Today was a day of celebration for all of The Equestrian Empire. The eternal threat of the Unitologist Church and The Tartarus Marker have been bested by the Empire's finest, and we all feel pride across this great land for those who gave their lives in this war. They will be remembered always, and Princess Luna herself has commissioned a memorial to be constructed at each of the Hearts of Harmony, as well as the Crystal Heart itself in New Canterlot. Truly, this is a day dedicated to celebrating our victory and the lives of those who we've lost...
Princess Luna set down the newspaper, tears in her eyes. She had been proud of all those who had gone to battle, and even moreso those who had fallen. So many had been lost for the salvation of the Empire, so many of the guards she had watched grow through the ages... As well as one of her oldest friends. Her guardian for the past thousand years...Now lay dead, his life exchanged for that of the world. Her sister had been free and had been returned to her, and her student as well as Jack's were returned just the same. Twilight Sparkle had found friends to help her wield the Elements of Harmony, and as they brought them to bear against the force corrupting her sister. To buy them time, Sunset Shimmer had gone into single combat with her corrupted sibling, matching her until the time came to free her. Sunset now had a scar across one of her eyes but bore it with pride, as a symbol of victory. She was now one of Celestia's closest friends, and had chosen to stay here in New Canterlot while Twilight had begun to explore what else life offered aside from pure studying... Luna gave a sad smile. So much lost and so much gained... A whimpering at her side drew her attention to the sad face of Fefnir nuzzling her side. Fefnir was one of the things left to her to remember Jack by, and the timberwolf seemed to know why she was troubled. She drew the hound into a hug and the hound seemed to lean int her to offer comfort just as Jack would have. Out of nowhere Fefnir seemed to go rigid, sensing something. A loud knocking at the door alerted her as it was thrown open, showing an ecstatic Sunset and confused Twilight. Sunset babbled something incoherent and then dashed off, Fefnir immediately surging to follow her. Luna raised an eyebrow to Twilight, who shrugged.
"Sunset just came out of nowhere and told me to follow her for something. She seems really interested in something."
Luna nodded and stood up, her and Twilight moving to follow Sunset. The found themselves exiting the front entrance to the castle and arriving to the Crystal Heart's atrium. Luna tilted her head at Sunset as she trotted in place.
"Sunset, what's going on!? Why have you ushered us out in such a hurry?"
She continued to babble something, too excited to articulate her self. Luna picked out one word from what had been said, however...
Daddy.
Luna gave an unknowing look to Sunset as she turned her head back to the path from the city entrance to the castle. Sunset pulled something up on her RIG, an audio message. Pure static echoed out of it, seeming to be encoded. The thing which caught her attention though, was the sender...
Luna jerked her head back to the path, seeing a tall form in the distance approaching. It walked on two legs as a gem hunter, with height to rival a dragon a few decades past his teens. It bore a plated armor, made in a mix of metals and mechanizations alike, all built onto a dragonscale base. It wore four plasma cutters along with four swords, the latter of which were all made in differing styles. It walked with a light limp betraying the fact that its armor was wrought with damages. It had four arms, two of which were in pockets and the others were crossed in front of it. This was a being Luna knew, as did Sunset and Twilight alike.
His helmet whirred for a moment before opening up, deconstructing and showing the true face of its wearer. He had a face with a complexion like black ink, long black hair and a pair of burning, fully yellow eyes. He walked with a determination in his steps, that of a force which wouldn't waver for an instant. He stopped at the base of the steps leading up to where the three mares and wolf awaited him, and dropped to one knee.
"I am sorry it took so long for me to return, my lady."
Luna charged down the steps, followed by Sunset, Twilight, and Fefnir closely. She plowed into Jack along with the others, all of them plowing him over. They didn't care by what means he had returned, they were simply happy to have him there... He returned it fully to all of them, picking himself up and holding them. After a moment they broke away and Luna felt odd seeing his smile to them, so full of sadness and joy and fear alike... He spoke in a tired sounding voice.
"Everyone... I have so much to tell you."
Jack led them all back into the castle, seeming to be doing his best to remain unseen. He took them into his quarters, refusing to answer any questions until they were out of the sights of peering eyes. Once they were there he opened up, telling them all that he had heard and seen since the Marker. The multiverse itself now lay open to him, and somewhere out there were people he cared about. That brought them to the reason for his sadness...
There was something out there that was hunting a family Jack had thought lost to him, and it was his responsibility to stop it. He would have to leave this universe to follow it,and might not return for an unknowable amount of time. The Empire thought he was dead, meaning there would be nothing further to tie him down from leaving, other than those he cared about here. He was here to see them one last time before he set out, as well as giving them what he called a 'token'. Something that would call on him to return, no matter where he was in the multiverse. A disk of black metal, with an emblem of a sword shattering a Marker emblazoned upon it. If they needed him, then he would be there for them. He had already made peace with all those others he had connections to in this world, and they were the last ones to bid farewell. They all understood what he said, and the fact that he needed to do this, but felt the hurt of this goodbye regardless. Jack would be with them for the day, and then... Then he would be off, gone into the winds of eternity in search of those he had lost.
---Jack POV---
The time had come. I had made peace and said my goodbyes, and nothing remained to bind me... Sadness weighed my heart as I set out, Finis in hand. Sunset, my sweet little girl was able to make it without me in the world, and with Luna guiding her in my stead she would grow into my role in the military, sided by Lupus and Spyro in their own endeavors. Twilight had begun to come out of her shell, and would begin to take on more advanced studies from Luna. And Luna... She and Celestia were reunited. As much as she would deny it... She didn't need me anymore. She could stand with her sister and face the darkness together as they once had. My form was concealed in a long, aged black cloak, hiding my appearance other than my helmet-covered face. Along with my newly mended armor and RIG system I had a travelling backpack stocked with all the necessities, and I had a full set of Plasma Cutters, all four of my swords, and a pulse rifle rigged with a magic battery. I smiled slightly as Fefnir nuzzled my leg. He was my only companion on this journey, following me into the darkness. I slashed the air with Finis and opened a rift, stepping through and into a new world...
