The black earth pony with the weapon jumped and before anyone could react, the metal pierced flesh. Though it was not the flesh the attempted assassin hoped it would be. It was…

“SHIM!” The prince shouted. She had dived in front of the gray princeand taken the blade. Dark Light kicked the earth pony square in the face but despite this, he only stumbled back a few feet, releasing the blade that was still in the beautiful, but now bleeding mare. Celestia lifted her away, as her husband was charged by the unarmed earth pony, Dark Light dived out the way and then pinned the assassin against the balcony guard rail. “WHY?”

“You killed my master, the blood debt must be repaid,” he said in reply.

“WHO ARE YOU!?” the prince yelled.

“I am Stone Hoof, I was Chimera’s right hoof stallion, and now he is dead by your hand, I am my own, and I came here to kill you,” the black stallion said.

“Well, I am afraid your attempt will end with no death,” the prince said, grabbing a nearby banner with his magic and tying up the assassin with it. He left to check on his wife who was in the main throne room with Celestia and the seven Ponyvillites that had joined him and Shimmer on the trip here. He immediately ran over to her and took her in his fore hooves. “Hey Shim,” he said, tearing up slightly. “How are you holding up?”

“I-I’ve be-been better,” she said returning the smile.

“You are going to make it through this, Shim, I know you will,” The stallion said rather frantically.

“No, Light, I won’t,” She put her hoof on his check, and he placed his on hers. “Listen, I-I want you to- to be happy. If you find a mare who- who you love, mar-marry her and who loves you back, yo- you have too, for flash,” the stallion began to cry.

“I can’t Shim. I love you, don’t go! Please,” he said through his tears.

“I – I Love you too, sweetie. Flash – Flash as well,” She started to fade, “I-I Feel – so cold,” Dark Light leaned in and kissed her. “I love you, D-ark Light,” And with that, as her blood pooled around her, Dark Light kneeling there trying to stop the inevitable, her life faded. Dark Light took her shoulders and pressed his head underneath hers.

“No! NO NO NO NO NO!! SHIM! PLEASE! SHIM! I LOVE YOU, PLEASE!!” Big mac started to go over to him as the prince turned to Twilight. “USE YOUR MAGIC! YOUR STUPID FRIENDSHIP RAINBOW!” the purple alicorn looked at him with eyes that said ‘I can’t’ as Big Mac place a hoof around Dark Light, who realised who was to blame for his wife’s death and, just after the big red stallion had realised what he would do, tried to charge for the balcony. He was restrained by the stallion that had once been his best stallion at his wedding.

“Ya can’t do this, Light,” the red pony said.

“HE KILLED HER!” The grey prince shouted.

“Ah know, Even Ah think he deserves it, but ya jus’ can’t, Didn’ Chimera tear yah up enough?”

“I DON’T CARE ABOUT CHIMERA!”

“SHUT UP AN’ LISTEN!” The now angry red earth pony shouted. Dark Light continued his struggle, “Ah know what y’all is feelin’, ah don’t know how yah feel, but Ah know what it is! You’re angry! Shim ain’t with us no more, killing that bastard ain’t gonna solve nuthin’! Think about what she woulda done,” The still struggling prince calmed down a little.

“Dark Light. Think about what you said to me those many years ago. You are not this pony. You are kind, merciful. What is the point of arguing to save somepony’s life if you are only going to end another pony’s life later? You had no choice with Chimera, but you have a choice now! Make sure you choose wisely,” The Princess said to him, and with it, he ceased his struggle.

“Why did this have to happen to Shim? Why now? If I hadn’t asked her to come here with me she would be alive!” the crying prince turned to his lifeless wife. “Oh Shim, I would have died for you!” He said going down to her and pressing his forehead against hers. “Why didn’t you let me?”

He wept. He didn’t care what anypony thought. He cried, until he couldn’t cry anymore.

******************

Her funeral was in Ponyville. Celestia had told him he could have it where ever he wanted. He wanted it to be in their home town. So it was. She was buried in a special plot of land in the Ponyville cemetery, which was kept out of sight of most of the houses in Ponyville. The ceremony was outside, and the weather was due to be raining, but the pegasi delayed the downpour until the funeral was over. It was time for the widower to say his words, and so he went to the front and wiped the tears from his eyes. His son was not in his usual state of happiness. He knew his mother and he knew she was gone forever. He was crying his eyes out, so Dark Light let Pinky look after him for a second, he still cried but it was not as audible. Without any further distractions the widower started saying his words.

“I would like to let you all know how much it means to me that you are all here. Your support through this has helped me. More than any of you know,” he paused. “I would also like to say that I didn’t right anything down. I wanted everything I say to be from the heart. I was only married to Shim for just over a year and through that year she has done things that no other pony has ever done for me before. She loved me, she comforted me in my times of need, she married me even though she knew me, and she even gave me my son. Above all this, she did something that only she has done, and I hope no other pony will do it again. She died for me. I didn’t want her too, but she did it anyway,” He paused again. “I now have to say goodbye to her, far too soon,” He looked up slightly and started to raise the tone of his words, “but even though she isn’t with us physically, she will always be with us in spirit. Her kindness and compassion, her love and laughter, they will be with us in our memories. I refuse to remember her as the mare that died for a prince. I will always and forever remember her as my wife, and as a loving mother. After all, that was what she was,”

The grey stallion took a hoofull of dirt and threw it into the hole in which his wife’s coffin was. It was an old tradition for the spouse or eldest child to throw in a hoof of dirt, to help that pony come to terms with the death and move on. It was a stupid tradition and it never had the desired effect. That didn’t stop most ponies that were involved doing it anyway. After the first hoof of dirt, any family members and close friends did the same, so the seven ponies who were there that had accompanied Dark Light on the quest to Tar-tarus all put some earth in the hole, as did Shimmer’s parents, who came up to Dark Light and hugged him.

“If you ever need anything, just tell us. You are still our son in law,” Shimmer’s dad said, his tone showing that he was repressing his emotions. Something his wife didn’t have the ability to do, she was crying like a waterfall, as was her right. Loosing someone close to you is never easy, but losing a child? That’s even worse. No parent should outlive their child; this doesn’t mean that no parent does lose their child.

“Thank you. Both of you have suffered a worse loss than I have, so if you ever need anything either, I would happily extend the same courtesy,” The father nodded, and the married couple walked away. Dark Light looked at them, holding each other in a comforting embrace. That was something, the widower missed. Having someone to take care of you, love you as their own, for who you were, not who you wanted to be. He remembered what Shim said.’ If you find a mare who you love and who loves you back, marry her, you have too, for flash,’ how could he? He was broken, by her loss, by his trauma. If anypony else would love him, it would be a miracle, but even if he did, he would feel as though he had betrayed her.

“Y’alright? Ah know what it feels like to lose somepony close tah you,” Dark Light glanced around, his eyes landing on Applejack. “Ah lost mah parents, losin’ mah ma was hard enough, but when mah pa died, I wanted tah join ‘em. Hell, I ain’t told nopony ‘cept mah granny, but I even tried tah join ‘em on time. I just went to the barn and found some o’ the rat poison we used tah keep the little rodents away from our hay and just ate it. It didn’ work, but after granny knew why ah did it, she reminded me that they would always be lookin’ after me, from up above,” She muzzled Dark Light.

“What Ah’m sayin’ is, even though she’s gone, she hasn’t left yah,” She put a hoof around him, placing the other one on his temple, “As long as she’s in here,” she moved it down to his heart, “she’ll stay with yah in here,” Dark Light did something he never thought he could do now; he smiled. He placed a hoof around Applejack, and they embraced each other, tears running down Dark Light’s face, but the smile still being present. He would never forget Shim, and so she would always be with him. That didn’t stop the pain but it helped.