“Star?” AJ called as she walked into J’s room. She stopped when she saw he was slumped over the bed crying into the sheets. “Star!?!? What’s wrong?” She asked quickly as she kneeled down beside him.

Star shoved a note he had in his hand to her before curling up in a fetal position and bursting into more tears.

AJ read the note before she started to cry too. “Wh… What…” She mumbled in disbelief, “N… No he couldn’t have… He wouldn’t have…” She started shaking her head before her crying turned into sobbing.

There was a bright green flash, “I researched the entire hive… He isn’t the-” Chrysalis stopped as she saw both AJ and Star in tears.

“I… I don’t… think you’re… going to find him…” Star mumbled shakily.

“Oh… oh god… Please don’t tell me he…” Chrysalis started shakily.

“He… he’s gone…” AJ mumbled.

“Why… why did he do this… he had… so much to live for…” Star sobbed uncontrollably.

Chrysalis slumped back against a wall. “Oh god… why… why…” She repeated over and over again as tears ran down her face in a torrent.

“What do we do…” Star mumbled.

“We… need to tell everyone…” AJ stammered. “We… can’t keep them out of this… They have the right… to know he ain’t… coming back… ever again…”

“I… I agree…” Chrysalis nodded shakily.

Star stood up slowly and walked towards the door. Before he left the room he fell to his knees and started to cry again.

Chrysalis shakily walked to him and hugged him tightly. AJ hugged the both of them shortly after.

-------------------------------------------

A few weeks later:

“I never thought that any of us would live to see this day happening…” Chrysalis mumbled, gripping Jane, Samara, and Alma closer.

Sarah and Serena clung tightly to Star, shaking slightly as they buried their face in his chest.

“This… this is… just all wrong…” Dash said quietly.

“Why? He deser-” AJ was cut off.

“No. He deserves something better… Even with all his mess ups he still saved people right? Doesn’t a hero deserve something better then just bein- Just having an empty coffin put in the ground?” Dash questioned.

“We don’t really have the choice.” Star mumbled.

“We can still give him a grand send off even without a body…” Dash sniffled as a few more tears ran down her face, “We could burn an effigy in a bonfire…”

“Please… just stop…” Star said quietly.

“I… I just… You’re right… I’m…” Dash mumbled, looking down at the ground.

“M… Mommy… I’m scared…” Jane whimpered.

“We… all are sweetie…” Chrysalis said.

“Sh… should anyone… say anything?” Ben asked.

“I feel… the only one who should… say anything about him is Star… you knew him beyond what any of us ever could…” Chrysalis said. “We’ve all seen the good… and the bad in him… but only Star’s actually seen what J was truly like…”

“That’s not true.” Star spoke up.

“It… isn’t?” Chrysalis asked.

“J might not have been very open about a lot of things. But in the end, he gave himself to everyone he loved. There was nothing he hadn’t shared, and no one he didn’t have absolute trust in… I don’t have anything left to say, because I already said everything when he was alive.” Star said as a few more tears slid down his face. “The only thing I wanted to say, that none of us got a chance to… was goodbye.” Star said shakily, burying his face in Sarah’s hair as he gripped his two daughters tightly.

“I… I don’t feel this would be… as hard to take… if we had just gotten to say good bye… one last time…” Het nodded, squeezing the still crying Roph closer.

Both Emily and Ethan were crying as they hugged AJ tightly.

“I just hope he’s somewhere better…” Richard said quietly.

“I don’t think anywhere would be better for him…” AJ said.

Clara sobbed loudly and clung to Richard. “Bring daddy back… please.” She whimpered into his shoulder.

“No one can bring him back anymore…” Richard said as he started to cry again, his hug on Clara tightening a little more as he buried his face in her hair.

Twilight, Celestia, and Luna were all next to each other, sitting as the quietest of the bunch.

“W… why… a… are you all… s… so quiet…” Emily whimpered as she looked over at them.

Celestia gave a weak smile. “We had been. But we know that life goes on, and J knew that too. He wouldn’t want us to mope around and grieve for him. While his funeral is the most appropriate time for that… we know that he has brought more hope, and life to this world than most of us can ever dream of.” She said, a tear running down her cheek.

“And that life, hopefully… will keep on making more life, and spreading more joy to others.” Twilight said, slowly glancing to all of J’s kids and loved ones.

“Even the best of things must eventually end… But we all have the duty to keep on living and remembering everything about those who passed on. We can’t just grieve for the rest of our lives. The best thing to do now is keep all the memories of him close and cherish them… Life may not last forever by the memories will.” Luna said.

“And so long as we have those memories, he’s never truly gone.” Celestia said.

“And that’s why we’re not crying.” Twilight smiled.

Emily remained motionless for a moment before weakly smiling back.

Nightmare lightly tapped Star’s shoulder.

Star glanced towards Nightmare and stared at her.

“I feel you should have this…” Nightmare said quietly as she handed Star a teddy bear.

Star took the bear and looked at it. He stood up slowly and walked towards the coffin, pushing it open and setting the bear inside. Star turned to see Fluttershy putting something from J’s chest into the coffin. Then everyone else started putting things in. “I don’t think he would… appreciate touching his things…” Star chuckled quietly.

“We aren’t… we’re giving them back.” Pinkamena smiled.

Alma slowly walked up to Star, “U… Uncle Star?” She said quietly.

“Yeah what is it sweetie?” Star asked, turning to her.

Alma’s horn lit up for a moment as a small wrapped box with a small card attached appeared in her hand. “D… Daddy told me to keep this safe until your birthday… a… and I think he’d s… still want you to have it…” She said, handing him the present.

Star took the two items and looked at them for a moment before turning to everyone. He gave everyone a quick glance before putting them both in the coffin.

Jane closed the coffin lid.

“All that’s left now… is to bury him…” Chrysalis said.

“He has everything he could ever need. At least now he’ll be looking down at us in a mansion.” Star joked. “Just like how he lived…”

“Ahem…” A male voice chimed in. Everyone turned to see a Royal Guard standing patiently.

“What is it?” Celestia asked.

“Sorry to interrupt but there is an urgent matter at the castle.” The guard said.

“Can it wait a bit?” Twilight asked.

“I’m afraid not." The guard said. He paused for a moment. "The crown with your element... has been stolen."