I feel something.

A breeze…

I open my eyes.

Grass lies before me. Shrubs, too, stretching out beyond the gazebo. But… something’s different. They’re green, almost shining from early morning sunlight.

Wait... how can...

Another breeze caresses me.

I look to my right. Celestia’s gone. Looking to my left, I find that Luna’s gone as well. So is the snow that was blanketing the gardens, a garden that’s now green and full of life, the air warm and pleasant.

I… I feel pleasant, too. So much more so than I’ve felt in a long time. It’s like I’ve woken up from the most refreshing night’s sleep I’ve ever had in my life.

Yawning, I look down. Beakbreaker’s still leaning against me, her legs wrapped around…

Wait ... Beakbreaker’s skin. It’s smooth and tight, her stripes vivid, and her hair full of life and color.

She… she’s young again!

Blinking, Beakbreaker opens her eyes, yawning as if awakening from the most restful sleep she’s ever had. Then she sees me.

She freezes.

“Silverspeak?”

I nod, grinning at seeing my wife in the prime of her life.

“Silverspeak... you… you… You’re young!”

I am? I look down and-

My skin… it’s no longer wrinkled! It’s smooth and tight and warm, and so is the rest of me!

Wait… wait, it’s…

Oh… Oh my heavens!

I can feel my body again!

My legs, my torso, all of it! It’s real again, not metal and gears!

I spin to Beakbreaker, the biggest smile crossing my face. “Beakbreaker… we’re young again!” I jump off the bench. “We’re young!” I want to jump and shout and yell for everyone to hear!

But… this isn’t possible. We couldn’t have aged backwards, or be magically transformed unless…

“Silverspeak,” Beakbreaker asks, “Are we...” She pauses, unsure what to say.

“Dead?”

She nods.

Are we? Or is this one of Luna’s dream realms? Like the garden I visited when I was younger, or the one she put me in when my tumor was discovered? Those felt real, but this… this feels almost… more real than real. As if the life I lived, the life Beakbreaker and I knew, was only a dream, and we’ve both woken up for the first time in our lives.

Walking to Beakbreaker, I gently touch her cheek. Her skin is warm and pulsing with life. And then she does the same, and I realize the truth.

This is no dream.

Letting my hoof fall away, I look around. The gazebo looks much like it did only moments ago, only cleaner and more pristine, as if it were only just painted and ready to be used by visitors. Beyond it lie the Royal Gardens, but so much fuller, and more majestic than ever before, the trees stretching high above us and full of life and power, warm beams of light drifting down through the canopy above us.

“Where are we?” Beakbreaker asks with a smile, overwhelmed and delighted at the greenery before us. Before I can answer, she eagerly rushes from the gazebo out onto the path, and then into the grass. “Silverspeak, is... Is this the afterlife?!”

Grinning, I hurry after her. “I… I don’t know!” I look around, sniffing the air, taking in the wonderful smells of jasmine, vanilla, rosemary, and so many other delightful fragrances, all stronger than ever! If this is what comes after life, then it’s…

I stop.

I sense something… something familiar.

I look to Beakbreaker, but she’s looking off into the distance, awestruck.

“Did you feel that?” She asks.

I nod, turning towards the edge of the garden.

Whatever caused that feeling came from there.

Together, Beakbreaker and I rush down the path, heading past the plants, the trees, and the flowers.

The feeling, it’s... it’s getting stronger. But where have I felt it before? I… I…

Wait! I remember! It was back when Mangus killed me, when I was in that void!

My grin goes ever larger as Beakbreaker and I reach the edge of the garden, the walls covered in thick ivy that keeps us from seeing what lies beyond. All that keeps us from getting through is an ivy-covered gate, one that Beakbreaker and I grab and push, slowly opening it, and then rushing past…

We stop.

Beakbreaker’s hooves go to her mouth. “Oh my...”

A great field lies before us, one that stretches to the horizon and beyond, filled with grass so green it seems to shimmer in the light of a golden sky, bathing everything before it in a warm, soothing light. Before us lies a path that leads to that horizon, and towards the light. I can’t see where it goes, or what’s waiting at the end, but I can feel the call… it’s so welcoming, so full of joy, peace, happiness, and…

Love.

That love is calling to us.

It wants us to come join it.

It’s been said that when you’re about to die, your life flashes before you. Good and bad alike are shown, and nothing is hidden. Like so many other ponies, I once dismissed it as wishful thinking, nothing more than a literary device for books and movies, or silly nonsense parents tell their children to make them behave. But the stories didn’t lie. It really does happen… only, it doesn’t happen before the end of life, but after, too.

In an instant, I see my life. All of it. I see all the pain and suffering. I see the broken hearts, the dreams that died, and plans that were never fulfilled. I hurt others, and was hurt, too... but there were good things, too. Love. Compassion. Happiness and joy. Learning from my mistakes, making amends, and helping others avoid the same mistakes I did.

And then it’s over.

All my pains, all my hurts, all my bad memories are washing away like the remnants of a nightmare fleeing before the warmth of dawn. And then they’re gone, banished forever, less than a memory, and all that remains is the love I shared, the love I gave, and the love I received. And at the end of this path is everyone I’ve ever loved: My parents. Gusty. Onyx, Glasseye, Coin Counter, Thorax, and all my other friends who have passed. I can even sense Chrysalis among them, all waiting to welcome us.

Turning, I look to Beakbreaker. She wants to walk down that path, wanting it more than anything.

So do I.

Smiling, I offer my hoof.

Beakbreaker takes it, smiling back at me.

Our journey through life is over... but we have one final journey to make. And when we reach wherever we’re going, we’ll be together.

We'll never be separated again.

Together, Beakbreaker and I walk through the grass.

Together, we step onto the path.

Together, hoof in hoof, we walk into the light.

Author's Notes:

And, so, after six years, the journey is complete.

Come back next week when I'll post the original outline with commentary, and perhaps a little something extra...

Once again, the ending image was done by the talented Stasushka. Visit her DA page here.