Dragon With A Typewriter: A Collection Of Short Stories And Sketchesby FrostwyrmChapters[Random] Of Soup And Soap[Dark] [Experimental] Swarm[Tragedy] [Dark] Memory[Random] Of Soup And Soap-Of Soup And Soap- A short sketch about the consequences of changing a single letter. She had failed. With a snap of his claws, and a blue flash, Twilight, accompanied by the deceitful draconequus Discord, re-appeared in the crater that once was the Canterlot Palace Labyrinth. Blinded by the coincidental outlook over the maze from the palace window, she had misinterpreted the riddle the chaotic spirit had spoken to them, leading her friends to an uncertain destination. Wings and magic taken from them, and separated by towering walls, they had scrambled through the hedge maze in an attempt to reunite and reclaim the powerful artefacts – and they had failed. The Elements had never been there to begin with. It had all been part of Discord’s plan to turn her friends against each other. Now they just sat bickering behind her. “Think Twilight, think!” she muttered to herself, growing increasingly more frustrated, “Find the elements back where you began…” Tapping the side of her head with her hooves, she willed a thought to come into her head. It didn’t. “…back where you began.” The argument behind her began to escalate, as grey-Fluttershy began to torment and tease her other friends, especially provoking grey-Rarity, who was determined to keep her boulder-diamond. “Urgh!” cried the purple mare, defeated, “I just want to go home.” Suddenly, it all fell into place for her. “Wait a minute…home!” exclaimed Twilight profusely, “Back where you began! The elements must be in Ponyville!” With a short scene transition, the five mares had inexplicably travelled the entire distance from Canterlot in an instant, as Twilight finished her sentence, and were now standing on the road just outside Ponyville, overlooking the town centre. “Come on girls!” called the librarian enthusiastically, “I’m certain this is what Discord’s riddle meant! If we get back to the library, I have a book which I just know will give us a clue!” Her train of thought was suddenly interrupted by a train of giraffe-bunnies, trampling over her in a mad rush to get somewhere. “Good boy, Angel!” called grey-Fluttershy gleefully, “Mama’s so proud!” Suddenly, the sun dropped below the horizon in an instant, to be just as quickly replaced by the night-time sky and the moon. The rapid transition of light to dark had left the five ponies effectively blind, forcing them to stumble about hopelessly in the darkness. So much so, could they not see anything, they failed to notice a dark, red liquid boiling out of the ground around them. It was only when the red fluid was around their ankles, did they notice anything at all – but the sensation of a boiling liquid covering their flesh quickly changed their reaction to sheer agony. “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRGGGGGGGHHH!!” yelled Twilight in excruciating pain, hopping up and down on the tips of her hooves, “It burns!” The burning sensation on her legs began to fade, as her body adjusted to the new temperature it found itself in. Bringing her forehoof up to her mouth, she licked the fluid, and her eyes widened. “Discord’s turned our dirt roads into soup!” she cried, both surprised and delighted at the same time, “And it’s tomato soup at that!” The aforementioned draconequus floated past her serenely, sipping steaming soup slowly from a silver spoon, as he drifted past. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” asked Discord rhetorically, gesturing out over the town with his spoon, “This is the new and improved Ponyville, and these are only my first changes.” Behind her, grey-Pinkie swam a casually-grumpy-backstroke through the soup-road, squirting a fountain of soup out of her mouth. “This may look like fun, but it’s not!” “Picture it,” continued Discord, appearing out of somewhere next to Twilight and picking her up, “The culinary chaos capital of the world!” Once again, the sun dropped beneath the horizon, leaving them blind in darkness. “I can’t picture anything. It’s too dark.” Twilight replied flatly. “Well,” retorted the draconequus, dropping her back into the soup, “Wait a few minutes and you’ll see it in the beautiful light of day - or not.” “You know,” began Twilight slyly, “I might be warming up to this whole chaos thing. With a mage as powerful as me, Pinkie’s culinary and reality-warping skills, and your chaos – we would be unstoppable…” The draconequus paused, taking this bold statement into consideration. “Deal!” exclaimed Discord enthusiastically. Turning around, he snapped his claw, and turned grey-Pinkie back to normal-Pinkie – that is, if “normal” can be used to describe her. Picking the two mares up in a tight hug, Discord announced gleefully, “I think this might be the start of something wonderful!” With a flash, they disappeared. And so began a new era in Equestria’s history, one that would be remembered fondly for many years to come. End. Author's Note As you can see, it’s not hard to make that mistake if the top of the “a” in soap were somewhat smudged. Yup, that’s the entire basis for the story... Frostwyrm [Dark] [Experimental] Swarm-Swarm- For the Queen. For the Hive. See blackness. Darkness. Shadows. Hide from danger. Keep safe. Keep secrets. Good morning, my children. Queen calls the Hive. Speaks to the Hive. Go, seek food! Food for the Hive! Commands the Hive. Hive is everything. Queen is everything. Scanning ground. Seeking food. Food for the Queen. Food for the Hive. Flash of pink. Food! PREY! Thoughts shared between. Swarm descends. Swarm attacks. Fresh prey. Fresh blood. Feeding begins. Frenzy! More blood. Prey taken to Hive. What remains. Food for Queen. Food for Hive. Well done my children. Queen is pleased! Queen is everything. Rest now, my children. Queen commands it. Wake, my children. Darkness fades. Green and grey. The Hive. We must leave, my children. Never question. Only go. Queen commands it. Leave the Hive. Leave…home? Come away, my children. New food. New prey. Feed on them. Deceive. Home is gone. New home awaits. New food! New prey! Darkness. Fear. Not Hive. Not Safe. Be still, my children. I will watch over, and protect. Queen comforts. Queen is good. Queen is everything. Sunlight. Harsh. Burning. Hide in shadows. Safe. Scouts. Thoughts shared. New prey? See! Query? Ponies, my children. Like the swarm, but weaker. Not connected. No Queen. Ponies? No Queen? Weak. Not connected. Prey. Ponies brought to new Hive. Blue. Soft. Dead. Prey. Cocoon to keep safe. Become part of Swarm. Become connected. My children, take their place. Become deceit. Feed on them Think. There is a pulse, unlike what we have felt before. There is something new. Something about us is different. We can think. We infiltrate, deceive, and feed on them. The ponies do not know. We take one, then become them. Pony goes to Hive, becomes part of Swarm. Pony becomes connected with us. Pony isn’t Pony anymore. Pony is Swarm now. Our Queen commands us, instructs us. My children, enter this city, this Pony-Hive. We will be with you. We enter the Pony-Hive. Love and joy are uncontained. What a waste. We feed on it, keep it for the Queen, for the Hive. Queen is feeding on strong love, we can feel it. Queen is not sharing it with the Hive. We are… concerned? Queen is growing powerful. A powerful Queen is a good Queen. Strange purple barrier around Pony-Hive now. We cannot enter. We cannot leave. The Swarm is trapped, inside and outside. Be ready, my children. Soon, we will be together. We are connected with you. Everything is nearly ready. Patience, my children. We are still. We will wait. Queen commands it. Eight suns have passed. The Swarm is restless. We cannot hear the Queen. The Swarm is concerned. We will build an army. Save our Queen. Queen is good. Queen is everything. Without Queen, there is no Hive, there is no Swarm. Ponies are still Prey. We take more ponies. Red. Swarm must feed Hive without the Queen. Frenzy. Many Ponies. All dead now. Fresh Prey. Fresh blood. Hive must have fresh food. Come, my children. The hour has come when we will strike. This Pony-Hive will fall, and we will be there to feed on it. Swarm. Thoughts shared. Attack? Now? Yes, my children. Now. We attack the great barrier, and it falls. For the Swarm! For the Queen! Catch Prey. Catch Ponies. All the same. Hive must have fresh food. Shapechange. Infiltrate. Deceive. Trick Prey. Catch Prey. Blood. Frenzy. Dead. More Ponies brought to new Hive. Cocoon to keep safe. Ponies become Swarm. Battle over. Swarm is victorious. Queen controls Pony-Hive now. Ponies are Prey. Queen commands it. Fly. Seek. Catch Prey. Catch Ponies. Hive needs fresh food. Frenzy. Queen commands it. -End- Author's Note A slightly different look at how changelings think in relation to the world around them. Save for the Queen, they are drones – nothing more. They act on what the Queen commands, and for the good of the Swarm and the Hive, and that is all they know. Tagging it as [Dark] and [Experimental], because that is what it is closest to. Addendum: I’ve been reading too many changeling stories lately, hence, this. [Tragedy] [Dark] Memory-Memory- Even after we have passed, sometimes all that there is to know us by is a memory. But as time goes by, even they can corrupt. A solitary white alicorn strode solemnly to the elegantly crafted stone pedestal, her eyes fixed on the great amethyst that lay embedded in its peak. Ancient runes floated serenely inside it, sitting just beneath the surface, sheltered from the reality of the world outside the facets of the crystal. It was one of many in the rows of similar memorials, but this one was unique to the solar diarch, as each of them was. The Hall of Students was Celestia’s private place of mourning. Situated between the Canterlot Archives and the Princess’ own room, it was a physical representation of the connection the princess shared with her students – a love of magic and learning, and the memorials lining the corridor reminded her of the personal connection it gave her. Touching her horn against the purple crystal, the runes ignited in a display of light and movement – casting shadows on the walls around its enclave. Gazing at the engraved image of a cutie mark at the base of the monument, Celestia whispered sadly, “I miss you so much, Twilight…” “I know, I miss you too…” The ethereal reply echoed down the hall, causing the other monument crystals to activate and glow. “Twilight, it has been a while since we last spoke.” The princess replied nonchalantly, staring at the projection of her former student. “We’ve missed you,” replied the projection of Twilight, “All of us have missed you.” “I’m so sorry, Equestria is becoming more difficult to manage, and I simply cannot find time for myself anymore…” stated the princess sadly. “How is Luna these days?” asked another projection, adorned in a deep blue hat and robe. “She has moved on from this ‘mausoleum’, and tells me that I remain fixated on the past by visiting you.” “Ah.” The bearded wizard replied thoughtfully, “I think I will miss her visits. She used to be much livelier before she…” “I know,” said Celestia mournfully, “but so much has happened since she returned. Although she will still cling to some habits of old, she has moved on.” “I know the ‘habits’ of which you speak – the Royal Canterlot Voice can be heard clearly from down here. All the way from the throne room, I might add.” “Well,” replied the alicorn, suppressing a laugh, “some things I cannot change, but I will pass on your ‘complements’ to her sometime this evening during the Changing of the Sky.” “I think I miss the stars down here,” stated Twilight, gazing at the ceiling, “I think we’d all like to see the night sky once more…” “You know as well as I why this cannot be, young one.” “To live forever, something you hold closest must be sacrificed,” recited Twilight longingly, “For a soul fades more each day it sees the dawn of.” Celestia let her head fall, closing her eyes in shame. “You chose to endure a pain greater than death, to be with me, for as long as I endure. As I tore you souls from your dying bodies, I felt everything you did – the joy, the pain, the sadness and the regret, so you could all stay with me beyond the grasp of time.” “We all made a choice – we chose to stay by your side so that you will never be lonely, and will always have somepony you trust to speak to. Through your darkest hour, we will be beside you if you call.” The voices spoke together, as one – unified in thought and spirit, the melody of tones producing a song of speech. “You chose to endure a life permanently bonded to this place, never to finally pass on from this world. The life you pledged to me long ago has passed, and it is only I who hold you captive here.” “It is not our choice to make. We remain here for you – but if you will not remain for us, release us to the world beyond this.” “Perhaps my sister is right, and I am too attached to the past…” “There is much to be learnt from the past – you must never ignore it.” “To forget the past, means you will make the same mistakes over and over again.” A scene played out through Celestia’s mind – the thought of losing her sister to the Nightmare again. Millennia blur together, and the same scene repeats – joy, discontent, jealousy, rage, regret, vengeance, joy… It was a past she wished she could forget The solar princess awoke in her room – which was rather unexpected for her. Prior to being in the Hall, she had no recollection of how she came to be in her room. Sitting bolt upright, a terrible thought passed through her mind. How much of what just happened was real? If I am here, then I could have been dreaming. If I was, that means that I have no legacy of my students left – but if I wasn’t, I have committed a terrible crime against them. Bolting from her room, Celestia ran towards the entrance to the Hall, silently hoping that something would be proved. Throwing the doors wide open, she found… Nothing. The corridor was as empty as if it had never had anything in it to begin with. Continuing down the passage to the rotunda at the mid-point of the Hall, a soft light was just visible beneath the heavy doors. Pushing them open with her magic, she again found an empty room, its circular walls echoing her hoofsteps. Shafts of light hung in the air across the room, but did not enter via the windows. The great stained glass panels were pitch black, covered by a thick wall of black fog. This was unnatural – something felt very wrong. Backing up slowly, Celestia’s eyes flicked in all directions, searching for something unseen. Suddenly, she ran into something, and her head whipped around to the appearance of a foreign object that had not been there moments before. Turning fully, she saw a stone pedestal in front of her, delicately inscribed with cutie marks she knew all too well - those of her past students. Affixed to the peak was a smoky black crystal inscribed with crimson runes that appeared to have been drawn with blood… It can’t be real. It can’t be real… I would never force that pain upon my students…would I? The longer she gazed at the dark stone, the more it seemed to draw her in. It almost seemed hungry, like it was waiting for something. Or somepony. Somewhere behind her she could hear the sound of pages being turned. There were no books when I arrived here, how can I be hearing them? From within the depths of the rotunda, a sinister voice called out to her, an all too familiar voice. “Did you miss us, Celestia?” Everything aligned, and it finally occurred to the solar princess that was not a dream. It was real. What she had done, to her students and friends, was very real. -End- Author's Note How far would you go to keep the memory of someone alive? The implications of stored consciousness is a moral grey area – the original is neither alive, or dead – instead, trapped in a permanent limbo between both. This is written as a progressively darker fic, which explores aspects of memories we choose to remember and keep.
[Random] Of Soup And Soap-Of Soup And Soap- A short sketch about the consequences of changing a single letter. She had failed. With a snap of his claws, and a blue flash, Twilight, accompanied by the deceitful draconequus Discord, re-appeared in the crater that once was the Canterlot Palace Labyrinth. Blinded by the coincidental outlook over the maze from the palace window, she had misinterpreted the riddle the chaotic spirit had spoken to them, leading her friends to an uncertain destination. Wings and magic taken from them, and separated by towering walls, they had scrambled through the hedge maze in an attempt to reunite and reclaim the powerful artefacts – and they had failed. The Elements had never been there to begin with. It had all been part of Discord’s plan to turn her friends against each other. Now they just sat bickering behind her. “Think Twilight, think!” she muttered to herself, growing increasingly more frustrated, “Find the elements back where you began…” Tapping the side of her head with her hooves, she willed a thought to come into her head. It didn’t. “…back where you began.” The argument behind her began to escalate, as grey-Fluttershy began to torment and tease her other friends, especially provoking grey-Rarity, who was determined to keep her boulder-diamond. “Urgh!” cried the purple mare, defeated, “I just want to go home.” Suddenly, it all fell into place for her. “Wait a minute…home!” exclaimed Twilight profusely, “Back where you began! The elements must be in Ponyville!” With a short scene transition, the five mares had inexplicably travelled the entire distance from Canterlot in an instant, as Twilight finished her sentence, and were now standing on the road just outside Ponyville, overlooking the town centre. “Come on girls!” called the librarian enthusiastically, “I’m certain this is what Discord’s riddle meant! If we get back to the library, I have a book which I just know will give us a clue!” Her train of thought was suddenly interrupted by a train of giraffe-bunnies, trampling over her in a mad rush to get somewhere. “Good boy, Angel!” called grey-Fluttershy gleefully, “Mama’s so proud!” Suddenly, the sun dropped below the horizon in an instant, to be just as quickly replaced by the night-time sky and the moon. The rapid transition of light to dark had left the five ponies effectively blind, forcing them to stumble about hopelessly in the darkness. So much so, could they not see anything, they failed to notice a dark, red liquid boiling out of the ground around them. It was only when the red fluid was around their ankles, did they notice anything at all – but the sensation of a boiling liquid covering their flesh quickly changed their reaction to sheer agony. “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRGGGGGGGHHH!!” yelled Twilight in excruciating pain, hopping up and down on the tips of her hooves, “It burns!” The burning sensation on her legs began to fade, as her body adjusted to the new temperature it found itself in. Bringing her forehoof up to her mouth, she licked the fluid, and her eyes widened. “Discord’s turned our dirt roads into soup!” she cried, both surprised and delighted at the same time, “And it’s tomato soup at that!” The aforementioned draconequus floated past her serenely, sipping steaming soup slowly from a silver spoon, as he drifted past. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” asked Discord rhetorically, gesturing out over the town with his spoon, “This is the new and improved Ponyville, and these are only my first changes.” Behind her, grey-Pinkie swam a casually-grumpy-backstroke through the soup-road, squirting a fountain of soup out of her mouth. “This may look like fun, but it’s not!” “Picture it,” continued Discord, appearing out of somewhere next to Twilight and picking her up, “The culinary chaos capital of the world!” Once again, the sun dropped beneath the horizon, leaving them blind in darkness. “I can’t picture anything. It’s too dark.” Twilight replied flatly. “Well,” retorted the draconequus, dropping her back into the soup, “Wait a few minutes and you’ll see it in the beautiful light of day - or not.” “You know,” began Twilight slyly, “I might be warming up to this whole chaos thing. With a mage as powerful as me, Pinkie’s culinary and reality-warping skills, and your chaos – we would be unstoppable…” The draconequus paused, taking this bold statement into consideration. “Deal!” exclaimed Discord enthusiastically. Turning around, he snapped his claw, and turned grey-Pinkie back to normal-Pinkie – that is, if “normal” can be used to describe her. Picking the two mares up in a tight hug, Discord announced gleefully, “I think this might be the start of something wonderful!” With a flash, they disappeared. And so began a new era in Equestria’s history, one that would be remembered fondly for many years to come. End. Author's Note As you can see, it’s not hard to make that mistake if the top of the “a” in soap were somewhat smudged. Yup, that’s the entire basis for the story... Frostwyrm
[Dark] [Experimental] Swarm-Swarm- For the Queen. For the Hive. See blackness. Darkness. Shadows. Hide from danger. Keep safe. Keep secrets. Good morning, my children. Queen calls the Hive. Speaks to the Hive. Go, seek food! Food for the Hive! Commands the Hive. Hive is everything. Queen is everything. Scanning ground. Seeking food. Food for the Queen. Food for the Hive. Flash of pink. Food! PREY! Thoughts shared between. Swarm descends. Swarm attacks. Fresh prey. Fresh blood. Feeding begins. Frenzy! More blood. Prey taken to Hive. What remains. Food for Queen. Food for Hive. Well done my children. Queen is pleased! Queen is everything. Rest now, my children. Queen commands it. Wake, my children. Darkness fades. Green and grey. The Hive. We must leave, my children. Never question. Only go. Queen commands it. Leave the Hive. Leave…home? Come away, my children. New food. New prey. Feed on them. Deceive. Home is gone. New home awaits. New food! New prey! Darkness. Fear. Not Hive. Not Safe. Be still, my children. I will watch over, and protect. Queen comforts. Queen is good. Queen is everything. Sunlight. Harsh. Burning. Hide in shadows. Safe. Scouts. Thoughts shared. New prey? See! Query? Ponies, my children. Like the swarm, but weaker. Not connected. No Queen. Ponies? No Queen? Weak. Not connected. Prey. Ponies brought to new Hive. Blue. Soft. Dead. Prey. Cocoon to keep safe. Become part of Swarm. Become connected. My children, take their place. Become deceit. Feed on them Think. There is a pulse, unlike what we have felt before. There is something new. Something about us is different. We can think. We infiltrate, deceive, and feed on them. The ponies do not know. We take one, then become them. Pony goes to Hive, becomes part of Swarm. Pony becomes connected with us. Pony isn’t Pony anymore. Pony is Swarm now. Our Queen commands us, instructs us. My children, enter this city, this Pony-Hive. We will be with you. We enter the Pony-Hive. Love and joy are uncontained. What a waste. We feed on it, keep it for the Queen, for the Hive. Queen is feeding on strong love, we can feel it. Queen is not sharing it with the Hive. We are… concerned? Queen is growing powerful. A powerful Queen is a good Queen. Strange purple barrier around Pony-Hive now. We cannot enter. We cannot leave. The Swarm is trapped, inside and outside. Be ready, my children. Soon, we will be together. We are connected with you. Everything is nearly ready. Patience, my children. We are still. We will wait. Queen commands it. Eight suns have passed. The Swarm is restless. We cannot hear the Queen. The Swarm is concerned. We will build an army. Save our Queen. Queen is good. Queen is everything. Without Queen, there is no Hive, there is no Swarm. Ponies are still Prey. We take more ponies. Red. Swarm must feed Hive without the Queen. Frenzy. Many Ponies. All dead now. Fresh Prey. Fresh blood. Hive must have fresh food. Come, my children. The hour has come when we will strike. This Pony-Hive will fall, and we will be there to feed on it. Swarm. Thoughts shared. Attack? Now? Yes, my children. Now. We attack the great barrier, and it falls. For the Swarm! For the Queen! Catch Prey. Catch Ponies. All the same. Hive must have fresh food. Shapechange. Infiltrate. Deceive. Trick Prey. Catch Prey. Blood. Frenzy. Dead. More Ponies brought to new Hive. Cocoon to keep safe. Ponies become Swarm. Battle over. Swarm is victorious. Queen controls Pony-Hive now. Ponies are Prey. Queen commands it. Fly. Seek. Catch Prey. Catch Ponies. Hive needs fresh food. Frenzy. Queen commands it. -End- Author's Note A slightly different look at how changelings think in relation to the world around them. Save for the Queen, they are drones – nothing more. They act on what the Queen commands, and for the good of the Swarm and the Hive, and that is all they know. Tagging it as [Dark] and [Experimental], because that is what it is closest to. Addendum: I’ve been reading too many changeling stories lately, hence, this.
[Tragedy] [Dark] Memory-Memory- Even after we have passed, sometimes all that there is to know us by is a memory. But as time goes by, even they can corrupt. A solitary white alicorn strode solemnly to the elegantly crafted stone pedestal, her eyes fixed on the great amethyst that lay embedded in its peak. Ancient runes floated serenely inside it, sitting just beneath the surface, sheltered from the reality of the world outside the facets of the crystal. It was one of many in the rows of similar memorials, but this one was unique to the solar diarch, as each of them was. The Hall of Students was Celestia’s private place of mourning. Situated between the Canterlot Archives and the Princess’ own room, it was a physical representation of the connection the princess shared with her students – a love of magic and learning, and the memorials lining the corridor reminded her of the personal connection it gave her. Touching her horn against the purple crystal, the runes ignited in a display of light and movement – casting shadows on the walls around its enclave. Gazing at the engraved image of a cutie mark at the base of the monument, Celestia whispered sadly, “I miss you so much, Twilight…” “I know, I miss you too…” The ethereal reply echoed down the hall, causing the other monument crystals to activate and glow. “Twilight, it has been a while since we last spoke.” The princess replied nonchalantly, staring at the projection of her former student. “We’ve missed you,” replied the projection of Twilight, “All of us have missed you.” “I’m so sorry, Equestria is becoming more difficult to manage, and I simply cannot find time for myself anymore…” stated the princess sadly. “How is Luna these days?” asked another projection, adorned in a deep blue hat and robe. “She has moved on from this ‘mausoleum’, and tells me that I remain fixated on the past by visiting you.” “Ah.” The bearded wizard replied thoughtfully, “I think I will miss her visits. She used to be much livelier before she…” “I know,” said Celestia mournfully, “but so much has happened since she returned. Although she will still cling to some habits of old, she has moved on.” “I know the ‘habits’ of which you speak – the Royal Canterlot Voice can be heard clearly from down here. All the way from the throne room, I might add.” “Well,” replied the alicorn, suppressing a laugh, “some things I cannot change, but I will pass on your ‘complements’ to her sometime this evening during the Changing of the Sky.” “I think I miss the stars down here,” stated Twilight, gazing at the ceiling, “I think we’d all like to see the night sky once more…” “You know as well as I why this cannot be, young one.” “To live forever, something you hold closest must be sacrificed,” recited Twilight longingly, “For a soul fades more each day it sees the dawn of.” Celestia let her head fall, closing her eyes in shame. “You chose to endure a pain greater than death, to be with me, for as long as I endure. As I tore you souls from your dying bodies, I felt everything you did – the joy, the pain, the sadness and the regret, so you could all stay with me beyond the grasp of time.” “We all made a choice – we chose to stay by your side so that you will never be lonely, and will always have somepony you trust to speak to. Through your darkest hour, we will be beside you if you call.” The voices spoke together, as one – unified in thought and spirit, the melody of tones producing a song of speech. “You chose to endure a life permanently bonded to this place, never to finally pass on from this world. The life you pledged to me long ago has passed, and it is only I who hold you captive here.” “It is not our choice to make. We remain here for you – but if you will not remain for us, release us to the world beyond this.” “Perhaps my sister is right, and I am too attached to the past…” “There is much to be learnt from the past – you must never ignore it.” “To forget the past, means you will make the same mistakes over and over again.” A scene played out through Celestia’s mind – the thought of losing her sister to the Nightmare again. Millennia blur together, and the same scene repeats – joy, discontent, jealousy, rage, regret, vengeance, joy… It was a past she wished she could forget The solar princess awoke in her room – which was rather unexpected for her. Prior to being in the Hall, she had no recollection of how she came to be in her room. Sitting bolt upright, a terrible thought passed through her mind. How much of what just happened was real? If I am here, then I could have been dreaming. If I was, that means that I have no legacy of my students left – but if I wasn’t, I have committed a terrible crime against them. Bolting from her room, Celestia ran towards the entrance to the Hall, silently hoping that something would be proved. Throwing the doors wide open, she found… Nothing. The corridor was as empty as if it had never had anything in it to begin with. Continuing down the passage to the rotunda at the mid-point of the Hall, a soft light was just visible beneath the heavy doors. Pushing them open with her magic, she again found an empty room, its circular walls echoing her hoofsteps. Shafts of light hung in the air across the room, but did not enter via the windows. The great stained glass panels were pitch black, covered by a thick wall of black fog. This was unnatural – something felt very wrong. Backing up slowly, Celestia’s eyes flicked in all directions, searching for something unseen. Suddenly, she ran into something, and her head whipped around to the appearance of a foreign object that had not been there moments before. Turning fully, she saw a stone pedestal in front of her, delicately inscribed with cutie marks she knew all too well - those of her past students. Affixed to the peak was a smoky black crystal inscribed with crimson runes that appeared to have been drawn with blood… It can’t be real. It can’t be real… I would never force that pain upon my students…would I? The longer she gazed at the dark stone, the more it seemed to draw her in. It almost seemed hungry, like it was waiting for something. Or somepony. Somewhere behind her she could hear the sound of pages being turned. There were no books when I arrived here, how can I be hearing them? From within the depths of the rotunda, a sinister voice called out to her, an all too familiar voice. “Did you miss us, Celestia?” Everything aligned, and it finally occurred to the solar princess that was not a dream. It was real. What she had done, to her students and friends, was very real. -End- Author's Note How far would you go to keep the memory of someone alive? The implications of stored consciousness is a moral grey area – the original is neither alive, or dead – instead, trapped in a permanent limbo between both. This is written as a progressively darker fic, which explores aspects of memories we choose to remember and keep.
