At Twilight's End

by Shrouded_Legacy

Beyond Good and Evil (Past part 1)

Author's Note:

I'm still working on tweaking the narration for these chapters. I feel like Luna's narrative and her speech patterns at the moment are... incomplete, but I can't figure out why.

Also, The next few chapters after this one are kind of long and recount more personal experiences. therefore, the pacing is also off, and I don't know how to fix it.

It is flawed, surely, but I submit it for your viewing pleasure after determining it is the best I can do at this current moment in time.

Beyond Good and Evil

My sister and I were not always how we are now. Though we were royal by birth, our power was gained through study. My sister and I were both quite adept at telekinetic manipulation, and with how rapidly we were able to ascertain the complexities of cosmologic magic, we were placed in cosmologistics at a very young age. Tia received command of her team first. She managed, albeit barely, to withstand raising the sun after half of her team fell ill. The more she worked at the magic, the more she studied it, the more time passed, she became able to raise the sun with an increasingly smaller number of ponies. Her popularity grew along with her strength and ponies flocked to her light. Even being involved in politics as a young mare wouldn’t besmirch her good name, but now I am getting ahead of myself.

She received her cutiemark when she earned the title “Harbinger of the Sun” and she took the name “Celestia.” It was a grand day for the Unicorn race, and she was hailed as the heir apparent to the throne. Much against her own desires, I might add, as she had fallen in love with a wizard who attended to her. A steward by the name of Jewel Storm, sworn to our Lord Father. As the heir apparent, she was at father’s mercy in terms of securing alliances and tribute from surrounding kingdoms, and she was given hold of the Gaian tribe to rule under her own jurisdiction. She pleaded that I come with her, and though our Lord Father didn’t think it prudent, I did. Princess Purity, now Princess Celestia, was terrified of her new office, and she knew that she could no longer directly consort with Jewel Storm. I was their messenger, and an anchor for Tia when she held court.

It was shortly thereafter that I became aware of mine own talent, that of the fabled dreamwalking. I came to be able to control it and thus earned my cutiemark. When presented before the royal court, I was given the title “Priestess of Nocturne” and took the name “Luna.” I was given the Crystaline tribelands, and was promised to the prince of a nearby Thestral kingdom. A Darkmane Storm, the youngest and fiercest of three brothers.

Tia was the only one to celebrate with me.

As time passed and we grew older, our studies brought us to the apex of known magic. Celestia and I began to involve ourselves more and more with the research being done by the scholars, creating spells, crafting self-sustaining enchantments… She wanted to unravel the mysteries of magic, to see why we were the ones to guide the celestial bodies. I wanted to be noticed for something other than my dreamwalking. I felt I had so much untapped potential, but I couldn’t find ponies willing to work alongside me.

At least, until I met a Crystal Wizard named Sombra. He was highly intelligent, both academically and socially, active, sensitive, and... well, *she blushes a bit as she continues.* quite fetching as well. He was a well renowned magical researcher when I appointed him to the post of Grand Magus, and after that was when he began to catch my eye. After a while I appointed him Lord Chancellor, and it was through fellowship in his studies that eventually led to my becoming an Alicorn.

More on that later though.

Would that all had stayed well, as those years were sweeter than apple wine. Our sister, Platinum, was neglectful of her duties. A leader looks to the wellfare of the ponies, not those whom she likes; this was the crime I lay against her. Eventually, those under us were bound to rebel as the unicorn ponies viewed themselves as superior and elite among the others. Our sister’s flamboyant, laissez faire approach to governance certainly sped it along, but unless equality was reached, the oppressed were eventually bound to rise up. Unrest began first in the north-east, then it spread to my holdings in the north and Paragon’s holdings in the south... and that is when it started to unravel everything.

It was not long after that the wendigos began to appear.

The lands became colder, harder to manage, and hostilities between the races all raised. This only accelerated our own demise, as we began to see an ever increasing number of them, and we noticed that anywhere they went, more spawned from there. Dessicated forms of pegasi, earth ponies and unicorns alike, with an aetherial chill that surrounded them, became the heralds of destruction for all untouched by the spreading corruption. First it was dozens, then hundreds… then thousands...

Sombra realized what was happening and approached me whilst I was with Paragon. He had devised a shield that could keep the wendigos at bay. At the time, we had no knowledge of their cause, of their hunger, but the magical shield did what it was supposed to. The only problem was that unicorns had to come together to cast the shield, and their magic was finite. Paragon, who never took a name after receiving her cutie mark, found an alternate plan and brought together some of the top researchers to enchant a crystal with the spell and charge it enough to cover all of our holdings in the north. It would require upkeep, and so she had them put an experimental condition woven into the spell. It would draw upon and magnify any magical source acted upon it. They fashioned it after her cutiemark, a blue heart wreathed in gold laurel, and gave her the name “Amore Cadenza.”

I know not how they amassed the power needed to set the enchantment as they did, and any time that I asked Sombra he would evade the question. “Our ponies will sleep soundly tonight, without fear of the coming winter. Is this not enough to know, Majestic Moon?” he would reply, a soft, if troubled, smile on his face. It wouldn’t be until years later that I noticed that I hadn’t seen my sister, but again, I seem to be getting ahead of myself.

The northlands protected by their shield, I turned my attention to Tia’s holdings and spoke of how effective the shield was. We didn’t have time to set up the laboratory before Tia and her court had to flee into the mountain caves beneath Canterlot with as many of her subjects as she could bring, as the winter was progressing too quickly and there was nothing here to shield them. Tensions rose further when the Pegasi began raiding the city proper since their supply reserves had run out. It was then we lost all communication with the northern territories, and we suspected our envoys were being attacked by some force out in the winter wasteland.

Platinum, at father’s behest, rode out with her steward, Clover the Clever, to a summit being held in hopes of striking peace between the three races holding contest over the new land that our explorers had found to feed our slowly dying kingdom. After several months of no news, Platinum and Clover returned with good tidings. Thanks to the friendship between Clover, an earth pony chancellor, and a low ranking enlisted pegasi acting as secretary, an accord had been reached and the wendigos had been pushed back. Clover spread the word that light and love could empower us to push back the encroaching winter. “Friendship is the magic that will protect us from the ghastly apparitions!” she spoke the message with charisma and conviction. “It is our best weapon against the loveless creatures that they have become!”

Surely enough, as her words began to inspire confidence and peace in the populace, we began to retake our old lands. To keep it from happening again, we began to treat our subjects with more equality, and some even began intermingling. Most unicorns were resistant, but Celestia handled them deftly and tactfully, as was she was wont to do. She also began openly courting Jewel Storm, who had been taken to her side and filled the seat I once did, allowing me to turn my full attentions to the north.

It took almost a year to regain our holdings in the north, fighting back the cold and finally winning. Eventually the pink-purple shimmer of the Northlanders’ shield came into view, though it had grown smaller since I had been there last. Being cut off from us for a year, we had no way of expecting what had come in our absence. When we crossed the barrier, we found a grand castle had been erected and roads branched out in what must almost have seemed a spider’s web from the sky. I was approaching with my betrothed and a small contingent of his royal guard, when I saw Sombra on a balcony overlooking the kingdom. He had on the red robe of the Lord Chancellor that I had given him, but something was different about the way he held himself. His excitement to see me was tempered only by his notice of my… husband, Darkmane Storm.

He teleported to me as soon as he saw me. “My liege! It does my heart such good to see you yet once again!” He said as he bowed before me.

“Rise, faithful Sombra.” I said, smiling to see him again and holding out a hoof.

He rose, took my hoof and kissed it lightly. “I have done all I can to keep the city in your absence, Princess of the Night. We lost some land as the artifact slowly lost power, but you being here must mean that this long winter has passed?” I nodded to him and almost was lost in his elation. “Praise the creators! You bring naught but the best of good tidings, Majesty! I shall go forthwith to let the ponies know that their princess has returned them!” He ran off excitedly.

I wish I had known to savor that excitement, for that would be one of the last times I saw him truly happy.

He gathered the ponies near the Crystal Heart, which spun underneath a large archway built under the Crystal Spire, the castle they had seen on the way in. The more ponies gathered under it, the faster it spun, as if anticipating the excitement of the ponies. I adopted the Royal Canterlot Voice that father used to address his subjects. “Ponies of the Crystal Kingdom, We have come to you with good tidings! The harsh cold is retreating and We can begin reclaiming our lost land! We extend to you Our heartfelt gratitude for your loyalty in these most trying of times, and We henceforth shall lead the rebuilding and reparation of Our fair kingdom!” I finished to the sound of huzzah’s and ponies hailing my name.

It felt right, finally having the adoration of my subjects. I realized how much I had envied my sister, and, though it pains me to this day, how much I longed for power. Magic had given me the ability to change lives, to end them, but only once I tasted of glory did I realize that true power rested in fear, adoration. I was never quite the same mare after that.

That night when I rose the moon, I made sure it stood fully in view. And as I stood on the balcony overlooking the Crystal Kingdom, Darkmane Storm came out to join me. “Your night is beautiful, my lady.” He said, his husky voice floating about my head.

“Thank you, ser.” I responded, turning to smile at him.

His dark red and purple mane was cropped short atop his rigid, strong featured face. He was very nimble for his musculature, and his dark, pale blue coat always gleamed with an almost glossy finish. He was handsome, of that there can be no doubt, but my eyes were on Sombra. “Your ponies rejoice at your return. Theirs has been a harsh winter. What will you do, now that you have them again? What shall spring bring us all?”

I paused and looked at him, unsure of his question. “What do you mean?”

He grinned and gestured out across the view. “The sky is yours, Princess. This land is yours. You have at your command some of the most powerful magicians known to this newly formed land. Your sister, Celestia, will soon have Canterlot, and Platinum has no interest in Equestria. Amore hasn’t been seen in this past year. Your Lord father is waning, unable to act, but you…” He placed a hoof on my shoulder. “You shall wax eternal. I can see it. What remains, what follows, your decision is crucial, your legacy awaits.”

I gazed out across the land wondering about his promise. I clearly remember this conversation because it led directly into what I would learn over the next few months. I spoke to Celestia about the fate of Equestria, and she intoned that it would be inclusive of all holdings between the frozen north and the badlands to the south. Cartographers had mapped out routes, villages, tribelands, and rivers and seas. The mainland stretched many leagues, and with the inclusion of Earth ponies and Pegasi, our three races claimed Equestria whole. The Crystal Kingdom would remain its own sovereign state, as it was north of the mountains, therefore it was on the frontier of the frozen north and she was unsure if it could be steadily supplied at this time. I, however, was to be a princess of two nations, would I accept a place at her side. I agreed, as she was my dear beloved sister, and we knew that we would soon need each other to rule between the two of us that which once had greater than twenty leaders.

Darkmane returned to his people after our father died, as they needed him more than I. Apparently in his absence, both of his elder brothers had died and the clan was falling apart without a strong leader. but he left his best stallion, a young captain by the name of Nightwind Squall. He was one of few known Thestrals to have command over their ancestral Umbranocta magic, and he was enamored of me like neither Sombra nor … my husband… were.

I feel I should take a moment to explain that relationship. Being an arranged marriage to solidify an alliance, I had met Darkmane Storm only on the day of our wedding. Never did we share a bed, as he had loyalties at home and I had eyes only for Sombra, who I trusted with everything. Darkmane Storm and I enjoyed a close friendship, but we never looked at each other as lovers.

Regardless, Nightwind Squall seemed to worship me. To him I was never “Priestess” but rather more like “Goddess.” It was… unnerving at first, but his undying loyalty to me was a boon I would soon come to rely upon.

When our Lord Father took ill, Tia returned to Canterlot, only to find the city rotting from the inside, with the posh nobility using their wealth as a weapon of submission against the other races trying to live in the city. Many were supplanted from their homes during the winter years, forced to seek refuge in other cities. Canterlot had a number of such refugees, but the snobbish elite of the city refused to accept them, driving them out of shops or simply refusing to service “Feather-brains” and “Mud-ponies.” Platinum even was among them, and Clover the clever was no-where to be seen.

Jewel Storm seemed to enjoy the chaos caused by the nobility a bit too much, and Celestia began to see a change in him. He became mischievous, but he held on to both his equinity and his nobility; which is to say he would play tricks on the haughty ponies before him and show generosity (coated heavily in sarcasm, I might add) to those who had no-where else to go. This is actually how Celestia came to grow in the affairs of the royal court, as Jewel Storm’s wit and poise was second to none.

Tia, on the other hand, hated it. She would rally against them and try to remind them of the troubles they faced with the wendigos, only a scant few years before. The nobles would scoff at her as a neighsayer, rebuff any attempt she made to warn them to stay within the light’s embrace. She began to grow weary, fighting the injustices perpetrated in this one city, until Jewel Storm became her Chancellor, Chamberlain, and High Steward. He found in the budget enough room to requisition a second castle and, working with Tia, found a spot by the forest Everfree to build it. It was considerably more secluded, but played an important role in many things to come. It was also a symbol for the other races, as a road was built to it from a nearby earth pony community, and it was near the cycle of two separate pegasi cities, namely Las Pegasus and Cloudsdale.

This castle shared the throne room between two chairs of the same size. On the left was mine, hued dark blue with black and purple accents. Behind it was a grand banner bearing the crescent moon that rests upon my flank. Beside it sat Tia’s throne, white and gold, with the banner of a sun behind it. It was beautiful. It was balanced. It almost preached harmony in it’s own presentation. The stained glass windows around showed the accomplishments of our youth, and we both were present in each memory. The rest of the castle was just as grand, and Tia had even built me a tower, the Nocturne Spire. Yet, despite how grand it was, it never seemed opulent. It was, simply, perfect.

I was able to assist my sister for a time, holding court jointly, doing what we could to answer her subjects’ supplications, but eventually I returned to the Crystal Kingdom. There was talk of bolstering the military presence along the border and when I inquired as to why it would be necessary they told me that it was a reasonable response to a neighboring sovereign state bolstering its own armed forces. This news concerned me, as I had heard nothing from Sombra in some time. In my dreamwalk that night I traversed to my kingdom to find one common emotion, one common truth.

Terror.

My people were afraid, and none more so than my dear Sombra. He had been leading with my confidence in my absence, but I could feel how he needed me. While the entire nation was slipping, he alone had the strength to hold it together, but I could feel his haunted heart. Something had gone wrong, something was shaking my kingdom… Something had to be done. I left for home, for him, the very first thing next morning.

Nothing could have prepared me for what came next.