Celestia had never felt such a release of tension in her entire life.

Despite knowing the fact that the atrocity she was committing; abusing her power as a mentor and as a friend to seduce a mare that she considered more like a daughter than a student, Celestia had enjoyed every dominating moment of it and yet, unlike Twilight Sparkle who had fallen asleep soon after the act, the Princess was far from satisfied and was completely unable to sleep for reasons she could not quite grasp.

Twilight Sparkle had pushed all the wrong buttons and as much as Celestia chalked up the whole scenario to a moment of mad lust, she knew full well that she was just making up excuses to make herself feel better for the violation she had wrought on such innocence.

Celestia did not sleep a single minute after their intense joining of unshackled passion. She took the reigns and ran Twilight Sparkle through the grinder; every single second to the very frame, replayed in her mind in a constant loop, torturing Celestia; goading her into waking up the disheveled visage of the peacefully sleeping mare besides her and to take her for a second time.

A third.

A fourth.

By the time Celestia had realized it; laying there motionless while struggling with her inner demons throughout the unnaturally quiet night, she turned her head towards the window on the far side of her chamber. She knew she would have to rise to raise the sun and lower the moon soon, but she had no desire to leave the warmth that was present within her bed.

In fact, she did not want to tear her eyes from Twilight’s serene face for another moment longer.

Celestia knew Twilight had loved her for a long time now and yet, she always manage to avoid last night.

So why did she give in now?

Why did she ruin the seemingly perfect teacher-student relationship?

If anyone found out about this, who knows what ramifications it will bring.

Too many, thought Celestia.

“This…” Celestia whispered to herself as she ran her eyes over the strands of Twilight Sparkle’s mane, admiring how it accentuated her beauty as she slept… even if the mare’s mouth was slightly hanging open and a smidge of drool leaked from the corner.

It brought a smile to Celestia that she could not control. Her heart fluttered at the sight and considering what had occurred last night, it was no wonder. The mere sound of Twilight calling out her name in the throes of her misty eyed bliss had only encouraged what Celestia had always known.

There was something not quite right with her.

Celestia, Princess of the Sun (and now Moon), would had never acted this way in the past. It was as if Luna’s death had irrevocably changed her in ways she could not quite comprehend. But now, she had the evidence and it was looking right back at her, with warm and loving eyes.

Her heart was not sure what to do as she stared back at the awoken Twilight Sparkle that had already reached a hoof to place upon her cheek.

“Good morning,” Twilight whispered groggily, her eyes half lidded in a near sultry manner she did not mean to intend, “um… are you okay?”

Celestia merely stared back in silence at the question, unable to vocalize a response; or even the correct response she knew she had a duty to say.

“This…” Celestia found herself again unable to convey what was practically screaming in her head.

Concern wiped away the loving expression from Twilight Sparkle’s face as she lifted her head from the crescent shaped pillow, drawing her muzzle in close to lightly touch noses with the Princess in a show of affection.

“Stop.” Celestia insisted in a strong and near heartless manner, drawing her head away from the touch as if it had scolded her. Swiftly, she slipped up from the bed to stand besides it and stretch her legs, earning her a disappointed and slightly hurtful expression to settle upon her from the very bed the two had made love in hours ago.

“D-did I do something wrong?” Twilight leant up fully and moved to depart from the bed herself, though moving with a renewed vigor as a dread had crept into her voice. “I-I know it was my first time and, I know I wasn’t very good, but I’ll study how to do these things better. I'm sure there's a book somewh—”

“No, Twilight Sparkle, last night was…” Celestia had to say the right thing. Last night’s moment of mad love needs to be nipped in the bud before it bloomed into something altogether, ending only in deeper heartbreak. “A mistake.”

“But I… I thought...” Twilight approached Celestia, raising a hoof to touch her cheek once again.

Celestia steeled her gaze as a hoof shot up to slap Twilight’s limb away, successfully forcing the mare to take a step back, gasping in surprise as she did so.

“It was a mistake.” The Princess turned her head away, refusing to look Twilight in the eye as she spoke. “This can’t happen. I am sorry I… did what I did… and I know you have this grandiose concept that I am perfect, but the truth is I am probably the most flawed pony in existence. I hide so much behind a smile and a supposed wisdom. But what kind of wisdom makes a pony betray their student’s trust and force themselves upon them like I had did?”

“Celestia, no, please, it was not like that. I consented—”

“I know you are stubborn when a problem is presented before you. But I am one problem you can never figure out. I’m not as great as you think I am. I am only looking at this with your best interests to heart. It is true I do love you, but that type of love is wrong for us. It will destroy us.”

“That… you’re… that doesn’t make any sense!” Twilight lifted her voice, suddenly desperate to convey her point. “You give me this speech about… being hypocritical and not being perfect? I have come to realize these past few years that nopony can be perfect and… Princess, I couldn’t care less if you were the most flawed mare in Equestria.”

Celestia observed Twilight as the mare walked into her view as the tears forming in her student's eyes stung the Princess enough to warrant a flinch in her posture and facial features. “Twilight—”

Boldly, though shaking from head to toe, Twilight stomped a hoof. “You cannot be alone forever. No pony deserves it and if you are going to be this way and pretend that last night… it felt real… you were so passionate; a side I never thought I’d get to see and now, you say I may never get to see it again? Why? If you are going to be alone then I too will be alone, because I am going to be waiting for you to realize and accept that I don't care what other ponies think! All we have to do is be there for each other. That's what lovers do, right? That’s something I learnt from you Princess. How can you stand there, lie and hurt yourself like this? The Princess Celestia I know would—”

“How dare you...” Celestia growled, the walls shaking as she did so. “How dare you talk to me like that! Do you have any idea what is going to happen? This is not just about what the others will say. You are going to grow old and wither away while I do nothing but watch you turn to dust! To leave nothing behind; no legacy, no children, no grandchildren—nothing! And do I want to see the mare I love hopelessly fall into that pit? Never. Never in a millennia will I wish that on anypony.”

“Even now…” Twilight’s bottom lip quivered, her eyes clenching tight as she struggled to restrain herself. “Even now you are trying to protect to me. But I am no longer that little filly. I can look after myself and make my own decisions and my choice is to be with you. No one else… I-I have to leave; I have library books that need returning. Excuse me, Princess.”

Rushing past Celestia, in a dazzling flash of lavender Twilight Sparkle departed just as the Princess turned about to stop her, leaving Celestia alone in her bed chamber with nothing more than complete silence to accompany her.

“She’s young.” Celestia muttered to herself. “She’ll come to understand when she is older that ponies fall in and out of love all too easy.”

Not entirely sure she believed her own words, Celestia looked back to the bed, breathing in the still lingering scent of her student that still hung pleasantly in the air.

Just as she turned to commence with the lowering of the moon and the rise of the sun to help clear her mind, she heard something shuffle outside of her door. Giving the door a suspicious glance, Celestia used her magic to throw it open, revealing a shocked looking Raven standing stock-still in the doorway.

“P-Princess! I-I was just—”

Celestia advanced, her posture threatening and her voice flat as her eyes lit like two smoldering pits of Promethean flames. “How much did you hear?”

Raven swallowed hard. “N-nothing, your Majesty! I was just going to get a glass of water. I-Is something the matter?”

“You are lying to me, my little pony.” Celestia too stood in the doorway, towering over the mare with a glare that could incinerated her on the spot. “Do not think your Princess can’t tell when one of her subjects is lying.”

“I-I didn’t mean to!” Raven moved to take a step back, but found her body unable to move. “W-wha?”

A yellow aura covered Raven entirely and as Princess Celestia took a few steps back into her room, Raven was dragged along with her.

“W-what are you going to do to me? I… I’m sorry! Please, I beg for your forgiveness, your Majesty!”

“I thought we were friends, Raven.” Celestia spoke monotonously as she circled the frightened mare, her fire-kissed eyes looking down to note a puddle of urine had started to form beneath her. “Do not worry, Raven. I am going to look past this transgression providing you tell me exactly what it is you heard.”

Nodding frantically, she licked her dry lips and spoke in a hurried manner, desperate to leave the Princess’s unusually violent gaze. “Th-the fact that Twilight Sparkle and y-yourself were in… love and were…” Raven had finally broke down into tears. “Please, please don’t make me leave your service, Princess! I’ve served you loyally as your scribe for many years and I… I feel terrible for eavesdropping! It’s not r-right of me to do so and I can't stress how sorry I really, truly am!”

“Walk with me for a moment.” Celestia released her, turning to walk towards the open windows that led out onto the balcony without even looking back to see if the mare had followed her or not.

Raven did exactly that. Hot on the heels of the Princess, she struggled to compose herself, her breathing ragged. “Y-yes, anything, Princess! I’ll do a-anything to make up for this mistake.”

Celestia found herself before the edge of the balcony, looking up at the moon with a sad smile. “Raven, we have been together for a long time now. I feel like I can ask of you anything and it would done without a second thought. You are dutiful, loyal and committed and I would be a fool to try and find somepony to replace you.”

“Th-thank you, Princess.” Raven bowed her head low, keeping close to the taller mare’s side. "Th-that mean's a lot to me."

Celestia regarded the groveling and the top of Raven’s head with a glare. “Do you think I should… risk it?”

Raven blinked up at Celestia, clearly stunned. “I… that is to say…”

Summoning a warm and caring smile; the fire in her eyes long since put out, Celestia placed a hoof to Raven’s shoulder. “As a friend, I would like your opinion.”

Struggling not to sigh in relief, Raven looked out over the night sky, rubbing at her eyes as to clear the tears away. “Follow your heart… is what mother said to me once. So, I suppose, you should just follow your heart, Princess. I think you should have the time to be happy too while you still can.”

Celestia nodded slowly at her words. “Thank you, Raven. Your position as my scribe means that you are perhaps the only mare in Equestria who is closest to me. A mare that knows this kingdom inside and out. A mare who is loyal and honest...”

Guilt found its way to Raven’s face and voice as she looked up at Celestia. “I’m so sorry.”

“I forgive you, Raven.” Celestia shook her head as she lifted her hoof from Raven’s shoulder. “How are your children?”

“Oh! They’re fine, thank you for asking.” Raven beamed. “They’re both so very strong. Just like their Mommy.”

Celestia chuckled to herself, her smile slowly slipping from her lips. “A shame. If that is the case, then it would appear that they may have inherited their mother’s traitorous intentions.”

“Huh?” Blinking in confusion, Raven’s blood ran cold as she felt herself yanked from off of the ground by her mane and sent dangling over the railings, suspended above the gardens below that was quite a distance down. “W-wait! Princess!”

Celestia had used magic to ensnare Raven’s hair, keeping her exactly where she wanted her for the time being, dangling helplessly before her. “Their mother was in fact a traitor to Equestria. Unfortunately for her however, her plans were thwarted by Princess Celestia as she attempted to assassinate the Princess as she slept… Princess Celestia fought off the assailant and unfortunately, the assassin was killed during the altercation. The Princess has pardoned the family, as there was little evidence to suggest they were involved in the plot. That is what the newspapers throughout Equestria will read after they scrape your remains off of my lawn.”

Raven shook her head, mouth agape. “You… you can’t do this… I-I thought we were friends… this isn't right! This is murder!”

“I cannot trust you. That much is clear. With the information you have, anypony with half a brain can formulate a plan to severely challenge my rule by using Twilight Sparkle. It is just one possible scenario of many. Who is to tell you won’t betray me again? Much like my sister, I must act for the good of Equestria and for Twilight’s sake. This has to be done. You were right though, I must follow my heart even if what I must do will blacken it to protect her and everypony else.”

A peaceful smile formed on Celestia’s lips as she regarded Raven’s screaming face.

"PLEASE, DON'T!"

Releasing Raven upon her final words, Celestia leaned over the balcony and watched with the same smile as the mare fell to her death. She struck the ground with a sickening slap of broken bone and splitting flesh, her screams cutting short immediately.

“And fortunately for Twilight Sparkle, she no longer has to be far from my reach. As a vacancy very close to my side has just become available.”

Author's Note

I hope you enjoy this chapter. I worked REAL hard to get this out tonight and I really do hope you enjoyed it.

There has been no editor on this, as I am practicing trying to edit myself as well. It's good practice to improve my skills, after all.

Next chapter? Onwards to Saddle Arabia for REAL this time.