Rest in Peace

"I'm sorry... We've lost the memories that could help you..."

Chrysalis was just as heartbroken having to say that as Violet was to hear it. This alien, this being from beyond the stars, from above the surface, had fulfilled her promise to bring peace to the changelings and end the famine. Violet Light had saved her hive from death and extinction. The changelings were slowly able to enter Equestrian society over the course of a year, during which time they had built their own town, which they named Lighthold, after Violet. Over the course of that year, the changelings had become demystified, and the fear and hatred that ponies once held for them had dissipated to a remarkable degree. This effect was felt more in the surrounding areas to Lighthold, like Ponyville, and was less pronounced in areas further away.

But the famine had done too much damage. The collective memories of the changelings had withered away. Despite desperately wanting to thank her for saving the hive, Chrysalis could give Violet nothing for her effort.

Violet had saved the changelings from the fate to which she was now doomed.

"It's okay," Violet murmured. "I did this knowing I was unlikely to acquire the knowledge I wanted. I was also prepared for the information being useless."

Though Violet smiled, there was no joy in it. There was a melancholy in her upturned lips, a faint shimmer of tears just behind her gaze. Chrysalis understood. Violet took pain upon herself so that others would not have to suffer, much like a Queen ought to do herself.

"For what it's worth... I truly did hope that we could help you..."

Chrysalis placed her hoof over Violet's hand as the alien's gaze sank into her drink. The world around them felt still and quiet. The scent of coffee and baked goods faded out of consciousness as the two shared in Violet's sadness.

"Make no mistake, I have not given up. Guardians do not quit," Violet said, looking back up. A tear rolled down her cheek, glimmering with a faint purple glint. There was a flame of determination behind her eyes. Her hand retreated from Chrysalis' hoof.

The Changeling Queen could not suppress her surprise. "How...? How do you learn of your hopelessness and continue as though you were never wounded by it? How can you stand the pain?"

"I was already hopeless," Violet replied simply.

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Luna sat in her bed, staring up at the moon. It was still strange to her, seeing that pale sphere completely whole, untouched by the Hive. It was still strange to her, even having been here for more than a year. She was effectively a civilian now, but on occasion, she'd still wear her armor, just to keep how it felt in mind. She still carried the Ace, and still maintained all of her weapons, as well as those of Rose and Mae. She still knew well the difference of the weight in her hand between a gun that was loaded and one that wasn't.

Nova sat in her lap, staring up at the moon with her. The fox had since remained an enigma, yet also a welcome companion in her daily life. Luna subconsciously pet the fox as she looked up, remembering how Earth's moon looked from her old dorm in the Tower she shared with her team. Its pale silver light corrupted with the faintest hint of the sickly green of Hive magic. Its round shape marred by the scars Crota's sword left on its surface.

The moon here was comforting; soothing. The moon offered a silent assurance: Sleep, little one. You may rest in peace, now. I will watch over you.

Nova licked Luna's chin, before yawning and curled up into a ball next to her. Luna smiled and gave the fox a scratch behind the ears. She stood from her bed and sat back down at her writing desk. Dozens of sheets of paper of varying templates were neatly organized; blank paper, lined paper, graph paper, staved paper, hex paper, all at the ready. She plucked a sheet of staved paper and began to hum a soft melody to herself. Her pencil began to scrawl the melody from her memory down from her head into the page.

Luna could not remember the origin of the song. Where it had come from was as much a mystery as what the lyrics meant. She scribbled in shorthand that she didn't know she knew. Her left hand began to tap at the desk with the rhythm.

She stood, bringing her hastily written music to the piano in the corner of her room. Her fingers began to dance on the keys as her foot tapped time of four. A song of ancients flowed from her soul as she played. Her voice lent itself to the music, knowing what syllables came next, and which were connected. The fox sang along, lending its voice to the song, knowing what was happening.

The soft sound of flapping wings and hooves on stone were suppressed by the music. ~Luna~ quietly entered the room, eyes fixed on Luna and Nova, ears perked. The music resonated with the ambient magic of the world, with Luna and the fox as the focal points. She had seen this dozens of times before, and recognized it immediately for what it was: a harmony moment.

Time switched from four to three. Luna could feel that her voice resonated with two others from the ancient past of her home. Two voices, ancient, yet clear as the air. The voices felt... comforting, in a strangely familiar way. It felt as though she knew them, knew the people they belonged to.

Tears welled up as she sang with the familiar voices. Memories of warmth and comfort filled her mind, though no images followed; only the voices and the feeling of being held by someone. The music faded, leaving Luna to stare at the keys of the piano through teary eyes. Nova rested her chin on Luna's leg in a gesture of comfort.

~Luna~ gently knocked against the balcony doorframe. Luna looked up to her.

"~Are you okay?~" ~Luna~ asked.

Luna nodded, but the pony was not fooled.

"~The changelings were unable to help you...~" ~Luna~ murmured, guessing at the source of her friend's pain.

Luna nodded.

~Luna~ tentatively entered the room, approaching Luna and wrapping her wings around her. It wasn't much, but at that moment, it was the best she could do to comfort her friend.

"~This is when I would have left,~" Luna said. "~Now, while it's calm and quiet... Before I can become dangerous again.~"

"~I know,~" ~Luna~ said softly.

"~Will you stay with me?~" Luna asked. "~I would appreciate your company...~"

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The world around her was warm. The wind passed through the grass making it wave like ripples on a lake, and a lone tree stood in the distance. The sound of flowing water mixed with the quiet hush of the wind. Long past the tree, she could see a mountain where great flying creatures wheeled about in the air.

She stepped forwards, the dirt soft beneath her hooves. The grass lapped at her coat. The wind whispered in her ear. Beneath the tree, she saw Violet sitting, staring at the sky. She was in armor, but the armor didn't fit anymore. The underlayer of the armor hung off her body as though it were made for someone much larger. The plates were not shiny as they once were. Rust and tarnish stained the metal, reflecting the light of the sun in strange ways. Violet looked up at her, her eyes nowhere near as bright as they usually were; a dull ember now as compared to a roaring flame. The light that once danced just over her skin was gone.

"So... This is the end, huh?" Violet asked. Her voice was weak, and cracked like an ancient painting that had been poorly maintained. "Always thought I'd go out with an explosion."

"This is not the end," Luna said. Her voice was strained, and tears were already threatening her vision. "This cannot be the end..."

"My Light's been wasting away this whole time," Violet said calmly. A dry chuckle escaped her lips. "Funny how you're more afraid of me dying than I am. But, I guess that'd make sense. After all, I've already died a few thousand times."

Luna opened her mouth to speak, but found no words awaiting her.

"You know... starving to death feels different when you're still eating," Violet mused. "I've been having a lot of dreams about Before... I remember things I shouldn't be able to remember... Like how when I was just born... I could feel how happy they were to hold me... The memory of that moment felt..."

Violet paused, searching for the right words.

"I could taste the sweetness of the moment..." she said. "I could feel how much they'd wanted me, and how much love they had for me..."

Luna sat down next to Violet against the tree, placing her wing around her.

"I had a dream about this place..." Violet continued. "I used to come here a lot when I was a kid. Mom and I built a treehouse out here, and I'd come out here in the winter when it was warm and play in the river and practice violin in the treehouse... As I got older, I'd come here when I wanted to be alone. I broke a boy's heart here. I shared my first kiss with a girl up in that treehouse..."

"This place is hallowed ground to me," Violet said.

"I don't mean to intrude," Luna murmured, beginning to stand.

Violet stopped her, placing a hand over her withers. She smiled weakly, but genuinely. "You are welcome here, Luna."

Silence permeated the area. Clouds rolled by, casting long shadows on the sea of grass and the river banks. The warm breeze carried the scent of unsullied nature.

"I've been thinking about a lot of things lately," Violet hummed softly. "This world, my world... The one I was resurrected into... I never hated it... It was loud and chaotic and violent and cruel, but I didn't hate it. I loved it so much... It was home... But... I don't miss it. It was too much for me, especially after I lost Cayde... after Riven..."

Violet wiped a few tears from her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Your world is the kind of place I wanted to find," Violet said. "I would have loved to spend my life there with you."

Luna felt her heart skip a beat.

"You still can," Luna insisted. Tears broke forth, blurring her vision. "You're not going anywhere! You can't just die!"

Violet chuckled to herself as she wiped the tears from Luna's eyes. "There is one universal truth, Luna. Nothing has ever lived which will not one day die. Guardians are no exception. We just take longer than most."

The world blurred, and color began to fade, starting with the blue from the sky. The color drained from everything, the tree decaying as the green of its leaves fell away. The grass stopped moving and slowly, it too began to dissolve away.

"Violet?! No! Violet!"

"Don't beat yourself up about this..."

Luna continued to cry as Violet, too, began to lose color.

"O love mine, quiet your screams and dry your tears. This is but another proof of the universal truth. Nothing has ever lived which will not one day die. This is my parting gift to you: to be bathed in the name you gave me."

Luna screamed. The world slowly began to fill with violet light as everything else disintegrated around them. As the light intensified to blinding brightness, Violet smiled and took Luna's hoof in her hand in a weak, yet firm grasp.

"Light Sacrifice..."