There. There it was.

In the sky, floating high and higher. As I watched and smirked and laughed and pushed more magic into it, the island floated higher and higher. I was glad he taught me how.

It was marvelous. Perfectly marvelous. I closed my eyes and focused, disappearing into the void and reappearing on the edge of the island, fresh cut grass gracing my nose and the smell of oily trees, innumerable in number, greeting me. I smirked and cleared the shadows off the trunks with a flare of light.

I carefully walked over to the edge, the clean viridian scrub tickling my underside. Missed a spot. The guy who was supposed to cut the grass missed a spot.

Not that it mattered. He was dead. I had killed him myself and fed him to the oxygen plants. I could still hear the quiet gasp of surprise when his equine eyes glazed over into silent defeat. He was dead.

I hummed, under my breath. It was a sad music, one that fit far too well. And soon, I found myself singing. And staring at the cold grey orb that used to be the sun. In an hour, maybe less, the temperature of the outside of the ship would dip below freezing and the glorious grass would be dead, and the majestic trees to follow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnL3e7FAMF8&feature=plcp

Oddly, tears were falling down my face. I was numb, just like everything else. The cold black frost over my heart wasn't comparable to that on the oceans, or the ones on the graves of those who died. My heart sang out like the words falling from my lips.

At the end of days, at the end of time

Was there truly ever a person who loved and truly cared for what they had? Or did it always take a loss...

When the Sun burns out will any of this matter?

I smiled a little in bitter sweet remembrance. Celestia was dead. The world was dying. The leylines were destroyed.

Who will be there to remember who we were?

The sky was viridian. It wasn't a pleasant color. It reminded me of the cold and of the blood seeping down her... How she cried in pain and how I held her when she died. How she drew her last breath...

Who will be there to know that any of this had meaning for us?

But still. That was then. This was now. Now, I had to keep up with the one task that everyone else had entrusted me with, the one task I couldn't fuck up.

Staying alive. That was something I was good at.

And in retrospect I'll say we've done no wrong

Though... I looked at the large spires protruding from the mountain. The gods were on our side. We could make it. I might live to see another person. There were a few clouds pouring out the collective sorrow of the world.

Who are we to judge what's right and what has purpose for us?

Again, I looked down at the ground. It was cold, and grey, lifeless, apathetic, infertile. I knew a few of those words and had heard them before to describe other things. They were nice words. I knew them.

With designs upon ourselves to do no wrong

But really... why... why... why? Why were we struggling? Why couldn't I just ditch the ship, crash it down on the earth and let them all die?

Running wild unaware of what might come of us

I itched at an inked symbol on my side and sighed, looking away from the edge. I had... things...

The Sun was born, so it shall die

I could feel her smile on me. I could remember what it all was like.

So only shadows comfort me

There was nobody else awake. Only a few meaningless magic creations, bumbling about their programmed paths.

I know in darkness I will find you giving up inside like me

I walked away. The trees were starting to break into black frost and I forced magic into the atmosphere around the island. It held, barely. Just another thing that couldn't go wrong.

Each day shall end as it begins

Justice. What was it even supposed to mean? What was justice? Was it just that I lost everything, that we all lost everything? I could feel hot tears trickling down my face again.

And though you're far away from me

But no matter what I did, I could still feel her next to me.

I know in darkness I will find you giving up inside like me

I could hear her voice. I could hear her avarice towards me, her desire to be close.

Without a thought I will see everything eternal

Only I would see the wonders of space. Only I would be the silent observer. Maybe, centuries, years later, I would forget how to speak. That would surprise them when they woke up, just a single griffon with yellow eyes and skin drawn taught over ribs that stuck out like trees.

Forget that once we were just dust from heavens far

I laughed and cried and cried and laughed and it still didn't stop it from hurting. And I could still hear him calling my name, my little son, bouncing about, calling for his dad. Calling for his mother.

As we were forged we shall return, perhaps some day

I was late.

I will remember you and wonder who we were

Always late. Always Always Always late. They said I was only seconds late, that he didn't feel a thing.

The Sun was born, so it shall die

But I felt it. I could feel it. I can feel it.

So only shadows comfort me

The cold was gnawing, painful. Frost started to form on my beak and I cast a bit of fire as the planet slowly sped away from us, tugged by the sun.

I know in darkness I will find you giving up inside like me

I walked away, through the frost bitten dying wood to a small site. A few graves littered about and I stopped by one, tracing out the pattern of a feather, tears rolling down my face.

Each day shall end as it begins

"A true hero." I read, not looking at the name. I hugged the stone for a long time, ignoring the burning cold. It was time.

And though you're far away from me

I felt so tired. I could hear their voices. They were so soft... and near... I was so tired...

I know in darkness I will find you giving up inside like me

Equus was dead and we had killed it.

In the ship, sealed up in cryo storage, miles of it, hundreds of thousands of lives packed together in tight tight foul smelling compartments like so much sardines, lay the last of the population.

And I was their keeper. By some quirk of fate, me, Sera, the griffon, was the last one awake.

I laughed.

And laughed.

And laughed.

"Don't you get it? Fate has sunk her nails into us. After we take out this bad guy, there's just going to be another. And another. AND ANOTHER. Heh... I-i.... What's the point? We are the heroes. We just sit here and wait for another disaster, ignoring how we can't have normal lives. Because the danger never stops. There'll always be another damsel. There will always be another villain. It'll just go on and on until the world dies. And we don't die until then. Don't you see? This victory is pointless! We won't be remembered. Never. We will never be remembered. Just another bump in the road, another stone in the scales of justice. We aren't unique. We are just one of many, forced to defend the weak by our own wills. There will always be someone else. There will always be another problem. And when there isn't? Do you really think the world will want a group of people with the power to level cities without thinking about it? The power to do whatever we want? No. The second the world decides that they don't need us, we'll be cast as the villains. That is what a hero is. Fate's play thing, to humor the world." I paused, looking at the grave and feeling him around me, embracing me.

"But I'm the only one left. What am I supposed to be a hero of?"

I closed my eyes and drifted away disloyally, wrapped in a dream of feathers and of people I loved.

There, hugging a grave, I let the sweet embrace of someone I loved take me away, not sleep.