//------------------------------// // The Meaningless Sacrifice // Story: The God of Two Worlds // by Brian Jacko //------------------------------// Fluttershy stretched her limbs in bed and yawned. It was a new day and it was time to tend to her hungry animal friends. As she began to walk over to the kitchen, Angel Bunny was hopping up and down frantically. He wanted her to follow him into the living room. Angel Bunny bounced up and down and pointed at the window frantically. Fluttershy peeked out the window and noticed that there were piles upon piles of ashes on the ground that were stacked up in little mounds. A gust of wind blew by and swept them all away. Fluttershy looked back to Angel Bunny and said, "I just don't understand what that's all about. What's going on out there?" Angel Bunny took his front paw and slowly dragged it across his throat as if he were simulating slicing his throat with an imaginary knife. Fluttershy could not figure out what he meant. He continued to try to explain with actions, but his master did not get it. Angel Bunny eventually gave up hope and signaled that he wanted to eat breakfast. Fluttershy understood that and went into the kitchen to prepare his meal. After she finished feeding her most favorite pet, Angel Bunny, she realized that many of her animal friends were missing and that she couldn't find them. She decided to take a trip to see Twilight Sparkle and ask if she knew what was going on. "Mounds of ashes?" Twilight asked as she scratched her chin with her hoof. "Yes," the yellow mare said. "There were tons of them and I realized that many of my animal friends were missing. I hope they didn't get upset and run away from me. The Everfree forest is so dangerous and they could all be eaten up by those terrible Timbre Wolves." Twilight Sparkle began thinking. "There's a lot of weird stuff that has been going on lately. Pinkie Pie came here saying that the Princess had banned all parties from taking place. Rarity came here telling me that the Princess demands that only a certain style of dresses are to be worn which can't be too flashy or risqué. Rainbow Dash complained that the Princess demanded that there would be no rain clouds to make way for her glorious sun. Applejack cried out in distress that her crops were dying because there were no more rain clouds to bring the rain in, and I have been upset because the letters I am getting from Princess Celestia are very angry and judgmental. Now you're coming to me with complaints that your animal friends are missing. I am terrified of the Princess. I heard rumors that a long time ago, before I was even born, that she took books out of this library and had them burned. These books were about God or something of that nature. I think the Princess is starting to let power get to her head and may think that she is infinite." "So what do you think is happening to my animal friends?" Fluttershy asked. "I have no idea," Twilight replied. "But I have the intuition that the Princess might have something to do with it. I think it's best that you go back home and keep a safe watch on your critters. I might have to do some investigating on why the Princess is acting this way. She even threatened to remove my wings!" Fluttershy sighed. She thanked her friend and gave her a hug before departing. When she arrived home, she was shocked to see that a large group of her bunnies were in some kind of magical barrier that they couldn't break out of. Fluttershy ran over to them and began banging on the shield, but it was no use. The magic was too powerful for her to break through. Fluttershy sat down on the ground and began to cry. Princess Celestia came from around the side of her cottage. She had her horn glowing and Fluttershy noticed that she was levitating many more bunnies in the air. "Princess Celestia! Oh, thank goodness you came! Are you keeping these bunnies in this magical force field to keep them safe? Many of my animals have gone astray and I need to find them before those terrible Timbre Wolves can get them. I don't understand what those piles of ashes were this morning either." Princess Celestia hovered the bunnies over the top of the shield barrier and dumped them in. The bunnies fell hard against the floor and some of them were injured from the fall. "Hey! You need to be gentle with the bunnies. Some of them look really hurt. Why would you do that, Princess?" Fluttershy asked with tears in her eyes. "Because I'm trying to teach these people a lesson," Celestia said. "What?" Fluttershy asked with confusion written across her face. "What does teaching people have anything to do with trapping my poor innocent little bunnies?" "You'll soon see," Celestia said as she leaned a cellphone up against a rock and used her magic to record the scene. Celestia used her magic and teleported Fluttershy inside of the magical barrier. The little bunnies scrambled over to her and were shaking in fear. "There, there, little bunnies," Fluttershy cooed. "Mommy is right here with you and everything will be ok." Princess Celestia used her magic and Fluttershy watched nervously as a bunny hovered just a few feet away from her face. The magic of the Princess glowed around the little leg of the bunny and she began to pull at it slowly. The bunny let out a small holler of pain and Fluttershy began to panic. "Princess Celestia! Stop!" the yellow mare cried out. "You're hurting him so much!" Celestia pulled a little harder and the bunnies left hind leg tore off from his body. Celestia then slowly began to rip each leg off until he had no front or back legs. She dropped the bunny to the ground and then set his body on fire with magic and watched it flop around on the ground for a few moments before dying. Fluttershy broke down sobbing. "Stop!' she cried out. "Please stop!' Celestia picked up another bunny and hovered it close to Fluttershy's face. Fluttershy turned to the side and covered her eyes with her two front hooves. She began to sob uncontrollably. Suddenly, there was a glowing magic all around Fluttershy's front legs and her body. The Princess used her magic to turn Fluttershy's body toward the bunny and Fluttershy's two front hooves were forced to be planted on the ground. Fluttershy closed her eyes tightly and couldn't bear to see another bunny get slowly totured to death. Princess Celestia used her magic around Fluttershy's eye lids and they were forced open. Fluttershy desperately tried to close her eyes and turn away, but she was planted in place. Princess Celestia went through each bunny, one by one, and slowly did the same exact process as she did to the first bunny. She made it through about twenty bunnies until they were all dead. The Princess ceased the effects of the force field and took the spell effects off of Fluttershy. Fluttershy blinked her eyes instantly because they were so dry and agitated from being forced to keep them open for so long. She threw herself to the ground and began to weep into her two front legs. "Fluttershy," Celestia said. "Look up." "I won't and I can't look up. I will never be able to recover from the things I have seen," Fluttershy said. "I have your Angel Bunny and I know he is your favorite," the Princess said. Fluttershy picked her head up quickly and saw that the Princess was levitating her beloved pet in the air. Her eyes went wide as she shouted, "No! Not Angel Bunny, he means so much to me! Please let him live." Celestia laughed and began to slowly tug at his left hind leg with her magic. The little bunny began to cry out in pain and panic. Celestia suddenly stopped and used her magic to hurl the bunny to the ground in front of Fluttershy. "I guess I'll let him live for now, but there will be more suffering if the humans continue to disappoint me." "But why me?" Fluttershy asked. "Why not punish the humans for their wrong doing?" "Because they don't listen to me when I tell them to stop and if hurting you makes them listen, then I will hurt you and your animal friends. You're also the closest pony to being perfect in this world. You are kind, sweet, and loving. You also raise the healthiest animals for me to sacrifice. Finding random little critters in the woods wouldn't satisfy me since they aren't as healthy as your pets are." "This doesn't even make any sense Princess Celestia. This is all just insanity. Wasn't there already some kind of sacrifice to take care of all the wrong doing in the world?" The Princess didn't quite remember, but knew that the answer to Fluttershy's question was yes. She spread her wings and flew back to her palace with the cell phone.