Epilogue
After the defeat of general Lux, he was taken to a high security prison that was far more advanced than the one Daemon had been to. The dungeon that Daemon was confined to was only for show and was only used to frighten fillies and colts on Nightmare Night. Lux, however was held in a cell designed for some of the most powerful threats to Equestria. The prison was built over a natural magical draining area, the very area that was used to punish Discord. Since he was not placed right on top of the energy draining soil below, the Lightmare general still had some access to his magic... but only enough to lift a fork to his mouth at most.
Since all the conflict was over between Lightmares and Shadowmares, the Lightmare legion had no more work that they could do to keep themselves busy, but Celestia had already foreseen this and had come up with an appropriate ‘punishment’ for the ponies without a cause. She had proclaimed that they would be allowed to stay in Equestria as long as they performed acts of community service. They would either be assigned to a partner pony (which could be an earth pony, unicorn, or a pegasus) and they would basically be that pony’s servant, helping with chores and daily activities, or they would be sent to Manehatten to rebuild the city that they had destroyed. The total number of hours that they had to serve before being free of their punishment was 250,000,000 shared among them. Since there were at least 50,000 Lightmares and they were all willing to put in 12 hours of work a day, they were going to be relieved of duty in a little over a year.
There were a few select Lightmares that were off the hook for their aid in the fight, one was even rewarded. Ezreal was let go (even though he would have never done the work in the first place) and he helped Rainbow Dash in her training when he could. He taught her some ways to corner and weave through obstacles without losing speed. Eventually through their cooperation and determination, Rainbow Dash finally got the privilege of being one of the Wonder Bolts. She told them that she wanted Ezreal to join them as well. Even though they were willing to let him, Ezreal turned down the offer, telling them that his only desire was to get Rainbow to achieve her dream and he never wished to become a Wonder Bolt himself.
Aura spent a lot of his time with Applejack. He told her that doing physical labor was his way of letting everything go and relaxing. She admired his strong work ethic but quickly decided to spend a day with him to show him that there were other things besides work. Unbeknownst to Applejack, this day off sort of became their first date and they soon became very close to one another. It only made sense that they got together, since they had so much in common. They were both strong in willpower and in physical ability, they both were honest and hardworking, and they both shared a deep respect for the country lifestyle.
Flara was made Celestias personal guard due to her overwhelming amount of experience in war and battle. She was also appointed as the overseer of Lux, to make sure that he never escaped. Celestia did not make this decision lightly and she made sure to look over Flaras personal records from the Lightmare stronghold. What astonished Celestia the most was Flaras intellectual prowess and ability to stay calm and focused under any kind of pressure. Her tactical ability in field showed that she was nearly as insightful as Celestia herself, able to nearly read the minds of the opponent and counter attack flawlessly.
Pinkie Pie was her usual self and she found that having a Lightmare for an assistant was fun. Pinkie would tell her to fetch an ingredient or tool and she would pick up some random thing in hopes that it was correct. Pinkie would teach the Lightmare about all kinds of new things that she had never even heard before. The funniest moment was when Pinkie set up a pinata and after it was hit by one of the fillies at the birthday, the Lightmare ‘rescued’ it and told it that everything was going to be okay and she wouldn’t let the others beat it with sticks anymore like a mother would to a child. Pinkie had to explain so many things that she felt as though she was almost the parent of the Lightmare.
Twilight had put it upon herself to educate everyone she could about Lightmares and Shadowmares. She ended up writing an informative textbook about the two species and had it published. There were many ponies that doubted her and believed that the book was supposed to be in the fantasy section of the library, but she assured that it was all true and she had done the research herself. She included everything she could. Even the anatomy of both races. Spike even helped point out stuff that she missed while she was writing down notes for it, like how Shadowmares could withstand the intense flames of a baby dragon and if they wanted, they could even hold said flames in their mouth. Through the whole process, Spike and Twilight laughed as they recalled all the things they learned and wrote them down.
Desdemona was the test subject most of the time Twilight had a question about Shadowmare physiology. She was not happy with some of the tests, but she was willing. Since Lux had been taken down, Desdemonas attitude seemed to brighten up a great deal. She would commonly smile and do things that she would have earlier refused. She even went to the spa with Rarity and Fluttershy on a number of occasions (though the others expected it was only for the complimentary chocolate). Desdemona ended up working at the most exclusive restaurant in Canterlot and almost instantly became the head chef. Her natural cooking talent was mostly to blame for her success, but she wasn’t complaining. Her job actually made her happy... it was one of the few places where she could be as mean as she wanted and still get a smile followed by ‘yes chef’. Knowing that she had success in her grasp, Desdemona left Flutteshy's cottage and found a place of her own with the money she got as head chef. Her pay was substantial and she decided that her home should match so she bought one of the most luxurious homes in Canterlot. Even though she was living large from her Shadowmare abilities, she still visited ponyville as much as she could to keep up with the ones she was now glad to call ‘friends’.
Fluttershy was the happiest of all. She was married to Daemon about six months after Lux’s defeat and she was unable to contain her joy at the wedding. Nopony had ever seen her in such great spirits. Angel demanded to be the best man and that suited Daemon just fine. Besides the wedding, Fluttershy’s life was pretty much where it had been before. She took care of sick and injured animals along with those who had no homes to go to, but this time she had something else to look forward to in her life... she had a loving husband and nine friends who all cared for her.
Daemon was able to finally relax for the first time in his life. There was no longer anything he had to fear and he was glad... but relaxing wasn’t really his style and he wanted to give back to the community. Celestia talked with him after he was done healing at the hospital and she suggested that he start a band. She even came up with a name. Since Lightmares were angelic in appearance and Daemon was going to be the only Shadowmare in the band Celestia thought that ‘Daemon Among Angels’ was a fitting name and Daemon agreed... in his words it ‘kicked flank’.
Ezreal and Aura were more than happy to join him, but Flara couldn’t leave Celestias side any time she wanted so the band had to make some adjustments to their designated instruments. Daemon was going to play guitar and be the lead singer. Ezreal was moved to bass and Aura accepted the drums. The band quickly took to their new positions and made their debut at Fillydelphia's grand concert hall with Celestias blessing. The band took off and was an instant hit. Rarity joined in on the fun and became the bands wardrobe designer and Daemons primary consultant due to her experience running the Carousel Boutique. Since she had experience in running her own business, Daemon looked to her advice when he didn’t know what to do... and knowing Daemon, Rarity was sure that was bound to happen sooner rather than later. One thing that Daemon did that made the band memorable was that he chose to begin and end each concert with the same two songs. The introduction song was inspired by his thoughts of the war and how he had overcome the challenges that stood before him. It not only amped up the crowd but it also left a deep impression on everypony so they despised war as a senseless battle with no winners. The song Daemon made the finale of the concert was more upbeat and inspiring. He thought that it would be a nice way to encourage everypony who was listening to strive and achieve their dreams... because even his greatest dreams could never compare to the joy he held.
Just when things couldn’t seem to get any better, Fluttershy revealed that she was going to have a baby. A few days before the second anniversary of the Lightmare’s defeat, Fluttershy gave birth to a small filly who she had decided to name, Firefly. The little foal was without a doubt a Shadowmare. While she didn’t have the horns, wings, or eyes of a Shadowmare, she bore a muddy looking yellow coat, hook shaped pointed ears, and a perpetually messy pink mane that was like Fluttershy's but a little darker and determined to remain unkempt. Rarity had tried her best to tame the out of control mane, but failed multiple times before throwing in the towel. Daemon and Fluttershy didn’t care though... she was their daughter and they loved her all the same. Firefly seemed to share Fluttershys skill for befriending animals, but she was also more adventurous and brave. Firefly took on some traits of both parents and showed promise of becoming a great loving mare. Thus ends... The Legend of the Shadowmare!