> Stone > by Sakura > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Prologue > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The time had come. Celestia and Luna, the only two alicorns left in existence, where ready to face the chaos-bringer, the draconoquus, Discord. They had been chasing him for some time now, waiting for him to stop and fight. That time had now come. Celestia was nervous. She had never fought anything before. She was worried about failing. What if they didn't defeat Discord? What would happen to Equestria? Would he continue to bring chaos to their once peaceful land full of life? She looked over at her sister, the dark alicorn, Luna. She smiled at Celestia. Celestia immediately felt more confidence and ready to face the chaos-bringer, to bring him down. She wanted revenge for the death of the other alicorns, her parents, and for tormenting earth ponies, pegasi and unicorns alike. She wanted to make him regret everything he ever did to the pony species, wanting to hurt him or possibly kill him. No. Celestia wanted this to be over quickly, so the ponies could live in harmony once again. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Luna firing up her horn, activating her three Elements of Harmony. Celestia did the same. As she did, she could feel her alicorn magic connecting to her three elements, and slowly connecting to Luna's three elements as well. She and Luna started flapping their wings and levitated off of the ground while they waited for the elements to reach full power. Celestia could fell the Elements of Harmony get more powerful. She instantly fired her horn up even brighter, adding more power. Luna felt the change in power and quickly added more magic. They could see it now. A rainbow started to appear, connecting all the elements together. It increased its speed before firing a bright rainbow out form the Element of Magic. It rapidly sped towards the chaos-bringer. He screamed. The pain the rainbow inflicted upon was to much to bear. Celestia could see that he was slowly turning to stone, intensifying the pain. Celestia could also feel something. She, of all ponies, was enjoying this feeling of watching another turn to stone and undergo intense pain. She questioned herself, she should never be feeling this feeling, alicorns were considered to be the protectors of Equestria. Alicorns were not supposed to feel these feelings...they should only feel the need to help and guide the earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns. Still, she felt it, and has enjoying it. Celestia enjoyed hearing the chaos-bringer's screams, it was like music to her ears. She closed her eyes and savored the feeling, thinking it would not come again. How wrong she was. Luna could hear the screams die down. She opened her eyes and saw the statue of the once powerful chaos-bringer. She let her magic die down. Celestia, however, kept hers up. It seemed like she was oblivious to everything else around her. Luna gave her sister a small tap on her foreleg. Celestia's magic died down. Celestia opened her eyes. Ponies where cheering her and her sister on. As the came back into focus, she could hear Luna say that they would be the rulers of Equestria. Celestia stepped forward and agreed as well. Now that she was the ruler of Equestria, she promised herself she would never like the feeling of another creature being turned to stone. No, she had to feel that feeling again, it felt so... nice. She would hide her secret from her sister and all of Equestria. It was coronation day now. Celestia and Luna had agreed that Celestia be the main ruler, raising and lowering the sun each day. Luna would be the lesser ruler, raising and lowering the moon and the stars each night. They would need a ruler for the Crystal Empire, but that could wait. The two new princesses would need to settle in first. A few hours later, Celestia was scouting the castle grounds, as she would need a pace to put Discord. Celestia, now Princess Celestia, found the perfect spot. It was right outside the hall where the elements were kept, and below the balcony of her room. Celestia then got a brilliant idea. She would start a garden, and sculpture garden, outside the palace that she would now be living in, as a memory to all those ponies that she would turn to stone in her pleasure in the years to come. She would lie to her sister, of course, and say that she ordered the statues from the local stonemason. Celestia smiled to herself. Yes, she thought, this would be perfect. > Chapter 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 1 30 years later Princess Celestia just couldn't sleep. She sat in her bed, staring out the window, looking at the garden. She had looked the same statue for 30 years now, and it was honestly getting quite boring. The garden needed more statues for her to look at. Celestia suddenly had an idea. To make sure Luna would not wake up until it was time to lower the moon, Celestia cast a sleeping spell on her sister. She felt kind of bad to do that to her sister, but Luna could not wake up until dawn. If she did, the consequences would be disastrous. Seeing that her sister was asleep, Celestia left Luna's room and into her own. There, she opened the door leading out to the balcony. Celestia spread her wings and jumped off the balcony, soaring off of the castle gardens. She had an idea of where to go to get a pony, where no one would make a big deal if somepony went missing. The Canterlot Orphanage. Yes, a statue of a filly or two would look nice in the garden. The orphanage was located a few minutes away from Canterlot Castle, so, given permission and weather, the foals could walk and play in the garden. Celestia always loved foals, they represented new life. But yet she was going to kidnap them to end their lives. Celestia chose to look into the second story window. Inside, she could see three earth pony fillies sleeping peacefully. Perfect. Celestia used her magic to open the window, and teleported into the room. She gently poked each of the fillies to wake them up. The fillies slowly sat up. The purple filly with a flute as her cutie mark, probably the leader of the three friends, spoke up first. "What are you do here, Miss Pony Princess?" Celestia replied softly. "Shhh, my little pony. I have chosen you for something special back at the castle. But you must never tell anypony else about this or they will want to come too. I have only selected you three for a very special job. Are you interested?" The purple filly looked to her friends, who nodded in interest. "Ok, we'll come with you, Miss Princess." "Please, just Celestia is fine. Now, I will teleport outside the window. Once I do, you will climb on my back and I will take you to Canterlot Castle. Understood?' The three fillies nodded. Celestia fired up her horn and teleported outside the window and began flapping her wings to keep her aloft. She nodded to the three fillies, who quickly climbed aboard her back. "Now, my little ponies, we must move quickly and quietly. We don't anypony to see us and get jealous because they didn't get the special job." She glanced back and saw the fillies nod. Celestia began flapping her wings harder and started driving forward. After a few minutes, they arrived at Canterlot Castle. "We must be extra quiet now, fillies. Luna has had a long day and is very tired. She needs her rest so she can lower the moon in the morning. Now, the special job is in Canterlot Gardens. Do you know where that is?" "Yes, Princess Celestia" The purple filly replied. She noticed that one of her friends, a blue filly with no cutie mark yet, named Rain. Rain seemed a little......off. The purple filly shrugged off and started following Celestia. Rain, however, was more resistant. She knew that Celestia wasn't quite telling the truth about something, she just didn't know what. Something was there, though, but she just couldn't place it. She cautiously followed her friends. Celestia was waiting for the fillies by a square stone pedestal. "Now, my little ponies, this is the special job. I need you three to model for me. You see, I am ordering a new statue from the stonemason, but I can't quite decide what I want to look like. You will model in different positions until I find on I like. Once I decide, I will return you to the orphanage. Now, if you would please get on the pedestal." The fillies got on the pedestal. Celestia used her magic to levitate them into different positions. After a few, she found one she liked.The fillies were standing on each other's backs and looking happy. The time had now come to begin the process. "When will be be done, Miss Princess?" The purple filly asked. "Right now,my little pony." Celestia replied, firing up her magic. The purple filly was at the bottom of the stack, felt a tingling sensation in her hind feet. She looked down. To her horror, she could see her back feet slowly turning to stone. " Miss Princess, what are you doing?!" "You are my new statue, little ponies. Isn't that wonderful?" Celestia replied, adding more magic. The three fillies started screaming with pain. The process was moving faster now. The purple filly was almost completely stone. "Miss Princess, please stop! It hurts!" "It has only just begun. And don't bother calling for help, no one can hear you. I put on sleeping spell on everybody at Canterlot Castle. Even Princess Luna." Celestia replied sternly, keeping her magic to hold the fillies in place, as the top one was trying to escape. "PLEASE don't escape little filly, or you will have to be punished" By now, the second filly was completely stone, and the top filly started screaming. She was clearly scared, and wanted it to stop. She hoped that this was all a nightmare, that when she woke up, she would be safe in bed. "Oh no, this is very real, little filly." Celestia said, as if reading the filly's thoughts. The process was almost over now. A few more seconds....It was over now. Celestia dropped her magic, admiring her work. She liked how this statue turned out, it being her first attempt. She looked up. It was almost dawn. Celestia went back to wake up Luna. Until next time little fillies... > Chapter 2 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Princess Celestia flew back to her balcony. It was nearly dawn now, and time to raise the sun. From her point of view, she could see Luna lowering the moon to make way for the dawn. Celestia was too tired to raise the sun now, but it was now her top priority. Equestrian life depended on the sun, and all the ponies would wonder if something was up if the sun didn't rise. Celestia spread her wings and began levitating above the balcony and firing up her horn. It was now, however, that she realized how much the process had drained her magic. She had just enough to raise the sun, fortunately. She began flapping her wings harder, flying higher into the air. She could see the sun rising over the horizon, and the moon completely gone so the sun could rise. Celestia added more magic and soon the sun was risen. Celestia landed on the balcony, looking outward towards Equestria. The dawn just made the landscape more beautiful, and she ruled over it. Celestia giggled quietly. The sun princess realized how tired she really was, having stayed up most of the night. Feeling her eyes start to droop down, Celestia crashed on her bed and fell asleep. "Tia!" Princess Luna stood outside her sister's room, trying to wake up her sister to prepare for today's royal duties. Normally Celestia would be up by now. Something was up. "Ttttiiiiaaaa!" Still no response. "TIA!" Luna shouted, using the Royal Canterlot Voice to wake up her sister. Celestia jerked awake, staring into her sister's angry face. She immediately knew that she had overslept. Judging the position of the sun, it was at least nine in the morning. It was almost time for the day court. "S-sorry Luna, I just had a rough night and I lost track of time....." Celestia replied looking down, ashamed. "That's okay Tia....just hurry up and get ready. We will meet you in the kitchen for breakfast." Luna responded backing out of the room. Celestia signed and got up, waking over to the mirror. Her ethereal mane was still in order, sparkling and flowing. If she were a mortal pony, that might have been different. She slowly put on her crown, necklace, and hoof-guards. She was ready for breakfast. Celestia met Luna in the kitchen. Her sister was already eating toast and drinking coffee. Celestia never quite understood how her sister liked the taste of coffee, as it was extremely bitter. Celestia also noticed that Luna was reading the Canterlot Times, even though she normally didn't. Luna looked up and saw her sister sitting across the table from her and eating her own toast. "Mornin' sister" Luna said, her mouth still full of toast. She swallowed the contents inside her mouth. "Have you heard that three fillies from the Canterlot Orphanage have gone missing? According to the owner of the Orphanage, they were three earth pony fillies...." Luna looked up. Celestia was frozen, her magic glowing around her piece of toast, her eyes wide with shock. "Sister, are you all right?" Luna said, looking at her sister. "Y-yes, Luna, I'm fine...." Celestia lied. "Have you sent out a search party yet?" "Yes, some of the Royal Guard are searching for them." Luna replied finishing her breakfast. "We will go and open the Day Court. Are you ready?" Celestia nodded and watched Luna leave. Once her sister was out of sight she started hyperventilating. Luna would find the statue and connect the dots, to solve where the fillies went. If that happened, she would be stripped of her title as princess and be punished. Celestia feared the worst. The white alicorn heard footsteps behind her. She whipped her head around and saw her sister standing behind her. "Sister, were did that statue of three little fillies come from? It wasn't there yesterday...." Celestia swallowed nervously. "I-I ordered a-a new statue f-from the local s-stonemason....I guess it came last night." She hoped Luna would accept that. "But Tia, why didn't you tell us?" Luna replied, looking suspiciously at her sister. "I wanted it to be a surprise, Luna....." "Oh, ok then. Day Court opens soon, Tia." Luna responded, and left. Celestia then realized that she had been holding her breath for the entire conversation. She breathed a sign of relief. Luna had bought the lie and hopefully wouldn't ask many more questions. Celestia got up from the breakfast table, put her dishes in the sink, and left to begin the Day Court. > Author's note: Cancelling > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yes, I cancelled it. The reasons behind this is because it's not turning out the way I wanted it to, and also because I'm insanely busy with schoolwork, swim team, and art requests. Maybe one day I will start it up again, but that is highly unlikely. Well, I guess if someone wanted to finish it, you could...