//------------------------------// // Punishment for an Immortal // Story: The Lost Prince of the Sea // by Cursory Note //------------------------------// “Are you sure about this, Your Majesty?” Bells jingled as Starswirl the Bearded walked over to the alicorn stallion staring out the window. “Yes. We art sure.” Starswirl raised his eyebrow “You do know that it is just the two of us, right?” Aecorum sighed and turned to Starswirl “I am sorry, Starswirl. It has been a long month.” Starswirl smiled and turned back to the table “Of course, Your Highness.” He took another look at Aecorum’s scroll and shook his head “I do not know about this spell, it seems impossible.” Aecorum walked over and smiled slightly “Some would say the same thing about me. I have tried to cast it as it is, but I am not as experienced in crafting spells as you are. I know it is a tall order, but I also know that if anypony can figure it out, it is you. It does not have to fully replicate my powers; I only want Princess Celestia to have the option.” He pointed to the scroll “If something happened to me, I want her to be able to access somepony’s memories if the need arises. This spell should allow her to do that.” Starswirl furrowed his brow and stroked his beard in thought “I see…Well, perhaps if I made it a potion rather than a spell it would be easier…Of course it would be far too dangerous for anypony besides an alicorn to drink it, if only because of the intensity of the magic required.” He smiled slightly “Yes, I think it can be done!” Aecorum smiled and walked towards the door “I have complete faith in you, Starswirl.” “Although…If I may ask one thing, Your Highness?” Aecorum turned and raised an eyebrow “Yes?” Starswirl laughed slightly “What could possibly happen to you?” Aecorum smiled sadly for a moment while he thought. Finally he spoke softly “You never know.” --- Celestia paced in front of Aecorum’s study a few times before she lifted her hoof to knock. She lowered it again then shook her head and knocked clearly. The handles were enveloped in a grey aura and the doors opened. “Come in.” Aecorum’s voice was tired and Celestia walked through the doors with a small smile. Aecorum saw her and smiled weakly, pushing aside a stack of papers before he spoke “Hello Tia. What brings you to this end of the castle?” Celestia saw something in his eyes, a pain that he was obviously trying to hide and if she didn’t know him so well, it would have worked. “I wanted to talk to you for a moment.” Aecorum cocked his head slightly “What is it? Is something wrong?” Celestia started to shake her head but stopped herself “I do not know, Aecorum. Starswirl came to my study today and asked about a spell he was working on.” Aecorum nodded “He said you wrote the spell and asked him to fix it.” Aecorum turned his head away “Aecorum…What is going on?” Celestia’s eyes were filled with a kind concern. Aecorum smiled “Nothing is going on, Tia; I just wanted you to be able to use my powers without me.” Celestia sat down “But…Why? Are you going somewhere?” Aecorum opened and shut his mouth a couple times and sighed “No Tia, I am…” He took a deep breath “I am only trying to provide for you if something were to happen to me.” Celestia raised an eyebrow and Aecorum put his hoof on hers with a warm but sad smile “Tia, I…I want you to know that I have always loved being your friend, and nothing has been more valuable to me than your company and kindness.” Celestia saw the sadness in his eyes and looked earnestly at him “Aecorum…What are you planning?” Aecorum closed his eyes and sighed while Celestia put a hoof on his cheek and continued “This is not like you. I know how much Luna’s loss meant to you, and now that I know how you felt about her I understand, but whatever you have planned, please, please,” She caught his eye and shook her head “Do not do it.” Aecorum sighed and hesitantly nodded “Alright, Tia.” --- Aecorum landed softly in front of the old castle. He fought the wave of emotion rising in his chest and sighed, looking up at the moon. He gritted his teeth and shook his head as he walked through the broken doors. Aecorum quietly walked through the empty halls, his hoof beats echoing coldly through the darkness. He wound his way around the castle until he came to the library and carefully scanned the shelves. After a minute he pulled out “The Fall of Chaos”, a book about how Aecorum, Celestia, and Luna defeated Discord all those years ago. He blew the dust off the cover and set it down on the table, flipping the pages until he found one that was nearly all about him. Aecorum swallowed the lump in his throat and took a step back, focusing his energy into his horn. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as the page was enveloped in his bright grey aura. The words seemed to liquefy and shift as his spell continued and after a few minutes the aura faded and Aecorum opened his eyes. He took a few hesitant steps forward and bit his lip as he looked at the book. He smiled sadly as he read the page and found no mention of Aecorum. His spell worked even better than he thought, the things Aecorum did and said had been attributed mostly to Celestia but also Luna in a few places. He nodded with the same small smile and thought. It works. At least, it works on books. I can only hope that it will work on memories as well. Tia, forgive me, but this is what I have to do. Aecorum glanced at the hole in the ceiling and sighed. I cannot do it here; I have to find a more secluded place. He glanced around at the library one last time and took a deep breath before he flew off into the night. He flew in silence away from the castle he had lived in for years and stared straight ahead, his face emotionless as he fought the urge to fly back to the castle and destroy it. Aecorum’s eye was drawn to a small clearing and he smiled before landing among hundreds of flowers in full bloom. He looked up at the moon with pain and sadness in his eyes. He took a step towards the pond and spoke softly “I never did bring you here, did I? I promised I would show you this wondrous place, and yet…” He gritted his teeth in anger “It was another promise broken. Well, this promise I will keep.” He looked at his reflection in the pond “I will not let you go unavenged. I will punish the stallion who caused all of this.” Aecorum took off and gritted his teeth, letting his tears fly behind him in the wind. This time he let his anger, guilt, pain, and shame rise in intensity until he thought he would burst. At first he flew in a random direction but then remembered the hill by the sea and turned towards it. He sped up and managed to cross Equestria in a matter of hours, reaching the hill just after dawn. Aecorum landed on the hill and walked to its peak, next to a young cherry tree sapling. He closed his eyes and listened to the sound of the ocean waves crashing against the rocks. His eyes snapped open and he looked at the setting moon. He shook his head and braced his legs against the grass, preparing himself for a spell that he was well aware could kill him. Aecorum’s horn started charging up as his tears began to flow from the memories of Luna. How could I let her die? An image of Nightmare Moon flashed in his mind. This is my fault. I let her slip through my hooves, and now I am going to pay! After a moment he closed his eyes and whispered. “Forgive me, Celestia.” Aecorum’s magic burst from his horn in a pillar of grey light that stretched into the sky, covering Equestria and then the world. He could feel the spell draining him but he pushed on, letting his emotions fuel his magic. All over the world he could feel himself being erased, first from drawings, then books, and finally memories. He had clenched his eyes shut but as the spell gained power his eyes opened and glowed with burning white light while his tears continued to flow. Suddenly the white light seemed to pour out of his skin and he was lifted into the air by its power. In an instant that covered the world, the raw power of the ocean was released and forged with the might of the Element of Magic, all the while being fueled by the strength in natural alicorn blood. Aecorum screamed in agony as the spell took over his body and seemed to tear it apart piece by piece while it drained his soul. He pushed harder as he felt the world forget him, and with one final exertion, the spell erased the last trace of Aecorum, High Prince of the Sea. Aecorum’s eyes returned to their natural color and he floated there for a second before he collapsed onto the ground. His mane and tail stopped waving as his vision faded to black and a small smile crossed his lips. Just before he lost consciousness he only thought one thing. It worked… --- Celestia walked through the halls with a worried face; she hadn’t seen Aecorum since their talk. Normally she would just assume that he went to the sea shore to think for a while, but the way he had been talking…She couldn’t afford to take chances. Suddenly the castle was enveloped in a grey aura she knew all too well and she shook her head in disbelief. Celestia galloped to the throne room as guards and nobles were surrounded by the same aura. She burst through the doors and looked around at the stained glass windows and Aecorum’s throne. “No, no, no, no, no…” Celestia spun around the room as the windows changed before her eyes, leaving no trace of Aecorum. She saw his throne fade into nothing and shook her head just before she felt her own memories start to shift. Her eyes widened as she tried to block the spell with her own magic, desperately holding on to her memories, but it was too late. Celestia cradled her head in her hooves and started crying as she tried to remember Aecorum. “No, Aecorum, stop! Please stop!” She clenched her eyes shut and screamed as her tears flowed freely “I CANNOT LOSE BOTH OF YOU!” Celestia collapsed onto the floor and sobbed as her earliest memories faded into darkness. After a few minutes she furrowed her brow and stood, wiping the tears from her face with a confused expression. “Why am I crying?” --- Aecorum’s eyes were open, he was sure of that, but he only saw darkness. Darkness all around him, and it felt like it was within him as well. He tried to move, but no matter what he did he felt like he was standing still. “Am…Am I dead?” His voice was barely audible and was soon silenced by the oppressive darkness. He turned his head to get a better look at the nothing that surrounded him but saw, well, nothing. “If this is death, then I have to agree with Fauntleroy.” Why is he your first thought? Aecorum’s eyes widened at the strange voice and he turned his neck in all directions to figure out where it was coming from. “Who…Are you? Where am I?” You did not answer my question. Why did you first think of Fauntleroy? Aecorum raised an eyebrow and warily spoke “He is the only pony I have ever really spoken with about death, and he said it was mind-numbingly dull. Now, whoever or whatever you are, answer my question. Where am I?” An eerie laugh preceded the voice. Do you not know? Is this not your doing, Prince? The voice spat out the title like it was venom. Aecorum furrowed his brow and tried to think. He knew he had heard that voice before, and that laugh, but he couldn’t quite place it. Suddenly his eyes widened and he tried to back away. “No…No…It cannot be.” Oh, but it can. Behold! The darkness shifted to reveal a monstrous set of fangs and catlike eyes that were all too familiar to Aecorum. He shook his head “No!” Nightmare Moon laughed evilly. Look at what you have done, Aecorum! Nightmare Moon’s body became visible, even the shapeless mane and tail. Look at what you have allowed me to do to your precious Luna! Look, and be consumed! Nightmare Moon ran towards him with an evil grin and Aecorum shook his head. He ran away from Nightmare Moon as she continued to grow in size until she was easily the size of Canterlot Castle. Aecorum yelled as he ran “You are not here, you are in the moon!” But why am I there, Aecorum? Why is Luna gone forever? Aecorum shut his eyes to try and block her out but she appeared in front of him and shouted. Because of you! “No! No, no, no,” “No!” Aecorum’s eyes snapped open and he sat up with a jerk before slumping back down onto the grass. It was…It was just a dream. He thought as he attempted to stand. He managed to stand for a few seconds before he stumbled and fell off the side of the hill. Aecorum managed to stabilize himself just before he crashed into the ground, but he still scraped his body against the side of the cliff. Aecorum collapsed into the sand and took a few ragged breaths as the ocean waves washed over him, and if he had the strength, he would have wondered why the waves smelled old and musty. After another minute he stood, already a little stronger, and looked around for something he saw when he was a colt. It took him a while to find it, but soon enough he leaned against the wall of a cave opening. As he recalled, this cave was deep and had dozens of passageways and tunnels. He straightened his saddlebags and slowly walked into the cave. Aecorum struggled to keep his eyes opened but smiled weakly when he saw water flowing from the ocean into the cave. A sudden thought struck him and he turned around, looking for something he could use to seal the entrance. He nodded slightly when he saw a boulder that could fit almost perfectly into the mouth of the cave. It took most of his strength but he managed to roll the boulder to the cave entrance after he carved just the slightest impression of his cutie mark on the front. He wasn’t exactly sure why he did it, but he was too weak to question himself. Aecorum swallowed a lump in his throat and fused the boulder to the cave wall, sweating and straining until it was finished. He took a step back and smiled sadly “It is done. I guess I had better take a look around my new home.” Aecorum’s knees buckled and he laughed weakly as he drifted off to sleep “After…After I rest.”