//------------------------------// // Chapter 14 - What is the Present? // Story: Life Between Death // by cierragp //------------------------------// “There are ghosts in the camp.” Lightning whispered to Spitfire. “That’s the only explanation.” “But aren’t they fake, you know, like little foal’s tales?” Spitfire whispered back. “Seriously you guys are being irrational.” “But…” Lightning trailed off, unable to think of any reason. “No buts. Let’s just deal with it.” As Lightning left, she heard Spitfire mutter. “Whoever it is, they’re gonna have a hard time walking.” ~~~ It was utmost hell at the infirmary. Everyone had been notified that one of Sombra’s minions had been slipped into the infirmary. Doctors had examined every patient, but there were not a single trace of glamor magic or its varied form, such as an enchanted garment commonly used by wizards, or a manipulation of pegasi magic. It was very, very strange… And Scootaloo had seemly disappeared again. The doctors couldn’t find her during her daily talk with the therapist on what she had been through, since the therapist was more or less sleeping through her hours, and apparently no one had needed her. So when she finally heard that there was someone who needed her, she was overjoyed. She went to visit Scootaloo every day, and they had not talked much, but she finally felt that she had a use. Now that use was gone. Scootaloo had been reported missing, for the second time. A trail of dark magic was found in her room, yet it had led nowhere. No one could even tell whether it was Sombra’s magic or not, nor did anyone know where Scootaloo was. No one knew, either, how Rainbow was feeling on the inside. Had it been a few months ago, she would’ve been crying her eyes out at the second time her daughter disappeared. But being in the war had definitely changed her. It was clear to her at the very moment that she wasn’t the mare she used to be. She was different. Entirely. When she looked into the mirror, she didn’t see herself anymore. Rather, she only saw a monster-like mare, half starved, and her eyes dull. Her mane was an absolute mess, and her smile had ceased to exist. How had the war changed them? Was it more than they had realized? ~~~ “Sombra! GET YOUR SORRY CRYSTAL FLANK!! OVER HERE!” Luna yelled throughout the castle. It was almost her last resort, and Sombra was still hiding. He wasn’t in any room she had found, and she was absolutely tired and frustrated. It were hours and days that she had stayed in this castle, trying in vain to find her old lover. She wished nothing had occurred, that they could go back to the thousand years earlier, but it wasn’t possible. No one could change it, and she was no exception. The past was always glory, always wonderful, always beautiful, but the present wasn’t. She could agree that the times had gotten worse over the years, but she couldn’t agree that a thousand years ago, Equestria was better. She felt that their nation was steadily declining and wasting away, the northern mountains flattened for camps and the land completely barren. It wouldn’t end well. At least there were still plants to grow within the snow, but now that the land was equivalent to a desert, she was pretty sure that barely anything could flourish there. The war built on nothing had ruined their homes completely. The bodies that lay on the ground, some already rotting, were reminders of what Celestia was doing. The protector, their princess…was she even one? She did not deserve the title, as her cruelty had already proved so. The love that she had held for Sombra, was the only thing she had left, and she had intent on keeping it their. She knew he would wait for her. She knew that he would never hurt her. All she needed to do was to wait, for Sombra to know who it was. Yet why had he disappeared, the look of panic deep in his eyes, and the shelves falling atop each other and him turning into wisps of smoke. Why? Why had he been hiding from her? Why couldn’t he just come to terms with the fact that she was back? Was facing the present harder than facing the past? To be hiding from someone you knew so well, and especially when they know you on the same degree. Why had he done so? Luna loved him, no matter what. He knew it, and he didn’t deny his equally fierce love for her, so why didn’t he come back for her? She still remembered how they hadn’t been the best of friends with each other before, with Sombra’s cold demeanor and Luna’s royal voice and tone. Yet soon they had found connections within each other, from all the shadows they had been raised in, the pain they had felt, and the fact that they would always remain shadows to others. She wished that she could go back and fix everything – her sister’s stubborn mind, her lover’s self-esteem, and her own inability to admit to truth. If the war continued, she would have to take the fate of Equestria in her own hooves, and have put Celestia’s cruelty behind. No matter how far away they were from each other, the memories would always haunt her. Her sister coaxing her into embarrassing herself, and taking all the attention from their mother for herself, and pretend that she was already Queen. Tia had pretended that their conjoined acheivements always belonged to her, no matter what. She pretended that Luna didn’t even exist. Luna hated her for it. She was a pony too, and it dawned on her that Celestia had treated peasants better, with her kind words and generous giving. She had never been kind or generous to her. It was said that the older princess was inferior in looks to the younger princess, and Celestia had hated these rumors. She had believed that the Crown Princess would always be superior to others, no matter what it was, so when Luna began to have suitors while she had none, her jealousy grew day by day until she found that her sister had been seeing the stallion she loved. Sombra. The only stallion she loved. She was extremely angry, and her sister had not noticed. She had placed potions, as for the feelings of loneliness and helplessness to amplify them in Sombra. She wanted to see him suffer, to let him see the consequences of loving her dear little sister. Sombra should’ve been hers. Luna knew every last detail, but still fell for Celestia’s trap of eternal night. Celestia promised that Luna would have a day of eternal night, but as she raised the moon, said that she must take it down at dawn. Luna believed that they had an agreement, but the promise Celestia made was nothing more than a few words spoken casually. And Celestia had poisoned her food, partially as to make her painful. It was her fault that her inner demons had taken over, but Celestia could’ve changed her back. Celestia had the powers to do so. Instead, she had humiliated her the worst way possible, by banishment. Her hate for her sister had seemed justified, but she felt she would be just like Celestia if she thought this way. She would hate Celestia, and it would not do her any good. Instead, she might as well as change things back to how they were, but she needed the ponies to recognize who their ruler truly was. The truth was to be told, yet what about her truths? Her truths would never be believed, for she had always been the ‘evil one’.