To be Early is to Be Late
The Moon...
It is every little colts’ and fillies’ dream to go to it. But what is it like?
Marvelous?
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One-of-a-kind?
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Remarkable?
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A large step for pony-kind?
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A living nightmare?
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The purple mare blinked her eyes open. Across her field of view there was a rather barren landscape. The dusty ground was a ghostly white; it was hardly flat, craters coating the surface. As she took in her surroundings, thoughts, no, questions raced through her mind.
Where am I?
I don’t know.
Why am I here?
I don’t know.
Why am I alive?
I don’t know.
WHO am I?
She paused.
Um... Uh... Twi... Light... Spar... kle...
Yes that’s right; it’s Twilight Sparkle!
She stood up, stretching her aching muscles. This makes no sense! Where am I? What happened? She thought, trying to recollect had occurred over the last hours. As she wondered, her eyes wandered to the shape above her. There sat a green, blue, and white sphere, almost as large as the Sun.
Hmm, That’s the Earth. That means that I am... She winced. On the moon.
So, I am on the moon, but how did I get here? The only other time a pony has set hoof on the moon was back one thousand years ago, by Celestia. Let’s see what I can remember... She closed her eyes and concentrated on the memories flowing through her mind.
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0 Hours Before the Event
“F’r Twilight!” A light tan Stetson.
“For Twilight!” A Rainbow mane.
“For Twilight!” A pink ball of fluff.
“Um, for Twilight, if you don’t mind.” A trio of butterflies.
“For Twilight!” A pure-white coat.
And five pairs of glowing white eyes before her.
“No, no, this is impossible! I AM the 6th element! How is this happeniiinnnnnnnggg!!!!” She heard herself scream as a river of rainbow flew towards her.
After that, she felt herself rising, at unprecedented speeds, past the troposphere, the stratosphere, the mesosphere, the thermosphere, the exosphere, and finally crashing down to the bleak, white surface she stood on now. Pain echoed through her body, and then, she blacked out.
These were the final memories of the Equestria that she would ever remember.
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Tears trickled down her eyes. So, did I turned evil? Was I corrupted? What happened to me? What will happen to the girls? To me? She opened her eyes and peered around at her new home. Upon close inspection, there was a shield-like bubble around the area she was in, forming in about fifty yards in diameter.
She stared at herself in the small puddle of tears and quickly looked away in disgust. Her mane was tattered, it’s original coloring abandoned for a black and rich purple, and her eyes were a new dark red color. Bare flesh was exposed on her lower left cheek and her cutiemark was disturbing. It was a crude mockery of Celestia’s cutiemark and was covered in what looked like splotches of blood. Her fur was now almost black, the slightest tint of purple. Dear Celestia, what did I become?
Twilight took a deep breath and sighed, her pain and frustration echoing in the sigh.
I have to continue searching my memories, there has to be an explanation for this!
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1 Hours Before Event
Celestia smashed through the glass and hit the ground. The blood she coughed quickly formed a pool around her, dying her coat a sickening red. “Twi-Twilight,” she managed, “please don’t do this.”
A shadow passed through the broken window and scoffed at the sight before her. “Well, well, well,” Her voice echoed, “some princess, you turned out to be. You couldn’t even beat a pony who’s spent the last years learning the magic of friendship.” She spit out the last three words like a rotten apple, kicking dust and dirt on top her foe.
“They wi-ill stop you,” the solar princess coughed, “the elements have before, they, they, will again.”
The shadow leaned down, using her hoof to raise Celestia’s face to her’s. A look of pity on her face, “But they don’t have all of the elements.” She dropped Celestia’s head to the dirt and continued, “After all, I am THE element of magic!” She turned away and cackled maniacally. She walked to the window and peered out. Before her sat the ruins of Celestia’s second great work of art. She smirked at Canterlot’s richest ponies had their servants hastily collecting their possessions into overloaded carts. Her eyes glistened as regular ponies raided shops and destroyed houses. She then saw a group of unicorns surround a family of four, two foals, a colt and a filly, and two parents. They bore a striking resemblance to... No, they are gone now, we must not think about them.
She fired a bolt of purple magic at the unicorns, and as it hit, the ponies looked in fear as they began to separate into black and white crystals that flew up into her horn. Robbery and the cheap rich will be tolerated, but trying to harm a family? She turned and a lone, bloody tear rolled down her battle scorn face. It is the exact thing I am here to end.
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Twilight shook her head. Everything she looked at just made less and less sense. This memory is no less confusing than the other one! It just made things harder to understand! She wanted to tell herself this was a dream, but how? The life-like memories, the pain that shot through her body every time she moved? How could you explain that in a dream?
She yawned and began to settle down. As she sat down, the chalky dust scraped against her, and she moaned in pain. I miss my bed. I miss the Library. I miss Spike. I miss Ponyville. Tears dripped out of her eyes. I miss my friends. I miss my family. I miss Luna. I miss... She sniffed. Celestia... The pony princess who would tuck her in at night, who would sing lullabies and cry when she cried, the pony who protected her in the night, like a silent guardian against nightmares. Oh Celestia... She sighed. I wish you were here to tuck me in one last time, to watch over me, to be my mother again.
She closed her eyes and slowly drifted off to a bitter sleep, her tears the only comforting reminder of the past in her new world. A world she never wanted. A world as barren as her dreams...
Author's Note
Phew! The first chapter of the story!
Her red eyes cracked open. As she noticed her surroundings, she gave a sigh of relief and sorrow. Twilight sat up, rubbing her eyes. Her stomach growled with a fierce hunger, but she ignored it. There was a slight pain in the back of her spine. She turned around a saw a wound covered in a bloody mess. It wasn’t cleaned, yet it showed signs of scarring.
A wound like this must have been at least weeks old. She thought. I wonder how this happened?
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4 Weeks Before The Event
She peered over the hills. There stood the grand city of Manehattan. The city with the highest crime rate in Equestria shall fall today. She would grin at this fact, but there was something about the the scene before her that made her frown. There seemed to be more destruction than what she wanted. The once prosperous city looked to be in ruins. The skyscrapers’ glass walls were cracked and broken. All of the lower buildings were in flames, ponies, families and not, were running around; screams filling the air.
Her eyes almost watered at this, but one blink later, her frown turned to a grin. What a canvas to work on! Her first visit to the battlefield and it was spectacular! My minions are working perfectly. She began to trot down to the ruined city.
Her minions raced around her. Their shadowy forms glistened in the moonlight, blending into the night. They climbed the buildings and ran through the streets. Manehattan’s island fortress had fallen into her control.
But as she stared at the scene before her, she failed to notice a pony behind her. The pony leaped, revealing a shining blade.
As the blade flew down, she turned but couldn’t react fast enough. Time slowed down as the guard’s blade plunged into her lower back, right next to the spine. The pony, however, was evaporated as she unconsciously cast an absorption spell. He let out a scream in terror as his body began to separate into black and white particles. His armor feel to the ground around her.
She collapsed on her front knees, groaning in frustration and pain. Her horn sparked with magic and the blade slowly lifted from her back. So this was my first REAL battle wound. She thought. Quite pathetic... I expected more, maybe from... THEM.
She examined the blade. Its hilt had a dark black diamond with streaks of green emeralds swirling up to the blade. The blade was just as ceremonial. It was a silver-ish steel with a single strip of gold. She could tell it was enchanted; an aura seemed to flow off of them. It was meant to break shields, powerful shields. Only 2 ponies could enchant a spell like that and one is in a coma. She thought, a scowl growing on her face. This is the last straw; you’re trying to kill me, eh Celestia? She took the blade and struck it through the helmet, where the horn usually goes. She then teleported the combination of twisted metal to her favorite mentor. I wish I could see the look on her face when she see this. Too bad I’m not welcomed home, at least not now.
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She sat up. Her scars flowed along her flank and back as she wandered around her prison. The cruel irony; I am stuck in the only thing keeping me alive, but it is also my cage. I just want to go home. I wonder what is going on, back there? Ponyville? Canterlot? Manehattan? Equestria?
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Canterlot Castle: Current Time
White, marble, crystal. It flowed down rows and columns. They were beautiful; they brought tears to ponies’ eyes. They ran in thousands by thousands. Running down the mountainside were tombstones of guards-ponies, stallions and mares who served as Equestria’s finest. Among them stood not an ounce of blood that hadn't swore an oath of service to her. All roads lead back to a singke pony, the ruler of Equestria, the white knight, and the silent shadow of fate.
A white mare overlooked them all. She had bandages along her wings; an eyepatch covered her left eye, underneath laid an empty socket coated in scars. The other eye was no worse for ware; it was soaked in tears. Her flowing mane and tail was in ragged lines.
“Princess Celestia, the doctors wish to inform you that Princess Luna has woken up from her comatose,” A white unicorn saluted behind the figure.
She turned, lifting a hoof and wiped her eye. “Have any of the other five woken yet?”
“No, they are still in a subconscious state, but they are stable at the time being”
“Please update me on their status when they awaken, Captain Armor.”
“Yes, commander!” The pony flipped around, his blue hair whipping and with a flash, teleported off.
Commander... I miss those days when the only name I had was Celestia. Or maybe mother, mentor, sister, friend. Now its commander, tyrant, ruler, murderer... It just goes on and on. She thought with frown. Celestia’s eyes drew up to the moon. Twilight... Why did you have to go?
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I hope I didn’t cause too much trouble. Twilight grimaced. Over the last few hours I’ve been searching, it seems like I went on a streak of terror that lasted months.
I hope my friends are doing well without me. I’m sure the Apple’s will still be farming, Pinkie throwing parties, Rarity making dresses, Fluttershy caring for animals, Rainbow will probably make it into the Wonderbolts... Her train of thoughts stopped, and she collapsed onto her side. Dear Celestia, have I been that blind? How could I have forgotten my friends! After all they’ve done, why am I forgetting them! They’re going to die long before I come back; they’re going to die without me. Me, the pony who caused this mess.
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8 Weeks Before the Event
“What do you mean they had to die!?” Twilight’s voice echoed through the ruins of Everfree Castle, “they were the ponies I held dear to me and you let them die!”
“Twilight,” The white mare stated calmly, “everypony has a destiny that they must live by. I cannot interrupt it, only let it flow.”
“Don’t you dare call me that vile name, tyrant!” Her eyes glowed and her horn lite up, preparing to cast a spell, “Twilight is dead, she’s gone and you will never see her again!”
“My faithful student, perhaps we can...”
“Silence!” The mare hissed in a demonic tone. She coughed as her voice settle to its usual pitch. “I will not settle deals with murderers,” she said, glaring at the princess. With that, she sent out a bolt of magic, a blinding glow filling Celestia’s eyes as the mare teleported away.
Twilight looked back at the castle before turning away. “Ignorant whelp, she never deserved to rule, to guide, or to live.” Twilight whispered, putting her hood and cloak back on as she departed into the forest.
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Twilight was now curled up in a ball, eyes in a flurry of pain. Her eyes were soaked, yet no tears came. She bit her lip, and soon a small trickle of blood flowed down her mouth, onto her neck, until it stopped.
She looked down to see a small, almost translucent red gem. It was wrapped around her neck by an ornate mix of silk, wool, and cotton. One word escaped her lips as she stared at this gift, this blessing, this curse…
"Rarity"