Even with the vast amount of knowledge we today possess, there are still subjects who’s entirety escapes our grasp, and we are left with but small glimpses at the total truth.
One of these subjects is Energy. One may research in science journals and physics papers, but the most common answer will be this:
“The question ‘What is energy?’ is difficult to answer in a simple. In the words of Richard Feynman, ‘It is important to realize that in physics today, we have no knowledge what energy is. We do not have a picture that energy comes in little blobs of a definite amount.’”
What we do know is that energy follows laws, just like everything else in this world. Such as stated here:
“The law of conservation of energy, first formulated in the nineteenth century, is a law of physics. It states that the total amount of energy in an isolated system remains constant over time. The total energy is said to be conserved over time. For an isolated system, this law means that energy can change its location within the system, and that it can change form within the system, for instance chemical energy can become kinetic energy, but that energy can be neither created nor destroyed.”
All known energy follows this law. In simple terms, energy can be transferred, or transformed, but not created or destroyed. Plants get their energy from the sun, herbivores from plants, predators from herbivores, and when the predator dies, it’s rotting body provides energy for the plants. So when a living being dies, it’s energy doesn't dissipate, it transfers.
Since all energy follows this law, it is logical to believe that psychic energy would as well.
Through the bullets and nightmares, he waded. Bodies littered his path. And finally, facing his deepest fear once and for all alongside his brother, they had made it.
But he knew.
He knew in the back of his mind that his brother was so blood thirsty, so power hungry, he would not think twice about taking an available source of power. Even if that source was their mother. He knew what he had to do.
"It never had to be like this, Brother. We could have been . . . like gods."
Fettel, slumped against the wall, gasped for one final breath, and disintegrated into a shower of ash. One loose end finally tied up.
He turned to the very pregnant woman lying on the floor. They locked eyes for a moment. Here was the source of his troubles. While he was still assigned to F.E.A.R, he had been content, if not happy. Meeting her, learning who she was shook his entire world. Everything he had ever known, shown in a different light.
Even with all her power, that which made her who she was, she couldn't help herself now. Completely powerless. And yet, as they stared at each other, he could see she was not long for this world. Her not-life was coming to a close. And she knew it.
He was snapped out of his trance with the fleshy sound of her child coming into the world, accompanied by its first cries. In the back of his mind, he was surprised at the lack of fire or explosions. There hadn't been any shortage of those on his way here. Moving to the source, he quickly picked the newborn up, wrapping it in strips of cloth he had been saving for bandages. Looking at her, as it was definitely female, she lacked any of the . . . creepy, demon-ness he had been expecting. It was just a normal newborn. He looked back to his mother. She was concentrating on the baby, breathing beginning to slow. A voice popped into his head from his assault on Armacham.
“She never even got to hold her child.”
It was something he found, an audio log on a computer. He saw the way she looked at the child. Even though she had literally dragged him through hell and back, she was still a mother. And all mothers, no matter who they are, deserve to hold their child at least once.
Slowly, he approached her, still cautious. Once bitten twice shy. The woman’s eyes snapped to him in confusion. He gestured to the baby, and looked back at her. Her eyes went wide, and she weakly held her arms out. He gently handed her the baby, and she cradled her close, gazing upon her with a tenderness that surprised him. Never did he believe he would see her act motherly. The child had stopped crying, almost as if it realized who was holding her. The smile gracing the mothers face was, for lack of a better term, angelic.
Breath growing shorter and shorter, the mother handed the child back. As he began to stand up, her arm shot out and grabbed his hand with strength impossible for her condition. Inside his head, a presence spoke, weakly.
“Please . . . love her . . . She is . . . your sister. Your responsibility. Give her what I never had . . . Son . . .”
With the last word whispered, Alma Wade dissolved into ashes, no more to walk the earth in her un-death. Her time had finally come.
Staring at the spot where his mother had lay but a moment before, Point Man stood and walked to the door, and into the light.
Over his Com Link, he heard the voice of Jin Sun-Kwon.
“This is Jin, things seem normal . . . but I’m not sure what that means anymore. I just have to believe you completed your mission.”
“I know it was difficult, but the survivors of this ordeal owe you their lives. I know I do.”
The light faded, and Point Man had to blink as his eyes adjusted. He took a step forward and stopped. Instead of the sound of his boot on the concrete of the facility, his ears were met with the crunch of grass. Next he felt a cool breeze on his skin, signaling that he was outside. Finally his eyes began to work properly and he was greeted with a very unexpected sight.
A forest.
Not the hallways of the complex he had been expecting, but a forest clearing. lay before him. His sensitive hearing picked up bird calls, rustling bushes and running water. There was something about the smell, too. Beyond the woody smell of the forest, he could detect no trace of any kind of pollution. The air was the cleanest he had ever breathed. And he had smelled some nasty stuff before. Liquefied bodies didn't smell like a rose garden.
Spinning around in an attempt to find the way he came in, all that was left was and empty door frame. No door, so he could see the rocky wall barring any progress that way. The sun was directly overhead.
Here he was. Midday in a forest, not a military complex, no exit, carrying his newborn sister. Was this some kind of test? Maybe a hallucination. Maybe all those knocks to the head finally made him loose it completely. But . . . it felt too real to be a hallucination. The sun was beating down on him, and he could feel the heat.
His sister stirred, breaking him away from his thoughts. Logic kicked in. If this were some kind of concussive trip, he’d be knee deep in nightmares. He’d been through too much to dream of some happy peaceful forest. His mind locked on to his survival training. Shelter, Water, Food. The sound of a running stream could be heard through the trees. Some water first, then shelter. Best they don’t freeze to death when night fell.
“Thank you for coming! Have a good day!” The door shut and the short (vertically challenged in his mind) reptile walked back to the shelf where a few books had been moved during the search. Lyra had come looking for a book on animal dentistry, and had found “Fangs of the Everfree: A Comprehensive Guide to Everything That Wants to Eat You and More!” Her cousin Colgate Minuet was doing research on animals, in the hopes of being able to provide better care to the pets of Ponyville.
As he set the last book on the shelf, the latest Daring Doo , the clock chimed 12, and Spike set about making lunch. A simple Dandelion sandwich for Twilight, and a celestite burrito for himself. The gem gave a spicy crackle that tickled his tongue, and he loved it. He knocked on the basement door.
“Twilight! Lunch is ready!” He returned to the kitchen, where he set the table for the meal. He could hear the door opening, and Twilight Sparkle entered the kitchen. The purple alicorn took her spot at the table.
“Thanks Spike! Mmmm, smells good as always!” she said, as she took a whiff of the pleasant aroma in the kitchen.
“My pleasure!” He set her meal on the table, “Bon appetit!”
Spike sat to enjoy his meal. He looked over at Twilight, who had sighed contentedly. “My complements to the chef.”
Spike stared, "You were that hungry?"
Twilight blushed, "Well, magic does take energy."
"Speaking of magic, how's the training going?" Spike asked as he finished his own lunch.
“Pretty good. Still not at my previous state, but I’m making progress.” The purple pony replied. Ever since she had been crowned princess, her magic control had been shot to Tartarus. She was used to managing a smaller pool of magic, now it had at least doubled. She had set to practicing basic control tricks for a few hours a day. The alicorn was a little miffed by the sudden change in her magic, but some tips from Princess Celestia had helped, along with the promise of more advanced magic lessons once her control had been fixed.
“I can run the library for a while longer if you want to practice more.” The dragon offered.
“You sure? I've met my daily practice quota, I could help you if you want.”
“Practice makes perfect, for both of us. You’re a princess now. You've got more responsibilities, so I gotta learn how to keep the library running.” Spike shrugged.
Twilight frowned, “Just because I’m a princess doesn't mean I just ditch you like that-” She was cut off as the young dragon began pushing her back to the basement.
“I’m your Number One Assistant. It’s kinda my job.”
The alicorn smiled, and gently nuzzled him. “You got that right. Thank you Spike.”
He smiled, “No problem Twilight.”
They reached the door, and Twilight began descending the steps into her lab. “I’ll practice for another hour or so, then we ca-”
Pain.
Unbridled, flaming, raging pain coursed through her brain. It was as though somepony had taken Celestia’s sun and rammed it into her head. Her horn burned, but she couldn't pass out. She barely noticed how she was falling down the steps, unable to control her body. Laying at the foot of the stairs she twitched in concentrated agony. She could see Spike trying to help her, panicking. The edges of her vision began to darken and slowly fade. But before she passed out completely, she saw something.
Behind Spike, there stood a … thing. Bipedal, it wore some kind of dress, colored a deep red. It’s mane covered most of its face, but two burning eyes poked out. It’s odd appendages were soaked in some dark substance. She locked eyes with the thing, and her vision finally faded.
“Very well. I thank you all for your input. I now adjourn the Solar Court. Have a good day all.”
With a serene smile, Princess Celestia stepped down from her podium. She made idle chatter with a few of the nobles as the rest filed out of the Court. She bade goodbye as the final pony left, and the heavy oaken doors shut with a solid thump. Gazing out the window, she looked down on the city of Canterlot. It was a pleasing sight to see her subjects out and about their business.
Looking around to make sure she was alone, she cast a spell to alert her if somepony entered the room, and dove into the ambient magic of the world.
If she were to describe what she was seeing, it would be waves of color, ebbing and flowing with the worlds rhythm. Each pony had their own magical signature, and even with twins, no two were alike. The world before her was a tapestry of every conceivable color in the rainbow, and each color had its own pattern, its own unique texture.
She could see much more like this than with her physical eyes. She could see Luna in her room, beginning to stir from a restful sleep. Her gaze swept past Canterlot to the small town of Ponyville, where her faithful student, Twilight Sparkle, could be seen as a bright beacon of magic, along with her friends, the Elements.
As the Princess gazed upon her subjects, the world pulsed. Like ripples in a puddle, so too did the spectral world ripple, it’s epicenter located within the Everfree Forest. An orange-red aura began to blanket the spectral realm. The ripples became waves resembling and angry fire As the first “wave” passed over her, she could feel a pain in her head, directly behind her horn. Celestia winced as the pain grew stronger with each ripple. Looking to the origin she could see the silhouette of a creature, but was unable to discern any details.
Suddenly, the pain stopped, the ripple ceased, and the aura of the land returned to its state before the event. Everything seemed to be normal. Her alert spell notified her that somepony had entered the courtroom, and the magical signature denoted her sister had come to see her.
Returning to the mortal plane, she composed herself and turned to meet her sister. Luna seemed to be a bit frantic.
“Dearest sister, didst thou feel that?”
Celestia nodded, face serious. “Indeed. I was visiting the magical realm when it happened.”
Luna’s eyes widened. “Truly? And you are unharmed?”
“Yes, there was a bit of a headache, but it has passed. You felt it as well?”
“Indeed, though it was naught more than an itch. What didst thou see?” Luna questioned.
Celestia gazed out the window at her subjects. “It seemed to originate in the Everfree, close to our old castle. It resembled a wave of fire, and at its center, there was a . . . thing. Some creature I’ve never seen before. It was only visible for a moment, and it was-” Celestia was cut off by the cloud of enchanted smoke flowing into the room. She smiled, her student had most likely felt it too. The scroll that appeared was caught in her magic.
Luna looked upon the scroll, smiling. “Thine student is quite quick in noticing the event. Perhaps she knows what has occurred.”
Celestia unfurled the scroll, and began reading. Her smile instantly disappeared as she read the short, hastily scribbled message.
Princess Celestia,
Twilight’s in trouble! She fell down the stairs, and she won’t respond to anything!
Spike
The scroll snapped shut, and Celestia turned to Luna. “Can you take over for a short while?”
Luna looked at her sister, concern in her eyes. “Yes, dear sister, I can. Is Twilight hurt? Didst something happen?”
“I’m not sure Luna.”
“Go to her. Make sure she is well.”
The white alicorn nuzzled her. “Thank you, Luna.”
With that, she stepped back. Her horn charged with light, and in a bright flash she was gone. Luna strode to the window where her sister was standing moments before and looked out upon their land.
‘Be safe sister.’
Author's Note
If you're reading this, then you've read through the chapter. Seeing this, I'd like if you were to perhaps comment and give me some aid and advice. If possible, please notify me of any errors, and I'll do my best to fix them.
This isn't my first fanfic, but it is my first MLP fic that actually seems to be panning out. I've been digging around this site and am very honored and awed to be taking my first steps into the Pantheon that is the excellent writers who call FimFiction their home.
Maybe, if you're okay with it, possibly take a look at my FanFic stories. They're under the same name, HighTreason25.
