//------------------------------//
// Ch.1 An end & a beginning 
// Story: Life's Annoying Paradox: Perception is Reality 
// by CDR 
//------------------------------//

Journal entry number; 1
-Date this entry was written; November 26th, 2011
-Date the event(s) written about occurred; Yesterday

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"How to begin?  How to begin?  How to begin?"

"That's one way to do it."

*sigh*  "Quiet you."

"Thank you dear reader for choosing to partake in this particular piece of literature.  That aside, I hate writing, the fact that you're reading this means that I deemed it important enough to try and write down."

"He ain't kidding.  We skipped three essays in a row in school once cause we hate it so much."

"They didn't need to know that."

"Then why'd we mention hating it in the first place?"

".....  I guess the best place to begin then would have to be the dream that came before and followed after."

"Ends life, kills laughter."

".....  I hate you too"

"I know."

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The Solar Princess and one of her dearest friends are flying back to the royal castle after a party celebrating the end of another glorious adventure. Though the occasion was a happy one, the princess cringed slightly at what she knew was coming next. 

Sure enough, he spoke. "It is time, princess."

"Harmonous, no!  Even you don't have the power to cast that spell!" shouted the princess.

"Do you forget my perspective once again, and thus my limits?  One is only limited by their imagination; I have proven this time, and time again, have I not?"

She sat there, glad for his company yet never wanting anything more from him.  Slowly but surely he began to chant. It was a sad tune, one that seemed all too familiar to her.  For the scores of times she had heard it, she still could not recall the lyrics.  The princess shook her head and listened as Harmonous continued.

Before she knew it, he had finished. There was a warm smile on his face. He had reached out towards the princess; waiting, a warm smile on his face.  She reached out towards him, a single tear in her eye.

As soon as their outstretched limbs connected, the spell activated, flowing out of its caster, and into its target.  Her sight gained new clarity; she could now see that which was magically hidden.  The first thing she saw was always one of the hardest to watch.

The final gleams of light went out from his eyes.  They had both known what was going to happen, but he didn't care, and she knew better than to try and stop him.  Slowly his form shrunk in size and grandeur till he resembled a well crafted doll.  

He had chosen this form of immortality long ago. He had been the one to think of it, though as to why he had chosen it she could never seem to fully comprehend.




The princess walked the halls of her castle, staring straight ahead.  She was too lost in her own thoughts to bother with those around her.  Her subjects dropped to a knee before her as she strode past them.  Because of this, no one noticed the faint gleam in the corner of their Princess' eyes.  Only a few of her subjects would ever look her straight in the eyes to notice such a thing, but not one of them dare mention the pain they might have seen there.

She sighed, wishing that they would simply treat her more as a friend than a ruler.  By now, though, she knew better than to expect this from her subjects.  But still, one could hardly tire of the friendly demeanor of ponies such as Harmonous, even if he did tend to scare her from time to time.

Slowly but surely the princess made her way through the halls of the castle, traveling far beyond where she allowed the Royal Guard to station themselves.  Every few generations -- almost like clockwork -- one of the more outspoken recruits would ask why they weren’t stationed farther along some corridors.  The answer was the same each time.

"It's not that I don't have faith in you to guard these areas, but some things are best left alone. The farther you are from them, the better.”

Predictably, the inquisitive one would look confused at the explanation, but the sincerity with which she said the answer had put them at ease every time.

Standing in front of a tall set of ornately carved double doors, the princess contemplated the situation.  It still frustrated her slightly that even she required a spell to find this room, but she knew well enough that such an arrangement was probably for the best.  Just being in the room beyond almost always left her near or in tears by the time she left.  Using her magic, she opened the doors and walked in, making sure to close them gently once inside.

It was not a large room, but it still held great importance to her.  It was horseshoe-shaped, with the wider end towards the door.  Lined along the long curving wall were about ten or fifteen ornate pedestals.  While some had glass cases set atop them, the majority were bare.

The princess levitated the miniaturized form of her friend out of her hair and held it aloft before her.  Again she sighed inwardly.  She began to walk towards one of the pedestals.

"I still wish you had chosen normal immortality over this Harmonous.  I guess it's for the best, as it has always been, even though you always tried your hardest not to endanger anyone with your powers."  

She giggled as a memory of one of his more hilarious endeavors flashed through her mind.

Having made her way across the room while lost in her thoughts, she stopped in front of one of the pedestals.  It was comprised of three separate symbols, each one successively smaller than the one it floated above.

The largest and lowest of the three was a hollowed out octagon, its cardinal points ending in triangles.  This one rotated clockwise.  The middle of the three appeared to be composed of three intertwined flower petals, forming a rough triangle, it rotated counter-clockwise.  The smallest & highest of the three was a simple circle composted of two fish circling each other.

After placing him in the center of the highest symbol, she stepped back.  Briefly calling to mind how the spell was cast, she wove her magic into the air above the pedestal.  After a few moments and a slow exhalation, the ward activated.  A glass case appeared in the air and drifted slowly down over her friend's miniaturized form.

Looking slowly from side to side, she turned around, and started walking towards the exit.  Best not to dwell here much longer, she thought.  Halfway across the room she stopped.  In front of her, at about level with her head, a wisp of air formed.  Quickly morphing into a small spout of fire, and finally with a barely audible pop, a sealed scroll appeared in the air before her.

Recognizing the seal on the scroll, a smile slowly crept across her face.  Quickly levitating the parchment into her hair, she crossed the rest of the room to the door.  Pausing briefly before it, she took another look around, casting her gaze from one case topped pedestal to another.

Exiting, she picked up her pace some, a knowing look on her face.  Her sister did so enjoy hearing from this particular subject, even if the topic of the messages was sometimes a bit awkward.

*.....*.....*.....*.....*.....

"Did you have to make it sound so.....lame?"

"I did nothing but write the dream out as I remembered it.  I added nothing, I changed nothing, I removed nothing."

"Urg.....no wonder I exist."

"Why's that?"

"To keep us from being tediously dull."

"....."

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