//------------------------------// // The Six Senses-Chapter 1 // Story: The Six Senses // by TheRealCelestia //------------------------------// “...And thank you, everypony, for this spectacular party!” Princess Celestia politely said to all the ponies that were leaving her castle. There were hundreds of ponies crammed inside of her castle, and Celestia tried her best to keep a straight face as she rushed them out. She didnt want to admit it, but after 8 hours of dancing and talking, Celestia was well worn out. It was quite clear the most ponies didn't want to leave from the look of sadness on everypony's faces. Celestia really wanted to let them stay longer, but she everytime she blinked, she nearly fell asleep. As Celestia looked to her side, she noticed Luna was absent. She couldn't see her anywhere. Celestia decided that she would look for her later. She couldn’t make a scene and she needed everybody out now. As the last person walked through that front door, she sighed in relief and turned around to see if they were any die-hard party ponies left. As she turned around to look for others, she found one of Twilight's friends staring up at her. “Hi Princess!” Pinkie Pie screamed. Celestia was startled and jumped back, then that Twilight and her friends stuck around. “Pinkie Pie! Get back here!” Twilight hissed. She looked at Celestia apologetically. Celestia smiled and said “I'm so sorry, my dear pupil, but I'm afraid I can't stick around. You see, I'm terribly tired”. “Oh! That’s fine. I don’t mean to impose! C’mon guys. We have to go.” Pinkie Pie looked heartbroken from the idea of leaving a party, but followed Twilight regardlessly. As the last of Twilight and her friends left, Princess Celestia shut the door with her glowing horn, and she looked around for her sister. She remembered telling Luna that she wanted her right by her side as all the guests left the castle. Celestia searched around for her dear sister almost everywhere in the ballroom and decided to ask one of the guards for her. The guard told her she was in her bedroom for a large part of the party. Celestia quickly ran to her sister’s room, wondering why she left without even telling her. She found her lying on her bed in the dark. Celestia quickly flipped the switch and saw Luna sprawled on her bed, her entire body was convulsing with each breath she took. Her dark eyes were flowing with hatred and fear. Her face looked old and worn. “Luna... Luna! Are… are you ok?” Princess Luna looked at her with a frightened look. She hadn’t even realized Celestia was there. “I-I'm f-fine.” “Can you tell me what happened?” Her sister looked at her with a look of disdain and hate, and then her face softened to a look of fear. “Tia... I don't... I don't really want to talk about it. Can you please leave?" Celestia understood her sister's request and shut turned around and walked Tears of Celestias own nearly sprung to her eyes, but she shut off the lights and said, “Sweet dreams my dear, dear sister.” As Celestia left the room, Luna quietly said to herself, “I don't think I will be having sweet dreams for a while.” Luna looked up. She wasn't in the castle. She wasn't even in Equestria, but she knew where she was. She had to go through this dream every night. She wandered around. If she had to describe it, it looked just like the Everfree Forest. But at the same time, it didn't. Everything was hazy, constantly moving, and the sky was black with red clouds. Somehow it was all terrifying. When she arrived in the dream it was one clear stone path that was straight and surrounded by tall oak trees. She could get off the path if she wanted to, but it didn't do any good. She tried that once, but she got lost in the unnaturally large expanse of oak trees, and had to spend a miserable amount of time in that forest. She even tried using her wings and horn, but it never did any good. Her wings were numb when she came to the dream, and she could never seem to concentrate enough to use her magic. Luna never got the point of this dream until yesterday. She arrived there as normal, and decided to walk straight ahead. Most of the time, she just tried to find out what the point of the dream was and wandering through the trees, looking for clues. But not this time. She remembered it all. As she walked farther and farther, she started hearing noises. She couldn't tell what they were, she just felt sadness as the noises started to come. But when walked about a mile, she could see. They were screams. Screams of ponies. Terrible, terrible blood curdling screams. She could smell blood whenever a scream echoed throughout the landscape. She ran to the source of the noise to try to help them, to see if they were even real, but she never found it. It kept going farther and farther away. She usually couldn't take it anymore and curled up in a fetal position and cried until she woke up. But this night was going to be different. She put her head high and started to run as fast as she could. For a whole hour, she strained her legs in hopes of finding why she keeps being sent to this living hell each night. And then she started to hear the screams. They were unnaturally loud; the screams could have been coming from a pony right next to her. She started to shed tears again, but she kept running. She tried focusing on the different things, like the pounding of her hooves on the stone walkway, or the way the wind made her mane flow in the air. But the screams started to become even louder, if that was even possible. She started to see small blood splatters on the stone pathway. Gradually they became larger until the gray stone became stained with pure red. Luna couldnt take it anymore. She slowed down to a walk and looked down as the smell and sight of the blood and the screaming overtook her. She wanted to stop. Stop forever. Luna's heart was beating so fast it felt like it would burst out of her chest. Luna looked up again. There was no end. It went on forever. She stopped and stared at the expanse ahead. It went on forever. It was an endless walkway of hell, blood and torture. She wanted to stop and curl up again. No. She could do this. She just needed a moment to collect her thoughts. She looked up at sky. It looked terrifying. Red clouds dotted the sky up top, making it look like an absurd mockery of reality. But whenever the clouds didn't cover up the sky, the ugly black sky stared back at her and she could feel energy being drained out of her. The screams were everywhere. She couldn't breathe. She fell into the stone walkway on the ground shaking, closing her eyes and begging to every god she knew. She screamed in fear, frustration and every negative emotion in her body. Her eyes were filled with tears until the voices suddenly stopped. She opened her eyes. Her tears blurred her vision. She was back in her bed. The screams were now only echoes of what they were. She had come back to the real world. In the morning, Luna crawled out of bed and wandered towards the royal kitchen. She squinted as the light of several pots reflected on her face and she made her way to the dining room where she found her sister. Luna sat down and started to eat the hay that was given too her. Celestia stared at her as she chewed. As she finished her food, she looked up and mumbled “What?” “Do you want to talk about last night?” Luna looked at her and said, “As a matter of fact, no. I do not wish to talk about it.” Celestia stared at her with a look of affection and said, “You know you're being difficult.” Luna did not return the feelings and promptly left the table and went onto the balcony. Celestia quietly followed her. As Luna stared at the expanse of land below her that was Ponyville, Celestia noticed a tear running down her cheek and she was biting her lip in frustration. “You know... the sun sure is beautiful today.” Celestia mumbled to Luna. Luna's face softened, then suddenly became full of disdain again. She whirled around and smacked Celestia across the face. Celestia recoiled in shock and Luna faced her. “STOP ACTING LIKE NOTHING IS WRONG, CELESTIA. JUST... JUST STOP. I SPENT 1000 YEARS LOCKED AWAY IN A PRISON BECAUSE OF YOU, AND YOU CAN'T JUST...” Luna's face contorted with anger and hate as she looked at her sister. She looked like she was about to say something, but instead just turned around and silently walked back into the castle. Celestia looked at Luna with a feeling disappointment, not anger, as she walked away. Although it was clear that her sister was troubled with something, lashing out this way was certain proof. She stared down in the expanse of land that was Ponyville, wondering what had triggered such a violent eruption. Celestia played the scene over in her head. Then she realized something. Luna wasn't looking at Ponyville. She was looking at the Everfree Forest. Celestia knew what she was about to do was cruel, but she had to know if her suspicion was right. She searched around for her sister and found her lying down in the library, reading a book. Celestia wondered if she really had to do this. She knew she had to, though. She cleared her throat and said, “So, Luna... I was wondering if we had any Cloverflower?” Luna narrowed her eyes and mumbled, “No, I don't think we do.” Why was Celestia talking to me just after a fight? thought Luna. She usually lets me cool down after we have a spat. “Well, that's too bad. I sure am craving some! I guess I'll go send my scouts to the Everfree Forest to get some.” Luna twitched as the word flooded her brain with memories of her dream. A walkway bathed in blood, the blood curdling screams of tortured ponies, the black sky, and the feelings of hopelessness and frustration. No. I'm not going to let her drag my thoughts out of me thought Luna as she forced a smile. “Th-that's good. I-I have been craving some too.” Celestia frowned at her for a second, then said, “Good! Well, would you like to come with me to the Everfree Forest to get some? You know how the food scouts are. They can barely recognize a dandelion from a slice of bread!” Luna bit her lip as her eyes started to water. This time she realized that Celestia was clearly emphasizing the words “Everfree Forest”. Or maybe it was in her head. Her legs started to wobble and she started to breathe harder. “N-N-No! I-It's fine! You c-can go on without me. I have a b-book to read a-anyway...” she said as she weakly gestured at her book. Celestia bit her lip as well. No need to go through with the rest of this. I already have my proof that whatever is wrong with her has something to do with the Everfree Forest. she thought as she gazed upon her beloved sister's face. She cried inside because of what was happening to her sister. She mustered up her courage and said, “Okay. I'll be in the Everfree Forest if you need me.” Celestia looked at Luna. She was shaking and her eyes were glassy. It's completely obvious now. She stared at Luna for a second and left. Luna panted and tears poured down her cheeks uncontrollably. She was nearly hysterical. She didn't want these thoughts. She wanted them OUT OF HER HEAD. Luna galloped around the room, knocking over tables and firing black lightning bolts everywhere from her glowing horn. She didnt even understand why she was wrecking a place she loved. All she remembered was her body filling upped to the brim with negative emotions. She jabbed her horn at the table, cracking it in half and setting it ablaze. She was so enraged, she was destroying things with her magic without even thinking about it. After she levitated almost 30 books and fried them to a crisp, she stopped and looked around. . The entire library was was in ruins. Hundreds on books lay flaming on the ground, and Luna could feet the smell of burnt wood and paper in her nostrils. She bit back her tears and walked out of the Library, emotions bursting, and heart racing. Whatever remaining control over herself was cracked open as she left the behind the carnage of burning books and broken wood.