Unable to sleep for fear of the dreams that she knew awaited her upon closing her eyes, Celestia took to wandering the halls of Canterlot Castle to clear her mind, but to no avail. The image in the mirror she thought she saw was nothing more than a figment of her imagination, for by the time she blinked, the visage of Luna had become her own once again.

Each hoofstep was as heavy as the last and with each new hallway she wandered into, Celestia felt the great weight of the moon and the sun upon her, weighing her down and sapping away the once calm and kind demeanor she was supposedly renowned for possessing.

Celestia could no longer hide behind her regalia or collected composure anymore, given how exhausted she felt due to the death of her sister plaguing her every waking moment. Her once proud and dazzling smile was downcast into a frown while her once bright eyes had become half-lidded and forlorn; almost lost to the raging sea of anxiety that crashed against her body in a relentless attempt to shatter her resolve where she stood.

Without knowing so, she had trotted into the gardens where many parties had been held in the past, celebrating various events that were almost always pleasant in nature from birthdays to social gatherings. Most recently, it held the wake that took place immediately after Luna’s state funeral, where close friends and family attended and bereaved together.

Throughout the entirety of the party that celebrated the life of Luna, Celestia barely talked to a soul. She smiled and merely nodded as she was forced into various conversations she had little desire to be a part of, which the recently deceased Princess was almost always the subject of.

From that day on, the gardens had become nothing short of a refuge for Celestia, whom had barred the immaculately kept beauty of the grounds from everypony except herself and the royal landscaper who attended to the various fauna and flora presented there.

A place where she could stand in the night’s cool air and bathe in the celestial light that once belonged to her sister and remember the good old days.

Above all else, the reason why she visited the gardens was somewhat more puzzling and macabre to the Princess, for Celestia could almost feel her sister’s presence.

It was as if Luna had never left.

As if her soul inhabited these grounds.

Craning her neck up, Celestia regarded the moon high in the night sky, becoming lost in her thoughts as her teeth clenched tightly together against the rising bout of self-loathing she could not quite shake off, despite her best attempts to reassure herself and defend her actions regarding Luna’s death.

“There was nothing I could do,” Celestia whispered to the moon, praying silently it would answer her back and reassure her of the choices she was forced to make, “but I don’t think I can live with myself knowing I—”

Murdering your own sister... I remember that expression you gave to me when you used the elements of harmony to turn me into stone so very clearly, Princess. So I have to wonder, did you show her the exact same expression? That same resolve and merciless action I know you are fully capable of when it comes to protecting your precious little ponies…

Celestia’s body became rigid at the mental invasion of one she did not have the time or energy to entertain. “Discord, are you without remorse as well that you have to twist the knife that is already buried deep in my heart? Have you no sympathy? Or are you beyond that capability as well?”

The Princess kept her eyes upon the moon as her eyes narrowed dangerously upon it. Discord’s words had stung deep, for he had called her out on exactly what Celestia thought herself to be.

A murderer.

Oh come now, Celestia, don’t be such a drama queen. I am merely stating what it is I see. And right now? I see a broken alicorn Princess that essentially whittled her own breed down to just two. You saved me a lot of effort, Princess.

Celestia’s eyebrows twitched. She knew exactly what it was he was doing, but no matter how much she knew the harbinger of chaos was attempting to get under her skin, Celestia could not deny he was succeeding with very little difficulty.

“What is that supposed to mean, Discord?”

What will you do, my dear, when I escape? If you think your sister’s power was terrible and something to be feared, then, imagine what will happen when I finally break out of this prison? You don't exactly have her around to help you stop me this time, do you?

“That will never happen, Discord. You are forever locked in stone. Luna and I made sure tha—” upon mentioning her sister’s name, Celestia trailed her words into oblivion as a pang of regret jolted her heat, bringing a misty eyed expression to her tired gaze, “even if you do escape, I will simply lock you away myself.”

And I will escape again and again! You really are quite dim, aren’t you, Celestia? You can never truly stop chaos or evil. It is as constant as your precious little trinkets of harmony. Be it because of myself or another, Princess, you will be forced to fight for your little ponies and for their peaceful little lives. You will come to the similar juncture that presented itself before you when it came to your sister and I just have to wonder… can you?

“Silence.” Celestia whispered, huffing angrily.

Will you do what is right in the eyes of your fickle little pony morals or will you do what is necessary to save Equestria? Can you do it again?

“I SAID SILENCE!” Celestia barked angrily in the traditional Canterlot voice, wheeling about to regard the statue of Discord in his perpetual state of alarm some ways across the garden with her wings spread wide and her eyes blazing a glare that almost resembled the smouldering surface of the sun.

Oh my, did I strike a nerve? Well, I am right you know, so you can’t exactly blame me for calling it as I see it.

“I said, SILENCE!” Celestia’s hoofsteps approached the immobile Discord as her eyes only intensified in their expression of unbridled resentment. Unbeknownst to the Princess, each hoofstep left a smouldering hoofprint in her wake that cindered the grass she trod upon into ash.

“Do you think I do not know what it is you are doing? Do you think me a fool, Discord? I will not fall for your petty insinuations nor will I rise to your heckling for another moment longer. You best stay your tongue or so help me I will—”

Or you’ll what, Princess? Kill me?

The alicorn stopped before Discord, sneering, as a sinister and fiery glow consumed her horn, her pupils shrinking into thin, serpentine slits. “My sister’s death weighs heavily upon my heart, Discord. What I did, I regret with every fiber of my being but do not think for a second I will grant you the same mercy I showed her. You terrorized Equestria and got what you deserved. Your eternal imprisonment of stone is supposed to be a fate worse than death,” Celestia summoned her magic to encapsulate Discord’s arms in her magic, “but I see now you have not learnt your lesson, even after all these years. Perhaps it is about time I have done something about that.”

Are you threatening me, Princess? That isn't very friendly of you, is it?

Celestia’s fiery eyes drew amused at the slight panic entering his voice as the magic surrounding his arms drew brighter and more luminous with each passing second. “I am going to make you wish you had never opened your mouth this night, Discord.” She stared coldly into the statue’s gaunt face. “If you are so intent on sprouting your nonsense to try and get a reaction out of me, then allow me to give you one.”

W-wait! Let us not do anything drastic here. I was merely playing with you, Princess. I do get so very bored out here all alone, you know. No one ever comes to visit me so there is no need to resort to violence. I was just playing a game with you, that’s all! And you won! Congratulations!

“Don't you know, Discord? If you play with fire, expect to get severely burned. Do I look like I am in the mood for your games?”

I-I apologize profusely, Princess…

“Do I look like I care about your hollow apologies? I have been through Tartarus and back these past couple of weeks.”

Let's not blow this out of the water, Princess. Let us talk about this like civilized—

“I have always wondered if you could feel pain in your current state.”

What do you mean—

The magic that surrounded Discord’s arms flared into a torrent of flames as Celestia’s eyes shone as bright as the heart of a supernova, causing Discord to yelp and howl.

What are you doing?!

Celestia’s face remained expressionless as she stood directly before the inferno she had created, observing with a perverse curiosity as it extended its lethal tendrils out to char the ground around the statue of Discord.

MERCY! PLEASE!

While the flames lashed harmless at her pure white coat, Celestia calmly closed her eyes and basked in the screams of the harbinger of chaos, mixed with the comfortable and cathartic warmth of her Promethean flame.

“Mercy? You are beyond the right to have mercy.” Celestia whispered to herself. “Now plead for it…”

For the first time in a very long time, Celestia felt tears finally slip down cheeks as she listened to the tortured screams of Discord ringing in her ears. It somehow comforted her to know someone so vile was finally getting what he deserved.

By the time the tears had dribbled down to her chin, the intensity of the heat had already evaporated the liquid, leaving small crystals of salt in their wake.

Author's Note

Huh. Turned out darker than I had intended.

Oh well.

Lala-lala~

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