"What is a monster?" I have asked myself this question most my life ever since mother told me the truth. I understood her reasons for making me but couldn't get the thought out of my head that I was dirty somehow, nothing but a Red Herring, a cheap imitation of real life... Afterwards I poured over every reference I could find on the subject, looking for some form of comfort. The first thing I found is the old phrase, "A Monster is not born, they are made." (This didn't do much but make me angry for some reason...) I have also pieced together that it seems monsters come down to an imbalance of "self" between three parts, usually lacking one part more than anything else... The mind, The heart, and the soul... (Just because someone is deformed, doesn't automatically make them a true monster.) I know I have a mind because I tend to overthink things, a heart because I feel things emotionally, but do I have a soul? I can only hope I somehow obtained one during my "birth" since it was the only part of life mother couldn't actually create...

From the Private Journal of RΔF

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~Years later in Canterlot, mere hours after the defeat of Tirek~

The castle Night-guard made their way through the castle and gardens looking for any signs of intrusion as was their purpose. Two rather new recruits in particular had made a rather unsettling discovery in front of one particular statue (That had been brought from the Crystal Empire some time ago) and both currently were debating how to deal with it.

"Shouldn't we inform the Princesses?" the first one asked worriedly.
"About what?" the second questioned as he looked away, trying to act like he hadn't seen anything.
"Seriously, You don't see those cracks?" the first asked in an almost disbelieving tone.
"It's a statue, they sometimes get cracks..." responded the second.
"Cracks that glow in the dark and spark with lightning energy?" hissed the first, clearly angry and on the verge of panic.
"Um... Which one do you want to wake?" asked the second after a good minute of silence just staring at the obvious signs of his life most likely being over.

Meanwhile, Princess Luna lay her head on her pillow and began her nightly patrol of the Dream Realm. With all the trouble Tirek had caused, she knew her subjects would unfortunately be needing her aid for a good long while. Upon entering the space between dreams she immediately sensed something different, an unsettlingly strong darkness seemed to be leaking from the seams of a particular door nearby. Luna cautiously made her way to the portal and in a flash of her horn, opened the door into the realm of whomever this particular dream belonged to.

~~~(Skip if you have a strong dislike of scenes of disturbing imagery and unpleasant dark stuff.)~~~

Luna found herself in a forest of pine trees surrounded by a thick fog of darkness. Tendrils of fog seemed to crawl through the trees and slowly dissipate over time. If this wasn't disconcerting enough, there was also the sound of humming of what she recognized as the tune to “Row, Row, Row your boat“, but the voice sounded off, as it was coming out flat or cracked in a way that distorts all warmth from it. It reminded Luna of a broken music box, badly out of tune and now echoing its haunting melody through the forest.

Luna could sense the presence of the dreamer and could tell they were in the direction the music was coming from. It didn't take long till Luna found what she was looking for. At the edge of the tree line was a small lake that seemed perfectly round. In this area was a sight that gave even the night princess chills.

The sky above seemed to be a swirling mass of storm clouds spiraling slowly with an eye like a hurricane in the middle of the vortex. Meanwhile at the lake’s very center below, was a rotting wooden boat whose frame seemed to be made from the bones of some large creature long since dead. She immediately found the source of the singing was the boat’s sole occupant, a somewhat short bipedal creature completely concealed by a hooded black cloak. The boat itself was currently acting quite odd as instead of being propelled forward, it seemed to be stuck in a slow spin despite the cloaked figure’s best efforts to row to the horrible haunting melody.

As the boat turned, the princess gasped in shock from two horrific details she had missed. The first being that the oars of the boat were really carved bone like the frame. Not only were they rotting, but actually oozing crimson blood out into the water, leaving the boat surrounded by a ring of scarlet ripples. The second detail was more notable as she drew close enough to see below the figure's hood. The face was still concealed in the shadow but the princess recognized what had once been a pair of large, beautiful blue eyes that seemed to be literally lit from within. Luna remembered those eyes and the singing voice now. She had seen and heard both long ago, so full of life and mischief unlike how they were here in this nightmare, completely empty and dead.

~~~(End of the unpleasant dark stuff.)~~~

She was about to call out to get the dreamers attention, when she heard voices calling her name back to the waking world. Before she could utter a single syllable to capture the attention of the creature in the boat, she found herself in her bed, staring at the two panicked guards who had awoken her.

Before a single word could be spoken between the three, a bright flash of light outside the window and an explosion that only could have come from thunder was heard. Without wasting a moment, Luna teleported to the garden already aware what it was that could have caused the commotion. Her suspicions were confirmed at that moment as upon the pedestal that once held the crystal statue was a large white rabbit. Her head sported large bangs highlighted with red streaks and she was dressed peculiarly in torn black clothing that could be considered revealing. A red mini-skirt with a slit on each side added to the leggings she had and both were held up by a spiked belt. Matching spiked armbands held black arm-length gloves in place as well. A sturdy pair of black boots with two red lightning bolts on either side protected her feet, and to top the ensemble off were a matching pair of aquamarine earrings at the base of each ear, mirroring the pendant around her neck attached to a black leather choker.

The most unusual thing was though this creature had obviously been just struck by lightning, it showed no obvious evidence other than the smoke rising from it and the remains of its prison. It seemed so unconcerned in fact that it had simply curled up on its pedestal and gone back to sleep, two digits placed in its mouth as it enjoyed the most peaceful dream it had experienced in the past thousand years.

~To be Continued~

Author's Note

This is why you should have your statues spayed or neutered. Lightning babies are no laughing matter folks!!!

Special Thanks:
Silky Charm, KukriRyuTsukino, Reborn-Hero, Shodowsoffate42, Zaron and Kazziepones, and anyone who is reading this.

Let me know if you find any mistakes. Constructive criticism and love of any kind always helps, Thanks!