Morbid Curiosity

The body slumped to the floor. As Celestia's glow left it's head, she stumbled back and sat down slowly, not taking her eyes off of what had once been a living being.

Twilight was shocked by the Princess' actions. She approached her mentor cautiously, unsure now of what the Princess was capable of. Twilight could hear a very slight, slow panting coming from Celestia. Her eyes seemed fixed upon the body, and her entire being seemed to be shivering and shaking.

Celestia gulped. She wanted to think of something else, anything else; but her mind was a mess of thoughts, so mixed none of them could be made out.

"Princess...?" Twilight asked, stepping forward one hoof at a time.
Celestia swallowed once again, then slowly stuttered out inaudible phrases."Princess... what am I supposed to do?"
"Listen to me... very carefully Twilight..." Celestia sputtered. "Go back to the castle, and tell a guard there has been an 'Omega 4'."
"'Omega 4'," Twilight confirmed.
"After that, go to your dorm and do not come back. Understand?" Celestia commanded, far more forceful than her usual demeanor would suggest.
Twilight nodded vigorously, sprinted out of the room, and slammed the door shut.

Celestia was alone now. No matter how hard she tried, her composure was broken. Nothing she could say or do would change what she had done. "I... just..." Celestia said aloud, trying to come to terms with her actions.
"I removed a threat to national security," Celestia said in a flat, monotone voice, parroting her own decrees and reports. "This creature would have caused death within my kingdom, an unacceptable act," Celestia repeated to herself, once more putting into words the writing that she herself had used to give to others.
"Yes, a danger to Twilight," Celestia mused, finally using fresh words. "He would have been a danger to Twilight and myself," Celestia slurred out, rising to her hooves.
"If he was using some form of weapon..." Celestia pondered, turning to look at the various instruments Twilight had placed around the room. Celestia's mind jumped a little at what she was thinking.

Her gaze still unblinking, Celestia moved over to Twilight's makeshift workshop and perused the various implementations. The largest tool was the one that caught her eye: A large cleaver, usually used to remove large chunks for analysis.

The cleaver was enveloped in a golden glow, and moved to Celestia's head height.
Celestia examined the weapon - it had been recently sharpened, and the blade was a decent size... it would do.

Celestia led her fore hoof on the body's table, next to the body's head. Celestia closed her eyes, and breathed out slowly. Celestia slowly opened her eyes once more, and looked over what she was about to do. The cleaver was held in her magic, and was positioned correctly. Breathing out once more, Celestia prepared. "Last chance to reconsider..." She said to herself; and swung.

The cleaver plunged itself into Celestia's hoof, about a third of the way up. There was the sound of metal piercing flesh, and Celestia let out a scream. She scrunched up her eyes, and quivered at the pain. But it wasn't done yet.

Removing the bloody cleaver from her hoof, the warm life-blood of Celestia's body seeping out the wound, Celestia raised the cleaver higher this time. Once again, Celestia screamed in pain as the cleaver sliced through her muscle and tissue, stopping only when it hit the bone. Celestia attempted to remove the cleaver from her wound, but it wouldn't budge. It was embedded now. Celestia let out various other winces of pain and gritted her teeth as she readied herself for the next onslaught of torture she would go through. Celestia shifted the cleaver about to try and pry it loose - other than Celestia's exasperates as her body tried to voice the immense agony it was enduring, the only sound that filled the morgue was the sound of metal scraping against bone as the cleaver shifted around. Finally, with a cry of fresh suffering, Celestia yanked the cleaver away.

The bloodied implement tore through yet more of Celestia's hoof coming out, shredding yet more of Celestia's muscle and skin. Celestia once more wailed at her torment, then threw the cleaver across the room as she stumbled back from the table.

Pulling her damaged hoof near to her chest, Celestia collapsed onto the cold floor, her hoof buried between her body and the floor. Celestia could feel the warmth of her blood against the cold of the floor. Staring at the ceiling, Celestia attempted to express the anguish she was in - but the source of it had over-written anything that she could say or do. She simply laid their, weeping silently from the lacerations, praying that the pain would stop.

From the corner of Celestia's blurry vision, she saw a dark figure step toward her. "You see what you've done?" it's familiar voice taunted Celestia. "You've not only murdered a pony in cold blood, but now face self-inflicted agony!" it scolded.
"L... Luna?" Celestia sobbed. Even the act of speaking required Celestia to muster all of her will power. "But you're still..." Celestia stuttered.

The figure approached Celestia, stepping into plain view and kneeling to face her. It was indeed Luna's eyes that stared back at Celestia.
"It's... the blood-loss..." Celestia muttered to herself, trying to justify the reason for seeing her sister.
Luna continued her speech uninterested in anything Celestia had said.
"What in Equestria do you think you're doing?" Luna asked, scowling at Celestia the entire time.
"It needs... to be... self defense," Celestia wheezed.
Luna shook her head. "Learn to face what you have raised Celestia, lest you travel the path she has," Luna warned, raising herself to full height. "Now, sleep. I hope your mind returns to you with your strength," Luna said, slowly moving her hoof to Celestia's face. As she did, Celestia's vision darkened.
The relief was welcome.