//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Back to WonderLand // by Seascape //------------------------------// He sat alone for what seemed like the millionth time, doing nothing but staring at once was his beautiful and expansive city. The place where his majestic and beautifully built castle stood, the shops where the ponies spent their days toiling away with their own affairs, even the nobles. He missed their plain and adorable bickering over the most nonsensical topic, he missed it oh so dearly and would do anything to have that back. For at least a few minutes if it was possible. A simple taste at once was and he would take it in a heartbeat, no matter the consequences. A depressed sigh was let out as he shifted his position on the jagged and cracked ground. Struggling to find any sort of comfort from where he lay, not even the stars and teasing midnight sky did anything to help him as he looked over the ash filled ruins. Nothing was left. Absolutely nothing. Everything was reduced to ash and if fate had his mental well being in mind, that was the best part of it. It actually told signs of there actually being anything there before being reduced to ash. Not like the oceans or the vast forested areas of the world, there was no signs of anything being there prior. Except for the craters and indent lines left by their inhabitants. Just a sick reminder of what once was.  What was once prosperous and beautiful. Left to absolutely nothing. Oh how he wished he could revert everything back to how it was. To the bright blue sky in contrast to the completely barren and ashy atmosphere, to..just anything that wasn't this! He wanted ponies to talk to! Ponies to adore and give guidance to when needed! He wanted his student back! He wanted his sister back! His eyes widened at the mention of his late sister. Painful and unwanted memories of their final moments together flooding back into his head as he snapped his eyes shut and shook his head. Every detail and every moment of what happened was playing out in his head. Causing his already depressed mood to completely plummet deeper into that pool of despair. He couldn't bare it. It was just too much. The voices. Her voice.. it just made him-- He slammed his head into the ground once. A number of feelings of pain emanated from his chin as he once again slammed his head into the ground. Continuing to do so until he could no longer hear the voices calling out to him, until the memories faded and he was left with his pain. He brought his shaky hooves up to his chin and flinched back at the cold metallic surface of his shoes. Before shaking his head and pressing them back towards the area of pain he caused. Momentarily slipped off the metal shoes and pressed his bare hooves to his face. Closing his eyes and focusing his magic towards his hooves he waited until a pleasant sensation coursed through his hooves and onto his face. The feeling of pain all but completely disappeared as he kept them there for a few seconds before opening his eyes. The magic loses its focus and returns back to the pool of magic in his horn. It was a blessing that he could still cast magic. An even bigger blessing for harmony to have kept his life despite all that he has done to harm it. An undeserving yet morbidly understandable punishment he absolutely deserved. That's why he gave thanks. No matter how guilty and unworthy he was of harmonies' malevolence, he gave thanks.  Thankful despite him losing all his connections, the inner workings of harmony itself. Because in the end, it was all his fault that everything ended up this way He was the culprit for the sun entering its supernova stage of its life and engulfing the planet in its unrelenting waves of destruction. Responsible for why the moon collided with the planet, sitting lifeless and scorched off in the distance.  It was his fault that his sister perished.  His sister..  He felt the tears start forming once again as the intrusive thoughts were provoked from his repetition. His gaze fell back down to the ground he was laying upon like a disposed marionette doll. The coat he used to keep pristine was now a mix of all kinds of dirt and garbage.  His hair lacked the usual magic surrounding it, now limply hanging around his shoulders with the multitude of colors having gone dull over time.  His body was a mere shell of what it once was, the long and strong legs were replaced by much shorter and feeble ones. The large and encompassing wings lacked many of his beautiful prismatic feathers. They were not left smaller and weaker.  Less could be said about the state of his horn. With it being almost completely shredded down to the top of his head, the messy and multicolored manes of his being able to efficiently hide what channeled his power. By now the tears were freely falling as he forcefully looked up towards the sky once more. Not being able to bear the sight of himself as he choked out a sob.  "Please.." his voice broke. The powerful and baritone that layered it was completely gone.  "Harmony that resides and guides..."  He pushed himself onto his haunches and pressed both hooves firmly against each other as he uselessly prayed once again. Having done so over the course of all 100,000 years of this painful existence, pray to harmony.  "I-i beseech thee.. please, spare me.." he begged.  "Spare me from this nightmare from which I created.. please!" He said in growing desperation. The years of silence having thrown any semblance of patience out of his system long ago. "Please!" He cried out towards the heavens.  But there would be nothing but silence in response to his pleas, as per usual. Casting an even further pit of depression for him to sink into.  He continued staring up into the sky with his puffy eyes for a few moments before snapping his eyes shut and falling back down in anguish.  He was too busy wallowing in his own despair that he never registered the light blue wisps of magic forming around him. Gently wrapping itself around his frail form and glowing brightly. Immediately disappearing from the spot from where he lay, without a trace of him. Neither was the force of harmony that oversaw his plight. Harmony would not listen to him any more. Neither will it do more for him in his situation, the sins that shrouded his entire existence having severed his connection to it forever. In turn causing the connection he had to both the sun and moon to continually dwindle with every passing decade. Up until the point of where the very event that destroyed his world and took his sister from him.  For that he knew he was truly unforgivable. That with all the pleading and fruitless thoughts of better times, he would never be privileged with it again.  The nightmare that he describes this as was one of his own making and he was going to suffer every single increment of it. Up until the point of his already weakening body withers into dust.  His body had already dwindled to less than half of his original size, the vitality of being an alicorn without harmony supporting him sacrificed a majority of who he was so that he could live on. The endless mana supplies he harbored would soon start to completely break down his horn. Having already been successful with more than half of it missing.  But harmony was not a cruel force of nature.  Once the prince passes on, it would settle things back into place. Remaking and remodeling everything that it had done in tandem with the alicorns of this era. Essentially wiping the slate of the old Equestrias existence and replacing it with a much harmonious one.  But the prince still had life left in him, making harmony regret ever allowing the ability to breathe in space to grace their physiology.  Though it could wait until he did die, this was a punishment for him after all. A punishment that might grant him access to a rebirth in the new world. Harmony paused as their attention fell back upon the prince, or better yet, the lack of such.  Where.. Did he go? A feeling of warmth caused the prince to open his eyes and slowly rise onto his haunches. Casting his gaze up to the sky, once again expecting the same ash filled and barren sky to meet his gaze. But froze when the delicate blue tones of the sky with clouds looking as if they were painted. Having to blink multiple times to see if he wasn't hallucinating again. His mind was long past the point of keeping him grounded as the years of isolation dragged on. But it was surprisingly not disappearing from his vision, not fading away and revealing the true image behind it.  A semblance of hope tickled at his heart as he slowly looked down to where he was sitting. Tiles made of cobblestone registered in his head as he reached downwards and stroked it. Shuddering as the warmth of the sun pricked the tip of his hooves.  He perked up and looked at his surroundings, both of his hooves instinctively pressing against each other as he took it all in. His eyes widened in disbelief as he simply stared at where he was. The beautifully trimmed bushes that were all filled with a variety of native and foreign flowers.  The marble pillars and archways outlining the rest of the exotic and green.. fauna.  The sight of an architectural masterpiece of a castle being visible all around him.. His widened eyes and gaping muzzle truly wanted to disbelief that they were back in the castle, his castle. No longer destroyed.  He fumbled around and hastily shot up onto his hooves, his fore hooves firmly pressing against the cobblestone as he bounded over to one of the many bushes. Pressing his head into the embrace of its leaves that felt so real and smelled so real..  The growing excitement in him dulled out the rest of his sensible and more suspicious tendencies as a small smile formed onto his face. Harmony had actually listened to his pleas..  He pressed his eyes firmly shut and counted down to 100 before opening them and being met with the same scenery.  Harmony had listened! It did! It really did!  A laugh left his lips as he spun around in a small circle, taking in a deep breath of the pleasant aroma around him. Much better than the prevalent smell of death and his own self hygiene. The laughter grew in volume as the years once again formed and started falling.  Harmony did not forsake him! A voice paused his movements and silenced his laughter, feeling a jolt run down his spine as he turned and listened lut once again. Making sure that he heard it correctly.  "Sister?" It distantly said once again.  He recognized that voice.  "L-luna?" He whispered to himself.  "Sister, are thou there? We could hear thine laughter" the voice pressed in that familiar tone of voice. His heart strained against his chest as the voice grew closer and closer, tears increasing in intensity as he stood frozen. Head turning in the direction of audible footsteps, wanting to move but feeling as if he was stuck to the floor. His shaky breathing picked up as the sight of a dark blue hoof stepped into view, followed by the rest of a dark blue alicorn. Who's eyes creased in annoyance as she turned and her gaze fell over him.  Was this real? "Sis-" her words paused as she stared at him. Confusion forming onto her face as she also came to a stop physically. "Teeer…?" Her words trailed. Unexpecting to see him. "Celestia?" She said after a moment.  This didn't feel real. This felt..  Her voice jabbed into his heart and caused him to stumble onto his knees, looking up at her with a messy face. A smile bypassed everything else he was feeling as he responded.  "L-luna.." before his eyes shut and he collapsed onto the floor unconscious.