THE BLOOD MOON

by Lamms

Friends never die

A lone alicorn trotted across the barren land, so beautiful yet even the land itself was terrified. Her eyes were spared by the flash of a rainbow in the distance, and a million colors of white light. Her hooves left a distinct imprint in the snow, gracing it as she trotted over it. The day was coming to an end and so she found a empty cave in which she could rest in. She removed the hood of her cloak and began setting a fire. Under the flickering light she pulled out a pen and quill tracing out the words to her disciples.

Dear my esteemed students,

I will be staying in Ponyville longer than expected, do not worry yourselves everything will be okay. I need you to look after Canterlot until I return, which I hope will not be much longer, but I fear it will be.
I appreciate your help and your offers for assistance, but this is something I must solve and restore myself.
Your friends will be safe and I will return shortly.

Sincerly, Princess Celestia

She touched the letter with her horn and it vanished into thin air. She did not want to put all the pressure on her students, but it was necessary in order to fix what she had started.

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Celestia was stirred by an awkward sound in the silence, she lifted her head looking out into the night.

“Mordecai?”.

A lone figure appeared out of nowhere on the verge of sobbing.

“I have failed my pack, Celestia. They grow sick, on the brink of death. I watch as children die and parents give up...I have given up.”

“Its not your fault Mordecai....”

“I cannot change the past Celestia, but I can end the future. I am the vanguard of your destruction, the true master of fate. I can change lives, but I cannot fix my own.”

“This is nonsense Mordecai...”.

The wolf peered into Celestia’s eyes.

“My greatest fear, is that I cannot ever change myself. But you...you can” …. “Do not attempt to look for me.”

The wolf then vanished and Celestia bowed her head down to the cold surface of the cave. She sobbed. Even princesses make mistakes blinded by petty morality, heroes never change, and villains never stay the same. A puddle of her own tears revealed her reflection, she was able to see herself for what she had become. Still reliving the past and still wallowing over what she had created. After a few exchanged stares at herself and one final tear she drifted into sleep, reliving several pictures and images that had come to pass.

In her dream she sat beside a young wolf, upon a green plateau, a gentle breeze coursed through their manes as they observed an earlier Equestria.

“We’re not going to see each other anymore are we Celestia, now that you are a princess and all.”

“I cannot be sure Mordecai....” She very well knew the answer and it was something she could not help but repress. She laid her hoof on his paw and then he understood.

The ponies and wolves had peacefully coexisted for centuries, a matter that was soon to change.

Mordecai had been born in a hostile environment full of danger and hate. He had witnessed the death of his family, the destruction of his own home, but somepony was there for him in his darkest hours, and she would comfort him and hug him until she was certain he was happy. Their friendship had grown beyond the sky and stars, the funny thing about friends though is they’re made to be broken.

Celestia woke to the morning light gleaming and shimmering off her puddle of tears. She felt this was her fault, she had changed her best friend into her greatest enemy, she had killed his people and his family and now she was hunting him down. For what though? Retribution, redemption? No, this was personal. She would not sleep peacefully until this was resolved. She had come every night to speak to the darkness, she pleaded for peace, but the visions in her brain still remained. This would begin and end with her. She moved north following the tracks of her friend, part of her thought maybe he wanted her to find him. She arrived at a place called the Deadlands, a rightfully named place. The ghosts of the wandering souls reached out and grasped her hoof. She became entranced and quickly made her way out. If she were to stay any longer she would not leave, so was the cruel fate of the wandering souls.

After leaving Deadlands, Celestia found herself caught in a blizzard, she had entered Snowbound. Trotting across a thick layer of snow, Celestia was oblivious to the fact that she actually moving across a sheet of thin ice. Under her hooves it cracked and split open, shuddering and shaking and before she knew it, she had fallen into the ice cold water below. The freezing cold water engulfed her and she became consumed in its icy death.

Equestria is on the verge of change, A young foal deemed the name of Celestia scurries across the paved streets, so young and oblivious to the world around her. Little did she know in the future she would lead this land and bring harmony. She searched Alleys and ditches for her sister, a simple and friendly game of hide and seek was under way. The streets she trotted across were broken and had not been mended for years gracing the ground with her hooves she seemed to have given the earth beneath her hope that one day this young foal was destined to do great things for it and for all. She was something else, her, and her sister. Celestia stumbled upon an abandoned house near the outskirts of Canterlot, the broken down boards and shillings were merely just a symbol of the crumbling land and decaying hope. Lifting hoof over hoof on the creaking floorboards Celestia spoke into the darkness

“Luna....Come on Luna this place is scary”. “Luna...?”

Before she could leave, a whimper could be heard from the darkest corners of the house. A series of tears and long sighs followed. Celestia, like a candle light in shadows, lit up the house and shinned upon a scarred and helpless pup. She gazed into its eyes for several minutes, unsure weather or not she should have found it in the first place. About the same age as Celestia the pup had a reasonable connection with her, a sense of harmony and security had filled him. She stepped closer to him

“Its okay I wont hurt you.” she stated.

The pup backed into the wall and fell on it belly, and Celestia held out her hoof slowly but with compassion. The sun shinned into a window revealing past the pups blood red eyes that it was wounded quite badly on its left paw. Celestia knelt down to his height, allowing for the pup to feel more secure.

“Here, let me take a look at that little fellow.”

The pup cautiously gave Celestia its paw, and she gently held it in her hoof. It was cut badly as if it were engaged in a fight. She attempted to use magic despite the fact she had been told not too but failed. She attempted to grab him in an embrace

“Come with me buddy, I will fix you up.”

But the pup wiggled away and ran with a limp outside. Compelled to help the poor creature Celestia trailed it to the back yard of the abandoned house. She found the pup laying next to a wolf of larger stature, an adult. The pups tears coursed over the body of the wolf down its coat and then melting the snow beneath it. All was silent, Celestia approached the pup and it attempted to strike at her but the small Innocent creature did not even scratch the mane of Celestia.

“Please...I want to help you.” remarked Celestia

The pup took a look at Celestia and back at the snow covered carcass several times. What the pup saw was far different then Celestia, Celestia saw the world for what it was. The pup saw the world for what it had done to him. It was unknown to Celestia for many years until the pup, now a wolf, told her of what happened that day. The body was his fathers, the pups paw was cut because he had attempted to defend his father from a beast of the same origin, savages. Celestia did not return home that night, which stirred a lot of commotion, instead she laid there with that pup all night until she could feel its heartbeat drift into a silent slumber. All the stars were burning for them, but none were going to last.

Celestia woke to the gleaming night sky and stars greeting her. She looked at herself repeatedly as she had thought she had died, but in all reality she was saved. As her vision came back she saw beside her was a soaked wolf his fur drenched in the water that had threatened her life.

“I could not let you die so...so...easily”

She did not speak, instead she allowed the silence to engulf them, she gazed at the stars for several minutes and attempted to put her hoof upon his paw but he was no longer their. She rose to her hooves and proceeded forward, unsure of were she was going. When she saw a figure upon the ridge of a mountain, she made her way up the cliff side and sat before the figure.

“I told you not to look for me.”

“You knew I would Mordecai.” She graced her hoof on his back “You cannot do this, I hope you can see how evil this truly is. Follow your heart, love will grace your mind and dismiss your tears.”

They gazed over the landscape, hoof in paw, and watched the sun set over the horizon, as shooting stars grazed the gap between space and Equestria. The moon began to bleed from the inside gushing out a vibrant blood red color.

“You know what you need to do.” Mordecai shed a tear

Mordecai's past and inner rage fueled the blood wolves. Everyponies’ lives in Ponyville were in danger and he knew it would not stop there, it would spread throughout Equestria. As long as he existed, the monsters of the night would never stop not until their eternal hunger was quenched. He was the curse of the beast.

Love will set you free, Mordecai.

They shared a passionate kiss under the bleeding moon, being bombarded by shooting stars.

Mordecai took a step back from Celestias embrace, tearing up and sobbing he gazed into her eyes, and her unto his.

“Well what are you waiting for...” softly spoken he could not control his tears now and neither could Celestia

“...do it.” there was a period of silence and unspoken emotions, she grasped his paw and muttered “I am so...sorry”

Mordecai exploded into dust, staining the white snow and then drifting with the winds. He was gone and with him the curse lifted from the bodies of the wolves. Celestia collapsed to the ground. Head bowed down shedding several tears. Harmony had been restored but at what cost? The moon began to heal and the storms calmed. She gazed over the cliff side, observing the stars and majestic sky.

Mordecai had given his life for the sake of others, his actions had spared Ponyville and Equestria from a force of unstoppable power, and Celestia could rest easy now knowing that he was free from his demons and conflicted emotions. And as Celestia watched the stars fly by, she could feel the supple warm touch of a paw upon her hoof.