Happy citizens of Canterlot happily pranced around, downing the drinks they had, dancing to whatever song would play over the loudspeakers, and were generally have a good time. How could they not? It was the Celestia's birthday after all.
The goddess in question sat in a red velvet seat in the middle of the party, watching everypony around her have a good time. Twilight Sparkle and her five friends had even attended this party, no doubt enjoying themselves somewhere in the crowd.
Princess Luna sat next to her, a gentle smile on her face and her hoof tapping to the beat of the music. Luna tried to stay as professional as she could, but there some things that are out of the control of even the mightiest of creatures.
Celestia adorned a resplendent, multi-colored dress which made people squint when they looked at it. Her smile was possibly her best feature. It could warm the coldest hearts, melt the icecaps, and provide the warmth that Equestria needs.
Everypony around her wanted a picture with her, to have a conversation, and some considered themselves lucky to even see her. The goddess wished she could have time to say hello to everypony, but with the extra security measures, due to a report that there was an unwanted guest somewhere in Celestia’s castle, and the fact that some of these ponies may be thieves, she wasn‘t able to.
Celestia sat in her seat, looking around desperately. She hoped that she wasn't bringing any attention to herself, but she didn't do a good job at hiding her fear. Several guards took notice, but none of them dared ask, thinking it was... private matters that no pony wanted to talk about in public. Even Luna took notice.
One of the guards posted close to Celestia and Luna had decided to ask her, seeing that nopony else dared ask. "Is everything alright, your highness?" he asked. Luna stopped tapping her hoof and turned her head towards Celestia.
Celestia looked at him. She couldn't find the words. Only one word managed to tumble out of her mouth. "It's..." Luckily for her, it was now time for everypony to go back to their homes for the night. Unluckily for her, it was now time for the fillies and colts to recite the Goddess’s life story before the party disbanded. The story she wrote herself. The one that she wanted nothing to do with.
The townsfolk cleared a space for the children from ages ten to twelve.
Before Celestia even considered slipping away before they started reciting the story, she realized that if she left, ponies would start to ask questions. That was the last thing she needed.
The children gathered around where Celestia was seated. They were all dressed in formal attire. While most of them looked nice and neat, there was always a few colts and fillies who didn’t care how they looked. All they wanted this thing to be over. Celestia appreciated this, despite the fact that many parents considered it to be rude.
Before she could something to stop what would happen next, the children started reciting the story. The story of how she and her sister came to be. The story of how Equestria and all of the surrounding kingdoms were created. It was the story she used to read to her younger sisters when they were merely kids.
A silence fell over the crowd. The little ponies stood nervously, looking around before turning their attention to Celestia's seat. They began to recite the words on very large note cards that a mare was holding up for them.
Once upon a time, a very long time ago, people known as “Creators” gathered together to try and make something that would change the world.
Celestia couldn't do anything now. If she had them stop, her actions would arouse questions.
All attempts resulted in failure. Until one of the creators produced a chemical. He threw it against a wall in frustration. There was a large explosion, and a lot of smoke and dust everywhere. Thirty-two entered a building. Thirty-three came out.
She had no idea who she was, how she got there, or even what she was. The scientists around her were just as surprised as she was. When she saw their faces, she laughed. Then her first word came out. "Laughter."
Celestia was not their species. They were taller. Although they had four appendages, they only walked on two. which were much different than the ones connected to their upper-bodies. The appendages she found out were called "arms" had things on the end of their bodies called hands. On the end of those were five more appendages on each.
The creators took her in and raised her as their own daughter. They named her Celestia. Some time past, and she knew a lot about their kind. They found that she had powers beyond control. So they tried to limit her powers.
That was where the story started to descend into fiction. The scientists didn't mind her using her powers. It wasn't until she realized that she could move the sun was when her power was restricted.
Years past, when another creator created the same chemical that created Celestia. Which resulted in the same outcome. Another filly like Celestia. A filly that was dark blue with a mane of a lighter blue color. They named her Luna.
Even more years passed, and the two girls became the best of friends. The two fillies outlived that race and humans, and created a new species. Ponies. They flourished, and inhabited this land, now known as Equestria.
The End.
That wasn't the ending. That wasn't the true ending, at least. There was so much more that the ponies didn't know. They didn't even know the half of it. They didn't outlive the human race. They didn't just start a country. There was another filly created the same night that Luna was created.
Salvo filled the bottle of silence. Celestia stood up and thanked the foals, though she wanted to strangle them all for reminding her of those years of her life.
"I thank all of you for this fantastic day. I've never had this much fun in a long time. But all things must come to an end, and it has been a very long day for me-"
The expected response of jeers and boos came from the audience. "Yes, I know, but a ruler needs their sleep. You can all stay up as long as you like, but I must be going to bed. I have many... um... princess... things to catch up on." It was difficult not to notice the strange looks. "Okay, good night everypony." With that, she dashed off, tears racing down her face.
Celestia stared into her reflection in the mirror. Her tear stained face disappearing as she wiped off what was left over. A good night sleep is all I need.
She took off her dress and hanged it in her closet, her hoof shaking slightly. adjusted the sheets on her more than luxurious bed. But something didn't add up. There was a draft in the room. Her window was open.
Before she could even think about opening her mouth to call for help, she felt something sharp up against the back of her neck.
"What do you want?" Celestia nervously questioned.
The point of the knife left her neck and heard hoofsteps backing away a little bit. But hooves didn’t sound right. It was like whoever was threatening her was wearing something on it.
Shoes!
Those are not hoofsteps!
“It’s okay. I won’t hurt you.”
That voice...
“Look, I’m dropping the knife.” A clatter filled her chambers. “You can trust me, can’t you?”
Celestia turned around, now painfully aware of who she was with. “Hello again, Isaac.” She ran towards him and pressed her lips against his.
Isaac Edmund. The last human being.
Celestia wanted the kiss to last for years, but Isaac pushed her away. Celestia may have been glad to see him again, but he looked angry. Almost infuriated.
“I take it being frozen wasn’t fun.”
“Not in the least.” his appearance has changed immensely since the last time she saw him. Instead of that flawless, golden hair, was nothing but grotesque burns on his head. His face was burned as well. One of his eyes was awfully white. Celestia knew it was very impolite to stare at the scars of anothers body, but she couldn’t stop staring at the price of her actions.
A forgotten sense of dread, guilt, and loneliness crashed on top of her like a tsunami. “I-I’m sorry.”
“Don’t act like you feel sorry for me!” he shouted lividly. Celestia stepped back. Though it seemed like the stupidest thing to do in a situation like this, Celestia stopped listening to him, and stared at his face and remembered the horrible sight she saw.
She remembered looking at all the faces that peered up at her that night. All the children, the mothers and the fathers. All screaming out for help, all begging her, pleading for her to show them mercy. But she kicked them away. Kicked them into the flames. Watching each and every one of them burn away. She could remember each individual scream of everyone. Their screams nearly deafened her.
Suddenly, he cleared his throat.
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“Question?”
Isaac let out an angry grunt. “What the hell have you done to Earth?”
“I... I... um... It’s... gone. It went through a few changes.” she told him, in a rather doltish way.
“Changes?” he asked. He stared at her, just about ready to burst. “CHANGES?! The entire human race is gone, every trace of Earth is gone, and you tell me it’s gone through ‘SOME’ changes!?” He looks out the window, suddenly looking disgusted. “What are those things out there?”
“...Ponies.” He steps towards her. If he wanted to, he could have killed her right there.
"You mean to tell me that you replaced the human race with... Ponies?!" He looked disgusted just to say the word. "You replaced us with those... Things!" He started pacing, back and forth, likely trying to find an object to smash her skull with.
“Those ponies,’” she says, correcting him, “are the result of thousands and thousands of years of progress. Those are the result of our children!”
His foot didn’t touch the ground. It stayed in midair as he looked her way with his callous eye. He stuttered as the word exited his mouth. “Ch-ch-children?”
Celestia remembered that night fondly. It was a night of forbidden passion. Celestia had went into her heat one night. Isaac was the one who heard her cry for help, and unwittingly fornicated with her. While Celestia laughed it off the next day, the memory stayed with Isaac.
She didn’t say anything. She sat down on her bed, and invited him to sit with her. He didn’t move.
An unbearable silence overtook the room. It spoke volumes to the both of them. “His name was Edick. Her name was Ellis.” she says, breaking the silence that could drive a thousand men mad.
He looked unfazed, even after the five ton bomb that she had just dropped in the room. Celestia attempted to change the subject. “How long have you been awake?”
He struggled to tell her the lie that he’s waited to tell her for this long. He would like more than anything to tell her the truth. The whole truth. From beginning to end, leaving not a single detail out. Especially the one that could save her life. She may have made mistakes, but she didn’t deserve what was coming.
“One year.”
“A year? What have you been doing in that time?”
“Hating you.” At least that was truthful. He moved around like he’d just been released from stone after a thousand year sentence. “I heard about your little slaves.”
“They are not slaves."
“Like hell they’re not! Nightmare Moon comes back from her imprisonment on the moon, kidnaps you, and you did nothing! They saved you when you could have saved yourself! A god of chaos is set free from his isolation in stone and you sit on your lazy ass and let your little “Element Bearers” do all the dirty work! And then there was the changeling invasion! I had the pleasure of seeing that with my own eyes!”
“I did all I possibly could!”
“You did nothing, wench!”
“But-”
“And you keep secrets from your subjects! You and I are the only ones who really knows what happened. There was a third filly born that night. And I don’t know what you did to the humans!”
She clenched her jaw. The flames coming from her hooves nearly set her bed on fire. “Care to tell me what happened to them? Are they frozen somewhere like I was?”
“No... they’re-”
“Are they held up somewhere, being used as slaves?”
“No. They’re not anywhere in Equestria.”
“Equestria, yes. You know, I’m not sure the “Creators” would approve of your ‘civilization.’”
“Don’t you talk about them!” she spat the sentence at him, making him slightly retreat. Celestia had more ground, giving her an advantage in this battle.
“And why not? Is it because of what happened Morer?” he said, regaining the ground he lost.
She didn’t say anything. She arose from the bed, her horn sparking slightly.
His time was coming soon. He knew what was coming for him. The buzzing would finally be out of his head, then it would all be over. His suffering could finally be over.
“It was your fault she was killed. Or murdered, should I say.” she approached him, her horn now a raging inferno of burning hatred. “None of this would have happened if you just did what you were told. But you got so curious about your powers, you kept playing with them as if they were child's play things, even when they had strictly forbade you! And in doing, killed so many people. You started a war! You're the one that got Morer killed! You killed her!"
“NO!!”
A smile grew on Isaac's face. It will finally end.
Without thinking, Celestia charged at Isaac, screaming so loud the guards were bound to hear it. Isaac held his hands out like a scarecrow, like he knew this was going to happen to him. She jumped into Isaac's gut, horn still ablaze. It drove into his stomach, dredging out an awful scream from Isaac. Not a second after it punctured his skin, the sword burst into flame, cooking his insides. Burning blood trickled from his stomach.
Celestia still burned with hatred as she pulled her horn out of him. He fell to the ground. But not before saying something that would haunt her for the rest of her life. “My task is complete.” He coughed up smoking blood. He laughed as it spattered on the floor... He laughed as his life burned away. The crimson liquid dripped from his mouth with some smoke outgassing from it as well. “The path ahead of you is paved with your blood.” He collapsed. “Ortiz is ready for you now.”
Celestia didn’t know what he meant. She didn’t want to know what he meant. His body melted away, becoming a part of the floor. The human race is extinct. The last human is dead. And she killed him.
She dropped down to her haunches, cupping her hooves over her mouth to suppress the screams of terror.
She heard a buzzing. The almost silent buzzing of a fly. In a world of silence, the buzzing of a fly’s wings sounded like the roar of a dragon. The fly crawled around on the wall, taunting her. It seemed to shout, “You brought this upon yourself!"
Celestia slid back into her bed. Any trace of Isaac had disappeared into the floor.
It was guaranteed that she wouldn’t sleep well tonight. Suddenly, a thought came to her. If she wanted sleep, which was something she wanted more than anything in the world, then she would have to do something that she never wanted to do again.
Finish it.
Finish the story. Tell herself the true story.
She shut her eyes, and started the story.
Celestia felt vexed at the creators because they restricted Morer’s and Luna's powers completely. She tried to make them lift the ban on her, but was scolded by her favorite Creator, Creator Leon. She became so angry, she accidently killed him, and as a result, started a war between Morer, Luna, and herself against the entirety of the human race.
Celestia raised several foals to adults and trained them to fight. She created more and more using magic, eventually creating a small country of her own kind. Ponies.
War was waged for months, until one day. Morer died by a lucky cannon shot. The God’s rage destroyed the Earth, leaving the world a barren wasteland. The humans underwent their own apocalypse. The human race died with Morer. The world died by the sun's wrath. The entire world was Celestia's to burn.