The Dawn of a bright, new life.

by Hallowedsoul


Ch. 28: "Darkest Before Dawn"

Chapter Twenty-Eight
“Darkest Before Dawn”


My eyes snapped open and the first thing my body registers is pain. The next thing I register is the mass of shadow that composed Sin, backing quickly away from me in an attempt to escape.

“Where do you think you’re going?” I growl and tap into the lingering Light I feel within me before shutting It inside an impenetrable prison of light.

What now, pathetic mortal?” It sneered, glaring at me as I stood “Are you going to try and appeal to my ‘better side’, maybe tell me there’s a way we can co-exist? Do it, give me something to laugh at while I tear you apart limb from limb!

“No. I’m not going to try and change you, because there’s nothing there to change.” I reply, returning its glare “You are Sin, everything that is wicked and corrupt in people. I cannot change what you are any more than I could make Discord stop his chaotic ways.”

Then why not just destroy me with your new-found talent for Light and be done with me?” It asked, and I shook my head.

“Because it won’t solve anything, you’ll just find a way to come back and endanger this world once more.” I said, staring it down “And sealing you within me again will only pose the same issue. So what I’m going to do is simple; cast you back out into the Void whence you came.”

It stared at me carefully for a moment before making a sound similar to laughter.

You can’t send me back, you barely have enough magical power to sustain this prison.’ It said, and attempted to loom.

“Ah, but I’ve discovered something about my relationship with Twilight.” I said with a wicked grin “I can tap into the latent power of the Elements within her and her friends and I’m going to use that with Celestia’s help to banish you from our world!”

Just as I finished, the throne room doors burst open and a group of ponies filed in being led by Luna, Terra in her Esper form and Seeri, a living embodiment of flame.

“Sister, we have managed to break through the Changeling line and-” She said, but her words halted at the sight of Sin “YOU!”

Me.” It replied, mocking her “Tell me, did you enjoy your time as Nightmare Moon? I most certainly did, until Celestia used the Elements on you.

“You’re not getting away from me this time, Sin!” Seeri yelled, summoning a multitude of fireballs and poising them for launch.

Oh ho, and the Envoy of Fire has decided to make an appearance, how quaint. I’ve never felt more popular.” It said, and then turned its attention to me “If you are so confidant in your ability to cast me out, then show me!

“As you wish; Celestia, Luna give me your help!” I said, then closed my eyes and reached out with my senses, looking for the power of the Elements. I found them easily enough and extended my will to draw it in.

What surprised me was that the Elements seemed more than willing to help, with little wisps of magic flowing into me as soon as I opened myself up to it. Once it was tucked safely within, I noticed that it didn’t feel like the normal kind of pressure magic has when I hold inside; it felt supportive and I could feel the essences of each of my friends behind it, encouraging me to use the power to send Sin away.

Sin noticed what was occurring and began to desperately try to escape, but my light prison was unyielding. Luna and Celestia took my hands and joined their magic with mine, and once it was all in place, we opened the portal to the Void beneath Sin and dispelled the light prison, dropping It into the portal. The only problem was, It held onto the edge and attempted to pull Itself up even as the Void pulled mercilessly at It.

No… NO!” It roared defiantly “If I cannot have their world, I shall deprive you of yours!

At first, I didn’t understand what it meant, until a sharp tentacle snaked out from behind It and shot forward… towards Twilight, who stared at it in shock.

“Twilight, get down!” I yelled as I broke the circle, leaving Celestia and Luna to maintain the portal, and I shoved Twilight out of the way.

There was a loud squelch and I felt pain in my chest briefly before I began to feel cold spreading throughout my body. I looked down just in time to see Sin’s tentacle get yanked from my chest as it was finally pulled into the Void and the portal closed. I looked back up, gave a small smile and collapsed, with Twilight letting out the shrillest scream I’ve ever heard.

“LEON!”

Leon, I… I feel so… cold…

I saw Twilight run over and kneel next to me, turning me over and holding my head in her hands.

It hurts… am I… going to die?

“Leon!” She said urgently, looking from my face to the bleeding wound in my chest and back “Stay with me, Leon, you’re going to be okay! W-we’ll get you to a doctor a-a-and then we’ll celebrate my brother’s wedding a-a-a-and you’re going to be fine, just stay with me, please!”

Leon…I’m scared… I… I don’t… want to disappear… again…

I attempted to speak, but my mouth and lungs were filling with blood. I could only cough and gurgle, I couldn’t even breathe. Instead, I settled on raising my hand shakily to caress her cheek and smile, which she returned while also taking my hand and squeezing it as tears streamed down her face.

“No… please don’t leave me, Leon…” She murmured desperately, but my vision was fading quickly “Please… d-don’t leave me alone again…”

Please… I don’t… want… to die…

Just as I began to think Death was going to claim me, I felt myself get lifted up a little and warmth began to spread through my body and my vision started to return to normal. I became aware that someone was holding me, one arm supporting my head and the other positioned over my chest; more specifically, the wound Sin inflicted.

I turned my gaze slowly to see Terra, still in Esper form, with her eyes closed and her mouth moving in a barely audible whisper and a golden glow encompassing us both. Then she opened her beautiful yellow cat’s eyes and smiled sweetly at me as my vision once more began to fade.

“I’m going to protect you.” She said warmly “You’re too important to me to lose.”

And with that, I blacked out. As I floated around in darkness, I recalled everything that had happened since I’d arrived; finding Terra in wherever that place was, stopping in at Yuko’s shop (huh? Why am I suddenly able to remember that?), making Pinkie laugh upon my arrival, creating the bond with Twilight that would eventually lead to me falling in love with her… Twilight…

Once I thought that, my eyes slowly opened and I discovered it was early morning, that I was in Twilight and I’s room, and that Twilight was asleep at the edge of the bed, her hand positioned near mine. I smiled, and slowly moved my hand to her head and caressed her cheek gently, which caused her to raise her hand to mine and take hold of it. Her eyes fluttered open, widening when they saw me looking back at her with a warm smile on my face.

“Hey beautiful.” I murmur gently to her.

“Leon!” She breathed and launched herself at me, wrapping her arms around me and kissing me fervently. I wanted to enjoy it, but I couldn’t help but croak in pain when she brushed against my chest “Oh I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“It’s okay, Twi…” I replied sleepily, brushing her disheveled mane out of her eyes, which were flowing with fresh tears “The kiss was well worth it. By the way, didn’t you promise me ‘no more tears’?”

“I did, but it wasn’t a Pinkie Promise and it was in regards to the other Leon.” She said, a coy smile on her face “There was nothing in the rules about crying for you.”

“You must moonlight as a lawyer.” I murmured playfully, caressing her cheek again and she giggled. After a moment, my smile faded and my face grew serious.

“What happened to Chrysalis and the Changelings?” I asked and her face fell too though she never relinquished my hand, nuzzling it softly.

“After you and the Princesses succeeded in banishing Sin and Terra… saved your life, Chrysalis ordered her Changelings to stand down. After that, she and Celestia talked for a little while and then the Queen took her brood and left.” She replied, and smiled warmly “It’s over now, Leon. We won. Though I kind of feel sorry for her; during the whole conversation with the Princess, she had this broken look on her face, as though things didn’t matter anymore.”

“That’s one issue solved, then.” I murmured then I attempted to sit up, coughing for a second “Okay, let’s take a look at the damage.”

“Oh, Leon, you shouldn’t…” Twilight protested, but I squeezed her hand gently while removing my covers with my other hand.

I saw that my chest was bare and wrapped in a linen bandage, with a bloody spot above my right lung. I felt in that area and applied pressure, wincing as I did, but it didn’t feel like I was pushing into an open wound.

Terra cast a Raise spell on you; it probably healed the worst of the damage.’ I heard Nica say, though her voice sounded as drained as mine ‘We share a body, Leon, which means you’re not the only one who nearly died only this time I wouldn’t have been able to go find another version of you…

“How long have I been asleep?” I asked Twilight, deciding to let Nica get some rest (‘Thanks…’).

“Since yesterday afternoon; Celestia postponed the wedding until they could fix some of the damage inflicted by Chrysalis and her swarm.” Twilight replied with a smile “Everypony’s been working really hard. I believe they’re about halfway done.”

“Twilight, I’ve brought some breakfast for you in case you’re-” Terra said as she opened the door and walked in with a tray, stopping when she saw me looking at her “Leon, you’re awake!”

“Hey, sweetheart.” I said, smiling at her “How are you doing?”

“I’m… doing fine.” She replied, walking over to a nearby table and setting the tray down, then hurrying over to my side to give me a hug, with Twilight moving around slightly so that she could have more room “I’m glad you’re alive, I was so scared when that thing… and you nearly…”

“It’s alright now, sweetheart.” I murmured, stroking her hair soothingly “I’m going to be just fine now.”

“But… you almost died!” She sniffed as she began crying into my shoulder “I’ve never been so scared before, I thought I was going to lose you… and be alone again.”

“Shh, it’s okay, Terra. I’m going to be just fine now, thanks to you.” I replied soothingly “And you’re never going to be alone, you have so many friends here who will take care of you when I can’t. Plus, I’m indebted to you now, Terra. You saved my life, and I won’t ever forget that.”

She hugged me for a moment longer, before breaking away and stepping back, letting Twilight take her place at my side. Terra turned to leave but I stopped her before she could go anywhere.

“Hold on, Terra.” I said, raising my hand “Before you go, I just wanted to say; you looked very pretty as an Esper.”

She blushed, but smiled and nodded before turning back and leaving the room, probably to tell everyone I was awake. Twilight, however, was content to nuzzle my neck affectionately and hold my hand.

“Y’know, Twi, you might be more comfortable doing that if you climbed into bed with me.” I said, and she gave me a suggestive look “No, as much as I would love some ‘quality time’ with you, I don’t think I’m in any kind of condition for that. But that doesn’t mean I can’t show you how much I love you in other ways.”

She giggled and walked around to the other side of the large bed and climbed in, settling against me with a contented sigh as I began to stroke her arm affectionately.

“Yes…” She murmured “This is so much better…”

“You wanna hear something funny, Twi?” I asked her, and she made some kind of sound acknowledging me “I spent half a year preparing for this whole damn thing and I got taken out in the opening moves. How lame is that?”

She giggled lightly, shifting her head so that we could look into each other’s eyes “That’s pretty lame, Leon.”

We sat there in silence for a moment, before she shifted in our bed and laid an arm across my chest, embracing me lightly and burying her head in my shoulder.

“Terra wasn’t the only one who was scared…” She murmured, and I heard strangled sobs come out “I thought… I thought I’d lose you. You told me you’d never get into that kind of situation.”

“Twi, I didn’t want to take that kind of risk. I didn’t want you to face the prospect of being alone again.” I whisper gently, as a few tears fell from my own eyes “But at the same time, I didn’t want to face the world without you, either. I’d have died anyway, except Terra wouldn’t have been able to use her magic to save me.”

She didn’t respond, only tightening her embrace as I slid my own arms around her and squeezing as we both shed the tears of our pent-up despair, each trying desperately not to envision losing the other. After a little while, Twilight spoke again.

“Please… don’t risk your life like this again. I can’t stand to see you hurt…”

“I won’t, Twi…” I said, and she looked at me, her eyes red and puffy.

“Promise me, Leon. Pinkie Promise you won’t.” She said and I smiled at her.

“Cross my heart… hope to fly… stick a cupcake in my eye; I promise I won’t hurt you like this ever again for as long as you live.” I say and we kiss slowly, passionately.

Afterwards, we just lay there for a moment, enjoying each other’s company when a memory hit me, a memory of me doing something horrible.

“Oh my God…” I whisper, horrified “I… I shot Lyra. Twilight, I shot Lyra! I hurt one of my friends!”

“Shh, don’t worry about her, she’s fine.” Twilight whispered soothingly, stroking my hair gently “She’s not angry with you, she knows you weren’t in control of your own actions.”

“That’s not a good excuse for what I did!” I replied, shame thick in my voice “I do not harm those I care about, and while Lyra is a little nutty towards me, she’s still my friend. She deserves better…”

“You’re not getting rid of me that easily, Leon.” A voice said from the door and when I looked, I saw Lyra smiling at me “After all, I still haven’t gotten my human babies from you yet.”

“Lyra, there are no words to express just how sorry I am. I never wanted to hurt you.” I say, unable to look at her.

“Maybe that’s why it was only a graze.” She replies and I look up at her sharply “The doctor said that apart from the burn caused by the projectile, he’d seen cuts that were far worse. It hurt like Tartarus and bled a little but it was nothing a bit of healing magic, some salve and a bandage couldn’t fix. So don’t worry about it, we’re all good here.”

“See, Leon?” Twilight says, nuzzling me gently “There’s no hard feelings, though she and I are going to have a… talk, about that human babies thing.”

“I regret nothing.” Lyra says immediately and we all begin to laugh, though mine turned to coughing as my chest flared up in pain a little.

It wasn’t long after that the rest of our friends all began to show up, each expressing joy in their own way that I was doing better (except for Applejack, who was conspicuously absent), though I was pleasantly surprised when Spectra showed up with Sakura in tow, who was incredibly shocked at the state I was in.

After assuring her that I was completely fine I don’t know how many times, she finally told me the reason they were there; apparently Celestia had asked Spectra if he could help get the wedding back in order and offered to pay a premium rate for his services, which he had apparently refused… adamantly, though that didn’t stop him from paying his workers extra. Not wanting to pass up the chance to work in Canterlot, many of the employees volunteered for the job including Sakura, who was once again tasked as the receptionist (apparently she’s very good at her job).

Vinyl Scratch was absolutely furious and wanted to know where the guy that hurt me was. I told her that the thing that nearly killed me was far, far away from Equestria and would never be seen here again. She was still angry, but she was mostly content that I was still breathing, taking my free hand (since Twilight was still in bed with me, holding my other hand) and squeezing it firmly between hers.

Just before lunch, the Royal Doctor came in to examine my wound. After removing the bandage and prodding at the tender, but well-healed injury on both sides of my torso, he declared that I was going to be just fine as long as I didn’t over-exert myself for a few days to avoid any complications, also saying that the wound would leave a rather gruesome scar. Almost immediately as he said that, Shining Armor arrived, looking grateful but also guilty.

“Hey, Leon.” He said, approaching me with a friendly smile “Good to see you’re awake. Look, I just wanted to say-”

He was interrupted by me standing and punching him across the jaw, causing him to stumble back a few feet. Everyone in the room gasped, and Twilight was both stunned and angry.

“Leon, what are you doing?!” She cried out but I didn’t avert my stony glare from Shining, who was staring at me in bewilderment.

That was for hurting my marefriend.” I snarled and approached him swiftly, punching him in the jaw again before he could react “That was for hurting your sister and this…” I finished by standing him up and slapping him across the other side of his face “Is for not telling your sister about the wedding yourself, you dumbass stallion!”

The room was deathly silent, everyone staring between me and Shining Armor, who was looking at me in shock. After a moment of this stand-off, Shining Armor began to laugh while still rubbing his jaw where I’d punched him.

“I’ll give it to you, Leon; I deserved all of that.” He said, still laughing. I grinned, but made it disappear when Twilight slapped me across the back of my head.

I then turned my attention to Cadence, who’d been standing nearby the entire time watching. I bowed politely.

“Good morning, Your Majesty.” I said courteously “I hope your recent incarceration hasn’t left you too exhausted.”

“I’m fine, Leon.” She said with a smile “Thank you for your concern, though I ask that you drop the formalities around me; I’m still just ‘Cadence’ around you.”

“If that’s your wish, ‘Just Cadence’.” I replied, making everyone in the room laugh “Thank you, thank you, I’ll be here until after the wedding, thank you.”

“You’re too funny, Leon!” Cadence said, trying to get her laughter under control “Though I have to say I do not approve of you assaulting my husband-to-be.”

“He had it coming, even if he was under a Changeling’s control.” I replied, shooting a glance at Shining Armor who looked away ashamed “But he’s Twilight’s brother so I forgive him.”

Shining Armor approached me again just as Twilight stepped up next to me, sliding her arm in mine.

“Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you for saving Twily.” He said, extending his hand to me “For that, you’re as good as a brother to me now, and I think you’re the best stallion for my sister.”

“Thanks, Shining.” I reply, shaking his hand firmly “Glad to know you approve.”

“So when are you going to get married?” He asked, a sly smile on his face “I mean, it’s painfully obvious to everypony how much you two care about each other.”

“When the time is right.” I reply calmly, and my mind turns to the ring I’ve been keeping in my coat pocket.

He stared at me for a moment before looking at Twilight, who nodded in agreement. He sighed and gave us both a smile.

“Alright.” He said, then his face became serious “Oh, I just remembered; we’re restarting the wedding tomorrow, just before noon. I expect you both there bright and early for prep, and I was also hoping that you would still be interested in being my Best Mare, Twily.”

“Of course I am, Shiny, but on one condition.” She replied warmly “I want Leon standing up front, ahead of your other stallion friends.”

“Uh, they might get a little offended by that.” Shining Armor said nervously, and then gulped at the glares both his sister and his bride-to-be were giving him “But… I think… I can make something happen.”

“Glad to hear it.” Twilight replied with a wicked grin, and I nudged her playfully.

After that, we all went down to the dining hall and enjoyed a nice lunch. Afterwards, Twilight and I went out into the city itself and I saw all the ponies working hard to fix the damage. A few nodded at us as we passed, but most were too busy with the repairs; fortunately, it looked like the majority of the damage was restricted to the streets.

We also passed by a group of Spectra’s employees, who were out purchasing the necessary supplies for the wedding reception and being directed by Applejack, who waved excitedly at us and patted me on the shoulder. Unfortunately, she didn’t have time to chat and departed quickly, yelling at Spectra’s workers in the same way a drill sergeant would yell at his recruits.

At first, Twilight had wanted to stop at Donut Joe’s for some coffee, but she scrapped that idea when she looked in the window and saw Trixie inside, chatting up these two very nearly identical stallions. I thought it was funny, because the unicorn looked extremely uncomfortable and was glancing around nervously while the pegasus sitting next to him just looked bored. Regardless, we left quickly before Trixie noticed us and decided to go back to the castle.

We’d barely been gone an hour, so Twilight and I hooked up with Cadence and began to check to make sure everything was in order for the wedding part two. This time, Cadence truly enjoyed Applejack’s fritters (though we both thought it was funny to watch AJ bark orders at the kitchen staff and Aurora Hall chefs like she was a military commander), she loved the dress Rarity made for her and had fun playing with Pinkie, ending with her approval of Fluttershy’s bird choir.

That evening, after enjoying a fantastic dinner and reporting to Celestia that everything was back on track, Twilight and I retired to our room and after changing into our sleepwear we lay in bed, just enjoying the closeness of each other. But there was something I needed to talk to Twilight about, a truth I had been denying even to myself. But it had to come out or I'd never move on from it.

"Twilight..." I said and she hummed lightly in response "Do you remember me telling you about my friend's death?"

Twilight sighed "I do... why do you ask?"

I could already feel the emotions welling up and it was painful, but I squashed them down deep inside and took a breath.

"Well... I didn't tell you the whole story." I said and she looked at me "To start... her name was Sarah. Sarah and I were coming from school that day and I wanted to get home in time to catch my favorite show. So I convinced her to go down this side alley with me, which was a mistake; our neighborhood wasn't a good place even during the day and on the main streets."

"What are you saying, Leon?" Twilight asked, staring at me in disbelief "That it was somehow your fault she died?"

"I'm saying it's entirely my fault." I reply "I was stupid and reckless and for what, some stupid little cartoon show? I got my best friend killed because of my stupidity."

Next thing I know, Twilight is kissing me into silence, her tongue accepting no arguments from me. She broke away and stared at me with loving eyes.

"What happened to your friend was in no way your fault. You couldn't have known what would happen." She stated firmly and cupped the side of my face in her hand "You need to stop blaming yourself, Leon. Leave the past behind so you can live in the future."

I was quiet as I sifted through the emotions swirling in my heart. I hurt, unbelievably so... but perhaps this way the wound would heal better.

"I'll try." I said finally "I don't know if I can, but I'll most certainly try."

Twilight smiled and nestled closer to me and we lay in silence just... enjoying the contact.

“Leon?” She asked and I glanced at her curiously “How are you able to use the magic of the Elements of Harmony? Even Celestia can’t use it without wearing a piece of the regalia.”

“You forget what it is the Elements represent, Twi.” I reply quietly, stroking her arm gently “The Elements are just a method of tapping into the Magic of Friendship, or to be more specific, what that magic channels, which is Love. All I did was draw on that Love, which gave itself to me freely.”

“What do you mean?” She asked, and I looked at her affectionately.

“Kindness, Honesty, Generosity, Laughter, Loyalty…” I said, taking her hand and holding it gently “When shown to strangers, they can create feelings of affection, which in turn lead to Friendship. But when they’re practiced between those who are already friends, it’s done as a way to show that they care about each other… that they Love each other. Whether it is just a platonic Love, familial Love or romantic Love doesn’t matter; what matters is that they Love and that’s where Magic comes in.”

“So you’re saying that my Element of Magic is the same thing as Cadence’s power.” She dead-panned at me, causing me to chuckle.

“Absolutely not, Twi.” I replied calmly “Your Element is a result of the other five coming together; after all, haven’t you noticed that you display similar traits as your friends?”

“Not really.” She says, eyeing me curiously “Would you care to explain?”

“Well…” I begin, putting a finger to my chin in thought “You can’t lie worth a damn and you’re always straightforward with others, which are signs of Honesty. You’re never negative to individuals you’ve just met and you care deeply for the feelings of others, traits of Kindness. You are more than willing to help others, even at cost to yourself so there’s Generosity. As for Laughter, you can be quite playful and fun to be around and your snark nearly always makes me chuckle. Finally, you’re always willing to put yourself on the line for those you care about and you follow just as easily as you lead, both of which smack of Loyalty.”

“That’s funny, because I could use those exact same words to describe you, Leon.” Twilight replied with a giggle.

“Thank you, Twi.” I said affectionately, and wrapped both of my arms around her “I love you.”

“I love you too, Leon…”

And with that, we kissed and settled in to sleep, where I slipped into the dreamscape like Luna had taught me so I could visit Nica in the house she kept in my mind. When I entered, she was sitting in a recliner in the living room, wearing white pajamas with the Organization XIII logo printed on them and looking as if she was trying to get some sleep.

“I was until you let yourself in, jackass.” She muttered sleepily “Aren’t you supposed to be dreaming about your own wedding with Twilight?”

“Not right, now.” I replied, sitting on the couch across from her “I wanted to check up on you, seeing as we both nearly died yesterday. How’re you holding up?”

Nica was silent for a moment before she slid her shirt down a little on the right side to reveal a round scar in the same location as the one I had on my own body.

“Not dead, thanks to Terra, but it still hurts like hell.”

She straightened her shirt back and closed her eyes, giving out a tired sigh before she looked at me.

“I… I was really scared, Leon.” She said “When I was sent out into The Void the last time, I did it by choice and there wasn’t really any pain. I didn’t die, but back there…”

She paused and I knew why. It’s not easy to talk about dying, especially when you come as close to it as we did.

“I thought that was it; that we were going to die and that I…” she paused again and sniffed “I thought I was going to disappear again and that I’d… I’d be gone for good this time and everybody would forget about me.”

I sat there for a moment, trying to figure out what to say but I couldn’t think of anything. Just as I was about to give up, a thought it hit me and I grinned.

“Hey Nica, maybe there’s a way to insure you won’t be forgotten by anybody.”

She looked at me incredulously.

“Leon, I can read your mind and I’m not following where this is going.” Nica said.

“Well…” I began and I told her my plan. Her eyes widened and she face-palmed.

“Of course it’d be that simple.” She said, grinning “You really are perfect for Twilight, y’know Leon.”

I shook my head and laughed a little.

“Yeah, yeah, so I’ve heard. Look, I don’t know how much time we’ve got before I wake up so let’s get this little bit of arcana out of the way while there’s still time, Nica.”

She grinned at me and got out of the recliner, an adventurous look in her eyes.

“Sure thing, Hoss.”