GREEN
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2794 15.59 KB 299
2794 15.59 KB 299
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=Helios 13=
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>You were Princess Celestia.
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>You were currently reading a report from your star pupil Twilight Sparkle.
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>"Dear Princess Celestia, today I learned the importance of dental hygiene."
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"Oh boy..."
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>This was going to be a memorable one.
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>The report read and filed away with the rest, you stepped out onto your balcony and began the process of lowering the sun.
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>As you were just about to sit down and relax to some Wing Crosby when a knock came at the door.
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>To your relief, the one outside the door was just who you wanted to see.
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"Anonymous! Good to see you return safely..."
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>You had been worried.
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>He peaks his head in and glances around. "Celestia I need you to stay here."
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>You are slightly taken aback by the seriousness in his voice.
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>In the hall behind him, you see guards running to and fro with a sense of purpose.
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"Anon, what's going on?"
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>Anon sighs. "We found the shadow caster..."
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>You perk up.
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"That's great news Anon!"
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>Anon shrinks a bit. "Yeah. We're going to go apprehend him now, so can you stay here? I don't want to get worried about you too."
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>You look into his eyes.
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>There's...hurt inside them, sadness.
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>Anon wasn't telling you something.
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>You...weren't telling him something either.
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"Y-yes Anon. I'll stay in tonight."
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>Anon sighs. "Thank you. I'll check in when I get back."
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>With that one of the most important people in your life shut the door and left.
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"...Be careful."
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>Please.
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-Anon PoV-
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>You walked through the city streets with a contingent of royal guards at your back.
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>They turned quite a few heads. Walking in formation, golden armor glittering in the last vestiges of sunlight.
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>No chances tonight.
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>You cupped your gauntleted hand over your mouth and called to the masses.
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"Everyp0ny return to your homes please! Official guard business, move along!"
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>You threw a silent thanks to whoever may be listening when they galloped off the street.
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>This served two purposes. It allowed your guards to move faster and ensured that they would not come to harm in the event there was a confrontation.
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>You passed through the gates to the Blueblood estate and turn to some of the guards behind you.
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"Fan out and secure the area, we don't want them slipping away."
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>Due to the size of the estate, a considerable amount of the guards were needed to secure it, the remainder of you heading inside the house.
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>You storm your way up the stairs, intent on disrupting anything they had going on.
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>In the same room you found Blueblood in when you first came here, you found a butler.
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>"My word! What is the meaning of this? Why are you here?"
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"To arrest Prince Blueblood for using ancient magics to kidnap citizens. Where is he?"
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>The butler scoffs. "I have absolutely no idea what you-"
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>You lift the butler up by the scruff of his lapel.
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>This was no time for games.
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"You're lying. I smell it on you."
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>You bring him a hairsbreadth away from your face.
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"Where. Is. He?"
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>You drop the trembling butler on the ground with a resounding thud.
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>He shakily walks over to the piano in the corner and presses three keys, sending scared looks back at you the entire time.
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>At the third key press, a door in the bookshelf swings open, revealing stairs spiraling down.
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"Bookcase hooked up to the piano..."
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>Cliché much?
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>You and the guards you didn't have securing the house descended the stairs.
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>The quarters were cramped, the walls no more than a few feet across.
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>It was clear that not too many ponies came down here.
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"Everyone stay close, and call out anything out of the ordinary."
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>Your words echo up the stairway as you descend deeper.
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>And deeper.
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>And deeper still.
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>The farther down you go, the less sounds come from above.
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>The songs of birds of the night, or of the guards patrolling the house.
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>Instead all you heard was your own footsteps and the sounds of those behind you. Beyond that, a maddening nothing.
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>It really wasn't helping your nerves.
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>Both you and your men's breathing had quickened to an almost frenzied pace.
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>You could feel the sweat start to form on your palms, and your feet were a little shaky.
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>A door appeared at the end of the stairs leading into a small and poorly lit room.
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>You inched yourself through the doorway, keeping a hand on your sword and an eye open for trouble.
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>The room was...empty.
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>You turn back to the guards in the stairway.
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"Alright guys, it looks like we're alone do-"
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>The familiar spark of magic echoes from inside the room.
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>You dive back on instinct just in time to dodge a wall of stone shooting up from the ground, sealing the other guards in the stairwell.
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>The pounding of the guards on the other side of the wall mix your own and echo through the room.
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>Until another sound overpowers them.
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>"Anonymous."
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>The clip clop of hooves comes from the center of the room towards you.
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>You draw your sword and toss the sheathe on the ground, it would only slow you down.
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>"I suppose I should have expected someone." A voice said as it trotted into view.
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"Blueblood...you look like hell."
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>The Princes' bloodshot eyes had bags under them and his normally perfect hair hung in his face in strands.
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>He sighs. "Yes, I suppose I have been overworking myself lately."
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"Using shadow magic to kidnap citizens?"
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>Blueblood sighs again, deeper this time. "Yes...that was me. But I did what I did for good reason."
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>You scoff. [spoiler][/spoiler] "What reason could justify that?"
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>Blueblood stares at you with an almost bored face. "This."
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>His horn glows and brings light to the room.
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>You wish it hadn't.
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>Clamped to steel beds at the rear of the room sat the kidnapped ponies.
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>They had various magical instruments nearby them and coils of pulsating energy behind them.
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>And each of them had their skin hanging in bags and ghastly white hair.
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"Wh-what is this?"
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>"This is sacrifice Anonymous. Using the life energy of these ponies, I will create a cure-all."
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"A what?"
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>"A cure all, please try to follow along." He says as he trots to the captives.
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>"I will create a spell that will wipe out everything bad. Disease, aging, unhappiness! I will bring Equestria into tomorrow as a true utopia!"
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>You laugh a shrill laugh.
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"Oxymoronic! A utopia built on the broken lives of others!"
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>Blueblood glares at you. "I knew you wouldn't understand."
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>His horn lights up, swinging open doors at the back of the room. "And I won't try to make you."
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>Through the doors come ponies in familiar armor.
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>That of the royal guards.
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>You brace as the colors of the royal guard and night guard slam into you.
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>A kick to the head leads to a quick slice across the neck for the lead.
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>You hated the idea of killing other guards, but you had no mercy for traitors.
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>Another, a pegasus, charges you from above.
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>You're able to twist yourself in such a way that it lets you grab him and throw him back.
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>Hours of practice with Shining Armor had taught you about the weak spots in the guards' armor.
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>Above the knee.
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>Near the tail.
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>The fact that the entire suit would fall apart if you snapped the strap under the chin.
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>One guard was feeling just that as his armor slid off him like water.
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>You took advantage of his shock to slam him in the face with your gauntlet.
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>Suddenly, you find yourself floating in the air, a blue glow surrounding you.
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>A hand slips into your boot and pulls out a long dagger.
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>With a flick of your wrist, you send it flying towards the offending unicorn with practiced aim.
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>You hit the ground as the dagger imbeds itself in the neck of the spell caster.
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>The remaining guards didn't like that, rushing you as you tried to climb.
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>Blueblood ranted as the guards piled on.
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>"You stand in the way of progress Anonymous! These ponies would have died and been honored martyrs in the eternal empire that followed!"
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>A guard kicks you in the chest and sends the wind out of you.
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>"All you needed to do was to stay out of our way!"
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>You crumple to the ground.
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>"But now -- You die!"
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>The guards prepare to smash your face with their hooves, but never get the chance.
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>The ceiling above you explodes in a shower of arcane magic, revealing a pure white pony in the middle as it dissipates.
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>"No. He will not." Celestia says.
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>Whatever resolve the guards had evaporated in sight of the Princess.
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>Celestia looked over to you in concern as they piled off and ran back through the door they came out of. "Are you okay Anonymous?"
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>You spit a bit of blood from a split lip out of your mouth as you regain your breath.
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"Yeah, just gimme a minute..."
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>Celestia turns back to her nephew and hardens her face.
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>What passes is the most awkward moment in family history.
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>"Stop this Blueblood, before I make you." Celestia says, ending the silence.
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>Blueblood scoffs. "And how would you do that Aunty? Hold me down and spank me like a child?"
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>That actually didn't sound so-
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>No. No. Stay focus.
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>You get to your feet and start to inch your way to Blueblood, making use of his back to you.
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>"Aunty, with the power you hold, you could have fixed everything ages ago."
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>"I would not have done it like this Nephew! This is monstrous, barbaric even! You don't even know if it will work!"
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>"So you would have us not try!? To deny ourselves certain avenues over others is to limit ourselves! Or worse, to condemn us to never having known fruits for our labors!"
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>"What fruits!? All I see here is a madman willing to sacrifice his own people for a mad grasp at power!"
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>You were close now, within feet.
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>Celestia obviously saw you, but to her credit she did not so much as glance at you lest she give you away.
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>Blueblood's breathing grows heavy as he lowers his head.
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>"You have gone soft. You are unwilling to sacrifice even such a minute amount to save countless others." He says through gritted teeth
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>Bluebloods horn glows green as he charges a spell and draws from the nearby mana batteries.
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>Almost there...
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>"In time, you and everyp0ny else will serve the One True Qu-"
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>Blueblood doesn't finish his sentence and wheels around to face you.
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>You smell ozone as the spell fills your vision.
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>You feel the magic surge through your chest as you get thrown off your feat.
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>"Anonymous!" You hear someone call.
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>You land on your back with a thud as your breathing seems to just stop.
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>You feel your arm lock up as you are sent into the familiar sensation of neurological shock.
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>There is no physical pain, you don't feel any cuts or broken bones, but your mind is screaming.
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>Lights and sounds break through the agony, but you don't register them.
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>As suddenly as the million pinpricks of pain came to you, they stop.
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>For a moment, your relieved that the pain stopped.
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>But then you begin to worry as the comforting sensation of nothingness continues to spread.
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>You try to move, to get yourself back on your feet and get back into things, but it doesn't happen.
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>Your limbs won't move.
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>Your fear of what is happening melts away. It doesn't leave you it's just gone.
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>That scares you more.
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>Something is very wrong.
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>You register yourself being picked up by a magical grip.
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>You feel the wind against your face as something happens to your body.
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>Words break through the haze of what's happening, or at least try to.
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>You're almost certain you hear your name.
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>Blackness creeps at the edge of your vision, trying to take you away.
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>The wind on your face stops.
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>You wonder what happened to Cele-
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>
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>
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>
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>The darkness went out in every direction.
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>You floated in that darkness.
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>Everything was nothing.
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>No sight.
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>No sound.
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>No feeling.
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>It was...peaceful, this place you called death.
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>You had heard of Tartarus and Elysium, but you weren't there.
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>Guess you just didn't belong.
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>And then, your darkness was not.
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>There was light inside you.
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>Bright light.
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>Bright light that made everything start.
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>The sight of blackness, not just nothing.
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>The sound of the world.
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>The feeling of softness on your back.
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>And the sensation of something.
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>Something warm and sad inside you.
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>You follow that feeling.
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>Follow it back to wherever it is.
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>As you do, your senses return to you.
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>And you are greeted with the sight of a ceiling.
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>You groan as you wake up.
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>"Anonymous!?"
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"Wha-"
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>Soft lips push your words back down your throat as they greet you.
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>The sadness you felt washes away, replaced by the warmth that accompanied it magnifying a hundredfold.
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>Celestia breaks away from you and places her head on your shoulder, tears forming at the edge of her eyes.
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"Wh-what happened? With Blueblood?"
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>Celestia exhales a deep breath. "I defeated my nephew, he is currently at an asylum in Detrot. I flew you here as fast as I could."
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>You rubbed your head.
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"What happened to the citizens?"
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>Celestia chuckles and caresses your head with a wing. "Always concerned for the people..."
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>"Doctors at Canterlot General looked them over, as well as the Royal Magisters..."
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>Celestias head fell a bit. "They were aged prematurely by the siphoning of their life energy...they may recover and they may not..."
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"But...they're safe?"
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>Celestia smiles and nods. "Thanks to you."
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>You try laughing only to groan when your chest starts to throb.
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"NNngggg...I feel like shit...how long was I out?"
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>"Two days. You were here for all of it."
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>You look around the room.
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>Circular bed.
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>Big fireplace
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>Chaise Lounge...
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>You were in CELESTIA'S room.
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>She had kept you in her room.
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"Uhh...Wow. Thank you."
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>Celestia smiles.
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"So, how bad of a hit did I take?"
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>Celestia's eyes shift from relief to concern.
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"Anything broken?
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>Celestia sits up on her bed. "Anonymous...Bluebloods spell...you suffered no physical damage."
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>What?
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"But...why did I go into shock? Why am I aching?"
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>"As I said...there is no physical damage..."
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>You were starting to get worried, Celestia looked it too.
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"Celestia, what happened to me?"
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>She sighs. "Anon, Blueblood destroyed part of your soul."
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>...
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"...What?"
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>That was...
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>What!?
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>"It was only by a miracle that I saved you."
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"How?"
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>Celestia shifted on the bed.
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>"I...bound your soul."
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>"With mine."
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>...
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>WHAT!?
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>You needed to breathe...
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>No! Fuck breathing! You needed answers!
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"W-what does that do?"
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>Celestia looks a bit nervous. "I-I simple terms; I am a part of you, and you are a part of me."
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>You place a hand on the bed to calm yourself.
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>You were bound, by the SOUL to Princess Celestia.
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"Why do all this?"
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>Celestia snaps her head away from you and mumbles something.
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"I'm sorry?"
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>Celestia slowly turns back to you, her eyes on the floor.
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>"I said...I did it because..."
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>"I...I think I love you Anon."
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>You hear glass shatter in the distance.
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>It all made sense now.
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>Those warm feelings, feeling more scared or embarrassed than you should.
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>Those were Celestia's feelings, coming through to you through the link.
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>You hear Celestia start talking, but not what she says.
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>You grip your head a bit.
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>What thoughts were yours!? Which ones were Celestia's!?
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>And what's up with Celestia?!
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>Just a bit ago you were just spending your first non-sexual evening together and now she loves you!?
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>All of this was causing an unbearable strain on your head...
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>But you were just so happy to have him back wi-NO!
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>YOU'RE STILL YOU!
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>You come back to yourself as Celestia is nuzzling your face.
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>"I'm so glad you're alright Anon..."
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>You're both silent.
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>This...this was too much.
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"I have to go."
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>"Wh-why? Celestia asks as you rise from the bed.
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"I-it's too much, too fast. I can't be here."
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>Celestia jumps off the bed.
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>"A-non, whatever is wrong, I-I can fix it!"
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"No, you're the problem."
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>You don't see your armor or sword in the room.
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>Oh well, can't stay to find it.
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>Too fast.
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>You open the door and rush past the guards.
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>A Princess shedding her first tear of the night behind you.
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