Prince of Equestria - A Whole New Animal, Part 5

>You feel like you’re falling.
>Voices…like whispers on the fringe of your perception.
>”Hi…I’m Anonym…who are you?”
>Giggles echo in your memory as you twist around, trying to find the source.
>”I’m…I’m Luna…it’s nice to meet you…”
>What is this?
>You feel a chill on your soul as a familiar voice speaks up.
>”You’ve slept long enough, Anon. Time to wake up!”
>You’re overcome by a bright light.
>And the scent of…sunflowers.
>You awake not with a start, but slowly, as if roused by the dawning of the sun.
>Fine white hairs tickle your nose as you stir, soft feathers threading between your fingers.
>It’s warm…you nuzzle in to the coat as you hear the sound of a single heartbeat.
>You wriggle, and in response the body you are snuggled up against stirs as well.
>A mass on your shoulder lifts up, drawing your gaze to follow it.
“Mom…”
>Celestia sniffs and wipes a tear away with her wing, a relieved smile creeping across her face.
>”Anon…you’re awake…thank the stars…”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRZdDiilkvU
>The alicorn princess reaches down and nuzzles you in the face.
>You’re still groggy, but you reach up and hug Celestia’s head as she nuzzles your face.
>You can smell the salt from the tears that stain her coat.
>You wince as she keeps nuzzling you.
“Mooommm….I’m fine, I promise. You’re embarrassing me…”
>Celestia just giggles as you rub your eyes.
>”Yes…I suppose you are.”
>Celestia frowns again as she looks down at the floor.
>”I thought…when I saw you…what was happening…I thought I was going to lose you…”
>You see a tear streak down Celestia’s cheek.
>You’ve never seen her cry before.
>When she started sobbing, something stirred in you.
>You don’t like the sight of this one bit.
>Screw it, you don’t care if you’re embarrassed.
>You stand and wrap your arms tight around Celestia’s neck, allowing yourself to bury your face in her warm coat.
“I’m sorry Mom…I love you.”
>Celestia smiles and wraps her wing around you, rubbing her cheek against the crown of your head.
>Although she’s still crying, these tears seemed…alright.
>”I love you too, my son…”
>You let go of her after a moment.
>You take a look around. Golden light dances off the walls, adorned in scrolls in tapestries.
>Various items sit on pedestals and racks throughout the room.
“Wh…where am I?”
>Celestia gets to her hooves. “We’re in the Royal Canterlot Archives…”
>She beckons around the room with her wing.
>”We’re in a wing that only the immediate royal family may enter.”
“So…I can…”
>”Yes. Because as the last human in all of Equestria, by birthright, everything in here belongs to you.”
>You gasp audibly.
>”This…is all that remains of Humanity’s mark on Equestria.”
>You wander around, trying to make sense of everything you’re seeing.
>So much of it you’ve never seen before…but some of it looks familiar.
“Mom…what happened? To the humans…when I touched the sword, I saw…a dream…”
>Celestia walks up next to you, looking up at a large tapestry in the middle of the room.
>”I’m not entirely sure…a long time ago, when I was about your age, the Humans came to Equestria.”
>With a flicker of light, Celestia’s horn glows, illuminating the tapestry. You follow along as she tells her story.
>”The humans were unique, a species devoid of inheirent magical ability. They could not tap into the magical leylines that cross this world, either subconsciously like earth and pegasus p0nies, or consciously like the unicorns.”
>You stand enraptured.
>”However…they were able to advance and survive through science, and invention. They possessed a warrior’s fire, and noble souls. They came to us in our hour of need…and in return for our magic, they granted us two gifts.”
>Celestia motioned to another tapestry, one that possessed two spheres. One golden like the sun, one stark white as the moon.
>The sun symbol contains the image of some kind of hammer. The other…the sword.
>”They showed us how we could combine our magic with their science to advance both our races…and they offered their blades in our defense.”
“So…why are they gone now?”
>Celestia sighs and sits down, looking straight at you.
“I don’t know…we were at war with the Minotaurs, when they suddenly abandoned our borders and lay siege to their homelands…they left…and they were never seen again.”
>She smiles at you as she walks up to you.
>”Until I found you, at least.”
>You look crestfallen as you feel a hole in your chest.
>Were…were you really the last of your kind?
>”Anon…come here a moment.”
>You walk over to your mother, who suddenly looks seriously worried.
“What is it?”
>”Do you remember your magic lessons with Crescent Sparkle?”
“Yeah…why?”
>”Show me.”
>Is she serious? She knows you can’t do magic.
>Anon, see her expression?
>Yeah?
>It’s the same one from when you dyed Blueblood’s mane hot pink.
>Yep, she’s serious.
>You sigh and hold out your hands, palms up.
>Magic is a force of will…with the strength of will, you can…
>Boom.
>A shockwave of raw, dark blue magical energy leaps from your hands, forcing you back like an explosion as artifacts are sent flying across the room.
>Celestia blinks in surprise, barely able to react in time to catch you in a magical field before your head gets introduced to the wall.
>”As I suspected…”
>Wow…what just happened?
“Mom…what happened to me?”
>Celestia shakes her head again, her horn glowing as she fishes an artifact out from the mess.
>”I’m not entirely sure…but whatever happened when you grabbed the sword in the temple below the city, it’s given you an ability no human has ever had.”
>Is this…is this the gift the voice told you about?
>The final desire of a dying woman?
>Your train of thought is derailed when you feel Celestia place something on your head.
>You take it off. It’s a silver circlet with a round jewel in the center.
>The jewel reminds you of the night sky.
>”Put that on Anon…”
>You obey.
“Okay…but what does it do?”
>Celestia walks up next to you as the two of you start to leave.
“It’s a relic…it was designed to act as a focal point for humans who were able to tap into magic. It’ll help your…control.”
>She smiles.
>“I was going to give it to you for your birthday, but something tells me you need it sooner than that.”
>You deadpan. Gee, thanks.
“So…mom…”
>”Yes, anon?”
“Am…I in trouble? You know…for sneaking out…and…going…you know…”
>Celestia looks down at you.
>Your jimmies sprout hairs in odd places and rustles with a high, scratchy pitch.
>”You better believe it.”

-------------

>Was this your punishment?
“Mom…can’t I just go to my lessons?”
>Celestia looks down at you, walking beside you as you pass through the castle gates.
>You don’t know what she has in store, but if you’re leaving the palace…
>You wonder if the moon was nice this time of year.
>Unfortunately, you’re not going to the moon.
>You and Celestia stop outside a small, red building, almost big enough for one room.
>You’re fairly certain this wasn’t here yesterday.
>”I’ll be back this afternoon to pick you up Anon.”
>…
>”Don’t cause any trouble.”
>And with a flash, Celestia is gone.
>You gulp and step inside.
>…what is this?
>It’s Cadence and Shining Armor! They’re sitting at desks…school desks?
>And there’s…cousin Blueblood.
>Guess this is a punishment after all.
>Crescent Sparkle clears his throat, drawing your attention.
>”If our tardy prince would care to take the seat next to my son, we can begin today’s lesson…”
>You spy an open seat between Armor and Cadence.
>…
>You don’t believe you’ve ever smiled so broadly before.
http://youtu.be/2X_2IdybTV0
>This is your life now.
>Spending your days learning all you need to know.
>You spend them with Shining Armor, your new best friend.
>There’s even Cadence, she really is a cool filly once you get over the cooties thing.
>There’s even Blueblood…well, life’s not all sunshine and rainbows, is it?
>But hey, two out of three ain’t bad.
>Days spent at work, at play, laughing and loving under the rays of the benevolent sun.
>But at night, you stare at the moon…and you can’t help but shake the feeling that it’s staring back.
>But, as they say, life goes on.
>From the moon, a dark entity watches you with great interest.
>You will have many adventures…yes…many adventures, with trials that will shape you into the man you are destined to be.
>For on your eighteenth birthday, the stars will align, and you will meet your destiny.