//------------------------------// // Ch. 5- Surprises, surprises // Story: The Monster Within // by Uberdeathninja //------------------------------// Twilight struggled as hard and tenaciously as she could as the beast held her with ease and malice, praying that Celestia would save her soon. Unfortunately, this was not the case, as almost a whole minute had passed, and Twilight's hopes were slowly disintegrating before her eyes, though despite this, the purple unicorn still struggled, and did all in her power to force the beast of the Everfree to release her. "Put me down! Now!!! I said NOW!!!" Twilight screamed, but alas, no amount of kicking or biting could loosen the creature's grip on her. Finally, the beast flicked her upside the head with one of it's claws, knocking the little pony out. The human looked at the unconscious pony in mild curiosity after knocking her out, wondering if he should eat her. The idea seemed rather alluring, the beast thought, but this little pony was indeed rather important-looking, though the human had no idea why. deciding to think about his choice later, the beast set the lone violet pony down first, and then went out to grab the little pony's friends from the various places he had pinned them into, be they trees, ground, or solid boulders. Finally, as soon as he rounded them up and put them in his cave, he ordered his pack to make sure they didn't escape. Then, he changed to his human form and went to the cottage to actually eat something worth putting into his belly: these ponies tended to taste too much like pure sugar and spice. Besides, aside from that, he had a sinking feeling he would need those ponies later, and his gut feelings were never wrong. Luna walked down the corridor to her sister's room, where she was put until her bones finally healed. When she knocked, She heard her sister's voice soon after, though it seemed rather... troubled. "Come in!" Luna entered upon hearing her sister call, and she soon enough saw her sister on the bed, a cast on her right foreleg and both hind legs. The beast she fought did a real number on her, whatever it was. Maybe it was connected to the human somehow? Luna decided to ask her sister of that, once she'd confronted her about her original grievance: the annihilation of the entire human race, save one. However, before she could speak, Celestia looked at her sister, and her troubled face was immediately replaced by joy, and she welcomed her sister, beckoning her. "Oh, Luna, come on in. Just in time, I actually need to talk to you about something important." Said Celestia, surprising Luna. "Celestia, I kinda needed to ask you something first..." Luna complained, but she was quickly interrupted by her sister. "After, this is important. Shut the door, please. Nopony else can hear this."Celestia replied with great haste, and, albeit reluctantly, Luna shut the door and paid attention to her sister, the human's memory still fresh in her mind. In fact... could this be about that human? before she could fully ponder the question, though, Celestia checked the door to make sure it was closed, and spoke again, her voice softer than normal, as if she truly wanted none but her and Luna to know of this conversation. "Luna... I have something I desperately need to tell you. See... I think I might know where the beast that's been attacking us came from, but you're not gonna like it. I have to tell someone, though, and you're the only one I can trust." Luna already knew where this conversation was going, but wanted to be as sure as possible. "What is it, Celestia?" Asked Luna with fake innocence. Thankfully, Celestia bought it. "Luna, I need to tell you, well... Have you ever heard of humans?" She asked timidly, as if reluctant to get to the point. "Of course. All ponies know of them in legend. Why?" Luna asked, despite already knowing 'why'. Celestia gritted her teeth, finally getting to her point, then answered: "This beast that haunts the forest... I think... I think he may indeed be the last of them." Luna was shocked. The beast and the human... They were the same?! It couldn't be! "Celestia, are you saying that the humans you so easily destroyed could turn into such horrible monsters like that?!" Celestia perked up in confusion at that, and quickly retorted. "No, it's... Wait, what did you say?" Uh oh. Luna, her cover blown, quickly tried to correct herself to avoid her sister's wrath, but to very little avail: "Uh, I mean, it's... uh..." stuttered Luna futilely. Celestia's face suddenly turned very scared and grave, and she questioned her sister. "Luna, how did you know that I destroyed them, though I don't remember telling you?" Asked Celestia grimly. Luna could only stand there and sweat as the two stared at each other. Then, finally defeated, she answered nervously, shuffling her hooves like a filly caught stealing from the cookie jar: "I... Uh... Might have looked for the beast last night, then I found the human, and looked in it's head a little..." Celestia stiffened at the explanation at first, but seeing no reason to be shocked or angry at her sister, Celestia finally relaxed, and sighed, before finally replying. "I figured that might have been the case. I suppose that's what you came here to ask me about, then? Why I did it?" Celestia replied sadly. Luna nodded. "I want to know if it's true. Did you really kill that whole race?" Luna asked. Celestia lowered her head. "Yes, I destroyed the humans, and I faced the last of them many times before. I still have a scar from the first time." As Celestia said that, she moved her mane from the right side of her face, revealing a great, jagged scar that went from her ear to her lower jaw, missing her eye by inches, just like the wolf from the human's memory gave her. "I have more of those, but I think that's enough proof for you." Luna was greatly saddened. Turns out, her own sister committed mass genocide without her even knowing. "Why?" Was the only thing Luna could manage. "Because, my dear sister, I was young, arrogant, and foolish. I guess I'm still a fool, leaving such a dangerous creature running around. Mostly, though, I did what I did because I was afraid of them." Luna quickly became angry. "So you exterminate a race because you're afraid of them? That makes no sense!" Luna ranted "Luna, you don't understand, humans were violent, destructive creatures, and they were only going to destroy everything else before they finally destroyed themselves." Protested Celestia. "I don't believe you, Celestia! How could I, after you keep this genocide from me after all these centuries, and I have to learn the truth from the last human on Equestria!" Tears were forming in Luna's eyes as she screamed at her sister. "How could you do such a thing, Celestia?! What kind of leader gets rid of a problem without trying to at least fix it first?" Celestia lowered her head as the assault continued, then she replied: "Please understand, Luna, there was no fixing humanity, their violence was bred into them from millions of years of evolution, wired into their minds, a part of them as a species... But not a day goes by when I don't regret what I did to humanity, and what I did to him..." Luna interrupted Celestia: "What do you mean 'what you did to him'?" Celestia replied sadly: "I made the last human what he is now. Many thousands of years ago, I cursed him with immortality so that he would always suffer his loneliness. I had hoped that that alone would kill him, but he bypassed it. His immortality made him stronger, but made me weaker. One day, likely soon, he will come for me, and he will destroy anypony and anything in his way. He would bring about the end of civilization to get at someone as lowly and ashamed as me... And that is why he must be destroyed." Luna stared in disbelief at her sister. "You would rather destroy the one you wronged than apologize?! What is wrong with you?! Are you that selfish?!" Cried Luna. "No." Replied Celestia. "In fact, it's the opposite. I'm doing the human a mercy by this: You see, thanks to my actions, he now exists in a world he no longer belongs in, one unfit for his capacity for destruction. If he continues his rampage, then both of us will be left with nothing but pain." Celestia explained, but Luna would have none of it, and so she pressed further. "Sister, this is the reason he hates our kind. You can't just kill him because you destroyed his world!" Luna pleaded, but Celestia had made up her mind long before the argument started, and she wasn't about to give ground now. "This isn't up for debate, Luna! That human is dangerous, and he WILL destroy everything! All we have worked for, all our achievements, he will bring ruin to it all! You can't save him, Luna; I doubt he even WANTS to be saved." Celestia retorted, but Luna only strengthened her resolve. "That's what you think, but you've never asked him what he thinks! I, for one, thinks that he can adapt, if we just show that we can accept him! This isn't those years anymore, Celestia; We don't have a place for vengeance and genocide anymore! I'll show you your mistake! I'll help him into society, and show you that humans were not the monsters you made them out to be!" Luna exclaimed, her voice filled with conviction, and Celestia flinchedat her sister's verbal onslaught, but still faced her sister nonetheless, and after a brief silence, she finally replied, her voice cold. "... Well, if that is how you see it, then by all means, try it. But know this, Luna, humans are nothing but clever destroyers. You are only setting yourself up for failure." Celestia snapped, but Luna merely turned from her sister, determined to prove her wrong, and uttered one last comment: "We will see, Celestia. But I think you're the one who is wrong." She said before leaving the room. Then, as soon as Luna had left the room, slamming the door behind her, Celestia let out an exhausted sigh. "Siblings..." She muttered to herself before going to sleep.