> Slices from the Mind > by Pump It Up > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > a little insanity goes a long way. > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- They told me they would die. They were wrong. They’re still alive. Of course they are. I wouldn’t lie. They taught me not to. The Princess said not to hold out hope. Hold out? I created the hope. Luna told me not to. But I did. What do they know? They don’t know friendship like I do. Storge. But not philo. Not like us. A bond so strong it supersedes death. Nothing can stop them from being with me. I go to Fluttershy’s every tuesday. Tea and biscuits. She doesn’t say much. Never does. Never has. Discord tells me to stop. Why? Nothing’s wrong. I laugh. He looks concerned. I smile. He’s frightened. Why? I’m just a friend. He asks me to leave. Like he does every Tuesday. I trot out the door. Spa time with Rarity. Fluttershy stopped joining a while ago. Rarity doesn’t talk, either. I know she wants to relax. I let her. She always soaks too long. I have to hold her mane so her head is okay. I miss when she used to talk more. But spa days are relaxation days. The twins aren’t around. I have to pull Rarity out myself. She lays on the ground. She’s just tired. I understand that. Rainbow Dash has truly become lazy. I have to go to her house. She’s always asleep. It makes no sense. I go through her Wonderbolts collection. It’s amazing how out-of-date it is. The weather hasn’t been the same in a while. I wish she’d get back to work. Working hard isn’t what Applejack does anymore. She just sleeps beneath the apple trees all day. Her head looks funny. I fix it. The Apples are all on the ground. The apples and the Apples. They’re rotted. The trees are dead. I chastise them. So wasteful. I really wish Pinkie would talk more. It’s disturbing. Her mouth just hangs open, icing hanging off her lip. It’s there every time I’m here. I don’t understand why she lets this happen. I don’t wipe it for her. She’s a grown mare. I leave quickly. I don’t bother to call for Spike. He doesn’t listen to me anymore. He’s never here. Told me I was crazy. Pfft. Clearly he’s the crazy one. That’s why he’s also right here. Told me he’d leave. He couldn’t bring himself to. Told me he’d rather die than leave. Or die than stay. I can’t remember. I laugh, long and loud. My mirror is quite silly. It shows me wide eyes. Knotted mane. Head tilted almost impossibly far. Silly mirror. That’s not me. That’s a crazy mirror. And you’re only crazy after a few thousand years. Not a couple hundred. Ask anypony. I’m not crazy. And my friends are alive and well. > Civilization > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Celestia watched through her bedroom window as earth ponies moved blocks of marble and stone to where unicorns stood at the ready, waiting to levitate the materials to the workers high above on the mountain. "It is a shame you cannot see what work the ponies are doing, Starswirl," she said, turning away from the window. "They're working very diligently." "I have Clover to describe things for me," said the skull of Starswirl the Bearded, eye sockets glowing when he spoke. "This is much better than anything I had in life. I am able to teach and discuss without any inconveniences of the body." Shaking her head, Celestia sat at her desk and faced the skull on it. "I can't believe they chose Lulu and I to be rulers. We're barely out of our teenage years! Luna's merely nineteen!" Like a teacher reminds a student, Starswirl said, "They needed somepony more powerful and able to lead than themselves—" "They had perfectly good rulers!" "—and alicorns are regarded by many as near-deities. You know this, Celestia." The mare sighed. "And I do, Starswirl. I simply needed to vent my frustration." Celestia looked out the window. "Our castle in the Everfree was perfectly fine. We don't need a fancy palace." "Look on the bright side,' Starswirl said. "They will build houses near you, and it will be easier to protect them." "Protect?" Celestia snorted. "I can protect a country about as well as I can prevent a sneeze." "Without you, they would eventually fall into ruin. Civilization would be no more. You are the glue that holds them together." Silently, Celestia walked back to the window. Am I? > Nightmare Moon in Wonderland > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- There was a table set out under a tree in front of the house, and the March Hare and the Hatter were having tea at it: a Dormouse was sitting between them, fast asleep, and the other two were using it as a cushion, resting their elbows on it, and talking over its head. 'Very uncomfortable for the Dormouse,' thought Alice; 'only, as it's asleep, I suppose it doesn't mind.' But the Dormouse did mind, for it was a weakened Nightmare Moon, and DID NOT take kindly to the fact that she was in the presence of idiots. They shall regret the day they ever found me in the toilet. (That was a rather touchy subject.) Her anger had finally come up to here; the two morons had stuffed her in a teapot the other day, and when she sent monsters after them, they just invited them to tea! So, with Alice in attendance, Nightmare Moon shouted, ‘I shan't take it anymore!’ She transformed into her true form, continuing, ‘You foals! You are in the presence of your new ruler! Bow before me!’ ‘Ooo, royalty!’ said the Mad Hatter. ‘We've never had royalty before! How do they act?’ asked the March Hare. ‘Do they like tea?’ The Hatter poured tea through his sleeve and into his teacup. ‘Oh my, royalty!’ Alice curtsied. ‘Your majesty.’ ‘SOMEpony understands,’ Nightmare said, glaring at the other two. ‘So no tea? How about a biscuit? I believe we have some around here somewhere...’ the Mad Hatter said. Nightmare Moon stomped her hoof on the table. ‘You imbeciles! Don't you realise this is no way to treat your superiors?!’ ‘Superiors. I like that word,’ the Hare said. The alicorn buried her head in her hooves. ‘I can't win with you two.’ ‘Were we playing a game?’ the Hare inquired. ‘Why didn't anyone tell me!’ exclaimed the Hatter. ‘I would have put out the game tablecloth!’ For the first time in her existence, Nightmare Moon began to cry.