Before the Dawn

by SilverMuse

Epilogue

Epilogue:

Luna sat in a field of wildflowers, watching as the day faded to night. Crickets chirped and animals ran to their nests or burrows. The night was cool and peaceful, and Luna found herself smiling, which she had not done for such a long time.

She rose eagerly as the sun fell and called upon the moon. As it rose, she realized that it looked different tonight, almost like a crystal hanging in the navy sky. Luna admired its beauty and grinned at it with pleasure.

Something flashed within the depths of the moon.

Luna blinked and leaned forward, but she could not make out had been there. Perhaps it had been a flicker of her imagination. Shaking her head, she shrugged her shoulders and turned.

A wall of mirrors and crystals blocked her path.

Luna stared at her startled reflection and furrowed her brow in confusion.

This must be a dream, she realized.

Luna tried to push against the barriers of her dream and wake herself, but the mirrored walls remained in place.

A voice laughed in the quiet, and Luna turned sharply. “Who’s there?”

“Luna?”

Luna froze in place, her mouth falling open.

Sombra stood in front of her, looking like his old self before the Nightmist had corrupted him. He stared past her at something in the sky, his eyes filled with dread and sorrow. The wind blew through his black mane and caused his lovely green irises to water.

With a sob, Luna ran towards him and nuzzled his cheek. “Sombra...I thought I’d never see you again.”

“Luna? Please...help me.” His voice was strained as if something had hold of his throat.

Luna touched his neck. “Sombra, it’s Luna. I’m here.”

He blinked and bowed his head. “I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you.”

“I know....I know, Sombra,” Luna assured him and nuzzled his neck. “It wasn’t your fault; it was the Nightmist that took you. I know you never would have done that to me.”

“Don’t kill me.”

The plea shocked her.

Why on Equestria would he say or think such a thing? She tried to lift his chin, but her hoof just went right through his face as if she was a ghost. Luna staggered back then gasped as the world seemed to shift before her very eyes.

She was no longer in the meadow; she was on the crystal palace balcony. A black haze flowed around Sombra, but she could still see him within, still appearing with his smaller horn and his faint crystal complexion.

He swallowed hard. “I’m sorry. I love you.”

Luna turned to see what he had been staring at; she found an image of herself and Celestia hovering in front of him. As one, Celestia released a solar beam, and Luna released the power of her moon. The magic intertwined and roared towards Sombra’s heart.

“NO!” Luna screamed and tried to step in the way.

The magic went right through her and pierced Sombra. She looked back at him and cried out in despair as his body started to break apart into blue shards of light. He looked like a crystal that had been struck with a hammer.

“Sombra, no!” Luna cried and reached for him, but he burst apart and left a pile of ash at her hooves.

A male voice cackled around her as she stared at the ash. Dark mist circled her, its tendrils stroking her sides, neck, and face. “Poor little Luna. You finally found someone to love, and you had to kill him.”

“Get away from me,” Luna snarled as she jerked out of the smoke. She rubbed the tears from her eyes. “This is your fault! He never would have turned dark had it not been for you!”

“Tsk, tsk, so rude,” the mist snickered. It floated in front of her then turned into Sombra’s dark form. He tossed his ebony mane and stalked around her. “It would have been so simple if you had just joined me, Luna. None of this would have happened. The crystal ponies would have remained free, and you would have ruled at my side as Queen of Equestria.”

Luna flared her wings, trying to force him to keep a wide berth around her. “I told you I would not rule with a tyrant at my side. You didn’t need to enslave them, nor did you need to destroy Gemfyre.”

“How else to gain a kingdom than to overthrow a Queen?” Sombra lifted an eyebrow. “Though, I suppose if you had never scorned me in the first place, I may not have chosen to take Gemfyre’s life.”

Luna grew still, her heart pounding in her chest. “Scorn you? What are you talking about?”

“I asked you to go away with me, and you turned your back on me. I had no choice but to create a kingdom to try to get you back.” Sombra tilted his head. “You should have listened to Gemfyre and your sister when they told you I was evil. You should have just destroyed me when I initially became a threat. The fate of the Crystal Empire...it is on your shoulders, Luna. You failed them, not Celestia. You failed to act.”

“No...” Luna breathed in sharply. She took a step back. “No, I..I tried to save you. I fought for you, and for them! If I had—”

“If you’d killed me when you had the chance, before I placed the spell on the Empire, then those ponies would still exist.”

Luna’s eyes filled with tears of grief and shame. She had already started to blame herself, and his words were like the nails in the coffin. She had failed them. They’d trusted her, and she’d let them die because of her silly notion of love.

She bowed her head, her wings drooping at her sides. “I couldn’t just kill you. I loved you.”

"More than your Equestrians it seems. For all you spout words of duty and devotion to them, you certainly ruined many of their lives. Perhaps your heart isn’t as pure as Sombra thought.”

Luna fought back the tears, but they just rolled down her cheeks. She dropped to the ground and covered her face with her hooves.

All her fault...every pony that had fallen was because of her. She’d killed them because she’d been selfish.

An elder female voice sighed sadly above her.

Luna swallowed a lump and dried tears from her eyes. “Who’s there?”

“Just me,” the voice spoke.

Luna turned back to the crystals surrounding her and found herself staring at Nightmare Moon. Her elder form smiled in greeting and lifted a hoof.

Sombra was nowhere to be found.

“Did you enjoy your taste of freedom and power? It was magnificent, wasn’t it?”

Luna swallowed. “I have never felt so strong in my life. I only wish it had not come at such a terrible price.”

“Indeed. But you did everything you could to save the Empire. It’s not your fault your sister was too weak to fight against the Nightmist.”

“What?” Luna asked in surprise. “It’s not Celestia’s fault. She—”

“She allowed that power to corrupt her and change her into Solar Nightflare. Maybe, had she not changed, you two could have found the heart and restored peace to the Empire before Sombra took it. But no, you had to fight your sister before she took control of Equestria herself. Then again…isn’t she already taking her first steps towards domination?”

Luna felt her heart skip a beat as she realized what was happening, and to whom she was speaking. “Get out of my head, Nightmist. You do not belong here!”

This isn’t possible! Celestia and I locked the Nightmist away with Sombra! Luna thought to herself in alarm. It’s…only a dream. The Nightmist no longer exists…

“But I am you, Luna. I am what you can become.”

“No!” Luna replied angrily. “I have been tempted before, and I have beaten it. I will not let you to take me as you took Sombra and my sister!”

Nightmare Moon chuckled and stepped through the crystal. Luna stood her ground as the mare of darkness circled her without a lick of compassion in her eyes. “You say this now, but one day, dear Luna, you will see your sister’s tyranny come to pass, and you will have no choice but to rise against her. And when you do….the world will be yours! MUAHAH!”

Nightmare Moon threw her head back and cackled as lightning crackled around her and the thunder deafened Luna’s ears. The mirrors and crystals exploded and flew in every direction except for Luna’s. The balcony suddenly changed to an image of Canterlot. They stood upon one of the rooftops. The moon was high, but Luna could see Celestia trying valiantly to raise the sun.

“Luna, please! We cannot have eternal night! It will destroy Equestria!” her sister cried.

“You want all the power,” Luna found herself saying. She blinked in surprise and looked down.

She was no longer in her body, but rather Nightmare Moon’s. “Equestria deserves a Princess like me. I am stronger than you, Celestia. Why should the sun always rule the day? Does the moon hold no worth?”

Celestia shook her head. “It does, Luna, but not like this. The plants will die, and the ponies of Equestria will starve.”

“Then maybe, for once, they will respect my moon!” Nightmare Moon shouted. “All will love me or all will despair!” She laughed and cast her magic down at Celestia.

Celestia took the blast to her chest and was thrown from a roof down into the courtyard of Canterlot. Nightmare Moon heard the crack of her body as it hit stone and saw the blood pool around Celestia’s broken body.

The weakly raised sun collapsed behind the horizon with the death of the royal Princess.

Nightmare Moon smirked and flew into the sky, letting the moon fill her.

“All of Equestria is mine! Long live the Princess of the night!!!”

~*~

“AHH!” Luna screamed as she jerked forward in her bed. Sweat beaded her brow, and her body felt hotter than usual. Blankets were tangled around her legs and wings, and when she struggled to free herself, she leaned too far and fell from her bed with a painful crash.

“Luna?” Celestia called as she rushed into the room, sending sunlight splashing across the floor and Luna’s tangled form.

Luna pressed her hooves to her face. “It was a horrible dream, Tia.”

“Shhh, shh,” Celestia said tenderly and brushed a hoof against her cheek. “You’re awake now, Luna, and you’re safe.” She slowly helped Luna back into bed and climbed in after her. Carefully, she curled up around her little sister. “Do you want to tell me about it?”

Luna blinked a few times and looked at Celestia’s beautiful face, so full of concern and love.

And yet I killed her in my dream.

The memory made her shudder, and she pressed her head to Celestia’s neck. “No…just stay with me, please.”

“Of course,” Celestia replied. She used her magic to draw the shades and settled her head on Luna’s back. “It’s only early afternoon; you have plenty of time to sleep.”

Luna gave a nervous nod. She curled up with her sister and stared down at her hooves that were the same as they always were.

Just a dream, she told herself, no matter how real it felt.

Luna closed her eyes and leaned against Celestia. As she drifted off to sleep, she heard a taunting voice caress her ear.

“A warm welcome to you, Princess of the night.”

The End

Author's Note:

I want to thank you all for reading Before the Dawn. It was both an exciting and emotional story to write for obvious reasons.

First off, a big thank you to Tommy Oliver (Bronycurious) for letting me work with his theory about how there might be a connection between the power surrounding Luna and Sombra. Please visit his video “Random Thought: Is There a Connection Between Sombra and Luna” on youtube.

Second, for those of you who may be wondering, the title of this story is inspired by the song “Before the Dawn” by Evanescence. The song really goes with Luna and Sombra’s relationship and also inspired the chapter “Flight of the Alicorns.”

On another note, I do realize that I probably let some mistakes slip through this story, even though I tried very hard to edit it. If anyone is interested in editing the story more extensively, please contact me. I’d be happy to listen to any advice. It will help me grow as a writer.

I’ve been asked if people can make art related to this story. I give full permission to anyone who would like to make fanart/comics/music etc, so long as you give credit and also link your work back to Before the Dawn. Oh, and let me know about your craft, too!

Some have asked if I’m going to write any other stories or a sequel. My answer is, yes and maybe. Here are some of the future plans for those who are interested:

“Birth of the Moon”- This will be a short one-shot story that occurs briefly after the events of Before the Dawn. After the battle of the Crystal Empire, Luna and Celestia return to the old castle of their family on Luna’s name day. There, they reminisce about events when they were ponies, when the alicorns still ruled before the great war wiped them out. This story will cover some history about Gemfyre and her family and how Luna became the Princess of the night. You’ll also be introduced to a couple of rather interesting little colts and fillies.

In Your Dreams: Luna's Farewell- Several people have asked if I can write a story about Sombra and Luna reuniting in some way or form after the events of this story. Well, I do have a slight idea of a final reunion. This one-shot would be set during and after the events of the return of the Crystal Empire.

“Shadow of the Moon”- This is the temporary title of what may turn into the sequel of Before the Dawn. I’m not sure if I’m ready to write another full-length story, and I would need to receive permission from a few writers to use some of their ideas to make Shadow of the Moon come to fruition. This story would basically encompass Luna’s descent into Nightmare Moon. Stay tuned; you may get your sequel.

Thank you all once again for reading!

SilverMuse

Comments

[SilverMuse]

3298176

Thank you very much I'm very glad that you stuck with it to the end. I'm hoping to write "Birth of the Moon" soon, but with NaNo coming up, I may not be able to get to the other ones for some time.

[Mr Pones]

3132161

If certain actions on the site were allowed e.g. making alt accounts. I would sit here and make a decent amount of them,

But then those upvotes would be completely hollow and meaningless.

[Flame Bolt]

3298226

Kind of realise that now. I said that back then. But now, I just think EQD is the best way forward for this story. Either that or a sequel.

[PonyPon]

I have quite enjoyed this story, thank you for the good work.

[SilverMuse]

3299625

Thank you very much

[Echos]

THIS IS THE BEST STORY EEVVVVEERRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WRITE MOREEE(please). It is well timed out making everything go , at a certain pace. If you make another story it should be "tbd" or "Shadow of the moon". Thank you so much for writing this, you took you're time obviously to make this and it came out really good. YOU DESERVE A MEDAL! *standing ovation* . Another thing, chapter 24.....it bought tears of joy and sadness to my eyes ouo. So beautiful, yet sad. I mean Luna remembering old Sombra .......perfect :DDDDDDDDDD

[SilverMuse]

3308869

Thank you very much for your compliments. I greatly appreciate them! I think the "tbd" one will have to wait until after "Shadow of the Moon" what with some of the conversations that will happen. I'll see what I can do.

[Fluttermac36]

3283836 Huzza! I am back! my name for Evil Celestia is Flaming Sol (It just sounds so much better than flaming sun)

[WannaBeDark]

Wonderful story! Read it with vigour and interest. I have to say that Blue Belle is one character I really won't forget easily. She is rather unique and cared greatly for her friends. Interesting take to the Sombra-family. You pictured them quite close and illustrate a familial relationship. One of the best I've seen. I'll remember this story, was a fantastic read. If you ever write a spin-off of Blue Belle THAT would be most spectacular.

[SilverMuse]

3323585

Blue Belle was one of my favorite characters to write about. It was nice just to have a goofy character who also loved her friends very much. I will say that if I write "Shadow of the Moon," Blue Belle will make a reappearance I'm very glad you enjoyed the story.

[icemoonn]

a goofy character thats sky-blue oh my goodness derpy hooves and rainbow dash are related :P

[SilverMuse]

3335201

When I created Blue Belle, I went with the idea that perhaps she was an ancestor of Derpy, actually lol. It helped me model her character a bit more.

[Lillyfroo]

3336515 Wouldn't Derpy be slightly crystal-ish?

[SilverMuse]

3437346

Not necessarily. Once the Empire fell in the story, all of the Crystal Ponies lost their crystal coats. Many years would have passed before Derpy would have been born so it stands to reason that the 'crystal' side of her heritage may have been lost over the years. Or at least that's how I look at it

[Lillyfroo]

3437843 Huh.... you make more sense than me.

[SilverMuse]

3806759

Thank you so very much!

[Infinity Shade]

I could go on and on about how good this story is, but this describes what i think better:IT WAS FREAKING AWESOME AND PERFECTION!!! The only thing is that it's so sad...i would love if you wrote like at least kinda a happy ending in one of your sequels,but i see that is not likely to happen... But your writing is great and the story is just magnificent!

[Steampunk Brony]

Yeah. It's settled I'm favoriting the story and you just won yourself a new follower. The story was nothing short of epic so keep it up.

[pitter_patter]

I don't know how many times I have read this one, but each time I do I fall more and more in love with it! Hands down my favourite story ever! Thank you for writing such an awesome piece of work!!!

[Ice Star]

This is a magnificent tale about a rare ship, and it's nothing short of epic. Here's to hoping the sequel (s?) get done.

[KingSombraTheTyrantRuler]

I love this story, so I am giving you a follow.