> The Dark Side of the Moon > by TheIceManCometh > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > When She Loved Me > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Come on big sister, you promised you’d play with me!” “Hehe okay, okay, I’m coming,” said Celestia playfully. “What’s gotten into you today Luna? You’re usually not this rambunctious.” “I can’t help it; this castle is so boring and you’re the only pony who’ll play with me. Now hurry up!” Luna said as she trotted down hallway. The hallway looked like what you’d expect to find in a castle: unnecessarily big and empty. On one side was a row of doors that housed the servants and on the other side were large stained glass windows that stretched all the way to the ceiling. Celestia looked out one of the windows. It was like this every day. The life of a young princess was surprisingly mundane. Celestia’s routine day consisted of waking up, eating breakfast, studying, a lunch break, more studying, some play time, dinner, even more studying, and then finally sleep. Luna’s routine was similar, but being younger than her sister her studies were less intense. Through the window she saw the citizens of Canterlot going about their everyday lives. She wondered how much different Luna’s life would be if she could live amongst them. At Luna’s current age, she would be going to school for the first time like all the other little fillies. Celestia was only a few years older than Luna, so they would end up going to the same school. Celestia wondered what it would be like to go to the same school as her sister with all the other normal ponies. At that moment she heard an irritated younger sister that snapped her back to reality. Celestia put the thought into the back of her head and, not wanting to keep her sister waiting any longer, quickly proceeded to follow her down the hallway. As heirs to the royal throne of Canterlot and all of Equestria, Celestia and Luna were not allowed to ever leave the castle. As such, they were unable to make any friends or socialize with other ponies their age. By their father’s orders, they were to be groomed into the future rulers of Equestria. All of the servants in the castle were either too old or too busy to spend time with Celestia and Luna. Their teacher, having been given the grave task of instructing two princesses, was always much too strict and serious to be a friend to the young sisters. Their mother was no longer with them, and their father, the current ruler of Equestria, was much too busy to ever find free time to spend with his daughters outside of special occasions. In essence, the only thing the young sisters had was each other to escape lonely life of a princess. The sisters went outside into the castle garden. They would frequently play hide-and-seek within the maze of hedges that the garden encompassed. No matter how well Luna hid, Celestia would always find her before the dinner bell rang. Today, Luna was determined to finally best her older sister. Celestia followed Luna down into the castle garden’s hedge maze.“So, what do you feel like playing today, Luna?” “Hide and Seek! I found a new spot, so I know you won’t be able to find me this time. You count to 100 while I hide somewhere in the maze and if you can’t find me before dinner time, you have to read me a story before we go to bed, ok?” Celestia giggled to herself. “Okay Luna.” “And no cheating!” “Only if you promise that if I can’t find you, you have to come out at the sound of the dinner bell, alright? After all, you’re still a filly and I don’t want you to get lost.” “You’re still a filly too, ya know,” teased Luna. “Well I’m still the older one, so that makes me the more responsible one.” “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Luna said as she hopped into the maze. Thoughts began permeating into Celestia’s mind as she was counting to 100. The image of the ponies she saw outside the stained glass window kept coming back to her. What are they like? Are they normal like Luna and myself, or are they proper like the other servants in the castle? Wait… are we even considered normal? We have servants who wait on us hoof and hoof, we aren’t allowed to leave our home, and our father is the ruler of the entire land, so how could we be considered anything but abnormal? ...Is Luna really happy here, trapped inside this castle? Am I really happ— She stopped. She didn’t want to complete that thought. “…98, 99 100. Okay, ready or not, here I come!” Celestia shouted into the maze. As she was walking through the maze, that last question kept popping up in her mind, nagging her, begging to be answered. No matter how many times she tried to push the thought out of her mind, it somehow kept coming back. She was scared to answer it, for if she did, she thought she would be betraying her sister in some manner. Am I really happy with my life here? Suddenly, she stumbled across Luna hiding in one of the hedges near the opposite side of the maze. “Aww, I can’t believe you found me already. You didn’t cheat did you?” “Of course I didn’t,” Celestia said sincerely. “Actually I can’t believe it took me this long to find you. You usually just hide near the fountain in the center of the maze. You’re getting much better at this.” The faint sound of a bell rang throughout the hedge maze, signaling not only dinner, but Luna’s defeat as well. “I would have won if I picked a spot a little farther than where I was, you know,” said Luna in a defeated tone as they were walking towards the castle. “Then you would have had to read me a story tonight.” Not hearing a response, Luna looked up at Celestia. She wore a firm countenance, neither smiling nor frowning, but rather somber, as if she was contemplating a serious problem. Feeling a little dejected, Luna hung her head down and stared at the ground as they continued to walk. “Luna,” said Celestia in a serious tone. “Umm…yes?” “During dinner I want you to think about what book you want me to read to you.” “Huh? Wait, but I thought—” “If you can’t think of a good book before bed time, then I’ll have no choice but to pick one out myself; and you can be sure I’ll pick a book so long and boring that you’ll be asleep before you know it,” Celestia said cheerfully. Luna’s worry that she had somehow angered or agitated her big sister melted away as Luna looked up and was greeted with Celestia’s smile. “Don’t worry, I’ll think of something for sure!” Luna said with newfound strength. As they were just about to head into the castle, Luna started to walk a little closer to her big sister. *** It was now well into the night. Luna sat in her bed, eagerly awaiting the arrival of her big sister. Luna loved the beauty of the night: the sea of stars only visible at night, the silence that enabled her to hear the faint sound of a choir of crickets and cicadas, and most of all the radiant moonlight that pierced through the clouds and illuminated the world around her. Her room was decorated in a fashion that tried to recreate the beauty she saw at night, the most notable of which were the countless glow-in-the-dark stars that stuck to her ceiling; although you could plainly see them in the light, their true beauty was only revealed when they began to shine in the darkness. The only source of light in her room was a subdued light emanating from her lamp and the moonlight that shone through her windows. After a moment, Celestia finally came into Luna’s room. After a quick greeting, Celestia brought up a nearby stool and placed next to Luna’s bed. “So, did you decide what book you want me to read you tonight?” “Hehe, I sure did.” “Well, where is it?” Celestia asked sincerely. “It’s on top of my bookshelf over there.” Celestia let out a quick sigh as she got off of the stool. “Geez, you could have at least had it ready for me.” Celestia stepped towards the bookshelf when she saw the book began to move on its own. The book slowly levitated through the air, past Celestia, and into Luna’s hooves. Celestia fixed her gaze unto Luna, staring at her in disbelief. She had just started to learn magic and here Luna was, still unable to read, yet able to perform magic, however basic it might be. “…Did…did you do that?” Luna softly giggled to herself, “I sure did! Cool huh?” “When did you learn to do that?” “Hm…I don’t really know. It’s something I just kind of picked up on.” “Wow, that’s really amazing Luna, even I haven’t learned to do that yet. You must have some sort of natural talent that I don’t.” Surprised and slightly embarrassed, Luna turned away and partially hid her face behind her book. For a moment, Celestia thought she saw her blush slightly. “Y-You’re just saying that.” Celestia smiled and laughed to herself. “I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t mean it Luna. I’m very proud of you.” Still hiding behind her book, Luna asked Celestia softly, “Hey…big sister?” “Hm? What is it?” Luna hesitated for a moment. “Do…do you think…do you think you could…sleep with me tonight? I’m not scared or anything! I just…” Celestia gave Luna a warm smile and said, “Alright… but just for tonight, okay?” “Okay!” Luna slid over to the opposite end of the bed to make room for her big sister. Celestia put the stool back in its proper place and lied down next to her sister, pulling the blanket over them. Luna snuggled up to her sister and gave the book she was holding to Celestia. The book she handed over was Luna’s favorite short story; it was a myth about the sun and moon. In the story the sun and moon take turns watching over the creatures of Earth. The sun brought them life and energy while the moon protected them from the blackness of the night. The creatures began to worship the sun and depict the sun as many different gods such as Ra and Tonatiuh. The moon, however, was shunned in favor of the sun as many people would simply sleep when the moon was out. The moon, angry and envious, blocked out the sun one day covering the whole land in darkness and frightening the creatures. Worried for the creatures, the sun banished the moon to the other side Earth where it would stay for 1000 years in total darkness. As time went on, however, the sun wondered if she had made a mistake. As more and more time passed, the sun realized the moon only wanted the creature’s respect and therefore showed them what it would be like if she wasn’t there to bring light to the darkness. The sun became lonely, and the thought of the moon sitting in total darkness brought tears to her eyes. The sun began to wait patiently for 1000 years in loneliness for the chance to apologize to the moon; and so the sun began to give a little of its light to the moon at night to show her love and regret until they could be together again. Celestia opened the book to the first page, put her arm around Luna, situated the book so it was between the two sisters, and began to read. Celestia read in a manner befitting a mother reading to her young filly, and soon enough, she began to feel that way as well. All the uncertainty and pestering questions that festered within Celestia’s mind earlier melted away as she told a bedtime story to the most important pony in her life. Her once tense muscles were now completely relaxed. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt this at ease; she was given a huge burden to shoulder as the next princess of Equestria. Truly, this was her only respite from the daunting task and all the expectations that came with it. Celestia noticed that Luna had fallen asleep near the end of the story. Celestia smiled and placed the book on her nightstand. She was just about to turn off the light when something inside her made her stop. She turned and gazed at Luna still nestled against her. She could hear Luna breathing softly. She then realized it was Luna’s quiet and indistinct breathing that stopped her. Suddenly a few tears began to quietly spill on the pillow next to Luna. Celestia finally knew the answer to the question that had been plaguing her mind. Am I really happy with my life here? Relieved and with tears still managing to escape her, Celestia turned out the light and held the most important pony to her in her hooves as if in fear that she would somehow lose her sister if she let go. > Discord > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Equestria was founded by a band of earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns who were searching for a new land to settle in after theirs was made uninhabitable due to a never-ending blizzard. Much like in their previous land, the three groups lived separately and only intermingled with each other for business and trade purposes. Each tribe had their own set of laws and currency that only applied to their respective tribe, thus making trading difficult which led to bartering goods instead of money. All the ponies therefore only focused on making a living, which impeded technological advances. A disjointed Equestria remained stuck in the past. A lack of centralization would lead to an age of tyranny and ultimately its eventual saving grace. Not long after Equestria was founded a being known as Discord, the embodiment of disharmony not only in appearance but in spirit as well, would wreak havoc across the land. If all the ponies of the different tribes of Equestria joined forces then they could have easily repelled Discord, but alas they wished to remain homogenous and therefore each tribe fell to Discord. The three tribes were then finally united under Discord’s flag of despotism and oppression. Discord’s first order was for all the ponies to build for him a magnificent and grand castle for him. The ponies were forced to work night and day until his castle was completed. They had to live in small shacks near the castle that would, ironically, become the wealthiest city in all Equestria: Canterlot. The juxtaposition of the magnificent castle and the shantytown was Discord’s idea to show the ponies how great and powerful he was compared to the weak and insignificant ponies. His plan succeeded; nopony dared to oppose him. All but one: a unicorn living in the shantytown with his pregnant wife and daughter. This particular unicorn had a brilliant white coat with long, dark black hair. He had the build of a stallion but also possessed mare-like facial features. If he was able to maintain proper levels of hygiene, his beauty would be truly unrivaled. Once upon a time his wife had been the talk of the town; her beauty never failed to astound anypony who might look across this goddess. Like her husband, she had a white coat that shined brighter than the sun. Her long, gorgeous red mane flowed gracefully down her neck. The hard and stressful life she lives now has completely devastated her once marvelous attributes. Her coat had turned grey, her once red mane and tail faded to a shade of brown, dark circles had appeared under her eyes, and, for a pony pregnant with her next baby, she looked malnourished. She had been giving what little food she received to their young filly, Celestia. Celestia had inherited her parent’s natural beauty. She had a white coat like her parents and a light pink mane and tail. Sitting down in a pathetic excuse for a home, the unicorn looked at his fellow ponies; what he saw was suffering the likes he had never seen before. Nopony deserves this kind of life. The poor living conditions of the shantytown gave rise to disease and famine that ravaged the ponies living there. He looked at his wife cradling their young filly in her arms; she didn’t notice him looking at her. She was staring off into space with a desperate yet somewhat calm look on her face. Looking back out at all the ponies, he knew he had to do something, but something was stopping him. He looked at his family once again. He feared not what would become of him, but of his family if he resisted. His hooves were tied, or so he thought. Something would soon occur that would change his perspective and finally open his eyes. After almost six months of endless toil and misery, Discord’s castle was nearing completion. It was around this time that this unicorn’s wife had their baby girl. It was a beautiful, cloudless night boasting a full moon when the miracle finally happened. Astonishing both her parents, she had a beautiful dark blue coat that resembled the color of the night sky. Her hair was a soft blue that complemented her coat very well. The proud father picked up his newborn daughter and rocked her in his arms as she slept. As he looked up at the sky, his gaze became transfixed on the full moon. The way it gave light to the Earth during the darkness of the night reminded him of the way his newborn daughter gave him hope during these trying times. “Luna. Let’s call her Luna.” His wife was lying on the ground, pale and fatigued, after having just given birth. “Luna…Luna…I like it.” He gave Luna back to his wife and sat down beside her. Celestia, intrigued by this new baby filly she had never seen before, crawled up to Luna and began to inspect her. Her parents smiled as they watched Celestia touch Luna’s cheek then stroke her hair. Finally, Celestia curled up next to her baby sister and quickly fell asleep. Something about this scene bothered the stallion, however. It shouldn’t be like this. They shouldn’t have to live under these atrocious conditions. They deserve better. They deserve a future. With these truths guiding his conscience, he turned to his wife. “I have to go,” he said resolutely and softly. She nodded slightly as if she understood everything that had been going through his mind. “I’ll be waiting for you.” He got up and, after kissing his wife and daughters on the head, began to walk towards Discord’s castle. *** The unicorn finally reached the premises of Discord’s castle. The menacing castle stood before him like an obstacle daring to be overcome. He scoffed at the castle and continued walking until a cloud of smoke suddenly materialized before him. Out from the smoke came the mighty being Discord, agitated as to who was trespassing on his property. “Well, well, well, what do we have here? A pony who took a wrong turn while out on a late night stroll? Or maybe you just wanted a closer look at my magnificent palace?” Discord’s playful tone suddenly turned sharp and irate. “Why are you trespassing on my property?” “I’ve come to tell you that I will not be your slave any longer.” Discord snickered, “Oh really? And why is that? Do you already forget that it was I who gave your life purpose? Oh and not just some plain old purpose no, but the greatest purpose a pony can wish for: to serve ME! Before I came into the picture you lived a pitiful existence with your lowly family who—” “Shut up. I didn’t come here to listen to your incessant babbling. I just came to tell you that I refuse to be held down by something so beneath me any longer. For something that is almighty and all powerful, you are incredibly weak. Tell me something, who was it that not only built that castle for you, but built it while starving and sleep deprived? It wasn’t you; it was these ponies. Through their determination and sheer will to live on they have survived this long under your cruel death sentence. They all have loved ones who keep them going and give them a reason to live; something that you don’t have. You are but a parasite that feeds on that strength and uses it to sustain yourself because, like a parasite, you are incapable of living on your own. That is why we are strong, and you are weak. And that is why I will be your slave no longer.” Discord’s face slowly contorted as he heard the pony speak; his eyes narrowed and his devious smile turned into a sharp frown. “So you believe that these ponies are stronger than me, huh? …Let me show you just how weak these ponies really are. Guard!” A female pegasus came flying through the sky and landed next to Discord. She had a broken, miserable look on her face, like her soul was in direct conflict with her body. “Y-Yes sir?” Without taking his piercing gaze off of the unicorn, he instructed, “Go get a cloud and place it above this unicorn.” She looked at the unicorn; he was standing firm with a stern look on his face meeting Discord’s gaze. “But…but why?” “Don’t question me, just do it!” Discord snapped. “S-Sorry, I didn’t mean—” “I don’t care if you’re sorry just get the cloud NOW!” “Y-Y-Yes! Right away sir!” Frightened, the pegasus lifted off into the sky and placed a cloud above the unicorn. Unwavered, the unicorn stood firm. “Let’s see how strong you ponies really are,” Discord laughed. “Guard!… Hit that unicorn with a bolt of lightning.” “W-W-What? I…I can’t!” “Oh really? You can’t? Hmm, Linda wasn’t it?” “Huh!” the pegasus gasped. “Yes…I think that was her name wasn’t it? The name of your mother? Oh, what a lovely young mare she is. If I recall correctly she had you when she was still quite young. Of course, that didn’t look too good for your father who already had a family of his own, so he dumped his mistress—Oh I’m sorry, I mean he dumped your mother, and she was forced to live a life of obscurity. But that didn’t really matter to her since she had you, right? A close family of two; how sweet.” The pegasus began to tremble with fear at Discord’s words. She was never more scared in her entire life. She stared off into space with tears streaming down her face. She wanted to fly away, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t move; it was as if Discord’s very words paralyzed her. “Hmm…if I recall correctly, Linda isn’t doing too well is she? She must be very weak from all the hard work she’s done. It would be…unfortunate…if something were to happen to her…Don’t you agree? All the different scenarios of her mother’s death going through her head were too much for her to take. “PLESE STOP! I’LL DO IT, JUST STOP, PLEASSSE!” Discord let out a triumphant laugh. “Good! Now, hit that unicorn with a bolt of lightning.” The pegasus turned her face away from the unicorn and closed her eyes. “I’m…I’m so sorry…please…forgive me…I have…no choice…” The unicorn looked at the pegasus in the sky with the same unyielding look on his face. “What’s your name, pegasus?” “It’s…It’s Lucy…” “Lucy… Is that what you honestly think? That you have no choice?” Surprised, the pegasus opened her eyes and looked at the unicorn down below. “W-What do you mean?” The unicorn took a moment to look into Lucy’s eyes. What he saw was terror, suffering, and dissonance. “What I mean is that a pony chooses; a slave obeys.” Lucy gasped; something inside her clicked that bewildered her. It was the beginning of an epiphany. She stopped crying and stared at the unicorn as if waiting for him to answer what was bewildering her. “Enough!” Discord yelled. “Hit that pony now!” Discord’s voice pushed whatever it was Lucy was feeling and replaced it with the fear that had paralyzed her before. Once again she closed her eyes and turned her head away as she bucked the cloud, sending a bolt of lightning down on the unicorn. He let out a sharp scream that radiated throughout the land as he fell down. There was a large black spot where the lightning had hit him. Despite the pain he felt, he got back up on his hooves. “A pony chooses…A slave obeys.” A smirk began to creep onto Discord’s face. “Hit him again.” Reluctantly, she bucked the cloud again and soon heard another scream emanate from the pony whom she’d struck. The unicorn refused to give up, however, and got back up again. He was breathing much more heavily now. “A pony…chooses…” Discord was laughing maniacally now. “Yes! That’s it! Good, good! Hit him again! NOW!” Once again, Lucy bucked the cloud and sent a lightning bolt down on the unicorn. She covered her ears so she couldn’t hear the terrible screaming, as if she was trying to deny the fact that she was killing somepony, but it was no use. His agonizing scream penetrated her body right down to her soul. I’m going to kill him; he’s going to die because of me! But if I don’t do what Discord says then…mom… She was panicking; she didn’t know what to do. Tears began to leave her eyes uncontrollably. Her heart and her mind were telling her two conflicting things. Then, to her amazement, she heard the unicorn speak once more. The unicorn was barely standing now; his whole body was trembling due to his muscle spasms caused by the electricity. “A slave…obeys…” Slightly irritated that the pony was still standing, Discord ordered Lucy to strike him again. Lucy heard Discord’s words but didn’t act on them. She floated up next to the cloud, trying to resolve the internal struggle that consumed her. She then heard a loud yell from Discord. “Did you not hear me fool? I said to strike him again! Unless of course you would rather me kill your mother instead!” Lucy’s body moved on impulse at those words that seemed to control her very being. She struck the cloud again and heard another scream that seemed to torture her as much as it did the unicorn. A minute or so passed without a sound from the unicorn. She thought she had finally killed him but was too scared to open her eyes and see for herself what she had done. She heard Discord start to laugh triumphantly again. She couldn’t stop crying; she was disgusted with herself. Hate began to brim up inside her, but it wasn’t Discord she hated, it was herself. I…I killed him…He’s dead…because of me…How…how can I face my mom now that…now that I’m a murderer! Discord’s laughter came to an abrupt halt. She wondered why he stopped when she suddenly heard a familiar phrase. The unicorn’s body slowly began to move. He used every ounce of strength he had left to lift himself up. “A…pony…chooses…A…slave…obeys…” Discord was now overflowing with hatred and anger. He wanted that pony dead more than anything. He was screaming now, “LUCY, FINISH THE JOB NOW OR I SWEAR I’LL MAKE EVERY PONY YOU CARE ABOUT SUFFER! THEIR LIVES ARE IN YOUR HOOVES SO YOU BETTER HIT HIM AGAIN!” The unicorn fell to his knees and outstretched his arms up to Lucy as if he was begging to God. “OBBEEEYYYY!!!” Lucy finally opened her eyes and, with resolve, made a choice. She bucked the cloud with all her might and sent a gigantic lightning bolt down on Discord. Discord let out a ghastly scream and promptly fell to the ground. With the last of the unicorn’s strength gone, he fell down as well. Neither of them was moving. Lucy took in a few deep breaths to regain her composure after everything that had happened. Worried about the unicorn, she flew down and inspected him. His skin was covered with large black marks and his hair was frizzed slightly charred. She didn’t know if she should try to help him or go get a doctor; she didn’t want to cause him any more unnecessary pain by touching him. She decided that carrying the unicorn back to a doctor was the quickest way to help him. She was about to pick him up when she heard something that froze every muscle in her body. It was a sinister laugh that only the vilest of creatures could produce. “Foolish little pony. Did you really think you could kill me off with a measly little bolt?” Lucy slowly turned around and saw Discord, completely unharmed, walking right up to her. “You know, it’s not too late to run away. Hell, maybe you’ll even have enough time to get your mother and escape. ...Well?” Lucy dwelled on that last statement. She looked at the unicorn behind her. She couldn’t tell if he was still alive or dead. If he’s dead and she ran, she might have a chance to escape; but if he’s alive and she ran, she’d be abandoning the unicorn she hurt so much. Lucy made up her mind and turned around. She stood steadfast and faced Discord with resolve like a great wall. “I’ve already caused this pony so much pain, so I… I won’t let you hurt him!” Discord’s eyebrows scrunched, his eyes narrowed in on Lucy, and his crooked smile gave way to a frown. “…Fine.” In the blink of an eye Discord vanished and materialized in front of Lucy and struck her face with the back of his hand. Appearances can be deceiving, and this is especially true in Discord’s case. He is much stronger than his rather slim physique suggests. That single blow sent Lucy flying in the direction he hit her almost as if she had been hit by a train. While still flying horizontally through the air Discord appeared behind her and elbowed her in the back. Her back took the full brunt of the blow which not only completely stopped her but broke her back as well. She fell down to the ground and started to thrash about in pain. Discord started to repeatedly kick her in the stomach until her whole stomach was black and blue with bruises. She was in intense pain but couldn’t scream because all of the blows to her stomach knocked the wind out of her. That changed when Discord forcibly grabbed her mane and suspended her in the air. Beginning to screech once more, Discord proceeded to shut her up again by striking her face with his knee. Her screeches were now muffled against his knee as blood started to pour down her face and his knee. Discord retracted his knee to reveal a horrific sight. Lucy’s face was covered in bruises, she had one black eye, her nose was bleeding heavily, and parts of her teeth were chipped. Discord’s single blow to her face resembled the kind of damage done after a savage, unrelenting beating. Discord then dropped her to the ground and stared at her. She was writhing in complete and total agony and crying in pain. The pitiful sight would bring tears to anypony’s eyes; but not Discord’s. Discord looked down at her with those same scrunched eyebrows, narrowed eyes, and emotionless frown. When she turned away from him he stepped on one of her wings so hard that it broke it instantly. She let a sharp shrill that would make anypony cringe were they unfortunate enough to hear it. The shrill subsided when Discord stepped on her head and began to slowly crush her skull under his enormous strength. The pain Lucy was going through right now was indescribable in just how horrible it is. Up until now she couldn’t even formulate a single thought; all she could do was scream and cry, begging for a release. No matter how much she cried out, however, that release would never come. She was finally able to think about what was happening to her under Discord’s foot that was slowly crushing her head. Is… is this the kind of pain that unicorn felt? I did this… to him? Maybe… I deserve this then… Maybe… I… deserve to die… Mother… I wish I could see you one last time… Goodbye… A single tear traveled down her face to the ground. The sound of a loud crunch immediately followed.