The Queen of Enduring Hope
Editor's Note: Greetings! This is a short trilogy/quadrology of stories which were my way of giving a fitting end to a roleplay saga a friend and I created over the course of Summer 2012-Winter 2014. These finales center around Katline Storm and Luna, and deal with the end to their universe as they know it. When I rebooted that universe in 2018, it gave me the chance to be creative again- and I wanted to make sure two of the most prominent characters received a fitting end to their stories. It's the least I could do. The order they should be read is: Echo, Queen, Happy, and Hope.
Editor's Note II: You may notice many references to My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. That's intentional, as the show was at its peak when we started our roleplay adventures and was primarily set in an alternate universe version of that world which, in all our twelve-year old bravado, combined both the canon and the R63 (Gender-swapped) versions of the show, heavily altered histories for Equestria (Tbf, there wasn't really any history to go on at that time, Season 2 had just entered its final episodes), Fallout: Equestria and many original characters.
Editor's Note III: For reference, Katline Storm was a pegasus enjoying adventures alongside the Mane Six (The gender-swapped versions, anyways), and she fell in love with a member of the team that was brought in to save Equestria from being overrun by shadow demons. That member also happened to be Death himself. When the team moved on from Equestria and into a new dimension, Katline chose to leave to be with him and became Queen of the Underworld. Princess Luna fell in love with the leader of the Shadow Demons, simply named King, and turned him good. Long after her death, King revived her and they helped lead a post-fallout Equestria into a new age. Yes, I know, twelve year olds are weird, alright?
Queen Luna, matriarch of the shadow demons, sat across from Queen Katline Storm, matriarch of the Underworld, as they chatted idly over tea about the past few months' events, mundane as they might be.
Looking in from the outside, it would be hard to picture either of them once having been resistance fighters in a wasteland, or perhaps it would be even harder to believe that either had known suffering or strife of any shape or form. How strongly the pair would've wished that were true.
Luna, clad in ornate jewels that took the form of rings, necklaces, earrings, and a platinum crown, may not have looked the thousands of years old that she was, but only because she wore them all very well. Unlike her counterpart, she was neither immortal nor basking in youthful features, just aging at a different rate, an aspect that had stayed with her in the transition between species.
Katline, dressed in a simple flowing white gown with gold trimmings, wore her immortality possibly better than any other immortal had. While she no longer bore the look of a girl in her mid-twenties, middle age seemed as gracefully crafted on her as a marble statue.
"King was very determined to not let the deed go unpunished, of course," Luna said, speaking of a recent adventure undertaken by her shadow demon husband, "But that merciful guardian angel you once called a wolf showed up to settle the situation in time, thankfully. Given a few more seconds, though, and I believe you and Repor would have had at least a week's worth of paperwork to sort through that day."
Katline chuckled softly.
"I'll have to thank Charlie the next time I see him then. If there's one thing everybody who knows me knows, it's that I can't stand all of the paperwork that goes along with keeping the Underworld running."
"That is one luxury I am thankfully afforded. As Queen of the Shadow Demons, my one role is to live luxuriously, and look damn fine doing so."
"Maybe I should have fallen in love with the enemy instead," Katline replied, calling back to another world and time when King had once been their mutual enemy, "I'd much prefer shacking up with King every hour of the day compared to the drudge of paperwork that awaits me at my throne each morning."
Luna casually shrugged off the comment.
"From what you've told me, that paperwork certainly doesn't intrude on your personal time with Repor." She smiled slyly from behind the brim of her cup.
Katline eyed her with mild amusement as she set her own cup down.
"Touché, my Queen."
"Please, Katline, we do this every time. It has been too long since I have been your superior for you to still refer to me as such."
"I feel it's only appropriate, you do still have me by a few moons on age, after all, so I think that still counts."
Luna smiled over at Katline, the last friend she still had from that place and time that not only seemed like a lifetime away, but was a lifetime away. The mere thought brought back a torrent of memories that seared their way across her brain like strongly flowing rivers of lava. Even thought it had been some years since she'd been forced to say farewell, and many hundreds more since those memories had been formed, they were just as vivid and real as the days they had been made. Luna pushed away her drink and cake plate, no longer desiring either.
"Kate," She began, her chest feeling heavy as she called upon every ounce of bureaucratic experience she'd accrued to keep the sobs from breaking free, "Do you… Ever think of home?"
If the question caught her off guard, her guest didn't show it.
"Sometimes. I don't think about it as often as I did when myself and Repor first came here, but I still think about it now and then."
"I think about it quite often, Katline Storm. Almost every single day."
Kate pushed her own cutleries away and reached out a hand to comfort her fellow queen.
"I know you do. You were there far longer than I ever could have been, and I can't properly imagine everything you've been through since you had to leave it permanently."
"I just wish I could see it one more time. Just to glimpse my home at peace, for that brief time before Fal'Kahn and Shard and the rest of those damned people showed up to ruin it all."
Luna's eyes switched up from the table to Kate, burning with the fire of a thousand suns and the rage of a million warriors. In a way, it was appealing to Kate, given that it broke through the façade of pleasantness that Luna normally showed off in place of real emotion. Although she couldn't blame her, Katline had hoped that Luna would have made more progress the more she acclimatized to the new world. That, of course, hadn't happened.
"They ruined my life, just as everything was going back to normal, my one chance at happiness and peace was ripped away by them. They should have left, I should have made them leave," She was now gripping Kate's comforting hand in a fist of iron, "I should have rounded up my troops and forced them to leave, before they brought their damned war to our world and ruined everything. Because of my reluctance to hold true to my ideals, though, do you know what happened, Katline? Because I wanted to show my dearest sister that I had changed, do you know what happened, Katline?"
Kate could only respond by tightening her own grip, knowing full well that words were both insufficient and unnecessary at this point.
"My kingdom, my subjects, my world, drowned itself in war. We were never perfect, we were built upon war after war, but we always strived for harmony and peace. Those goals were right within our reach, Katline, and when Shard and the rest of them arrived we were damned forever," Her voice steadily rose in passion and anger, "After they left, we were plunged into a world war that neither myself, my dearest sister, or our seven hero friends could properly deal with. We were always too concerned over repeating the mistakes with the changelings or the shadow demons, and our hesitancy rewarded us with a series of magic bombs that turned our world into a wasteland. If Shard hadn't arrived, even if that war had arrived, we would not have hesitated and we would have won and could have achieved the peace we had all looked for so desperately for so long. Now, though, Katline?" She asked rhetorically, pure, seething regret and frustration in every word, "Now that chance is gone forever, and it was gone from the moment Shard arrived, we just blinded ourselves so we couldn't see that fact."
Having apparently exhausted her rage, Luna released Katline's very sore hand and slumped back into her chair.
Kate slowly sat back down, wishing she could call upon Katsy or Kassy or Repor, anybody really, for advice and support, but they were all very far away from where she and Luna convened for their bi-monthly meetings. Instead, rubbing her tender hand, she weighed her options as the former Queen of the Night stewed across from her.
On the one hand, she could tell her the truth. That, even briefly, she could return to see the world she had always dreamed of.
On the other hand, she could comfort her and await their next bi-monthly meeting in which this exact thing would happen again.
It had been many years since she herself had visited the reborn version of their world but, while her experience had been extremely positive, she wasn't sure if Luna could accept or adjust to it in the same way she had. Add to that, she wasn't even sure what time period the portal would be dropping them off at, since their universe and the old one moved through time in different ways, apparently because of some technobabble Echo had once explained to her that she'd never properly understood.
Thinking back on those old memories made Kate realize she'd once said damn it all to the consequences before. Perhaps, if it was just this once, she could rail against the fates just one more time.
"My Queen," She said, standing up with a determined grin on her face, "I think I may be able to solve your problem."
As they stumbled out of the portal, Kate realized just how thankful she was that she had thought to bring a cloak for Luna, as she materialized much the same way Kate did- looking every bit as Equestrian as she had before being transformed into a human. Of course, while Kate could blend in, Luna looking like her old self here could cause numerous problems, considering she was once the ruling princess of the land.
This situation was exacerbated by the fact that they had emerged from the portal in the middle of a very crowded Canterlot square.
Although Luna initially fought against being covered, she did, mercifully, accept, and the duo were able to turn their attention towards finding out who or what was gathering such a large crowd.
Katline opted for the direct approach and elbowed a gentlepony next to her.
"Ahem, excuse me, sir, me and my friend here are travelers of sorts, would you mind telling me what has brought such an amazing crowd today?" She asked, desperately hoping she had covered her refined, royal tone well enough with a horribly forced brogue that she hadn't used in centuries.
The gentlepony scoffed at her, although apparently more in shock rather than classist disgust.
"Why, my dear mare, have you been living under a rock? Today is the official coronation of Princess Twilight Sparkle as the new ruler of Equestria. Celestia and Luna have chosen to retire!"
"Oh." Was all Kate managed to get out as she joined her Luna in craning their necks skyward to see if they could get a glimpse of the coronation.
Only a glint at first, they spotted her, with wings outstretched and a nervous smile on her face as she stood in front of possibly thousands of her new denizens. This world's Celestia and Luna flanked her, looking as imposing and as regal as ever.
It was then that Kate heard what sounded to be an attempt to choke back tears, and although that likely belonged to many of the ponies in attendance, she turned to her companion.
Her Luna attempted to wipe away a waterfall of tears, a smile shakily standing its ground despite the onslaught.
"I always knew she could do it, I always knew she was destined for great things," Luna whispered to nobody in particular.
"Was it everything you hoped for, my Queen?" Kate asked, sliding closer to her last friend from that lifetime, proud to see that she was happy for the first time in millennia.
"Oh, Katline," She said, putting her arm around her and pulling her against her as she continued to gaze upwards at her dream come true, "It's better than I could have ever imagined."
Silently, though, Luna said more words than she could ever tell her friend.
Because, silently, Luna was in an old memory.
Citizens were without worry, without war.
The kingdom was in harmony, thanks to its young heroes.
She was home after a long exile, with her sister beside her.
The day unfolded at a distance for them.
Friendship and magic filled the air.
She'd promised herself that she'd never let either of those things leave.
As she returned to the present, Luna could finally keep that promise.
Today was a red letter day indeed, she could feel that much. Perhaps it was an instinctual connection formed between her and this world's version of her, she couldn't be sure.
Whatever happened past this moment, even though she'd have to return to her own world soon, she let this memory slowly replace the old.
Together, with Katline Storm, her last friend from that time, she watched a kingdom in harmony celebrate its bravest hero as magic and friendship swirled around every corner and cloud, and she knew that things would never be better than this one moment of perfection, that allowed every dream she'd ever had to be realized.
This world had known strife, but not war, not for a very long time.
This world was built on harmony, on peace.
This world was as perfect as could be.
She pulled Katline Storm closer as the crowd cheered for Princess Twilight Sparkle, ruler of Equestria.
The cheers, and the joy that came with them, echoed throughout her mind, and rocked her to her very core.
They echoed with all the joy and happiness she could have ever hoped to achieve, and they echoed so loudly they broke the stone walls she'd set up around her heart so long ago. For the first time, in a very long time, Luna felt pure, unadulterated, unrestricted, happiness. The dreams of a brighter tomorrow had never left her, not entirely, they'd just been a little hidden.
She could neither curse this world nor despise it any longer. Even if her old universe had died just so this one could take its place, this new reality was the world she'd so desperately longed for her old one to be.
This world's magic swirled through her very soul, and she felt it restore parts of her she hadn't even realized had gone dormant.
It was in that moment that she found herself recognizing a beautiful, wonderful truth.
She was no longer the Queen of Dead Dreams, or simply the Queen of the Shadow Demons.
She was the last memory of a universe not forgotten, and an everlasting symbol that hope and magic would always endure, no matter what.
She was Luna, Queen of the Shadow Demons.
Moreover, she was Luna, the Queen of Enduring Hope.
