Essence: Past, Present, Future

Chapters

Chapter 0: Prologue
Chapter 1: Mi Amore Diane
Chapter 2: Carriage
Chapter 3: Nightfall
Chapter 4: Luna
Chapter 5: Essence
Chapter 6: First Impressions

Chapter 0: Prologue

Hi! My name is Princess Diane, but you can just call me Diane. I live with this annoying sister of mine, Princess Celestia, who bugs me non-stop. Every single day, she makes me read up on books, like “How to act like a proper Princess – by Princess Celestia,” and “Things Princesses should neither say nor do in front of guests – by Princess Celestia.” I dread reading books like these, which she wrote hundreds of years ago.

We have never gotten along as sisters, constantly fighting and bickering about the smallest issues. Due to her constantly whining about my behaviours, I have decided to nickname her 'Celly', after the string instrument, the cello. On the surface, she will appear, but pull some strings and make her mad, and her voice will shatter your eardrums. Urgh... Thank natural laws that Celly isn't my only sister; I actually have another older sister, Luna, but I rarely get to see her because she is always so busy. I'm sleeping, and she's working. I'm awake, and she's sleeping. There really isn't time to talk to her. Together, us three live in this castle which is levitating on some floating rock that Celly keeps floated with her magic.

With great power comes great responsibility... at least that's what Celly always tells me, but I never seem to understand. But I do understand each of us have different roles as Princesses, albeit sharing the same power; Celly manages the day activities, Luna manages the night, while I manage a special little box called Ponydora: a magical box that is used to seal Discord from the world when he wrecked evil about a thousand years ago. It has been sealed and kept away at a top of a secret tower, and if anypony happens to find it and reaches for the top, there's an extremely tedious mountainous route he or she has to scale to get up there, not to mention if he or she takes one wrong step, death awaits. Not like anypony will find it randomly. A shroud conceals it so that no pony can see, a dome veneers it so that no magic can pass through, and a magical net covers it so that no pony can fly through. Of course, us Princesses can just disable the magic, but to any pony lucky, or unlucky, enough to find the place, they won't make it all the way to the top. Most ponies either give up and head back down, fall to their deaths, or starve to death.

Somehow, they like picking starving for some reason. Maybe because they think someone might come rescue them, but they're just silly. No one makes it up there alive.

Magic eventually fades, and there's no exception to the magic that binds Discord to Ponydora. To prevent world mayhem from happening, I have been assigned to reinforce the magic, which seems like a glorious thing at first- I'm protecting the world!-, but after just a few years, this yearly routine has become rather tedisome. Nothing interesting ever happens at the tower. I use some magic and 'Poof!', Discord's inside the box for another year. Using my youthful age as an excuse, Celly makes me do easy stuff as part of my 'training'. Something about learning to make sacrifices when the time is right. Heh...

Despite the 'sacrifices' I have to make to keep the world safe- something that needs to stay so I can just spend my time happily-, as well as the constant hammering from Celly about me not acting like royalty, there are in fact, quirks to being a Princess. For example, I can make others do whatever I don't want to do, as long as Celly doesn't know about it. In fact, I've once made a guard carry me around because I didn't want to damage my newly trimmed and washed nails. I even made one lie down on the mud so that I can walk through a mud puddle. Sometimes, I feel like a jerk, but a princess has to do what she has to do, right?

I live quite the joyous life; being able to abuse my power for my own selfish needs- gosh, did I just say that?- is only the tip of the iceberg. I enjoy sparring, and just so happens that there is a weapons room convieniently located behind my own bedroom. Every free time I have will be spent in there, experimenting on different weapon techniques, handling and strokes. The whole idea of fighting excites me; the intesnity I get in between slashes, the the force that resonates when two weapons collide, and the speed at which the weapons flails around, all adds to my insatiable hunger.

That's just fighting. What the room is filled with are what cherries on top of cakes do; they enrich the already sweet-tasting wonder. Every single time I enter, I smile with excitement, the arrays of weapons I itch to wield and mutilate my opponents with- I mean practice techniques on my opponents with(with that I mean my 'highly-trained' guards)- end up freezing all daylight and burning all moonlight of mine. I do have a favorite weapon, aptly named Sylph for its light weight, which I had enchanted to my likings. Before, it had been compact but fierce, but after the enchantment, it feels even lighter than a feather, and stronger than a whole herd of bison. On top of that, it can return to my side at my whim, and is indestructible.

With that said, of course my 'dear' sister Celly doesn't know about it. The knowledge of my acquisition of a weapon will definitely irk her, saying something like "Weapons are unsafe!", or like "Our guards can fight for us.". That's why every time I want to swing a couple of swords around, I have to cast a spell- something Celly already prohibits me from doing for unknown reasons- to ward the place off from other eyes.

Other then my love for a couple of steel clashing together, I also love playing pranks on Celly. It's actually quite the joyride, especially when it's Celly. I will always remember my first prank on her, back then when I was just a little filly. She woke me up from my early slumber, amounting to the fact I skipped dinner- I wasn't hungry anyways- and demanded I finish it. I didn't like my sleep to be interrupted, and anger filled my tiny head. I was so mad, I sneaked into her room while she was asleep, and poured glue all over her hair and pillow. The next day, she walked around the castle with the pillow stuck onto her head, her confused expression giving away her oblivion of what I had done. Every time a pony walked by and saw her, they would break into laughter instantly, much to Celly's anger and puzzlement. It was humiliating for one to have a pillow glued to the back of her head. It was another for a princess to succumb to a prank of such low-life comedy, which had always pleased me for pulling it. Ever since that day, whenever I needed a good laugh, I'd find any means to disturb my 'dear' older sister. Talk about irony, where the younger bullies the older.

Strangely, it felt good to watch Celly get humiliated. And every time I did it, not even the slightest remorse would come out of me. Ask me. Ask me if I had regretted any misgivings towards her, and my answer will always be what Celly would tell me when I had ask for a little more than independence.

Well, of course, Celly soon found out about it and I got punished for that; I had to pack her room for an entire year, and she insisted that I cleaned it the way she had always cleaned hers. But it was all worth the humiliation she suffered.

All worth it.

Author's Note

I've got feedback that I broke canon about Princesses.

Oh well.

SCREW THE RULES. DIS IS MA STORY.

Edit: I took out the back stories for certain characters. TOO BAD. LOL for those who know about it, well, good for you.

Chapter 1: Mi Amore Diane

"... go pack your room this instant!" yelled Celly.

"But I just packed yesterday!" I cried out, the two of us engaged in an argument in inside my room.

"And today, it's in a mess again. You need to start learning to be organized, Diane. And I want you to learn how to be more independent, and more self-reliant! You're already mature enough to know what to do. I shouldn't be telling you all of this!"

"But... I just woke up!" I whimpered.

"No buts! Do it. Now!" And with that, she stormed off in fury, leaving me standing in my room, which was littered with strewn pillows and messy cushions. My oak table was in a mess, and my beautiful glass windows were laden with dust.

I hated to admit it, but my room did look like a typhoon blew this room apart, but it would have gotten messier after I packed it, so why bother anyways? Why does she even care about the state of my room? And why did she have to be so controlling all the time? I mean like, I had grown up! My adolescent ages had gone by for crying out loud! Puberty was a thing of the past, but why must she still treat me like an ignorant kid?

I threw myself on my bed, and buried under one of the many pillows, then yelled muffled cries in despair, taking my frustration out on the soft goodness. I laid still, head facing towards the bed, as I hoped for time to past faster so my day could end faster, which wouldn't happen if I didn't pack my room, Celly was bound to check, and would demand I fix all abnormalities or deviants with her definition of a 'pristine-conditioned' room.

I sat up, contemplated on my next action. Clean the room? I had to do it some time. Sleep? That sounded good. Stomach? Growling; I was hungry. And it kept snarling its invisible teeth at me, begging for me to swallow some digestible material to satisfy its hunger. I knew if I wanted an early lunch, I had to do what Celly wanted me to do.

I let out a sigh and dragged my feet over to the side of my bed. Then I began picking up all the pillows with my horn, and placed them in an orderly fashion on my bed, straightening the grooves at the same time. Lastly, I folded my blanket and fixed my bedsheets, and my room looked tidy already. I levitated the cushions to one side, and grabbed a broom and dustpan and swept the entire room. Once the floor was clear of stuff, I began to wipe the windows with a cloth, allowing sunlight to actually shine through. I shut one eye in response to the change of lighting, which had perked my room up, revealing trash all around my room. How I missed them when I swept, I was unclear, but I put down my cloth and started sweeping again. That was when Celly entered my room again. Doesn't she EVER knock?

"I see you're cleaning, but I would have finished the entire room by now. I will come back one more time after ten minutes to check. If it's still not up to standard, make you own lunch, okay?" And before I could react to her sudden motions, she left the room once again.

The nerve! Did she just compare me to her? I'm not weak! I'll show her!

I proceeded to my drawers and pulled a mouse trap out, then placed it right in front of the door. This prank was more as a revenge, although I know I would enjoy this. After that, I went back to sweeping, picking up all the trash and throwing them in a huge bin outside my room. My floor was finally spotless, and I proceeded back to cleaning the windows. As I concentrated hard to finish my task, without any warning, one of the guards appeared behind me, tapped my shoulder and signalled that Celly was on her way. But the windows aren't done! Oh no...

Taken aback, I lost concentration, and the window I was cleaning shattered. After taking a moment to get back into reality, I then enabled a spell to fix the broken shards and piece the window back once again. The shards floated in mid air and connected itself like a jigsaw puzzle, then reattached itself to the window frames. It was as if nothing happened. Plus, the windows looked cleaner than ever.

Phew, just in the nick of time as Celly walks into my room... and accidentally kicked the mouse trap away...

"I see you have finally packed your room. Well done sister. Now let me check." She bent down low and reached up high, checking for trash and misplaced objects, but after searching at every nook and cranny, she hadn't quite believed the feat I just pulled.

"Wow. It's actually clean... except for... this pillow." She levitates a pillow that had been in the middle, disturbing the tranquility of their existence on my bed. "You see this corner here? There's a dirt mark." I squinted at it, but all I could make out of that was a clean pillow.

"Oh come on, Celly-"

"Sister, by now you should know how to address me. I need not tell you how to address me again, do I?”

“Okay, whatever, Celly,” I replied sarcastically, rolling my eyes at her. "But this pillow is clean! There aren't any dirt marks there!"

"If I say there is, then there is! Guards, get rid of this pillow! It's filthy, and does not belong here!" Celly then threw my heart-shaped pillow out of my room, which one of her many guards ran after, grabbed it, and disappeared down the hallways. I stood there in shock, not believing what she had done. Obviously, for one, there wasn't any dirt. She just threw my pillow out to hide the fact that she was wrong.

"Wait! Don't!" I cried out to the guard who ran away.

"It's okay. I'll just get you a new one. There's nothing special about a heart anyways." I felt a chill run down my spine.

"You're... cold..." My eyes stared at her hooves, refusing to make eye contact with her for her atrocity.

“Get over it.” sighed Celly as she shook her head. “There are more important business at hoof. Let's not forget today is that day where you go seal Discord once again. It's your job to make sure he doesn't come out, and if he does, oh boy, you and I will have a lot of stuff to talk about, and you'll be the one cleaning up all the mess!"

"Why can't you ever do it?" I questioned my... sister.

"Only you wield the strength to do it, something I can't comprehend why so. But only your magic, which I permit you to only use to seal Discord and nowhere else, can do it."

"Oh come on, that's a lie." I rolled my eyes sacarstically. "You're the most powerful being, second being Luna, and you can't even perform that magic?"

"Just do whatever I say, little sis. I'm the most powerful, like you said, so just listen to my orders, okay?!" demanded Celly.

"I don't take orders from annoying sisters, especially one that lies to me."

"I'm not lying! It's just... it's different! I can't do it, no matter how much I want. It will be SO much easier for me to handle."

"Oh now you're-"

The room filled with shouts from both of us, threats bouncing and echoing off the reflective surfaces of the walls. The guards stood nonchalantly a distant away, and assumed the bystander role, too used to our daily bickering to bother intervening. Back and forth, sarcastic and hurtful remarks, some of which had clearly defined ill-intentions, swung like a pendulum, with both of us trying to gain the upper hand in this argument that presented no winners.

I, for one, had admitted she's the most powerful being. But I refused to admit she lacked the power to re-seal Discord. Luna... well she was an exception to this argument; she actually worked to safeguard the night, while Celly just reads manuscripts and scrolls daily to 'protect' us all. In fact, I believed she wanted to skive off work that could have potentially been hers, but assigned it to me so she would had to do less. I had accused her of being lazy numerous times, but... she just... doesn't... LISTEN!

In the heat of the argument, I said something that made Celly turn red. I couldn't remember what it was, and it was certainly too late for me to take it back, but clearly, Celly was steaming out of rage.

"Guards, all out." Celly commanded. Like obedient soldiers, all of them left the room, and shut the door behind them. Now, there were only us two left in the room.

Oh now, things were going to get serious, wasn't it? If Celly wanted some privacy, it meant real business. Celly stormed closer towards me, but then, just in the nick of time, I spotted my saviour. The nearer she came closer to me, the wider my grin actually formed on my face. Just another one of those bad hair days, eh Celly?

“LOOK DIANE, JUST- AHHHHH!!!!” she screamed, her long, overflowing hair flailing wildly with the mouse trap clamped tight, refusing to let it go.

It was just too funny. She missed my trap once, only to activate it once again due to sheer rage. Oh, this day couldn't get any better. I tried to hold in my laughter, but my facial expression didn't bother masking it away. As usual, she tried to rip it off forcefully, which results in... well, a Princess with a bald head might as well be the next world wonder.

“AHHH! GET IT OFF ME, GET IT OFF ME!”

I couldn't contain my laughter any more. As I burst out laughing, Celly's eyelids flew open, revealing her white, pearly eyes. Her mouth was as wide as her eyes were, and her hair was in a frantic mess. She kicked wildly and managed to successfully, or rather, unsuccessfully, pull off a few strands of her hair.

When she finally ripped the mouse trap out (along with some more strands of her hair), and realised what was stuck to her mane, I swore she turned even redder. Her eyes were tinted with a shade of dark red and her wings flung out almost instantly. You could hear the ground being scratched by her hooves as she tried to regain posture, with her eyes locked onto my non-sorry laughing face.

“PRINCESS MI AMOR DIANE! YOU WILL GO THIS INSTANT! I HAVE ALREADY SENT TWO GUARDS TO YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. THEY WILL ESCORT YOU ONLY TOWARDS THE AREA. YOU ARE TO GO. NOW!” she ordered, with a slight hint of malice in her tone, “AND YOU BETTER MAKE SURE YOU COMPLETE YOUR TASK, OR ELSE.”

I could have sworn Celly was really mad at me. Not the usual mad though. Unlike my other fights with her where she would just yell at me, her horn acted strangely. For a slight second, her horn glowed blood red, and sparks were trickling off it. Her eyebrows creased as if to focus on some magic, but at that point, I was laughing too hard to care about what she was going to do to me.

Her horn then glowed from red to yellow, and as I looked up, her horn seemed to have encased the room with a bright blast of light. I shut my eyes for a second, blocking out the huge ray of light from potentially burning my eyes. After a few seconds, I re-opened them, and found myself standing alone in the room. with the few strands of white hair that got brutally pulled out lying on the floor.

“Uh, Princess Diane?” a guard popped his head inside the door frame. He was as stock built as every other guard pony, but his muscles were obviously trembling under his skin from the sound of Celly's loud, commanding voice, as well as the bright explosion of light coming from my room. You could sense his nervousness stemming from his incessant tapping on the floor.

“Princess Diane? Are you ready to go?” asked the guard once again.

This time around, another a similar looking guard pony, one with a slightly lower voice, revealed himself and spoke. “If we don't go soon, we might get chided by Princess Celestia. So please hurry Princess.”

“Fine." I sighed, knowing that I have no choice but to embark on this little quest. "Guards, escort me to the front door.” As practiced everyday, the two guards stomped with a force that would have shook Earth, gripped their weapons as tight as their hooves could and raised their head up high.

“Lead the way Princess Diane,” saluted the two guards, whose sharp, dangerous eyes looked ready to kill anyone who dared to cross my path.

“Follow me. I commanded. “Oh and prepare my carriage. It's going to be one long journey to Earth.”

My body tingled as I proceeded towards the main doors of the castle; I couldn't help but feel that Celly was up to no good.

Author's Note

Revised edition. My old chapter was AEGAEGAEHAEAEFAE...
-H

Chapter 2: Carriage

Earth. What a beautiful place. The skies are palettes of blue and white, the calm colors resonating throughout the entire world. Even the occasional precipitation allows Earth to rejuvenate and restore natural order. Wide pools of water fill nearly two-thirds of the world, encasing the land they live on, providing habitats for aquatic creatures to wander around. On land, tall and majestic tress called forests fill nearly half the space, with high peaks and low valleys filling one-fourth of its land mass. The remaining one-fourth of it bursts with rich and vibrant energy; ponies are seen gathering in tiny living quarters they call 'home'.

At least they like their home. Sigh.

In the past, with an invisible spell, I've gone sneaking inside some homes, curious about what happens in their daily lives. A typical home consisted of a mare, a stallion and some tiny little foals. Why they had decided to squeeze inside a home the size of my room still puzzled me. Despite the small space, they seemed to love the company they gave each other. Every night, they would retire back in their rooms, sleeping right next to each other, holding each others back and hugging themselves to sleep under a warm, comfy blanket. It felt like something I would enjoy, but as a Princess, I'd never had the chance to experience it. I wonder how it would be like to have somepony sleeping beside me.

I've heard of this term before. Love.

But what is love? I've been told that when two ponies love each other, they live together in the same house and have foals. But how do you experience love? Over the years, I've always read about the same thing happening throughout history, but I've never quite understood what love was. I even asked Celly what love was, and all she can do was to reply “Love is a feeling that when you would put all your efforts into, and make sure it runs well, just like our castle. I take care of it with all my heart, so you can say I love the castle.” Her answer didn't help me at all.

My thoughts of a nice, comfy 'home' eluded me from the present situation at hand: Discord had to be resealed. Sure, it was what I needed to do- no, must do, in order for the world to stay away from calamity, but I had a nagging feeling Celly was up to something no good. Nevertheless, with my driver that pulled the carriage, as well as the two escorts that flew side by side in front of the carriage, the four of us rode from our 'home' and approached Earth at a terrible snail's pace. The journey seemed forever, and I was getting sleepier. Yawn, I'm tired. Time to take another nap.

I then proceeded to lie down on my warm, cosy seat, my carriage slowly dragging me towards our destination. I loved my carriage: It's a place where I could really feel comfortable and relaxed at without fear of any trouble arising.

It's also a place where Celly couldn't touch me.

Painted in light pink, the same colour as my hide, my carriage was designed to not only make me feel comfortable in it, but function well. The two doors on my left and right were decorated with big, uncut, shiny jewels that I found on Earth whenever I had to be down here. The frames, spokes and axles were made out of enchanted gold, making them unable to take a scratch or break. The wheels were also enchanted with magic, disallowing them to ever tear or break. At the front, the chains my driver pull were all enchanted so that they wouldn't feel a thing when they pulled the carriage. Basically, my the whole carriage was enchanted.

Other then that, it included custom modifications, like Sylph, that I personally, but sneakily, implemented. Modifying the carriage was disallowed for various safety reasons, so Celly would have flipped a table over if she knew about it, which she wouldn't. All my modifications were internal, so only an experienced mechanic would be able to figure out what I placed inside. As far as I knew, Celly was the opposite of a rough, rugged mechanic, so for now, I was confident about it.

On my left laid two levers. The first one would activate a pedestal that would pop up in front of me, revealing a bowl of fruit, a cup of iced water and a small fan designed to keep me cooled for hotter climates I sometimes had to go visit. The second one would remove the hood of my carriage, allowing me to have a clear view of everything that was around me. The two levers were originally designed to open my left and right doors, but since when was it hard to open doors? Using a bit of magic, as well as a bit of luck, I managed to de-circuit the wires, 'borrow' a pedestal from the castle, and unscrew the hoods of my carriage, before reattaching the wires to the pedestal and the hood. Then I hid all the wires and made it look like nothing had been changed.

“Are we there yet?” I moaned, my patience slowly deteriorating away from me. I was getting way too impatient. There were other things I want to do back at the castle, like sleep. Nothing could beat the soft, warm, comfort of my own bed. Come on, come on, come on, get there faster so we can finish this fast and go back to sleep.

“Not yet Princess. Just another few more hours left and we'll land.”

"Buck." I hope no one heard me when I cursed silently under my breath. Few more hours? I didn't like the sound of that.

With an exasperated cry, I flung myself back onto my seat, and closed my eyes. There was no way I was staying awake for the rest of my journey. A few more hours?

No. I am going to sleep on my second best bed: my carriage.

“Urgh, wake me up when we reach there!” I cried out to the guards as I shut my eyelids.

Might it be will, but I dozed off within matter of seconds. My carriage seemed too nostalgic at that moment, reminding me of a 'home' I once dreamed of. In that dream, a stallion of white and I were lying on top of the same bed. We were facing each other, giggling like little foals as our eyes locked onto one another, our hooves wrapped around each others back. I couldn't hear what he was saying, but it sounded happy. I felt happy in that dream too, because when I woke up, my face was unusually flustered with a bright shade of red, and my heart started beating faster and faster. It was a sense of excitement I've never felt in my life, not even when I pulled a prank on Celly.

I wanted to go back so badly into that dream, and figure out what he said. Maybe it was of great relevance to the puzzling idea of love.

Author's Note

What. Is. Love?

Anyways, next chapter, slowly rolling in. D:
I apologise for the slow updates, but my life has to go on :)

Felt kinda like a filler chapter, but enjoy anyways :)

Chapter 3: Nightfall

Night was looming by. Having woken up by the change in light, I sat up, stretched out my hooves, and licked my dry lips. I sat there, contemplating on my next action, before proceeding to flick both the levers on my left, revealing a bowl of apples, as well as the night sky. I might have slept only for a few hours, but within those hours, the sky had turned into a palette of red, orange, yellow and blue, pathing the way Luna's entrance. Time flew by fast, and I was still groggy. The air around me felt cool, like it was a perfect place to sleep, but I had a task to complete. Reluctantly, I grabbed an apple and proceeded to munch on my little snack.

“Princess Diane?” shouted the guards, “We'll land in one minute.”

“Will do.”

I sat there staring at the plethora of colors in the sky, wondering if I'll see Luna. At times, I feel like I don't even have a third sister. The last time I saw her was at her birthday, and even so, she left her party we threw her quite early. She said she had much more important things to do than to celebrate her birthday.

I looked down at my apple, looked up at the sky, looked down once again, and proceeded to finish my apple.

Where we landed, the trees stood tall and the ground was flooded with dead leaves and twigs. Insects of all kinds roamed the place, with the slight consolation of tiny animals running around. I stepped out of my carriage, not before hitting both levers, closing the roof and hiding the bowl of apples. I was careful enough not to step on any insects or break any anthills, and then proceeded to signal my carriage driver to go back. I then stretched out my wings. They were sore from being kept folded throughout the entire journey, but now there was much room for them to flutter. They felt heavy, but my wings weren't the only things that were amiss.

“Where is the tower?” I inquired. “This is not where I usually land.”

“We received strict instructions from Princess Celestia just before we landed. A storm brews ahead, and the thunder endangers your safety, so we are forced to land a distance away from the tower, Princess Diane. Roughly one or two days worth of journey before we actually reach there.”

That nerve of my sister. I'm pretty sure there isn't a storm, but she just wants me to dirty my hooves, that's all.

Still, I had to keep my composure.

Or at least attempt to. She'll pay eventually.

“How thoughtful of her. Well then, guards, shine some light onto this place. We need to keep moving forward. We don't want to waste any more time.” With every word, I strongly emphasised the sarcasm. Celly was in for a whole new level of pain when I got back.

The surroundings instantly shot up with a bright light. My two unicorn guards, with their illuminating horn, then walked in a direction I presume to be the way towards the tower. I felt a rush of excitement overcome me. Where I was at, I wasn't sure. I had never ventured into the wild unknown before. But even with that feeling, I felt scared. I felt my body tremble with fear. What lies in front of me was a path ever so mysterious. A path that might be fun and exciting, but a path that might be dangerous and dark.

Oh Luna, protect me like you've always done so in the night.

And with mixed feelings of joy and fear, I ventured deep into the forest.

The moonlight penetrated through little cracks in the canopy, shining on the path ahead of us. What laid in front of us remained the same: creepy trees, dead logs and fallen leaves. It felt like we were going in circles, and I could have sworn we passed that funny looking tree at least five times. Nevertheless, I trusted my guards to do the right thing. Their jobs were simple: to escort me to the tower. But even with the guards around me, I had a cold chill run down my spine. I felt a shadow lurking around in the forest.

With each minute that passed, my heartbeat increased, my paranoia dictating what I did; the emotion of fear overpowering joy, the once brave turned scared. I scanned around one more time just to assure myself that there was nothing. The crickets chirped, the owls hooted, but there were no other unusual sights found. Other then the occasional twig breaking, the forest remained still.

A little too still for my likings.

Hoping to past the time, I tried to distract myself by talking to the guards. “So, guards, tell me about yourselves.”

“Um...” hesitated the guards. They were also distracted, not by the eeriness of the forest, but by the question I sprung onto them. Guards wouldn't usually converse with us Princesses. To talk to one without addressing formal matters is usually condemned by the guards. It was like an invisible set of rules that forbade the guards from doing anything normal.

“Hmm? What did you say?” I tried to lead them on slowly, hoping they'd reveal something about themselves.

“Um... my... my name... is Tiberius, Princess Diane.” spoke the left guard cautiously, who was the bigger one of them two. He had a long lustrous mane, and wielded a sword and shield, just like his cutie mark.

“And mine is Sanchex, Princess Diane. It's an honour to be here,” replied the smaller guard. His eyes were as sharp as his two daggers that were buckled to his belt, and his lips smiled with a tiny sly. His cutie mark was undoubtedly one with two daggers, both pointing towards the sky.

I smiled and let out a little chuckle. “Well then, please do tell me more,” I implored.

So both my guards, Tiberius and Sanchex, started briefly introducing themselves. At first, they were shy, producing one or two sentences for each question I asked. Then slowly, their sentences started becoming mere words once again, the awkward tension rising with us three, which did not help me cope with the eeriness of the forest.

As we made our way towards the tower, the ground behind us strewed with broken twigs we accidentally broke. At every twig I stepped on, I flinched and scanned around, only to realise that it was just a twig, even though I made a point to avoid stepping on them.

SNAP!

Instinctively, I jumped back and looked on the ground in front of me, but there wasn't a twig in sight.

Calm down Diane, you're just freaking yourself out.

Before I took another step, I paused and looked over at my guards who were further off in the distance. Their footsteps were as silent as my thoughts were at that moment.

SNAP!

This time round, I wasn't moving, and I was quite certain my guards didn't step on any. But just to be sure, I called out to the guards.

“Hey guards, stop moving for a second.”

They obliged, but yet the sound still echoed from within the forest.

SNAP!

We froze in our tracks, eyes now focused towards the pitch black darkness of the forest. Cold sweat formed all over my body. None of us dared to move, for there was a shadow lurking somewhere behind the trees.

Thud, thud, thud.

Whoever it was, it was getting closer and closer, with each step getting louder and louder. My heart started beating faster, my eyes scanning the forest even more fervently.

“Show yourself!” I commanded, but the only thing I could hear were the impeding footsteps. My body trembled slightly and my hooves shook even more.

Suddenly, the bushes behind me rustled. I swung around, and readied myself to engage the shadow.

Who could it be? Thieves? Foalnappers? Assassins?

I started speculating each outcome. The more I thought about it, the worse each outcome turned out to be. I shuddered and shivered, only daring to blink after all of this was over. My eyes were glued onto the rustling bushes, the moon paying no solace or comfort for my predicament.

Worse still, it could be... Discord.

Stop thinking about it! You're just making yourself paranoid, that's all. I chided myself. With each growing moment, the suspense grew larger in size.

After a long time, the shadow finally stepped out of the bushes. It took its time to advance, it's face still unknown due to the cover of the night. The guards then took a protective stance over me, their weapons drawn high, ready to engage the target if deemed dangerous. Whoever it was wanted to talk to us, or die.

The shadow then stepped out of the darkness, and into the light. Certain features could be seen initially. Wings. A horn. Then the figure came fully into the light. It bowed its head and removed its hood that was covering its face, revealing a bluish mane. It slowly moved its head up towards my eye level, and when we locked eye to eye, my skeptical fears were demolished entirely.

It was familiar. It was someone I knew personally. And it was unexpected.

I stared in awe. It was truly a night to remember.

“Hey there, Luna.” I called out to my sister.

Author's Note

Luna makes an appearance finally! Oh yay!

Finally got it out of my system... took so long just to get Luna onto this wild adventure.

Chapter 4: Luna

Teal eyes, ready to kill. Mane that glows with stars flickering every now and then. Crescent moon on flank and chest armor. Wings that span the entire body... A smile yet so bright in the dark...

So that's how she looks like... I've always imagined her looking more... well... looking more fancy like Celly, that's all. She sure knows how to look... stunning... even when there isn't an audience around.

The night loomed, but Luna's appearance was comforting. Despite having little interaction, my trust was already placed in this sister of mine, something Celly could never do. She took a step forward and swayed her hair back, her face now shining in the moonlight. The guards, on sight, bowed their heads and retreated slightly, and took refuge under a tree.

Wait... Something strikes me... odd with her appearance though. The grace. The elegant... It's all there. The style. The look... Not a single element missing... What is then?

"Hey there, sister." She smiled, and wrapped a hoof around me. "Thought I'd drop by to keep you company."

My immediate response would had been to flinch and sigh, but I held it back. Luna hadn't interacted with us for a long, long time, and I didn't want her to know what had happened over the last few months. The much more frequent fights. quarrels, and arguments back 'home' with Celly. The unhappiness I had over the fact that I am a Princess, and there's nothing I could do about it. The uneasiness I had throughout the entire night from such a fussy task. These little issues were all big psychological problems to me; I've been trying to put up a fight against myself, but with each time, I crumble back down, gasping for the freedom of choice I never had.

No. I'm... I'm strong... I'm brave... It's all... only in my head... But... but it's hard... It's hard keeping up with all of these.

No, no. One day, you will grow up and understand all of these. You're just young, that's all... Just... young.

But how long would it take me to understand what my life means? How can I be like... like my sisters?

Come on, you can do it. Believe in yourself.

Believe?

Believe.

I refused to look down, and pushed my grounded problems aside. There were things I didn't know and hadn't realised yet. Instead, I held my head high, silently wishing at the moon for some of my sisters' knowledge, then looked back down at Luna, hoping for a sister that could provide me with some answers.

"I saw how freaked out you were just now." Luna let out a chuckle.

I can see why I liked her instantly. She was much like me; just playing, wanting to have some fun.

"Hope I didn't scare you too much." She teased. "Now now, we wouldn't want you to chicken out, and Discord getting released right?"

"Wait, you know why I'm here?" I asked, before she started circling around me.

"Yeah. I still keep up to date with news back home, like-"

"Like how Thunder Fist just got promoted to head guard?"

"Well, that, and also, I'm talking about my two lovely sisters. Princess Diane and Princess Celestia." Her eyes glinted deviously. She tilted her head down a little, and a sly smile formed on the left side of her lips.

I could sense sarcasm in her speech. Even with her friendly tone, I felt a slight change in the atmosphere. I looked her, trying to figure out the subtext behind her speech. I couldn't put my hoof on it, but it felt like she wasn't here to lecture me or scold me. Maybe she's here to inform me or notify me about something? Still, I gulped, preparing for the worst. Play it cool Diane, play it cool.

"Ha, ha, ha." I stifled a laughter. "You're so funny, sis!"

"I know I am." She gave me a wink, and I flinched back a little.

"What was that for?"

"What was what for?" She feinted ignorance as she tried to play around with my head, but I could see through it; there was some kind of plan she intended to execute, and I didn't want to figure it out a second too late.

"That wink you gave me."

"Oh the wink? I picked it up just recently! I've tried that on many other foals around the palace, and when I ask that if I looked good, they giggled at me. That means I'm funny. I am funny right??" Luna started bouncing around me like a little foal would around her mother. Her eyes bore innocence in them as she continued to harass me with torrents of strange questions.

"Uhm, sure?" I eyed her suspiciously, her motive even more unclear that before.

"Yay!" She stopped bouncing around and opened her two huge eyes. She grinned and let her mouth drop a little loose, then tilted her head slightly to the right. "Oh, oh, you know who else is... funny?"

"Who?"

"You!" she pointed and giggled, letting a wink out again in the process..

"Stop it! You're so weird sis." My cheeks blushed. Why must she wink at me so... so... so lovingly?

"Aww, but I just mean well!" She pouted.

"It's so weird, but... uh... thanks?" My face started cringing. I wasn't used to being complimented by anyone.

"That's what I'm here for!" The pout turned into an obscure smile. Was Luna down with some sort of ADHD I wasn't told of, or just plain crazy at this moment? "Oh hey, you know who else means well?" She looked at me expectantly.

"Let me guess, me?" I tried to play along with her crazy antics at this moment, like two schoolfoals playing catching, with me chasing behind her train of thoughts.

"Nope!" She let a chuckle out. "Celestia!"

"What?" I scratched my head in disbelief, wondering if she was dead serious, or plain crazy.

"Yeah! You know she means well too, right? Right?" She grinned and placed her hoof around me.

"Well, yeah, but... but she doesn't need to be so annoying!" I yelled out in despair, taking a step back.

Suddenly, her playful eyes sharpened, her eyes now staring intently at mine. Her mischievous smile had turned into a sharp one, as if they were chainsaws. Her eyebrows furrowed, and her breath was short and fast. "So you do admit it."

Oops.

I stood there, stunned, unable to procure words out of my two, defeated lips. My own sister actually outplayed me. I took another step back, and my head dropped low. My eyes refused to make contact with the world, and my heart started throbbing harder. I let my mane fall; the gentle breeze swayed, and it had covered my face. I was upset; it was one thing to be defeated, to be outplayed. It was another for my pride to be shattered.

"Aww, cheer up kiddo." She started walking towards me, her once devilish look on her face had turned into a warm, sincere, comforting one. "You can't hide things from me. After all, I can see things that are... hidden... in the dark."

Luna's attempt to console me with her pun had work. I managed to tilt my head towards her, and her smile had an undesirable side effect on me; I smiled back. But it was short-lived; I glanced back down onto the floor and sighed.

"But... but... I don't get it! I'm trying my best to be a Princess!... I didn't choose to be one! But Celestia keeps scolding me for everything! She wants me to do this right, do that right, but I don't know how or why I should! It's so frustrating!... I don't want to be a Princess anymore! I don't, I don't!" My tears were ready to flow out at any time; they lived on the edge of my eyelids, and if anything were to trigger them, they would burst out like river flowing through a broken dam.

"You... don't?" Her eyebrows raised, her tone rather surprised.

"No! I'd rather be normal like everyone else, so I don't have to do any of this bull-"

"Calm down now, Princess Diane." I flinched at the sound of my title. "No need for that kind of language." There was a slight pause before she spoke again. "I knew it. I knew you couldn't handle being a Princess. Celestia told me all about it. About how you-"

"WHAT?" CELLY? THAT... THAT BUCKING-" I couldn't finish that sentence. There were words I would use to describe my sister, but the impact of those words wouldn't ever be strong enough.

Celly actually talked to Luna? THAT LIAR! She always told me she hadn't had a chance to, BUT OH LOOK. LOOK AT THE COLD, HARD TRUTH!

No, no. It's not like that. Your sisters will never lie to you.

BUT IT'S CELLY! SHE DOESN'T LIKE ME AT ALL.

That's just all in your head. You have to relax.

BUT IT'S BUCKING CELLY! MY FREAKING SISTER, PRINCESS BUCKING CELESTIA!

Calm down. It's Luna here, not Celestia, right?

BUCKING CEL, BUCKING... Luna?

Yes, Luna. You know, fun loving Luna? The one you like?

Luna? Fun? I like fun...

Good. Fun is good. So take a breath, and calm down.

Good? Take a breath?

Mhm. Go ahead, no one's stopping you.

Okay...but...

No buts, just smile and breath in...

I inhaled.

And out.

And exhaled. I looked up, and my face was in a flustered mess. Rage had turned into sorrow; my heart felt like needles had stabbed it all over, my brain now in a incoherent state of thought. My mind was blank, as I stood there stunned, afraid of Luna, and afraid of what damage I almost did. Still, the fact remained that my sisters were talking about me behind me back, and I didn't like that. At this point, I was more hurt than angry at them.

"How... how c-could you? You b-betrayed me. I thought... I thought you w-were... d-different."

"Dear sis, I may not be as wise as Celestia, nor as sneaky as you-"

"SNEAKY?" My heart decided to take that as an insult rather than a compliment. I shouted at her, but it was a second too late before my mind decided to shut my lips, and I regretted it almost immediately. The last thing I wanted to do was to get mad at my other sister, one that I actually might care for. "Sorry... I mean... I... I d-don't know..." My face started dripping in tears; the dam had been broken.

"It's fine sister. I'm sorry too. I... I didn't know any better." Her lips saddened. As usual, she placed her hoof around me. This time, the hoof brought along sincere warmness and comfort that flowed through my body, soothing my anger slightly. I let out a soft sob, and threw my hoof around her, both Luna and I now embracing in each others sadness.

"We all have emotions, sister. It's not easy controlling them, trust me," she said.

I took another deep breath, then let a sigh out, but my tears were like waterfalls. We hugged for for a few seconds, and the world around us seemed to slow down for a while. I did not want to break free; I hadn't had a chance to experience such bond with my sisters in quite some time, and the last thing I wanted to do was to destroy this intimate bond we had. I held on to her lovingly, and in return, she stroked my back soothingly, softening the cries I had earlier. Time flew by; we must had been in each others arms for quite some time already, as the tight grips around us started loosening more and more. Wolves howled in the distance, and the forest laid still since then. I gave her one last squeeze, and she returned it, before she broke off and held my face up with a hoof, revealing my teary face to the shimmering stars. She then endearingly placed the other hoof on my wet, sobbing face, and caressed it slightly, like how a big sister would comfort the little one. She stroked it slightly, wiping the tears off my face, and pulled my hair aside.

She then spoke to me, our breaths feeling each others' faces and our eyes locked onto each others' pupils. "Sister, I'm sorry I had to put you through this, but there are things I must talk to you about." She paused for a brief moment, then continued. "Even as a Princess, there are times where you can't get everything you want. Sometimes you do, sometimes you don't. But remember, don't ever force it. I've... I've met p-ponies in the past who tried to force their way through. Because... because of them, some p-ponies... s-some ponies had to d-d-die for it..." She choked on the last sentence and looked down, her face now as grave as life would be if joy didn't exist.

I could feel gravity on those words, as if her world had just been crushed by its force. I stood there, stuck in her orbit of thoughts, trying to figure out what she meant by the last part of her sentence. But even after a deliberate amount of time thinking about it, I looked down, and produced a solemn "okay", barely audible even to my ears . Her words had probably triggered a few bad memories; she stood silent for a moment, then lifted my chin up again, locked eyes with me and whispered, "Here, come with me. There's something I'd like to show you."

Author's Note

Hey guys, chapter 4 is out! :D Thanks for y'all who read this!
- H

P.s. I need proofreaders / pre-readers :) Anyone interested, contact me :D I'll do proofreading / pre-reading too XD

Chapter 5: Essence

They say that good sisters come once in a lifetime. In that sense, I must be in heaven and hell at the same time.

Time flew by fast, and we stopped by a small stream. The sound of flowing water calmed my frantic soul, and the sight of the distant waterfall rejuvenated my eyes. Nevertheless, it burst with life; flora and fauna of all kinds flourished along the banks of the stream. Co-harmony existed; the dragonflies with the forget-me-nots, the fishes with the kelp, and the frogs with the lily pads. The canopy above it was barren, allowing rays of moonlight to shine onto this place. The branches swayed and the leaves rustled in the slight breeze.

I was admiring the beauty of this place, only to be interrupted by Luna's abrupt question. "Sister, do you know where we are?"

"Uh... A stream?" I titled my head at her, wondering what her rhetorical question was for.

"Yes, you're right... but this... stream is... well... different than others."

"Different?"

"Yes sister." Luna looked up at the night sky. "This place... it... holds a special meaning to my heart." She paused for a while, gazing at the stars, before she looked down again. Her thoughts brought her back to a past where I probably hadn't known about, the past most likely holding onto painstaking memories. Her breath got shallower by the seconds, with her eyelids refusing to blink as she stared into the water. "This was where I... was born."

An 'oh' was all my lips would deliver.

I stood there as the cold winds blew in the night, her last sentence now crushing any climax of a deep dark secret she wanted to reveal to me. I somewhat expected a little more if she planned to build so much suspense, but I guess everyone worked differently. Still, there must be some grave importance as to why she would show me this place.

She turned around, locked eyes, and stared at my skeptical face. "You don't get it, do you? Sister, haven't you ever wondered why we don't have parents, or aunts or uncles for that matter?"

"Well, we are royalty, and we are resurrected souls on Earth, so technically, we weren't born, per se."

"Correct. But even the homeless and the poor have relatives. In a way, we have a relative in ourselves." Her two cobalt eyes were now staring into my violet ones.

"Huh?" My eyes shot up a confounded look, my head titling sideways.

"There are things in the world that many, many do not know about." She broke her stare, turned around and headed towards the edge of the stream. She stood there facing it, then turned her head around slowly and spoke as if she had committed a crime to nature. "Not even big sister Celestia would know."

"Know what?" But my question was left standing by the edge of the forest as she turned around, her mind now focused on the body of water in front of her.

What happened next was unexpected. I stood there in silence, my eyes now focusing on her as she took a step towards the stream. She stopped right before she touched the water, stood still for a while, then leaped and dived into the waters. The reflective surface of the water distorted the shape of her body, her outline now only vaguely visible from the surface.

Her horn then glowed brightly. What happened next was a series of explosions; the ground around me trembled, and the entire stream spouted vertically. The wildlife scampered away, and the fishes flew towards the sky. The force of her magic blew many leaves off, balding most trees. Even a nest of dragons who had taken refuge in a cave nearby evacuated and took flight.

I held my ground as the force pushed everything away, my hooves now attempting to ingrain into the soft mud of the river bank. Battling against the relentless torrent was tough; there wasn't anything in front of me to divert or block any of the waves from hitting me. All I did was slide backwards. I gritted my teeth as I struggled to hold on, fighting a battle with an enemy I could not push back. Leaves, twigs, and the occasional mackerels were even thrown in my face in an effort to knock me off, but I held firm, disallowing my body from surrendering to the strong force.

At last, the whirlpool she had conjured finally stopped, reducing the wind around me to a mere breeze. I looked up, my eyes a little fuzzy from all the dirt and water that flew in, but I could still vaguely see my surroundings: leaves strewed everywhere, fish flopped by the bank and the branches littered in piles. It looked like a hurricane had just torn through this place.

Before I could react to any of these, Luna levitated above the water level, a sphere of light encasing her throughout. Her wings were spanned out and her horn was glowing brightly. I stared at her with one eye--the other closed to shut out the piercing light--and embraced her next move that would most likely blow more stuff away. I was panting heavily; anymore force and I would definitely be flown away like leaves that used to be on trees.

As I tried to catch my breath, her body started twitching. The sparks at the tip of her horn jumped wildly, her magic now fading in strength. Luna had noticed the lack of power in her, and pushed herself with all the force she could muster. With a flick of her head, her eyelids suddenly opened, revealing a white glow in her eyes that resonated pulsing magic, and her glow on her horn shone even brighter than before. She shut her eyes quickly, before releasing a huge burst of light that surrounded us.

When I finally opened my eyes again, I was alone in the forest. And Luna had mysteriously disappeared, leaving behind only the charred remains of my memories, which seemed to had deleted any existence of the last few minutes. The forest; silent. The damage that she had once bestowed upon this area; disappeared. Even the fishes which were once turbulently disturbed in their natural habitat remained unscathed, with the brazen leaves that swung behind me mocking my amnesia.

Stunned, I looked around, hoping to find any clues or reasoning for this strange experience. The trail we once travelled on, as well as the path leading towards the stream, lacked a pair of hoof steps. The wolves stopped howling in the distance, and the night light shone brighter than ever. I looked up at the starry skies, and the moon had ceased itself from Earth. Had I not remembered the moonlight from a few minutes ago, I would have thought that maybe it had been a moon-less night. But the stars that covered the skies emitted a strange warmness; the very same warmness I felt around Luna.

Had this all been a dream, it would have been a confusing one. I took a step forward, and the soft mud thudded. So maybe this isn't a dream after all. I took another step, and another, until I finally reached the stream. So far, so good. So either I'm in some crazy dream, or all of this is very real. With faltering spirit, I extended my hoof towards the water, and slowly submerged half my hoof into it. The water felt cool and refreshing, but I pulled my hoof away, doubting the safety of my actions. I stared at the ripples in the water, revealing my bewildered state, which had turned into an alarming one as a ghostly figure materialised next to my reflections. I stumbled and fell backwards, my face now in full view of the ethereal creature. It was glowing neon green, and its wings and horn had been damaged severely, with bits and pieces missing. Its face was covered by its disheveled hair, which looked like it hadn't been attended to for years, and its cutie mark had vanished.

Don't be alarmed, for you're not in danger, it said. The lips hadn't moved an inch, but its words had risen to my ears. My mouth had remained wide open, and my concentration had remained unchanged. Obediently, I listened to it.

"W-who... w-who are y-you?" My lips quivered, the very essence of my bravery faltering.

I know you better than you know yourself. And you should know too.

Huh? What does it mean by that? I formed my quandary silently in my head.

It means I'm close to you. Real close. The spirit inched its head closer towards mine.

My eyes opened wide in alarm, my heart now quivering in fear. Woah, what? You can hear my thoughts?

I can do more then that, kid. I'm part of you.

Wha- Before I could even complete my thoughts, the spirit tapped its horn onto mine. Sparks formed on the edge of our horns, which turned into rays of light a second later. The rays then discharged themselves and blinded me once again. I sealed my eyes instinctively, and opened them a few seconds later to the sight of another forest; a different one. The air smelled of false accusations and betrayal, and the silence of the forest did not help me with my fears. The palm trees grew tall, bearing meaty coconuts that could drop at any moment in time. The forest was laden with crawling insects, most of which took refuge in broken open coconut husks.

I looked down, and found myself hovering above the ground, my body still as solid as ever though. I tried to move forward, but none of my muscles would budge. My wings were flattened and my magic didn't seem to work. Oh great. Either I'm paralyzed by that freaky ghost thingy, or I'm dead... Stay positive Diane.

Only my head muscles seemed to react to any of my brain's commands, a fact I've come up with after bobbing my head up and down, and sticking my tongue out like a little silly filly. Something glittered in the far left, which my eyes picked up immediately. As I slid my eyes over to that direction, I noticed some pony lying motionless on the ground floor. Insects and vultures had made its way there to scavenge on it, only to flee away in terror by a pack of tigers that came rushing out of the forest. Some unfortunate vultures had their last meal that day, as the tigers pounced and pinned a couple of them, and soon, the whole lot of them were tiger fodder.

I squinted past the raging tigers and shrieking vultures to the inanimate figure. It bore a dull shade of pink and its round eyes were of a dark shade of red. Its once long flowing hair, which consisted of strands of black, pink, yellow and white, had now faded away, the color white showing itself more than any of the other colors. She had a blank flank, which struck me odd. A foal shouldn't be that big, nor would a mare not get its cutie mark after so long...

I pulled myself out of my stare, and turned to face reality.. W-where... w-where are we? I asked, my sense now void of any reasoning in this messed up dream.

My attention swiftly turned towards the ghostly figure that materialized next to me. If I could shudder, I would already have.

"W-what is this? W-why can't I move? And why does it h-have a blank f-flank?"

So many questions kid, so many questions. It shook its head, then let out a slight chuckle. But heh, I'm obliged to give you an answer now, aren't I?

"W-what... w-what is all of this?"

Kid, let me tell you something. You're in the Essence world. It pulled her face close to mine, and its mane dropped to the side of its face, revealing the pristine features it once hid. And I... I'm an Essence. Hi.

I gasped and my eyes opened widely, my head refusing to twitch in shock. I kept shifting my head left and right, comparing the identical features of the corpse and the ghost until the moment of acceptance entered my brain.

"Y-you're... you're her!" I shouted in half shock, half fear. She started pacing around me, her head held up at eye level as her thoughts filled her attention.

The cheerful look she once had disappeared almost instantly. She let out a deep sigh, and her smile quickly faded away. Yes, I was her, but I still am her.

"Huh? Was? Am?" Either the ghost had bad grammar, or she was on to something. Pushing my fears away, I took a deep breath, calming myself down so I could figure out what in the world was happening around me. "So wait, you're Essence of that mare there, and at the same time, you're me too? What? This doesn't make any sense..."

I am her, because of who I am. But I was her, only because I am now part of you. She placed a hoof on where my star cutie mark was.

"Huh? You're confusing me..." This night kept getting weirder and weirder.

Your cutie mark. It's part of who you are, but it's where I reside. You see kid, when your die and when your Essence comes out of your body for good, you become an Essence, and enter another vessel. They let you live once more, in exchange for any and all abilities to interact with the real world. Of course, with some unnatural bending of time and space, we can still do so, just like how I'm talking to you now kid. We also get to retain our thoughts and memories though. To put it simply, each of us can live twice, and experience things twice as long as what most would perceive. So after you die, I'm gone, and you float around some other pony's head. She smiled deviously.

"So... uh... you control me?" How I wish I could wake myself up from this nightmare of mine.

Well, not exactly. You see, each person is different. We're... we're more like a... like a thought bubble in your head that you can never get rid of. Like a conscience. But we can't make you do things at all. At most guide you from where your cutie mark is.

"So my cutie mark is actually where I think? So I think through my bu--"

NO! Don't even say that! That's just plain nasty. We rather think of it as the cutie mark, not... not wherever the cutie mark's located at... And no, you don't think through there actually. We do. You still think up in your head... I hope.

"So... why bring me here? And how did I even get here in the first place?"

Princess Luna's magic, plus a little of mine. She chuckled.

"So wait, why me?"

Because kid, you're special. You're part of who I was, part of who you are now, and soon, part of who we'll become. The past, present, future, so to speak.

"That still doesn't answer my question though."

You see, I'm only you, because of who I was in the past. Your fate. Your roles in society. All because of me. A cackle broke in the sky.

"You were a Princess?" My bewilderment increased threefold.

Well, good try. Princesses don't die, remember? You won't die, Celly won't die, Luna won't die... all of you won't.

"Then how did you--"

Her nonchalant face had suddenly turned red with seething rage, as she gritted her teeth and creased her eyebrows and yelled in my head. I'M NOPONY, OKAY?! NOPONY! EVERY OTHER PONY COULD CARE LESS IF I PASSED AWAY!

"That's not true!" I protested. As much as she was scary, freaky, and as much as all of these did not make sense, she was part of me. What she had gone through, what she had felt, I could feel it too. The betrayal, the loneliness she had put up with, all surfaced within me. "I care!" I blurted out. I felt something resonate in my head; like as if I've rediscovered something I once knew. My innocent eyes started seeing what I couldn't seen, what Luna previously stated: There are many things in the world that many, many do not know about. The world can be cruel at times. Staring at her, I did what I hadn't, and should have, done a long time ago.

"Thank you, for being you. You're awesome. We're awesome, you know that?" I smiled and meant every word I said. Trying to understand myself in the past was like deciphering ancient text; unless I had something to refer to, at most of the time, I came up with explanations and conclusions based on what seemed to be correct at the present moment, but in actuality, was different than what others would perceive me as. I needed two eyes of my own in order to see where I was walking to. A path that I myself couldn't be sure of.

"I mean it. With all of my heart." With that said, her rage settled, and her face metamorphosed into mine, as if I was staring straight into a mirror. With everything unusual happening around me this night, looking at myself talk was so far the freakiest thing I've ever encountered.

Heh, kid, maybe you're special after all. She made her way towards me, and tapped her horn onto mine, which made me flinch a little. I'll see you again kid. I know I will.

With a bright light that emitted from our horns, the scene changed, and I was back once again by the stream. Nostalgia hit me like avalanches of deja vu, my mind playing endless tricks on my memories. Whether I was back in reality, or back in the Essence world, only time could reveal.

The familiarity of the sound of hoof steps behind me reassured my uncomfortable reality, with neither worlds making sense. I swung around, only to be greeted by that one familiar face.

"Luna... is t-that... r-really you?" I stammered, my mane now dishevelled and my eyes that grew weary from all that happened lately.

"Yes, it's me. Luna." She wrapped a hoof around me endearingly again, which I could never grow tired of. "Did you... see her?"

"If you mean myself, then yes." I blinked twice and diverted my eyes over to my cutie mark. The flank that bore that star lived more than who I thought I was. I wasn't just another star in the sky. I was the star in the sky. The one that should have came in acceptance with who I was a long time ago. Except that who I was in the past, I'm not sure of it myself. Life had all been a journey, a path to walk on to find my way. But life had already laid out the paths. It's up to me to follow what it desired me to become, or to do it myself, to brave uncertainty. A Princess? Quite uncertain that I lived to be one. I never did quite accept my fate though, which could have led to superficial personae in me.

"What did you see then?"

"I saw who I was, am, and might become." I hoped Luna understood what I meant, with phrases like these unusual in my vocabulary. "Sister... why did you show me this? And what did it have to do with you?"

"Because sis, you must understand these things before your life continues. You're special. As your sister, I feel obliged to teach--"

Suddenly, rage emitted from the bowels of my empty heart, my mind not comprehending the current situation. "Teach? So this was all just another lesson for me? To send me into some alternate universe and... and..." My voice soared over the canopies, with the volume loud enough to shake mountains. "You know what?! Buck it! I've had it with ALL OF YOU! None of you ever truly understands me! All you want to do is make me become another you, so that I can become part of who someone else was! In fact... bucking hale...I'm not even living my life. I'm living someone else's!" I breathed in and out heavily, my eyes and nose now scrunched up, and my face literally reflected shades of red. Magic seeped through the pores of my body, and the red glow around me increased until my entire body was covered in rage-induced magic.

"Buck this shot. I'm outta here." I did the best thing I knew to do; I ran, past the mounds and trees, with voices I once recognised calling my name. I ain't stopping for any other pony, I told myself as I moved myself further and further away from the stream. Branches flew in my face, only barely missing contact as I ducked past every tree branch, only slowing down when rocks decided to mock my epiphany and extend their edges to trip me.

Nopony likes me. I'm no pony.

One minute. My heart beat faster and my breaths were rapid and fast, the oxygen levels in my system depleting rapidly. The fiery rage that surrounded me grew bigger in size since I ran, consuming the air I breathe in.

Two minutes. My legs started aching and my breaths had turned into an epileptic frenzy. My throat felt dry, but I wanted to run. Run away from all my problems I couldn't face in life. That's all I knew to do.

Three minutes. My face turned a pale blue in contrast to the raged flame that encircled me, the height now twice my size. It got much more difficult to breathe in, but I kept running. Up hills and down valleys I ran, but nothing stopped me. I lost all concentration, all reason to run, and all will to stop my madness.

Kid, stop!

NO!

Four minutes. I bumped into a tree, slowing me down momentarily, and kept running. My heart could give way any time, and my magic could consume me from the inside, but I didn't care. Dying was the least of my concerns. In fact, even death would have seemed like a better option than to put up with everyone's demands. My internal organs screamed for mercy, but my stubborn mind refused to heed their advices.

Kid, stop this madness at once! At this rate, you're gonna kill yourself!

Shut the buck up! I can't die!

Kid! Remember?! Remember what you said to me? To yourself?

I said SHUT IT!

You told me we're special! You're special!

YOU TOLD ME THAT! STOP LYING! NO PONY CARES! I ran even harder, with my mind now rebelling with my heart, my legs now crying for a say in this.

You told me that you cared for me kid! Now it's my turn. Kid, I don't want you to die! In fact, if you did die, I'll be devastated! Heartbroken! Don't die on me kid, I care! I mean it! With all my heart.

The flashbacks of my dream-like world raced around my frenzied head, the absence of doubt overcoming my unexplainable epiphany. Whatever my conscience was saying, it started entering into my system, with bits and pieces of my sanity now being pieced one by one. The chains that once held it all got soldered back, and the gears that moved me whirring and clicking once again. It was like the factory in me started running once again, with production slowly back on track.

Stop! This time round, it was me who said it. My body obeyed and forced a halt, nearly tripping on roots that spanned the forest. I paused to catch my breath, than slumped onto the floor, sniffled, and wept, with breathing now nearly impossible as I tried to breathe in from the airway that choked on tears. I let a moan, as well as tears, out, and even covering my eyes and mouth didn't stop my body parts from executing their natural behaviors. W-what... what h-have I d-done?

My rage induced magic finally calmed down, but I already felt drained. Fainting was inevitable if too much magic had been used, and I was certain my outburst had depleted any energy I had in my body. It was a just a matter of time. I sat there, contemplating my reckless, unjustified behavior just now. The damage I had done was irreversible, and the bond between me and Luna was definitely destroyed. I'm... I-I'm s-sorry... I'm... s-s-sorry...

It wasn't long before fatigue caught up to me; my eyelids fluttered, and my vision blurred. The world started getting darker and darker, and my drool dripped out of my mouth. I looked up one last time, peering through a hole in the canopy that revealed a full moon. Unlike my heart, it stayed in one place, confident of its role in the universe. My head ceased all will and crashed to the floor, but not before I saw a shadow galloping and making its way towards me. Unfamiliarity struck me once more, but I was too tired to care for its identity.

Caving in to my body's demands, slowly but surely, I fainted, with the hoof steps increasing in volume until my brain had stopped registering it.

Author's Note

Yea the whole idea might be hard to chew on, so take your time, and I promise you something exciting in chapter 6 :D I PROMISEEEE :flutterrage:

Chapter 6: First Impressions

"... think this is... Huffy! What if she... can't risk it... folks here... own safety!"

"... okay, Cain... after her... promise she won't cause... the worse she can..."

"I still don't... she might be... a mutation from somewhere else... evil..."

"... it's fine! ... some rest... wake her up!"

"I trust you... good idea still..."

"I'll handle... take your leave."

And my surroundings were quiet once again. The murmurs in the background had woken me up earlier, but my body didn't have the slightest ounce of energy left to neither open my eyes, nor sit up. I laid still, the musky air around me smelled like bread, and the soft flickering of fire danced at the ceiling, the shadow of a pony slowly distancing away. My eyelids fluttered and my breath was hollow. Should I get up, or should I just lie here? My mind raced around the track, unable to make a sound decision. My eyes didn't want to open either; realisation of actuality struck me uncertain, with neither friend nor foe assured in my new environment.

The soft, yet distinct sound of blades sharpening in the corner forced my right eye to open, curiosity overpowering restrain. An orange unicorn with cerulean mane stood by a grindstone, sharpening and tinkering on what seemed like a spear.

"Hmm... that should do it," said the orange stallion, as he brandished his weapon in the air, the torches in the room now reflecting onto the spear that shimmered lightly.

"Huff! Come here quick! We need your help! It's not going to hold for long!" A voice shouted from afar, with mild hysterics of 'ah' and 'oohs' alternating with intense cries of 'oofs' and 'urfs'.

"Not again," said Huff with an unbelieving tone. I could hear the spear being put down, and the sound of hoof steps slowly getting further and further away. I laid there motionless, deciphering the image I had in front of me when I finally opened both my eyes and looked around. The walls and ceilings were made of straw and bamboo, and torches were mounted in every corner of the room. A desk filled with stacks and stacks of paper, as well as the spear he just ground, laid on the fair right of the room. The door in the center arched over, the width of it spanning nearly half the length of the wall. On the left, as well as in front of me, laid a couple of ornaments, potions, vials, as well as different kinds of herbs and spices that were labelled in a jar. All of which stood perfectly arranged in alphabetic order, from left to right. Basil, Catnip, Oregano, Parsley, Tarragon, red vial, another red vial, green vial. Books laid perfectly in order on the row above too, with the book proudly labelled '1' on the far left of the stack, and ending with a '13' on the far right.

On my left laid a bed, as well as a small drawer with a picture pinned and mounted behind it. I squinted at it, only to deduce two crudely drawn ponies, with the parchment covered in dirt, grime and dust. Something told me that picture had not been contacted with lately, the parchment slowly gaining spots of yellow all over it. Curiosity grabbed me by the neck like cats and ball of yarn, and before I realised, my hooves landed on the soft, warm touch of the grass underneath, different from the rock hard bed I had been lying on. I made my way towards the picture, and noticed two names enclosed in a heart, with a third one outside of it.

Cain Tellot and Lucky Jade. May I wish you all the best in your future endeavours together. - Huff Hollows

Heh, that's such a cute picture, I thought. They had their fore hooves placed around each other, as warm, sincere smiles lay across both of their faces. Huff Hollows--the artist I presume--had captured what I felt was real. What I felt love was all about. The closeness of the pair depicted in the picture had struck a beautiful chord in my body, making me feel warm and tingly inside. Oh how I wish I could experience it just once. Love. What a beautiful thing.

I managed to pull away from the adorable photo, and focused on the spear on the other side of the room. Temptation drew close, and so did my body as it made its way towards the spear. I then stopped by the spear, itching to wield it once again. The only thing that delayed it though, was my admiration of the craft. The handle had been carved quite meticulously, with what seemed to be a timeline of events skilfully crafted as my eyes gazed from the handle to the tip of the spear. The top laid a piece crimson pink fabric, that caressed the joint between the tip and the handle, holding it firmly,yet delicately. The tip itself had been sharpened so sharply that staring at it could probably just get my eyes poked out.

My right fore hoof reached out towards the spear. Slowly, it crept and made its way closer and closer to it. It would have been a shame to damage this piece of art,I thought as I approached it cautiously. My hoof was now centimeters away from the handle; I could almost feel the elegant touch of the spear as my hoof levitated above the handle. All I had to do was reach down, and grab it.

"What do you think you're doing?" stemmed a low growl from behind me.

Buck. Busted.

My survival instincts kicked in. I grabbed the spear on the table and swung backwards, merely missing the face by inches. Oh man, this spear isn't that light like the one I have back home. The foe suddenly pulled a sword from behind him and thrust an uppercut, only to be deflected by the swift movements of my spear. I backed off slightly, bumping into the table and knocking a couple of files off it, before regaining balance, leaping into the air and taking aim at his chest. He was quick too, for he parried my blow and in retaliation, kicked me in the chest, sending me back towards the table and knocking more stuff over. I got up quickly enough to see him charging straight for me; I twisted my hooves sharply, flicking the spear and slamming him right across the room once more.

My foe was definitely well-trained; without missing a beat, he bounced off the walls, did a somersault in mid-air and thrust his sword towards me, only to be deflected once again by my swift actions. He was well-versed with a sword, but so was I; with every slash he threw at me, I steered clear, only stopping to parry a couple of his quicker stabs. We danced around the room, the sound of metal clashing one another had consistently rung and bounced off the walls, with no mercy spared for either one of us.

I took every opportunity I had to inflict possible harm on him, but with each strike I pounced, he returned it with twice the stabs, which I narrowly avoid each time. Blaming it on the weight of the weapon, which was too heavy for my likings, I struck him hard, which gave me a little distance between him and I, and proceeded to conjure my own weapon from the magic of my horn. With my own weapon that finally surfaced, I threw the other spear across the room, narrowly missing him, but landing onto the picture on the wall.

Oops.

"Why you little-"

My thoughts distracted me momentarily as he made a move forward, leaped slightly in mid air, and lunged towards me, his fiery eyes locked onto my delicate neck. I managed to avert the attack barely, something I couldn't have down if I had held onto the other spear. Still, I had a trick up my sleeve; he didn't know what was in store for him; the spear I wielded possessed power large enough for me to take down colossus beasts and mystical dragons, let alone some other pony. I smiled slyly at him, as I chucked a flurry of attack, with each movement impeccable at speed and strength. He weaved and turned and avoided most of my attacks, and managed to stop some with his sword, but my attacks came relentless. It was as if something possessed me to take him down at all cost.

I swung a hard one, which he tried to block, and sent him stumbling over the bed I once laid upon. Chancing upon his moment of vulnerability, I took the opportunity to knock his sword off his hooves, and perform a roundhouse kick on his chest, swooping him off his feet and sending him straight into the tiny bedside drawer. It fell over and the contents all got flung out.

I stood there, towering above him as he struggled to pull himself up. The temptation was too strong; I wanted to buck him up, just to show that no pony can mess with me, Mi Amore Diane. My pride overshadowed my mind as I tightened the grip on the spear, ready to show the world what I was capable of.

Buck all of you. No one shall ever mess with me again!

With one last impulsive surge, I propelled forward and aimed straight for his heart.

What are you doing? Stop!

It felt like the gears in my head had shifted up one level, my brain finally catching up with reality. I stopped in mid-thrust, nearly piercing him as I held my spear just directly above where his heart was. Something stopped me from killing him, and I knew exactly what, or rather, who it was. Inside of me, I knew, that there were no reasons to kill him, other than the fact that he crept up on me. But there was no reason for me to poke around other people's personal things either, with his privacy as something I should have respected.

"Kill me! Now! What are you waiting for?! Kill me, before I kill you!" The blue stallion yelled at my face, challenging me to an ultimatum. Anger had flooded his face, with signs of defeat imminent on his face, however hard he tried to mask it with his bravado. "Kill me, you worthless piece of Alicorn scum." He spat in my face, which I didn't take lightly at all. Rashly, I swung the butt of my spear a couple of times, smacking his face in the process. Streaks of red formed on his face as I continue bashing, silently cursing him with each strike.

After about Celly-knows-how-many strokes, I pulled back, and continued threatening his existence, pointing the spear back onto his vulnerable heart. Time flew by slowly. We stared at each other grudgingly, with both of us panting heavily, trying to catch our breath from the exchange that just happened. If fate's idea of a joke was to prank me with an emotional gimp, it worked. Before I realised, I was staring intently into his forest green eyes, which seemed to glimmer and shine in the low-light environment, its radiance encasing my eyes. Unknowingly, behind all the commotion and destruction we left behind, a pair of beautiful eyes stood steadfast, it being the reason for the warm tickle on my cheeks. All the sweat on his face, and the long scar that streaked down the side of his left cheek, mattered little with eyes that beautified his face, its oval pupils taking the spotlight.

I regretted my next actions immediately; I had loosened my grip over my spear to my own accord, which he picked up simultaneously as I kept staring at his eyes. Taking the opportunity to be free, he pushed me backwards, slammed me onto the floor, wrestled the spear out of my hand and aimed my spear straight at my eyes, only barely stopping before it. Any sudden movements from me and my eye would had been taken out. I couldn't die, but I could lose a body part or two, I think. Yet, even with the imminent threat hovering above my eyes, I couldn't help but stare more into those green eyes of his. My heart started racing faster and my cheeks started getting hotter. My mind was in a whirl so strong, even the roots of my brain could have been flung out. I was feeling something familiar. Something that once happened to me in a dream.

Love.

Those... beautiful... pupils... if this meant love, then threaten me all you want. Just leave my eyes intact so my heart can never falter for you.

"What are you doing Cain? This is not how you treat a guest!" A familiar voice appeared, breaking my swooning trance.

"Well, Huffy, this guest of yours almost stole your spear!" He shouted at him, then turned towards me and growled, "You worthless excuse for a living soul!" Cain snarled at my face and spat again, but I managed to dodge it, with the spit landing on the grass beside me instead. My admiration for him had suddenly disappeared, as if he took away something important to me. My heart raced even faster and my head spun even fiercer, all in search for that lost feeling, but it was long gone, all in one sentence which shattered my heart.

"Cain, I saw it all from the beginning." Huff spoke calmly to him, before turning his attention towards me. "Now tell me, young Alicorn, did you touch that spear before Cain crept behind you?"

"I did not creep behind her!" shouted Cain, disbelieving the side that Huffy had taken.

"Oh yeah? Why were you near this tent when that tent out there was about to fall? We could have used one more pair of hooves, Cain."

"I saw her wanting to steal your beloved spear, so I rushed back and tried to stop her!" argued Cain.

"At the cost of what? The tent that sheltered Bucksworth and his family?" Huffy volume increased twofold, nearly yelling over the room at Cain.

"We can always rebuild the tent, but we can never replace your spear! You told me yourself, that if the spear broke or went missing, you'll be devastated!"

"Well, Bucksworth and his family ARE devastated over the loss of their home. How are you going to explain to his two little foals, Holly and Foxtrot, that they are to sleep under the stars for the next few days?" Anger stemmed underneath that cool composure he had tried to put on.

"I...I... uh, I didn't know it would... uh," stammered Cain.

"Didn't know! Cain, you should know better by now! How old are you again?"

"Twenty-five? But I don't see why--"

"Twenty-five! Twenty-five years living in this village. Living side by side all your neighbors, your relatives, your friends. Yet you've forgotten even the simplest of things." Huffy made his way slowly towards Cain, who still, had his spear aimed at me. "When somepony needs help, all of us help that one pony, no matter what it is! Have you forgotten that? Or need I remind you of--"

"No! Huffy, don't you ever mention about her again! She's dead! Gone!" Cain had diverted his anger, as well as the spear, towards Huffy. The air tensed, with neither party willing to speak for the next few seconds. Silence erupted, but the sound of fire flickering continued buzzing around the room. The two of them, with their identities as foe or friend unclear at this point, poised glares, with neither party advancing. Eventually, it was Cain who broke off. He flung the spear towards the ground in front of Huffy, stormed past him, and bolted out of the room, his face steaming clearly with the lashes that I had left earlier camouflaging with his anger. Huffy finally relaxed, sighed and walked towards me, offering a hoof to pick me up, which I gladly accepted.

"You know, he's not so bad once you get to know him. Don't let this side of his scare you," comforted Huffy, but it was too late; Cain had already left an emotional scar in my heart.