Pucci (1st person)
When I was young, I wanted to know what death was like.
As with any pony in their lives, we've all had that same thought at least once. Would there be another life after death? Would a gate constructed of pure gold resting upon a cloud be presented to us? The fury pits of Tarturas' darkest crevasses? Or was there simply…
Nothing?
As I sat in the frigid snow in front of her- the seemingly random thought emerging from my mind -the cold around me felt numb, as did my heart. Flashes of memories long buried reared their disembodied mugs at me, swarming my very being with their vitriol like the cruelest infection. To see a bright mare such as her reduced to such a state, to have the one pony I truly felt joy being with for so long- stripped and torn from my life all those years ago.
Those memories added only bitterness to my aching heart as I stared down a sunflower-shaped tombstone before me, my eyes clouded by tears.
In memory of
Sunflower Star Ray
968 B.B - 989 B.B
With a hoof, I wiped the incoming waterworks with a shuddering breath, a few falling and landing on the ice coating the ground above my sister's grave. The pain and stress I held back for the past week threatened to come out, but I had to hold them back; I'm not allowed to cry. By the time I reached the Cemetery gates, I barely had enough will to set up the flowers and her present before I fell to the ground.
"I'm sorry," I whisper, my voice emotionless and flat, "I'm sorry I wasn't a good brother, sister." I nearly threw up, not from my pathetic state, but because I dare call myself her brother.
What have I ever done to be called a sibling, or a normal pony, for that matter? Nothing I did alone could resemble a normal foalhood, always clinging to my sister's side because she was the only one who pitied me enough to stay with me. I wasted whatever time she had left having her worry about me. She tried to better me in any way she could. It did work somewhat, I guess. But to this day, I feel as though the ends hadn't justified the means, so to say, as I've only taken two steps forward and twenty back. I've barely changed all this time; pathetic, that's what I am. And after all that, I had the fucking gull to stick our elderly parents in a nursing home after I came of age.
I lied to myself, saying my job would leave no room to care for them.
No, I was too much of a coward to face them alone. Still too scared to even look at their faces after my mistakes. I can only imagine their hatred and spite for me after all this time, for I deserve it.
Nothing in my life: my job, my status, and…my assistant, I deserve none of it. I'm nothing more than a monster who lies and will never truly fit in.
…
I had thought about the idea for years; the pain tired me, for I longed to see my sister's smile shine brighter than Celestia's sun one last time.
Maybe I should end-
"Pucci!"
My eyes widened as a gasp escaped me in my sudden state of shock, but I dared not look up at the pony I regretted meeting the most: Moondancer. I left her behind so she couldn't see this, how did she find me?
"H-Hey, what are you doing here?" Don't look up, "I was looking all over for you, ya know." Don't look up, "Ponyville is sure rowdy tonight, eh? You've missed out on a bunch of fun stuff too." Don't you dare look up! "It's really a shame, though. Celestia said we had to be up early to start our training tomorrow. So we should-"
The crunching snow of her approaching hoofsteps stops close to my right, and so does her voice. "Are you…crying?" She asked after a moment, concern practically dripping from her tone.
From the corner of my blurry eyes, I saw her start to sit on the ground next to me. Not wanting her to see my weakness, I lowered my head and faced away, ignoring a tender hoof touching my back. "What happened? Are you hurt?! Do you need a-" Again, her voice dies out. Stealing a peek at Moondancer, I instantly drew my gaze back as the grimace on my face deepened. "Oh, so that's…what you meant earlier." She says, her tone taking on a more solemn sound.
She had seen her.
"Why…are you here?" I managed to speak through gritted teeth, poorly hiding the sadness from my voice.
Seconds passed before she answered, "As I said, it's getting late, sir. And I was worried about you, so I came looking and…I-" Once again, her words lost themselves in her throat, bringing back the wretched silence for another moment. "Do you want to talk about this when we get home?"
"Do you…think I'm a bad pony, Moondancer?" I asked, the question slipping from my mind.
"...of course not; why would I?" She said with an uneasy laugh that quieted down shortly after I failed to react. "What's this about?" My heart sank at what I thought to be hate in her tone. "Ever since we came back, no, ever since the whole DIO fiasco, you acted so…distant, like you're a completely different stallion- not the stoic and calm Pucci I know. Every time you do something, because of my safety, you seem to willingly put yourself in harm's way even if there is no need to!"
Much to my chagrin, I felt Moondancer's hooves grip my shoulder and forcibly spin me to face her; I still advert my eyes downward.
"I'm more scared FOR you than for myself, boss! All of this isn't adding up. I get that you want to protect me, and I'm thankful for it, but I feel there's more to this than your leading on. Tell me, was there any point in lying besides to protect me?"
"No."
"Was there any reason you ran into the Everfree forest and nearly got killed; to join a secret organization without my knowledge?"
"...No."
"Lies!" Moondancer shouted, "You're awful at lying- even more so at hiding your feelings from me. I can tell something's wrong; it hurts to see you like this! Please let me help. Tell me why are you hurting, Pucci Star Ray?!"
"...I'm…tired."
As the words left my mouth, I slowly raised my head to look at Moondancer to see concern and confusion written on her face. My whispered words disappeared into the nightly air, quickly drowned out by the howling wind rolling by.
"I…don't think I deserve to live," I repeated, a shuddering gasp escaping Moondancers lips, "Moondancer, you were the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I regret you having to deal with me." I look back at the tombstone, Moondancers hooves moving away from my shoulders, "You remind me so much of her, a bright, young mare full of life and passion, even if you don't show it, the exact opposite of me." Swallowing the titanic-sized lump in my throat, I turned back to Moondancer, a sad smile on my muzzle. " I allow myself to get hurt because I've ruined so much already, and I'm terrified to lose you because of my foolishness." I bitterly chuckle.
"...What does that mean?" Moondancer asked, her face of horror darkening with narrowed eyes, the tone of her voice accompanied by an edge.
"Due to my idiocy, I have forsaken my dear sister's name for so long. She tried to cheer me up though I was a lost cause; even on her deathbed, she wasted her time on me. I know I can't do anything right, so I'm scared to hurt you as well; but I've done enough of that this past week, haven't I?" lowering my gaze, my smile wavered, "In spite of every attempt to keep you from getting involved, I failed. You should leave me. Go somewhere where my mistakes can't hurt you-"
Before I could see it coming, a buttermilk-colored hoof flew toward my face, striking me on my right cheek and sending me to the ground with a grunt. Shaking the daze from my head and holding my cheek, I looked at where the hoof came from, shocked by Moondancers expression. It was now a mix of many things: horror, anger, concern, and even…pity. She breathed heavily, her chest rising and falling deeply as her tears only increased.
"You damn… hypocrite!" She choked out, letting her raised hoof down onto the ground, "In the hospital, you said I shouldn't say I'm a burden, that it was okay to make mistakes. But here you are, thinking you should…die." She said, the last word coming out like a coat of venom. "All because you did something in the past. Look, I don't fully know why you're acting like this, and I'm not sure I ever will. However, it's clear something is hurting you on the inside, something you need to get off your chest." Sitting on the ground, she looked into my wet eyes with the most concern I've seen anypony give to me, resting her hoof on mine.
Unfortunately, my grimace refused to go away. Instead, I choked back another onslaught of threatening tears as I sat up, "I…I can't, Moondancer." I replied.
"Then that's okay!" She said while raising my hoof to chest height, encasing it with her other hoof. "You don't have to, not right now. Please, let me tell you something, sir." She pleaded. My only response was a barely noticeable nod, but it was enough for her to understand my affirmation. "For all my life, I never felt…right around other ponies. Other than Twilight, I was the second "egghead" in the class that didn't care for others. And when Twilight got to study under Celestia years later, leaving my birthday to go to another town to make friends without a word, I felt like she betrayed me." Moondancer grimaced, apparently thinking back to said events. "I was so spiteful, pushing others away and drowning myself in my studies because: "if my closest friend left me without saying anything, what's the point of having others if they're going to do the same?" And I effectively became a hermit."
"That was until she returned to Canterlot, ended up throwing a party for me after I tried to push her away like the others. But on that day, Twilight showed me that I didn't need to be alone and hate myself because of a mistake." A small smile formed on her muzzle as my ears perked, but fell a second later. "I had made friends, old and new, but I was still missing something- a purpose. Between trying to become more social and making friends, the line separating the old and new me was blurred; I felt like a stranger in my own body."
A gasp lurched from my muzzle as Moondancer closed the gap between us, wrapping her forelegs around my barrel and resting her head on my shoulder. "That was until I met you, a slightly awkward astronomer who tried his best to look serious." She chuckled lightly, "You gave me a purpose during a time when I felt like I had none. You gave me a job, income, and, most importantly, your friendship." I couldn't hold them back any longer.
"Moondancer, stop." I begged, tears flowing down the left side of my face, "just leave me; the things I've done are unforgivable!" I tried to pry myself off the mare, but my forelegs couldn't follow through.
"No, I won't," She said, "I hold our friendship in the highest regard more than any other pony. You and I know things are going to be hard from now on, but I'll lift you up like you would with me. I need you as much as you need me; we are a pair that can never be separated. I'm your assistant, no matter what. If you need help, I'll be there."
Her voice was so soft and caring that I wanted to pass out, there and then, in her forelegs. Instead, I lost my voice and will to argue with Moondancer, letting my head rest on her left shoulder in silence. For the longest time, we sat there in the frigid snow in front of my sister's grave, embracing one another tenderly as everything I was previously holding in melted away. She was like her, and as much as I wanted to deny Moondancer, the warmth from both her body and my heart made me want to stay like this for the longest time.
She was too good for me, that's for sure.
—-
Dio Morningstar (3rd person)
"I don't need to waste time sitting around with my head up my flank!" Roared Dio, his voice reverberating off the unseen walls of the darkened meeting room.
Above, light from a large, silver chandelier shined down upon an equally sized round table made of black marble covered by a red cloth at which Dio sat, a statue of a strange figure in the middle.
The figurine depicted a demonic alicorn skeleton, its teeth sharp as knives, horns jagged and chipped, and claws ending at the end of its limbs. Covering the statue's body was a tattered cloak, its front appendages put together in front of its chest and its back claws dangling underneath with its wings fully spread.
It had been a while since Dio and his, unfortunately, unsuccessful recruit last met, and a shorter time when he ordered Ox heart to take care of him, to less than favorable results. Now the book he's been searching for is missing now, and Pucci's whereabouts are still unknown. That last one happens when your second general is a disrespectful pile of fecal matter that's barely responded in the past three days. When Dio got his hooves on him, he wished his pathetic life had ended a hundred years ago! Sadly, there wasn't much he could do at the moment, seeing as though he's been waiting in the dark meeting room for over two hours for his fellow commandments.
Looking to the right, Dio quickly picked up on the sound of hoofsteps finally closing in on the table. Much like Dio, the positioned light above obscured their faces with the surrounding darkness to keep up an air of secrecy, leaving only light-green eyes to glare back at him.
"I suggest reframing from throwing a fit like the last time, Morningstar." The deep-voiced newcomer sneered, not flinching as Dio growled hatefully at the unseen stallion. The second stallion then rolled his eyes, looking to the left at an empty spot. "But I must agree. I have an empire to run, so don't waste MY time getting all prissy when we can't even see your face." He huffed arrogantly.
From the shadows where the second stallion was looking, another came forth.
With a disappointed sigh, the third stallion calmly sat in his chair, a pair of sky-blue eyes looking back at the other ponies with a hint of annoyance. "Must you two be so impatient?" A professional-sounding voice rhetorically asked.
A sarcastic huff came from the second stallion, a pair of pink muscular hindlegs propping themselves on the marble table. "Excuse me for my reluctance to show myself, especially since this meeting revolves around Morningstar's screw-up." He grunted in annoyance, ignoring Dio's glare. "If he hadn't lost the damn book, we wouldn't be here right now." Looking towards the now enraged Dio, the table shook as the yellow clade stallion shot up from his chair and slammed his front hooves onto its surface.
"For the last time, it was my incompetent general's fault!" He shouted, pointing a hoof at the green-eyed stallion.
"Generals that were under your command, 3rd commandment," The third stallion interjected, receiving a side glare from Dio. "Your orders were to retrieve the book from the old castle. Instead, your meat-headed general, the minotaur, mistook it for a random tome- why~?" He drew out, waiting for Dio to respond, the yellow stallion expression taking on a subtle grimace. "Because you forgot to give him a description, then it was taken by a royal search party cleaning out the place like they were spring cleaning not long after. On top of that, you go looking around for recruits without my permission. You don't have room to talk when it comes to incompetence." The third stallion scolded, making Dio go silent as he reluctantly sat back down.
He then switched his sights on the second stallion, who was stifling a laugh at Dio's misfortune. "Need I remind you of your commander's failure?" He threatened.
With another eye roll, the second stallion kicked his hind legs off the table. "Unlike Morningstar, I had no control over what happened. I control the drug market. One of my generals handles the financial and underground trading markets; the other handles overseas and local affairs. When the book suddenly showed in one of the MANY auction houses one of my generals runs, you can take it up with him." Glancing back at Dio, the second stallion's muzzle grew an evil smirk, his eyes narrowing.
"Besides, your poor leadership had made this whole operation, which we had been working on for centuries, mind you, needlessly complicated. By the way, how's that rouge general of yours doing?" He snickered.
"MIND YOUR TONGUE, LESS YOU WANT TO LOSE IT!" Dio roared, standing from his seat again while summoning his stand, the bizarre figure holding their forelegs on either side of Dio's head. The figure had a muscular build, wearing strange armor akin to a scuba diver who swam in yellow paint, which had a semblance to its master.
"OH, YOU'RE ONE TO TALK ABOUT LOSING THINGS!" The green-eyed stallion shouted back as he followed suit, summoning his stand that hid by the darkness.
But just before the two stallions duked it out in the meeting room, yellow and pink objects shot out of the shadows near the third stallion at blinding speeds. Before the two could react, the flying objects impacted their left and right forelegs respectively, closely followed by an explosion of blood that coated their side of the table in the crimson substance. Their widened eyes followed as small cubes of their flesh fell from where their forelegs should have been, landing on the table and floor below with a sickening splat.
Tension filled the room as the two previously arguing stallions fell silent and turned their attention to the third stallion, whose calm eyes shot a harsh glare at them.
"Sit. Down." He demanded.
Not a syllable escaped the two stallion's lips as they sat quietly in their seats.
The third stallion's eyes lost their glare as he took a calming breath, returning to their neutral appearance. "For our plan to topple Equestria's rule to come to fruition, we must not repeat our blunders. These previous "accidents" will not happen again, am I clear?" He asked, receiving nods from the two other stallions. "Good. You two will keep an eye out in your respective fields, and I expect the book to be found quickly alongside its key." The third stallion's chair elected a scraping sound as it pushed back, the stallion standing up as he turned away.
"This pointless meeting is adjourned, go." Was the last thing the third stallion said before disappearing into the shadows.
The two remaining ponies waited until the sound of a door opening and closing reached their ears, to which Dio let out a relieved sigh, disguising it as irritation. Not that he'll ever admit to the sudo-leader of Tierra muerta had struck some fear into his heart.
"Since this is over, I'm returning to my job." The second stallion said, recalling his stand. "If you're going to-" he grunted in pain, wincing as he held the bleeding foreleg at his side. "-continue to be useless: I suggest you tread carefully, Morningstar. If my head goes because of your tomfoolery, my generals aren't going to take too kindly to that." He said in a threatening tone, taking immense pleasure in seeing a twinge of fear in Dio's eyes. A dark laugh passed his lips, and the green eyes disappeared into the dark, followed by the smell of burning air.
Now alone with his thoughts, Dio sat back in his seat, leaning his head to the side with a hoof covering his mouth in contemplation. As much as he hated to admit it, the two other commandments had a point: his generals' idiocy would be the downfall of his plan.
"No matter," Dio chuckled menacingly, his eyes narrowing dangerously, "I already know where we're keeping her ashes. All I need to do is find the pony who took the book and track down the arrow before those two get to them first." The first task would be simple, but the latter would take too much time. The best course of action was to send some of his forces down to Manehatten for a small visit, another looking into high magic spike across Equss.
Yes, it lacked refining, but his genius plan would work; he knew fate was in his favor.
By the time all of this was over, neither Equestria as a whole nor his comrades would be able to stop him.
His rise to godhood was nigh.