The Last Rays Of The Sun

by DougtheLoremaster

Chapter 7- More than just a title- Part 2

Standing in the middle of a vast snowy wasteland, Luna stood shivering. The frigid winds of a mind-numbing blizzard ravaged the once-thriving Everfree Forest. To her left, the frozen forms of hundreds of ponies; Unicorns, Earthponies, and Pegasi. To her right, the form of Darg, the Dragonlord known as Torch, stood completely encased in ice; a look of mortified terror frozen on his face. And in front of her, a mare; a Wendigo, with a bone to pick. With the very breath stolen from her lips, Luna could only listen, as the mare angrily explained the horrific fate of her kind that Luna had never known.

“We Wendigos are very nomadic; we have no territory, no place to call our own. We roam the skies, usually out of sight of Equus’s inhabitants, simply put: we always go where the food is.

Unlike you gentle Ponies-”

Gesturing a hoof at Luna, the mare then turned to point at the ice-clad Darg.

“Or the mighty Dragons, or the many other Creatures of this world. Wendigos don’t feed on material sustenance. We eat the emotional outpourings of others. Your happiness, your fear. Your pain, your joy. We lovingly devour them all. Unfortunately, Wen…”

Lowering her head, the mare scuffed her hoof as if embarrassed. Her words were seemingly morose in nature and her eyes softening slightly.

“Wendigos don’t adapt well to new, abrupt sources of food. Discord’s rule was long and horrid. The food was plentiful, but far from satisfying. Malice, discontent, jealousy, wrath. Not really a filling notion amongst you ponies, if i recall correctly; well, to tell the truth, it holds very little nutrients for our young and is rarely filling for grown Wendigos as well-”

The mare's voice cracked slightly as a sudden tremor rocked her gaunt, almost wiry form. Shaking slightly, the mare recovered and continued as though nothing happened, but Luna couldn’t help feeling something was wrong; she couldn’t put her hoof on just what, though.

“When Discord fell, the food changed drastically. , not only was it succulent, a little went a long way. Our entire herd could live for days, on just a few morsels each. Harmony was truly a blessed emotion. Thankfully, we were prepared for such a shift as the elder had been observing the conflict and preparing us...all for what...was to come-”

The Wendigos barrel heaved in and out, as though struggling for breath. Was Luna imagining things, or was the mare having trouble speaking?

“And then...the...ngrh...the elder passed onto the next realm and her daughter became the new chieftess.”

Pausing, the Wendigo clenched her teeth.

“At first it was smooth headwinds; the harmony was plentiful and our tribe prosperous. Then it happened without warning, the food changed. I tried to mitigate the sudden discrepancy; maybe If we slowly weaned off the harmony, the sudden surge of disharmony wouldn’t...but it was too late and it just went so wrong. There wasn’t enough Harmony to go around suddenly, and the dissension remained toxic...to...usurghhh!”

Staggering, the mare stubbornly slammed her hoof down, her hide far paler than before.

“A...meeting was convened, each adult forewent their rations, all remaining Harmony was given to the children. I watched them wither...and then they were gone, one by one until just I remained. I was left with so many children and newborns.”

Luna stared in horrid fascination as the Wendigos hooves seemed to slowly fade into nothing. A solitary tear slowly drifted down the mare’s face.

“The newborns went first, there just wasn’t any milk for them. I couldn’t eat and they were so hungry...and they...those screams for mother’s milk that could never come...Those horrible screams...and then the children, I, there just wasn’t enough, there wasn’t enough.”

Turning her head to stare icily into Luna’s eyes, the mare’s voice held no anger, just sorrow.

“And then there’s you, the catalyst to our demise. ‘I have no intention of being your leader. My part in this is over. My village is avenged, after all.’ Do those words ring a bell, Alicorn?”

Luna’s eyes went wide. That? That was what this was all about?

The Wendigo gave a morbid chuckle as her legs slowly dissipated into the wind.

“A simple statement, and were it uttered by any other, it most certainly wouldn’t have had this impact. But it wasn’t just some pony, was it? No, it was you. You, who united all the tribes of Equus under a single banner; a single goal.

You, who had the trust of millions to lead. You, who told your followers that since your goal was accomplished, there was nothing more. You, who broke their hearts. And you, who in three sentences, doomed the entirety of Equus.”

Luna opened her mouth to speak, only to be immediately shut down by the icy cold attitude of the dying Wendigo before her.

“Shut up and listen! I don’t have much longer in this world and you will hear what I have to say Alicorn!”

Luna closed her mouth, watching as the Wendigo’s torso began dissipating, her final words would remain etched forever within the mind of what would become the celebrated Lunar Princess.

“Every creature has to do things we don’t want to. We never wanted to be in charge, or we never wanted to get involved in another’s drama. Sometimes it isn’t up to us, though. Our destiny which we strive for, isn’t what we planned, what we desired. I was your age, Alicorn, I was 15 when all of a sudden, I, completely new to marehood, was thrust into protecting my species. I never asked for it. I never wanted it.

But I bit my tongue and planted my hooves; I did what had to be done. I gave it my all, because though I hated it, they needed me. Destiny is a fickle thing, we strive for one goal but sometimes our actions lead us to heights we never sought to climb. Responsibilities we abhor. And yet there are those who require us to take up the mantle; not because we deign to do so, but because it supports them.

Not everypony can be a leader, not everypony can answer such a call. To lead masses that have no direction, no understanding of what to do. The problem is, they still need a leader. Left to their own devices, they descend into chaos.”

As the mare completely vanished into thin air, Luna could hear one final sentence, swirling in the cold air, as well as a shrill whistle.

“You didn’t want this, but only you can do what needs to be done.”

***

The scene faded, as Moonglow spoke to Twilight.

“After mother gave that final whistle, a summons, my sister Infernal and I were introduced to your mother. Almost as if a spell had been cast, your mother’s disposition had changed; with her remaining wing spread, she declared herself the ruler of Equestria, and should any wish to challenge that right, she would bury them there and then, that the fighting was to cease immediately.”

Twilight gave a low whistle.

“Oh, wow.”

Moving images formed all around her, depicting Luna’s many heroics, including the legendary Tartarus Incursion; demons and unholy creatures breaching the crack some heretics had formed. Twilight watched as Luna went berserk, unleashing everything she had to destroy the aberrations and seal the massive fissure.

“No way!”

Moonglow grinned, her fangs glinting in the flames of the library sconces.

“That moment had changed your mother forever. Since that day, few have tried to overthrow her, but for those that did, well...She refused to relinquish her role as Princess; that title, given to her by her followers. As she put it,

“No unworthy being will be permitted to lead my creatures.”

She took her responsibility as ruler seriously, and though she will never admit it, with great pride. But she didn’t sit on her laurels, that throne is merely for show. Any place where war or conflict broke out between nations, she was there, to end it.

Were you to ask any creature across the world of the most powerful magic-user to ever exist; not a single one will hesitate to declare Luna’s name.”

Twilight’s legs began to quiver as she watched the unbridled intensity of her mother.

“You aren’t kidding, she, she sure is something.”

Moonglow nodded, responding in a silky voice.

“She sure is.”

“Hold on! You knew mom back then?”

Once again, Moonglow nodded.

“I did, indeed. I’ve been in her service for more than 9,000 years, Twilight.”

Twilight suddenly seemed excited.

“Then you must know Dad!”

Pausing for a moment, Moonglow gave a small nod before saying hesitantly.

“We’ve...met.”

Failing to notice how uncomfortable Moonglow had become, Twilight eagerly begged of her.

“Please can you tell me about him?”

After staying silent for a moment, Moonglow gave a small smile. She knew this day would come eventually, just as it had with Starlight hundreds of years ago. Slowly, she raised her left forehoof. Twilight blinked in disbelief at the shiny metallic band glinting in the torchlight.

The platinum band coiled with woven silver, shone brightly, a brilliant moonstone embedded in the middle for all the world to see, but that’s not what caught her eye.

There on the moonstone, glowing a bright blue was a magical engraving of the Royal Seal. Moonglow’s eyes shone brightly, like two glowing orbs, as the illusion of her Pony form once more materialized.

“I suppose I can, after all, I know him better than anypony.”

Staring at it, Twilight was at a loss for words. That band looked exactly like the one her mother wore; her wedding band.

“Who...Who are you?”

Comments

[Stet709]

Woah

[DougtheLoremaster]

10942526
I take it, you are intrigued?

[Stet709]

10942528
Indeed, once again, that was unexpected.