//------------------------------// // Chapter 7: Revelations of the family type // Story: Life,Death,and Rebirth // by Shadow-Dancer //------------------------------// Chapter 7: Revelations of the family type I woke up with a sad smile, remembering my father within my dreams and all we did together as a family. When I was ten, he told me that the woman that raised me was not my mother, and my real mother died at childbirth. It did not affect me very much emotionally, how could it? I never knew her at all, it’s like watching a murder on TV you feel pity but you are not emotionally scarred, this did not mean I did not try to comfort my dad, at the time, I didn’t know the real reason he cried. After that remembrance and tears for what I lost and what could have been and I pushed the memories aside for a while to let them plague me later at a more convenient time. I made my way upstairs and saw spike cooking food again, he finished cooking, we ate and talked, I don’t remember about what exactly because my mind decided to think about my shortcomings, and what could have happened or that I could have actually died and joined my family in heaven. It seems that I zoned out as Twilight asked, “What’s wrong? You zoned out there for a minute.” I looked at her and answered, all of my field tested ability to lie, going into it, (Apparently if you know how to lie to a terrorist while scouting, you tend to live longer,very painful but still longer..) “I’m fine, so where can I get a job I need to make money I can’t just leech off you forever.” Just as I said that I heard a knock on the door. We Twilight beat me to the punch and answered the door. I heard a voice say, “You are Twilight Sparkle correct?” “You must be the chariot that the Princess sent?” “That is correct mam, I was told that a pony would be here with you?” I walked up to the door and replied, “That would be me.” The soldier seemed to be more of a guard with training he looked at least thirty. but I could not see the burden of killing someone in his eyes, he was good at hiding it or never even used his weapon to kill. Anyway, the soldier started, “ if you both would, please go on the chariot.” We both got on, and half an hour of eventless flying later we landed, I looked around as I exited the chariot and saw the castle, It was huge (about ten or fifteen stories from bottom to the tallest tower.) not as tall as a skyscraper but still for the look of this society's technology level very impressive. We were escorted through many halls and I never saw anything that would act as a way to repel an invasion force or to defend the castle and I decided to ask about that another time. We eventually reached the throne room and I saw Celestia next to another Alicorn I did not know, Celestia dismissed the guards and said something along the lines of, not to let a single soul in for anything less than an invasion. Celestia turned to us and said, “Hello Twilight hello Marcus.” I replied, “My name in this world is Shadow Dancer if you want to know.” “Celestia nodded, “Anyways,” Pointing to the Alicorn next to her with a hoof she continued, “This is my sister, Princess Luna.” I turned towards Luna, “Hello Luna.” Luna and Twilight were surprised at my casual use of her name without the title, Celestia, oddly was not, I pushed the thought aside. “Hello Shadow Dancer.” Luna replied with an even tone. “So now for the reason I called you both here, it is on the subject of humans.” Twilight was curious to hear but I was more eager if only to confirm or deny what I read in that book yesterday, and to see if this would explain why I did not just die but, instead sent to this place and even tuned into what the ponies called an Alicorn, when the elements were placed on the pedestals. Celestia continued, “You see Marcus you are not the first human to set foot on Terin and more than likely won’t be the last.” “Who was the first?” I asked Celestia sighed, “I was about to get there.” Celestia took a breath and continued. “The first human was a man named Merlin or as everypony knows him Starswirl the bearded.” Twilight started to get that look of curiosity that scared me sometimes, and out of her mouth came a torrent of what questions, that I could only hear parts of, “How...human...magic? Why.. hidden?” Celestia sighed and looked at twilight silencing her, “Now anyway, Merlin revolutionized magic, helped bring peace to the pony tribes and then eventually disappeared, This also went for Clover the Clever, and many other humans that arrived with few exceptions, they had one thing in common, it was usually during a time of tensions, to start a new Idea, or a time of peril.” I took the pause to ask a question that kept bugging me, “What does this have to do with me? I died before coming here, should I not be in Heaven or Hell?! Why the hell am I here?!” Twilight, flinched at my voice,I in all honesty just wanted to get to the point not explore history of a bunch of others that went back, something I can’t do anymore, I can’t even go to Heaven or Hell or what ever afterlife there was or was not, because somehow I got transported here just fine, and then lost my own body and became some damn horse or whatever I am, this world even took one of the things that made me human, my body, I swore that this world would not take the last strings that kept me from just being another pony, my mind and soul. Celestia seemed deep in thought, minutes later she said, “Twilight you may go, I need to talk to Marcus in private.” her tone did not show the confidence and strength that a leader usually seems to have while they spoke, instead it showed the pain of loss and longing. I looked into her eyes and they confirmed it, I could see longing like one would have for a loved one that left the same emotion I saw in my family when I was soon to be shipped off into the Military. Twilight and Luna seemed confused, as if they never, or seldom in the case of Luna, saw Celestia in this state, but Twilight left as her mentor requested and Luna was about to because of the assumed, unspoken request for her to leave as well. Celestia called out to Luna, “Sister please stay you have every right to know this as much as Marcus does.” Luna nods and walks back to a seat and I sit down in the nearest seat as well. Celestia looks around and takes a deep breath before she continues, “How all this relates to you is that they were all from the same family, the Vindex bloodline.” It felt like a string just snapped when that was said, questions flooding into my mind. Before I could ask Celestia she continued, “One of the people to arrive was your father. He came here a thousand years ago and helped banishing Nightmare Moon.” I was curious as I had read a little about this Nightmare Moon character, but was not very familiar with the tale, I noticed when the name Nightmare Moon was mentioned Luna held her head down as if in shame I Replied pushing aside the thought deviation and focused on what Celestia said, “Wait, how…no why did my father come here, hell, why should I even believe you over my own Dad?! As I said this I had a gut feeling this all was true but I kept questioning it in my head regardless and all the while, the confusion turned to unprovoked anger and as I continued the anger sparked, a flame lit. “Hell even if my dad did come here and helped you with whatever fucking problem you had and some how arrived back in my world, answer this Celestia! Why the hell does mentioning my dad matter right now! Out of any person you could have mentioned, why my father!” I roared Luna flinched, surprised at my sudden bout of rage, while her sister just stood still, quiet and seemingly calm. At that moment, it felt like she was trying to tear open the barely healed wound of my families murder and start rubbing salt in it. It just further fueled my rage. “Answer me GODDAMNIT!!” I was unaware before hand, but energy was building up in and around my new appendage on my head, but as soon as I yelled a shock wave of energy shook the ground and shattered windows, sending the two Alicorn sisters back six inches. Celestia was the first to recover and moments later her sister, now even more surprised than before. That was when Celestia took a breath and said her voice seemingly calm but if one listened, unusually unsteady, “The relevance is, your father kept more than his arrival in Equestria from you, but also your birth mothers true identity, Marcus, I am your mother. At those last words my anger and rage left me, and I stammered back and tripped on my hind legs, falling over flat on my back , mumbling, “No that can’t be right my birth mother died at childbirth, why would dad lie to me about that?” During that time I got up and back peddled eventually running towards the exit the door blown away when I charged up energy and released it sending a small but strong shockwave shattering the door and knocking out a couple of guards and some servants. I still ran past them not missing a beat as I jumped and flew through the massive labyrinth of hallways and entered a random unoccupied room in the castle, Celestia’s claim flowing my head along with everything else she said. I closed the rooms door and laid down on the unusually soft bed, now surrounded by a desk and chair tailored to be comfortable for ponies to sit on, some dressers, and other pieces of furniture, all made from the finest oak i’ve seen, I just let myself become captivated by my surroundings so I didn’t have to think about what I was recently told. But the thoughts still came back, Celestia’s words echoing through my head. ‘Celestia’s just saying this to get closer to me, for what I don’t know but she has something planned.’ I thought desperately trying to convince myself that my dad did not keep things hidden from me and lie about who my birth mother was, but still somewhere in the back of my head I knew that Celestia was telling me the truth, and I just refused to admit it. My thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. I walked over and opened it, I was greeted by a worried Twilight, with what looked like an old journal in her levitation field, she was the first to speak, “Princess Celestia told me to give this journal to you.” her voice showed her worry as well. I take the journal into my own levitation field, “Thank you, Twilight” Twilight nods and leaves the room closing the door behind her, at the same time I turn around and look at the cover, it has my fathers name written on it in black ink. I go to the rooms bed and sit on it opening the journal and start reading. The journal starts with some of his life starting from when he was fifteen, I skip that and arrive at an entry that starts at when he first arrived, crashing into the Everfree castle, I read and eventually I end up reading an entry dated years later and tells of the banishment of Nightmare Moon and eventually when Celestia and my father admit their love to each other. I skip ahead some years and read on, and the entry depicts what seems to be my birth, it even shows the argument of where I was to be raised, Celestia wanting to raise me on Terin, my father thought it would be best to raise me on Earth. In the end it was decided to raise me on Earth with other humans. Then different handwriting appeared at the end of it, I guessed it was Celestia’s Celestia and Dad hugged one last time and with me in his arms he was teleported to Earth. She then describes how much it hurt to see her lover gone and having to banish her sister, it was then the journal ended. I put down the journal wanting to believe that I was not lied to, but after reading my dads own hand writing of the account, I just could not deny it anymore. As much as I wanted to believe what my father said when I was young, his journal shattered the illusion. I decided to go outside on the rooms balcony, I turned to see the stars sparkling with a soft white glow and the moon practically glowing. After this little observation I forgot my intentions to go out on the balcony for a few seconds, I shook my head and then made the five step trip onto the balcony. On the balcony I just admired the night sky, and let the cool air relax me, letting me for that moment forget the recent news, the death of my family, the fact that I probably could never go back to my home, or even meet another human. I was knocked out of the moment by a familiar voice , “It’s beautiful isn’t it?” I looked beside me and saw Luna, her mane shimmering and twinkling like the night sky upon water crashing on the beach, her fur was a dark blue, not unlike the night sky. “It’s ironic that you say that because you make the arrangements of the stars and raise the moon.” I reply. Luna chuckles and shakes her head, “Ponies still believe that? I thought by now my sister would have corrected them.” I just look at he in confusion and ask, “Please tell me how the day night cycle works on Terin and are Celestia and you involved?” “The planets revolve around the sun, and the moon revolves around the planet, and yes we do play a part, we have to continue the rotation of the planet every twelve hours as one would rewind a clock. It was not always this way...” Luna looked down as if recalling a painful part of her past. I decided to snap her out of her memories, knowing how painful they could be. “Well good night Luna and yes it is a beautiful night.” This seemed to do the trick as she responded with a farewell and wishing me a good night, and flew off, I turned around and headed to my own bed closing the balcony doors behind me with telekinesis. After taking the five steps to the bed I got under the covers and closed my eyes and slept.