A Jester's Way

Epilogue

A Choice

Taz wakes up in a warm bed. He rubs his eyes and feels his throat, but it's flawless. He gets up and goes over to a full-sized mirror. All his scars are done. He's just plain black, and his wings are feathered, and he's only got one horn! Taz feels his body, making sure it's all real.

"Don't be worried, brother," A voice says from behind Taz. He freezes when he hears it. That voice... he hasn't heard it in over 2,000 years... it couldn't be... taz whirls around and finds a white stallion. He has a yellow mane streaked with black, and his cutie mark is a lightning bolt.

"Lightning..." Taz whispers, shocked at what he's seeing. As he's taking it all in, Celestia, Luna and Lucy came into the room also, all in perfect health.

"Brother, welcome home," Lightning says with a small smile. Taz is still shocked.

"But... it can't be... you're all..." Taz tries to talk, but he's just so shocked at what he's seeing.

"You're dead too, now," Lucy tells him with a smile. "And now, you have a choice." Taz looks at her and gives her a puzzled look.

"A choice?" He asks.

"Yes," Celestia says. "A very important choice."

"You can stay with us," Luna says. "Or you can go back to the real world and rule Equestria." Taz looks at them all. He could stay with the ponies he loved... but, what about the Jesters? he still had to stop them!

"The Jesters all died when you destroyed the original," Lightning says. Taz sits on the bed and puts his head in his hooves.

"Can I have some time alone, please?" He asks everypony politely. Lightning nods and ushers everypony out. Once they're gone, Taz thinks about his choices. He could stay here, for all eternity, with the ponies he'd loved his whole life, or he could go back to Equestria and rule... which included protecting the land. But, there was no more royalty in Equestria, except Cadence, but she had Shining Armour to take care of.

On the other hoof, he'd be so lonely in his live body... here, he had his whole family for all of eternity.

Taz thought about his options for a long time before he finally came to a decision. He called the others back in.

"I've made my decision," He tells them. "I've decided to go," When he says that, Lightning smiles.

"I knew you would choose that, brother," He says. "I will do all I can to help you from this side." Taz looks at each of them in turn, and tears roll down his cheeks.

"I'm sorry, I just don't belong here," He sobs. Lucy smiles and sits beside him.

"Your true time will come," She reassures him. "And when it does, we'll all be here for you."

"But, one more thing," Taz says. "Is it possible for Celestia and Luna t come back with me?" He asks. Lightning looks at Lucy.

"It is, but that's up to them to decide," Lightning says. He turns to the two princesses.

"Uncle, we've thought about this a lot, too," Celestia says.

"And we've decided to come back with you," Luna says. Taz smiles and hugs them both.

"Thank you," He says. He then turns to Lucy and hugs her.

"Be strong, " She tells Taz. Then, he turns to Lightning. He grabs Lightning and hugs him tight.

"Goodbye, brother," Taz sobs.

"Until next time," Lightning replies. He steps back and Luna and Celestia walk to either side of Taz. "Are you ready?" Lightning asks. Taz nods. Lightning's horn begins to glow. "I love you," He says, a tear rolling down his cheek. Then, Taz gets sucked through a tiny tube and lands in his bedroom at Canterlot. He looks around and finds Celestia and Luna sitting beside him, shaking their heads. He hugs them both tight, tears streaming down his face again.

It's been two weeks since the Jester incident, and the three alicorns are resuming their normal lives, except Taz. He's decided to stay in Canterlot and watch over his nieces. He doesn't want to leave them again for fear that something like this will happen again. Every dawn, the three of them gather and discuss their dreams or what happened that night. Every dusk, they gather to discuss their dreams or what happened that day. Life is peaceful and good in the land of Equestria, and Taz is with the ones he loves. Every once in a while, he gets out that old picture of the five of them, and he knows that eventually, they'll all be reunited again.

This fanfic was an original idea from the mind of Taran Brodie, age 16 and residing in Aberdeen, Scotland.

If you enjoyed it, I would greatly appreciate some feedback.