• Published 22nd Oct 2014
  • 13,018 Views, 424 Comments

But you can't be interested in HIM! - Flowey the Flower



With Discord's obvious advances on the new Princess in town, everypony is a little unsettled. Some more than others.

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Closed Off

Author's Note:

Happy new chapter~

Dark? Maybe. o3o //whistles innocently// Longest chapter? Yee. Happy reading!

Celestia's emotional outbreak explained

To Celestia, who had lived for centuries upon centuries, a mere few days of remaining in bed was nothing.

A heavy containment spell was placed on the boundaries of her private chambers, lain by Princess Luna herself. It was more of a reminder, really, that she should stay locked away until she calmed down. Being the elder, and possessing more brute force in the arcane arts, Celestia could break the invisible walls in an instant if she really wanted to. But the small, level headed voice inside of her advised her not to do so. She had acted irrationally -- an understatement if there ever was one -- in the sacred meadow that night. Years of containing her emotions had led her patience to run thin, it seemed.

Celestia pulled the covers closer to her, as if her bed were in a powdery snowbank of the Crystal Mountains. It had been a long, a very long, time since she had let her emotions get the best of her. A little over one thousand years, in fact.

But even though her reaction had been one without tact, it had not been without reason.

A sharp shiver ran down the length of Celestia's spine, regardless of the many layers of blankets wrapped around her.

The Lover's Curse.

The fundamentals of the wretched thing had existed longer than even she had, though the first recorded use of it unluckily happened during her time. It was many ages ago, when she was still but a filly, when the dawn of a new era was just beginning. The three equine tribes had joined together as one, allowing her mother to break free of the frozen prison the wendigos had trapped her in.

Many admired the, at the time, mystical alicorns, and Celestia could remember the countless stallions that sought her mother's hoof in marriage. And even though she had been but a filly with a foalish perspective on things, she could remember despising each and every suitor that arrived at their doorstep. But the spite she held for the entire lot of them didn't compare to that of which she held for him.

She couldn't remember his name -- she wasn't sure if it were ever given to her -- but she remembered the sickly presence that emanated from him, the type that only childish innocence could detect. He had been absorbed with her mother, obsessed, the most relentless suitor of them all. Time and time again he was rejected, but that only made his resolve grow.

Celestia hated remembering it all.



"Mother, have the guests arrived yet?" I prodded her with my hooves, anticipation racing through every ounce of my very being. " 'Tis time for the party, is it not?"

"None would dare be late for thine party, would they, Mother?" My baby sister, wide eyed and just as excited, if not more, as I, sat eagerly beside me.

The three of us were positioned at the end of a long, marble table, Mother at the head and Luna and I to her right. Since I was the elder, I was sat directly at her side -- to her annoyance, as my poking was relentless -- with my sister next to me. The chair to my mother's left would remain empty, for all times it seemed, reserved for a father I had never met. Mother didn't like to speak of him, but I don't think she hates him. I wish I knew where, or who, he was.

"Hush, my children. Our guests will arrive soon. Be patient," she answered calmly, soothingly, like she always did.

I turn my attention to the double doors that led to the grand kitchen, my ears pricked for any sign of movement.

"The cake should be done soon, should it not?" I ask, not tearing my eyes away from the doors. I felt that at any moment, the chef and her staff would bring out the much anticipated birthday cake, a rather grand work of pastry art. Last year it was white, like the purest of clouds, with bright red candy roses adorned on it -- the same color as Mother's mane. Each year's cake was promised to be better than the last, and the infinite possibilities wouldn't stop running through my head.

"Yes, Celestia. Try to keep thine patience," Mother said with a light chuckle. I always thought that Mother must be a fairy, because stories always said that a fairy's laugh sounded like a chorus of tiny bells. That's exactly how Mother's sounded, only warmer and kinder.

"Can I have the first slice?" Luna's small voice piped up.

"Would you not want one of our guests to be served first?" I held in a laugh. Luna, as young and naive as she was, had run straight in to one of Mother's traps. 'Lessons', she called them.

"I... I suppose guests should be served first," Luna answered slowly, her brow knit into a confused frown. She was silent for a bit, as if pondering something. "But why?"

That brought out another one of Mother's laughs.

"Oh, Luna, hospitality is most important, my child. This is our home, is it not?"

"Yes."

"And these guests; were they not invited here?"

"Yes, they were."

"Then it is our duty to show them our utmost respect, and make sure that their time is both pleasant and merry."

Luna looked down at her hooves.

"I think I understand," she murmured, still not looking up. "But thou art the Queen, Mother. Should you not get the first slice?"

"Being of royalty does not excuse me from being a good pony, Luna. Remember-"

Suddenly, a scream pierced the air.

"Mother?" Luna squeaked.

Both I and Mother had our eyes snapped to the kitchen doors. There, the scream had come from there.

"Stay here," she ordered. She leaped from her seat, and raced toward the kitchen faster than anything I'd ever seen. She burst through the doors with such force that I was sure they'd fly off, but a moment later they had swung back into place. Shouts could be heard from the room, but none were quite as loud as the deathly shriek we'd heard just moments before.

"Celestia," Luna whimpered, "what do you think happened?"

"Mother will take care of it," I find myself saying. I place my hoof on hers, and extend my right wing to cover her shoulders.

We waited there for a few minutes, but to two scared fillies, it seemed like hours.

After what seemed like ages, with mine and Luna's chairs pushed up against each other so that she may lean on me, my mother returned though the kitchen doors. Luna jumped up from her spot behind my wing, and ran over to our mother as fast as her tiny legs could manage. She held on to Mother's foreleg in a tight embrace, and buried her face into her coat.

"Mother, what happened?" she asked.

"Celestia, Luna, I think it best that our birthday celebration be kept among us today. The party hast been postponed."

"Why?" I ask, worry bubbling at the bottom of my stomach. I hear Luna gasp.

"I... I shall tell you once we are safely up in the chambers. Come, Celestia." She placed Luna upon her back and motioned for me to follow. We made haste to the grand staircase, and mother nearly flew up the steps. I struggled to keep pace with her as we moved down familiar hallway after hallway. She didn't slow until we reached our private living quarters, and didn't speak a word until we were inside and she had locked the door with a spell.

Mother lifted Luna off her back and placed her gently on her bed before she sat down beside her. I climbed up, with help from a few flaps of my wings, to sit on the other side of my little sister.

"Mother," I say, an expectant look in my eyes.

"Oh, my little ones," she murmured softly. "Chef Souffle has been... the chef has passed away."

I could tell that she was holding back tears, for mine and Luna's sake. Although her tone was even, sorrow still dripped from it like water from a lazy rain cloud. Ms. Souffle was in charge of the cake, but I couldn't bring myself to ask about that. It felt wrong to bring it up, insulting somehow.

"The scream..?" is all I can muster. I have so many questions rushing through my head, but I can't seem to put words to them.

"Miss Panera found her on the kitchen floor," was her simple answer.

Luna began to cry, and I could feel hot tears welling up in my own eyes. I'd heard of death before, of course, but to have it happen this close... It was terrifying.



Celestia rolled over in her bed, silently cursing the mad stallion.

The kitchen staff had later brought up the cake, which Chef Souffle had managed to complete before her untimely death, hoping to salvage whatever they could of what had been meant to be a wonderful and happy day. But they had been played for fools.

Celestia and Luna had already fallen asleep, being the young fillies that they were, but their Mother...

Her nature was too kind and too giving to turn down something that her subjects had created for her. A single slice of cake. A piece of happiness, something that she had needed.

Celestia still couldn't get over the sheer irony of it all. A cake, a symbol of joy, being the method by which the stallion had cursed her mother. Why hadn't they realized? The murder had been for a reason. Souffle no doubt would not have left the cake's side until it was completed to perfection, and would have fought any trespasser that threatened her creation. But the fools, the fools. They brought up the cake, and served the curse to her mother on a silver platter. Literally.

She buried her face into her pillow, screaming all her misery into its down filled cover. And now it was happening again, with those responsible being even more foolish than their predecessors! She couldn't bear it, not again. It was one thing to lose a mother, but a daughter..? Twilight might not be hers by blood, but she saw all her personal students as her own. This was the sort of anguish any mother would feel after learning their foal was in danger.

The Lover's Curse.

Why, of all things..?

Why?

Why, why, why?

Celestia squeezed her eyes shut tight, and willed herself to go back to sleep.


So, Discord was telling the truth after all.

Luna walked through the infinite hallway of the Grounds of Forgotten Knowledge, a still and solemn silence about her. She wasn't really looking for anything -- she wasn't really sure how she'd ever find anything in this mess. Instead, she was here only to see it for herself, to observe.

She was baffled by its sheer disorganization, especially considering who it was created by. According to Discord, whose information could only ever be considered questionable at best, the grounds functioned like a computer. It was able to assess all existing or known information, and added whatever it deemed "forgotten" to its endless library. Luna couldn't begin to comprehend its exact arcane mechanisms, as her talents resided more in combat and manipulation magic. The technical bits were more of her sister's forte.

No matter how it was created or how it worked, it seemed to be functioning like it was supposed to. Every now and then, a book or two would drop into existence onto the floor. After a moment, it would float up into the air with an aura-less magic and find a place in the bookcase wall.

Luna wondered how long it had taken Celestia to build this place. It really did seem like an impossible feat, at least to her. And why would her sister create such a place? While she agreed that it was nearly a crime to lose information when it could be saved, there were some things better to be lost to time. Like the curse...

Celestia probably hadn't even realized a tome containing the Lover's Curse had made its way in here, if the enchanted (is that what it was? A complex enchantment?) hallway really did operate on its own. Luna decided that she wouldn't tell her where Discord had found it. She'd only blame herself.

Luna stopped walking, and turned her attention to the bookshelf to her right. Oh, Discord. He really had seemed regretful, something she'd rarely seen in him. He really hadn't known, had he? The book, she'd gotten a look at it, hadn't labeled it as a curse. Just a mere temporary enchantment. When the book was written, the curse was but a theory, anyway. Fools, the lot of them. Whether it had turned out to be a simple enchantment or not, ponies who dealt with this abomination were foolish at best. They were trying to find a loophole around the laws of magic, something that was truly unforgivable. But as for Discord... had the rules ever applied to him?

He was still at fault, though, malicious intent or not. He shouldn't have messed with something he didn't understand, or tried to "up his chances" by using magic. Yes, he was still learning, but actions have consequences. This would serve as a hard lesson to him.

Thankfully, Twilight Sparkle was a strong mare. Lesser ponies would have succumbed to madness by now. Even her own mother had fallen in not but 24 hours. Something was different. Yes, Twilight was strong, and yes, her talent was magic, but her mother had been an elder born alicorn. If she were still alive, she'd be more well versed in magic than even Celestia. So there was some other factor, some outside force, a different set of conditions that allowed for this outcome.

If only this were a more common spell -- then Luna would be able to compare the case do dozens of others. But, sadly (but also luckily), they had only one other case to look at. All other speculation would be based upon the curse's theory, which was unreliable as the unicorns who wrote it had treated it as an enchantment. She'd have to start from scratch. Start with what she knew.

Luna found that she was now sitting on the floor of the hallway, facing a book-filled wall. Well, it was as good a place as any to think, she thought. Certainly, she would not be interrupted here.

So, what exactly was different between her mother's and Twilight's cases? Luna summoned parchment and a quill and ink to make a list. She sat there for a bit, writing down whatever detail, small or large, that could possibly be different between the two cases. Once she finished, she held it up in front of her face with the use of her magic, and studied it closely. What stood out?

Well, the main point was that Discord, an age old draconequus, had cast the curse, and not a regular unicorn. Was the curse altered by being cast by a higher level spell-caster? And then there was the fact that Twilight was an ascended alicorn... though Luna wasn't sure how that could factor in as something that would change the curse. If anything, she should be weaker to it, yet she was showing a much higher resistance just by merely surviving a few days. Was it her age? No, alicorns were immortal, ascended or not. Her mother might have had a more mature mind, but her body was still that of a pony's prime. Was it merely the intention of the caster? She hadn't known the perpetrator personally, but his motives were certainly more sinister. Discord's casting could probably be describe more as misguiding naivety. Horribly, horribly misguided.

Discord, the difference had to lie with Discord. Was it really based off the goal he had in casting the curse that "watered in down"? Curses, and many other spells, were initially emotionally based, after all...

Luna could usually tell when somepony, or someone, was lying, and Discord really did seem to have been telling the truth (for once). The more she thought about it, the more likely this scenario became to her. The idea that the curse came out differently simply because of a difference in the caster's heart was very, very real. And combined with Discord's affinity for chaotic magic... why, it wasn't much of a stretch. All he'd wanted was a chance, wasn't it? He hadn't demanded complete devotion, like the other surely had.

Factor in Discord's innocence in social relations, and it would be easy to justify that the curse was much weaker.

She rose to her hooves, confident in her new assertion. Now she had something to begin with. She rose to her hooves steadily, feeling a small ray of hope warming her chest. It was time to head to the Canterlot Archives, and start her quest for the cure.

She'd call for Discord in the morning. He would be sure to love the good news.



It was dark and cold when I woke up. I was still in our mother's room, laying atop the bed. Next to me slept my sister, tucked under the covers, snoring peacefully. I couldn't help but crack a smile. Luna would need the rest.

I pulled myself over the side of the bed, landing as softly as I could onto the hard marble floor so that Luna would not wake. I looked about the room, but Mother was nowhere in sight. Odd. Hadn't she told us that we'd be staying here until morning? Earlier, some of the guard had come by, announcing that they'd apprehended the murderer. Mother was upset when they came; I could tell that she wanted to keep it a secret that Miss Souffle had been murdered, but I had already guessed. That scream didn't come from whoever had found the body, like she had wanted us to believe. It sounded too painful.

Luckily, Luna had already been asleep by then, so at least she could be spared from the greater horror like Mother wanted.

But why had she left? The door was halfway open, left ajar as if somepony had been in a hurry. I wondered if I should close the door, and wait for mother to return.

It was then I noticed the cake.

An upturned slice of cake lay in crumbles on the floor, fork cast off to the side like somepony had dropped it. I felt that my heart was beating quickly, and suddenly something seemed very, very wrong. Mother would never leave a mess behind. She wouldn't leave the door open, and she wouldn't leave us.

I took one look back at Luna, who was still sleeping peacefully.

I had to go find mother.

I crept out the door, and closed it slowly behind me. There would be a guard around the corner; he'd know where mother went. I raced down the hall, wondering where she could be, why she'd gone.

I nearly ran into him in my haste.

"Slow thyself, Princess," his gritty voice broke the silence. I couldn't help but feel a bit relieved. "Is there something amiss?"

"Yes, there is. Do you know where my mother is?" I asked, pushing tears back.

"Ay. Down to the dungeons, she went."

"Thank you." A small smile flashed across my face, and I did a quick curtsy. I began to hurry down the hall.

"Wait, my Princess!" The guard called after me. "Do you wish to have me accompany you?"

I gave a hurried nod before we both raced off toward the dungeons.

Down corridors and stairs... we didn't stop until we reached a weathered wooden door deep under the palace. The guard seemed to be surprised that I could keep up with him, but I barely took noticed of it. I pointed to the door.

"My mother; she is in there?" I asked.

"Yes, Princess," he answered. "Art thou sure you wish to proceed?"

"Yes," I said briskly. Something deep inside me told me that I needed to see her. Before... before... well, I wasn't sure what.

Without another word, he unlocked the door. He didn't follow as I entered, and I found that it led to yet another hallway. I'd never been down here before. Mother said it wasn't a place for a young filly. I heard the door shut behind me, and a cold shiver ran down my spine. I walked down the hallway, the freezing stone sending a tingling sensation to my hooves and up my legs. I could see a door at the end, but the hallway was quite long.

As I approached, I began to hear screeches.

"Mother?" I gasped worriedly aloud. I quickened my pace. The screams grew louder. There weren't any words; just agonized sounds of pain. "Mother?" I called out, louder this time.

I soon reached the door, and I threw it open.

The stench hit me in a torrent.

Blood. Everywhere, there was blood. It pooled on the floor like water after a fresh rain. I wanted to scream, but I couldn't. Not but a wheeze escaped me.

There, on the floor immediately inside the door, was a guard. Or rather... the body of a guard. Her eyes were open, but they couldn't see. They were glassed over, as if somepony had only painted them on. A small trickle of blood ran out of the corner of her mouth.

"Celestia?"

I snapped my eyes up to the source of the voice.

"What are you... what are you doing here?"

My eyes flew open as I let out a whimper.

"I'm sorry... I had to... She wanted to steal him from me!"

I took a step back.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry... Celestia? Please... Come here."

I couldn't move. She was covered in it... She wore it like slippers, and red rose petals were scattered upon her white coat. It dripped down her horn, painting it a deep, dark red.

"M-mother..?" I squeezed the words out through clamped teeth.

"I didn't hurt her... just asleep, just asleep..."

And then I saw him. Or rather... it.

Behind her was the mangled body of what I could barely recognize as one of the stallions that had been trying to court my mother. As the least pleasant of them all, he'd been pestering us for weeks. I'd prayed to the Creator that he'd leave us alone, but now...

It was all his, wasn't it? The blood. His body was soaked in it; he was floating in a puddle of crimson. Another scream was caught in my throat, and tears welled up in my eyes.

Mother took a step forward, and I felt the urge to flee.

"He's mine, Celestia, don't you understand? She wanted to take him from me... I couldn't have that. And then I realized..." Another step. "Others would try to take him from me. I tried to get him to leave with me, I wanted to take us all away to someplace where we could all be happy, away from filth like her." She snorted in the direction of the dead guard. "But... But he wouldn't leave. So I... I decided... I realized... If I couldn't have him, no pony could!" She took another step in my direction, eyes locked on mine. "Why are you looking at me like that? I did what I had to. I'm sorry, I didn't want you to see..."

My legs felt heavy, like they were glued to the ground. What was... This had to be a nightmare. Mother wouldn't, she couldn't-

"I had to, I had to-" She stopped mid-sentence, and her face froze in an expression of realization. She looked at me as if seeing me for the first time, even though she had just been talking to me moments before.

And then I saw her do something I'd never seen her do before.

She began to cry.

She didn't weep or wail; she was silent. She continued to stare at me with an anguished expression as tears poured from her eyes, mixing with the blood staining her face. Her mouth twitched, but she didn't speak. Not one word came out.

"What happened?" I found my voice returning to me, but I stayed where I was.

She shook her head side-to-side, slowly.

"Mother?" I pressed on. Tears of my own threatened to spill out my eyes.

"No..." She squeezed her eyes shut, and turned her head to the side. "No, no- Celestia, go."

"I-"

"Go."

"But what about-"

"GO!" She lunged at me, eyes open and wings spread out like an ivory wall.

I ran, screaming, out the door as fast as I possibly could. This wasn't Mother, it couldn't be! My mother wouldn't act like this... this monster. I had to get to Luna, I had to...

Screams sounded behind me, but were quieter and quieter the further away from the room I got. She wasn't following me. Faster, faster... Where's the guard? Why hadn't he come with me? It was all a dream, a horrid nightmare. There was no way this would ever happen. No, no, mother would be okay, everything would be okay. Soon, I'd wake up in Mother's room, in bed with Luna, Mother asleep on arm chair. It was just a dream, just a dream...

It seemed like hours before I finally reached our room. I quickly opened the door, and slammed it behind me, locking it tight. Luna stirred a little, and my heart-rate began to slow. I scrambled into bed, and pulled the covers tight around me. I closed my eyes, and pressed my back up against Luna's. She was safe. I was safe.

Everything would be better in the morning.

Comments ( 29 )

I told you guys I'd get it out within the week. I'm not dead -- I'll live FOREVERRRRR :pinkiecrazy:

Yeeeaaah, love spells can stay in the restricted section I guess. :twilightoops:

Wow, darker than I was expecting. Definitely underscores the severity of the situation.

I wonder if Celestia could show Discord her memories of just what happens when That spell is used.
I wonder what he will say when he finds out the Consequences of what he has done ... :unsuresweetie:

So am I no longer a pre reader.....?

6609999

Oh, sorry! It'd been so long that I was afraid to ask you if you still wanted to preread for me.

Can ya PM me next time you have a question? ^_^;

Get Cadenza you fools!

my mother returned though the kitchen doors
compare the case do dozens of others

1. Through.
2. To.

Ahh, Luna wrote down a list eh? I think she doesn't realise one thing. Twilight also (already, before the spell) had some... Attachment to Discord. Not romantic yet but still, an attachment. An urge (in her case) to study, understand him better. Probably.

Neck, what I'm posting is but a mere theory so not guaranteed but one can hope yeah?

I want to like this story...but for some reason I can't help but feel this can only end in tears.

Tragedy I can handle quite easily but tragic love story?

pinkie.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw1237_Twilight_Sparkle_nope_nope_nope.gif

If there's a light at the end of this dark tunnel by all means let me know.(no spoilers, just say there's a light at the end of the tunnel) and I'll track this.

So rather than a 'simple' love spell, this is a Yandere spell.

We shall proceed (with dire caution).

Wow, Celestia's mom really lost it huh? The poor thing. I don't know what happened to her after this but at least she didn't hurt Celestia or Luna, I doubt she could have lived with herself if that had happened.

6610336

The light exists :3

There's no tragedy tag after all

Damn...:ajsleepy:

Nothing's worse than realizing the irreversible damage that had been done.

6610401
The big hint was in the list Luna made. Pretty sure their Mother killed herself, because she seemed at least somewhat aware of what had happened to her after Celestia went down into the dungeons. I don't blame her. That's a pretty extreme case where suicide's pretty damn acceptable.

Well that turned very dark all of a sudden.

Hopefully we haven't had a look into Twilight's future, at the very least Discord will be a bit harder to kill.

soooo much yeeeeeesss

s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/25/91/c7/2591c78c47917926a188694c5ff732c0.jpg

I haven't read this chapter yet. I have to go reread everything again.

Shit... Sorry, I just don't cry very often. *Sigh* Fuck.

So The spell was buggered up...I thought as much.

Well... that WAS pretty dark. No wonder why Celestia had such a reaction when she learned about the curse being used again.
Phew... now for Luna to find a cure. At least Dicord's intentions weren't malicious.

I loved this story at first so much, then things started to seriously go west... I dunno, I liked how this chapter was written, but overall darkness of the story seems a little oppressing to me. If things go on the way they are now, then the story will lose it's initial humour, lightness and feeling of a gamble.

6744845

don't worry ^-^ the pep is coming back

"Closed Off" is pretty much the darkest it gets, and that happened in the past

next chapter please.

You have my compliments on the dark. Usually darker scenes leave me with a odd feeling I can't really describe. Unpleasant either way as it conflicts with whatever positive feelings I get from the intrigue or desire to know what happens next. Your slightly chaotic (if you'll pardon the term) approach to the end scene as it was in the mind of someone trying to go back and forth between truth and denial managed to convey everything without getting overly morbid or caught up in the gore. I eagerly await the next chapter.

Really would like to know where this is going, despite some aparrent nay-sayers. Please tell me this isn't dead.

Please continue. It's a really good story.

Hello, when will the story finally end? too bad to be still waiting, because all the readers love your story

I hope thus gets finished

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