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Extra Chapter: Birth of Hope

1000 years ago, Celestia and Luna had ended Discord's chaotic reign over Equestria. Using the Elements of Harmony, they imprisoned him in stone and brought peace and happiness back into Equestria. Weeks went by after the imprisonment and all was put back into order. However during their visit to Ponyville, Celestia's aid was requested back at the castle.

"How long will thou be in Canterlot, sister? We do not wish to be kept waiting long." Luna declared. Celestia let out a small giggle and looked at her sister. "Cleaning up after Discord's mess has been a strenuous effort for the both of us. I must attend to our subjects and see if there are any problems left that must be fixed, in addition to supporting the troops and raising their morale.. That is the duty of a ruler. I will not be gone long. I trust that you will find some way to keep yourself occupied?" Luna sighed and nodded. "Of course, sister. We will find a way to keep ourselves entertained." She said. Celestia spread her wings and the solar alicorn took to the skies. Luna bid her sister goodbye and not too long after she left, boredom made its way into her mind.

She found herself flying all over, taking in the sights hoping to ease her boredom. "This is growing quite frustrating. Perhaps it would have been best if we had gone to Canterlot with Celestia instead. Taking care of royal affairs is the duty of a ruler after all." She told herself. She continued to fly until she reached the vicinity of Neighagra Falls and landed by the base of the falls. The sounds of rushing water, the smell of the air and the beautiful green grass was a sight to behold. She let out a sigh of relief. She not only found something to keep her busy, but she was also happy to have aided her sister in restoring such beauty to Equestria. However, her smile faded the moment she heard a loud snorting sound. She looked around and stopped when she saw the source of the noise: A dragon.

She had heard read about dragons in the Canterlot archives and saw plenty herself, but never before had she seen a dragon like this. It had green scales and a yellow-tinted underbelly. It had no horns, but its wings were folded to its sides. It was asleep. The fact that the dragon was sleeping seemed to amuse Luna, but it was nowhere near cute as it was snoring. It was a dreadful noise that irritated Luna, but she knew that it would be wrong to force the dragon awake as it would undoubtedly attack her. She thought of what to do and came to a conclusion. "Perhaps if we wake the dragon gently...it may listen to us when we ask it to leave." She said to herself. She crept towards the dragon slowly, hoping not to startle it. It snorted once and lifted his head and Luna froze in place. Neither she nor the dragon moved. The dragon licked its lips and laid its head back down and drifted off to sleep. Luna sighed, but the moment she did, the dragon's lavender eyes shot open and looked down at the reason it was disturbed. Luna backed away, but immediately took a defensive stance and readied her magic. The dragon rose up and yawned loudly and began to scratch itself and looked down at her. The words that escaped the dragons mouth shocked Luna and she quickly got out of her stance. "Oh...is it morning already?"

Luna stared at the dragon in awe, not just due to it being just a bit taller than her but also the fact that it didn't attempt to rip her limb from limb. The dragon was the same size as Celestia and was clearly male based on its voice when it spoke earlier, but Luna did not feel threatened by his presence. His eyes were fixated on her and he lowered his head to her level. "Good morning, miss. And what are you doing here on this fine day?" He asked politely. Luna heard that some dragons were rude and brash, but this dragon was nothing like that. She felt quite...comfortable around him. "We are here to...find a means to keep ourselves entertained while our sister is away. We just so happened to come across thou while we were." Luna said. The dragon blinked and began to laugh. "We? Thou? I didn't know there were creatures that spoke like that. You sound like you're a royal." Luna pouted and opened her mouth to speak. "Indeed, we are. We are Princess Luna, co-ruler of Equestria and raiser of the moon," She declared. "And who art thou?" The dragon smiled and playfully bowed. "My, my. I didn't expect to meet a princess all the way out here. My name is Ignus. And though I am not a royal, I AM commander of the dragon horde."

Luna was surprised to hear this. She didn't think that Ignus was a commander, but it was probably another word for 'leader' to them. Ignus chuckled and looked at her. "Well, you must be wondering why I am here in pony territory. See...I was actually one my way back to the mountains, getting finished with gem hunting. Of course, I was leading the group. I got tired for a moment and decided to rest, telling them all to go on ahead of me. They left and I fell asleep. When I woke up, I noticed that I slept for too long and was about to fly back, but..." Ignus stopped and laughed nervously. He began to scratch the back of his neck with his next sentence. "I kinda...pulled my wing and have been stuck here for 3 days. The only thing I had to eat was that gem horde I found. Speaking of which..." Ignus lifted one of his giant feet and noticed that there was one gem left.It was a sapphire and he picked it up and dropped it into his open jaw. "Much better. Now where was I? ...Ah, yes. My wing. It still hurts quite a bit and I can't fly home until it heals. So I must keep waiting, I suppose." He concluded. Luna frowned, feeling sorry for Ignus as she, too would feel upset if she could not return home to her sister. She stood there and concluded that she would help him.

"We will help you with your injury." She said. Ignus blinked in confusion. "Um...and how are you going to do that?" He asked, his voice filled with doubt. Luna gave a smug smile and her horn began to glow. "Do not underestimate our power." She zapped his wing with her magic, causing him to flinch from the expected pain but it didn't hurt. In fact, there was no pain at all. The feeling from her magic was soothing, almost affectionate. He breathed through his nostrils softly and relaxed as Luna began healing him. But it was brief as the magical aura dissipated and she looked at him. "How does it feel?" He blinked and opened his wing. It didn't hurt at all. Actually, it felt like it got replaced with a wing that wasn't his own but joking aside, he was grateful. "Thank you, erm...Luna, was it?" He asked. Luna's smile turned sour and she stared at him. "How rude. You will address us as--" "Another thing. You don't have to talk like that. Just say 'I', ok?" Ignus said, interrupting her. Before Luna could speak, Ignus stood up and looked down at her. "I must return to the mountains now. But..." Ignus' next words perplexed Luna beyond all belief. "I wouldn't mind coming back to see you again. Maybe we can meet up some time tomorrow?" Luna blushed and looked away. She and her sister had received many confessions from suitors, but never before had she been asked to just 'meet up' with anypony. She felt very comfortable around him and thought he was interesting. Luna thought for a moment and he gave her a big smile with her answer. "Yes. We would...I...would like to see you again tomorrow."

---

The following morning, Luna raised from her chamber in Canterlot. Celestia had finished the business that she needed to take care of, so she finally had time with her sister. "Good morning, Luna. And how are you feeling this day?" She asked. Luna smiled sweetly at her elder sister. "Yes, Celestia. We slept soundly and are fully rested." Celestia smiled and once they both prepped themselves, they made their rounds through the Canterlot Gardens. "Things are much better now that Discord has been locked away. Equestria is finally in the state of peace that it deserves. Wouldn't you agree, Luna? Celestia asked. Luna nodded in agreement but when she looked into the sky, she saw a giant figure flying in the direction of Neighagra Falls and Luna recognized it immediately: It was Ignus. "Yes, well...I would like to hear more, but I must be off. I told myself that I would take in more of what Equestria has to offer us. Excuse me." She panicked. She quickly spread her wings and took to the skies. Celestia was left baffled, not only at her sister leaving so suddenly but also at the fact that she suddenly stopped talking in the old ways. "Could she possibly..." Celestia stopped questioning herself and simply giggled. If she does have a very special somepony, then I hope he makes her happy, she thought as she started to trek though the garden alone.

Ignus looked up in the sky and smiled as he saw the lunar pony flying overhead and she landed by his side. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be late. I--" "Hm? You're speaking with I's instead of We's. Why is that?" wondered Ignus. Luna quickly blushed and her expression elicited a loud hearty laughter from Ignus. "I'm only kidding, Luna. Besides..." He lowered his head to her eye level and his next words sent her embarrassment skyrocketing. "I think it's cute, whether you talk in the old ways or normally like I do." Luna looked away as her face was completely flushed with red. Cute? Me? Impossible. I may be often teased by my sister about my looks but never before has anypony, let alone a dragon, called me cute. I must discern his intentions, Luna thought. She looked him in the eyes and gave him a serious stare. "For what purpose do you have for saying such a thing to us?" She started. "Art thou trying to make a fool of us? Trying to sweet talk us into lowering our defenses?!" Ignus couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was merely trying to be nice, so this surprised him. "Huh? I'm just being nice. I thought you ponies always gave each other compliments and stuff." He told her.

Luna shook off her suspicions and looked up at him. "I apologize. It's just that...my sister and I--" "You have a sister? Why didn't you tell me?" Ignus interrupted. Immediately, Luna glared at him and a chill ran up his spine. "Sorry. Continue please." Luna smiled and continued with her story. "As I was saying, my sister and I have received many compliments, from both our subjects and from suitors. Celestia and I have received plenty of love confessions and one stallion in particular confessed to me in private. Of course, I felt quite flattered to hear this, but..." Luna trailed off. Ignus didn't seem to like where this was going, but he kept listening. "...The stallion only wanted to be with me because I'm a powerful influence, given my position. I was heartbroken, so I've turned down any other stallion that has tried to court me." She concluded. Ignus was shocked. He didn't think that there were ponies so cruel out there. He wasn't just angry now; he was furious. "If I ever meet the stallion that hurt you like that, I'd..." Ignus started growling and the slits in his eyes grew smaller in rage, but he quickly calmed down the moment he heard Luna giggle. He looked down at her in confusion and saw her smiling up at him. "It is quite alright. Though...I find it quite amusing to see that you would defend me like that. And perhaps...I find it quite...as you said, cute."

Ignus blushed and they both laughed. It was quite an experience that they both just had, something that warmed both their hearts. The two of them shared a lengthy conversation for hours, telling each other about themselves and the lives they lead and Ignus even told a couple of jokes to lighten the mood more. "And the minute I came to, their gems were gone and I was laying on a big pile of them. And when they all came to me, I said to them: I know what you're thinking and the answer is yes. I did horde more gems than you." Luna managed to giggle a little, but she didn't understand most of it. "Anyway...that's how I got exiled from my old home." Ignus said with a smile. Luna stopped smiling and looked at the sky. "It is getting late. I must return to Canterlot at once." She said. Ignus frowned. "Aw c'mon. Can't you stay a little longer?" The tone he used sounded as though he was begging, which caused Luna to giggle. "I would like to show you something." Luna said. Her eyes closed and she flapped her wings until they lifted her into the air. Her horn began to glow with a mystic aura and Ignus watched in awe, but his jaw dropped at what happened next. The sun started to set right in front of him at a steady pace, but it was not covered in the same color as her magic aura. Rather, it was the rising moon itself that had the same aura around it. He realized what she was doing and he looked at her. Is she...raising the moon?!, he thought.

Once the moon was placed into the now darkened sky, the aura around her horn faded and she looked at him with exhaustion. "You can raise the moon? That's...that's so cool! I didn't know you were this talented." He exclaimed. Luna smiled and turned away. "I must return to Canterlot. But...I had a wonderful time with you today. So...I should give you a gift for your kindness." She said. Ignus blinked, wondering what this reward was. He wondered if it was gems and he licked his lips. But before he could ask about it, Luna hovered over to him and kissed him on the cheek. Ignus' entire green-scaled body turned red from embarrassment and he smiled at Luna. "So...same time tomorrow?" Luna giggled and nodded in agreement. "Yes. I hope to see you again, Ignus. Good night." When they bid their farewells, they both flew away to their respective homes. They didn't say it to one another, but they felt a connection. To Ignus, Luna was the most kind and gentle...well, pony that he'd ever met. He wanted to make her happy, unlike the stallions that treated her wrongly. And Luna thought that Ignus was kinder and more respectful than any stallion that she had come across. They wanted to know if they could take their friendship further, but there was one significant problem: they were two completely different species.

---

Two weeks went by as Luna and Ignus kept seeing each other in secret, growing ever more closer. However, Celestia's suspicions were rising as well, wondering why her sister is leaving so often and not informing her of where she is traveling to. In addition, she has noticed that her younger sister is much more cheerful than normal. This is quite odd. If she has a special somepony that's making her feel this way, why does she not introduce me to him? What is she hiding?, she thought. Just as she was deep in thought, she caught a glimpse of the blue Alicorn flying away. "Where is she off to now?" She asked. Luna didn't seem to notice her, so Celestia spread her wings and quietly tailed her sister. She followed her until she reached Neighagra Falls and landed on a cliff and looked around. "Neighagra Falls...It truly is one of the most beautiful places in Equestria. I guess she came here to--" Celestia's sentence was quickly interrupted by the sound of her sister's giggling, but also by the laughter of another. She looked down below and saw Luna spending time with Ignus, her eyes widening in shock. My sister? With a dragon?! This cannot be. Why is she..., Celestia thought.

The sight of this baffled Celestia beyond all recognition, but she tried her hardest not to overreact. Knowing what her sister was really up to, she spread her wings and went down to confront her. "What shall we name our child?" Ignus asked, smiling. Luna's face flushed with red and she giggled. "It has yet to be born and thou art already thinking of names?" She asked. Ignus laughed hearing Luna revert back to the old way of speaking. "Heh. This child is our beacon of hope. We have a relationship that no one would ever think would work." Luna smiled and rubbed her hoof on her stomach. "Hope...We...I believe we have the perfect name." She said. Ignus smiled and stepped closer to her. "What is it?" "This child's name shall be--" "Luna!!!" Celestia screamed, interrupting Luna and earning both of their attention. They turned around to where the voice came from to see the angry white Alicorn glaring at them. She stepped forward and stomped her hoof. "What do you think you're doing?" She asked. Luna looked down in shame and back at her sister. "Tia...please. I was going to tell you--" "Tell me what?", Celestia interrupted. "That you were being courted by such a beast?!" "Hey! You shouldn't talk to your sister like that!" Ignus growled. Celestia returned a harsh glare to Ignus and Luna stepped between them. "Stop. Both of you. This is my fault, Ignus. Because I fell for you and hid it from my sister. I told you before. Dragons and ponies can't be together. It isn't right." She said. Tears began to form in her eyes and Ignus lifted her head up. "Listen. I don't care what's wrong and what's right. But what I KNOW is right is that I love you." He said. He pulled her in and his lips made contact with hers, shocking Celestia in the process. But she didn't care. Celestia's horn began to glow with a yellow aura and the same aura appeared around Luna as she was levitated away from Ignus. "I forbid you from seeing this dragon ever again!!!" Celestia declared as she spread her wings and carried her sister away.

Celestia and Luna's bond began to waver, but Luna was forgiving and she got over how her sister acted. But she missed Ignus terribly and what made matters worse, she was carrying his child. It upset her deeply, but she still had things to do. She was still co-ruler of Equestria and she had to set an example. Ignus attempted to appeal to Celestia about letting him see Luna, but she denied him all rights. And one day...the reign of Nightmare Moon came to be......

---

Nightmare Moon flew overhead and started laughing. "You little foals! As punishment for your transgression, you will suffer eternal night for the rest of your lives!" "No, you will not!" A female voice declared. Nightmare Moon looked around to see where the voice came from and saw her sister and her royal guard. She cracked a wicked smile. "If you think you can defeat me, then you thought wrong, sister." She declared. Suddenly, Nightmare Moon's body was covered by a sparkling mist and it flew off to the direction of Canterlot. Celestia, angered by her sister's taunt, gave chase with her royal guard following behind. Once she was far enough away from her sister, Nightmare Moon reverted to her normal form and looked back to Ponyville and smiled. "Hmph. As if she could beat me. But I must be cautious. If she gets the Elements, then--" At that moment, a sharp pain surged through Nightmare Moon's stomach. "What in Equestria is this?!" She yelled. She didn't know, but the inner Luna knew all too well what it was: The child she made with Ignus was about to be born. In her current condition, she knew that she wouldn't be able to fight and the royal guard was closing in. Sucking up her pride, she spread her wings and flew away.

After a half hour passed, Nightmare Moon finished giving birth. It took her quite some time, but she managed to bring a new life into the world. However, she was not pleased. She looked back and saw a green egg and glared. "An egg? What in Equestria would with this...hmm. A dragon egg? Ah, yes. The child I made with that dragon from before. I have no need to deal with something so pointless." She said. She turned away from the egg and flapped her wings and the resulting gust blew the egg away and she took to the skies. As she was flying back to Canterlot, she noticed a figure in the form of Celestia coming for her and she laughed. "Have you come to meet your demise, sister?" She asked. Celestia closed her eyes and looked at her sister. "I do not wish to do this, Luna. But you have left me with no choice. I must maintain order in Equestria. And as such..." As she was speaking, the Elements of Harmony that she had in possession began to glow. "I will banish you for 1000 years until you redeem yourself. Then I may forgive you for what you've done." Celestia proclaimed as her eyes glowed white. She shot a magical blast at her sister and a mystic glow appeared around Nightmare Moon. She started to struggle, but she couldn't break free. "Mark my words, Celestia. When I return, the night will last forever!" A tear fell down Celestia's cheek and with her spell, Nightmare Moon vanished and the visage of a mare appeared in the face of the moon. "Goodbye, Luna. I hope that you repent for your actions." Celestia said to herself. And with that, Nightmare Moon's reign came to an end.

---

~982 years later~

Since the banishment of Nightmare Moon, Celestia took it upon herself to maintain order in Equestria, as well as the duty of raising both the sun and moon. She suffered some hardships, such as dealing with Ignus continually coming to her about Luna, but she managed to pull through. One day, when she had no royal duties to attend to, Celestia decided to take a break...and traveled to Neighagra Falls. She flew down to the meadow below and stared at the falls. "I can see why Luna loved coming here. It truly is a breathtaking sight." She said to herself. She walked through the meadow, but she stopped suddenly when something caught her eye. It was a rather large figure, about her height and was covered in moss. But she could make out what it was clearly: It was a corpse. But the corpse was that of a dragon. She tilted her head and got closer to it. It then came to her exactly who it was. The corpse belonged to none other than Ignus, the dragon who courted Luna. "Ignus...were you...waiting here for Luna?" She asked his lifeless body. "I haven't seen you since..."

~300 years earlier~

"Dad, you shouldn't be doing this. Why should you care about these ponies?" A young black dragon asked. Ignus and the young dragon were on the steps of Canterlot Castle. Ignus had insisted on going there to confront Celestia on the whereabouts of Luna. "Nova, calm yourself. You are 903 years old. You are an adult now, so act like it!" Ignus hissed. They made their way to the front gates of the castle but Celestia's royal guard halted their advance. "Celestia is not seeing anypony at this time. I will have to ask you to leave." One guard said. Ignus growled and pushed past them. "I don't care! I have questions!" He yelled. The other guard got in front of him and tried to hold him back. More guards came and started to push back Ignus. "Out of my way! Luna!!! Luna, where are you?!?!" He cried out. Nova couldn't bear to see his father act the way he did, so he did the only thing he could. He turned away and flew off. As Ignus continued to call for Luna's name, Celestia lay inside the castle, peering out of the partially opened door. She could see how desperate he was, but she knew there was nothing that she could do anymore. Luna was banished...and it was all her fault.

---

Celestia began to tear up having now come face to face with Ignus' lifeless body. He truly did love my sister. I feel bad for separating them, but I did what I had to do, Celestia thought. She shed a small tear and turned to be on her way. She flew over the forest, not turning back to look at the draconic corpse but she noticed something from the corner of her eye. She flew down to see what it was. When she landed, the object came into full view: It was a green egg. And it was no ordinary egg. This egg belonged to a dragon. "An egg? How did it get here?" She thought aloud. Her horn began to glow and the egg glowed in response. But the glow it had was similar to that of Luna's, which surprised her. "This egg...this is..." Celestia stopped talking and knew what she had to do. She levitated the egg with her magic and took it with her into the air. "I know what to do with you, but I must give you something first. Something I believe you deserve, little one." Celestia said to the egg. Thus, she took it with her back to Canterlot.

Moments later, Celestia was levitating the egg once more but she was flying in the direction of Dragon Mountain. She landed on the mountain top, but she was suddenly stopped by an adult dragon. He had maroon scales which seemed to be faded, giving hint that he was elderly. He was much taller than Celestia, to the point where she could only speak directly to him by flying up to his eye level. "Princess Celestia. It has been quite some time." The dragon addressed her. "Yes...I have not seen you since the last Dragon Migration. I trust that the gem deposits you found were able to help sustain your tribe?" She asked. The elderly dragon nodded. "Yes. But I wish to ask...what is that you have there?" He asked, pointing to the green egg that was floating beside her. She lowered the egg to the ground in front of the elder and looked at him. "That egg...is the child of my sister...and the dragon who has recently passed." The elder's eyes widened. "Ignus' child?! But he knows that--" "Yes. I told my sister the same. But it appears neither of us could stop their love. And that egg is the result." Celestia said. The elder looked down at the egg and picked it up and placed it in a empty nest. "One more thing." She said. A necklace with a yellow diamond fixed into a crescent moon shape levitated into the elder's hand. "Give this to him. It was from Luna." "I will. So tell me. Does the child have a name?" He asked. Celestia smiled. "Yes. My sister told me before I banished her. The child's name is...."

Up on the moon, Nightmare Moon was lying down, staring down at Equestria. She knew her time would come. She remained as patient as she could, waiting for the right time. But deep down inside, Princess Luna's will still remained. Ignus...I hope you are alright. Our child was born. And I have a name for him now, She thought. A small tear ran down Nightmare Moon's cheek as the conversation she and Ignus had ran through her mind.

"What shall we name our child?" "It has yet to be born and thou art already thinking of names?" "Heh. This child is our beacon of hope. We have a relationship that no one would ever think would work." "Hope...We...I believe we have the perfect name." "What is it?" "This child's name shall be--"

"Von."

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