Of Crumbled Dreams and Midnight Skies
Dear Princess Celestia,
When you first sent me to Ponyville, I didn't know anything about friendship. I met somepony tonight who was having the same problem - your sister, Princess Luna! She taught me that one of the best things you can do with friendship is to give it to others, and help them find it themselves! And I'm happy to report that all of Ponyville has learned that even though somepony seems a little intimidating, even scary, when you offer them your friendship, you'll discover a whole new pony underneath. And even if my Star Swirl the Bearded costume didn't go over, this still turned out to be the best Nightmare Night ever!
Your most faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle
Celestia smiled and folded the scroll with her magic, humming gently. She placed the scroll back in its respective place, and pulled another one out with her magic. This was her favorite pastime, when she found herself up on late nights, with all of her royal duties accomplished. She would sit down on her huge lounging chair with a cup of tea, and read her students friendship reports.
Celestia levitated the silky scroll to her in her golden magic, unraveled it. 'Ohhh an old one!' She thought to herself, giggling like a little filly.
Dear Princess Celestia,
I am happy to report that the dragon has departed our fair country, and that it was my good friend Fluttershy who convinced him to go. This adventure has taught me to never lose faith in your friends. They can be an amazing source of strength, and can help you overcome even your greatest fears.
Always your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle
The Regal Princess arose from puffy chair, and walked to her report shelf, and slipped the last report in carefully. She sauntered over to her bed, and levitated off her royal attire. First her shoes, then her necklace and crown. She stretched her neck, emitting a loud popping noise, and sat on her rump on the bed. She sighed and rubbed her temples as she contemplated her day previous.
Like always, the hours now long in the past were filled with ranting nobles and 'Royal Paperwork'. Today the snotty nobles had requested better whether for Canterlot, insisting that their health was far superior in importance than the needs of other around them. Other than that, the Day Court had been rather dull. Ever since her sister, Princess Luna, had arrived, the amount of ponies visiting her had become less frequent. And this irritated the Sun Princess.
Luna was a caring, kind, ruler of Equestria, and she deserved to be treated as such. She nearly exploded in anger when ponies would spit at her in disgust, and turn their backs whenever she was within their presence. But the sun Alicorn could do no such thing.
Days dwindled by, and Luna became more antisocial. She reverted to speaking in the old Equestrian voice, even though she had been practicing modern speech for a good chunk of time. Not only did this damper the mood around the castle, it required a load of more work for Celestia, as Luna refused to fulfill her duties as a princess. 'We shall not be a Princess if we cannot be treated as such!' She would scream at Celestia, storming off in tears. Luna would also insist that no pony cared for her.
Celestia tried to assure her that she has many friends. And within that group, the Elements of Harmony themselves. Luna had told Celestia that they were not true friends, and that she wouldn't understand, storming off again. But Celestia did know, she felt Luna's pain, and she hated it. Celestaia saddened immensely by Luna's antisocial motives, and she resorted to playing matchmaker with her. Celestia soon found however, it wasn't as much as Luna's social skills that were the problem, but rather ponies fearing her.
Celestia tried everything, but nothing seemed to work out. The mournful Alicorn simply told Luna that she would always be her friend. But this just made problems worse.
Celestia sighed, retracting her hooves from her temples. She pivoted her body, rolling into her bed. Using her hooves, not magic, she gently pulled the gleaming, golden covers over her bare body. Sometimes it was good to use ones hooves instead of magic.
The princess stared at the roof for awhile, her mind drifting off about the wonders of the universe. Celestia shifted in her bed, yawning, and turned on her night side light. She then proceeded to reach into her drawer, and pull out her favorite book, Of Crumbled Dreams and Midnight Skies. It was a good book, describing the loneliness of a pure blue pony, and the adventures that follow....
Midnight Shadow hastened down the street, glancing behind herself, worryingly. She picked up her pace as she heard hoof-steps somewhere in the distance. The moonlight mare was on her way back to her home, a cozy residence located on the edges of Canterlot. She muffled her hoof-steps, hiding the loud clopping sound from her hooves striking the pavement. After a few moments, Midnight couldn't hear the unkown ponies steps anymore. She slid into the shadows, mimicking the hue perfectly, concealing herself away. Her ears rose, and she listened hard for any signs of the predator stalking her on the streets. She heaved a sit of relief after a few minutes, satisfied with her safety. She stepped into the streetlamp light, and was about to continue her trek home, when she heard a rustling sound behind her. Her blood ran cold, and she spun around. Standing before her was a coal black pony with deep, crimson eyes. He stared at her for a second, and the dark mare slowly, ever so slowly, crept back. Her rump landed with a soft thous against the wall, she was trapped. The predators horn egnited in an deep, black glow. A large staff with a curved blade on the top floated from the ponies side. Midnight let out a soft "eep!" As the mysterious pony lifted his blade. She begged for mercy as he slowly...slowly brought the blade to full potential. Her eyes widened in shock, his grip on the staff tightened, and he swung the blade violently. The blade came inches from her head, and she closed her eyes.....
BANG
Celestia awoke, still stunned from the dazed dream she had just experienced. Using her nose she pushed the book off her muzzle, and cautiously sat upright in her bed. Under the giant golden door, she saw a flickering light, and heard a faint roaring sound in the folds of her ears. She stood up, and conjured a large textbook with her magic, ready to strike. Using her hoof, she gently pushed the door open, and peered inside the foyer. The Alicorn gasped in shock when she noticed her chambers current state.
There was a hole in her roof, fire still gaping on the edges. Large support beams stood half fallen, or strung across the room. Things inside rose violently with deep orange flames. The windows had been shattered, leaving dangerous shards of stained glass strewn across the room. The most intriguing attribute, however, was the large crater and various metal items dotted in the center of the room. Surroundeding the crater were her favorite curtains, laying burnt and charred at the foot of the hole. Kind of ironic, how a Sun Princesses items displaying the sun in its full glory, lay buring a a heap near at hear hooves. Celestia carefully picked her way through the mess and neared the edge of the hole.
Dotting inside the hole, were various assortments ranging from burning wood to small toiletries. But, in the middle of the burning crater, stood a lone figure that made her blood run cold. A long, but skinny creature with two arms and weird looking hind legs lay face down in the pit. The creature had a VERY short cut mane on top of his head, a hue of dark brown in color. The being wore a strange assortment of clothes, one that Celestia had never seen before.
Near the creature sat a small sack, overflowing with various items she had never seen before. Using her magic, she cleared the debris around the hole, and extinguished the fire. The room grew dark as the flames resided, forcing Celestia to cast a light spell. The blue orb light her entire room, sparring no detail.
She edged over to the creature, and nudged its side with her hoof. After getting no response, she picked the capture up with her magic, and walked over to the door. Right before she opened the door, she noticed that the being was bleeding heavily from gashes in its head, neck and legs. Celestia almost gagged at the sheer amount of blood forming at her feet. Celestia panicked, and plowed through the door. Se stepped out into the hallway, but quickly light up her horn and teleported to the Royal Hospital.
The brown coated nurse looked up in surprise, and cringed at the creature, and the amount of blood on it. The nurse was about to question Celestia, when she was interrupted.
"Nurse! Get this creature on life support immediately! Make sure it doesn't die!" The Alicorn said, quickly floating the hairless ape over to a gurney.
"Y-yes Princess!" The panicked nurse replied, clearly frightended. She hooked the patient up to the board, and attached him to a monitoring system. The monitor beeped once, and went static. The nurse silently cursed to herself, and pushed the gurney down the hallway quickly. Celestia followed with haste. She wanted this creature alive, it had some questions to answer.
The nurse burst into Room 108 and levitated the patient over to a bed. The nurse raced over to a door, "Doctor Stich, come in here immediately! Bring a monitor and an IV, stat!" She yelled and raced over to the bed. She laced his wounds with a strange liquid, and patched them up with heavy wrap. The door slammed open as an earth pony doctor rushed in. Without a word, he set the patient on the heart monitor and clicked it to life. It emitted a beep, and continued.
The doctor rushed out and returned with a bag standing on a large pedestal. The doctor looked over to the nurse, "Blood Type?" He asked impatiently. The nurse retracted a syreninge and yelled over, "O!". The doctor grabbed a large vile of O type blood and poured it into the bag. He then entered various tubes into the creatures body. He clicked a button with his hoof, and the blood began to flow throughout the tubes. The heart monitor emitted another beep, and eventually steadied. The doctor scribbled something on a clip board, and trotted over to Celestia.
"Here are a list of injuries. The creature will need to go into emergency surgery, if it is to live." He said, and hooved her the clipboard.
Punctured Lungs, Heavy internal bleeding, broken legs, dislocated shoulder, heavy blood loss, brain trauma. Read the clipboard. Celestia cringed and gave the clipboard back to the doctor. She sighed and rubbed her temples again. "Just make sure it lives," She ordered, "I will be in the lobby if you need me." The doctor nodded and rushed over to the bed, and rolled it out the door. The princess sighed deeply, and trotted out the opposing door. Celestia stalked through the halls, surprising nurses and doctors alike. She went into the lobby and sat down on a chair. It was a little small for comfort, but it would have to do.
'Today as, interesting....' She thought to herself. She teleported a letter to her, and scribbled on it furiously,
Dearest Luna,
Earlier today a strange creature fell through my roof, interrupting my sleep. You might've heard the noise, for it left a large crater in my floor. I ask you to ask the Royal Engineers to fix my chambers as soon as possible. When that is done, please come to the Royal Hospital immediately.
Eagerly awaiting you,
Celestia
The sun princess rolled up the short letter, and planted her personal seal onto it. With a puff of ancient magic, the scroll was sent on its way to her nighttime sister.
Celestia tried to stay awake, but eventually nodded off, and fell asleep.
Of Crumbled Dreams and Midnight Skies
It was midday when I was released from science class. Today was the first day of my freshman year, making me only 15 years old. This meant that I was really nervous, which explains why I had trouble opening my locker. After multiple failed attempts, I finally got the locker to open, and a barrage of papers fell out. I sighed as I read the papers. 'Loser' read one, 'Pony Lover' read many more. Yes, I was a brony, and this locker-full-of-paper tradition had been going on since seventh grade. It started when I tried to get my friend to watch the show, and he told everyone about the conversation.
I swept the papers up into my arms, and dumped them into a nearby trash can. I trudged back over to my locker, and grabbed my things regarding math. I closed my locker, and looked at the clock. '11:54'. Shit, I was going to be late for class. I turned from my locker, and quickly made my way to the correct room. I stopped in front of the door for a brief glance at the clock. It read '11:55' and I still had around a minute before I was late. I heaved a sigh of relief and opened the door. I walked in, and sat down at my seat, no one noticing me. I set my notebook onto my desk, and leaned back, ready for the lesson to begin.
Mr. Skies walked over to the chalk board and picked up a yellow chalk stick. I wondered why he didn't use the smart board in the center of the room. The chalkboard was on the right side of the room, rendering it difficult to see, especially from my point of view. That was one of the many reasons why I had a C- in math. Despite the problem, I dare not question Mr. Skies. While he could be laid back, he likes to slap detentions a lot.
Mr. Skies started writing on the board. 'Trigonometry' was the finished result. Skies turned to us, "Good morning class, today we shall be discussing trigonometry. Please get out a blank sheet of paper, and await for further instruction." When he finished, he stalked over to the other side of the room, and sat down at his desk.
I opened my 2 inch notebook, and un-clipped a clean sheet of notebook paper. I proceeded to rip the edge of the paper, forcing me to grab another, un-ripped seat. I grunted in victory as I floated the paper onto my desk, which allowed a few glares from students beside me. I laughed inwardly at their reactions. I had learned to deal with students who disliked me. I didn't have any friends, so I learned to find humor from it. Despite the acceptance, I still felt hollow inside, especially when I saw guys with their girlfriends. It wasn't jealousy, but...yearning? Maybe, but Mr. skies started rambling again, shattering my thoughts.
"In the center of your paper, draw a pair of intersecting lines, and label them accordingly," he said, turning to the chalk board, following the steps he had just told us, "When this is completed, draw a circle in the center of the intersection". He completed his drawing, and I quickly drew it upon my paper.
He went on for about twenty minutes explaining the basics of trigonometry. The class eventually for stumped on a section called, 'Tables of values', or something like that. He then went on to explain the process multiple times, until we finally got it.
Mr. Skies was going to continue his boring lesson, when a serious of semi-loud *POPS* sounded from somewhere of the other side of the school. The class broke into a hushed whisper, discussing what the cause could've been. I just sat their, laid back in my chair. I had my suspicions, but I wasn't going to scare the class.
Mr. Skies eventually calmed the class down, and tried to continue his lesson. The session only lasted about ten seconds, before a serious of pops erupted again. It's time it was closer, and louder. Everyone started whispering again, albiet louder this time. I gradually raises my hand, and Mr. Skies pointed at me with a shaky finger, and I spoke, "Mr. skies, why are there gunshots coming from within the school?" I asked casually, not bothering to move. The classes noise level rose by a ton, and Mr. Skies was about to question me, when loud, frantic footsteps came pounding down the hallway. Those of which were followed by loud screams. Mr. Skies's eyes widened, and he looked at me, dumbfounded.
Another round of pops came closer, from the classroom to our left. I sat up, "Everyone, I would suggest getting on the ground. Getting shot would suck!" I said casually, walking over to the door. Surprisingly, everyone headed my warning, and dropped flat on their stomachs, including Mr. Skies. I opened the classroom door, and walked out into the hallway. I peered down the right side, nothing. I casually moved my head to the left, and cringed at the sight. Three students sat slumped against the wall, or laying on the floor, pools of crimson gradually forming under them.
I picked my way around them, and moved down the hallway. I neared an English class as I turned a corner. The door was open, and I heard angry yelling from within, in a foreign language. I crept low, Skyrim sneak style, and crept over to the door. I pokes my head inside. A large man, in a black trench coat stood towards the class, back to me. On the left side of the room, two girls sat slumped in their chairs, bullet wounds in their stomachs. The man held a PM-84 Glauberyt, or something close to it. I had seen it whilst researching military stuff. Oh, about that.
My family has always been military-ish. My great grandfather served in World War I, as a Sergeant Major. His military records showed that he flew planes against enemy planes, and even had an encounter with the infamous Red Baron. My Grandfather served in World War II, as a Corporal. He died when a pulley ricocheted off a tank and hit an oil canister on his flamethrower. It killed him instantly, for shards of shrapnel tore through him, like a knife through butter. Before my father died of a heart attack, he had served in the USMC, and received the Medal of Honor for saving a platoon from an ambush in Iraq.
Since I heard about his accomplishments, for he died before I was born, I wanted to be just like him. That's why I stood a staggering 6'3 and weighing 148 pounds. I know that's a lot for a 15 year old, but hey, I wasn't complaining. I worked out everyday at the local park, and shot guns with my grandpa. Also for my age, my voice was considerably deep, and it hasn't cracked in awhile.
I ducked my head around the corner, and breathed deeply. Two Options. Fight, or flight. I took another deep breath, and crept into the room. As I entered the room, no one noticed me. Good, the less attention the better. The coated man turned towards the teacher, and started yelling at him. The teacher shook his head wildly, and declared he couldn't understand. The strange man slapped the butt of the SMG across the English teachers face, sending him to the ground. I crept behind the teachers desk, and breathed deep again. I could hear the crying and frightened screams coming from the class. I peered over the desk, and surveyed the man.
As said before, he donned a coal black trench coat, with multiple pockets. On his waist sat a belt, with three magazines of 9x18mm subsonic ammo, made for less noise. Along with the ammo, a large KA-BAR knife sat hilted on his side. I closed my eyes, and crept around the desk. I noticed the eyes of students widened, but they obliged when I put a silencing finger to my mouth.
I nearly gaged when I reached the man, he reeked of alcohol and meth. No, I'm not a druggie, or alcoholic, but I know what it smells like. I neared only a few inches from the man, who was still yelling at the students. Just before I was going to reach the knife, he shot another student, straight through the head. This caused me to jump back, and the class to scream. Blood splayed students behind the poor soul, and brain matter littered the desks and floor. The student slumped over, and yuppies out of the chair. I jumped back in surprise, accidentally bumping into the desk. Whoops.
The man spun around when he heard a pound bang from behind him. My eyes widened and I turned to dive away, when a loud bang range through the air, and a bullet split through my leg. I dropped down to the ground in pain, but didnt move, he must've figured I had died or something, because he turned back to the class and shot another student. I grit my teeth as anger flowed through my veins. These kids were my classmate, even if they did neglect me.
I stood up shakily, and came up behind the man once more. I reached my hand out and grabbed the knife. He didn't notice my actions, silly fool. I reached my free hand up, and looped my arm tightly around his throat. Before he could react, I shoved the knife up until its hilt, just below his cerebellum, killing him instantly. I ripped the knife out, and the man ampules over onto his knees. I looked at him in range, and plunged the knife deep into his chest. I left the knife there, and grabbed the sub machine gun.
As I stood up, I noticed all of the shocked looks on the surviving students faces. I ignored their stares, and I moved to the most critically injured students. I slung the gun over my back, using the sing, and held the two girls in a fire and hold, and quickly made my way out of the door.
I sighed, relieved when I heard sirens closely outside. I quickly discarded the gun, wanting to make no threat. I slumped over to the door, and slowly opened it. I was met with a barrage of flashing lights, reporters with cameras and police sirens. My vision started to blur, and two SWAT members approached me. They grabbed the injured girls off of my arms, and hurried over to an ambulance.
I stood silent as reporters rushed me. They bombarded me with questions, and their camera flashes began to glow brighter. I staggered backward, and slumped onto my knees. Despite my fatigue, the questions grew more, and the flashes grew brighter. As I sat there, I brought an arm over my eyes, as the camera flashes seemed unnaturally bright. I felt something tap my shoulder, and I turned to see Mr. Skies standing before me. He nodded, and gave a two finger salute and whispered, "Good Luck, Grayson."
I was about to ask him what he meant, but someone yelled my name from behind me. I turned, and closed my eyes, the flashes were to bright now. I could feel blood pooling around me. My vision blurred. The camera flashes grew brighter. My legs shook....the camera flashes grew brighter. My hearing seemed to falter, and my vision became distant. The camera flashed grew bright, and eventually.....grew to bright. The flashes overtook me, and my vision faded black.
I could still hear the voices. But one in particular stood out.
"Do what's right Grayson, they need you...."
And then I fell into oblivion.