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// Start of the Canterlot Sisterhood 
// Story: The Pony Beast 
// by HareTrinity 
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This is my confession. Until recently I was head monk at the glorious temple of Canterlot. Now... I would not wish for anypony to know my name. Over the past few weeks my life has turned into a surreal spectacle on account of her arrival. Perhaps our Queen, in her wisdom, had decided it was indeed time to end all ponies. These days more than anything I fear that, and for my immortal soul, but the path I have started on I can no longer turn from. Forgive me, my Queen God, for I have sinned...

The day had started simply enough and it wasn’t until the evening that it truly began. I was called down to the East section of Canterlot where there had been some sort of event. A forest fire had broken out and in the midst of it all a lone foal had been found. Canterlot army had the fire well under control by the time I got there and I congratulated their efforts, though many ponies seemed perturbed. At the time I put it down to the fire alone.

There was no one in the room with the foal when I met her. They’d told me she was a pegasus pony but before me was a small unicorn. Again, I put this down to a confused report due to the fire. It did not for one moment occur to me to think odd of the small white foal. Her pink-tinged mane was strangely flowing, yes, but that could be from emerging magical skills or some such innocent explanation. At any rate she seemed lost and shy. In hindsight I suspect she was still working out our language but at the time... At the time I was so naive...

I took her to my favourite cafe. It had a pleasant indoor setting that I hoped would help keep her mind off of the fire, a disaster no doubt traumatising for a young pony. I asked her if she wanted anything to eat and she was quiet. Thinking her timid but hungry I ordered on her account; sugar cube salad (a favourite of mine when I was younger) and a glass of mixed berry juice. It was around then that I noticed the crowd outside the store window. Reassuring her I’d be right back I went to talk to them.

Upon exiting the cafe I confronted the crowd; what did they think they were doing? Sheepishly they began to reveal their story... Some ponies had said that the blaze was started by a meteor. One pony had said a lot more. Apparently a pegasus pony had seen the meteor before it crashed and followed it, describing it as a “glittering black blob” that she felt “look” at her and would have sworn it started to change shape as she watched, to grow wings... There had since been speculation that the lone foal was not really a foal at all.

I was not remotely impressed by this story, the idea of grown mares and stallions believing such nonsense! On top of that to come here and harass a lost foal? Did they have nothing better to do, with a fire in Canterlot, than to spread worry?

Before they could reply there came a sound from inside the cafe. A cry. We turned to look and saw that the waitress had dropped her tray and the little lost foal was looking on in horror. The foal cried out again and the sound will not leave my mind; it was not the cry of a small filly, it was more like the bellow of cattle, like it came from something much larger... To my horror the filly changed to match such thoughts.

She had backed off of the chair, still staring at the tray, and she was stretching; her limbs elongating as if fueled by her panic. The waitress screamed and the “foal” mimicked the sound, her noise similar but much more shrill, like that of a bird. The waitress screamed again but this time was cut off as the pony monster attacked. The foal’s entire body had flashed brightly and the waitress was ripped apart into a cloud of fragments that fell wetly to the ground. The pony beast bellowed again, a large pair of wings tearing out from her sides in a shower of sparks that set light to the tables around her.

By now most of the crowd around me had fled (good luck to them, for I have not seen them since) and as the pony beast turned her gaze upon us it was time for the others and I to do the same. The glass of the window shook and one pane leapt out, as if in life, grabbing and wrapping around one of the ponies beside me, dragging her to the ground. The rest of us kept running. I fled to the outskirts of Canterlot before I collapsed, panting to catch my breath. Part of my mind wished I could just continue to run, to be as far away as possible... Yet even as I wished to flee forever I already knew I had to return. Head monk of Canterlot, the first stallion in charge for centuries, protector of the city... Ponies had joked that a monk could not do a nun’s job but I had reassured them that my belief was stronger than they could imagine, that I would never abandon my divine responsibilities... I had meant it. Canterlot needed me and I would be there.

Flames were lighting up buildings as night began to fall. I found some of the guards and they told me that they had been trying to fight the monster. They informed me that their general had died, that he had collapsed as if his bones had just vanished... He was a good stallion, may he rest in peace, but right then I had the guards pull themselves together; Canterlot needed us.

It being against my vows to send others into such danger I had them take the outskirts of the burning buildings whilst I tried to find survivors in the areas touched by the invading beast. Through the smoke and heat of the fires I searched hard but it was as if all that saw her were taken apart. There were large, curious, creations in various areas, like twisted pieces of dried fruit, that I hope were just items but fear were our citizens... One pony I came upon seemed trapped in time, her body parts rearranged as if a young foal’s poorly constructed doll, but her attempts to run were frozen. I believe her to have been still alive because she appeared to be crying. I admit I was thankful that a collapsing building stopped me approaching and, hopefully, relieved her of her suffering. 

Soon after that I heard screams and went running, hoping for survivors with better fortune, but was too late. I have here written enough of the grizzly fates suffered and at these ponies I will draw the line. I pray that those four have eternal peace in return for what they suffered then and thank our Queen God for my sanity that they could not scream more by the time I arrived. What sounds could have come from what I saw there belong only in my nightmares.

Of course the one responsible was here too. I had caught up. She still had both wings and a horn, a bizarre mix of ponykind in stretched form. At last there was something truly pony about her, however, for now she was crying.

Perhaps I should have fled. That would have been sensible. Perhaps I should have tried to kill her, despite my slight chances of success where the Canterlot guard had failed. I think killing her was first on my mind, as I approached her, but as she continued to sob I found it harder to think of what she had done. She seemed so sorrowful, so... Lost. I doubt many would have interpreted my vows to apply to such terrors as her but at that point I had seen enough death. I talked softly to her, urging her to come with me, telling her that I would keep her safe and take her away from these ponies. She agreed and I lead her towards the temple.

She was surprisingly elegant in that tall form. I had chosen an old secret tunnel to one of the taller towers, with low ceilings and many stairs, yet she kept near to me despite my quick pace. Eventually we got to the top room where she went to collapse by a wall, resuming her sobbing fully, occasional bursts of feral magic emitting from her. I left her there while I went to contact the remaining guard. I explained the situation and ordered them to keep me informed on the fire. I had worried that they would be angry but instead they seemed relieved to know that the monster was no longer nearby.

I spent some time working with the guard, getting arrangements made for the wounded, and evacuation procedures from the endangered housing. Eventually it became clear that the situation was under control and I returned to the room to watch over the pony-shaped thing. At one point, as I had snuck her to the temple, over the sound of ponies trying to tackle the fires, I thought I had heard her say “sorry”, though to this day I am not sure. Perhaps she was just mimicking what another had said, if she had spoken at all? I wonder still if it is possible for a merely pony-shaped thing to find redemption, especially for the crimes she committed... It was then, as I watched her in the tower, that I came up with my ultimate sin.

Glimmer Dawn is one of the smartest ponies I’ve ever met, not to mention a strong politician; I had one of the guard fetch her for me. Together we planned and founded the Canterlot Sisterhood but on my shoulders should the blame be for the great crime soon committed. We had Canterlot renounce its true faith for the new monster. We made her into a god in pony form. We treat her like royalty and refer to her as Princess Celestia. The name was Glimmer Dawn’s idea. She has dealt with this well, despite the creature being responsible for her brother’s death. She almost seems to have developed a bond with the beast as time has passed, or at the very least the creature is attached to her and Glimmer Dawn knows how to use that to her advantage.

One day, near the first public appearance for our “princess”, Glimmer Dawn had come to tell me that she’d taught her to age. It was entirely appropriate that our new god was not much taller than a normal mare for her first public appearance. She was still tall but seemed much younger... Glimmer Dawn expects that she shall grow back to how she was before, but slowly. It’s of course a matter useful to us but I do shudder to think how long this creature may live... If she has to be taught to age, could she be taught to die? I once questioned Glimmer Dawn on the matter but she did not believe it to be possible and feared what may happen were to confront the princess with such grim thoughts. So we shall stay quiet on the matter and hope that, one day, Equestria may be freed from this shadow without our involvement.

The way that Glimmer handles the princess is a sight to behold. Never an order, Glimmer Dawn directs Princess Celestia by subtle suggestion, always positive, forever encouraging the creature to think of only bright things, bringing it into the conversation in a casual manner though sometimes she has the creature repeat words to retain her focus... Glimmer often has the Sisterhood forge documents such as “old texts” that back up stories about Celestia’s existence. It all seems to work very smoothly though Glimmer Dawn assures me that ours is not a stupid beast. Just suggestible. Once she told me that she’s unsure how much the princess has truly forgotten and how much it just wants to forget. Glimmer also believes that in part things have gone so smoothly as fate itself bends to the will of what our royal beast believes. In its implications this is a more than chilling thought that I prefer not to dwell upon.

So it has become that our terror from that first day is now worshipped in Canterlot on a daily basis. She sits upon a throne whilst the families of those she slaughtered have no graves to mourn over. Yet despite the lies our power is spreading and soon Celestia will be the princess of more than half of Equestria. It is as if we paid for greatness with blood sacrifices. It is as if we traded in truth for power.

...May the Queen God forgive us and may Canterlot stand strong.