The Endless Night Part 2
The restaurant was filled with eating families and friends. Moondust’s friends were having a blast.
“Wow, I can’t believe your mother and aunt are the princesses of Equestria, Moony!” Small Luck squealed as he shoved pasta into his mouth. His fellow filles cheered as they also dug into their meals.
“Yup. I get to stay up late, too. Daughter of the Night n all.” Moondust bragged, taking a sip.
Waterbug choked on her hayfries in shock. “Lucky! I usually have to go to bed when the sun goes down!” His small hooves thunked the table in annoyance.
Small Luck’s uncle glared at the colt. “Manners!” His graying pelt sagged against his skin as he slowly slipped away at a soda. The night seemed to be looking up.
“Manners are the negative part of being royal.” Moondust grumpily said, shrugging her shoulders in annoyance.
Something wrong happened at that very moment.
“Oops, I set it up wrong.”
A cook stared at the throbbing device in front of her. The microwave was a new invention that cooked the food in a heated box using radiation, and the sheepish mare had accidentally plugged it in the wrong outlet. Just as she reached a hoof to unhook the outlet, the microwave exploded, killing the cook instantly in the blast.
Moondust’s ear flickered. “What was…?”
Suddenly screams rang from the kitchen. “FIRE, THERE’S A FIRE!” The thick smoke of flames suddenly poured into the dining area, engulfing everypony in a wave of choking death.
“Moondust!” Waterbug screamed as he was trapped in the stampede of ponies trying to escape the restaurant. He reached a hoof out, but it soon vanished as he tumbled into the hungry smoke and flames.
“Waterbug!” Moondust called out, quickly following him. She tried her hardest to keep up as the herd of panicked ponies clustered around her.
The tiny colt laid moaning on the floor, nursing a broken leg as the flames raced around him. The raging inferno grew ever closer, fed by the food and paper it was consuming in its hungry lust, flames licking the air.
“Help… Please…” Was all Waterbug managed to say before the fire consumed him.
“No!” Moondust screamed, upon hearing her friend. She quickly ran towards him, no longer caring about consequences. She would burn, but it was all for another. So, she stepped into the flames.
-----
The fire was now threatening to spread to outside the restaurant. All but 5 ponies had made it out, and pegasi were moving clouds so the water could quench the flames hunger for death and rage.
“We need another storm cloud here!” A mare ordered as the smoke billowed into the night. She coughed, her lungs had burned on the rank air. “We need to tell the Princesses also as soon as possible!”
“I’ll get to them as soon as I can!” A pegasus saluted, heading towards the castle.
“Gods help us all….” The mare whispered before attacking the flames once more.
A royal guard who was conversing with Celestia some blocks away from the restaurant gasped as he saw a blur zoom towards them. “Your highness!” He pointed up at the sky.
Celestia looked at the guard, concerned and confused, until she noticed the pegasus heading towards them. “What’s the problem?
”
The pegasus looked at her frantically. “There’s been a fire at the restaurant nearby, a-and we need your help! Come with me!” They pointed towards the direction, and with a worried look, Celestia followed.
The guard gasped, seeing the now slowly dying inferno. Even worse, there were dead bodies being covered by red blankets. As they ran over to ask what happened, a small, burned and blood stained filly hobbled over to Celestia.
“P-Princess C-celestia…?” he whimpered, blood dripping from his face and into the ground.
“Little pony…” With tears in her eyes, Celestia stuttered out.
The colt pressed himself into Celestia’s fur, trembling as pain blazed his nerves. “M-moondust and Waterbug… You need to save them!” he cried over the screams and howls.
For a second, Celestia froze, but she nodded her head. “I wish you well.” She said to the foal, genuinely hoping for the best, galloping her way into the building.
The flames were being stifled by ponies who were dumping water, and 2 uncounted ponies were trying to be found in the carnage.
“Celestia!” A stallion limped over to the alicorn, injured in the line of duty. “We mostly have the fire controlled now.” He bowed stiffly. “Ow, my leg…”
“Where’s Moondust and Waterbug?” Celestia asked, though silently wished him well with his leg.
“ . . . .” The stallion gulped and padded away to fight the flames once more, the question unanswered.
More dread rose upon Celestia. Why was her question left unanswered? There was only one reason that she could think of but...no. It was best to find out for herself. With that, she continued to look for them.
Finally, the smoke cleared, and two unmoving lumps could be seen among the ashes. Gasps rang out, the gasps turned into screams, howls, then finally quiet whimpers.
They had found the missing children, but not how they ever wanted to.
Dead.
Celestia hadn’t screamed so powerfully in years.
The stallion yelped as the scream knocked him head over hooves. “!?!?!?!?”
“NO!” Celestia ran towards the two foals as fast as she could, then laid next towards their corpses; nudging them. “Please, please wake up…” She begged, as much as she could, but there was not a sound nor a movement.
“They’re dead.” The unnamed stallion sighed, moving his hooves across the floor. “We were too late.” Tears pricked his eyes but he wiped them away.
Celestia went quiet, her mind slowly beginning to shut down. All she could do was stare at them blankly, unable to fully comprehend what was happening. They were taken away far too soon.
Slowly, the other ponies gathered up Moondust and Waterbug and wrapped them up in blankets, guiding them and Celestia out of the burnt restaurant. The fire had stopped burning, and the injured ponies were being treated for their wounds, including the tiny colt from earlier, who was now wrapped in bandages and an eyepatch.
Soft cries reflected the somber mood, reality hitting everypony.
“Did you find them? The colt squeaked, staring at Celestia’s traumatized eyes. “Are my friends ok?”
“...” Celestia looked away, sat down, and started to sob.
The colt whimpered and nuzzled Celestia’s legs as he saw the red blankets holding his now deceased friends move towards the healers.
“I’ll go tell your sister!” he squealed, turning around and making a beeline for the castle, the guard chasing after him trying to stop the young pony from making a big mistake.
Faintly, Celestia could hear him. Not entirely, but to her it wasn’t of importance right now. Her mind was too broken.
The colt hurled into the Castle of the Two Sisters, slamming right into Rising Moon with a soft cry of pain. He hit the floor and rubbed his now aching nose.
“Owie…” Tears spilled over as the tiny pony wiped them away to no avail.
“Hm?” Rising Moon looked down, noticing the crying foal. He immediately gave the colt a sympathetic expression. “What’s wrong, kid?” He asked, wiping away the tears himself.
“M-my friends were in a fire!” He sobbed. “M-Moondust and W-waterbug! And now Princess Celestia is sad and my bffs are wrapped in red blankets like Daddy was!” He pressed his face into gray fur, staining it with salty blobs of water.
Rising’s face and heart dropped upon hearing those names, gasping quietly. “No…” He muttered, hoping and praying to the Gods that they were safe and simply under care.
“NO!”
Soft Lotion’s scream as he ran into the castle soon died as he saw the colt and Rising huddling together.
“Gods bucking damn it!” Soft punched the floor crying profusely. “It shouldn’t have come from that tiny colt!” His distress was shocking, as Soft Lotion was never one to snap that intensely.
It could only meant that the news was true. Moondust and Waterbug had perished and were now in the Everafter. As the dots connected, Rising started to sob alongside the colt, holding him tightly.
“D-don’t c-cry mister!” The young one sniffled through blurry eyes and snot. “I-I don’t like it when adults cry!” He tried to wipe Rising’s tears away while gasping for deep breaths. “You guys s-should be tough, like Daddy was!”
Wiping away a few tears to speak, Rising explained his actions. “I-it’s normal for anypony to c-cry. Especially with situations like this…”
The colt whined. “Oh… Are you gonna be ok, Mister?” He asked.
“...” Rising just went quiet, continuing to sob.
The colt pulled away and padded over to the window to stare out it as Soft Lotion choked out. “W-what are we going to tell Luna?”
“I...don’t know.” Rising’s ears lowered as he looked down, tears tapping onto the ground.
The mentioned alicorn dashed into the room just then, having been informed of the fire by her guards. She looked around in horror at the distressed Soft Lotion, catatonic colt, and despairing Rising Moon.
“Why so glum? Why is that colt injured? What is going on?” Luna cried, questions swaming her words and mind.
Rising could only just stare at her blankly, too afraid and heartbroken to say anything.
“Tell me, Soft Lotion! ” Luna stomped her foot at the guard, who only let out a blubber. She grew more panicked as the lack of responses made her think of all sorts of terrible scenarios, all of them including somepony dying. Violent trembers started racking her frame, her ears drooping.
“Rising Moon?” Luna whispered. “My dear, tell me!” Her legs threatened to collapse.
“...Moondust…” Rising muttered, his voice fragile as a flower.
A thick, dark fear billowed in Luna’s chest at the sound of her daughters name. “What about her? Is she ok?” The panic grew more intense, it clawed her like like a lion was mauling it.
“...is dead.”
It was like her world had ended.
“ . . You’re lying…” Luna’s voice was almost impossibly high pitched. “You’re lying!” It couldn’t be true. Not her daughter, not her. She was too young! How could it be? They had to be mistaken.
“You’re lying!” The pale blue immortal screamed. “Lies!”
“It’s true...the restaurant burnt down. Many ponies were injured and died…” He slowly drawled on.
Luna shook her head as she fell to the floor. “No, Rising Moon!” She screamed at her husband in desperation, begging, pleading, for it to be a lie. “Our daughter is not dead!”
She couldn’t be. NO. NO. NO.
“I’m sorry. It’s true.”
Luna let out a single howl of despair, her heartbreak powerful enough to send even the toughest of stallions sobbing to the floor. Tears poured down her face, mind going blank completely.
Rising shuffled close to his wife, holding onto her while still sobbing heavily. Luna rocked side to side with her husband, becoming more like a weeping statue then a pony. Soft Lotion left them and reported back to Celestia, bringing the now sleeping colt with him on his back.
“What are you going to do now, your highness?” Soft sat down next to his ruler glumly.
“I don’t know.” Celestia plainly replied. “I just don’t know.” She looked like every bit of emotion was sucked away from her.
Solt Lotion gave the colt back to his parents. “I feel so bad for Luna….” The guard also sounded emotionless, the day having gotten rid of every last drop of hope he had.
“Moondust…”
The funeral happened a week later, honoring the 5 dead ponies and all the injured subjects who fought the flames bravely. Luna was too distraught to attend the service.
“I don’t want to go.” The grieving mother croaked from her pillow fort.
“I understand why, Luna.” Celestia gently nodded, slowly exiting the room. She sighed before leaving. “It’s too much.”
After the funeral had happened and the 5 brave ponies were buried with full honors, Luna just about shut down completely, only allowing Celestia to touch her. She didn’t even let Rising Moon go anywhere near her, the stallion reminded her too much of Moondust. What was once a proud princess transformed into a husk of a soul. Rising grew concerned, but that concern soon turned into tiredness. He felt as if she no longer cared for him, and that their love was becoming strained. Not as full as it used to be.
Discontent and a darkness filled Luna’s soul, she was becoming forgotten. Hardly anypony greeted or even talked to her, not even her own sister.
She was becoming a backdrop, a pony with no purpose.
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MOONDUST NO! Okay, this chapter really punched me in the feels.
That sounds like a serious flaw in the invention. I wouldn't expect them to make use of it if it can become such a serious safety hazard. Didn't anypony tested this thing to prevent accidents such as explosions occurring from plugging in the outlet?
"mean"