Never Seen

by semillon

Interlude I

Celestia’s bed was wide and plush, and her pillows were softer than phoenix down. Sunlight was streaming through the window, ribbons of gold piercing through the glass to spill onto the bed’s white satin blankets. It was ten in the morning.

By now, Celestia would have been off on a small adventure that she could tell Luna about over lunch, but Celestia was still in bed.

The trills of a sparrow rang out from somewhere.

Celestia’s leg twitched, and her wings unfurled slightly. Her breathing, steady and deep for the last twelve hours, began to quicken; not too much, just a little.

Celestia opened her eyes. It was way too late for her to still be in bed.

She sat up in her bed, sighing softly. Then she coughed.

It was a simple thing, coughing, but it was a strange sensation to someone who hadn’t been sick in a millenia. She had accidentally choked herself by swallowing tea or food wrong in the past, but that kind of coughing was different from the kind she was experiencing now.

Celestia coughed, and was too shocked to cover her mouth with a hoof.

A thick, golden liquid came out of her mouth and splattered onto the bed, shimmering in the beautiful puddles of sunlight. Ichor. She hadn’t seen ichor since the very last time she fought Nightmare Moon.

Her eyes widened. Celestia began to call for Luna, but the intake of breath that she took before doing so only irritated her chest further.

Suddenly, her lungs felt like they were being sanded down by scratchy wool. Celestia lurched forward, muscles in her back tensing hard, and she coughed over and over again, more ichor leaving her system.

Her fit lasted for two minutes straight, and her bed had been stained gold. The air smelled like sickly sweet aluminum foil.

“Luna? Luna! Can you come here?" she called, to no response. "Luna! Where are you?"

She raised her head, volume increasing as she frantically rubbed at her chest. Another coughing fit was rising. “Luna! Luna!”

Comments

[Late_Night]

oh
o h
o h n o

[Scyphi]

...and more not good things. Not good things for everybody now, it seems.

[ArceusFan493]

Uhhhh...what in the hell??? Things are starting to get uh...capital D Dark, and fast.

[Karackas]

First time in a long time I’ve been spellbound to a horror story, and this one is the horror-iest!

I’ve often imagined what a modern Griffonstone would look like, and seeing one described like this is breathtaking. In chapter one. More recently, it’s been reminding me of Dishonored: Death of the Outsider, where parts of the world start flickering in and out of view because they do, have, could have, or should have existed. Or maybe when you’re trapped in a simulation and are finding inconsistencies. That’s my sense when Gallus feels something is just wrong.

And that scene with Gabby. I was so genuinely afraid of reading further, because I had no idea where you were going with it. THAT’S the hallmark of a good story! Just reading all this has got my creative juices flowing; I can imagine a ton of directions this story might head!

This is intelligently written, well structured and has many exciting mysteries, questions, and side stories about the past. This is every bit as enthralling as reading a story by H.P. Lovecraft - but even better, because I actually care about the characters - and I await each new installment with baited breath!