Lazy Bones

~7: Final Words~

Celestia limped towards the old mill, her sister and her student’s friends close behind. The now marble white cube rested on Luna’s back, within floated six black spirits. The door opened as they neared, clearly they were expected. Without hesitation they passed through, whatever Celestia had been expecting to see, it wasn’t this. Rather than an ancient run down building, they stood together in a vast, ornate hallway, Celestia recognised it instantly.

They walked down the hall, the sounds of their hooves echoing through the empty castle. As they walked Celestia glanced up at the pillars, adorned with gargoyles, the stained glass windows depicting ponies engaging in various activities that would be considered sinful to a moral and just pony. Reaching the end they stopped at the tall doors, this was it, the last spirit, the last fight. Celestia put another hoof forward, and as if she triggered an invisible pressure pad, the doors began creaking slowly open.

“I’ve been waiting,” a voice called out through the open door. The group continued forward, emerging into a room of similar scale to the hallway the just left, the two major differences being a giant tear in middle of the stone floor, and a raised dieses at the opposite end of the room, upon which stood a throne not unlike Celestia’s own. Sitting upon it, was Twilight Sparkle.

“I was running out of good ways to entertain myself,” she said gesturing at the figure to her left. Celestia guessed the unicorn stallion was Iron Heart, but his skin was pale, his face sunken, and his eyes empty.

“What happened to him?” Luna asked stiffly.

“I wanted him, but he didn’t want me,” twilight said giving Fluttershy a look of pure hatred, “So I altered him until he did.”

“Twilight, please, let’s talk about…” Celestia attempted to say but Twilight cut across her.

“Silence Celestia,” she screeched, “I won’t let you trick me any longer, that’s right I’ve seen through your lies. You saw my power when I was just a filly, you knew I was better than you, so you lied to me, told me you cared about me, told me I meant something to you, all so you could hold me back.

“But not anymore,” she said, her voice remained that of her own, but it carried nothing but spite, “I’m better than you, I’m better than everypony, and now I’ll take everything I deserve.”

“Twilight, listen to yourself,” Celestia beseeched her, “this isn’t you talking.”

“Oh, and who is talking for me?” Twilight demanded.

“Yes Celestia, do share with the class,” an unearthly voice spoke, but not from Twilight’s mouth, “You don’t mean to say you actually thought I was possessing her did you? After everything we’ve been through, you still haven’t learned how I work.”

The creature emerged from behind the throne; it was shaped like a pony, but one that been twisted and tortured beyond recognition. Its skin was a translucent ooze, stained the colour of dark blood. However its eyes were shut, and its mouth barely more than a slit.

“Envy!” Celestia spat.

“Long time no see Celestia,” Envy said, “surely you know by now that I do not intervene directly, I simply work in the shadows, pulling the strings. Or have you forgotten, that I was merely whispering in your sister’s ear when jealous took her over? I was not living in her heart.”

Luna bristled next to Celestia, “so it’s true, you turned me into that monster!”

“You were already a monster, I just showed you a mirror,” Envy stated matter-of-factly, “and by the time Celestia even learned of my involvement, she had already sealed you away.”

“Let Twilight go, your fight is with me Envy, she has nothing to do with this,” Celestia commanded.

“I’m afraid not Celestia,” it said, the first hint of a smile playing on its face, “you’re right, my fight is with you, and it is for that reason I have chosen Twilight to suffer for what you did to me.

“You know my powers, I saw through your wizards eyes, saw the way you cherished and loved this pony,” it continued, stroking Twilight’s mane with one of its rancid limbs, “I want you to suffer, and this is how I’ll make you suffer.”

“That’s enough!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, her and the other element bearers assuming an aggressive stance, “as long as we’re still here you’ll never take Twilight away from us.”

“Oh of course, thank you for reminding me,” Envy said raising a hoof.

A vortex surrounded Envy’s raised hoof and immediately six identical, smaller vortexes appeared around each of the elements of harmony, sucking them away from their owners.

“What? No!” they all exclaimed together, as the elements reappeared hovering over Envy’s hoof.

“Let’s just lock these away for now,” it said, and with that they all shrank and disappeared, “can’t have you ruining everything now can we.”

“That’s enough Envy!” Luna shouted raising the white cube with her magic.

“Please don’t waste our time,” Envy said sounded completely bored, “your trap may have worked on my lesser siblings, but don’t embarrass yourselves by even attempting to seal me with it.”

“It’s true sister,” Celestia said as Luna was about to begin charging it, “the last time I sealed them away I had to weaken Envy first, it’s too powerful otherwise.”

As she said that Envy gripped its chest with a hoof, its face twisting in pain, “I remember that part very well.”

Celestia swept her eyes over the room once more.

“So you recognise the place Celestia,” Envy stated, “the castle of Hamlet.”

“Hamlet never had a castle,” Applejack argued.

“oh but it did, it was where Celestia first sealed us,” Envy explained, “and in doing so she reduced this place to ash, as well as… the ponies who didn’t get out in time.”

“That’s a lie!” Rarity shouted up at Envy.

“Princess Celestia would never let innocent ponies die,” Fluttershy said, quietly but angry none the less.

“Really? My mistake then,” Envy said sarcastically, “go ahead Celestia, deny it, prove me wrong.”

But Celestia said nothing; Luna looked at her unable to believe it, “sister…”

“I… was so angry after I lost you, they tricked us into turning against one another, and I was left all alone,” Celestia responded quietly.

“And you would never have known Applejack,” Envy said turning its attention back to the work horse, “because the winners write the history books.”

There was a moment of silence, in which Envy smiled properly for the first time.

“So?” Celestia looked around surprised to hear Pinkie speak.

“She lost somepony close to her,” Fluttershy said.

“Why wouldn’t she flip out?” Dash chipped in.

“We know the princess, we’ve seen the goodness in her,” Rarity piped up.

“And even if there’s some bad in there too…” Applejack said.

“We’ll never lose faith in her to do the right thing,” Spike finished.

Celestia bowed her head, a tear ran down her cheek, “thank you my little ponies.”

Luna placed a hoof on her shoulder, and she turned to see an understanding smile on her face. Envy wasn’t smiling anymore.

“How sickly sweet,” it said, its voice dripping with malice, “but I’ve had enough, time for the student to surpass the teacher.”

Twilight, who’d been strangely subdued the whole time now stood up taking a few steps forward.

Celestia was about to speak, but before she could Applejack walked out in front of her.

“Twi, listen to me sugarcube.” Twilight didn’t respond, she just kept walking, “ah know there’s pain inside you, we’ve all experienced it. Those things brought out the worst in us. But even if what they say is true, that we had those things inside us all along, I know what really changed us, is that we lost sight of what was really important to us.”

Twilight stopped walking as she reached the edge of the tear in the floor, Envy frowned.

“Ah was so angry,” Applejack continued, “ah forgot what it was like to feel love or happiness, all ah knew was hate… but somepony showed me, that no matter how much hate there is in the world, there’ll always be good, always be a light to shine through the darkest of times.”

Applejack turned to look at the others, “there’ll always be bad times, there’ll always be hurt and sadness, but as long as you never forget what’s really important to you, like your friends…”

Applejack’s eyes rested on Spike, “or a brother…”

She then looked at Celestia, “or somepony who loves like a mother…”

She then looked back at Twilight, who was trembling slightly where she stood, “as long as you never forget us, as long as you always hold us your heart, like we hold you in ours, then there ain’t no amount of hate or jealousy that can overcome you.”

Twilight’s eyes shone with tears and her lip trembled as she spoke, “Applejack…”

“Oh for…!” Envy bellowed, fury burning in it’s now wide eyes, “after all this effort, you’re really going to beat me with the magic of friendship!”

“it’s like you and your siblin’s said,” Applejack retorted, “pride, greed, jealousy… they’re all parts of what make us ponies, but you’re forgetting love is just as much a part of us as any of them, and it’s a might bit more powerful than anything you can throw at us!”

“Then let me show you just how worthless your love truly is!”

With that Envy’s body began warp into an indistinguishable red mass which hurtled through the air, latching onto Twilight. She screamed as her body began to absorb the invader.

“Twilight!” they all screamed in unison. There was a moment of silence as Twilight stood with her head hung down, then she began to shake with quite laughter.

“I’m so sick… of listening to you all preach about love and friendship…” Envy spoke through Twilight’s mouth, “they won’t save you… when I tear the skin from your bones!”

Envy leapt forward descending upon Applejack, Twilight’s mouth was stretched open ready to engulf her whole, packed full of jagged teeth. It happened so quickly, nopony could react; Applejack stared up, and knew in her gut she wasn’t going to be saved by anypony this time, this time she was going to die…

… When all of a sudden, the air ripped burst open behind the falling Twilight who was held still as if frozen in time. The throne room was bathed in a brilliant light which enveloped everypony. Only Celestia was able to see through it, and there she saw something even she, an alicorn who had lived for over a thousand years, could not begin to understand.

A hole had opened up through time and space, and there on the other side, stood two figures, staring straight back at her. Who were they? They seemed so familiar. Celestia would never know as at that moment she saw Envy, the true Envy, begin to rip away from Twilight’s body, getting dragged through the door. It screamed and fought, but it couldn’t resist, the pull was too immense, too… unnatural. Just before Envy crossed over the threshold, and the portal began to shut, it looked down one last time at Celestia.

“I don’t understand…”

And with those final words, the hole was shut, and Envy was sealed away.