Memories.
I walk across the path I have treaded for years. I know where it leads, but I can never reach the end. It stands beyond my reach, something I cannot find. I wish I could reach it, but even I have limitations. My sorrow and grief has grown over the eons, never diminishing, only growing. It happened years ago, but I never can forget about it.
What was it worth? I ask myself again and again. Why did it happen? Was it worth the greed of one pony to sacrifice the life of everyone else? Was he even satisfied with what he gained? These are questions I ponder while I walk. Ever walking, wandering this decaying land in search of life, for some glimmer of hope.
And yet I know that no matter how long I search I will never find those who are lost to me. They are gone, allowed to leave this land that hatred and greed destroyed. How I envy them, my loved ones, the ones who called me friend. I was honored to call them friends as well. They cared for me, and welcomed me as one of them. I never truly knew why. Yet they cared for me and trusted me, and I betrayed them. They let me return to their midst, let me rejoin them, welcomed me with open arms. I was stunned and baffled by it, but I was touched as well. They cared for me, even after all I had done.
As I walk, I wonder. Why did it happen? Why did he do it? Why was he willing to free what lurked beneath us in exchange for a little power? Would I change it if I could? I would, but there are things even I cannot change. The hands of time tick ever forward and I cannot stop their relentless ticking.
I scuff the hard ground with my hoof. The ground is hard and rocky, rocks littering the burnt earth. The fires that raged here made of more than simply of heat and air. It was a flame of hatred and rage, fueled by the evil that fought here. I hated that day, when all of the land was ringed in flames. The day that the end came and all bonds broke loose. Foul things had crawled along this land that day, destroying any and all in their path.
You sacrificed yourself that day. How I longed that it could have been me and not you Celestia. How I regretted your sacrifice. The flame fell from you like rain from the sky, it burnt this land. They never stood a chance. They burned in their own fire they had created, didn’t they? Those monsters and fell things that he had freed.
You tried your hardest, didn’t you? You kept kindness in this world till the bitter end; you kept it from vanishing like mist in the sunlight. You fought the most out of any of us, but in your own way. Those foul things truly hated seeing light and friendship. They couldn’t approach it, they fell from it. You drove back the darkness Fluttershy; you kept that fire of hope burning till the end.
I sit on a hard outcropping from the ground. I attempt to discern some sound from the echoing silence, but I hear nothing. All life vanished years ago, in the flames that blazed across this land. How I wish that some voice of consolation would come to ease my fears, to give me hope. I know that it is my own fear that causes me to wish this, to wish for something more, something after this. I fear that fate, to wander this barren wasteland for eternity, to never find rest.
I envy Rainbow Dash, the most loyal of us all. She was loyal till the end, and even after that. She saved me. She held them off long enough for me to escape. I couldn’t help myself. I tried to help, but I was afraid. I ran, and my shame has weighed me down since that day.
Rarity, your generosity was an inspiration to all. You gave everything, even your life. Nothing was as pure as what you gave for us. Life. You saved them, your sister and her friends. You gave them a chance to be free, to run from the evil and hatred that this world was filled with.
I wave my tail at the empty landscape. My friends… They saved everyone they could, but even that wasn’t enough. What sought victory knew no bounds. Luna knew it was coming, and sought to stop it. The darkness came at last, but Luna shone like a light in the dark. She slew it in the end, that defiant little princess. I laugh bitterly. Defiance. That was what had caused the Nightmare Moon incident, King Sombra, Tirek, and even my imprisonment. Order and Chaos went hand in hand at times. But now, there was neither. Even my former chaotic nature no longer existed. Nopony could watch what had happened here and stay the same. I shudder at the memory.
I stand slowly. A world without hope… is that a world I want to be in? A world without friendship or light? I laugh weakly. It’s not like I have a choice. There is no way for me to end my agony. Those who could have done so are long dead. I snap my fingers. A glass appears in my hand. Chocolate milk, but even that has lost its flavor to me. I crush the glass between my fingers. Why did this have to happen? An ending that nopony wanted?
I sit back down on the outcropping. What happened here was something that never should have happened. Greed, betrayal, dishonesty, hatred, cruelty and scorn are what caused this fight. The Elements should have stopped it, but they couldn’t. Before they reached tree he had destroyed it. He had mocked them, called them weak, and I had done nothing.
Applejack had been honest to the end, refusing to believe in his lies. In a land so filled with deceit she refused to believe it. She exposed the traitor in the end, and was able to stall him. He killed her in cold blood, and had… I shudder at the memory. I cannot bear to think about it. Her death was the hardest to take.
Pinkie had been grinning to the end. Laughter had endured, and it had given hope and joy. I often wondered what place laughter had as an Element of Harmony, which is why I loved it so much. It seemed so out of place. But I realize now that they didn’t represent harmony, but friendship. Joy was part of friendship, and I felt wonder when I realized it.
Twilight stood with her friends till the end. They were at an impasse, the two of them. She finished him in the end, but at the cost of her own life. She was the second to perish, and hers was perhaps the worst blow upon us all.
I stare up to the heavens, pondering what I have remembered. The stars in all their glory, shining down upon the earth. Oh, what I would give to see my friends one last time, if only to ease the pain. But I cannot reach beyond the veil of death to my loved ones. The dead are at peace, and we cannot bring them back.
Friendship was something that we all needed, to help us through the high times and the low. The joys of it were unimaginable. But I wonder, was the friendship worth it? To have it torn away after only a few years? Was the joy worth the eons of pain that have piled up since that fateful day? Was it worth it?
I think about it for what seems like an eternity. I know not if it was. There is no time where I am left, nothing but the wide expanse of sky. “Yes,” I say quietly, tears filling my eyes. “It was worth it.” I place my head in my hands and cry. “Wait for me my friends. Wait for me.”
Author's Note
I wrote this one-shot to try my hand at sad and dark. I also wanted to see if I could write in first person or create a post-apocalyptic story. I thought about Discord's betrayal and was wondering if it would ever weigh him down. Constructive criticism is welcome.
Home is where the heart is.
Home is where the heart is.
I stare at the wide expanse of sky, tears falling down my face. I know now that it was worth it, the joy of friendship, was worth the eons of agony I have endured. But why must I wander this endless landscape, forever alone, never to find another life?
I run a claw across my seat. I smile sadly as I brush away the ash to read the words I know lie underneath. Home is where the heart is. She was the one who put those on there, that wonderful little pegasus. She put that there for me, to let me know she would always welcome me.
Where can she welcome me now? She is gone, and I can do nothing to reach her. Immortality is not a blessing, but a curse, and I was given that curse. I hated it, staying the same while those around me faded one after another. I gave in eventually, to the voices. They whispered to me, offering me anything I could dream of. I took their offer, and took Equestria. I forsook friendship, and instead took power and wealth.
I was defeated more than once, but I kept trying. Those voices, they kept whispering to me, freeing me and threatening me, giving strength, pulling me deeper into their net. It took a friend to free me, to pull me from that web of darkness and evil. She pulled me away from them, breaking their hold on me.
I never expected them to come back, the voices. They returned that fateful day, with all the forces of Tartarus at their beck and call. I ran from them, and they let me run. I believe that they wanted it to be this way, for me to have the pain of guilt and shame weighing down on me for years. They wanted me to pay for forsaking them, to pay for abandoning them. They wished not for death, but for victory. Maybe that is what made them so formidable. They looked past simply killing, past death, and sought something worse for their foes.
I stand slowly, my arms hanging limply. Will I ever see my friends again? I sigh, letting out a breath I did not know I was holding. My friends showed me the light; they brought me out of the darkness, out of bondage, and saved me from evil. What they did for me cannot be repaid, no matter how hard I try.
I stare into the distance, my gaze wandering the land. Where did the land end and the sky begin? That is something that I do not know. The land is as barren as the sky; the land is nothing but rubble and wreckage, an empty battlefield. The world was a battleground that day; the land a battlefield, the water a sea of blood, and the sky a black void.
I turn my gaze back to the plaque of Fluttershy’s. “Home is where the heart is,” I murmur softly. Where is my heart? Where is my home? That is something I do not know anymore. I do not even know if I even have a heart anymore. Agony wears away at ones heart, and I have suffered more than any soul.
The world was never meant to be eternal, I know that now. Why it came to be is not something I can know. I care not if it was a created out of nowhere or if it had some greater purpose, all I care is that it is over and I am lost on what is left. The end came and passed, leaving behind an empty shell.
I turn away from the plaque towards the north. What lies beyond those mountains? An ending? The end of all things? I know not, nor can I pass them, for I have tried, and the living cannot pass them. A barrier lies erected on those mountains, a wall to stop those who do not belong there. I sigh and turn towards the plaque once more. “My heart is where you are my friends. There also lies my home.”
“Friends. You are a fool, Discord.” I hear the voice behind me, and I know the voice like my own. It seems I was wrong in my belief that all life had vanished, but the life that still remains is not the kind I would seek. I turn around to see Tirek, his size larger than when I had last seen him.
“Since when have I been a fool?” I ask quietly. I have no strength to fight Tirek, and I would not do so even if I could. I truly pity him, for I have something to hold onto, but what does he have? Nothing. He is truly alone, and I pity him for that fact.
“Since you made friends. I have told you before that friendship is another form of imprisonment, but you would not listen. I could not even befriend you, for even that is a form of imprisonment. You betrayed yourself when you befriended those ponies, and you did the same by joining me. You are nothing but a turncoat and a traitor.”
I shake my head sadly. “That may be, but you are the one who is the fool. Friendship is not imprisonment, but freedom. I have my friends waiting for me should I pass on. Who is waiting for you?”
“My allies and warriors. I took them from you, your friends, didn’t I? You must hate me for that. I expect your rage is like an inferno wishing to consume me. That will make me all the stronger.”
I wave my paw around the empty landscape. “What is it worth to you, to have power? There is nothing here for either of us. Nothing. There is no inferno, no fire. Why do you want power? There is no use for it here.” I find myself shouting at the centaur in my frustration. “There is nothing here but pain and anguish. You may see yourself as ruler of this land, but there is nothing to rule. The land is gone, and so are those you fought for.”
The centaur snarls, his arms seeming to pulse with anger. “I am ruler here! I am king of this land, and none shall take it from me. I have magic, magic greater than yours, the magic of all the land. You think that defiance will get you anywhere with me, Lord Tirek, ruler of this land?”
“No. It will not get me anywhere, but it will get you nowhere as well. You are ruler of nothing. This land is gone, consumed, destroyed. Why do you want this land? It is a wasteland.” I stand up straight, my eyes blazing with anger. “You are a fool Tirek. What awaits you after death? Joy? Peace? Happiness? When have you ever found joy in others? When?”
Tirek growls in anger. I wait for the inevitable blow, the attack that will end it for me. The centaur opens his mouth, that void, and I feel my magic leaving me. I welcome it. There are many things I have experienced, but death is not one. As it leaves me, I feel another sensation, one that I have not felt in a long time: peace. As I collapse on the ground, as my vision fades, I see Tirek growing in size, his eyes glowing with triumph. I care not. Let him have it. I have no need for it where I am going.
When my eyes open I smile. I know where I am. As I stand and brush myself off I gaze around the familiar cottage. Animals fill the room, their little snouts and noses nosing around. I look around for that face I long to see, but I do not see it. It does not matter. As I walk out of the cottage I gaze at my surroundings. That wonderful little cake shop, the library, the schoolhouse, just a few of the places that I remember. Spike waves to me as I pass by the library, a book clutched in his claw.
Tears well in my eyes as I stare at the wonderful surroundings. I have never been happier. A rainbow streak passes over my head and I follow it. When I reach the end of the path I smile. There at the bottom of the hill those six are sitting, their pets having their weekly playdate. I grin and wave, and they smile back. As I run down the hill to join them I smile. I am home. And home is where the heart is.
Author's Note
I added this in a bit later because I felt The Path I Tread needed a bit more. I had trouble writing the last bit due to the inability to see the computer screen. It didn't help that I was listening to Les Miserables at the time.
