//------------------------------//
// Epilogue: Risen from Ashes 
// Story: The Night is Dark and Full of Terrors 
// by Fanatic-Heretic-101 
//------------------------------//

Solemnness hangs thick within the gathered crowd standing in square formations around the funeral pyre erected in the centre of the Lunar Castle’s courtyard. No Pony present utters a sound, instead all take this time to pay respects to the dead hero’s body who lies on said pyre, his eyes closed, his Bat Pony wings tucked away and arms at his side as proud as he once stood while alive at attention - Dusk Spectre.

The deceased wears his pristine dark purple, black, and silver coloured Lunar Empire Legionnaire armour after it was restored to its former glory. Dusk’s wounds under the platting are now scars, the trauma having been healed too late to save his life from the severity of his battle injuries and blood loss. All of it having been too much for even the miracle magic of qualified Imperial unicorn Healers to amend.

So there lies Dusk Spectre. The soldier has received his final relief of duty. A duty that through those he saved told others about, a duty that through his actions led to his sacrifice so that his fellow soldiers, his friends, and civilians did not have to suffer the same fate - Ponies that felt the heaviest of sorrow above all those present, Ponies that stood closest to the pyre - Midnight Wraith, Silver Night, Sky Shroud, Shadow Star, Aqua Harvest, Lemon Gold, and Terra Hoof with his small colt at his side the Aether Rose was able to reach in time and heal. 

“Daddy, who ist this Pony? Why is he sleeping on a woodan bed?” Asks the young colt quietly while tapping his father’s leg for answers, the little one’s innocence making him also wonder why everypony was standing around, not saying a word, and looking sad.

Terra Hoof nuzzles his colt to stop and also gives a soft, “Shhhhh,” to which the little one complies. Terra then gently says, “This Pony is that hero I told you about, like the ones in your bedtime stories. He fought monsters like them and helped me bring that magical flower to you.” 

“Whoa, what a nice Pony. I hope he has a good rest after all dat.”

Terra’s watery eyes that he was holding back since the funeral started breaks, a small tear gliding down his cheek. Showing a small smile, the Earth Pony gives a light nod and rests his hoof on his colt’s shoulder, softly nudging the little one towards the crowd, “He is. He is. Go back to mummy now, daddy has to tuck him in for sleep.”

“Goodnight, herow. Thank you for halping,” happily says the colt to Dusk, smiling at the sleeping soldier before turning away and jogging towards his mother in the crowd who walks him and herself away. After all, that Bat Pony must be really tired to be sleeping on a wooden bed, so he should have as much peace and quiet as possible…..





The towering wooden doors to the Lunar Castle’s interior opens with a CREEEEEEEEEEK!, yet neither that sound or more significantly the mare who appears standing at the top of the stairs at the doorway brings anypony’s attention to look away from the pyre - the same pyre she also faces, a clear path laid out to it before her flanked by the ranks of her Legionnaires that mourn the loss of a brother in arms. Like she internally mourns the loss of one of her Children of the Night.

Wearing a dark purple gown with silver streaks along its sides to covers her tall sleek body, Nightmare Moon holds a straight regale posture as she begins to descend the stairs and walk towards Dusk Spectre’s pyre, the soft crunching of gravel under her hooves the only sound within the otherwise silent courtyard. 

With each step the Alicorn takes towards the pyre her heart becomes heavier despite the stoic expression she tries to keep up, the sight of the same skilled combatant Child of the Night she spoke to days earlier now gone from her - everypony, including her, knowing what he did. Everypony knowing why this ceremony is happening. And everypony knowing what she will do next….

At last coming to stand over the fallen trooper, Nightmare Moon places a delicate palm on Dusk’s cheek, giving it soft strokes for a time like a mare would do to her colt. By now the Goddess’ fight to hide her sadness wanes, her gaze becoming regretful, a lump forming in her throat that she swallows. 

Eventually Nightmare Moon takes her hand away and uses both to bring out from a pocket in her gown a majestic, dark blue, metal star resting above a silver, upside down, crescent moon. The metal’s potent purity is undeniable and all of it hangs from the finest royal purple silk of a ribbon.

Taking another deep breath to regain her composure, Nightmare Moon slowly moves her hand to place said object over Dusk Spectre’s heart, addressing in a voice full of gratitude and professionalism matched only by its melancholy underpinning for everypony around to hear, “For your selfless service, Legionnaire Dusk Spectre, I, God-Empress Nightmare Moon, award you with the highest medal of courage - the Night Star of Solace…..”

Nightmare Moon closes her eyes and grits her fanged teeth, her fist clenches as a tear breaks through and falls down her face. For a time the Empress stands there, surrounded by the hurting masses of her subjects that she could feel, their pain her own. 

Eventually opening her eyes, the Alicorn looks across at Dusk’s closest friends; the soldiers she had sent with him into the Everfree Forest that day. The ones who had lost the most with Dusk’s passing.

Reaching out, Nightmare Moon rests her second hand over Dusk’s heart and speaks up again, her unexpected words receiving surprised hushed whispers from the gathered Ponies in the crowd, and wide-eyed reactions from Dusk’s friends. “.....I also declare you, Dusk Spectre, a Saint of the Lunar Empire. You shall join the legacy of those who also gave so much for us still here. Your name and sacrifice, Legionnaire and Saint Dusk Spectre, will be remembered forever.”

Contemplating what she decreed and accepting it for being what is right, Nightmare Moon repositions both hands around her straight back. At the same time her horn’s magic comes to life, an ethereal field manifesting in front of her that begins to take the form of a mystical, shimmering, dark blue torch that burns cyan fire.

Reaching out to grab the torch’s base where the real handle would be, Nightmare Moon shows it to be safe to touch as she holds out the item over Dusk, towards his companions and civilians. “I am sorry for your loss. Take this. All of you deserve to do it.”

Midnight Wraith, Silver Night, Sky Shroud, Shadow Star, Aqua Harvest, Lemon Gold and Terra Hoof each grab the torch. With a final look at one another, the Ponies ease the magical fire down at the base of the pyre and set it alight, the torch then fading from existence from Dusk’s pyre igniting.

Before Nightmare Moon was lost from their sights behind the building walls of cyan flames that quickly begin to glow bright within the night, she offers in a tone both soothing and ominous, “...Take as many hours as you all need. When you have the ability too, please come and see me in my quarters. I need to talk with you all in private……”





Silver Night, Shadow Star, Sky Shroud, Midnight Wraith, Lemon Gold, Aqua Harvest, and Terra Hoof remain as a group as they walk through the pristine hallways of the Lunar Castle. The high walls they pass along are adorned with beautiful paintings of night time landscapes and skies, complimenting the finely-made vases and columns that break up the pattern. All of these stand atop pristine red carpets and under silver glittering chandeliers.

Rounding one final corner, the group is presented with a long hallway with only one door within it, located at the very end. As the Ponies approach closer, they see said door flanked by two Legionnaires in full Lunar body armour, equipped with body shields, their hands resting on the hilts of of their sheathed swords - the door metallically inscribed with the cutie mark of the Empress.

As the Pony group nears the door ever closer, a conversation between three could be heard coming from the other side, one being the recognized and signature tone of Nightmare Moon.

“Can it be done?” 

“Yes, your majesty.” 

“How long?”

“With the amount of Legionnaires and Airships assigned, if they are and stay well supplied, and the troops given a healthy cycle rate…..this campaign should take roughly three months.”

Shadow Star nods at one of his fellow Legionaries who guards Nightmare Moon’s chambers, each party recognising one another. The sentry who nods then opens the door and peeks inside, stating, “Pardon the interruption, my Empress, but the Ponies you asked for are here.”

“Excellent timing, see them in here. And you are dismissed, Generals,” orders the Empress, her words immediately being put into action as the sentries step aside with the one who announced Shadow Star’s group’s arrival holding the door open for them. 

Two individuals (a Changeling female and a male Pegasus) wearing formal black military suits with slight night cameos to them exit the room first, their shoulder pads and chest displaying numerous medals and stripes of high ranking individuals. Without a word these Generals leave with silence down the same corridor Shadow and the others came, each General giving a quick glance to the group that arrived, their cold eyes showing a state of deep thinking and planning for future events.

With the Generals gone, Shadow Star and the others step into the inner sanctum of the God-Empress.

The spacious room is covered in night themed shades of colours consisting of blues, purples, blacks and silvers. The air is a pleasing scent of lavender from the wall-hanging flowers of the same kind. The room consists of a lit fireplace at the side, its fire magical and the same cyan colour like the flames for Dusk Spectre’s funeral pyre. Opposite the fireplace is an Empress-sized bed with pullable curtains around the side for privacy. In the corner of the room is a study desk with a small pile of scrolls, books, and papers - decrees, reports, and statements of the Lunar Empire’s bureaucracy. Opposite the main door is another that is the balcony’s door made of glass that allows for light rays of the full Moon through it. This door leads to a grand balcony outside offering a splendid look of the Lunar Castle, the night sky and the lands of the Empire. Finally at the very centre of the room is a massive marble section of tiles in the floor that shows a complete and detailed map of the Empire, its vast territory exactly matching the Equestria of old.

You wished to see us, Empress?” Inquires Shadow Star, bowing with the others.

“Thank you all for being here. Arise,” replies Nightmare Moon from across the room, her back at the full Moon outside the balcony. As she sees her subjects stand up again, she takes a breath and begins. “I brought you all here to make a promise. Something I think you all deserve to hear.

“...Losing Dusk Spectre was a tragedy. He was one of the best Legionnaires I have come across, but beyond that he must have been a far more important friend and leader to you all.”

“...And a hero to us and my colt,” spoke up Terra Hoof, a small lump forming in his throat.

“...Yes...Yes he is. Which is what my promise will be.” Stepping forwards to better reveal herself, Nightmare Moon’s gaze is an equal mix of burning retribution and grieving sympathy. Her hand points to the side and at the floor - exactly at the spot on the large marble map everypony stands on that shows the Everfree Forest…..clusters of wooden triangles, squares, and rectangles surrounding its edges, circles placed on various spots over the Everfree Forest… “My promise is to avenge Dusk Spectre. What he gave will not be in vain.”

A revelation spreads within the group, the Ponies’ eyes going wide. “...Those Generals. Those troop formations. Your majesty, you’re not implying-“ Nightmare Moon holds up a hand to stop Silver Night from talking, her following words confirming what everypony was suspecting.

“I am transferring the Empire’s military resources away from colonial expeditions and the hunt for my sister. Instead I will use it for the scouring of the Everfree Forest.”

Nightmare Moon slowly walks towards the battle map on the floor, her eyes narrowing with vendetta all the while she talks without looking away at the battle map, pointing at the square formations. “I am declaring a Crusade into that cursed place. The Legions will surround it from all sides and march into it en mass, killing all monsters they come across.”

Silver Night and the others gather around the battle map as the Empress carries on, the Alicorn now pointing at the circles inside the Everfree Forest. “In addition to destroying any and all hostile beasts in there, their objectives are to seize areas where vital magical plants or other useful substances can be collected for the Empire, like the Aether Roses. 

“Our scholars will study ancient texts and maps beforehand to determine where these materials are in the Forest, again just like you told us you did for the Aether Rose. Our scholars will also be sent into cleared out safe areas of the Forest to study any new species of flora or fauna that could be beneficial to Ponykind.”

Nightmare Moon’s finger then shifts towards the masses of triangles, everyponies’ sights following along, “All the while this is happening, the Shadowbolts will maintain daily control of the weather overhead, making sure no harmful weather could hinder the Legions or the Airships. They will also be used for rapid rescue if any ground troops need excavation for medical attention.”

She then concludes with the rectangles, “Finally, Imperial Airships will stay on standby for bombing missions if Legionnaires need to retreat from certain places. They will also be responsible for levelling the Forest once every useful resource from sections of it has been collected and can be replicated from our scholars.”

Finishing her explanation, the Night Goddess looks up at every Pony present, their still taken back looks at what all of this was meeting her glare of suppressed need for retribution, her voice daunting, “This Crusade will see the Everfree Forest, this stain on the Empire’s map, and the domain of monsters that has terrorised Ponykind since time immemorial wiped away. This scorch will finally make my subjects safe. And I, as their Empress….will lead this Crusade personally.”

“B-But, your majesty, why tell us all of this? We are just simply soldiers,” ponders Sky Shroud. 

“And we are just farmers,” adds Lemon Gold.

“You were there. You fought and survived in that place. And you lost somepony along the way. You deserve to know this because of all of that,” replies Nightmare Moon, calming down.

“But the Satellite States; The expeditions; The hunt for Daybreaker. Surely you can’t withdraw so many resources from those things. That could open the Empire to weaknesses across those areas?” 

The Empress slowly shakes her head, her demeanour informative and understanding. “For almost a year now, my Inquisition has informed me that the resistances in those fringe areas of the Empire are negligible, some are gone altogether. Ever since we started offering their members Imperial citizenship and extra incentives to turn themselves in or their fellow “freedom fighters”, conflict in those places have collapsed, especially after they realised the Lunar Empire keeps its word….I keep my word.”

“But what about your sister? She is still out there, she is still your biggest threat,” points out Midnight Wraith, to which surprisingly Nightmare Moon shakes her head again.

“She is indeed. But look around you, my little ponies….The Civil War is over. My sister and her supporters are gone, most definitely hiding away on one of those unknown continents. What they are doing there...I don’t know…” Nightmare Moon pauses and takes a deep breath. “But I cannot keep chasing after her after the many years I have done so since the War ended and she fled from it during its final days….I cannot keep forcing myself to run after and fight enemies of the Empire...if I neglect to care for its inhabitants and leave them behind in doing so, like you, my little Ponies….”

Nightmare Moon looks to the ground and wipes her eyes. Turning to those present again, she concludes, “...Many years ago, I would have said it to be absurd to protect the things you love over destroying your foes. But now…...now I believe it is the alternative that is absurd. That….-“ the Empress gives a sweeping point at the map of the coming Crusade, her voice almost breaking near the end of her words, “That is why I am doing this. Why I must do this.”

“...Duck Spectre was the final straw for me to finally see that. He must have fought so valiantly and for so long to make sure you all were safe. I declared him a Saint because, like all Saints before him, he made a significant and lasting contribution to the Lunar Empire for the better - he was the Pony that convinced his Empress to protect the things she loved more than to destroy her enemies.”

A firm silence fills the room that stays in place a long time after that. A prolonged pause of contemplation takes place throughout it, everypony taking their time to understand and accept what was said; questions having been answered even if the questions were not asked. 

In the end it would be Nightmare Moon herself to break the silence, her voice regal again but her eyes showing an almost mother nature to their cyan glowing slits, “Thank you all, my little Ponies. You are dismissed. Please take as much care and time as you all need for your loss.”

Without a word, everypony gives a respectable bow and departs the God-Empress’ quarters, Silver Night, Shadow Star, Sky Shroud, Midnight Wraith, Lemon Gold, Aqua Harvest and Terra Hoof feeling at peace…...just like Dusk Spectre does. Just like their monarch, Nightmare Moon, who turns away from them to slowly walk outside to her balcony.





A breeze glides over her in a soothing motion, her mighty feathered wings tucked at her side, her sleek body’s tall height allowing her to stand above and oversee all like the Goddess she was. Nightmare Moon stands at the edge of her balcony, her eyes fixed up at her full Moon - a beautiful sight that so much had been sacrificed in the Civil War and the countless conflicts since then. A sight she does not feel as proud of anymore, her heart heavy and her feelings low.

Sighing, Nightmare Moon slowly turns away from the full Moon, her Eternal Night, and instead turns towards the horizon - the direction her sister fled in so many years ago. 

She glares at the distant edge of her Empire’s known world, staring in the direction her sibling would be in matter how wide the unknown oceans and unexplored continents separating them are. And for several minutes she holds her look there….until feeling a gaze look at her back. “I know you are out there. I do not forgive you for what you did and I doubt you forgive me, but…it is over. I...do not care about finding you anymore, sister. Do as you will half a world away.

“ I will, I need, to care for these little Ponies. Our little Ponies. Call it a way of spiting you if you wish, but I will not stay as the tyrant you think I am any longer. You started the War, but I’m ending it here - I will be different, I will be better, I will….be like the old you before the War….I will be like the old me before the War.

“I don’t know when, but once we finally meet each other again….I hope it is at the negotiation table and not the field of battle. That time seems so far away, but perhaps it is closer than either of us thinks? That does not matter for me right now. What matters now…..-“ Nightmare Moon closes her eyes and clenches her fist. Taking a moment, she eventually opens them again to look down at the Lunar Castle’s empty courtyard below - Dusk Spectre’s once funeral pyre now ash, the Alicorn’s eyes breaking as a tear falls down her face as she meets the horizon again. “What matters now, is protecting the things I love. The Ponies I love….and maybe the same Ponies you still love. What matters now, is protecting our little Ponies, sister…….”


END