//------------------------------// // Withered Blossom // Story: Project: Transcendence // by Bluecatcinema //------------------------------// Later that afternoon, Shine decided to take a trip to get some berries. As good as it was, having Big Red and the boys around (especially Eclipse), he felt he needed a little time to himself after the excitement of the last couple of days (not to mention all the time they'd spent cramped in the airship). As he flew over to the berry trees, he thought of Celestia and Miracle. With a pang of longing, he wondered if they missed him as much as he missed him. 'Of course they do.' He told himself. 'And I'll be seeing them again soon. Boy, it's been hard being without them for so long. After I get back, I'm never going to leave them again.' Thoughts of his wife and daughter kept Shine's spirits up as he continued his trek. Meanwhile, Discord and Isis were by the lake, soaking in the water. Discord was giving her the massage he promised her. "Ah, that's the stuff." Isis sighed. "Who knew such mismatched appendages could work such magic?" "Oh, I'm just full of surprises." Discord chuckled. "So you are." Isis admitted. "I was pretty surprised that you went to such lengths to try and get me to forgive Osiris, especially after everything you've been through with him..." "Like I said, I'm not the guy's biggest fan, but I know he's the only family you have." Discord admitted. "I'd hate for you to cut yourself off from that, even if it did mean spending more time with me. I could tell how torn up you were about things, and I can't bear to see you unhappy. So there I went, trying to help you guys mend fences." "And that was very sweet." Isis smiled. "I'm still not ready to completely forgive him, but maybe soon, I will." "And um... what then?" Discord asked. "My friends will be departing the sanctuary soon, so what will become of us? Should I just... drop by and visit sometime? Because, even with things as they are now, I doubt Osiris would appreciate me moving here full-time..." "I've been thinking about that myself." Isis admitted. "And I've decided that I can't bear to be apart from you again. Not after a thousand years." "What are you saying?" Discord asked hopefully. "I'm saying... I want to come with you." Isis smiled. "I want to come back down to the surface, and share in its wonder with you, just like the old days." "Oh, that would be wonderful..." Discord smiled. "But what about Osiris? Do you think he'll let you go?" "I don't need him to let me go." Isis scowled. "I'm going whether he likes it or not..." However, her scowl faded into a frown. "Though I would appreciate him giving me his blessing..." "And maybe he will." Discord admitted. "Give him a little time, and perhaps he'll be more open to the idea." "But like I said, I'll be going either way." Isis smiled. "There's nothing I want more right now than to spend my life with you... Dissy." "Aw..." Discord blushed. "You gave me a nickname? That means we're really... y'know? Makes me wish I came up with one for you." "Take your time." Isis chuckled. "There's no rush." "Either way, this is going to be great!" Discord grinned. "I'll take you to my home. I made it a while ago, and you are going to love it!" "I'm sure I will." Isis smiled. "But as long as I'm with you, it doesn't matter where I am." "You have no idea how good it feels to hear you say that." Discord hugged her. "I think I do, actually." Isis grinned. On the other side of the island, Shine was picking some berries, intending to bring some back to the others, when a shadow suddenly passed over him. Looking up, he saw Osiris descending upon the grove. Some of the trees began to wilt upon his landing. "Good afternoon, your grace." Shine bowed respectfully. "...Oh." Osiris murmured as he noticed Shine. "You're here..." "Come to appease your hunger, I imagine?" Shine asked. "Well, we Deities are incapable of feeling hunger." Osiris explained, but then shrugged. "However, we do enjoy 'tasting' things sometimes." "And why wouldn't you?" Shine smiled. "There are a lot of wonderful tastes out there." "Indeed." Osiris nodded. "Not that I'd know anything about them, of course..." "Of course." Shine nodded. "I've spent the last thousand years up on this sanctuary... where I belong." Osiris muttered. "Where all my kind belong..." "Forgive my forwardness, mighty one... but is something the matter?" Shine asked. "You seem... preoccupied." "It is... a family matter." Osiris said curtly. "I understand." Shine nodded. "Forgive my intrusion." "I already did." Osiris scowled. "I forgave you and your mortal friends intruding upon this sanctuary, not to mention bringing Discord with you, and just look at what followed..." "We meant no harm, Lord Osiris." Shine declared. "That remains to be seen." Osiris said darkly. "If I may be so bold, do you have some kind of... grudge against mortals?" Shine inquired, "I mean, I understand why you would want remain unseen by mortals because of your powers and all... but I'm feeling like that there's something more here you're not telling me." "Even if that were true, I fail to see how it's any of your business." Osiris said defensively. "Look, Osiris..." Shine frowned, dropping the formality. "While I do respect your position, I also believe that in order for one to gain respect, they too must give respect in return. I would like to know why you hate the mortals so much, so we can gain a better understanding..." "A very un-ridiculous motive." Osiris conceded. "And it might feel good to get it off your chest." Shine declared. "Or it might a massive waste of my precious time." Osiris scowled. "You won't know unless you try." Shine retorted. "You may not be a mortal any more, little Prince, but you still have the naivety of one." Osiris scowled. "I prefer to think of it as positivity." Shine declared. "And lest I forget, the stubbornness." Osiris rolled his eyes. "Is that so?" Shine smirked. "If you know how stubborn mortals are, then perhaps you should answer me now, and get it over with? Because I won't stop asking otherwise." Osiris glared at Shine... before sighing deeply. "Little Prince, you should know that I bear no hate or grudge towards the mortals." He conceded. "However... I do bear hate for their duplicitous ways..." "Duplicitous?" Shine repeated, "You mean... as in lies?" "Lies. Deceit. Duplicity. Trickery. No matter what you call it, it's the same." Osiris growled softly, "Over the millennia, I had observed the mortals as they evolved into the societies they are today...every day, I watch as they say untrue words to one another. How you say you'll do one things, then turn around and do the exact opposite. Married mortals promise to love their spouses, and only those spouses, forever, yet they commit infidelity behind those spouse's backs. Not only do their lies lead them to pain... I have seen lives lost because of just one twist of the truth..." "You sound like you speak from experience..." Shine declared. "...Osiris, have you actually met mortals before?" "...Yes...Yes I did..." Osiris admitted sadly, "Only one...but it was a very long time ago." "It might help to talk about it." Shine suggested. "You know, immortal to immortal?" "Ordinarily, I would never speak of such matters with a mere pony." Osiris said haughtily. "But, considering you are the only member of your party to afford me the proper respect, and Isis isn't in a talkative mood, I may make an exception... as long as you swear to keep what I'm about to tell you strictly between us." "You have my word." Shine declared, "And let me tell you, a Paladin always keep his word." "Very well then." Osiris declared. "I was not always the recluse I am today... many, many years ago, before the time of the two Royal Pony Sisters, when the world was still evolving. No more were the ponies, buffaloes, griffons, or the like were neanderthals, but still pretty primitive. Our kind was often warned to limit their interactions with the mortals, They felt that, since mortals held such short lives, it would be a waste of time to concern ourselves with them. And, not to put too fine a point on it, many believed the mortals were too savage and primitive to warrant observing. But for some of us, the allure of how mortals lived was too much..." "So, you actually went down to the surface?" Shine asked. "Oh yes. I had been ordained as a Serpent Deity of Death for a sufficient time, and often my sister would go on about the things she had heard from others about the lands below." Osiris recalled. "At first, I paid it no mind... but like it did for Isis, I too was growing interested in the mortals' livelihood... so, I began making trips down there, observing them as they went about their little lives... I still kept my distance, knowing that my size and appearance would easily frighten the little minds of the ponies. But... then came somepony who had the courage to face me..." Flashback... Osiris was floating through a mountain range, his eyes fixed on the land beneath. It was a less-developed world than in the present. There were no cities, only villages with straw and wood houses. Ponies employed primitive farming techniques, and generally kept to their own tribes. There was a small village of Thestrals nestled at the foot of one of the mountains. Osiris had heard of these bat-ponies as his bretheren had called them, and of the prejudice they had faced. Regardless, they seem to be doing well. As Osiris observed them, the blackness of the night helping to obscure him, he noted that a number of them were building houses. 'I have to give these mortals credit.' He thought. 'They are hard workers, even if their building won't last for even a fraction of the time I'll be around for. Yet this village will still stand, long after its creators are dead. How must it feel, creating something that you know will exist long after you...' "Hey there, big fella!" Osiris turned around in surprise, realising that he himself was being observed. The watcher was a young female Thestral with a purple mane, yellow eyes, and a Cutie Mark of three flowers in bloom. A pair of fangs jutted out of her mouth. "What the..." Osiris frowned. "Who are you?" "You first." The filly said mischievously. "You don't know who I am?" Osiris said haughtily. "Not really." The filly shrugged, "Though you do look like one over-grown garden snake that can fly." "Hmph, little girl, it's obvious your parents had been teaching you nothing." Osiris smirked, "For I am a being that only a few have the joy of ever meeting..." Osiris struck an epic pose, coiling his body into a spiral, claws open, fangs bared. Everything about this stance was for the purpose of showing off his magnificence. "For I am Osiris! The Serpent Deity of Death!" Osiris said grandly. The young filly started at him for a moment, frozen with what he thought was fear. Then... "Cool!" She grinned. "Cool?" Osiris frowned. "Didn't you just hear me? I am the Deity of Death!" "Yeah, I heard." The filly shrugged. "And you're not... afraid of me?" Osiris asked. Ponies often fled from his approach. None had ever had the courage to come up and speak to him. Just his title was enough to send villages running for the hill. "Maybe a little..." The filly admitted. "But I never saw someone like you before! I mean, where did you come from? Why are you here? How can you fly without wings? And what is a Deity?" "I'm afraid I cannot answer any of that." Osiris scoffed. "Oh come on!" The filly pleaded. "Maybe tell me about those weird ribbony things coming out of your head doohickeys?" "I apologize, little one... but I have no time to talk." Osiris declared coldly. "But you have time to spy?" The filly asked, pointing the village. "I was not spying." Osiris snarled. "I was... observing." "Toe-may-toe, ta-mah-toe." The mare smirked. "If you're so interested in our home, why don't you just come down and talk to us?" "Looking like this?" Osiris snorted. "Most mortals flee in terror at my coming." "Not me." The filly said proudly. "Well then, you're braver than most of your ilk." Osiris smiled grudgingly. "Yeah, I am kind of a daredevil." The filly smirked. "At least, that's what my folks keep telling me." "I've never had a chance to see a mortal this close before." Osiris admitted. As he tilted his head down, a gust of breath from his nostril unsteadied the mare's flying. "My, you are such frail little things..." "Thanks a lot." The filly snorted. "Say, if you really want to learn about my town, why not ask me? I'm pretty well-informed." "I see. And what exactly do you expect in return for this service?" Osiris inquired. "In return?" The filly frowned. "Yes." Osiris nodded. "You mortals always want something. You may as well tell me what you want, and get it over with." "I don't want anything." The filly shrugged. "Except maybe you answering my questions in return for answering yours." "I may be able to answer a couple of questions... within reason." Osiris declared. "Try not to pry too deeply, little one." "I'll try." The filly nodded. "And can you please knock off the 'little one' stuff? I have a name, you know!" "Of course." Osiris apologised. "And what might that name be?" "I'm Midnight Blossom." The filly smiled. "Nice to meet you." "The honor is mine." Osiris smiled. "Now, onto my first question..." For over an hour, they talked, Osiris asking about the Thestrals' way of life, and Midnight asking about Osiris' kind. While there were a couple of questions Osiris felt he couldn't answer, Midnight took them in stride, asking more questions. Osiris quickly developed an admiration for her inquisitiveness. Before that night, he had a rather low opinion of the intelligence possessed by mortals. But Midnight had proved him otherwise, asking intelligent questions, and having little trouble understanding what he told her. If she was anything to go by, it seemed the mortals weren't so primitive after all. "...And that's where we get cheese from." Midnight smiled. "Inconceivable." Osiris mused. "Taking the lactate extract of a bovine, and curdling it into a solid foodstuff? You mortals are more imaginative than I thought. I would never have thought of such a thing..." "Yeah, we have some crazy ideas, huh?" Midnight chuckled. "Midnight, time for bed!" "Oh, that's my mom." Midnight groaned. "I gotta turn in." "I understand. Thank you for the information." Osiris declared. "It was most enlightening." "Same here, big guy." Midnight smiled. "But I have more to share. Maybe we could meet up again tomorrow night?" "Hmm, I don't know..." Osiris frowned. "What, you have someplace better to be?" Midnight smirked. "...I suppose not." Osiris shrugged. "I expect you'll be wanting more information about my kind also." "Nah." Midnight grinned. "Consider tomorrow a freebie." "As you wish." Osiris smiled. "You are quite an odd mortal, Midnight Blossom. Yet, I find you strangely... likeable." "Thanks." Midnight beamed. "You're not such a bad guy yourself." "Until tomorrow, then." Osiris declared, as he flew away. The present... "And that was how I first met Midnight Blossom." Osiris recalled. "We met up again the next night, and the next... before long, there were no more questions, simply conversations, and even... yes, a little fun. Midnight was quite an energetic girl. Once, she rode down my scales like a slide..." "You were really friends with a mortal?" Shine asked. "Indeed, I was." Osiris smiled fondly. "It was quite a beautiful friendship. No mortal had ever looked upon me the way Midnight did. She had fire, tenacity..." "Spunk?" Shine offered. "'Spunk' is a good name for it." Osiris nodded. "Through her, I learned more about mortals. Not just how they acted, but how they thought and felt." "So... what happened?" Shine asked, "Because I have a bad feeling that this story isn't going to end well." "Well, you would be right." Osiris sighed. "As the years passed by, I had watched Midnight grow from a young bat filly into a young beautiful adult mare. Our friendship had grown beyond simple trivia and amusement, becoming one of mutual respect and admiration. I'll admit it felt odd at first. Being friends with a mortal felt unnatural, not to mention it flew in the face of what I'd been taught. But over the years, I came to see her as less of a lower lifeform, and more of an equal." His face suddenly hardened. "Alas, before long, she started asking things of me. They were small at first, like carrying her to a location too far for her to travel under her own power, or moving her home to a better location, or help her with some of the village's farming and mining. At one point, I even helped her defend her town from invaders." "Really? I thought you didn't use your powers like that." Shine frowned. "Well, back then, I had been lenient with my 'code'. And it wasn't like I hadn't done all the work for them." Osiris shrugged. "Hoof-and-mouth disease happened to be a very common infliction, and half of them 'happened' to catch it." "They must not have had decent protection." Shine smiled knowingly. "Nor would they have found any." Osiris smirked... before it faded away, "Unfortunately, one day, after visiting Midnight, she asked me of something... something I would come to regret to this day..." Flashback... Osiris and Midnight were perched on the cliffs near Midnight's village, which had become their preferred meeting place. "So, how are things?" Osiris asked. "...Fine." Midnight frowned. "Are you sure?" Osiris asked. "Because you don't look like things are fine. What's wrong?" "Oh, it's nothing." Midnight shrugged. "Just... personal stuff." "What kind?" Osiris asked. "I can help, if you wish." "You're sweet." Midnight smiled. "But even a Deity has his limits. Don't worry, though. I'll be fine." "Either way, you should know that you can always trust me to be there for you." Osiris smiled. And I trust you. You know that, right?" "I do." Midnight declared. "But it would help if I had a token of that trust." "What kind of token?" Osiris asked. "Oh, nothing much." Midnight shrugged. "Just a little thing. Like, maybe... one of your scales?" "A scale?" Osiris frowned. "What's the matter?" Midnight asked. "You trust me, right? Surely you can rely on me to take care of one measly scale." "it's not that simple." Osiris declared. "Every part of me is infused with the power of death. Even my claw clippings, if not properly disposed of, could spell disaster if they fell into the wrong hooves." "Seriously?" Midnight snorted. "Killer claw clippings, what next?" "This is no laughing matter, Midnight." Osiris declared. "The scale you wish me to give you would be infused with dark power. Such power could be used for ill..." "Not if I keep it safe." Midnight declared. "And I will. Trust me. You do trust me, don't you?" "I do." Osiris frowned. "But..." "You have nothing to worry about." Midnight pledged. "I'll keep the scale out of the way, and let nopony even see it." "You promise?" Osiris asked. "I promise." Midnight nodded. "...Very well then." Osiris peeled a small scale off his lower scale. "Take this as a token of our friendship, and of the trust between us. Guard it with your life, for its power is great." "You have nothing to worry about." Midnight took the scale. "I'll make sure it stays in the right hooves. ...Thanks for trusting me, big guy. You really are a good friend." "You're welcome." Osiris smiled. The present... "I had given that scale to her, believing that it was an testament to our friendship..." Osiris sighed. "But then... in the weeks that follow that day... bad things started to happen. Villages upon villages began to be razed, ponies and the like falling left and right like dominoes. I thought it was some awful disease or some war-mongering tribe making it's way through the countryside... but I was wrong. When I came to see Midnight Blossom again for our occasional visit, I couldn't find her. When I tried to scan the village for her, I overheard words about how Midnight had crafted a weapon, a weapon that had the power to kill any who stood in her way." "No... she didn't..." Shine murmured. "I didn't want to believe it." Osiris shook his head. "But as I listened, they spoke of how Midnight was going to herald the new dawn in which Thestrals ruled over all with the weapon that was made from a scale that she had 'obtained'. It was enough for me to realize that my friend...had taken the gift I gave her and used it as a weapon that would proceed to murder thousands. I had created... a monster." Flashback... A Earth Pony let out a harrowing cry as he fell to the ground limp, cackling with dark energy. Midnight Blossom, clad in armor, stood in the midst of the ruins of a small village, the dead bodies of Earth Ponies, not unlike the one she just killed, strewn everywhere. The mare gave a dark chuckle, relishing in the destruction. The scale Osiris had gave her had been crafted into a spear head, glowing a dark purple and occasionally surging with dark energy, and attached to a spear shaft, which was clenched in her right hoof. "Ha-ha, yes!" Midnight cackled, "That is what I am talking about! Is there anypony else who would like to challenge me?!" There was no answer, as there was nopony left alive. "Now, now." Midnight said snidely. "Don't be shy..." "Midnight!" "Huh?" Midnight's ears perked up as she glanced upwards, as none other than Osiris descended upon the desolation, "Osiris. What a surprise..." "Midnight... what is all this?" Osiris asked, his eyes struggling to take in all the dead bodies, "What have you done?" "Not much." Midnight said nonchalantly. "Just a little... sightseeing." "Tell me this is not true." Osiris shook his head, "Tell me that you didn't do this." "Well if I did, I would be lying." Midnight shrugged. "No..." Osiris whispered, as he then grew angry. "Why?! Why did you do this?! These ponies had done nothing to you! But you took their lives, just like that!" "For the sake of my village, Osiris." Midnight declared coldly. "These Earth Ponies have been going out of their way to ostracize us! They hated us for being Thestrals, and killed many of our kind. I just evened the score..." "By using my scale?" Osiris growled, glancing at the spear. "I gave that to you because we were friends. It was a token of our friendship!" "And what a token it was." Midnight smiled, as she glanced at the spear. "This thing has made lives for my fellow Thestrals so much easier. Just a point and a aim, and bang, you're dead..." She let out a maniacal chuckle. "How can you be so happy with yourself?" Osiris gaped. "You just murdered countless stallions, mares, and foals. Their blood is now on your hooves..." Osiris felt something aching in his body. "You used me..." "That's how the world works, Mr big-shot Deity." Midnight said coldly. "Unlike you immortals, our lives are short and fragile. In order to survive, we have to do whatever it takes to get ahead. Even if it means telling a little fib, and wiping out a couple of villages." "How... why..." Osiris couldn't believe the words coming from his friend, "You would dare... dare to..." "What's the big deal, Osiris?" Midnight snorted. "You take lives all the time!" "Only because it is my duty!" Osiris yelled. "And even then, I only take the lives of those who are supposed to die! It is a code that I lived by! I don't just go on mindless, genocidal rampages, wiping entire villages clean of life because of my own feelings and emotions!" "Well, maybe you should." Midnight said coldly. "It would make things a lot easier." "I can't believe this." Osiris shook his head. "This isn't you, Midnight... stop this, please... before any more lives are taken." Midnight glanced at Osiris... before shaking her head. "You just don't get it, do you?" Midnight growled, "The world is a cruel and dark place. Ponies turn on ponies at the drop of a hat. And let's not forget what happens when you're born a Thestral. My kind have been ostracised and mocked for years! The other ponies call us 'monsters' or 'bet-winged mistakes'. My uncle was actually attacked by some bigoted Pegasi, who tore off his wings because they didn't think they were 'natural'! And the worst part happened a few months ago, when some Earth Pony slime jumped me in a alley and raped me, all the while taunting me about how nopony would care if I told, because I was a freak! Do you have any idea how that feels? To have your body violated like that?" "I..." Osiris gaped, too shocked to speak clearly. "Of course you don't!" Midnight yelled. "You, with all your 'godliness'... you don't know a thing about what it's like be us! You don't have a bit of equinity! You can never know my pain! And I bet you just love it, don't you? Love how you're above all the misery and agony we 'mere mortals' have to face!" "Midnight... what has become of you?" Osiris whispered, his eyes growing misty, "Where is that open-minded, inquisitive filly I used to know? What had happened to the one that I once called a friend?" "She...she grew up and saw the world for what it was..." Midnight glared solemnly. "Now...I finally have the power to change things. I have the power to make the world better. I can erase all those prejudiced monsters, leaving only the good ponies behind. No longer will I have to be afraid...for as of now, I am a god, just like you!" "...No." Osiris growled, "You are nothing like me... and I cannot allow this bloodshed to continue." He held out his tail. "Give me the scale. Now." "Not a chance." Midnight glared. "My work isn't done yet. There are many others who need to be punished. I think I'll go on to that Pegasi village over yonder. The sky's only big enough for one kind of flying pony..." "I cannot allow you to do that." Osiris declared. "I'm sorry, Osiris, but I am going to bring peace and prosperity for my kind. Whether you like it or not." Midnight grunted, as she turned away, "Farewell, Osiris..." "No... this ends now." Midnight turned around to face Osiris, and saw a glowing thread between his mandibles. It was clear whose thread of life it was... "Osiris... what are you doing?" Midnight asked warily. "Giving you your ultimatum." Osiris growled. "If you do not stop this madness, I will have no choice but to sever your thread... please... don't let it come to that..." "You wouldn't..." Midnight hissed. "You wouldn't take the life of your old friend... would you?" "You said so yourself..." Osiris sighed. "You are no longer the one I met all those years ago... I don't even know who you are anymore..." "I'm still your friend." Midnight insisted. "And always will be." "You were." Osiris retorted. "But friends don't do what you did. You lied to me, used my power to take innocent lives." "They weren't innocent!" Midnight insisted. "They were racists! If they had this power, they'd use it on my kind! I couldn't let that happen! I had to save us!" "I know you think you were doing the right thing." Osiris bowed his head. "Which is exactly why I'm doing this. I have to stop you, before you commit a genocide in the name of defence. Please don't force me to do this. Surrender the scale, and this can all be over. And we can back to the way things were." "No!" Midnight snarled. "I won't let you do this to me!" She charged up her spear and blasted a orb of the serpent's magic right at him... but the orb had no effect on him, not leaving even a scratch. "It seems like you've made your choice." Osiris growled. "...Raaaargh!" Midnight roared, as she charged right at Osiris, spear raised. As the Thestral charged at him, Osiris closed his eyes, and with great resignation and a single snap of his mandible, he severed the thread. Immediately, Midnight stopped in her tracks. She felt every organ in her body coming to a screeching halt, as she struggled to breath. "Huh... huh... huh..." Midnight gasped, clutching her chest, dropping her spear. Just as Midnight was about to collapse, Osiris caught her with his tail. "You..." Midnight gurgled. "You really..." "Shush." Osiris told her. "Don't try to talk." "So... this is how it ends..." Midnight groaned. "What dying is like. Feels... cold." "I'm sorry." Osiris sighed. "At least now, you won't have to worry about prejudice, or pain. You will only know peace." "Peace..." Midnight wheezed. "That's all I ever wanted..." Midnight's head tilted back, as the last of her lifeforce was extinguished. "Safe journey, my friend." Osiris said quietly. With a gentle swish of his tail, he closed Midnight's eyes. "I am sorry, Midnight..." Osiris said solemnly "You had left me no choice..." He then looked around the village. "I apologize also to each and every one of you." Osiris sighed. "It was because of my own foolishness that you were all taken away from this life. May you all rest in peace now that the one who slain you all is gone..." He then levitated the spear with the scale before him. With a growl, he used his mind to crush it to smithereens. He glanced at the Thestral in his coils and sighed. "Farewell, Midnight Blossom..." Osiris whispered. "I wish things had been different... I'm so sorry..." Without another word, Osiris took off into the sky, his heart heavy with regret. The present... "You... killed her?" Shine frowned. "Yes, I did." Osiris said quietly. "She had used our friendship for her own ends, taking my power and turning it into a weapon. In doing so, she threw the balance of life and death off-kilter. After that day, I began to believe that everything that we had was nothing more than a means to an end... gaining my trust so she could find a way to harness my powers... the power of death itself." "Oh, wow..." Shine shook his head in disbelief. "I'm so sorry... I'm starting to see why you're so distrustful of mortals." "I do not blame her for why she had done it." Osiris admitted, "She only wanted to make life better for her kind... but I couldn't let her sacrifice everypony else for it. It was that incident that soured me on interacting with the mortals, or the surface world in general. What Midnight had said to me that day, about the world being a cruel place... she was right. So I resigned to spending my time in the sanctuary, and advising that Isis did the same. When our kind was wiped out... a part of me was actually glad. It gave us more reasons to stay away from the surface world, so that those like Midnight would not use us for their own gains... but, of course..." He sighed. "Things don't work out that way, as you well know." "Does Isis... know about Midnight?" Shine asked. "No." Osiris shook his head. "My shame over the matter was so deep, I never told another of my kind, or any other kind of soul. You are the first I have ever told, in fact." "I see." Shine declared. "Now you see why I chose to keep my distance from mortals." Osiris sighed. "But things have changed since those days." Shine declared. "The pony races have come together in unity. Even the Thestrals have been accepted." "But can you truly say that there is no prejudice left in the world?" Osiris asked. "No lies? No greed? Can you say, with a hundred percent certainty, that there none on the surface who would seek to steal my or Isis' power for their own ends?" "...No, I can't." Shine confessed. "Exactly." Osiris declared. "I will no longer allow myself to be held responsible for the mistakes of your kind." "What do you think being mortal means?" Shine asked. "That's what we do. We make mistakes. Sometimes, out of those mistakes come the most amazing things... I came to Canterlot all those years ago, thinking the Princesses had the power to grant me a Cutie Mark at least. I thought I could finally learn my destiny. But that was me making a mistake. You can't just have your destiny given to you like that. But that mistake led to me falling in love with Celestia, gaining my Cutie Mark, having a family, and even becoming immortal. All because of one mistake. So even if you've got no faith in us, I'm asking you to do what I do. I'm asking you to look at all the darkness and see the light. You have to have faith, Osiris, in who we can be." "But it's not just you that's the problem." Osiris sighed. "It's also me. Wherever I go, I bring the shadow of death with me. Do you think I enjoy snuffing out innocent lives, simply because they have lived their allotted time? Well, I don't. In fact, I always felt a tinge of regret whenever a thread is severed." "We all have duties we wish we didn't." Shine sighed. "Being Prince means I sometimes have to pass judgment on others. Even if I sympathise with them, I still have to carry out my duty, no matter how much I don't want to." "I suppose in that respect, we are... alike." Osiris admitted. "I appreciate you confiding in me." Shine declared. "And I swear, I will never tell another. Though perhaps you should tell Isis. It might help clear the air between you two. You know, help her understand your point of view?" "That won't be necessary." Osiris declared. "Isis does not need to know." "I understand." Shine sighed. "Growing up, there were things I felt my little sister didn't need to know. In that respect, we're a little alike." "I do appreciate your input, though." Osiris declared. "It has been a long time since I have had the counsel of another." "Happy to help, your Deityship." Shine bowed. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some berries I need to bring back to the ship." "By all means, don't let me stop you." Osiris took off into the sky. After picking the berries, Shine returned to the ship, all the time reflecting on what he had just learned. 'Hard to believe Osiris carried the weight of that tragedy inside all that time.' He thought. 'Even more so that he finally decided to share it with somepony. I understand him much better know. Perhaps the others would too... but I swore to keep it to myself, and that is what I'll do...' Meanwhile, oblivious to these revelations, Discord and Isis emerged from the lake. "Nothing like a good dip to relax you." Discord smiled. "Maybe I should install a hot tub back home. It would make for some very entertaining nights." "I bet it would." Isis chuckled. "You think Osiris will be okay, all on his own up here?" Discord asked. "Of course he will." Isis said flippantly. "My brother's like a rock. It'll take a lot more than being on his own to break that shell..." "Speaking of shells..." Discord flashed up some nuts. "Nuts, my dear?" "Don't mind if I do." Isis smiled. "It's getting dark." Discord noted, as Isis ate the food. "We'd better head back to the ship, and bunker down for bedtime." "Oh, yeah..." Isis smirked. "You and me, sleeping side by side..." "Coils within coils." Discord grinned. "Sounds utterly fab." "Sure does." Isis kissed him on the cheek. before suddenly taking off. "Race you there!" "Cheater!" Discord playfully chided her as he took on bird form, and followed. The two laughed heartily as they played their game, failing to notice Osiris flying nearby, also lost in thought regarding his talk with Shine.