//------------------------------// // Sheer Exhaustion // Story: Thirteen Reasons // by canonkiller //------------------------------// Celestia gritted her teeth as she was flung into a world she should have had no part in. But here she was. The scent of ponies, of warm meat, filled the narrow space. It was all she could do to keep from drooling. One part of her that existed in this place was filled with primal lust; wishing she could simply break through the doors and devour anything breathing inside. One part of her wanted to simply be in the presence of her family, and feel their love. One part of her couldn't figure out which to choose. She shrunk back against the wall as a loud chorus of hoofbeats echoed from one of the rooms. A faint memory drifted up; "I have to get up early, Shimmer. If I want to be a guard, I have to rise with the sun." He didn't choose me to serve under, though. Celestia remembered. I was too cruel to his kind. The door swung open, and a ratty-maned and bleary-eyed Sky slowly walked out. He stopped in the doorway, obviously seeing Celestia but not really registering what was going on. In a blur of motion she had no recollection of deciding, she lunged forward. Her fangs dug into his mane, and one wing slapped over his mouth. With a wild leap, she crashed through the window at the other end of the hallway. There was a single moment where she seemed to hang in the air, the glass around her full of reflected light, and the rising sun burning brilliantly on the skyline. And then she hit the ground, spears of pain shooting up from her hooves. She ground her teeth together to stifle a screech and started running. Her free wing flapped occasionally, freeing up pressure from her front hooves for a few moments. Sky was struggling against her grip, using his mouth to bite at her neck instead of yelling. The dark shadow of the Everfree Forest started to show as the meager town ended. In a matter of minutes, Celestia tore through the first layer of undergrowth and into the lower grasses inside. Without thinking, she started heading to the Old Ruins, a place she remembered exploring with Luna at somepoint, and even more vaguely with Sky himself. Slowly, the thick forest thinned, opening into a clearing. The sun streamed down in larger patches now, dappling her dark gray flank with silver spots. Sky had given up, falling limp and opting to look around instead. Celestia fully felt the pain in her legs now, spikes that shot up her limbs with each step. She slowed her pace, the soft grass keeping some of the pressure off her heels. The entrance to the ruin was less overgrown than she remembered, of course, and it was much easier to traverse. She wandered off to the side, finding the entrance to what might have been a dungeon, once. The stairs were little more than lumps, and it was almost easier to slide down than take individual steps. She removed her wing from Sky's muzzle, hovering down the narrow chamber and into the open room below. Little half-walls had eroded from bars and stone, sunlight lancing in from occasional holes in the roof and the upper half of the dungeon. Celestia kneeled down, laying Sky gently on the stone. He stood up and backed up calmly, watching as she collapsed to her side and began nuzzling her hooves. "Who are you?" His tone was rough, and harsh. A part of her stung from his unfamiliarity. "It's me." She whispered, looking up to meet his eyes. He stepped back, frightened of her voice. "I don't know you." A cross between disgusted and curious, she noticed. "You do." She insisted, hissing as she found a tender spot on one leg. She felt traitorous tears rising in her eyes. "You have to remember me, big brother!" She heard him snort, his hoofsteps backing away. "My only little sister is Magic Shimmer! You're a-a monster!" A monster... Celestia looked up at him, now crying fully. "Sky! Please remember me... please..." You're a monster... "You can't be her. She's in Canterlot, training." I'm a monster... "No... it went wrong... I was... I made a mistake." I'm just a monster... "What happened?" He was sitting now, not far away. I'm... just... "Your sister... the Changeling... you switched." She choked out. "The Changeling went to the Academy... your sister was captured as a Changeling spy." She saw Sky open his mouth, but she held up a hoof to quiet him. "Celestia watched over. The Changeling's task was to kill your sister, and... she couldn't. Celestia figured out they had been swapped, and..." she paused, swallowing, "...and your sister tried to protect the Changeling." "What do you have to do with this?" Sky asked quietly. "All of their magic - Celestia's guards, Celestia herself, Magic Shimmer and Cocoon - combined. Your sister and the Changeling were caught in the crossfire and... merged." She took a deep breath. "I... I am that merge." Sky's breath hissed as he drew back. "That's impossible. The Princess would never let that happen." Celestia nodded slowly. "It happened." Sky was still frowning, but his emotions were a whirl of chaos. "I... I can't... why did you bring me here?" "I needed you to listen." "But... my family... my friends... my girlfriend..." Celestia felt a sudden hope spark in her chest. "I'll see if I can get someone to come, okay? But please... stay here." He frowned, but nodded. "I'll wait two days for you to come back." Celestia slowly got to her hooves, her legs hurting less than before. "Goodbye, big brother." His expression was flat, his eyes flashing like flint. "You are not Magic Shimmer." Celestia frowned, but backed up nonetheless. With one backwards glance, she trotted up the worn stairs to the surface. ----- Celestia quietly slid the deadbolt closed as she exited the castle. Concentrating on the image of her brother, a green flame quickly consumed her gray skin. While Cloudy Sky sat patiently under the stone of the castle, watching the beams of light play across the floor, his sister donned his skin and hunted for their family. ----- Sky watched in silence from the foot of Celestia's bed. His breakfast lay cold beside him as he sat, waiting for the Princess to wake up. He ran a hoof over the blankets on her tail, watching her pupils flick around under her eyelids. She whimpered, frowning, before her expression calmed again. Sky sighed, reclining against one of the bedposts. He closed his eyes, tuning into the hive link for a few moments. Her voice was there, again. I'm so... hungry... ...but I'm a monster... ...I'll always be a monster... Sky frowned again, petting her tail through the shimmering fabric. He tore his gaze from her peaceful face, and gazed out the window instead. "I don't think you're a monster." Celestia rolled over, one wing tangling the mess of blankets. Sky quietly released the appendage, watching as she opened it fully before pulling it closed. "I don't think you ever were."