//------------------------------// // Epilogue: Paper Cuts // Story: Time Spells and Tears // by ChaoticHarmony //------------------------------// Celestia stood amongst the tomes of magic that her past student had created, working through his entire life forging his thoughts into spells and books that could be used by future generations. The smells of dust and old paper assaulted her nose as she examined the shelves in which these ancient spells were held between the hard covers of books. Her horn was the only source of light, as candles would not be trusted this far back in the library, where only the rarest of books were kept. She grasped one of the ancient archives and pulled it from its resting place, setting it on a table and producing another cloud of dust. Casting a simple wind spell, she blew away the troublesome particles. Journeys Into the Past the title of the book had read in dully shining gold letters. She knew who had written it, but her eyes still drifted over the author’s name; Written By: Starswirl the Bearded. She smiled at the memories of her old student; his eagerness to excel and succeed had made him take leaps and bounds into realms of unknown magic. Even though he had died a strong stallion, she could still remember the little colt that had bounced around excitedly during their first lesson in levitation. He had only been about twenty years of age when he had written this particular journal. She slowly opened the heavy cover with a magic touch, taking great care not to wound the old paper. Today I discovered a new form of teleportation. I had always wondered about time travel, if it were actually possible to achieve, and today I think I have created a way to do it. Her student’s voice came to the front of her mind, resurfacing and repeating the words on the page. She smiled as she heard it again, a small hint of sadness touching her immortal features as she read further down the entry. I can finally go back and save her. I can finally save my mother! She remembered that day he had disappeared, as if he had been wiped from existence for a few hours. She remembered the tears that had flown down her face as she mourned him, only to become tears of joy when she saw he was unharmed, if a little depressed. She had only thought at the time that it had been caused by his spell backfiring, but she learned a few years later about what had really happened. Holding back the tears that came from the memory, she turned the page. The writing had become scratchy and disoriented, nothing like the previous’ elegant script. She had to stare for a few seconds before being able to decipher the words, and in some places having to cast a restoration spell where the ink had run with what looked like tears. I couldn’t save her. I was there, I had the chance. Nothing I did could stop it, could affect that world. The voice suppressed an anguished sob before continuing. I watched her die again, the blood splashing everywhere like it had, despite my best efforts to stop it. It was as if I were nothing more than a specter, observing the world but unable to touch it. The spell wasn’t a success, this time. I must keep working, there must be a way! Her eyes traced the ink as it continued its path down the page, getting more erratic in the way it spelled out the words of her pained student before losing all coherency. She turned the page again, barely able to read through her tears. Princess Luna helped me with my spell today. I've gained more power than I could have ever imagined, I'll be preparing the spell again, this time I will not fail. I will bring her back, even if it kills me. The passage ended, the parchment had holes punched through where Starswirl had pressed too hard in his frantic excitement. She didn't need to turn the page to know that the next entry was blank. He had been foalish, using all of that power at once without aid. All of it was in vain, Starswirl had died there, exhausted of his magic, and his mother was still just a piece of the past. A drop of water fell onto the page, soaking into the words inked in long ago. She closed the journal, sending up another wave of dust as she levitated it back to where it had belonged. She turned away from the books, slowly walking the middle of the room and looking out towards the daytime sun. She was the Regent of the Day, the Goddess of the Sun, and the Catalyst of Creation. Yet I couldn't save him, nor his mother.. She watched as a pair of birds, blue and pink respectively, flew over the garden and onto the windowsill. She smiled at them as they twittered up to her. She lit her horn, causing the birds to fly away in fright and letting the golden light of her magic illuminate the dusty room. She turned around and touched her horn to the book she had pulled from the shelf, sending a flare of golden light into its spine, before walking out of the room. Behind her, the library, along with the painful memories and false hopes it contained, roared with golden fire. Paper cuts can hurt worse than an actual wound, much like false hopes can hurt more than the actual event. However, paper cuts heal, but the wounds that crushed hopes leave can almost never do so. ~Princess Celestia