The Princesses waited impatiently for the guards return. The two quietly sitting at their thrones their tales tucked between their legs. A big downfall had overpowered them ever since that guard came with the news.
"I can't wait for them no more." Sighed Celestia "They are taking far too long."
Luna had been glancing through the window for some time. She tapped the window seal when she cached a glimpse of the guards. Four of them. Carrying something unrecognizable.
“There they come.” She pointed out motioning her sister to the window. “And they bring whatever scared them.”
And whatever that is was covered with a saddle bag and carelessly carried over by two gods. As if it was a giant rag doll.
They were both impatient. And so they trotted over to the foyer. Ready to greet the guards and have a glimpse of the rag doll.
Celestia in all her glory stomped in front of the two guards. They were both quivering and ready to drop the thing.
“Here your majesty.” One of them said. “We can’t bear to hold this…this” He was scrambling for some words to describe it. But none came to mind except “Sinner.”
The two Princesses glanced at each other puzzled by the word. ‘Sinner?’
“Take off the saddle bag.” Luna demanded. And the guards quickly dropped the bag. Whatever was inside squirmed in pain? With fear overpowering the guards arm he still managed to take off the bag.
It was a horrible sight indeed.
It was just a normal pony…full with blood and appendages of any innocent pony. She wore a blue navy dress that was all ripped and splattered with crimson liquid. Her hair was all drenched in blood and her muzzle had experienced serious bruises.
She quivered in pain. And even though she was a bloody mess…she was still beautiful.
Her hair was the perfect tone of chocolate and her eyes were an intoxicating emerald. And her coat was like milk blending with light caramel.
She had a horn. A very curious horn. It was silver with weird floral carvings in it. Like a knife. Also splattered in blood.
Celestia and Luna were in awe.
Luna’s muzzle was quivering to turn in to a smile. Until the mare shot her a furious look.
“LET ME GO!” She screamed. Fighting with the appendages.
One of the maidens entered through the doors. She freezes in her tracks once she saw the mare.
“Light heart.” Said Celestia to ‘Light heart’. “Please clean this mare. Make sure there’s no more blood in any corner of her quivering body.”
Light Heart only nodded. And with the help of the guards they escorted the mare.
“This cannot be!” She fought. “I forgot about this place years ago!”
Celestia shot her a glare before looking at the guard. “And you didn’t see anything.”
The guard just nodded and trotted back through the door.
Once they made sure they didn’t hear anymore hoof steps, Celestia started to interrogate her sister.
“How did you know? Is there something you want to tell me?!”
“I don’t know what you’re fighting me for. “ Luna replied.
There was no one to blame here. It was just Luna’s prayer answered.
“It’s just that.” Continued Celestia. “You don’t just say something and it happens suddenly. It’s not possible.”
“What about magic?” That little statement made Celestia freeze in her tracks.
“Magic is one thing Luna. But it has nothing to do with this conversation.”
“But aren’t you glad?” Luna placed her right hoof onto her sister’s shoulder. Her eyes full with joy that it wasn’t there fifteen minutes ago.
“She has come back to us! But why is she a pony…?”
Celestia gave a heavy side before trotting toward the door.
“Don’t you get it Luna? Alice isn’t the same anymore! If you don’t recall she destroyed our worlds. That made us separate from Wonderland. Alice means chaos to our peaceful land.”
Luna made a quick pace with her sister once the door knocked. She was looking for what sentence to say next to withdraw Celestia’s fight. But again she had won.
The doors flew open. And in came a guard and Light Heart. Her coat soaking wet and a little of blood here or there.
“She’s quite clean your majesty. She’s outside.”
Celestia waved a hoof motioning the two to bring the mare in. “Bring her in and leave us alone.”
As if the mare was listening all this time (And it’s pretty clear she was) without further ado she entered.
As if she owed the world. She trotted toward the two sisters. And Light Heart and the guard went their way.
Luna had this incredible desire to just embrace her. But the way she looked made her retreat and does nothing.
There was an awkward silence. To Luna it felt as if she was falling through an abyss. Not able to say any words. And her glare broke her heart. It was full of hatred.
That hatred wasn’t in her eyes before. Why is there now? What did they do?
She finally broke the silence with a repeated question.
“What am I doing here?”
Luna opened her mouth as if to speak. But you know that feeling you have. As if you have a bag full of water trapped between your throat and your mouth. You can’t speak so you shut up. Well, she could speak but the fear that she would explode had her in an edge.
So Celestia took the opportunity to explain.
“Alice. It’s so nice to. Have you back. What brings you to our whereabouts?”
Alice placed her flank in the floor. Leaving her attack position. She knew she wasn’t going to get hurt. But you can never be too sure right?”
“Something tells me you’re not glad. And I’m not sure what I’m doing here either.”
Celestia with her magic levitated a glass of water over to the mare. A treat for her thirst.
Alice quickly took the glass with her hooves. But with too much pressure given upon them the glass shattered. And it scraped her fragile skin. She was now bleeding and with thirst.
“Damn it! I can’t get a hold of these hoofs! Why am I a horse?!”
“A pony.” Corrected Luna. “You’re a pony. And we don’t know either.”
Alice gave a frustrated groan. She wiped the blood off with her dress. As if she cared. She was already used to her dress being a bloody mess.
“Alice please explain. How did you end up here?”
Alice pondered on some words to use. She sighed and started to explain.
“I was in London. Walking. NO I was running away from someone. You have to forgive me I have limited memory consisting of what happened over there.”
Celestia started to poor another glass of water for her. “It’s quite alright. Just continue.”
Celestia placed the glass on the floor. And Alice started to drink it like a dog.
She wiped off the water drops off her muzzle and continued.
“And so I remember falling off a building. And landing in Wonderland. After I encountered the Cheshire cat and followed him to the Vale of Tears. There was a strange blue orb. I don’t know what happened that it exploded. Cheshire tried to save me but I ended up falling. Falling until I landed here. I don’t know why I was splattered in blood. Maybe there were enemies around and I didn’t notice. But the whole fall here wasn’t pretty. “
Luna was awestruck. Celestia just starred at Alice up and down.
“Well maybe that’s why you’re a pony?”
Alice didn’t see the logic in that. Alice could be anything! Anything she wanted. No obscure magic could change her. But why did she want to be a pony? That was out of limit. At least for her.
“In any case I won’t be here for too long. I’ll just wake up back in London. Maybe whoever was following me already caught me. So I won’t be surprised if I’m tangled up in a messy situation.”
Celestia wandered around the room. Trying to face anything but Alice.
“Do whatever you want. Just try to keep the madness to yourself.”
“Sister!” Gasped Luna. Turning in favor of Alice.
“Don’t worry Luna I see I’m not wanted here.” Alice said turning her back and heading toward the door.
“Sister! Please at least give her a chance! Wonderland may not be at all bad.” Luna always had this impulse that made her insist to things. But Alice’s gaze made her just wonder if she really was wrong. She knew she was wrong. But she always had the hope to go back to her homeland.
“Is it?”
Alice gave her a pity look. It hurt her even to think in anyway how wonderland is corrupted. It hurt her to see Luna have that tiny spark.
“It’s hell.” She replied. “In any way that’s why I’m glad you made this decision. This may be the only place that wasn’t corrupted. A sign that says I’m not completely insane.”
“But either way.” Said Celestia heading toward the pair. “The ground you touch is the ground you destroy.”
Alice gave a little sneer to Celestia’s comment. Followed by a grin. “You’re starting to sound like the red queen.”
Celestia became enraged with the comment. “Do not compare me to her! I’m just trying to protect my people from harm!”
“Harm that will eventually reach. I’m sorry Celestia. I’m glad for the job you made. But I know my mind. Sooner or later you’ll be…”
She did a little pause to see both of the mare’s reaction to whatever she said. “Doomed.”
Celestia gave up the fight. She was right. Her madness is untamable. And in Equestria there are always new threats. It’s in a whisper away when Wonderland reaches them.
Celestia was lost in a train of thoughts. Meanwhile Luna decided to greet her friend.
“Alice I did miss you.” Those words made Alice snap back and look at Luna. “And I waited for your returns ever since time can tell.”
Alice just stepped back a bit from her shadow. “But I don’t know why. Your sister’s right. I am a mess. I don’t want to harm you.”
Luna smiled. She did care. She wasn’t as harmless as Celestia depicted.
“You won’t.” She said as she embraced the mare. It caught Alice off guard. She wasn’t used to such affection.
“Do whatever you want Alice.” Celestia interrupted the moment. “Go out stay whatever. If you’re so sure you will wake up. Just stay out of harm’s way.”
Alice was beginning to get tired of Celestia’s hostility. “Now who do you think you are?!”
The princess shot her a look. Alice was already flaring up. Ready to explode.
“You don’t rule over me! This is my mind! I have more power over you!”
This was now a lost case. It was true. Alice created this world. It just happens that Celestia and Luna got the authorization to rule it.
Celestia gave a heavy sigh. “Alright then what do you want to do?”
“Just give me a chance to see the place.” Said Alice. Who was having trouble with her dress? Like it was suffocating her.
“To see if everything’s fine. Later I’ll see if I come back if I don’t wake up.”
At that last sentence Alice couldn’t help it anymore and ripped apart her dress. To reveal a couple of beige wings. “These are new.”
Luna quickly went to grab some cloth.
“If you’re going out.” Said Celestia. “You can’t show those wings.”
Luna came and draped Alice with the cloth. As some type of dress.
“Why not?” Wondered Alice.
“You just can’t. You need to be as normal as possible. Alicorns are only part of royalty.”
“Well that’s stupid.” Alice murmured.
Celestia decided to ignore the comment given by the mare. “And please don’t say anything about you to the other ponies.”
Alice raised a brow to the princess. “What do you mean?”
“Sister you don’t really mean that do you?” Said Luna trying to have some action in the conversation.
“No one should now about her! Anything about Wonderland or the fact that she is our creator.”
Alice trotted to Celestia’s side. Still keeping her distance from the raging princess.
“Why not? They must know me.”
“They don’t. That’s the thing.” Said Celestia gazing out the window. All those ponies having a good time with friends and family. It was peaceful.
“Why not?!” Said a frantic Alice. “You never told them of me?! Why? They must think they are real!”
“Yes but it also might catch them off guard to know they are the delusions of a mad woman!”
Her screams echoed all through the giant room. It caught both Luna and Alice off guard.
Luna never witnessed her sister in such temper.
Alice gave her back to both sisters. And opened the door. She wasn’t going to tolerate bad temper. She already has enough of that.
“I’m going out. Don’t wait up for me.”
She left the room. Now there was the empty void of Celestia’s hollow voice. Luna’s amazement. And the hoof steps of who was Alice.
“Nice job sister. Can’t you just find some forgiveness in your heart? Is not her fault you know?” Said Luna. Returning to her throne.
“Luna.” Sighed Celestia. “Ever since the fire. Alice has been long gone from us.”
