Antonovka

by Soufriere

Chapter Seven: Destiny Denied

When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a world the likes of which I’ve never seen before or since. All around me, cirrus clouds whipped by amidst a background of purple and brown, punctuated here and there by intangible formations spanning every possible colour of the rainbow, plus some colours outside the spectrum: nebulae in all their glory laid out before me stretching off into forever. Far off in the distance, I saw the little lights of faraway stars twinkling away. Or might they have been galaxies? Despite the fact that infinity fanned out in every direction, including below, it still felt like I was on solid ground, even though I couldn’t see anything of the sort. I patted myself to check if I was still alive, then facehoofed because obviously a ghost can touch herself; Ruby proved that.

Ruby. I looked around and saw no sign of her. My breathing quickened. I really didn’t want my new friend to be dead… or, I mean, dead dead.

I sat down upon the nothingness, lost in my thoughts, so I never noticed the orb of pulsating white light slowly approaching me.

A gust of cosmic wind startled me out of my stupor. Looking up, I saw the giant light-ball dissipate, fading to reveal the form of someone I had met before, not too long ago.

“Princess Celestia!” I exclaimed in complete shock.

Celestia smiled that serene smile we all know she likes to use as she looked down at me and replied simply, “Hello, Antonovka. It is wonderful to see you again. And might I say that is an exquisite flowery perfume you are wearing.”

“Uh, can’t say I know what you’re talkin’ about,” I said, “But, do ya mind tellin’ me where I am an’ what I’m doin’ here?”

Celestia appeared to ignore my question. “When we met many moons ago in Canterlot, I had a feeling there was something special about you. Lo and behold, you proved it. I am so proud of you.”

I cocked my head. “What’re ya talkin’ about, Princess?”

“That monster you defeated was a remnant of my dear sister’s corrupt and jaded heart, a final spell that I cannot be certain she even knew she cast, which has spent the past three quarters of a millennium warping Everfree into the twisted region we all dread to this day. You destroyed the source of the Forest’s Corruption, and thus its spread. For that, you have my sincerest gratitude,” Celestia said.

“Hold on now,” I finally interrupted her. “I didn’t… couldn’t… defeat that thing on my own. Ruby helped me, so… Why ain’t she here?”

Celestia hung her head low. “I hold no dominion over spirits, and hers appears to have faded.”

“No…” I whispered, devastated.

“Now, now,” Celestia corrected, lifting her head slightly. “I said faded, not vanished. It is possible she returned to her original domain.”

“Yeah, speakin’ of which, mind tellin’ me what in the hay you did to Sunny Town?”

Celestia sighed, her face crestfallen. “It was an unfortunate accident. When they murdered your friend in cold blood – out of prejudice or simple fear, I cared not – I knew they needed to be punished. My curse was only meant to last for one month; I never expected The Corruption to piggyback on my magic to consume the village and twist its residents.”

“Why didn’t you try to stop it?” I asked, probably more pointedly than I should have.

“As an enchantment created by Luna during our falling out, The Corruption is uniquely harmful to me,” Celestia explained. “Today marks the first time since shortly after the War that I have been able to enter Everfree at all, but even at this time I doubt I would be able to survive there for more than a few minutes. Although you defeated The Corruption’s source, it lingers still in the soil, rocks, and plants of the Forest. I cannot say when or if it will ever fully dissipate and allow ponies to inhabit the area again.”

I nodded, deciding for the moment not to tell her about the Moon Cultists. “I guess that makes sense.”

Celestia raised herself back to her full height, adopting a broad smile. “Now I would be remiss if I did not reward you for your bravery. I bestow upon you the most Honourable of Honours: the Rite of Tridevi.”

“What’re ya talkin’ about?” I asked, cocking my head.

At that, I felt myself being lifted up into the air, assuming the space I was in counted as such. As I looked around me, shocked and terrified while Celestia maintained her standard regal poise, I felt a piece of myself somewhere near my heart rip itself from my chest. I only had a split second to look at the amorphous lump of green before it began swirling around my body like a wonky comet, then like an electron. As it accelerated, it glowed ever brighter, and I lost the ability to follow it by sight. Eventually the light from the green blob became overwhelming; I reluctantly shut my eyes. Then, it must have smacked back into me, because I felt this indescribable jolt of magical force and energy strong enough to knock me for a total loop. Not exactly sure what happened immediately after that, but I think I slowly wafted back to whatever counted for floor in that weird interstice place and promptly passed out for a minute or ten.

When I came to, still dizzy, I struggled to my feet. Celestia was still standing before me, a beaming smile on her face. Whatever her happiness was, I couldn’t share in it; my head and sides hurt like the dickens.

“Ugh,” I said. “Whatever that was, it sure packed a wallop.”

“Look to your side and you will see,” replied Celestia.

As I turned my head to my right, a sharp and sudden discomfort shot through my shoulders as a pair of massive green wings unfurled. It took me a minute to realize they were attached to me. I had to prod one and feel the sensation of its involuntary twitch to confirm it.

“Princess, why do I have wings? What in Eque…?”

My head still hurt. I brought my hoof up to rub my forehead when it came into contact with something that should not have been there: a Unicorn’s Horn.

I had been transformed into an Alicorn.

“Congratulations, Princess Antonovka!” Celestia said, clear joy in her voice. “You have earned this honour for your service to Equestria!”

“Huh?” I huh’d. “Wait, now. So… you’re sayin’ I’m like you?”

“Yes… and no,” Celestia explained, and I use that term loosely. “It has been many centuries since last I created a new Princess. It is not a process undertaken lightly. Indeed, you are the very first Earth-pony to be Ascended. Of course, you are not a demigoddess like myself or my poor sister. Ascended ponies retain a lifespan comparable to regular ponies. Nonetheless, you are a Princess by right. You shall possess authority, dominion over a Land, and of course a title. In your case I feel ‘Princess of Courage’ will do nicely.”

“Mirror, please,” I asked Celestia. She quickly summoned one so I could see myself. I had grown noticeably taller, maybe rivalling my brothers. My new wings were still unfurled; it took a lot of concentration to fold them against my sides. As for my horn, I decided to see if I could use it. An aura the same orange colour as my eyes enveloped it… and a tiny ball of orange light shot from it and ricocheted off the mirror into the great unknown.

I turned back toward Celestia. She was chuckling.

“You will be a great Princess indeed,” she said.

I rubbed my Horn as memories of those cruel Unicorns in Canterlot danced in my head. I was one of them now. No. I was better than them. I was always better than them, morally, but now they would have to respect me. To say I still held a grudge against Unicorns as a race would be a massive understatement. It made me sick to my stomach to think I had become even somewhat like them. And what about my family? They would surely be jealous or even look down on me for this. Especially Ma. I imagined a lifetime of snide remarks from her as I tried to go about my daily life, assuming it would stay the same which was absolutely not guaranteed. I envisioned the very ponies who threw rotten fruit at us as we stood on jailed display, kowtowing to me out of respect; whether it was legitimate or feigned didn’t matter.

I sighed as I gathered up the courage to tell Celestia something she never in her long life expected to hear: “I don’t want it.”

Her smile dropped, replaced by a look of total confusion. “What?”

“I don’t wanna be a Princess, Princess.”

“But… why not?” Celestia asked, legitimately concerned. “You have done more than enough to earn the title.”

I shook my head. “I couldn’t have done a thing without Ruby’s help.”

“And I would gladly Ascend her as well, were she living,” replied Celestia.

“That’s not the point,” I said. “Princess. I’m just a farm gal. I ain’t some frou-frou Canterlot Noble that’s got delusions of grandeur or knows how to lead anyone. All I wanted to do was get what I came for, go home, and get on with my life.”

“You… are truly rejecting your mantle?” asked Celestia, clearly bewildered.

I nodded. “Eeyup. Look, I know ya mean well, and I appreciate the thought, but… I’m not Princess material, far’s I know myself.”

Celestia looked at me sadly. “It is said that the best leaders are the ones who wish not the position, for they understand its burdens and therefore possess the humility to avoid becoming tyrannical. It is a balance that I myself have failed many times.”

“I understand, but I still don’t want this,” I insisted. Turn me back into me and let’s forget this ever happened.”

“Very well,” said Celestia glumly. “Have you any proclamations you wish to decree before your mandate ends?”

I thought for a moment. Then my eyes lit up. “Actually… yeah I do. I lost Ma’s ladle in the fight so she needs a new one. Could ya do that?”

“You are serious,” Celestia asked flatly. “A ladle.”

“Yep,” I nodded. “She’d tan my hide if I came home without one.”

“In that case, I will… have a new one delivered to your home forthwith.”

“Thanks,” I said with a little smile. “Oh! And, uh, would ya mind leavin’ the Moon Cultists alone for a bit? They were friendly…ish to me an’ Ruby, and they’re kinda tired of bein’ hunted.”

Celestia’s expression flipped to one of shock. “The Order still exists? That is news to me. Very well. Perhaps they should be left to themselves; their dogged preservation of the True History may eventually prove fortuitous.”

“Wait,” I said. “So all the nasty things they said about you and the lead-up to the War…?”

“Indeed,” admitted Celestia. “I allowed myself to be commandeered by the shortsighted whims of lesser ponies and, in so doing, placed a unbearable burden on my sister. I had to defeat her. However, even seven hundred fifty years on, the guilt gnaws at me every day.”

“Can’t say I blame ya,” I said as I patted Celestia on her leg, since even with a slight increase in my height, she still towered over me. “If I had to kick one of my brothers off our farm, I’d feel mighty awful ‘bout it even if it wasn’t my fault.”

Celestia smiled wanly. “I appreciate your sentiment. Are you certain you have no other requests before I cast the Descension spell?”

I sighed. “The only thing I want is the one thing you can’t do.”

“I am sorry about your friend,” said Celestia as she placed a hoof on my shoulder to try to console me. “But she lives on in your heart, just as the scores of bosom friends who predeceased me live in mine, kept forever in my memories. And, as I said, she may re-form.”

“I hope so.”

“Now, I have never attempted this spell before. It may feel unpleasant,” Celestia warned as she touched her horn to mine.

That was an understatement. It hurt like the fires of Tartarus as my body contracted in on itself, bones merging and fusing with the ones already there. I could feel immense pressure on the frontal lobe of my brain as my horn melted back into my forehead. Everything felt like I was being crushed. It was a thousand times more painful than the Ascension spell. But, within just a couple of minutes, it was all over. Celestia sadly showed me the mirror, where I saw a normal Earth-pony once again.

“Thank you, Princess,” I said as I bowed to her.

She sighed. “I am disappointed, in both of us. Yet, perhaps this is for the best.”

“I think so,” I said. “I’m not an ambitious pony. All I want’s to get back to my family, farm our apple orchard, and eventually raise a family of my own. It’s a simple life, sure, but it’ll be mine.”

Celestia nodded. “Your words are wiser than you realize. Now, shall I escort you to your homestead?”

“That’d be great,” I replied.

A simple charge of her golden aura bathed us in an orb of light that rushed us through the heavens, or wherever it was we were, at speeds that would make a Wonderbolt wince. After some thirty seconds, I could see Equestria, the outline of the Everfree Forest and a tiny spark of yellow light deep within it. Then, just past its edge across the river, a clearing with a small log cabin: my home.

We came to a stop outside the perimeter fence and slowly lowered, touching down on the dirt as lightly as a feather. Once sure of my own footing, I walked through the open gate, turning back to take what I assumed would be my last look at the Princess. She smiled and bowed her head deeply. Then, with a flash of light and a sound like the cracking of a whip, she disappeared.

I approached my house with trepidation, because I knew I was returning empty-hoofed. Still, I figured my family was likely worried about me, so I entered the cabin with a simple “Hi, I’m back.” My parents and brothers, after a brief shock, nearly knocked me over in a group hug.

Ma was mad at me about losing the ladle, but she calmed down somewhat when a box arrived the next day from Canterlot via royal guard containing a full supply of kitchen equipment and, as a bonus, canning jars.

So, with that, I resumed my normal life. Nothing interesting would ever happen to me again.

…I assumed…

Comments

[Mx Story Anomalax]

That was a pretty enjoyable chapter. It was nice to get to know Annie's humility and see Celestia in all her well-intentioned yet clearly wrong glory. It's very in character for Celestia to do just what the fuck ever she wants without really thinking of the consequences or if anyone actually wants it. It's happened multiple times in the show, and has happened in the comics when we've been given looks into her when she was younger.

[CoffeeMinion]

Wow, I fell behind on this pretty badly of late. Back making progress again. I’m glad to see that the ladle is still front and center in our heroine’s concerns! And I think this decision makes sense for her, though she’s definitely passing up a lot of potential ability to change her life and circumstances. It’s interesting to see a character make that choice and to have it make sense.