Burn The Fallow Land

by RainbowBob

Chapter 7: The Past Ends

Finally. Finally. Finally. He had it. The light. The beautiful, hateful, condescending and wrathful light. His. All his. Finally his, all to himself.

He cradled her gently. Like he was holding an egg that could crack with too much pressure. It burned him like before, but this time it didn’t laugh. No, he was the one laughing now. He laughed at the pain as it encompassed him. It felt so good. It’s the only thing he’s felt, actually.

He swallowed the light up, letting it reside within him, like the heart he never had. He covered it completely, blocking out the light only for himself, only for him.

Oh, but he didn’t smother the light. He let it live. Live to burn him from the inside out. It could never completely burn him away, however. Oh no, it was much too small for that.

The other light, however…

The light high in the sky could. It could burn him away. Him and the rest of the world. The greatest experience of pain imaginable. All that light for him to laugh at. Yes, yes, laugh at the biggest light of all. So fulfilling to accomplish before the end. The perfect end.

An end he could enjoy in perfect agony from start to finish.

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Luna’s eyes fluttered open. She saw Celestia, blood and grime more common on her coat than white, with a frown on her lips and an icy glare in her eyes. Instead of approaching Luna, she was gradually walking away from her, the Elements orbiting her like a solar system composed of shining gems.

“This ends. Now!” Celestia said, her horn brightening to a brilliant golden aura that blinded all who stared at it. “This ends for all of us.”

“S-sister?” Luna whispered. She rose to her hooves and winced as she felt a jarring pain in her chest. She ignored it. “What…?” Celestia seemed to pay no mind to her so she said nothing further.

She looked towards the object that Celestia had her gaze focused upon and almost gasped at the sight before her.

Discord was lying before Celestia. He was barely able to raise his head to meet Celestia’s gaze, let alone stand up.

Luna remained silent, and watched with a sense of unease. Had… Celestia done this?

“Heh… heheheheheh… AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” Discord shook like a tree in a hurricane, curling up into a ball while desperately clutching his head between his hands. “Naaaaaaughty! The bad thoughts are baaaaaaack! Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad. Ending all in tuuuuuuuuune with your deeeeeeeath. Those thoughts! Yes! Thoooooooooose thoooooooooguhts! Heheheheh.”

“Stop your babbling,” Celestia snapped. “I’ve had enough of your idiocy. You’re nothing but a tumor, Discord, a cancer that’s spread too far. And now, you’re going to be removed before you cause anymore damage or mayhem.”

“Removed! Re-re-re-re-remooooooved! Ha!” Discord raised a single finger, pointing it at Celestia’s face, not moving his own to meet hers. “You were removed! You were removed! Removed from me! Removed from me! Meeeeeeeeee and my miiiiiiiiiiiiiind. But no, you left. You removed from meeeeeeee! Hehehe!” Discord scrunched up his muzzle, pulling down his lips with his face like they were made from rubber. “From meeeeeeee, you left and removed from meeeeeeeee! Me!”

Luna limped towards the two, her eyes not leaving Discord. He didn’t seem to notice her. Then again, he didn’t seem to be in the right state of mind to notice much of anything, if she were to be honest with herself.

“Removed… from you?” Luna whispered, her voice hoarse and tasting of metal. She coughed up a bit of blood. “What are you talking about, Discord?” She looked from the draconequus to her sister, clearly missing something that must have transpired while she was unconscious. “Sister… what is he talking about? What does he mean by you being removed?” She ignored the draconequus, whose laughter seemed to only grow louder as she spoke.

“Luna, get out of here. I’m putting this degenerate down, once and for all.” Celestia glanced at her, freezing Luna to the spot with a look that could bend steel. “I don’t want you to be here when I do that. So leave. Now.”

Discord giggled and mumbled something about cheese.

Luna’s gaze drifted to the Elements of Harmony that rotated around her sister. “You’ve harnessed the Elements? By yourself…?” Luna shook her head. “Sister, please, that is too much of a burden for one to handle alone. Let me help.” She stood as tall as she could, fighting down the pain that shot up her leg and through her ribs. “I can still use the Elements alongside you. Like we planned.”

“Our plans failed last time because of you, baby sister. Discord nearly succeeded if you hadn’t gotten in the way.” Celestia curled her lip, looking back to Discord, who had started to return uneasily back to his feet. “Which is why I don’t want to repeat myself, but even then you’ve forced me to. Leave us this instant so I can finish what needs to be done.”

Luna’s jaw hung loose. She felt something tighten in her chest, and it wasn’t from the beating she had taken. “But… I…”

Luna took a step back, suddenly feeling nausea overcome her. She felt her throat tightening, and a stinging in her eyes. “You don’t truly…” Celestia’s ear twitched, a clear sign of agitation for Luna.

The Princess of the Night turned her gaze to Discord, and was shocked to see him locking gazes with her. She stared into his eyes, and for a moment she thought she had seen something. Sympathy? Regret? Or was it simply his madness?

She did not know. She took a few more steps back, yet her eyes remained locked the draconequus, who was now once more looking upon Celestia.

“Fine, then!” Luna shouted, shocked by her own voice, and the harshness it held in her words. “Perhaps… perhaps it would have been better if Discord had just done me in!” She glared at Celestia, who had yet to turn and face her. “If that is how you wish for things to be, then so be it!” Luna turned around, and slowly limped away. “I trusted you, Celestia! We promised each other, no matter what, we would do this together! We would work as one to protect our land!”

She looked over her shoulder to face Discord. “May your end be swift, Discord. That is all I can hope for you. May you be a better being in the next life.”

Luna’s eyes drifted to Celestia once more, the first signs of tears falling down her cheeks. She looked away, ashamed by her own showing of weakness, yet feeling far more hurt than she cared to admit. Slowly, she walked away, heading towards the ruins of their castle.

“Sunsets, sunsets, oh so bittersweet! The sun goes down and is bid farewell while the moon becomes the new treat! Sunny days, sunny days, all have to say goodbye! Night skies and bright stars, may they never die!”

Discord’s singing was cut off by the sound of laughter.

Comments

[Csquared08]

Yes, I like how this all tied together. Yeeees.

[Cerulean Voice]

There's one thing left to do.