Epilogue
Luna surveyed the landscape around her from the royal balcony; the city of Canterlot stood in terrible shape, though not quite so terrible as it had several months before when the war had ended. The reconstruction was well underway, and through the efforts of the former Imperials and the victorious Republicans alike, the city was finally beginning to look and function as it once had.
“Princess,” Luna smiled at the warm voice behind her and turned to see Dreamcatcher kneeling, a soft smile on his mouth that barely touched his eyes, eyes far too old to belong to the young pony before her.
“Actually, I’m not a princess anymore,” she said, smiling sadly at him, “I officially renounced my title when we established Equestria as the New Lunar Republic. Honestly, I may not even be a ruler in a few weeks.”
“It’s a foredrawn conclusion, you know.” Dreamcatcher chuckled as he got back to his hooves. “and you may not officially be a princess anymore,” he scoffed, “but I don’t think anypony’s ever going to stop thinking of you as Princess Luna, the hero mare who saved them from the grip of the evil Solar Empire.”
“Maybe not within your lifetime,” she said wistfully, turning her eyes to the night sky, “but an eternity is a long time. I never really thought about it so much before, but with my sister gone… I don’t know, this world just seems so much lonelier. She’s done so much better a job at leading this nation than I ever did, maybe it should have been me who had fallen to Wrath’s influence, maybe then Celestia would…”
“You can’t let yourself think that way, Luna,” Dreamcatcher laid a hoof on the mare’s shoulder consoling her as tears began to stream from her eyes, “you can’t blame yourself or even Celestia for what happened, this is the fault of that… that thing…”
Luna smiled through her tears at Dreamcatcher, “I suppose you’re right, but I assume you didn’t come all the way up here just to say that. Did you need something?”
“Actually,” he sighed, “I’ve come to say goodbye. With everything that’s happened, I believe it’s time I return to my ponies. The Navapony are scattered, and they will need somepony to rally behind. I am the last remaining shaman of our tribe and I can’t stand by as our way of life dies. So this is goodbye, my old friend.”
Luna wrapped the colt in a hug, nodding her acceptance of his decision. Only after the hug had been broken did she notice the rainbow maned pegasus trotting into the room behind them. “I’m afraid I’ve come to deliver a similar message, your highness,” Rainbow Dash said, snapping to a crisp salute, “as of immediately, I am resigning my position as Command Chief of the New Lunar Republican Airborne and the Airborne unit itself is dissolving.”
“As there is no longer truly a New Lunar Republican army,” Luna chuckled, “I suppose it would be foolish of me to object. I suppose you have plans then?”
“Thank you ma’am,” she said, smiling, “Dreamcatcher is right, this war has been tough on all of us, but there are some who have felt its sting worse than others. For this reason, I do not believe it is in the best interest of the pegusi to remain as citizens of Equestria. Those who are willing and able will be joining me and what remains of the Airborne unit will be leaving Equestria to found a new nation.” She smiled as she added, “In deference to our ancestors, we have chosen the name Pegasopolis. I anticipate healthy and beneficial trade agreements for both Pegasopolis and Equestria, once we’ve got everything up and running again. Now, with your leave Princess, I must rejoin the herd. We shall be leaving soon.”
With a salute and a sly smile, Rainbow Dash took to the air, flying out over Canterlot and disappearing into the distance.
Dreamcatcher opened his mouth as if to say something, but when he could think of nothing else to say, he simply nodded and left.
“Were you just going to leave without even trying to find me?” Dreamcatcher stopped dead in his tracks as he neared the castle courtyard, turning to regard the mare emerging from the shadows.
“I would have,” he said turning a concerned look on Moxi, the mare’s throat was now a mass of vicious red scar tissue and her face was similarly lined with the after-marks of deep lacerations, and while many of the wounds across her body and limbs had healed properly, there was still enough scarring left to tell the tale of battle across her body, “but you’ve been a hard mare to find these past couple months. Luna told me you’ve been locking yourself up in the royal library, barely even letting the medical ponies treat you.”
“So what if I have?” Moxi said, turning her eyes from Dreamcatcher’s.
“Moxi, you need to take better care of yourself,” he smirked, “I’m not going to be around to take care you anymore.”
“I don’t need you to take care of me!” the sudden flare of anger made Dreamcatcher flinch, and when she saw him recoil, Moxi’s face flushed and she turned her eyes away again, ashamed, “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay Mox.” he said, laying a comforting hoof on her shoulder while cautiously avoiding touching the fresh scars, “I’m sorry about Gatesborogh… I never got a chance to say so before…”
It was Moxi’s turn to flinch, the news that the survivors of her hometown, had been set ablaze in the strange madness that had gripped the entire nation during the battle for Canterlot had numbered in the single digits had come as a severe shock. It came as an even deeper blow when she had confirmed that her parents had not escaped the fire.
“It’s ancient history,” she growled, “it hadn’t been home to me for a long time.”
“Well,” Dreamcatcher said, hopefully, “listen, I don’t know if you’ve got any plans, but honestly, I’d love it if you could come back to the Great Equestrian Plains with me, I think you could live a very comfortable life out there, it’s very peaceful.”
Moxi smiled, but shook her head. “There’s nothing left for me out there, Catch,” she said, “after all that’s happened, all I really have left is to see things through.”
“Moxi,” Dreamcatcher said, worried, “the war is over, you’ve already seen it through.”
“Luna offered me a position in her secret service,” she said, shrugging, “I can’t adjust to a civilian life again, I’m better off serving.”
Dreamcatcher opened his mouth to protest, but immediately knew it would be a moot point. He wrapped a hoof around Moxi and pulled the mare into a hug. “Take care of yourself,” he breathed into her hear as she returned the hug.
“Yeah,” she smiled back, “you too.”
Luna watched Dreamcatcher cross the courtyard until he passed beyond the palace gates and finally disappeared from her view. With a heavy sigh she turned to face the room behind her, finding Moxi standing, patiently waiting for her to complete her vigil.
“You’ve gotten rather good at that,” Luna smiled, Moxi bowed low and she waved a dismissive hoof, “oh come now, Moxi, you and I both know you don’t need to bow to me.”
“If you say so, Highness,” she said, rising to her full height again before turning hard eyes on Luna, “Princess, I feel the time has come for some answers.”
Luna smiled sadly and trotted into the room, finding a seat and sitting down with a groan, “I expected as much, you wouldn’t have locked yourself up in the library if you weren’t looking for knowledge.”
“Celestia said something while she was torturing us,” Moxi remarked, her voice steady, “she said she’d seen the rise and fall of nations, but our historical texts say that the nation of Equestria was founded long before either you or your sister were born. That coupled with what that… that Wrath thing was saying about the ’ethereal plane’ has left me wondering… Just what exactly are you, Luna?”
Luna sighed and regarded her own image in a nearby mirror. “I suppose,” she said after a long moment, “that depends on which part of me you’re referring to…”
Standing to cross over to the balcony, Luna gestured up toward the moon in the sky. “I had honestly forgotten, it has been so long that this body had allowed me to forget, but in truth, this is not my body.” She turned to face Moxi, “millennia ago, when the world was young and Equestria even younger, the sun and moon moved on their own through the sky, but even so, it was always my sister and I who guided them, for in ancient times we did not exist on the mortal plane, but rather we existed in the ethereal, the spirit world.” She turned a dark, serious look on Moxi, “Celestia and I truly are the sun and the moon.”
Moxi’s mind reeled, she tried putting pieces together, but it was like trying to work out a puzzle whose pieces were cut wrong, none of the pieces seemed to fit together.
“In ancient times,” Luna continued, “many ponies took to worshipping beings of the ethereal, beings of varying power and scope and form, but who each represented something existing within the mortal plane. Ideas and thoughts and objects which held great power existed within their own dominions within the ethereal plane. It was in two such dominions that my sister and I, spirits of the sun and the moon, existed. There were likewise spirits of the great ideas which could drive ponies to great acts of decency and great acts of malice. Mercy, Greed, Wrath, Death, and while many of these spirits were of malice intent, their power on the mortal plane was limited by how many creatures believed in them and followed their ideals, but one being did not play by the rules, and his name was Discord.
Discord broke the seal between the ethereal and mortal plane when he successfully cobbled together a body of flesh and began exerting his terrible will upon the ponies of Equestria. All would have been lost had it not been for a pair of alicorn priestesses, one a follower of the sun and one of the moon. Their faith was so strong and their altruism so pure that they allowed us to enter their forms, that we might be able to strike Discord down.
Their gambit was successful, but it came at the cost of the lives of both mares. Celestia and I took up their bodies and rose up to lead the ponies of Equestria, teaching them to cast aside hate and anger and to become more peaceful. Equestria fell into a great peace, and all was well. But the mortal bodies Celestia and I had taken up were more limited than our spiritual selves, and over time our memories faded, we could not remember a time before we had our mortal form, and in our hubris, we paved the way for beings like Wrath to regain their foothold in this world.”
“The war,” Moxi breathed, “all that anger and hatred, it’s been fuel to the fire for him hasn’t it?”
“I’m afraid so,” Luna said, her voice heavy with sorrow, “it seems likely that he will already have supporters, and bringing their existence to the attention of Equestria as a whole would do nothing but suit his games.” She sighed, “Even the knowledge of my sister’s brainwashing must remain a secret, we cannot allow the seeds of distrust to aid in his return. If we are to fight him, it must be done in secret.”
Moxi nodded and trotted out to the balcony, looking out to the night sky with narrowed eyes. “Secret, eh?” she muttered after several moments, she turned back and gave Luna a humorless smile, “I think I know just the mare for the job.”
-The End-
Thank you for reading! I hope you will follow Moxi into the next chapter of her life in "Hooves of Wrath."
Also LikedSimilarAuthor
- Moxypony · 4k words · 894 views
- Blank Slate · 18k words · 55 2 · 2.7k views
Stats
Page generated in 0.039 seconds
Total duration
1,078 users online
1,864,582 hits today, 2,004,447 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
(This comment is pretty much nothing but spoilers)
Overall, this was a very good story. I especially liked how you developed and portrayed Moxi - she is a great example of how OCs should be done. She had a past that was filled with boy joy and sadness, she faced real problems that she couldn't just figure her way out of right off the top of her head, and she had a fairly consistant, determined personality. Usually with OCs, they fall into one end of the spectrum or the other - either they're perfect any everything goes well for them, thus making them a Mary Sue, or everything goes wrong and their life sucks, making the reader feel sorry for them. Moxi, however, was a very well balanced, believable character. I liked her as an OC.
The progression of the story was also very well executed. At no point did one side seem to have a major advantage over the other. Instead, The Empire and The Republic both experienced their gains and losses throughout. Again, well balanced, and that kept my interest throughout the story, as up until the ending, it looked like things could shift either way very quickly, which keeps the story exciting. Though to me, it seems like the major turning point of the war was the broadcast, which started to turn the favor towards The Lunar Republic. I felt like you skipped over the aftermath of that a little bit too much - the broadcast is made, and then the next scene takes place six months later. It would've been interesting to see the intermediary there - how the ponies reacted the day of the broadcast, how things were a week later, how the Solar and Lunar forces reacted in the immediate aftermath, etc. Although it probably would've added limited effect to the overall storyline and outcome, I just felt that there was a lot of very powerful psychology play in this story, that it would've been cool to see the psychological effect that the broadcast had on the soldiers and civilians, and how that effect changed as time went on during those six months.
On the topic of time, I felt like you skipped around a bit too much between past and present during the opening chapters of the fic. There were more than a few points where I found that I couldn't tell if a scene was describing what was happening in the present, or recounting a past event. This made the start of the story a little difficult to follow. However, as the story progressed, this became less of a problem, as things tended to stay in the present, and the flashbacks were presented more clearly. I could tell that your writing style clearly evolved during the course of the story, and reading the first chapter and then the last one, it is fairly obvious. Good job
One thing I really didn't like though - General Sparkle. I understand that war changes people/ponies, and some time has passed since the TV series when the story takes place, but I don't think Twilight would ever be as violent as she was in this story. Could I see her taking prisoners, trying to capture enemies, perhaps inflicting minor injuries if absolutely necessary? Perhaps. But actually trying to kill another pony? No. She is far too timid and rational to actually even think of killing anyone. I can't think of anything that would change her personality enough to bring her to the point of being able to do such a thing. Furthermore, the story really didn't even attempt to explain her polar personality at all, simply dismissing it as "it's over a decade later and she stuck with Celestia". If you want to present Twilight as somepony who is able to willfully kill another pony, you need to explain how she got to be that way. If you want to take the Twilight we know and love and turn her into someone who is able to commit such a heinous act, you need to mold her into such a pony through character development, showing how she got from who she was to who she is. You can't just say "ponies change over time" - that makes it too difficult to believe her personality. And although the story followed Moxi primarily, perhaps including a brief interlude or something, flashing back a few years into Twilight's past, would've helped her characterization greatly, as it would've explained her behavior a lot better, and made it a lot easier for readers to say "yeah, after that explanation, I can see Twilight doing that".
Beyond Twilight, however, the rest of the Mane Six were mostly believable. It took me a few minutes to catch on that Pinkie was the high preistess, but that was believable, as she was simply sad considering the circumstances. We've seen, in canon, that Pinkie can loose all her cheer and happiness if the situation is gloomy enough, so although she wasn't really all that happy or cheerful, she was still very much in character considering the events around her.
Overall, I'd give this story a 7.5/10. Like I said, my major problem was how Twilight was presented in this fic, but the way you presented and developed Moxi's character did make up for that. The OCs in this fic were unique and very well done. The details and descriptions allowed me to follow along with what was going on easily, without bogging down/slowing the story. And finally, it was just an exciting fic filled with plenty of action throughout. Main thing - if you're going to use canon characters who differ personality-wise from the canon story, you need to explain the difference. Otherwise this was a great story. Keep up the good work.
874236
I'm glad you enjoyed it!
I understand it can be pretty jarring to see the character change in Twilight, but I didn't want to feature her or any of the official characters too much, as I prefer to use my own characters.
I suppose it's not completely established in the ending, but there was something of a reason given for why Twilight changed the way she did.
*************************SPOILERS************************************
You see the end result of Celestia being tampered with by forces of equal or greater power than her own. Her own personality being altered and overpowered by sudden, extreme anger. It was shown that while Wrath was manipulating Celestia, his power was also being exerted in other areas of Equestria. Twilight, as Celestia's primary student and protege, was overcome with anger at what she saw as a betrayal by not only the citizens of Equestria, who had sworn their fealty to the princess, but by her own friends, especially Rainbow Dash and Dreamcatcher. (if you've read "Sweet Dreams, Luna," in whose universe this is set, you'll see that Dreamcatcher has a history with the mane 6 and the princesses.)
With her mind being thrown off balance by her anger, Wrath was given a prime opportunity to change her, just as he changed Celestia and how Discord changed all the mane 6.
Twilight's altered personality is a culmination of subtle pushes in the right direction during her exposure to the horrors of war.
**********************SPOILERS END******************************
Hope that cleared some stuff up for you, and I hope you enjoy the sequel!
874647
(more spoilers)
I can understand that, and that is a sensible explanation. However that still did leave me confused for most of the story. It's kinda obvious that something's up with Celestia throughout the story. However, the entire time I thought it was an internal force causing such. Nothing wrong with revealing it to be an external one at the end - it gives an opportunity to make a final impression of a character and their actions, perhaps giving them a bit of redemption as we see it wasn't entirely her fault.
However, like I said, it was obvious something was up with Celestia, and the wrath was the answer to that question. With Twilight, I had no idea what was going on with her, as there was no indication that what was affecting Celestia was affecting her as well. For the entire story, that was just a big question mark for me, and even at the end it wasn't explained fully.
But otherwise, I do look forward to reading the sequel!
Great story I couldnt stop reading. But what happend or what did you intend to happen to firebrand!
1550442
I've been waiting so long for someone to ask about Firebrand. XD
There was originally going to be a scene in the epilogue that showed Firebrand and Autumn Leaf's fate wherein Autumn woke up in the hospital a paraplegic, but with a scarred Firebrand at her side and it was going to be hinted that the two of them were going to be married.
Unfortunately, I was having trouble writing at the time of the epilogue and when I tried to write the scene it felt forced in, so I ultimately scrapped it.
Firebrand and Autumn Leaf were always an interesting little bit for me, I created them for the Christmas special I did last year and had no idea if anyone would care about them at all. I wrote it with the intention that, if their story caught the eyes of the readers, I would write more for them, but that piece never really got much attention, so I let them rest until it was time for my 'epic' conclusion.
I know it's more than what you asked for, but here's the tl;dr Autumn Leaf is a paraplegic now, but she and Firebrand are married and living happily together.
Hi! I just finished reading, and it was great! I love it!
Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease Please continue writing! ;)
Nice bro, nice. :
This is the first fanfiction I have read and I love it! It was amazing and I really connected with it, do I raged at some parts I teared at other! I can't wait to read the next part! Great work!
I finished reading it recently, and I look forward to as many stories you are able and willing to create. It was wonderful!
1665930
1740139
1742161
1761640
1852881
I know this is a bit late, please forgive me, but I just wanted to say to you all, thanks so much for the feedback!
Every little bit helps and keeps me wanting to make more pony fiction!
I'm so so so sorry I haven't been able to post anything, writer's block has been hitting me terribly hard, but I hope I can continue soon!
1966727
, your back! 
1966742
Haha
I actually pop on every day to check for new notifications, I just haven't had anything to post for a while
I was just looking at the comments on here a minute ago, and realized I received these lovely comments on my story but I hadn't responded to any of them!
Just wanted to make sure you all know how very much appreciated they are and how much I want to return to writing for you guys!
1966879 It did not seem that you were on. So, have you put any work in on "The Hooves of Wrath"? I named it without looking at it. Did I get the name right? I will be so happy if I got it right.
1966900
Haha, well there's no "the," but it is Hooves of Wrath.
I'm sorry to say that I haven't, but I am planning to start setting aside time regularly to sit down and either write or stare at a blank screen for a couple of hours in an attempt to force myself to begin creating new content.
I have a side piece that I started around the time I last published anything for HoW which was supposed to tell a bit of what's happened in the years between the end of FtNLR and the beginning of HoW, but I wasn't able to finish it, so I may just throw up a link to the WIP if I don't know if I'll actually finish it.
I sincerely hope I can get some new content to you guys soon and thanks so much for your patience!
1966933 I love your stories, and I can wait until you are ready to post your work. take as much time as you need.
I'm not sure how to reply to comments, still
but I'm gald you are back, I hope you can start writing again soon, I enjoy your work! Best of luck to you on your journey of life! 
Is this the original fic?
2075622
Depends on what you're referring to, I suppose.
It's the original story in my series, yes, but the original For the New Lunar Republic was a song by NotACleverPony.
2078163
Oh, and the orchestral New Lunar Republic theme 
Wait... the Lunar Republic originated with the THEME?! (Flips off site that gave me intel that Lunar Republic originated with a fanfic)
*Plays theme, holds hoof over heart* I only do this for two things. The American National Anthem when I'm living my life as normal dude. But, when I am a brony, I do this for both the anthem of the US and of the Lunar Republic
Here, have a recruitment poster and a Lunar Republic background
Le Poster:
fc00.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2011/259/4/c/random_new_lunar_republic_post_by_12rooster-d4a1iau.png
Le Wallpaper:
fc03.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/257/3/7/new_lunar_republic_wallpaper_by_overdrivenzx-d56in05.png
Le Theme:
(Edit: Sorry about the holding hoof over heart comment in case I offended anypony. Got a little caught up in the moment...)
2080184
Haha, love it.
Well, it's possible that my info is wrong, but I got in on the ground floor of the fandom, before the NLR was a thing, and I know the first I, and most bronies I know of, heard of the NLR was from NotACleverPony's song.
My story was inspired by her music and the real inspiration to write came from a friend of mine named Dreamcatcher's story, Sweet Dreams, Luna. If you haven't read Dreamcatcher's yet, I would suggest reading it as well, as I tied several aspects from his story into mine. (Most notably, the characters Dreamcatcher and Melody.)
2080729
What'd you think of the theme? Oh, (and as much as I hate to admit it,) you should hear the Sun Tyrant's Empire's theme. During the day in Heaven, they must play that song. However, they play the Lunar Republic song at night, obviously 
Alright, I'll check it out
Funny how Celestia is always made out to be the bad guy while Luna had the backstabbers knife.
2283470
'Backstabber's knife'?
I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about...
2283553
Well it was Luna who betrayed Celestia correct? In the original series I mean, when she turned into Nightmare Moon.
2283811
Ah, I see, fair enough.
The issue is that what Luna did is sort of viewed generally as little more than a tantrum whereas Celestia's response feels more indicative of a tyrannical dictator.
There's also the issue that Nightmare Moon is pretty well established as being an entirely seperate entity from Luna, meaning she was essentially just another victim.
That and the whole 'liking the night better than the day' thing.
But I didn't exactly have Celestia as just another back stabbing traitor, if you've actually read the story!
May I add this story to my group Mister?
2541249
Go for it
I have just one question to ask before I consider reading this... is Celestia evil, is she the villain in this fanfiction?
2570871
Yes, I'd suggest reading it before making any judgement, but it's a decently long story, so I understand if you don't want to commit to that.
2573969
Wait, never mind I believe that yes is that she is... sighs.
I would be very willing to commit to reading it even though it is long (heck I have completely read Past Sins) but I strongly support Celestia for the good pony she is and I do not see her as a tyrant that needs to be over thrown. While Luna is my favorite I respect Celestia more and I dislike it when fans make her the villain.
2574269
Of course I view Celestia as a good pony in the main canon and pretty much every other canon (she is exactly the same as she is in-show in the Alternate Timeline Moxi fic series 'Luneria Chronicles), but in the case of a Lunar War, there has to be conflict.
A story written from the perspective of those fighting for the NLR is of course going to paint Celestia as the villain of the piece, it wouldn't make sense otherwise.
Stories like this and Fallout Equestria, of which I am a huge fan, have to take the characters in directions they would never go from what we've seen in the show, and the idea that war is a brutal, disgusting thing that changes ponies is a heavy concept throughout.
The ponies in FtNLR don't act the way they would in any other circumstance, but they are what they are here.
2643061
It was actually based on the Christmas Truce of 1914 during World War 1!
Where did all this new lunar republic VS solar empire stuff begin?
2901750
It was from very early on in the fandom, after the first two episodes a lot of folks were much more fond of Luna than Celestia, especially when pointing out that 1000 years banished to the moon seemed like a pretty extreme punishment for just wanting more attention.
As a result, a lot of bronies thought that Luna would make a much better ruler than Celestia, particularly night-oriented bronies like myself.
I believe the actual name itself came from NotACleverPony's song 'For the New Lunar Republic' and there was a good period where it seemed like nearly everypony in the fandom had chosen a side, NLR or Solar Empire.
It's heyday is long since passed, since most folks seem to have forgotten about it and moved on, but it was a good chunk of the earlier fandom.
Hope this little history lesson has helped!
I always find myself rereading this amazing story. The characters are powerful, and well done, the story impeccable, there just aren't enough ways to say how great this story is, and why it is one of my favorite fan fictions of all time.
Can i download this in pdf?
7592977
Sure thing.
7600552 Thanks!
You Get a favorite and a follow. that Story was great. bravo. I'm Going to start reading the next one at once.