mylittlejamjar | Fourteenth Starfall [visual, dated after Native!Luna's post]

So, hey. I've got a question, now that th'world is back to what passes for "normal" 'round here.

What do you do if it turns out that you've been livin' a lie all your life? Not, like, in the Mayfield sense, but... what if you thought you were a hero and you turned out to only be hurtin' people, or...

[Flare goes quiet, and glances away.]

...or what if you believed you were cursed, only t'find out it was all in your head, and you were only holdin' yourself back? What do you do when you find that sorta thing out?

[Private to Zetta]

Hey. Overlord. I wanted to apologize for not believing you and assuming you were the one who let Grand Lord Suckface out of Tartarus. Seemed like the sort of thing you'd do in order to get his power for your own, or t'create a threat so that you had your own personal army at your beck and call.

I was wrong. In order to make it up to you... well, I ain't about to become your minion or suck up to you, but if you wanna take Rarity someplace fancy sometime, just lemme know and I'll work out all the bullcrap with getting you some spots. Your drinks are covered for the next month if you want to come down to the Decanter, too.

So... sorry.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

My mark. It ain't what I thought it was. Now I have no idea what I was supposed t'be, even if it doesn't change who I am.

[If it were up to Cruelly, she'd turn this into a frustrating yet ultimately rewarding Reaper Challenge. However, Fluttershy takes control.]

Um, how exactly did you get it?

That's... a long story. One you probably won't like, either. Still wanna hear it?

[Fluttershy takes on a motherly tone, trying to reassure and comfort Flare.]

It isn't good to keep this all on your own shoulders. Don't worry. We'll be fine. I've felt the strifes and pains of all of Equestria for a time, so this shouldn't be too hard on me.

But the important thing is you need help. We'll gladly help you, and that begins with your story.

All of your Equestria, maybe. As far as I know, mine's the only one that had the Proxy Element program... or the Celestial and Lunar Temples, for that matter.

Which is... where I guess we need to start. Back in my Equestria, alicorns? They're literally gods. Priests pray to them for providence, their powers over the sun, the moon, love, friendship... those are things that normal ponies can't control. Not to that degree, and sure as heck not alone. Even in the days before the Sisters, back before Discord ruled, it took an entire country of unicorns to even get the sun and moon moving, and that was on its routine schedule. They couldn't call for an emergency sundown like Celestia could, for example.

So... the princesses were held on a bit higher of a pedestal than they are here.

Edited 2015-04-13 01:32 (UTC)

[That's actually sort of how Alicorns work in her world, too. Though it's a little different as Alicorns don't have any regrets. They're incapable of it. Having regrets means they can change history to their whims in order to correct said regrets. Fluttershy nearly became one, but instead chose to still be a Pegasus. Fluttershy understands the choice to revere the alicorns in that way. Many people also revere them in that way in her own world.

She doesn't really say anything, only awaiting more of the story patiently.]

[Flare gives a deep sigh, bathering herself. She'd wanted to tell somepony about all this, but could never figure out where to start. Now she just had to run at it full-speed and hope she doesn't miss anything.]

That also meant that the fight between Celestia and Nightmare Moon? That wasn't just a battle between royalty, or alicorns, but a full-fledged holy war. To this day, there are still militant factions who think Nightmare Moon knew the One True Way for ponies to live, who think the reformed Princess Luna is just a brainwashed puppet of Celestia and seek to restore her to her "true power". It's because of them - the Full-Moon Nightmares, as they're called - that the Lunar Temples all got razed, save for one that was still left buried under Fillydelphia's foundations.

[Flare shakes her head. The Lunar Temple Incident wasn't important to this. Not really.]

But it also meant that the Celestial Priesthood wasn't just sitting on their laurels, and it sure as buck meant that Twilight wasn't the only one that knew about the thousand year prophecy. As the years crept closer and closer to Nightmare Moon's escape with no Element Bearers in sight since the days of her imprisonment, the priesthood started panicking. They started... recruiting, looking for ponies that could fit those six qualities. That was the Proxy Element program, something done behind Celestia's back for years. They'd gather up six ponies of varying age who fit the traits of the elements, and throw them into dangerous situations in hopes of getting the Elements of Harmony to respond. I got in trouble a lot in flight school, and one day someone dug up the fact that I've got some sort of... special quality other ponies don't have, I don't remember specifics. That plus how I acted, well. They wanted to recruit me as a Proxy Bearer of Honesty, and my mom - as usual - was too drunk to even give a damn. If anything, I think the damn nag saw it as an excuse for someone else t'raise me so that she'd have more time t'focus on getting drunk and sleepin' with anyone with a pulse.

[Rrh. No, stay on topic, Flare. No getting mad at your mother now.]

Anyway. I got shoved into a Proxy Element group with five other ponies - Lickety Split, Sky Shimmer, Summer Monsoon, Posey, and Fireball. And they threw us into a dangerous situation, for damn sure. See... somethin' about the alignment of the planets was riling up the titans - the starbeasts, that is. Ursa Majors are one thing, but...

[And with that, Flare sighs.]

Somethin' had gotten a Cygnus right ticked off, and if somepony - or someponies - couldn't stop it, it would've demolished Manehattan in a day or less.

Omigoodness...

[That sounds way different from the Equestria that The Flutters are from. Sure, Fluttershy is still worshipped as Her Kindnesty, but the holy war thing and proxy elements are different than what she's used to. In her world, there can be multiple Element Bearers. Fluttercruel has Kindness and The One and Only Trixie has Magic.

Fluttershy thinks she sees where this story is going and isn't exactly face-to-face for better emotional support.]

Um... Should we continue this story face-to-face... i- if you want?

Eh... why not. I could use some coffee.

You still drink that, or is that Cruelly's thing?

Um, I'm not really into coffee, but... I... guess I can try? As long as it's not as bitter as Fluttercruel likes it...

[She doesn't think she can handle that.]

...You remember the place where Cruelly and York got together for coffee? They serve milder stuff, too. Ask 'em for a latte macchiato and they'll give you something that'll settle pretty well.

[Flare nods.]

Meet you there when I can. Gimme like twenty at most.

[Fluttershy nods.]

We never stopped going there to get Fluttercruel coffee. We'll be sure to ask them.

Okay. Um, we'll see you when you come.

[With that, The Flutters close up the scroll.]

[It takes a little while for Flare to finish up her conversation (and cuddling) with Harvey, but when she finally does, she's out the door and to the air. The benefit of being a pegasus, even a slow one? Is that you can fly over buildings if you're in a hurry.

Thus, it's about fifteen minutes all in all before the mare lands right outside the coffee shop, pushing open the door and scanning the tables like... well, like a cop looking for a wanted pony. Old habits die hard.]

Fourteenth Starfall [visual, dated after Native!Luna's post]

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