First epilogue on the plate is Tempus and Joy Star. Let's take a peek at their life during the ban, shall we?
Tempus stood on the balcony in the palace of Canterlot that was connected to the room he and his wife shared. With a sigh, he wrapped his wing around her and pulled her closer to himself.
"I'm so grateful that we have a chance to just recover from every hardship we've faced recently," the Guardian of Time said.
"Me too," Starlight agreed, nuzzling him affectionately. "It feels good just being able to relax for a while now instead of constantly waiting for the next attack."
"I kinda miss Mortem though," Tempus admitted, before sighing. "And I'm afraid of how Eclipse and Moonlight are going to hold up to having to be raised by extended family since Luna and Star Seeker died..."
"Hey... I am too," Starlight told him gently, nuzzling him again. "But we'll get through this as a family. We always have."
Tempus smiled as he nuzzled her back, pulling her closer to him even more.
"I love you Starlight Glimmer," he whispered.
"I love you too..." she answered softly, kissing his forehead before suddenly making a barely-contained hiss of pain. "Really?" she growled in annoyance to no one in particular.
"What is it?" Tempus asked, looking at her with worry on his face.
"I think... my water just broke," she replied.
Tempus' eyes widened, before he said. "Uhm... okay then." He closed his eyes and concentrated, before his darker side materialized beside him. "Tell all our close friends and family," Tempus ordered, and his darker side nodded before disappearing. "How bad is it?" Tempus asked as he picked Starlight up in his aura.
"Bad enough to where I'm surprised I haven't screamed!" Starlight said, having actually screamed upon saying that.
"Okay, you're gonna be fine, you're gonna be fine," Tempus said as he readied his Chaos magic to teleport them to the hospital.
Don't- ah! Don't panic..." Starlight instructed, taking deep breaths. "I'll be fine... you leave the panicking to me..."
"Alright," Tempus nodded, before with a flash and crack they disappeared and re-materialized in the hospital. The hospital staff were all surprised to see them appear out of nowhere, but were quick to know what was happening.
"Lemme guess, the baby's coming?" one doctor nearby chuckled, as if this was a daily and humorous occurrence for him.
"Yes!" Tempus yelled, thankfully not using the Royal Canterlot Voice.
"Alright, let's get her a stretcher," the doctor ordered, and soon one was provided for them. "Set her down."
"Yes... yes, please... set me down now..." Starlight pleaded, wincing in pain again. Tempus nodded as he set Starlight down, powering down his horn as he did so.
"Alright everypony, let's move out and bring this little one into the world," the doctor said cheerfully, then they started to roll her into one of the rooms.
"Starlight," Tempus called out to her. "You've got this, alright?"
"Yeah... I'll be fine!" Starlight called back. "You just stop worrying!"
That was all she could manage before the doors closed and they were gone.
*Some time later*
A good few minutes later found all the close friends and family of Tempus and Starlight gathered in the waiting room of the hospital, with the Guardian of Time nervously pacing back and forth.
"Calm down Tempus!" Sunrise Shield said, rolling his eyes. "You weren't this nervous when your twins were born!"
"Sunrise has a point, darling," Rarity agreed. "You shouldn't be so worried about it."
"Besides, it's not like this is your first child," Spike added.
"That doesn't make it any less stressful for some, Spike," Twilight remarked.
"Dad, calm down," Vitam said as she stood nearby to Tempus. "Mom's going to be fine. She's a tough fighter, and you know it."
"I know, but still..." Tempus began, only to be interrupted by Zecora as she spoke up.
"Sometimes it is our feelings we must truly fear, as they tell us what we do not wish to hear," the zebra said.
"She'll be fine, Tempus," Nightmare Moon assured the male alicorn. "She's a tough pony."
"I guarantee that by the time they call you back, you'll have yet another little pony in your life to love and cherish," Celestia said.
"Just simmer down Sugarcube," Applejack said with a reassuring smile. Tempus looked around the waiting room, before taking a deep breath and nodding as he finally stopped pacing.
"I don't know what I did to deserve such good friends and family like you," he said with a smile. "But I'm glad I did it."
"And we're happy to count you among our own friends and family," Fluttershy agreed with a nod.
"Group hug!" Pinkie Pie cheered, stretching her arms impossibly long and hugging them all.
"Heh. You're lucky I'm used to this by now, otherwise I wouldn't be so sappy," Rainbow Dash commented with a chuckle.
Chris rolled his eyes. "I'm still getting used to it," He admitted with a smile. Just then, they heard a loud feminine cry of pain that could be heard even in the waiting room, causing Pinkie Pie to tilt her head curiously at those who are reading this.
"Why does he always pull that off when he's in charge of our characters?" she asked.
Tempus had stiffened at the cry of pain, and now his attention was directed towards the doors out of the waiting room.
"She'll be fine dad, calm down," Vitam said as she trotted up beside her father and gave him a little nuzzle, which cause him to smile and look towards her, wrapping a wing around his daughter.
"You're right kiddo," Tempus said. "Starlight's going to be fine..."
Just then, the doctor from before walked out with a smile on his face.
"Congratulations, Prince Tempus. You have yet another foal to love and cherish," he said cheerfully. Tempus' face lit up with joy and relief, and he hugged Vitam a little tighter to him.
"C-can I come see them?" He asked.
"Of course. But I must ask that the rest of you wait until later. We don't have enough room for you all," the doctor chuckled. "And no changing the room size, please. We forgot where everything was the last time, and it nearly made the CEO flip his lid."
"Understood," Tempus chuckled, releasing Vitam and standing straighter. "I'm sure that everyone will be more than willing to wait."
"You go take your time with your foal, Tempus," Celestia said with a smile. "We can wait."
"But don't take too long! I still have to give him or her a cupcake!" Pinkie exclaimed. Tempus chuckled as he smiled warmly at his friends and family, before nodding to the doctor that he was ready to go see them
"Follow me please," the doctor said, and then led the alicorn to the room that Starlight had been brought into earlier and held the door open for him. "I will give you time to yourselves," he explained. "For now, I have other patients to see."
"Thank you doctor," Tempus said with a smile, before he headed into the room. Inside, he saw Starlight cradling a small foal in her forelegs, cooing gently and softly to the precious bundle of joy. When she noticed Tempus approaching, she turned the baby a little his way to show her husband what he looked like. It was a pegasus colt with a dark brown coat, so dark it was almost black. His wings were the same color as Tempus's coat, his mane and tail were black with a light blue stripe running through them, his right foreleg had a lilac fetlock and his eyes were a teal color, and they glowed slightly.
"Isn't he just the cutest?" Starlight asked Tempus with a smile.
"He's adorable," the male alicorn said with a wide smile, nuzzling Starlight affectionately. "Any name ideas for him yet?"
"Hmm... I have one idea," Starlight said. "I was thinking that we name him after one of our best friends: William."
"I like that idea," Tempus said, before he gently booped the baby's nose. The pegasus colt gurgled, and then Tempus let out a yelp as his tail suddenly caught fire, which he put out with a blast of ice from his horn that he then made disappear with his Chaos magic.
Starlight giggled. "Looks like somepony has something else he shares with our friend."
"Heh, that's for sure..." Tempus suddenly trailed off as his green eyes stared into the distance, the male alicorn seemingly deep in thought for a few seconds before he shook his head.
"What about this for his name?" He asked, coming up beside Starlight and nuzzling her. "William Brisingr Glimmer."
"Brisingr? What does that mean?" Starlight asked curiously.
"It's a word from a language of magic, called the Ancient Language, from a world that Michael went to back when we were still joined," Tempus said as he kissed her. "It means 'Fire'. I think it suits him pretty well, don't you?"
"Brisingr..." Starlight looked down at the foal and smiled. "I think that suits him perfectly."
"Then it's decided?" Tempus asked. "His name will be William Brisingr Glimmer?"
"Yes. Maybe call him Bris for short, though," Starlight nodded.
"Bris," the male alicorn said, smiling warmly at the foal as he nuzzled Starlight again. "I love it."
"I knew you would agree," Starlight replied while nuzzling him back. Tempus smiled warmly before kissing Starlight on the lips passionately, wrapping a wing around both her and his new son. Starlight kissed him back while holding their son close all the while, feeling within her great joy and for the first time in a long while, she felt peaceful.
Life was good for their world...
It had been almost a year since Joy had returned from TD's world. Even though they'd won the war, the price they paid was too much for him and many more to handle. After losing his only sweetheart to the now-dead robot master, he had become lonely in a true sense. While walking beside the bank of the lake in Ponyville, he remembered those pleasing moments he had spent with her, as well as once again began to hear her voice in his mind. For a moment, he felt as if she was just trotting beside him, and he could swear that he heard her giggle... but in the end, it was just his imagination and nothing more, much to his sorrow. Looking towards the lake in front of him, a strange idea came to his mind. He thought about jumping into that lake and letting himself drown without struggling to survive at all.
And even as he felt himself going towards the banks, as a wave of relief began to wash over him... only to stop as a voice rang in his mind.
"Promise me, you'll never give up hope."
And then the human burst into tears without holding back at all.
"Hey, are you okay there?" a voice suddenly asked him from down on the water. Joy looked down at the surface and saw what appeared to be a reflection of a pony familiar to him, and yet not. A purple mare with spirals for eyes, a propeller cap, and a childlike face despite her age. At first he thought he was dreaming, until the reflection spoke again. "Yeah, me! Down here! I was deciding to see what it was like to be a pool reflection, and then I heard you crying."
"Screwball?" Joy asked in confusion as some of his tears fell in the stream.
"Yeah, that's my name," the mare answered. "How did you-? Oh... You're thinking of my double in a different world. Gotcha."
"I think so..." Joy sighed and backed off from the lake "Well, enjoy being a reflection... I'll be going..."
"Whoa, wait a second!" she protested. "What's wrong? You look upset, and I mean real upset."
"That's because I am..." Joy replied. "Now, please... can I leave...? I really want to be alone for a moment..."
Screwball gave him a sympathetic look. "Come on, what's buggin' ya? You can tell me."
Joy looked at her for a moment, if for nothing more than to at least have her leave him alone after that. "My... beloved sweetheart, my beautiful wife is no more..." he replied with a sob. "All because I couldn't save her..."
Screwball gave a small gasp. "Oh my... What happened?"
"She died during a war. She... she took a blow that was intended for me..." Joy sobbed. "She sacrificed herself to save my life..."
"She sacrificed herself to save you?" Screwball looked down in sadness. "I'm... so sorry. It sounds like she really loved you a lot... to do such a thing..."
"She really loved me a lot..." Joy replied with a nod. Screwball looked down at what counted as the floor or ground for her in her current situation.
"I'm sorry to hear that," she said. "I... kinda know what it's like to have someone love you a lot, and then have them taken from you just like that."
"How?" Joy asked softly, a bit of curiosity in his tone. "Did you... lose somepony too...?"
Screwball nodded. "My dad... a long time ago... He was the only family I ever knew. He created me through his magic, quite on accident, but he didn't care. He still loved me like a daughter. We did everything together. We turned clouds into cotton candy, made houses fall over whenever somepony sneezed... we even made somepony's mane turn into ice cream!" She giggled a bit at that last part, then her face went solemn again. "But then... one day, Celestia and Luna came by and turned him to stone. I was still a filly then, so I didn't understand that what he had been doing was wrong. So when he got turned to stone..." She made a small sad sigh as she stopped to recollect herself.
"Are... you talking about Discord?" Joy asked with a thoughtful manner.
Screwball nodded. "The first time he was put into stone... I hid from everypony because I didn't want to end up having the same fate. But every night, I would visit him in the Canterlot gardens, and talk to him. As if he actually could speak. I always made sure to be sneaky about it, however; I was almost caught once. I waited until the day that he broke out of his prison and I was so happy when that happened! But..." Her voice faltered. "He didn't remember me. As if being trapped in stone had... done something to him. And to make it worst... he was put back into stone again a second time." She sniffed. "I tried to get along without him, but it's never felt that same. Even after he was let free and began to reform... it's never been the same."
She finally disappeared from the lake as a reflection and reappeared right beside him, looking at the lake's reflection. Even though her eyes had no pupils or other traits that one could find with a pony's eyes, it was clear she was deeply hurt inside.
Joy had now changed his mind on leaving now, and he just sat beside her looking down at his reflection. He could see his eyes were still filled with tears. Then he looked towards Screwball. No doubt she was also hurt, and for some reason he knew that in her case it hurt much more than his own case. As his beloved never ceased to love him, even at her... death. But as for poor Screwball, her Daddy never passed away, but he didn't know her anymore. Joy thought about this for a moment.
What if Bubble had just left me like this? he thought.
"I'm sorry, Screwball... no pony deserves to be left like that..." Joy said without looking towards her, and keep staring towards his own reflection.
"Th- thanks," Screwball managed, drying her tears. "I really do wish... sometimes, I could have him back or even just have someone who appreciates what I can do. But most ponies don't even bother to talk with me."
Joy looked towards her once more as he heard this. "Well, I can talk with you..." he said. "I mean, if you don't mind talking to a sad, broken, bipedal shaved ape..."
Screwball managed a small laugh. "My dad is part goat, part lion, part eagle, and part dragon to name a few. I can talk to a... whatever you called yourself."
"Well, my name is Joy," Joy sighed. "Quite ironic, because that's what I haven't felt since a year or so…"
Screwball gave him a glance. "Well, nice to meet you Joy. You already know my name, so I guess not much of an introduction is needed." She then frowned and looked thoughtful. "Say, I've seen you before, haven't I? A long time ago?"
"Yes, I guess you have," Joy replied with a sigh. "When I was on my way to... stop your daddy from literally turning this village upside down."
"Oh right... I though I recognized you," she remarked, then looked down at the ground. "I'll be the first to apologize for all that. I could've reversed the chaos, but... I guess I just wanted to believe everything was back to the way it was when I was a filly." She shrugged. "I seem to carry a childlike persona to me even as a grownup. I guess it's just how I was made."
"It's alright..." Joy said with reassuring tone. "I honestly... can't blame a daughter for her father's crime..."
Screwball smiled, then asked, "So where'd you come from? You're not really from Equestria, are you?"
"No, my homeworld was once out there..." Joy explained, looking into the horizon. "I don't really remember what it was like, because when I was left in Equestria... I was just a little foal... and then Princess Celestia became my mother..."
Screwball gave a gasp and looked over at him. "Your mom... is Princess Celestia?" she asked in disbelief, mixed with some fear and a sense of curiosity.
"Hey, it's alright... I am not here to turn you into stone," Joy managed a small smile at last. This reassured her a bit when he said that, but not in the ways most ponies tended to be reassured. With her, it was as if she immediately trusted him for it. And if the Screwball from TD's world was any indicator of why, then it wasn't too surprising.
"Well... thanks for being honest," she said, then asked with curiosity, "So what is it like, being a Prince?"
"It was fun at first..." Joy said as he leaned back on the grass looking towards the sky. "I never had to worry about anything at all... I could have anything I wanted, and do anything I wanted to do... with little to no effort on my part... kinda like you I guess... But then, there was my sweetheart. She really cared about me and always told me to become better... and so did my mother... and my thoughts changed... I grew to dislike formalities and such... and I decided to stay as simple as I could by being a Prince... Still, life as a young Prince was the most memorable part of my life... and that's all because of my sweetheart and my mom."
"AH, they sound so sweet!" Screwball exclaimed with an adorable expression.
Joy passed her a nod. "Yeah, but everything has to come to an end... eventually..." Joy said as he wiped a tear or two from his eyes. "And so, my sweetheart had to leave me... but... but I wonder, why in such a way...?" He was now mumbling to himself more than Screwball.
Screwball placed a hoof on his shoulder. "What happened to her?"
"A... maniac stabbed her with a poisoned blade..." Joy managed to say between sobs. "I don't even know how much pain she must have been in, or if she was... suffering... before she..." Joy couldn't bring himself to finish. Screwball was shocked.
"Poison?!" She gave him a sympathetic look. "I- I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to-" She sighed and looked down. "It must have been hard... I know that feeling..."
"You know?" Joy asked in confusion.
"I know how hard it feels, but... not on that scale," Screwball explained. "Daddy's punishment was... rather quick. I don't even think we was conscious inside his prison." She sighed again. "So... I wouldn't know how it felt for you and her to live through that, slowly waiting for it to be over..."
Joy slowly nodded at this and then broke to tears once again, still lying on the grass. But this time, he turned his back towards the spiral eyed mare, as if he didn't wanna show her that he was crying like a child, while visions of Bubble's demise crossed his mind once again.
"Oh Bubble..." Joy cried her name. "Oh my... dear Bubble...!"
Screwball couldn't help herself and gave him a big hug, letting him pour out his grief as her own silent tears began to fall. It pained her to see anyone in pain, and she wanted to help in some way to relieve it for him. Joy felt her hugging him as he kept sobbing, then suddenly did something unexpected. He grabbed her hoof and began to caress his fingers on it for the moment, and she heard him muttering, "Bubble, don't leave this time..."
Screwball felt baffled when she heard this, but slightly flattered as well. Still, she felt bad for doing this; she didn't want to suddenly replace this Bubble he kept referring to, but she didn't want to leave him so broken either. So she just hugged him tighter.
"Just let it all out," she told him. "Just let it out, Joy."
Joy sobbed heavily before continuing, and holding her hoof close to his heart. "I... miss you so much... you know... I sometimes... miss you so... much... I thought about... coming to you myself... But then... then I remembered you... told... told me... to not... not to give up hope... I... I... I try my best to... forget my sadness... but... every time... I think that it worked... you return to me... and then you didn't even listen to... what I want to say... and just leave... me... making me... even more alone than before... Why you don't want me - want me to... lessen this guilt...?" he began to sob even harder "...why do you return again and... again... and then, why... don't you listen to me...? Even when you return...? I said... I was sorry... I never wished... for that to happen..."
"Joy," Screwball spoke to him. "Listen... I know it hurts... but you can't hold onto it forever." She herself was crying as she remembered practicing what she preached herself, when she had first learned about what had happened to her father. "I know it's hard... and I know it hurts... but you have to let go... And let it all out... It wasn't your fault... so let go of your guilt... don't let it bog you down..." She gave him a tighter squeeze. "And if you need someone to talk to... I'm here to help..."
As Joy listened what she just said, he soon remembered that he wasn't talking to Bubble at all. It was Screwball all the time, and the presence of Bubble he had felt was nothing more than a mere illusion once again. A sigh was made by him as he released her hoof.
"I'm sorry..." Joy was still sad, but not as much as he had been. His talk to "Bubble" just now, had helped him to let out much of his grief he was holding within him for a year and so, and for some reason he was feeling... relieved. Screwball smiled and stopped crying when she noticed that he had calm down.
"Don't be sorry," she said. "You needed to release some built up pressure, and I was simply trying to help out. I don't like seeing anypony sad."
"Thanks..." Joy said as he looked towards her once again. "I... really needed to say... all that..."
"You're welcome," Screwball answered with a smile.
Joy then got up and felt that his mind was now much or less at peace. The memories of the moments with his wife didn't felt so... painful anymore. Instead, he remembered how much she loved him throughout the time they spend together, and that feeling let out a small, yet a little sad giggle from him. "I'm still sorry that I thought that you..."
Screwball giggled. "You're okay. I did that once myself, only it was with a Minotaur. So, you're cool in my book."
Joy let out another giggle at this and looked around, not sure what to say. Then he saw some small pebbles around them, as some pleasant memory came to his mind. He picked up a pebble and threw it into the lake. Screwball saw this and looked to the ripples caused by it with interest. Then she gently tapped her hoof against the water's surface and the entire lake became still again without a single ripple. Then she tapped hit again, and the ripples returned. She gave a sigh as if remembering something herself.
"What's the matter?" Joy asked her, his voice was now somewhat concerned and caring.
Screwball gave a small smile. "Daddy and I often went out on the lakes from time to time. Sometimes, we wouldn't even manipulate it with our chaos; we just sat there and watched the surface." She tapped the water again and it ceased to be filled with ripples. She gave a small shrug when Joy noticed that. "Daddy taught me that one. It's one of the few neat tricks I've seen him do without using his magic."
"It's... really interesting..." Joy said and sighed deeply once again as he looked towards in the direction of Canterlot.
Screwball followed his gaze. "Do you have to head back?" she asked him. "It is getting a bit late."
"Actually, I was here to stay for a while... to get myself distracted from the sadness..." Joy replied with a sigh. "I was going to stay here for a few more days... but come to think of it... my foals must be worried about me..."
Screwball smiled in a supportive manner. "Go on back to them. You belong with your family, and I think they'd want to be with you too."
"I should..." Joy said, then he grabbed her in a hug for a moment before releasing her and saying, "Thanks for making me realize this..." But then he realized something. "What... about you?"
"Oh... I'll be fine," she said, with a slight hint of wistfulness. "I've lived on my own for a long time... I think I can manage..."
Joy didn't feel that leaving her on her own was right, especially when she helped him during his distressed state of mind.
"You know... I can stay here for one more night..." he reassured. "I have a temporary house in Ponyville... and..."
"No!" Screwball yelled, then realized her mistake and corrected in a softer tone, "I don't want to keep you away from your family. I mean... you just met me, and I don't want to be a bother..."
"You aren't a bother... If anything... you comforted me when I needed it most..." Joy replied. "And... I couldn't help but think of myself as a mean person, if I left you on your own like this..."
Screwball was touched by the offer. "I... that's really nice of you. What can I say other than... thanks!"
"It's alright... so you're okay with this...?" Joy asked with the same caring tone.
"Well... only if you are," she answered. Joy passed her a nod and got up from the ground, as a smile appeared on his face.
"C'mon, my house is this way..." he said as he led the way. Screwball followed him down the path he had chosen at a happy trot, feeling herself bubbling with excitement.
Is this even real? she thought to herself. This seems too good to be true... Nopony has ever been as nice to me as him.
After walking for some time Joy saw himself in front of his house. A sigh was made by him as he opened the door using a key. Joy opened the door and invited her to come in. "Mares... first?"
Screwball chuckled in amusement and walked right on in. "Haven't heard that one used in a while," she commented. "You're quite the gentlecolt when you need to be, aren't ya?"
"I'm a Prince after all," Joy replied with a gentle, yet small smile. "And unlike my cousin, I like to treat mares with respect..."
"Cousin?" Screwball inquired, then realized what he meant. "Oh, you mean Blueblood? Yeah, even Daddy feels justifiably mad at that guy."
"Yeah, that's the one," Joy agreed as he walked beside her towards the living room. This home wasn't one which anyone would think was for a Prince from Canterlot, but rather this was like a normal house with four significantly large rooms, including a kitchen and bathroom. "I know, not the Prince with usual royal tastes, am I?"
"It's still comfortable, and that's good enough for me," Screwball reassured, taking a look around. "I've... never really been inside a house before. Or at least to stay, even for a little while."
"Oh," Joy said in understanding as he entered the living room along with Screwball. "Well, now you can stay in this house as long as you want to," he replied as he gestured her to sit on the couch, and she did so. "So, anything I can fix for you? I believe you must be hungry..."
"Oh..." Screwball's stomach growled and she gave a sheepish smile. "Anything you've got will do."
Joy nodded and then left for the kitechen. While he was gone, Screwball took a look around to assess her situation. She barely even knew this figure, save that he was the son of Princess Celestia and that he had recently endured much pain and suffering before returning to his own world again. Yet even then, he was still kind enough to offer her a place to stay and even to speak to her, an uncommon occurrence in her life of solitude before that. But one thing still bothered her inside.
"For a while when he was crying, he thought I was his wife..." she said to herself aloud, but at a low volume. "I know it was because he was grieving, but... has he truly gotten over that? I don't want to replace her, because that wouldn't be right." She sighed. "But I can at least try to help in some way..."
She looked back towards where he had disappeared, then to the floor where she seemed to be seeing the sad look in his eyes she had seen in his reflection in the lake once more. A broken soul, just like she herself had been for so long. She couldn't in good conscience leave him like this. So in the semi-silence of the room, she made a solemn vow to herself.
"I will never leave him alone. Even if it means risking what friendly grounds we're on now, I will stand by him to the end. He's lost too much already, but he won't lose me."
Joy's story will actually continue soon, because Admirer and I have been making a full story out of his time during the ban planned out. This was simply delayed because I wanted to get the main story out of the way first.
Hope y'all have enjoyed! Stay tuned for the other epilogues.