The Elements of Darkness: Element #1 Suffering

A sorrowful roar tore through the normal silence of the castle, but Colgate didn’t notice as she cleaned up James’s body.

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[Point of view change: Lust’s POV]

At least she has something to do to keep her mind off of things. “Make sure she’s happy” how am I going to do that? What am I now that James is gone? Some sort of ghost?

Did you ask this many questions when you were with James? Colgate asked wiping a tear from her eye

No. He was the one with all the questions.

Oh.

Are you going to be alright?

Yeah, I just wish I had more material for the memorial

What’s it like being the person who has to stare death in the face and bury everypony?

It never bothers me until the end of the service. Then I usually go home and drink myself to sleep.

There’s alcohol here?

Yeah but you have to go to Canterlot to get it

You take trips to Canterlot for every funeral?

No ponies don’t die that often so I go once a year to refill my stash. I even found a great club built into the outer wall with thumping music and an always lively crowd.

*Sob* you and James would’ve been a great couple

How can you be sure? I’ve read almost all his memories but none of them are clear on how he felt about me.
Could you tell me ?

The memories! They’re perfect!

No they are completely random and full of errors

For the memorial! We could rework his memories into a smaller, better written, book and put them next to a few paintings of him.

That’s a great idea! You can start working on that while I find a coffin big enough for him and rent out a space.

If we are going to do this you need to see these last few memories; if they are correct then we know why the ponies locked him up and treated him so bad.

What’s the point in knowing why? They killed him! I was just fine in that that whatever that was! Colgate thought as her eyes flared in anger

All he ever wanted was to fit in and be useful. We can at least let these ponies know that he wasn’t as bad as the humans who kidnapped their princess.

What? Kidnapped? Humans? How could they possibly kidnap the most powerful magical being in Equestria?

While the distracted Colgate sat next to the now clean and properly posed body of James, Pale Stiletto was off trying to make other plans for the corpse

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Luna’s Bedroom [3rd Person]

“But Princess Luna! We need him for the ceremony!” Pale yelled

“We might have saved him from that terrible place but that doesn't give us the right to mess with the laws of nature.” Luna said trying to keep her anger in check

“One reanimation won’t unbalance the world any more than your dabbling with these Elements of Darkness!”

“AND YOU KNOW SO MUCH! YOU INSOLENT MALE! THE REAPER WAS SO INFURIATED WITH CELESTIA AND ME WHEN WE MADE THOSE ACCURSED THINGS THAT SHE ALMOST TOOK OUR LIVES AS PAYMENT!”

“But without him Celestia will use her own body to power the Element of Suffering! You know what that means!”

“IT MEANS THAT SHE WILL PAY FOR YOUR MISTAKES! AND WHEN SHE DOES I’LL MAKE SURE YOU DON’T LIVE TO SEE THE PAIN ON HER FACE!”

“You wouldn't! There hasn't been an execution in a thousand years! Ponies will think you've turned back to Nightmare Moon!”

“Do you think I care about that? You just signed your death warrant Pale.” Luna said waving her hoof to dismiss the intrusive pony

“You can’t do this! I’m a part of the Shadow!”

“Believe me they won’t care.”

“But… But”

“Guards take him to death row!” Luna shouted as lightning flashed behind her

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Secret Lab

Why would they do all that to Celestia? What happened to all the cars and technology? Colgate asked completely oblivious to her surroundings

Those must’ve been Mayans; they worshiped the sun hundreds of years before James was even born.

Everypony who heard that story would’ve believed that humans were crazed killers

“We did.” Interrupted a feminine voice from the doorway

“P-Princess Celestia!” Colgate stammered

“Sorry for interrupting your little conversation like that but we need to get rid of 'this' before anypony else sees it.” Celestia proclaimed signaling her guard to take the body.

“You can’t! He deserves a proper burial after what happened to him!” Colgate said jumping in front of James’s body.

“He may deserve it but can we afford to give it to him? What if other ponies find out that humans are real?”

“What does it matter? All the humans are dead! YOU made sure of that!”

“I made a mistake pure and simple and it pains me a great deal, but do you want to deal with all the questions this will raise? Do other worlds really exist? How can we get there? Do you want to deal with all the ponies that disappear traveling to these other worlds? Search for days just to find their mangled corpses or shattered minds?” Celestia said moving slowly toward the body as her horn lit up with magical energy

“You stay away from him!” Colgate said gathering her own magical energy in an attempt to block the Princess

“I can see my mistake in front of me; can you not let me get rid of my guilt by taking care of the innocent creature I killed and getting him as far away from him as possible?”

The words struck a chord with Colgate’s own sentiments but she didn't move

Come on Colgate. We can still give him a memorial without the body, or bury an empty coffin.

“Get out!” Colgate yelled stepping forward her horn beaming with blue magic

Let’s go Colgate. He wouldn’t want you to get hurt on his account!

Green flames engulfed the body and pulled it toward the ground

“Stop!” Colgate screamed tears flowing freely down her face

“It’s not me.” Celestia responded looking up towards the ceiling

A single gold chain slammed down from the ceiling and erased all traces of James

“Can’t we all just get along? Why must everything be so difficult?” Lust screamed causing all the guards to look frantically for the source of the third voice

The strain of holding so much unformed magic took its toll on Colgate and the resulting loss of consciousness gave her sweet relief from her grief.

Lust however began to gain power and even managed to create a simple red cloud above Colgate’s unconscious form in which she could anchor her voice

“I’m not going to say that what you were trying to do was wrong, but can we at least give James a simple memorial service? It's more than he would've wanted.”

“James didn’t know anypony here. Why would he need a memorial?” Celestia said calmly narrowing her eyes at the floating red voice.

“Memorials are for those left behind and being charged with Colgate’s happiness I believe it will give her more closure than a burn mark on the floor.”

“I’m sure we can set something up; a mere illusion for Colgate's own eyes perhaps. But we have a more pressing problem.”

“And what would that be?”

“Colgate doesn’t exist in this world.”

“What?”

“The mare you brought back from that strange world named Colgate closely resembles a mare in Ponyville named Minuette.”

“So she is called something else. What of it?”

“Minuette lives with the local mailmare and sells clocks out of a small stand in the market. The mare you know as Colgate has no friends or family here.”

“Then she’ll make some! I have no idea as to why this is a problem.”

“You may have your memorial but I’m warning you. If you want to keep her happy, keep her away from ponyville.”

“Deal. I’m going to need a blank book and lots of watercolors if I’m going to get all the preparations done before she wakes up.”

Celestia walked up to the floating mist and whispered “Lust, I am truly sorry that this happened. I hope you can forgive me.”

“It’s not my forgiveness you have to worry about Princess as I am just a simple spirit of a dead man.” Lust whispered back as the guards shifted about nervously.

Celestia turned and left the room with all but one of her guards

I just hope that Colgate and I’s friendship will be enough to keep us both sane,Lust thought as she began to sort through James’s memories, if only James were still here… he’d know what to do.