Burn The Fallow Land

by RainbowBob

Prologue: The Descent

Luna stared at the mirror before her, only seeing the faintest outline of her reflection in the darkness of her bedchambers. She scowled.

Weak.

Luna had been through wars. She had seen titans and heroes alike fall, many by her own hooves. Still, for all that she had accomplished, there was one giant she could not vanquish.

Pathetic.

She had always been the other princess. The one who took care of the moon and ran things while others slept. The lesser princess. The unimportant princess.

Foolish.

She should have known things would end like this. For years she had tried convincing herself otherwise, that things would change with time, that her subjects would eventually notice her work—her sacrifices. The only time she was ever mentioned in any manner had been during wartime, when she was leading the companies across the plains, encouraging the troops to move forward. She had cut down many foes, and protected twice as many allies. Only when she was useful did anyone ever take the time to speak to her.

Alone.

She stood upright. No. Not anymore. She would not be a mere shadow floating in and out of rooms without being noticed. She would not be ignored. She would be praised. They would sing of her moon’s beautiful light. They would realize that there were two princesses, not just the one.

Why should she even stand beside us? She has done nothing to help, after all.

Luna blinked as faint beams of moonlight reflected in her pale blue irises. She closed them and let out a sigh, her head drooping a little.

Celestia.

Luna always knew deep down that her sister was the better ruler. Even now, despite her anger and resentment towards her sister for having the attention of their subjects, she knew that Celestia had earned that trust and adoration.

Yet she has never bothered to point out your accomplishments, or give a share of the thanks and praise to you.

Luna’s frown deepened. That was true. Celestia, who supposedly loved and cared for Luna, had never bothered to tell others about her little sister’s sacrifices and work. Not once.

Why should there be two, when only one seems to be what this land needs?

If Equestria only needed one Princess… then Luna would not be the one to be ousted.

“I will be a shadow no more,” she said to herself. “They will speak my name from now on. Her precious light will be but a footnote to my brilliance.”

She spun around, her horn lighting up and ripping apart the drapes of her bedroom window. The moonlight flooded the bedchambers, and Luna cackled.

“No. The sun shall not rise today, dearest sister. The night shall end only when I see fit,” Luna said, her eyes taking in the sight of her greatest work, the moon. “In fact… the night shall last forever!”

Luna took flight out the window. She made her way towards the throne room, leaving her room empty, at least, to the untrained eye…

Something stirred within Luna’s bedroom mirror. Garbled, wicked laughter could be heard coming from within, a black mass that moved on its surface; two glowing eyes appeared near the top of the shadows.

“And soon, my own reign shall become eternal!” said a voice that reverberated throughout the room, the laughter picking up again. The drapes rustled from a breeze that wasn't there, and the shadow was gone.

Only darkness prevailed.

---

The dead did not rise from their graves to lament their passing. That was up to the living.

His body was a corporeal form of shifting shadows and insufficient light. He was forever hexed to be nothing more than an eyesore, so he hid himself from their eyes. He hid from the living, the dead, the guilty, and the innocent. In doing so, he became not of this world, but just a shadow of it.

He did not mind this. He prefered it this way, actually. Here, there was nothing to hinder him, so he grew more reckless as the centuries passed. The centuries turned into millennia, and millennia into eons. He was just a shadow, and shadows paid no attention to the passing of ages.

Eventually, however, his boredom got the best of him. His wanderlust dried out. He wanted to step out of the shadows and see the light, and to be of this world fully, not merely in the darkness.

The light laughed at him.

It was intoxicating to look at. In fact, the one who led him to it was even more alien than himself. It was like him in a way. One foot in this realm, another foot out. But while he stood in the doorway of the darkness, this creature had a foot into another plane of existence altogether: one of merriment and wonder, of prideful lust and wicked wrath, of dead despair and hapless hope, of chilling misery and judicious joy. The creature was like a dam draining through a pinhole, and all he could do was question how it did not go mad right that very second.

He was curious about this creature. Hesitant, certainly, but the creature had continued to amaze him at just how much it knew of the world that was not of the darkness. Before, he had taken anxious steps into it, never before indulging fully into the realm that had shrouded him in the shadows that were produced from the light.

And the light. Oh, the wondrous light. He said he could show him it. Perhaps… perhaps even give it to him.

How could he say no to an offer like that? It was too good to pass up. Too good.

The light was so close. It was melting the shadows away. Turning the darkness grey until it finally disappeared. He was no longer a visitor of this realm. He was a part of it, fully and completely.

He screamed.

The light laughed at him.

The living lamented while the dead remained silent, their passing unnoticed except by those who despaired.

Author's Note:

Another round of thanks for those who edited the first few chapters, Titanium Dragon, Razzle Dazzle, Abcron, and Spooky Fidelis! If I forgot anyone by accident, please let me know!

Comments

[RainbowRick]

[Csquared08]

That's an interesting start.

[devas]

A promising start.

[Gizmopower]

Holy grail this is amazing.