//------------------------------// // Chapter Five: The Nature of Fate // Story: But Not Forgotten // by SilverDawn97 //------------------------------// Chapter Five: The Nature of Fate “No matter who you ask, for every pony in Equestria, there is a slightly different theory on the nature of our world, and by extension, how it came into being. And yet, nopony has ever done extensive research into uncovering the complete, infallible truth of how our world came into being. This is an issue I intend to remedy in the following pages of this book. Throughout the following pages, I shall document my discoveries in my search for the answer to one of the most important questions of our time: How was our world created? How did we get here? Is there any higher, divine authority than the Princesses we all know and love? Come with me, and perhaps we shall find the answer together…” “Starswirl always did have a way with words…” Celestia thought to herself as she finished the introduction to Starswirl the Bearded’s “Journey for a Cosmic Understanding”. Sometimes she missed being able to spend time with him, even if he did act like an old fool at times. They used to be such close friends, but as time passed… Things changed, and they had to go their separate ways. Celestia took a moment to remember the time they used to spend working together when she was young, trying hard to discover the nature of magic, the world around them, and, at times, the nature of the universe itself. Of course, for the last subject, the young Princess always had a reliable source she could speak to… Celestia shook her head lightly to clear her thoughts. This was not the time to reminisce. Besides, she hadn't heard a word from her mother, not since that fateful night a millennium ago… ------------- This had never happened before. In the past, she had always been there whenever Celestia needed her help, whether it was for counsel, assistance, or even for simple emotional support. But now, despite the emotions running rampant through her heart, Celestia’s beloved mother was nowhere to be seen. “Where is she…” Celestia thought to herself. “Has she abandoned me too, in the moment when I need her the most?” It all seemed so surreal, and at the same time slightly ironic. Here, in the peaceful utopia that had stood for so many centuries, the world seemed to be falling down around her. It had only been a few days since she had been forced to banish her sister to the moon, but already Celestia could feel the emotional backlash from the act. She wanted nothing more than to bring her sister back, so they could be a family again, but… Ever since the incident, the once ever-present song of the Elements of Harmony had fallen silent in her heart and mind. They had forsaken her, and without her mother’s help… It was possible that Luna might never come back… The mere thought of such a thing had her collapse in tears once again. Her sister was going to be trapped alone for an eternity, and it was her fault. If only she hadn’t remained so blind to her sister’s plight… If only she had thought of a better solution… If only… If only Faust had answered her plea for help. ------------- This was it; it had been a full year since her sister had banished her to the Moon. Surely, today was the day when Luna would finally be released from her prison. Her heart starting to fill with a since of hope that had been gone for far too long, the exiled young Princess took this moment to look over some of her journals once more. “Hour 1: Dear diary... I am still in shock over all that has happened. Tia sent me to my beautiful Moon as punishment for what I did. I never would have thought she would have done something as drastic as this, but... I know now what I did was wrong, but I was just so angry that nopony ever showed any appreciation for the lovely night and all of its wonders. My rage has cooled down quite a bit already though… I’m sure she’ll be here to take me back any time now.” “Day 2: Dear diary, I am still here on the Moon… I guess Tia is pretty angry with me to leave me here this long... And she has every right to be. It can’t be much longer now, she’d never make me stay up here for much longer than this, she is much too nice for that. I am actually kind of surprised I am still here…” Those first few days, back when she still believed it would only be a few days of punishment… Luna almost felt envious of her own naivete at the time… But today was different! It had been one full year! Surely, her sister was arranging some sort of celebration to commemorate her return at that very moment! “Day 6: Dear diary, I have found a small cave that I have taken to sleeping in. I tried to spruce it up a bit and make it cozier. Tia’s spell has really limited my powers, so I can’t do much more than arrange some of the lunar rocks I've found into a makeshift table and seat. The Earth looks so far away from here… I can’t wait to see my big sister, she has just got to be here tomorrow; it’s been nearly a week now!” Luna almost chuckled at that one. Almost. It was amazing how much a whole year alone could change the way you look at life… She had matured greatly since then, and she was ready to show just that when she finally returned home tonight… “Week 3: Dear diary… it is really cold here on the moon. I have just enough magic to provide myself with food, air, and a bit of warmth, but that is about it. The moon is just so desolate, even in all of its glory. Tia must know I’ve learned my lesson by know... Where is she?” “Month 2: I can’t believe I am still here! Maybe Tia had to deal with some kind of emergency back home. I guess I could understand that, given everything that happened… I just wish she could come get me and take me back; it is really lonely up here... I have taken to marking the wall of my cave for each week I've been here as sort of a joke. I am sure Celestia will have a good laugh at my little rocky home when she finally gets here.” Looking around her, Luna was surprised at how much her little home had changed since then; She had plenty of “free time”, so she had managed to create an almost habitable little home by then. Her scratches on the wall were starting to take up a bit of room by now though; if she stayed here much longer… No. She refused to even think of such a thing. Today marked one full year since her arrival. Surely today… “Month 9: Dear diary… I can barely even remember what it was we were fighting about anymore; it’s been so long… I am so lonely. I cry myself to sleep every night thinking about how my big sis and I used to visit all the ponies across Equestria. Such good times… Three more months, and then a year will have passed. Tia will surely come for me at year’s end. Oh, how happy I’ll be to see her again! Even still... I can’t imagine a punishment worse than spending a whole year alone here on the Moon.” ------------- Sitting alone in her room at the Ponyville Motel, Luna read over the final entry in her Lunar Diary. That first year… She had broken free of Nightmare Moon’s control completely by that time, and had even held onto a shred of hope that she might still be rescued by her sister. If only she had known… “Year 10: Dear diary… She never came. Maybe she never will. I have called out to mother multiple times since that first year, hoping that she might take pity and free me… But she too has abandoned me. Maybe I’ll never be free. The scratches I have used to keep track of time now cover the entire wall of my home. Tomorrow, I will continue them on the surface of the moon itself. Maybe in a century or so, Ponies below will be able to see them, and convince Celestia to finally release me… I’m so sorry Seraph. You said you would return some day, but now I doubt that I will ever be able to see your return. If only… If only we could be together, one last time… I just don’t know what happened after you left. I just began feeling more and more angry every day, until… It’s been ten years now. I've given up hope on ever returning home. Now, all I want is to fade into the shadows… Goodbye everypony… Maybe someday, somepony else will find themselves here, and read these messages… But I will be long gone by then. My story is over. Now, all I must do is wait. It’s time to put this immortality to the test, and see how many more decades it takes before I simply fade away…” ------------- “After consulting directly with the young Princess Celestia’s “Mother”, Miss Faust, everything has become clear. According to her, the universe as we know it is only one part of a never-ending story. We are but a small part of a “Multi-verse”, An existence comprised of an infinite number of worlds, each one distinct in its own way, and each one divided up into an infinite number of parallel realities, each one formed by even the tiniest decisions in anypony’s life diverting the course of that universe into a timeline infinitesimally different from every other one of the infinite separate timelines. According to Ms. Faust, each one of these “Planes” is watched over by a separate “Guardian”, extensions of power emanating from a single, higher power that watches over the entirety of the “Multi-verse”, who Miss Faust referred to only as "The Father", with the collective goal of holding the “Multi-verse” together, at any cost. However, some of these “Guardians” that are placed in control of relatively-peaceful “Planes” are blessed with a personality of their own, allowing them to develop their own personal (And always benevolent) goals for their own “Plane”. For most of them, like Miss Faust, that goal is nothing more than simple peace and prosperity for the inhabitants of their “Plane”. A discovery like this is… Momentous. This is, bar none, the single greatest discovery in the history of Equestria, nay, the entire world! And yet… Something like this can never become publicly known. If it became known… The consequences are impossible to predict. So, I am faced with an unenviable task. I am going to record my findings in this, single book, and burn every other copy I have created as backups. This will be the only copy of my “Journey for a Cosmic Understanding” to exist beyond today. And I shall gift it to the only pony I know I can trust with it: Princess Celestia herself. Celestia, if you are reading this… I apologize. This is a decision too large for even me to make. So, I must leave it to you. Farewell.” Closing the only copy of Starswirl the Bearded’s “Journey for a Cosmic Understanding”, still in existence, Celestia returned it to its inconspicuous spot on her bookshelf. Everything within that book had remained a secret to all of Equestria, and it would remain that way for the rest of her eternal life. There were some secrets that were too large to reveal. ------------- Alexander was no fool; he knew that the Princesses were hiding something from him. He knew that Princess Celestia would not send him specifically as Princess Luna's bodyguard unless there was something important happening behind the scenes. When he first received word that he was to act as Luna's personal escort to Ponyville, he began to ask himself a single, simple question: Why? Why him? Although he trusted both of the Princesses to make their decisions with Equestria's best interests in mind, he was also fully aware that both of them had secrets; skeletons in their closets that they hoped would never come to light. To be fair, they weren't alone. Alexander had his fair share of ghosts too; ghosts that he knew, sooner or later, would come back to haunt him... ------------- This was never meant to happen. This story was supposed to have a happy ending for everyone. But for one young colt, the ending was far from happy. The young squire Sol Alexander was only just beginning his training as a Knight of Canterlot when the Changelings invaded. Even though he had been tasked with defending the populace of Canterlot during the attack, he had another duty he considered more important: Protecting his fiancée, the young Pegasus known as Blossomforth. As he galloped through the streets of Canterlot, Alexander didn't know how much attention he was drawing; the Changelings could smell the emotions that ran through his heart as he sped home. They could smell the fear of a future husband for his soon-to-be wife. He had almost made it to his home when he was ambushed. Almost. The changelings battered and subdued him, before they began to feast on the love in his heart. As he felt his emotions being pulled from his heart, he felt empty; like nothing mattered anymore. He felt trapped and alone, as if the only thing to release him from the torments of the world would be the sweet embrace of death. But death would not come for him that day; instead, it would come for the one he loved most. Blossomforth had watched as Alexander was struck down by the Changelings. She had watched as they began to drain the love from his heart. She watched, and knew she needed to act. She wasn't a warrior, she was a flower merchant. A gardener. But that didn't stop her from trying to protect her future husband from the monsters that were assaulting him. If only she had known that the Changelings attacking Alexander had gone into a feeding frenzy; they had tasted the sweet ambrosia of love, and they wanted more. And when a Changeling is frenzied like that, they don't particularly care about the well-being of their victims. As she approached, Blossomforth was brought to the ground before she even knew what hit her; she felt her heart slipping away into oblivion as the Changelings consumed every emotion they could find, hoping to satisfy their bottomless thirst for emotions. Alexander could only watch helplessly as the life faded from Blossomforth's eyes. Her heart had simply given up; there were no more feelings left to give, so she simply laid down and died. And at that moment, he wanted nothing more than to join her. But then, a flash of light came from the castle as the Changelings turned to face him once more. The light spread throughout the city, banishing the Changelings from the city of Canterlot. Unfortunately, it was too little, too late for some. Blossomforth's funeral was held the next day, and was attended by many of the other members of the Canterlot Royal Guard. Even the newly-married King of the Crystal Empire, Shining Armor, attended. He offered his condolences to Alexander, but it didn't matter. All that mattered to Alexander was that his wife-to-be was dead. And she was never coming back... ------------- Although she had attended the funeral, few had seen her there. This had been her greatest failure; the single casualty of what was meant to be another happy story of good triumphing over evil. But this story had been marred by the specter of death. Blossomforth's story had come to an abrupt end because of a simple mistake; a mistake that Faust vowed to never make again. This had been the chapter she forgot to write, and without the guiding hand of Fate to help them along, the blooming romance between Sol Alexander and Blossomforth had come to an abrupt end. This death was on her hooves, and there was nothing she could do to change it; the ink had already dried. That day, Faust decided that she would hang up her quill; she would become a guardian angel, a helping hand to shine a light on the road of life. But nothing more. She would do all she could to help keep her beloved world safe indirectly, but she couldn't trust herself to not make an oversight like this again. She didn't want to be the author of any more tragedies. ------------- After the gathering at Twilight's house, I felt the need to get some fresh air. There were still a few hours until sunset, so I asked Twilight if I could go to the Town Square and get some fresh air, to which she agreed. Twilight may have stayed behind so she could write a letter to Princess Celestia, but that didn't mean I was alone when I meandered my way to Sugarcube Corner. Everyone else seemed oblivious to her presence, but I saw her sitting there, reading a small silver book with a familiar mark on the cover. This young white Alicorn with the auburn mane was reading a book that had... My cutie mark on the cover. As I approached, she looked up, and I heard a voice in my head deliver a message that inspired both fear and hope. “Tonight is the night that your story truly begins. Go to the field of flowers where you first awoke, and take your first steps down this road of love and sacrifice.” I took a step back as I heard the chilling message resound inside my mind. And then, in a single blink of my eyes, she was gone. The strange white Alicorn was gone. Still worried by the Alicorn's haunting message, I wandered around Ponyville for a while, pondering the message that I had just been so unexpectedly given. All I knew was that I had reached a crossroads; I could either return to the field, and face whatever “destiny” awaited me, or I could return to Twilight’s treebrary, and forever wonder what awaited me in that field. I could see a full moon rising in the distance as I flew towards the field where this had all begun. ------------- Blossomforth's death broke something deep inside Alexander's heart. From that day forth, he began to drown his sorrows in his training, becoming a full Knight of Canterlot within only a few short months, and the Captain of the Royal Canterlot Guard by the end of the year. And yet, he found no satisfaction in his work. He put on a mask of happiness to encourage those around him to be the best they could be, but deep inside, there was always a storm raging in his soul. It wasn't until a few days before he was appointed to guard Princess Luna that he was given a purpose again, received in the words of a strange white Alicorn with an auburn mane... ------------- The sudden stop to Princess Luna's sobs broke Alexander out of his thoughts. He knocked twice to no response before he entered the Princesses room to find it empty. On the nightstand he found a hastily-written note. Alexander Do not follow me. I have business I must attend to privately, so I order you to stay here and guard my room until I return. Sincerely, Princess Luna. "Stay here and guard her room...?" Alexander thought to himself. "I think not. It's my duty to defend Princess Luna, so that's exactly what I'm going to do, even if she says otherwise.” But despite this, it seemed to him as though there wasn’t much else he could do; he had no idea where the princess had gone to. Alexander had almost resigned himself to simple waiting until he heard an all-too familiar voice echoing in his mind. “Go to the field where I first spoke to you. That is where you shall find Princess Luna.” “You again…” Alexander muttered to himself. “Fine then. I've trusted you before, so I suppose I should trust you again.” With that, the young white Unicorn walked out of the Motel, and off towards the field where his late fiancée, Blossomforth, had received her last rites so long ago... ------------- He had seen her before; at the funeral for his dearly beloved. The Alicorn with the auburn mane. He had never expected to see her again, least of in his personal training room. And yet, there she was, with the same sad look in her eyes. “I’m sorry about what happened to Blossomforth.” She said softly. “She was never meant to die, and it was my fault that she perished.” Despite the unexpected apology, Alexander still just sat there, eyes glazed over in sorrow. Even if this mare was somehow connected to Blossomforth’s death, it was too late; she was gone, and nothing could bring her back. No apology could fix the mistake claimed the life of his dearly beloved. “I know that you won’t accept my apology, but I want you to know that I truly am sorry.” The mare said yet again. Once again, her words fell on deaf ears. There was a moment of silence that passed between them before she spoke again. “In a few days, Princess Celestia will ask you to travel to Ponyville with her sister Luna. If you decide to go, then I want you to know that no matter what happens, I will do everything in my power to help you receive the happy ending you deserve.” “Keep your happy ending.” Alexander said sharply. “I don’t know who you are, but I owe my allegiance to the Princesses alone; I will do what they ask, because they asked. No matter what you offer me, that won’t change.” He heard her turn and walk away, but Faust wasn’t finished yet. She delivered one final message before her departure; “She fell in love with you because you always did what was right, even if it wasn’t what was ordered. If you truly wish to honor her memory, then consider that before you make a decision.” Alexander spun around, prepared to lash out in rage at the strange Alicorn, but he was too late; she was already gone. ------------- As she ran from Ponyville, Colgate could feel the rage that had filled her body fade away, only to be replaced with sorrow and guilt. “I had no reason to act the way I did…” She thought to herself. “I was always jealous of how close those two had become… Now that jealousy has caused me to make a huge mistake…” As she thought to herself, she saw a familiar blue pony fly by overhead, travelling towards a field of flowers she knew well. “Luna…” She thought. “I’m so sorry…” just as her heart began to sink however, she heard an unfamiliar voice echo in her thoughts. “It isn't too late. You can still apologize if you hurry.” The strange voice said. Colgate felt a sense of renewed hope enter her heart, and she came to a decision: She needed to go apologize to Luna for her actions. And she needed to do so tonight. ------------- As the four ponies began to make their way to the field of flowers that connected them all, Faust thought long and hard over what she had just set in motion. She had vowed to never again act directly in this world she loved so dearly, and yet she had just done exactly that, diverting the paths of these four strange ponies in the hopes that together, they might all find the happy endings they so desperately needed. And yet, she still wondered if she had acted too rashly. They were bound to come together sooner or later; the only question was whether or not it would have been in time to avert the crisis that was about to strike her world. “It had to be done” she told herself. "They all deserve to find a happy ending, after all that they've been through." And yet, she still wondered. She had no control over the actions of those three ponies she had brought here, and although she was the Guardian of this Plane, she did not have the gift of omniscience. She could only write the future, not see into it. And now that she had forsaken her quill… All she could do was watch, wait, and hope that in the end, her home would survive the coming storm. Just as she began to lose herself in her thoughts however, she heard the sound of hooves approaching from behind. Turning around, she couldn't help but question whether this was truly the right path, as she saw the bewildered look on the young white Pegasus's face. "What's going on...?" he asked aloud "I thought... It was finally over..." Once he saw her face however, the young stallion let out a sigh. Whether it was a sigh of relief or exasperation, she couldn't tell. "So, we meet again, Faust. Here to deliver a final farewell?" The poor young stallion thought his journey was over... That he had reached the end of the road. And deep down, Faust felt horrible about the news she was about to deliver... He had gone through so much already, and yet... In truth... Seraph's journey was just beginning.