Gore)2,438 words
485. Wonna by Foals Errand564 words

250. RE-WRITUS

Welcome to the 250th Special: Re-writus!

Three of our contributing authors have come together to present you with re-writes of their previous works as an example of how they have improved or just as a re-imagining of the original!

Morning

by Knight of Cerebus

Celestia approached the bed once again. With a delicate hoof, she touched the covers. The pony beneath stirred, grumbled, but said nothing. Celestia ignored the impulse to cringe. No, she decided. She was truly ignoring the impulse to weep. She looked down at the slumbering form again. She waited.

---／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼---

Twilight woke with a start. Her eyes cracked open, and she noticed to her confusion that a layer of green slime peeled away when they did. She dismissed the oddness of the notion, reminding herself that it was perfectly normal for a member of The Hive. No sooner had the thought of dismissing the oddness of green goo lying across her eyelids been dissipated than did she feel the sensation of powerful magic forcing its way into her brain. An instinctual part of her wanted to resist, but another part of her trusted the caster absolutely, and still another said that enduring what Her Beloved and her Food Source did was the only way she could absolutely secure their love for The Hive.

She shuddered at the strange thoughts warring in her mind. At last, she noticed Her Bel--Princess Celestia, who she had already proclaimed she was not in love with quite thoroughly, her thoughts reminded her--lying next to her. One hoof was lying overtop of her own, trying its best to cover the holes. Holes? She examined her hoof more clearly. Healthy, full purple fur ended just below the knee joint, and below it was angry black chitin pockmarked by gaping holes. The two sides of her mind that were not her own began screaming at one another, and she clutched her head and gave a shriek of pain. Celestia caught her before she could hit the bedsheets, of course. But Twilight still hurt.

"Princess...what--what is going on, here?"

Celestia smiled at her. "Good morning, Twilight. It's best if you don't ask questions. You won't truthfully understand until the treatment has--" her breath hitched, and her heart broke, "has brought you back to normal."

Twilight searched Celestia's eyes. Already she felt exhausted. She waivered back and forth.

"You mustn't blame yourself for what happened, remember that, Twilight."

"What did happen, Princess?"

"You attempted to stop an invasion by Chrysalis. You were captured behind enemy lines. The plan worked. All of the changelings involved in the plan are currently our prisoners, but...you became theirs. You were part of the changelings, Twilight."

Twilight's eyes widened, memories flying through her mind. She remembered being forced into a cocoon of sickly slime, and the cackles of the creature she hated most in the world. She remembered the sounds of changelings running in panic, and her being rushed away in the sac. She remembered a rain of fire scattering what few changelings were left, and a defiant hiss ending in a scream.

"What...what happened? How did you get me free?"

Celestia looked down, giving a shudder. "Once we had learned what it was they were doing to you...The changelings volunteered you up. They will not be troubling us any longer."

Then more memories came. The sac broke open, and she was kissing somepony. Her nuzzling them. Walks in the park. Dates. Flowers. Hugs. Love. Something had happened, though. There was more. Shouting. Tears. Doctors talking. The room. Long, endless sleeps. She blinked them away, focusing on what was in front of her at that moment.

Twilight desperately wanted to ask more, but the look on Celestia's face told her to stay her curiosity. "And what about you? Are you okay?"

"I'm always okay." Celestia smiled at her, and it was like looking at a vase breaking apart all by itself.

Twilight had a distant inkling of seeing that same smile before. They had been talking about love. She couldn't remember anything else. The exhaustion finally demanded that it be sated. "Stay with me." She murmured, before she collapsed upon the bed.

"Always." Celesia replied. "As long as you want me."

---／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼---

Celestia let the tears fall at last. She cried for a nation of warmongers she had broken under her hoof. She cried for a lie of love she was forced to live every moment of Twilight's recovery. She cried for the truthful love she wished she could have lived with Twilight, the truthful love she felt deep within her heart while Twilight did not. She cried for the old pain of facing Twilight's rejection. She let the last of her tears dry, and then she looked down at Twilight. The lie she had told Twilight not moments before brought fresh guilt welling up within her. She could not stay, for her little ponies needed her now more than ever. But she posted a guard, to tell her when Twilight awoke. And she did come back, exhausted, to look after Twilight in the evening, silently praying that the next time Twilight awoke, she would wake as herself.

By the time night had fallen, Celestia was asleep upon Twilight's lap. By the morning after, she was still sleeping the sleep of the just.

---／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼---

Twilight awoke to a new day. She blinked away a thin film of green, and she wretched in disgust. Then, she noticed that Princess Celestia was lying on her lap. And that she had been crying. She reached down a hoof--a hoof that had a black, hardened tip, which she forced herself to notice--and wiped away Celestia's tears. The Princess stirred at the touch, and eventually looked up at her.

"Good morning," Twilight said with the best smile she could give.

Queen

by Knight of Lycaeus

A bright flash, the terrified screams of a scared populace, unbearably powerful magical pressure, these were the only signs I had. These were the only signs that something had arrived, something unpleasant and entirely unwelcomed. Soaring to the top of my tower, to my balcony I saw what had frightened my little ponies so.

The sky was blotted out by a massive figure hovering in an advantageous position just beyond the mountain city. I could feel the presence of a powerful being through their aura, their aura of hatred, malice. I looked to see an alicorn its wings flared to their full expanse and it, no she stood upon the head of a flying beast, a mighty dragon. I knew her once…. It was Twilight, the light and love of my life, the one who brought back the joy, love, and life I had lost. She the gentle scholar and mage whose eyes lit up when she discovered knowledge long lost, that gentle spark I had treasured I could now see had vanished from her eyes. She herself had disappeared days ago along with her friends, I had only received word of their disappearance just earlier as they had left on a trip but now I suspect something foul had laid claim to her. Her eyes locked onto mine not with the love I saw every day but the gaze was piercing, hard, cruel. Her form was now encased in strong armour designed for intimidation, its colours harsh, its design harsher still. Completing her new look was a flowing cloak that harkened to the trappings of office for the Archmagus of an era long past. But here she stood now, not as the gentle mage but reborn as the warrior-princess.

No, I corrected myself as she shouted her proclamation to all, her title was now Queen. Queen was not a title used much these days, to speak of a Queen once meant to speak of a being, a female of immense power and influence akin to what the title of Empress held. The title of Princess was humbler by comparison; a honourific bestowed to females but were lesser in status with lesser powers and duties. Tyrants who forced their way to the throne had often proclaimed themselves Queen truly it happened far more so than it should, for now the title Queen was no longer used by ponies. The many tyrants who laid claim to it had sullied its once proud meaning.

I looked towards the newly christened Queen, whose thick aura radiated her sheer might, overwhelming the citizens of weaker constitutions; the elderly, the bereft, the young. The cloying aura had darkened to the colouration of the darkest night, of the endless void, of the deepest abyss. She stood upon the head of a hulking dragon whose looming form was likewise encased in armour; armour heavy and thick gave the fierce brute an even more fearsome appearance. The dragon, he possessed wings whose span seemed to engulf the skies; his length was enough to nearly encompass all of Canterlot, his eyes were pits of intense green fire. Standing behind her on the dragon’s back were five mysterious figures likewise cloaked in thick armour concealing age, gender, tribe, concealing their very identity. Comprehension dawned on me; her friends who had disappeared with her had also been twisted by the same darkness that corrupted Twilight.

I listened to her booming proclamation more closely; she had abandoned her old name. She was now Her Majesty Queen Alvara Starfall. A fitting name, for Alvara meant the elven warrior and what were elves in myths and lore but talented spellweavers; Starfall, to tear asunder the stars from their lofty perch and what was the sun but the greatest star of our world. I noticed now that her voice too had changed, it sounded deeper, harsher, colder, merciless. A voice that deemed respect from all regardless of their standing; it was a voice that invoked fear from even the bravest knight. It demanded Equestria to surrender or to face its demise.

With this I began to arm myself once more, arm myself in a way I had not done for centuries. To walk the battlefields once more, I would not be Princess Celestia but the Sol Invictus. In this I must not hesitate and must invoke once more the powers I command, the powers granted by my bond with the sun. I must be once more the monarch who once ruled vast tracts of territory with hooves of iron and sunfire; I who had conquered and toppled nation after nation, I who had bested foes of greater might and skill, I who had swam through the blood my enemies as I led my army in a destructive blaze across the sphere, I who had done it all in the name of conquest, all in the name of protection for my subjects. However in this era of peace I had no need for the weapons that characterized my earliest reign but now there was no time. Luna, my sister and equal in all things was away with her own work beyond the sphere in the realm of astral bodies where no mortals could tread would not come, Discord who had left this realm, this dimension on his own journey would not come, the Crystal Empire could not travel swiftly enough they would not come, not even our allies they too would not come embroiled as they are in the politics of their own nations.

Time was against me, my choices were against me. I lacked the Elements, my connection had long decayed, the Elements had as well been returned to the Tree of Harmony, their Bearers I likewise lacked at they too had been corrupted; in this Elements would be useless. I had little resources available for what I did posses even that was lacking as there were only the Guards, a few members of the Equestrian Army that were stationed here; they would not be enough to match the fury of a pony, of an alicorn gifted in magic. I knew this battle would be difficult, likely more than any before. Even more difficult than facing my corrupted sister in her guise as Nightmare Moon, containment would not last long for Twilight’s power would soon overwhelm my bindings, imprisonment among the astral bodies likewise was useless for mortals would not survive the dangerous climate of the world beyond our sphere. Twilight would survive, her friends would not, I sighed, I knew I would not chose banishment among the heavens for in this age of peace I favoured the tools of diplomacy to the weapons of war. I knew I no longer had the heart to sentence mortals to such a fate, to death through entrapment in the space beyond the sphere.

Yet I must still chose, would I emerge victorious but with my love and her friends dead, would I emerge victorious in cleansing them all so that my love could stand by my side once more, or would Canterlot and the whole of Equestria fall. I prepared and raised my glavie, my glaive of solar steel; I knew not what I would do but I steeled myself for what I must do, I pray that it would be enough that I would have the courage to be able to see it through.

Invention

by JKinsley

The language of flowers, more formally known as floriography, took root during the Victorian era as a result of their obsession with covert communication. The specific colors, arrangements, and species selected were designed to send a detailed but subtle message. For instance, white roses alone could mean virtue, purity, or innocence; red roses mean true love. Yet a combination of white and red roses mean unity or reconciliation.

Twilight tapped her hoof to her chin. “Luna’s return,” she muttered, returning to her reading.

Most symbolic meanings of flowers relate to love of some sort. Roses are the most common flowers associated with the practice, but other flowers associated with a form of love include honeysuckle (devoted affection), tulips (various meanings depending on color), daisies (loyal love), daffodils (unrequited love), chrysanthemums, carnations (various meanings depending on color), cloves (undying love), primrose (eternal love), morning glory (love in vain), moonflowers (dreaming of love), aster (symbol of love), magnolia (love of nature), lilacs (purple: first emotion of love; white has a separate, unrelated meaning), and rainflowers (I love you back).

“Celestia clearly knowns flower language, too. I wonder...”

“Special delivery for Princess Celestia,” said a unicorn stallion as he approached her chambers with a brown package held aloft in his magic.

“From whom?” inquired one of the guards stationed at her door.

“A ‘PTS’ apparently.”

The other guard mumbled something under his breath and beckoned the courier forth. “Leave it with us, we’ll take it in to Her Majesty.”

The courier nodded and set the package down and trotted back to his other deliveries. Once he was out of sight, the two guards faced each other and broke out laughing.

Celestia poked her head out of the door of her chambers and the guards snapped back to attention.

“Ma’am!’ they said in unison.

“Something amusing, gentlecolts?” Celestia raised an eyebrow and cast a meaningful glance down to the package sitting between them.

“No, ma’am. A package arrived from a ‘PTS’ just moments ago. We were about to inform you.”

“Very good. See to it that I’m not disturbed for the next few hours. I have... private matters to attend to.”

Celestia carefully shut the door behind her and gently unwrapped the package. It contained a vase and one of the most beautiful arrangements of flowers Celestia had seen. A little note was tied to the stem of one of the roses.

Tia,
I got a new book and wanted to try my hoof at something new. Let me know what you think.
xoxo
Your little lavender lover

Celestia chuckled at the note and leaned in to smell the delightful arrangement. Blue, red, coral, and lavender roses, all thornless, stood with purple lilacs. As Celestia sniffed, her smile became more and more blissful. Passionate first love at first sight. Twilight, you charmer. A trip the gardens is order, I think.

A sharp rap on her balcony window roused Twilight from her book. She set a silk bookmark on the page and drew the blinds to see who would be coming to her balcony and not the front door. Her eyes shot wide and she flung the doors open as she flung herself at Celestia.

“Oof!” Celestia said mockingly as she rubbed Twilight’s back with her hoof.

“You got my flowers, then?” Twilight asked as she looked up. Her eyes glimmered and her ears perked forward; she eagerly awaited an affirmative answer.

“Indeed, and might I say, well done. So well done, in fact, I have a little something for you, too.” Celestia’s magical grip brought a dozen rainflowers to Twilight’s face.

She lit up and hugged her Princess tightly. “Celestia... thank you. Maybe we should get those inside and in water?” Her grin turned salacious. “And maybe we could get ourselves a little, well...”

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