Eventide
Celestia had been staring up at the moon for an hour, unable to believe what had happened. Immediately after using the Elements she had rushed out to the garden in front of the castle to get a better view of the celestial body her sister was now imprisoned upon. Rage, sorrow, disbelief, a faint sense of gratitude, all warred for dominion in the solar alicorn. While a very small part of her was happy none of their other little ponies had been in the castle when Luna staged her coup, presumably on Luna’s order no less, it was so miniscule to not even register as a comfort. The fact that before she rejected the Elements they left Celestia with a vague prophecy about stars, 1000 years, and escape only served to infuriate her further.
The Elements were supposed to SAVE Luna! PURIFY her! Restore her to her senses! That’s all I wanted! THAT’S. ALL. I. WANTED!
I JUST WANTED TO SAVE MY SISTER!
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A famous scientist once theorized that energy cannot be created or destroyed, instead it simply changes form. And what is magic but the direct manipulation of energy? Evocation is merely the most basic example.
However, simple rules like E=MCC start to break down when it comes to emotional bonds. (Just look at changlings.) Someone deeply in love will feel happy, ecstatic, energetic, while a depressed person will feel tired and run down. The joy between lovers can have an almost synergetic effect, while an extrovert may completely shut down if they think their friends have rejected them.
And yet, sociopath and psychopaths have weak, if nonexistent bonds so where do they get their emotional energy from? If somepony actually knows why, no record has been made.
Most people, or ponies, don’t have a noticeable amount of emotional energy. Sure, one can see if another is sad, angry, or happy, but that’s about it.
Princess Celestia, Alicorn of the Sun, the White Diarch of Equestria, of They Who Overcame Discord, was not most ponies.
The Elements of Harmony: Kindness, Generosity, Laughter, Honesty, Loyalty, Magic, the fruit of the Tree of Harmony, were not normal magical artifacts.
When Celestia sundered her connection to one of the most powerful empathetic weapons in existence, well, the energy had to go somewhere, do SOMETHING.
Like, maybe, an interdimensional portal beneath a tree?
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The man stood up and shook the dust off from his impromptu meeting with...a throne? He could have sworn he was...in a tree…? What was he doing in a tree? Try as he might, he could remember little beyond his name, the tree, a loud noise, and a bright light.
After standing there for a few minutes wracking his brain for any other details and only one other made itself known, he gave up and looked at his surroundings for the first time. A whistle escaped from his lips at the sheer SIZE of the room. The stonework was odd, almost like an ancient castle, although the skylight was an even odder touch. Actually now that he looked closer, the castle looked freshly built. But if that’s the case...did a battle occur here? What was with all the holes?
“Hello? Anyone here?” His voice echoed strangely in the massive, partially-open hallway. When no reply came, he shrugged and start following the carpet out of the throne room.
Bruised a bit from his short fall, and starting to feeling hungry, he wandered the castle corridors in search of a proper exit. A random hole in the wall didn’t count.
The whole thing was making him more confused as he went on. Who build a castle only to abandon it after it takes...ok it is pretty extensively damaged, but why not repair it? Did the inhabitants die? If that’s the case, shouldn’t the conquerors have claimed it and fixed it up themselves?
After a couple hours of finding posh rooms and dead ends, he finally approached the main gate into the garden beyond. The man took another look around, searching for landmarks, signs of civilization, anything.
All he found was forest, a path, a moon with a weird design on it, and a white horse….that was crying? Sniffling? Had wings? That didn’t sound like any horse he knew of. And yet, according to his nose, it was the only animal around for some distance.
“Hello?” He ventured. You were supposed to make an animal aware of you before you approached, right? Did that even APPLY to winged crying horses?
“WHO GOETH THITHER?” Its response was immediate. Shock knocked him on his ass as the horse leaped to its feet and whirled around, tears sparkling in the moonlight as its eyes promised death if it didn’t like the answer.
“M-M-Me-e? What about you?” was all he could get out as his brain threatened to shut down. The damn thing could talk? This...this…
“We art Celestia, Princess of Equestria! We asketh thee once more, who art thee?” It, no, obviously it was a she if she called herself a princess, demanded as her mane started to turn incandescent. He started to get even more nervous as she pawed the ground.
“Uh, if you’re a princess, where’s your crown? And why were you crying?” He blurted out, and immediately felt like a fool. Great job dumbass, don’t answer the pissed off pegasus….wait is that a horn??? Oh shit I’m 6 kinds of dead now.
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The stark reminder of what occurred 4 hours prior, doused her fury like an ice bath. Why indeed? Here she was, the Diarch of the Sun, and yet she couldn’t even save her sister from madness. No, worse, she BANISHED her sister! Discord had been petrified y the Elements, and Luna….! Is that...Can that really be true…?
The man was startled when Celestia started to laugh. When her laughter only increased and she started rolling on the ground, he grew very concerned. “What’s...what’s so funny?” The man asked, almost dreading the answer.
“The Elements of Harmony” was her confusing reply. “They imprisoned Discord, Spirit of Disharmony, in a suit of stone. A Chaos Spirit, trapped within Order! Never to move again! And my sister Luna!” Celestia’s laughter had died down, though chuckles kept escaping. “They imprisoned her on the moon! Imagine, the Diarch of the Moon, trapped in her place of power! Where she’s MOST powerful.
“They really should be called the Elements of IRONY!” Her laughter started anew while tears of mirth slid down her face and she started thumping the ground with a hoof.
The man moved to give the distraught mare a hug, pulling her into his arms to do so. As soon as her face was in his chest she stopped laughing and resumed her screaming. “Why didn’t they save her?! I just wanted my sister back! Not stoned, not killed, not banished, alive and well!”
He just sat there with the mare in his arms, rubbing her back and muttering soothing nothings in her ear. When the ivory mare calmed down, she looked into the man's eyes. ”Thank you, and I apologize for my lack of decorum. That’s the first time I’ve been held, that anyone besides Luna has cared about Celestia the mare instead of Celestia the Princess. My heart stirs. Will you continue to do so?”
He looked into her eyes, her beautiful, shimmering, magenta eyes, and made his decision. “Yes.”
Celestia tilted her head inquiringly. “Then give me the honor of your name?”
“Edward Cullen," he whispered as he moved to bite her neck.
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The sun never rose again.
Author's Note
Terrible Blog Post here
