David walked along the open field next to Midnight's house with a happy smile on his face. The warm summer sunlight glistened off his coat, and his chocolate brown eyes squinted as he looked over the horizon. Clouds hovering just below the cliff side again made the view look like one borrowed from heaven itself. It was fitting, really. One hoof after the other, David walked, not a worry in the world. At his side was Midnight, a serene smile gracing her features as they made their way to the edge of the cliff. A gentle breeze blew over their coats, slightly bristling their fur as they moved. Birds happily chirped away in a nearby tree as they watched the two ponies.

Eventually, David arrived at his goal - a large section of the escape pod. It had been expertly removed and inscribed with three very familiar names. Above each name, was a heavily stylized picture of each human, drawn to look as close to the real person as possible.

David read the inscription again before gently placing a hoof against the pod wall. Despite his good attitude on the way over, he couldn't help the sadness that welled in his heart upon reading the words.

Midnight quickly approached his side and nuzzled his chin with her cheek, earning a weak smile from the Crimson Pegasus. She pulled away after a moment and read the inscription for herself. Within a few moments, she raised an eyebrow and turned to David.

"Why isn't your name on there? It talks about you, but it doesn't list you by name." Midnight wondered.

"I asked Tia not to put me on here until I die. It just doesn't quite feel right, you know? I feel like I haven't earned my name on there yet." David mused.

"David..." Midnight said with a frown.

"I know, I know. Maybe in a few years, I'll change my mind. Right now though, I think it's perfect just the way it is."

"You know you did everything you could, right?"

David thought over her question for a few moments before he responded.

"Yeah."

"Alright, just making sure. I love you." Midnight said, punctuating her sentence with a small kiss on David's cheek.

"Hehe, thanks, Mid. I love you too... Hard to believe its almost been a year already." David replied.

"Well, time flies when you're having fun... or in your case, almost dying. A bunch. Really, you need to stop doing that." Midnight said with a playful smile.

"Now how would I keep you busy if I did that?" David asked with a raised eyebrow.

Midnight simply giggled in response. David took the moment to lean over and nuzzle his cheek against her neck, earning a happy sigh from the graphite mare. After a moment, Midnight leaned down and planted a kiss on David's muzzle, making him smile in appreciation.

"You know, if humanity ever does come here, they're gonna have to change into ponies to live here, or at least figure out a way to prevent their brains from being destroyed by magic." David thought aloud.

"Well, I'd say, that if we were able to warn them soon enough, they'd figure something out, or at least the princesses would. Twilight wrote an entire medical book about you and the effects magic had on your body during your first six months here." Midnight responded.

"Hehe, I remember. She was so excited about getting it into the royal archives. Either way, I hope they do come here one day. Maybe set up a little settlement somewhere, and help Equestria advance. Maybe one day, ponies could be landing on another planet and setting up a colony of their own." David mused.

"Maybe one day." Midnight replied, her head trained skyward.

"Would you mind if I said a few words? To them?" David asked, a slight hint of trepidation in his voice.

"Go ahead, big guy. I'll be right over here." Midnight replied as she gave David some space.

David turned back to the monument and walked over to it. He kneeled down until he was resting on his belly, before he found his voice.

"H-hey guys... I know this isn't really where your bodies are or anything, but uh... I think this was the best that we could do. I think you can hear me... At least, that's what I keep telling myself. A-anyways, I'm rambling now. The point is, I never forgot what you said to me that day, when I transformed. I don't think I ever will." David took a few minutes to steady his breathing before he continued.

"I, uh... I asked Tia to help build this for you guys," David said, looking over the monument, "I hope you guys like it. I think it's pretty cool, and the engraving looks good. I tried my best to get the pictures to look right, but I don't know... I don't think I got your eyes right, Isaac. I keep forgetting if they were blue or green..."

David fell silent for a few moments. He seemed to visually shudder before a tear hit the grass.

"I... I can't remember too much of the first six months here. Too much brain damage. D-don't worry though, Tia and Twilight have worked their asses off to fix me, and I shouldn't have any major issues for the rest of my life... I just... Can't get those memories back. Anyways, I just wanted to say that I'm doing well, and I hope you guys are too. I... I really miss you guys." David trailed off.

David hung his head and fell silent. There was quiet for a while until the sound of hooves on grass grew louder to his ears. David slightly lifted his head to the side just as Midnight laid down next to him. She affectionately nuzzled her cheek against his for a few moments before planting a loving kiss on his cheek. When he turned to look at her, tears still streaming from his eyes, he found a supportive smile looking back at him.

David offered his own weak smile in return, and leaned his head on Midnight's wither for support. They sat like that for a few minutes, both just content to be there, together, before David finally felt it was time to leave. He slowly lifted himself from Midnight and to his hooves. Midnight was quick to join him, and with a shared empathetic smile, they began the slow walk back to their house.

"You okay, big guy?" Midnight asked.

"Yeah, I'm alright. Thanks, Mid. I love you." David replied.

"I love you too, big guy," Midnight said with a loving nuzzle, "So... what do you want to do now? I remember you said something about the beach, right?" She asked.

"Yeah, you were gonna teach me how to swim." David responded, looking somewhat distracted.

"Right, right... You sure you're okay? You look like you've got something on your mind." Midnight pressed.

"Well... It's kinda random, but I've been thinking a lot about a pony name ever since Storm mentioned it." David replied.

"Oh yeah, what were you thinking?"

"Maybe something simple. My coat is red, but Red Something just doesn't have a ring to it... Maybe... Crimson?" David wondered, his tongue stuck out in thought.

"Hmm... Maybe." Midnight replied.

"Well, I am a pegasus... Maybe... Crimson Wing. Or Crimson Streak... Maybe Crimson Sky?" David continued to wonder.

"Oh, Crimson Sky sounds nice." Midnight responded.

"Yeah, and instead of the whole name, I could just go by 'Sky'. That sounds cool. I always liked that name." David happily explained.

"Hehe, whatever makes you happy, big guy. I'm fine either way."

"I'll have to think about it, but I definitely think we're onto something here. Anyways, was there something in particular that you wanted to do, Mid?" David asked.

"Well..." Midnight trailed off with a blush.

"Well... Come on, Mid, spill it." David said with a teasing grin.

"Well... since you are a pegasus now..." Midnight trailed off again.

David leaned forward, his ears perked up and ready to listen.

"And since my estrus cycle is coming up in a couple weeks..."

David slowly began to understand.

"We... might need to discuss the possibility of having a foal." Midnight finished with a weak smile.

David's mouth formed a small 'o' as Midnight finished. After a few seconds to let the idea sift through his brain, David shook his head and leaned over to Midnight. He draped a wing around her wither and hugged her close. There lips met in a loving kiss, and upon pulling away, David spoke.

"I think we can talk about that."

Hey guys, it's finally here. The end of the story. First of all, I want to thank you guys for all the support you've given me over the last four months. This story has taken nearly every ounce of my free time, and I've done everything in my power to make it funny, emotional, and feel-good as I can. Honestly, I probably wouldn't have given a shit were it not for your support. Secondly, I guess FimFiction is having some problems displaying the image at the bottom for some of you, so here's the link to it https://www.deviantart.com/limreiart/art/Minute-of-tenderness-714531241 just in case. Again, I have to thank my editors for their fantastic work in making this story NOT a pile of garbage. I know there were a few things that needed to be fixed in every single chapter, and I wouldn't have even noticed them were it not for you guys. Thank you all so much. I hope to see you all in my next story. Until then, adieu guys.