Who doesn't love a good story?
Who doesn't love a good story?
Hey… hey there… it’s alright, no need to freak out. There you are. See? That wasn’t too bad, was it? Heh, ponies tend to hype up the transition all the time as this big terrifying process, and really, it’s more like… well that. Don’t worry, that strange air-y feeling will go away in a second. Aaaand there we go.
I see that look on your face. You don’t know me, and well, you’re not really supposed to. I’ll just get that out right off the bat. It’s always the same questions, really. “Where am I?” “Who are you?” “What was up with miss masky-pants and all her evil rage?” Well, I’m stopping this one before it happens and answering all of the questions so you don’t have to pester, okay?
My name is… well, my name doesn’t really matter since no pony can remember it. I’m just going to come right out and say it, I’m the pony she referred to as ‘Beloved’. Now, that’s not my ACTUAL name, but I think it’s more like a nice term. It’s better than my real name anyway.
Oh, did I not tell you? You’re supposed to follow me silly. Come on, I know the way. I’ve only walked it a million times, what’s one more? And don’t worry, I don’t bite… I’m just that sort of… in-between guide I guess you could say. Things in the afterlife have to be all complicated, you can’t just go to one place or the other, you have to journey there… strange, but true. One of the ponies who passed through here called it purgatory once, I like saying that word. Purgatory. Sounds kinda neat.
Anyway, so yeah, I’m not an angel. Though I did pretend to be one a couple of times, even tried the whole ‘thy’ ‘thee’ ‘thou’ thing… it kinda blew up in my face when I accidentally let a not-so-angelic-word out… oh well.
So by this point you’re thinking: “Welp, I’m dead. And I’m following Curse Word’s dead lover to wherever I’m supposed to go. This totally isn’t weird at all.” Since we have nothing but time up here I guess it would probably be a good idea if I… fill in the gaps? Some ponies like to hear the whole story… They’ve said it makes their death more fulfilled I guess; like they’re the only ones in on this big magical secret about where Curse Word’s lover is and they know things she doesn’t. Kinda takes the sting outta dying a little, don’t you think?
So, once upon a time, a cute little filly was born and a bunch of stuff happened, the end!
Riveting, right? Alright, alright, I’ll tell you the real story, I just like to see pony’s faces after I hype it up and then give them that. I came from… you know what? It doesn’t matter where I came from. None of those other events, (pause) moments compared to when I met Curse Word. It is probably the first and only really truly best moment in the past of any consequence.
I ended up in that little town, homeless. Don’t ask me why, and don’t give me pity, I wasn’t some kind of beggar pony. I just didn’t have a literal home. I was… a wanderer. This was the first place I felt… safe. That little town had some real potential to be a home if I could manage to get work here. I searched all over for some kind job, but as usual, I found myself gravitating towards bookstores and libraries… oh, didn’t you see my cutie mark? Yeah, I guess I was something of a writer. Doubt you’d know many of my stories.
Eventually I found the library and met the paradox of a pony that was the librarian. She never had a kind word to say to me, nor did a kind deed outside of hiring me that day. Not even sure why she did it, though I suspect she had some kind of intern that couldn’t take her attitude and left in a huff before I showed up. Either way, she was a real pain, but I was happy enough just to have somewhere to belong.
Then I saw her.
I know, I know. That sounds really cliche, but you’re dead and I’m cursed if that’s not cliche I don’t know what is.
She was just… so different from other ponies I’d seen. I had some... difficulties trusting ponies those days, but I felt myself gravitating towards this story-teller. I wish you could have seen the way those foals’ eyes lit up as she brought to life the stories she wove. It was like witnessing miniature fairy tales coming true right there in the comfort of the library. If I wasn’t in love with this town before, I certainly was then.
I honestly didn’t plan on even talking to her that day. I was a little too shy to do so; actually... a lot of shy. I had a hard time as it was interacting with the other ponies there in the library… or any ponies in general. It was during that time that I tended to keep to myself more than anything else. So when I caught her eyeing me from across the room as she was telling a story to the foals, you can imagine how nervous I was. Now that I think about it, I don’t I even remember the story she was telling at the time, but I do remember the look in her eyes. They were gentle… deep set. She would close her eyes and let the magic engulf the foals as she brought the scene to life for them; as their little hearts filled with magic, she open her eyes and smiled back at me… It’s funny because even now… thinking about that, I still get those “warm fuzzies” inside my chest.
After she had finished her time with the foals, she trotted over. She wasn’t afraid to introduce herself and soon enough, she gave me the gossip about the boss I already hated. She was so… charming I guess is the word, and I was so frazzled. I wasn’t used to somepony being kind right off the bat. Still, I know you can already tell I’m a talker, so it didn’t take long to pretty much get me to spill the important bullet points of my story. She didn’t seem bored or deterred by it either, which for me was another odd thing. Before I ended up in that little town I wasn’t allowed to talk so much… it was nice.
Ever hear that saying ‘marefriends move in on the second date’? Well, I think we kind of started that one. She found out I was staying in a… not so great place, won’t go into details on THAT, and she opened her door. Just like that. She insisted since I didn’t really have anywhere else to go and I was a proper roommate too; I did my share and more of the cleaning and cooking, hoping that would kind of compensate for the quick move. Soon enough, it was as if we’d lived in that little house together all along and didn’t know it. It just came naturally.
Did you know that I’m the first pony to figure out Curse Word’s um… special talent? The REAL special talent. Maybe it was my love of puns that made me realize it’s the words themselves that COULD curse. And how did I know? Her eyes. Now before you go thinking she was always destined to ruin lives with that ‘talent’ of hers, you should know… that talent was what made that little town so perfect. Her power was good and she used it for good. She just didn’t know it and I didn’t want to upset the balance. She was sometimes to oblivious to things around her. I swear she lived in a bubble where only she and I existed, she never realized the little things randomly going right for somepony else or changes that improved the town itself. I saw her causing change for the better just with mere words. If she said and willed it to be, it came true, her eyes were the biggest indication that something was about to change.
So, knowing all this, I certainly didn’t want to give her the weight of the responsibility of her own gift so I sort of… took it upon myself. If there was something that needed a little love or happiness, I would steer her in the right direction and somehow her magic would do the rest. Of course, living with her, I got to see first-hoof how amazing that power was, but it wasn’t the power I loved, it was her. She had one of the kindest and most giving hearts of anypony in that town… and she loved me. There was never a single doubt in my mind about just how much Cursey loved me. She really did mean it when she said “with her whole heart.” To be honest, I still wonder to this day what a mare like her even saw in me.
So far everything’s all happy bright and cheerful, isn’t it? Well, you’re dead so I didn’t want the first thing you heard to be dark and depressing. I guess, though, this is the part of the story that gets a little on the ‘plot twist’ side. I mean, nothing in life is perfect, so there had to be the catch 22 of the whole situation. It’s not like Curse could keep everything perfect forever. That’s not how life works. This life she--We had built and this town that was a slice of heaven was suddenly… tainted. It was stained… like when you drop an inkwell on your coat. Cursey’s coat was darker than mine, so it wouldn’t be as obvious, but when I would drop just even the tiniest little bit on my pink coat… well it wouldn’t come out for weeks.
It was kind of the same thing.
I had finally found a place to call my own… It was all mine and she showed up. Just another one of the mothers dropping her foal off for one of the famous storytellings at the library. She didn’t even see me, nor did she see the pile of books that suddenly dropped along with my stomach. I wanted to run. I didn’t want to be there anymore. I could feel my heart wanting to jump into my throat and… That moment… I mean, I had just found this place and now I felt like I needed to flee it from it!
But I couldn’t… I couldn’t leave Curse.
So, I did the only other thing a logical and rational-minded mare would do: I stalked her home to see where she lived.
And there it was: the perfect little house on the perfect little lane so perfectly placed in the heart of her perfect little world. A pretty little garden with perfect rows of flowers out front and white-painted shutters that perfectly matched the cream-color of her house. It was… so perfectly sickening. And fate likes to deal all the perfect cards all at once, right? I just happened to see her new little house stallion greet her out front with nothing but smiles. Ha… “Smiles.” I’m not even sure how she scored a stallion like that. She had once said she never would be with a stallion in all of her life, so for her… this… Oh, You don’t know what “House Stallion” means? It’s not really a familiar term, I know, but trust me, if there was a working pony in that household it would be her. For his sake, I prayed he could at least cook.
I remember getting home that night and how agitated and closed off I was from Curse. She couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me and it really took a toll on her. I kept trying to convince her that I was alright, and trying to force my brain to move on but it just… wouldn’t. I thought I’d been healing, moving forward; that I was past all of this… but I wasn’t. The thought of her just breathing the same air as me in that little town… it made my stomach clench. I was running and hiding. I had done everything in my power to get away from… that mare, and now that I’d been ‘found’ in a sense, all those fears came crawling back like those black ink stains that never really fade away. I wanted that town to be just mine and Curse’s… I didn’t need her there, spreading like some black cancerous being that I could never escape from.
That night Curse insisted on helping in some way. She hated seeing me so distraught and unnerved. It didn’t help that I had closed myself off to her about what was really wrong. I just kept repeating myself to her: there was really nothing she could do. Even in saying that, she said she’d figure out a way. Heh, if that mare could move mountains for me, she would have.
But it was at that moment, I realized… there was a way she could help… You see, Curse’s magic wasn’t always… for good. Her moods often reflected mine. If I had had a horrible nightmare and closed myself off to her, it would dishearten her. My emotions and moods always seemed to spread onto her, no matter how hard I tried to keep her away from those thoughts or emotions. This would usually leave her in a sour mood. The first time it happened, she was trying to cross the road towards the library when a wagon ran past nearly tramping her and I in the process. I remembered she screamed at the stallion pulling the wagon ‘You almost hit us you prick! I hope you crash that thing!’ It was then that her eyes did that shimmer thing and I knew it meant trouble. I don’t even think the stallion heard her over the rumble of the wheels, but once she was inside the library the wagon did crash. I watched it go straight into a ravine. The poor stallion’s possessions scattered to the wind. I was… shocked to say the least.
But… it didn’t take long for the shock to wear off before I realized that this might be the thing I need to finally move on with my life. This… Curse’s Power. I could use it to shatter her perfect little world. I could be freed from all the sleepless nights of trying to forget a past that continued to creep into my mind. I could actually move on and be a functioning mare… be a better marefriend for Curse. I wanted that more than anything.
It’d have to be clever, though, something she couldn’t trace back to me if and when she ever DID see me. Trust me, I was an expert at ‘hide-and-don’t-seek’. I thought long and hard for a way to ruin her and it wasn’t until I watched her drop off her foal that it finally hit me like brick wall: her little colt was the key. He was just like all the other foals; enchanted by my Cursey’s stories. He’d do anything to impress her…
And I would do anything to ruin his mother’s life.
See… Curse was in one of those moods again, and I kind of waited until she was. The night before, I had lied to Curse, waking up in the middle of the night, claiming to have another horrible nightmare, and she of course wanted to stay up with me to try and help. I purposely closed myself off to her that night because I knew it would upset her. It also helped that she was already so up-in-hooves over the fact that one of her foals’ parents had complained that the recent fairy tale was a bit too dark for her liking. She was so excited about the stories I had written and I think she might have taken some of my influence unintentionally. If it was one thing Curse Word couldn’t stand, it was being told a story was bad and being told what to tell next.
So I may have suggested to that little colt that he insist on a new story for her to tell. It just worked to my benefit that he didn’t like the ones she was telling at that time. And I may have told him to use the colorful language he had heard Curse Word say a few times when she thought she was out of earshot of the foals.
I mean, Come on! Her NAME is CURSE Word! I mean, to some degree I thought she might get a good laugh outta that… on a good day. But this wasn’t a good day. She… snapped. The way she glared at that little colt. Her eyes had never been that bright before. They almost glowed a fiery red, so much so that the little colt could have bursted into flames at that moment. I had never seen her that angry before. I know Curse, even though she threatened him with his mother and soap, she would have ripped into that child, but it was all worth it to me at the time. I… didn’t care. I wanted to ensure that I got results.
Later that night, I made Curse dinner and I tried to comfort her, but in reality, I was elated over this. It was just a matter of time now. That next day I could hear from the locals that the little colt had broken his foreleg, or anything. Just something. I didn’t care at that moment. I wanted to relish in her agony.
And I did. That night… while I pretended to be sleeping, I finally heard that screaming… I had never felt so much satisfaction and relief all at once. I heard her panicked, terrified wails echo throughout the town and for once, she was the one who was hurt. She was the one crying and distraught. She was the one ruined.
But… then I heard that little colt’s scream. His high piercing screams that I still can’t seem to forget even to this day. Why was he screaming? What exactly had Curse’s power done?! Something had happened, and I had caused this. By that point, I’d given anything to take it all back.
Curse was the one shaking me awake to see if I had heard it. She insisted something was wrong and that we needed to follow the screams. I raced with her through the town to see what had become of the poor thing and… well, this part you know. I… couldn’t bring myself to go upstairs with her to see what had happened. I could hear Curse screaming back at her, demanding to know why. It was then that I heard the thud and a crash. I remember how silent everything was after that. A deafening silence that lingered over that whole night. Curse slowly came back down as we waited outside for the authorities with the other towns ponies there. She told me that she had punched the mare upstairs and knocked her out.
If I had known it was that easy… I would have just told Cursey everything.
I remember the look in her her eyes. She blamed herself for this. All of it.
Things... got worse from there. I receded, punishing myself in silence for the horrendous act that ultimately I had created. It was all my fault… and I couldn’t bring myself to tell Curse. I couldn’t tell ANY pony of what I’d done. If I did, Curse would have been at fault as well, and I didn’t want to ruin what little we did have left of this perfect life we had created. Yeah, She was now being punished for murdering her own foal, but at what cost? Not only did I end a precious innocent life, but now Curse… she had been tainted. Not to mention, she was aware of it now, her power, and became obsessed with it. All that time I tried to keep the burden from her shoulders was for nothing and no matter what I tried, she wouldn’t let it go. She just kept going on and on about it…. It was cute how she thought I had no clue about it. Ha, I had known about it all along! There were so many secrets between the two of us… It seemed too perfect on the outside, but deep down, we held onto these silly secrets because we thought it would hurt one another if they knew the truth.
When you have time like me to think things over, everything seems to become crystal clear.
That one night… when it happened… I remember it that the clearest. It was our anniversary. We always celebrated it. It meant so much to her too, considering how she was with me. She had never, EVER forgotten that. I mean, how could she? It was… it was silly for me to get so upset about that and at that point, she had reached her limit. She really wasn’t taking care of herself. She was so paranoid about everything she did. She had closed herself off, and I just couldn’t sit there anymore and take it. I mean… I worked so hard that night to try and cheer her up.
And when she showed up at the door with nothing but a dumbfounded look on her face, I got frustrated, angry. Now that I really think about it, I wasn’t angry at her for this, her forgetting it. I was angry at myself. I had caused this, for her to be this shell of a pony. So I lashed out at her. I didn’t hold back. I had had enough of everything, but so had she. I hated the fact that she found about that power. I hated that she had come this town, of all towns! I hated the fact that I dwelled on something so horrible and I couldn’t even realize I had something amazing in front of me. I had become consumed by it.
Curse just stood there. I could see her wincing at my words. They stung and were constant. She tried her best to not raise her voice at me, but everypony has their limits. It wasn’t until I accused her of not truly loving me that I really, really hurt her . It’s such a silly thing to even think of at that moment. I mean, she’s still searching for me after all these years. I was running high on emotions… I truly wasn’t thinking.
It was then that Curse shouted back at me… and those eyes of hers. Those crimson eyes glimmered back as I stared at her. It was in that exact moment I knew what she had done. They shimmered so intensely that time too, far more than any other time I had seen. After she stormed off upstairs, everything began to fade to black… that murky black ink began to spread everywhere. I started screaming, yelling for Curse, but by then it was too late. It was my own fault too. Everything that had happened up to that point was on my shoulders and it was my weight to carry. I had destroyed anything left when I… used Curse for the sake of my petty revenge.
It was a fair punishment for the crime I committed. I was convinced this was… well, you know… the place you go that’s in the downward direction. The thing is, I could still see her sometimes. I know that sounds crazy, but it’s true. The murkiness would occasionally fade and I could see her. I thought it was the murkiness fooling me, but it was really her. She… looked so miserable. I watched her as she changed into that bitter, hollowed thing you saw earlier, but she can’t see me. I tried calling out to her… anything, but she just couldn’t. She still can’t. I’ve watched her this whole time; the times she traveled trying to find me, the moments where she thought she was genuinely alone, crying to herself about how she ruined me… us.
This was the worst torture of all. Watching her fall further and further away from what she was all because of me. If only I could just tell her that I’m right here! That I haven’t left her side this whole time; well with the exceptions of guiding you ponies along to the other side, but… she doesn’t get it. I’m still here! I’m always going to be here! What I wouldn’t give to just say that I’m sorry...That I… I still love her.
And yes, even with her looking like that. I don’t care, because she will always my Cursey.
But, it was about the time when she really started to lash out at others that ponies like you showed up here. You know, the dead ones. For a second I honestly thought I was actually dead, but it wasn’t until I tried to follow one of them to the other side that I realized I was stuck. I can’t go anywhere. I’m always here, waiting for something to change. Maybe she needs to do something on her end, or maybe something on mine? Either way, I’m not able to leave this black murkiness. But you know what? Being a downer doesn’t get a pony anywhere, so I have to believe that there’s a way out for me somehow. I guess you could say I still have some kind of hope, not much of it, mind you, but still. And it was apparent very quickly that this place doesn’t work the same as Equestria. Time doesn’t mean anything here. I met pony #711 and he was born 300 years apart from you #712.
Oh, don’t bother me with your name. I won’t remember it anyway. Still, I did get to see Curse’s regression on a fairly time-correct scale and it broke my heart every time. She’s become this broken husk of what she was. Wearing that stupid mask and just… hurting all of those ponies. A part of me even wonders if she feels remorse anymore, like she’s become consumed with sorrow. I don’t think she knows right from wrong anymore, or even cares. I knew there was no going back when she killed that first group of travelers. All she wanted to do was relive those good years, but of course they weren’t going to have any of that. You know, she doesn’t even try to tell those stories anymore. The nice ones of just memories of her and I. It’s always grim and death now. I miss the stories brought to life not just by the magic of her horn, but by the magic inside of all of us. The hope that anything was possible.
I guess what I’m trying to say is: I’m trying to right that wrong. You’re dead. She killed you with her own words, and that’s why I’m here. To help you poor ponies get somewhere where those stories can’t hurt you anymore.
Well, here’s our stop. See? I’ve got this thing timed out perfectly for our little journey here. I hope that answered a few of your questions, though I’m sure you have hundreds more. And I want you to know that I am sorry… Sorry that you had to cross over to this… Sorry that you had to hear one of the twisted tales I wrote those many years ago, and sorry that… well, that I lied.
Oh, I wasn’t lying about my story. It would be really difficult to lie about all of that. All of that is true, but remember that bright light thing you were headed towards earlier? Well, I couldn’t have you wandering off towards it. Besides, ponies who end up here always seem to love hearing stories, and what better way to get you to follow me than with a story?
And you know, sometimes ponies don’t always listen to me the whole way. They’ll leave and follow that light, but unfortunately you’re not one of those ponies #712. No, no, you’re going to help me even more than you can imagine. I’ve just… kind of made a deal and I have to hold up my end of the bargain. The more souls I get, the happier He is, and the happier He is, the sooner I can get back… be with My Beloved again. I need to break this curse so I can fix everything. Heh, he even said that if I get a few more, I might be able to completely revert Cursey back. So if anything, your death wasn’t in vain. I mean, at least you got to hear a story again, right? Who doesn’t like a good story?
So… I am sorry… but… I guess I always liked the grim and gory stories more for a reason.
Blood and viscera. That was all that was left around the single mare that stood in the middle of the campsite. Her head hung low as she trembled silently. The only movement within sight came from the fire embers that dimly lit the surroundings. Broken bodies had created a blood bath staining the ground with their tattered remains. The stench of gore filled her nostrils as she took slow steady breaths. She lifted her head slightly, watching the fire intently with her glowing crimson eyes. They did not move or waiver from the dancing flame as they shone through the tattered leather mask that remained on her face.
That mask… old, bloody, ruined. Just like her. Those simple thoughts ran through her mind as she shut her eyes, listening to the howling of the night. Her weathered, torn cloak flailed about; the wind rushing around her.
She slowly lifted her forehoof to her muzzle, dragging it along the end of the worn leather. The stitching held together the opening of where her mouth would be, sealing it completely. She wondered how ponies could hear her words through such a mask. Things like that didn’t matter anymore. Nothing did.
All that mattered was that she was alone. Nothing would undo what she had done. She knew that too much time had passed for any form of redemption; she was a damned soul.
When she gradually opened her eyes she had been given a new clarity of the world. No longer was it shrouded in darkness, nor did she have a limited point of view. She glanced down and realized something was in her hoof. That wretched piece of cloth laid in the center of her hoof. Empty eye sockets staring back at her as she looked at it, dumbfounded. She took her forehoof and ran it along her bare muzzle. She could feel the wind brushing gently over her cheeks as tears began to fall from her yellow, crimson eyes.
As she began to sob harder, a ghostly figure of a pink mare stood before her; a sad expression upon her face.
“Soon, Cursey. I will find you. I promise.” The mare whispered to herself as she watched her beloved shout to the heavens, demanding an answer as to where her Magpie was.
