Author's Note
This is a summary of Leo's story, I am currently working on a full story line with in depth character interactions and events. Essentially a small novel based on a more gory and darker alternative reality of Equestria.
The Beginning of the End
Leo was always an interesting character. His life changed quite drastically when he met Luna. For the better, though it all felt like a dream to him. Especially the day that she died.
For millennia, his life with her was calm, free, and caring, but when disaster struck, she sacrificed herself to save him and her people.
About 3500 years after Leo’s release into the Equestrian kingdom was when the seemingly everlasting peace took a turn for the worst when Discord attacked once again. His reappearance sent the kingdom into turmoil and chaos, causing whole cities and towns to be interdimensionally warped. Making most of the forces that were meant to fight him useless due to his magic.
This war against Discord lasted for a decade and then some. The result being the death of Luna using too much power for her body to handle, sending her into a state of magic euphoria. The power cap on her magical abilities was blown off. Her body was tearing itself apart and all her magic would eventually lead to a meltdown. Before Leo could allow that, Leo suppressed the blast with his own body, in turn the blast ripping his internal organs to shreds and tearing off the majority of his feathers.
He surprisingly enough lived through the events, though Luna did not, he even held her in his arms and watched her die. Hearing her last words that he would never forget. When she died, his grief harnessed the lunar power that had been stored inside him for millennia and released it all at once, turning the kingdom black for a whole day. During that time, Celestia was able to work her magic and heal him to a stable state. His feathers eventually grew back but his once large stature was no more, he was but the size of a typical pony with little muscle to show, though his monstrous strength was evidently not affected.
As the centuries once again passed by ever so quickly, his newly acquired power turned him into the new guardian of the night. Though how he gained that power was only speculation. Celestia believed that due to his experience with the Elements of Harmony and his millennia spent locked in the moon, some of Luna’s power was transferred to him but had laid dormant inside him until an event triggered its release.
It seemed his power was greater if not the same as Celestia’s, which frightened her. Though she knew he was her loyal servant and friend, even though his mental state had deteriorated since Luna’s death. It was a few centuries later that Leo would pull himself up out of his slump.
Thus, the mark of a new beginning is made
Leo spent countless hours after his time of grieving was over studying musical instruments as a hobby. This hobby of his he had taken on was something of a way of dealing with Luna’s death, he put his anger and grief into his music and soon became a known artist among the royal guards of the castle, his music often being heard in the late hours of the night echoing throughout the halls.
Though he had taught himself many instruments in the decades that he spent practicing, he had a fondness of the cello. He never expected that of all the mares and stallions, it would be Celestia to suggest he take his music to another level. Though it took some convincing, Leo ended up taking Celestia’s advice, he soon found himself a position as a musician in a local band that played jazz in a nighttime bar a short flight from the castle. He would spend hours every night learning the music that his band assigned him, the Cello at this point in the future being more of a relic of the past, it was hard keeping up with the newer music. Though he still enjoyed the challenge, his eyes were set on a more classical approach, the genre his instrument was meant for.
He spent a few years with his band at that bar and eventually quit, dedicating his full time to making his own music. Though he always used an alias when he performed, and a disguise created by none other than Celestia herself. His stage name was known as; “Kanis.” Due to the wolf mask that he wore on stage to hide identity and scars.
Celestia was able to work her magic and changed his plumage from its usual navy blue and bright orange to a dull grey, which just so happened to be the same plumage he had before he was imbued with lunar magic and sealed in the moon. His original plumage was back if only for a while, and it made him incredibly nostalgic, the feeling was nonetheless welcomed.
His music touched the hearts of many that came to hear him play on stage, and soon he was a well-known artist in the capital of the kingdom. He played his music from the heart and soul, rarely ever having to actually write and compose the melodies himself. He was his most genuine when he could share his emotions through his music, like any other musician, his instrument was an extension to himself.
Through the years of his performances, crowds flocked, and people adored him, but once again, he had obtained unwanted attention. His performances became less and less frequent as the attention grew, to where he would go from performing a few times a week, to a few times a month, to maybe once every two months.
During one of his final performances, Leo saw a wolf, a kind of rarity among the Kingdom due to the long travel distance required for the wolves to reach the Equestrian Kingdom. During his performance, their eyes met, there was a spark that he felt deep in his heart, restarting the long dead engine that he called a heart, that had locked most of his emotions away.
When his performance ended, he rushed offstage and outside to wait for the peculiar looking wolf to appear from the front doors of the theater, but his fans flocked him as he tried to watch, and he was soon forced to take to the skies. He never saw her leave the theater that night.
His performance schedule became more frequent, he hoped to catch a glimpse of the wolf again but for a few months, he saw no sign of her, until one day when he released a beautiful new piece filled with all his emotions of longing and regret. He performed it beautifully and nostalgically, though as the piece ended, he saw her, in the middle row of the seats. But this time she was crying, he could tell he had touched her heart, and this time, he believed with all his heart, that she felt the spark between their gaze too.
He didn’t waste time, and as soon as his performance was over, he searched for her amongst the crowd outside. He found her rather easily, as it had seemed she was searching for him too. Though he was soon flocked by his fans, he flapped his huge wings in anger and the display opened a gap around him, where she was the only one standing. She was not fazed by this show of fury and instead approached. The crowd was silent as the two creatures gazed at each other, he motioned for her to get on. She hesitated for a second, then bravely climbed onto his back. He wasted no time in taking off and bolting away at Mach speeds to outrun his sky born fans.
He took her to the castle garden, the only place he could think of that would be devoid of another presence. She climbed off and took a seat between a bed of flowers, curiously watching Leo as he paced back and forth, trying to hear what he was muttering. To him, doing something so out of the ordinary like this and on such a whim was very unlike something he would do.
Though it took a while, she built up the courage to get up and talk to him. All that she accomplished though was him turning around and bumping his head against hers, hard enough to send them both to the ground and knocking his mask off. He quickly recovered but did not notice his mask missing from his face.
His chipped beak was a very blatant facial feature along with the many small scars on his face that she just now started to realize were only a few of the many he had all over his body. Leo soon realized what had happened and rushed to replace his mask on its rightful place, but she stopped him before he could do that. He hesitated and lowered his claw. She hesitated a second as well but stared into his eyes which she noticed had a very slight shimmer to them, as if his irises were moving. The eye contact made him uncomfortable, making him shift his weight between his legs, he eventually broke the contact. “I don’t quite like showing my face to strangers… Not that I have an issue, but that I just don’t want my identity to be known amongst the people.” He said, though ever so softly, she could barely hear him. “It’s alright, I still don’t even have the slightest clue of who you are, I only know you as Kanis, I can assume that is your name correct?” She responded, blatant curiosity in her voice. Leo sighed and his wings slumped at his side, he gave a little shake and the grey plumage he once adorned fell away like sand as the magic was dispelled, he stood tall and proud of his battle scars like the commander he once was. “I, am Leo, Sovereign of the Night, right hand Griffin to the ruler of this Kingdom.” He let go of his royal stature and slumped back to his relaxed state. It took a second, but this wolf soon realized which Leo he exactly was, her eyes widened and she took a step back. His name was well known around the world, but she had no idea that he was stationed in the capital of Equestria, but now it all made sense.
(Once again, this story with our Wolf friend will continue another time.)
Since the war against Discord ended, Leo’s location was kept a secret due to the attention that he would receive by being involved in the death of Luna. This wolf understood the severity of him revealing his identity and knew full well the amount of trust he had in her to do so. She vowed to herself to return his courage twofold and to not ever speak of his identity to anyone.
After this encounter, she spent time with Leo, just as Luna had done, they still had a connection if anything and soon became great friends. Celestia told Leo off multiple times for keeping a wolf in his company as well as a wolf that he revealed his identity to. Wolves aren’t exactly the most accepted race of creatures in Equestria due to their eating habits. Leo, on the other hand, did not care for Celestia’s lectures and usually ended up leaving her talking to a wall as he flew off.
Time passed and his wolf friend, who he now came to know as a lover began to grow older. He knew his life was nowhere near over but hers was clearly nearing its halfway point. Though his interest in pursuing romances was all but dead, the risk was worth it for one more try. So, he did his best to make her happy the last few years he had with her. Her age seemed to advance on her so quickly that it was overwhelming to not even molt a feather and see her grow five years older. The day came that she could barely walk on her own, and he, by that time only lost a feather or two. He was terrified of losing her, and when the day came that he did, the Kingdom was once again plunged into darkness.
Though this time, the darkness didn’t end, it lasted for an entire month before the light was restored, Celestia tried all she could to raise the Sun, but the magic holding the moon in the sky was stronger than hers, and she feared the worst would occur in the near future. During the month that Leo kept the moon in the sky, he made sure enough light was reflected off the Sun to light up the kingdom, though many crops and plants died, he didn’t care, he mourned, and nobody could change the grief he felt.
This time he didn’t sit idly and accept it, he aimed to resurrect his fallen love, a Celestial is much harder to resurrect without the proper magical control, but a mortal might be easier to handle. During the month that he was alone in some undiscovered land, he spent the time studying dark magics and forbidden techniques to better utilize his Lunar power. Though the darkness only lasted for a month, he spent years in solitude with no contact, studying and brooding over spells and incantations, some of which he created himself. Though after a hundred years, he still had no way of casting a resurrection spell and his frustration was starting to affect him.
After another Century, he was able to develop a sort of resurrection spell, though only capable of use on recently killed or deceased creatures. His work, he concluded, was all for naught, so he guided others to something he could not possess. He lived for centuries more, studying and crafting his own new spells, the years began to feel like weeks for him. The rate at which he aged seemed to slow even more as well.
As the weeks passed, he would watch the Equestrian Kingdom, and occasionally even visit Celestia, if he couldn’t live in peace with someone he loved, then he might as well protect those that can.
Celestia was growing older though, noticeably so that her mane was starting to dull in color, though she was indeed older than him, it was odd to see a Supreme Celestial such as herself grow old.
Celestia had grown wiser over the millennia and her prowess in her field of magic grew as well. She could detect the dark magic on Leo and would ask him every time he came to visit to stop his research, though he would not listen. He kept his duty as Guardian of the Night and told Celestia each time he left the castle, that he would respond to her call should the need arise, and for that she was grateful. Though she knew his mental state was worse than ever, his will of steel held fast in any kind of situation.
Leo kept ever watchful over the sealed Discord, making sure that the day the Draconequus resurrected was his last. His prison was able to keep him at bay, though Leo knew that Discord was working his way out from within, sadly the prison worked both ways, deeming the statue impenetrable from the outside. The only way to kill Discord, would be by his own hand as Celestia at her age is barely able to handle more than the Sun.
The day came that Discord freed himself, and the Kingdom was sent into chaos once again, the slaughter was brutal and horrifying, but Leo made the preparations to kill Discord once and for all. Leo flies for battle once again, but what will the battle against Discord hold for him?
Though our characters story does not end here, this story indeed does.
Thank you for reading, and I hope you stick around to read a bit more.
Leo
The details of his existence are obscure, his life is shrouded in mystery and tragedy. Though he may just want us to think that.
All he is, is a lonely Griffon that longs for purpose. Let’s start at the beginning, before his life was changed by the sealing of Luna.
Leo appeared seemingly out of nowhere with nothing but an oversized scarf, all he could do was live on the streets, like mentioned above, he was a mystery to most. He soon became a shadow, living off scraps he scavenged and sleeping in a small nest of his own.
Leo was a typical Griffon, ordinary in all aspects as an individual, as a military presence he was a King and a foe worthy of the decorations he had received. As a chick he wasn’t like the others, he was very quiet, very observant of the other chicks, usually labeled even by the adults, as a loner. He knew what they thought of him and as he grew up to become the towering and terrifying creature he is now; he turned the gifts he considered a curse, into a powerful tool.
He was easily mistaken as a local amongst crowds due to his dull grey plumage, the only things that mildly set him apart was his general size.
As he learned and grew as an individual, he eventually made it to a private military school, solely meant for young Griffon enrolling into the armed forces of the Kingdom, he moved to the capital of Clawdor, upon finishing his training, he began his service as a Lieutenant.
His first few years consisted of many promotions, eight promotions to the rank of Colonel. Due to the lack of many fights considering all the neighboring Kingdom’s were close and very long-term allies, he used most of his free time to train himself. Dubbing him the title ‘Leo the Saint’ because of his innate habit of using the sun to his advantage when sparring with fellow Griffon.
His title got him fame amongst the Griffon Kingdom, especially in the capital where he was stationed. The fame he obtained was unwanted, he usually flew to most places to avoid crowds on the ground but even then, he was flocked. His avoidance of attention continued to label him as a loner even amongst his fan bases.
The following few years were the toughest in terms of military influence. His promotions came in slower but after years and years of tedious hard work, he obtained the rank of Lieutenant General. His fame grew along with his success in the military, yet he still wondered about his purpose in the world.
Due to the aging process of the Griffon race, he was still considered a very young Griffon, a few decades shy of what could be considered his prime. At this point in his life, he decided to stop his pursuit up the ranking ladder of the military and focused on solely bettering himself physically and mentally.
A few more decades passed, he had gained a friend by the name of Jax, a young Griffon with an enthusiastic personality, the opposite of Leo but welcomed, nonetheless. They usually sparred together, occasionally ate together, and at one point even took a trip together. Though that story is for another day.
Another decade or so later and Leo was in his prime, though this is where his life as a military power and a symbol among his people take a turn. The day came where he was called by his superiors to take on a task. A task the warranted the sealing of a certain Celestial.
Before I get to that part, lets get some more backstory in. Jax would take Leo out to various places in the Griffon lands to try and get his friend to socialize, though usually it was in vain. One day, Leo saw a figure flying up in the clouds that caught his eye, observant as he was curious, he told Jax to remain where he was while he checked something out.
Leo flapped his wings and bolted up into the air at bone rattling speeds, his curiosity obviously getting the best of him. As he quickly reached the figure, he noticed that she wasn’t a Griffon, but an Alicorn, and the most gorgeous creature he had seen.
His awkwardness and clumsiness around the mystical creatures that everyone seems to call ‘females’ is what broke the ice the most. She was just hovering in the sky, majestically stargazing, how someone could look majestic while just awkwardly hovering, he had no idea. After a brief introduction, he came to know her as the Celestial Luna.
Their conversation was short, but enjoyable, they agreed on a meeting place on the outskirts of the Griffon Kingdom and before Leo or Luna knew it, they were meeting almost every week. As far as the flight for either party was, how they made time for such meetings is another mystery on its own.
This continued for several years and both came to seek each other out no matter where they were or what they were doing. This of course annoyed Leo’s superiors but they took the option of overlooking the matter, believing that maybe Leo finally had something worth pursuing other than his rank.
Rumors flew around both lands faster than should be possible, questions were being asked of Leo, things like ‘Where is he going for days at a time?’ Or ‘Isn’t he slacking off? Shouldn’t he be focusing more on his duties?’ Leo of course understood the worries that the countries Symbol was becoming less and less a Symbol but more and more just another soldier.
One day comes that Leo and Luna met once again, and he explains to her what has him worried, at the time he saw it more as a practicality that they spend time apart to pursue the wants of their kingdoms, but Luna didn’t see it as so. She saw it more as a changing of priority, him putting his rank over her. She left without so much as a word, not a week later and Leo was called to his Superiors over the matter of sealing a certain Celestial gone rogue.
When he heard news of this, Leo’s heart dropped into his stomach, he knew what had happened and he knew whose fault it was. On the flight to the site, Leo went over many scenarios in his head, though the one that comes to pass is none of them. They arrive, his heart still weighing him down, his guilt an anchor on his conscience.
Upon arrival he realizes that all he was, was the trigger to her transformation into the ever-infamous Nightmare Moon. Her bitterness had been growing and growing over the years, yet she had never told a soul. As he coordinated with the Regal of Equestria, Celestia. Celestia came to notice his fondness for her younger sister, though she regrettably said nothing. Even through all his training, Leo was still useless at hiding his own emotions under circumstances such as these.
As their plans were set in motion, Celestia had reluctantly gathered the Elements of harmony to use in her sealing spell. Though just as the spell was to be set in motion, Leo jumped to try and save Luna, to him, she was nothing but a misunderstood young mare and his goal was to save her. Though all he did was get himself sealed into the moon as well.
Nobody knows but back in the Griffon lands, they say the dark side of the moon is where Leo lies, out of sight and forever observant of the passing universe, just how he liked it. Leo’s story might sound like it ends here but fear not. His time will come once again, on the Thousandth year of the longest night.
This prophecy does come to pass, but nobody expected Leo to be spit out along with Luna during the Summer Sun Celebration. Celestia had feared that she had sealed him as well and her fear came to be true. As when Leo was returned to his normal state of being, he was unmistakably imbued with the power of the moon and the Elements of Harmony. His usual grey plumage was turned into a dark Navy Blue and the tips of his wings were highlighted in bright orange, his least favorite color. The only thing that remained the same was his scarf, the scarf that never left his side.
For decades, Celestia kept him a secret, events came and went, and he was kept imprisoned in the castle, secluded from the rest of the world. Not even Luna knew of his existence until his eventual release when he was deemed harmless. Even though his strength was a hundred times that of a regular Griffon and his aging was slowed to that of a snail’s pace, Celestia came to trust him as an advisor and a worthy sparring partner, most days going toe to toe. Luna though, had no memories of him, as if they had never met.
Celestia eventually found out about Leo’s ordeal with her younger sister and she understood why he did what he did, of course as secretive as Leo is strict, it took him some time and building of trust along with it, to tell Celestia his secret.
Once she had heard his story, Celestia began playing matchmaker and assigned Leo as Luna’s personal Guard, though his protests were loud and clear, Celestia cared naught for disobedience. She forced the position on him, with a stern command, though a bit motherly in some way.
Many more decades passed before Leo fully unlocked those memories hidden within Luna’s mind, even without the need of said triggers, she grew to like him more and more once again. Him being her personal guard becoming less and less of a duty and turned into almost a sort of daily date. They eventually became lovers, but only after decades upon decades of ‘guard duty.’
Once he had unlocked all her memories, Luna came to love Leo, and he her. Though it would be almost another two millennia before they would officially marry.
Celestia was proud of the pair, and even a bit jealous in some ways, she found it jokingly awkward that Leo was a bit larger than Celestia, and that he was more than double the size of Luna. She joked to the two about how Luna could easily ride on Leo’s back.
Leo never really figured out his true purpose in life but had grown confident in Luna’s advice and most often took it.
Leo eventually returned to the Griffon lands but only after about three centuries had passed, he was welcomed, reluctantly, but still welcomed. His people eventually accepted him fully back into their society, though he had doubled in size and much more than doubled in strength he was back home. Though he didn’t really consider it much of a home, to him it was more like a place of origin. His rank was restored, and he was even given his own home.
Leo found it hard to adjust to the new technology and innovation of the new age he was thrown into, but he acclimated over time.
He found his heart aching for Luna, and her no doubt for him. He reluctantly relinquished his military status and returned to Equestria, Luna greeting him to his proper home with open arms.
He told Celestia, which had turned into more of a mother figure for him, about his issue in the Griffon kingdom. He wasn’t exactly power hungry but Celestia understood why he wanted a ranking; she eventually caved and gave him his own elite Squadron which he would train and command. Just to get him to stop pestering her.
This Squadron consisted of two Pegasi, and three Unicorns. All very skilled in their trades of choice and all very strict on their beliefs. Though Leo was stricter in his teachings, his Squad would eventually acclimate to that as well.
Like in the past, the need for combat was not necessary since peace had reigned for centuries already. Most of the military power was stagnant, pooled into police forces and guards. Leo’s squad was one of the last remaining true military forces in Equestria.
Peace remained undisturbed throughout the lands, eventually as his squad grew old and Leo grew seemingly ever younger, it was disbanded. Leo visited his old squad mates very often as they grew older, having grown fond of them, and them of him, not as Superior and underlings but as friends. He knew the inevitable day would come where he would see them off into the realms beyond, but he refused to think of the future, and lived his life day by day. Once again, this is a tale for another time.
How the other two Celestials handled all the losses over their thousands of years of life, was a mystery, not just to the population of the world but to Leo as well.
As time seemed to slow for Leo, he took to stargazing with Luna, their days were calm, usually not very eventful considering his beloved was indeed the Queen of Night. The quiet of a clear starry sky was his company when Luna was busy, though he enjoyed it more when she would accompany him on the towers of the castle. Her magic was truly mesmerizing, she would make constellations with the stars when the two were together and they would laugh and joke about the funny ones.
Soon they even convinced Celestia to have Movie nights with the pair, figuring Celestia would get lonely during the days that she’d be alone. Even though Leo would keep her company most days. Along with his slow aging, his metabolism seemed to have slowed as well, letting him stay up for weeks at a time before having to sleep.
To him, a nice routine was the life, peaceful, quiet, and not lonely. He was at ease with the current state of his life. It seemed Luna was just as content with the slow and relaxed routine that they had made themselves.
Of course, their lives still consisted of many royal duties and Leo still being her Personal guard, he accompanied her everywhere she went. Often escorting her through busy streets, with not one incident to date, he assumed it was his intimidating stature that scared most ponies out of their wits.
When the slowness got too tedious, they’d go about their days busying themselves with things to do, never was there a lack of things to do in a castle as large as Celestia’s.
Sometimes the days felt like years and the years felt like days but that was just his mind playing tricks on him. After living so long, life seemed to pass by so fast, and Luna felt it too. Celestia seemed unfazed but it was obvious she was feeling the effects of a long life. Her eyes told a lie that only Luna and Leo could see.
Their future was filled with uncertainty but Leo being Celestia’s trusty advisor and Luna’s lover, they were certain that they could defeat any evil to come. Though that’s only foreshadowing on my part.
Our main character will have a tale to match his stature in due time.
Thank you for reading
The End
…For Now
