//------------------------------//
// 69. Dead Sol (My Little Pony / Dead Space) 
// Story: Short Shorts 
// by Coranth 
//------------------------------//

It was as Princess Luna was conducting Day Court that the mysterious Pony appeared within the Throne Room via a magical spell. Said pony was large - as large as she was - though that was all she could see of the mysterious visitor, for said visitor was clad in some kind of dirty-brown suit, complete with metal helmet, a green-lighted bar along the spine, and a chest piece that looked like some kind of opened glass book. "Identify yourself!" cried one of the Dawn Custodes attending the Throne of Dawn. "Who are you to come here uninvited?" From within the suit's helmet there came the sound of dark, bitter chuckling, before a low, soft, feminine voice stated, "I'm not surprised you don't recognize me, Stalwart Heart. Allow me to reveal to you who I am..." 

That said, suddenly there was heard the sound of multiple clicks as the suit's helmet retracted... and as it did, all in the Court of Day gasped, for as the helmet of the suit folded away, the face of a very familiar mare was revealed. "Sister?!" breathed Luna, leaning forward. It was indeed the Princess of the Sun, though she was a very different mare from the former Princess all had known. She still was an Alicorn, though her horn had been deliberately shortened, perhaps so as not to interfere with the operation of her suit's helm. Her mane - which had once swirled with the colours of the rainbow - was now a shocking white, whilst her coat was far paler, possibly due to lack of sunlight.

More alarming, however, was her face. Half appeared to have been burned by some kind of acid, whilst the other side of her face was whole but bore a terrible scar that stretched from her chin to her ear, bisecting the eye there, now a blind milky-white. More scars littered their way down her neck. "It's... been a long time, Lulu..." Celestia whispered... and then poor Luna couldn't help it; she rushed to embrace her beloved sister, overjoyed and overcome with emotions, tears threatening to well from her eyes. "... almost fifteen years!" said the Princess of the Night. "Where hast thou been?" A moment passed, during which Celestia did not answer. Haunted by recent memories, the Princess of the Sun took a look around the room seeing the-- (Lurker smashing through the) --beautiful skylight in the ceiling, and the-- (Slashers smashing their way out of the) --bountiful vents for cooling the room on particularly hot days.

Suddenly, the doors burst open and-- (she reached for the Plasma Cutter attached to her barrel as the Necromorph charged, roaring...) "Princess Celestia!" -- Twilight Sparkle was there, hugging her, fiercely! Now, now the soul-wounded alicorn could relax, the visions of Necromorphs fading as her tears began to flow. She wasn't there anymore. She was here in Equestria. She was home. "Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student," whispered she, softly. "Oh, how I've missed you so..." Soon, Celestia pulled away from Twilight - the little lavender mare choosing to ogle her suit - and Luna swiftly dismissed her Court for the Day. When at last all three moved to private quarters, Celestia sat before Luna and Twilight. "I," she whispered, "have a story to tell you; of a dead world, a grand vessel, and of a friendship, formed between myself, and a human of myth: a man named Issac Clarke..."