Afterlife

• Chapter Ten •

A loud thud echoed throughout the room.

     Celestia hissed through her teeth as she landed roughly on the girl below her. The grip she had on the girl faltered from the teleportation, allowing the other enough time to scramble out from underneath Celestia. Despite the urgency ringing in the back of her mind, Celestia allowed the girl to slip away, for now. Her body, however, remained tall and rigid as she scanned the two staring up at her with wide horrified eyes.

     “If you don’t explain what is going on right now, this won’t be pretty.” An empty threat, even Celestia knew that. She didn’t know what she was doing, she didn’t even know if they knew what they were doing. “It’s a long story,” the girl she had attacked slowly rose to her feet, her body positioned in a protective stance in front of the boy and Arielle. “What did you do to her then? I saw him,” Celestia gestured to the boy lying beside Arielle’s unconscious body, “blow this black cloud over her. What the fuck is your plan? Why her?”

     The girl began to move towards Celestia, her face remaining neutral and unmoving. “My name is Lucille,” she said, holding out a hand for Celestia to take. “And I helped turn your princess into the same monster I’ve been trying to destroy for two years.” A long pause hung in the air for only a moment.

“What. The fuck… What does that even mean?”

     Celestia grabbed the girl's hand, holding it firmly in her own as she searched the girl's eyes closely. A sigh escaped Lucille’s lips, her grip on Celestia’s hand tightening. “How much do you know about the Luna Moth family?” Celestia’s brows furrowed at the question. “The family? Well, Arielle’s mom seems to be a horrible person, and Arielle is the kindest person I’d ever met. Anything past that, I don’t know… does it have something to do with why you kidnapped her?” Lucille hummed, untangling her hand from Celestia’s, her tail swishing across the floor.

     “She has a brother, a twin brother,” the girl began to move away, her feet carrying her in circles around Arielle’s body. “Eleven years ago, their mother had a vision, one that showed her brother, Aaron, betraying the family in some way that wasn’t specified. One day, she called the twins into the throne room, and, on that day, their mother did something to Aaron that can only be described as a ‘corruption’ of sorts.”

“Corruption?”

     Celestia inhaled a sharp breath, her eyes locking onto Arielle’s body once more. “I don’t know how, but the queen did something to Aaron which created almost an evil version of himself.” “This is what you wanted to tell me!” The boy who layed at Arielle’s side seemed to spring up in excitement. Lucille’s movements faltered for a moment, “right… I forgot that I haven’t explained this to you yet, Evan.” The boy, Evan, looked down at Arielle with a saddened expression. “You’ve seen the real Aaron then? When you’re asleep?”

     “Correct,” Lucille turned her attention back to Celestia. “From my understanding, the corruption quite literally corrupts the victim's minds, making them a more vile version of themselves. However, while corrupt, the real person is still within them. While rare, there are moments where the real them are able to come to the surface, and, there are moments where the corrupted version and the real version join in the middle. With my gift, I have been able to see inside Aaron’s mind. In there, they are two separate bodies, the real one is chained up, while the other is free but… corrupted.”

     “You’re scared,” Celestia locked eyes with Lucille. “You did this because you’re scared.” Lucille’s ears lowered on her head, “I… I did this because I don’t have any other choice…” “You have a choice Lucille,” Celestia was in front of her now, her hands coming to rest on her shoulders. “Your fear is justified, I don’t blame you for acting on what you thought would protect you and Evan. But, you’ve also subjected someone else to this curse.” Lucille’s eyes began to brim with tears, her lip quivering slightly. “I’m going to help you,” Celestia whispered, wrapping her arms around Lucille and bringing her into a hug. “I will help you and Evan end the corruption, no matter how long it takes.” She turned her head, gesturing with a hand for Evan to come over. The boy didn’t hesitate to scramble to his feet and join the two in the warm embrace.