//------------------------------// // Chspter 3, Pixels // Story: Pixels // by shysage //------------------------------// Waking up the next morning, I still wanted to cry... I could not escape noticing those spots right away... And if... since they probably were what Princess Celestia had described... We had cried last night until sleep took over. I just wanted to go back to sleep... But I worked on waking up and not crying. Princess Celestia was already awake, staring off across the library. Still laying on her belly, without turning, she spoke slowly, almost dispassionately, with sometimes minutes between... Maybe we were cried out... ... "Pixels... That is what we decided to call them... those spots... "It was taken from an Old Pony word that I can't even remember now. I think it meant little pictures or something... ... "I have heard my twin Principal Celestia and the Equestria Girls use the same word, but I think it means something else to them, and I never bothered to ask... ... "You... we need to follow the progression of your pixels very closely. You need to be honest. And if you start to feel pulled towards evil... "Lu and I are ready, and we will break your horn, should that be the only way to keep Equestria safe from you, and to rescue such a precious student, a treasured friend... ... "We have no idea how to recover the Elements of Harmony, should this happen however... We probably wouldn't... ... I am scared... for you... for Equestria... And with no Phantom Alicorn... That would leave just Lu and I... again... I... That is really scary... ... "We just don't know..." ... Princess Celestia did start to cry softly. She got up, and I did too. We hugged and cried together briefly. "I hope it doesn't come to that..." she said through tears. Princess Celestia turned to leave, and I only then noticed the four Pegasus pulling stallions for the Air Coach, huddled in a corner trying to get warm. As I stood there, they all quickly disappeared down the hall, and were soon flying back to Canterlot in freezing cold weather. For a while, I just stood where I was... trying to avoid even thinking about those spots, those pixels... I tried closing my eyes so I could ignore them, but realized I saw them faintly even then... I sighed, then walked slowly out of the library and down the hall. I wandered out to the door, and looked outside, really staring out across Ponyville. There was snow on the ground, and it was cold, but it seemed calm. At some point later, Spike walked up. "What..." I guess that was all he could get out. I quietly told him the truth. "Spike, I have a rare magic desease called Pixels. If it progresses, they will need to break my Unicorn horn." "But that..." Again, that was all Spike could say. As I hugged him, he cried for while, too...