Elben Tränen - The Tears of the Elf Ponies

Life within Canterlot Castle fascinated Schänder. The guards were informed to show her the utmost respect, and even if they talked behind her back, Schänder didn't care. She was free.

Princess Celestia visited often, teaching her about the world and all that was around her. She took to calling Schänder an Elf Pony, noting that her extra horns made her resemble an age-old mythological race with long, pointed ears. Schänder, for her part, was glad to please Celestia. She took to calling her 'Auntie' in her writings and looked forward to every moment spent in her presence.

But that wasn't all life in the castle entailed. Celestia was curious about what had been done to Schänder and while her tests were never intrusive or violent, like her Mother's, they always made Schänder uneasy. The scientists would poke and prod, have her slice and pummel various materials with her Limbs, among other things. They once tried firing a small metal sphere beside her head, telling her to catch it.

That had been the first incident.

Schänder didn't remember what happened. She hadn't liked the experiment, and had made that known as best as she could. It reminded her of a similar test Nightmare Moon had performed, firing large weights at her body, using fear and pain to push her to her limits. However, despite her protests, they had begun the experiment.

They never found the right eye from the lead scientist. It was assumed to have been crushed when his corpse collapsed to the side, a ball-sized hole going clean through his head. Schänder had stood over his corpse for about an hour while the scientists retrieved Celestia and informed her of what happened.

"Child... Why hast thou done this?" Celestia said, calmly. She turned Schänder away from the corpse by force, after the mare didn't respond. Schänder's eyes were wide, locked in a blank stare. At least, that was what they told her once she came to.

It was decided to avoid any similar experiments to the ones Nightmare Moon had performed from then on. It was then, they truly began to see the cruelty imposed on the innocent little filly Schänder had once been. She had been beaten to unconsciousness to see if the Limbs could continue to act after she was unable to think. Once, one of her rear horns was chopped off to test what would happen. It was deemed, rather quickly, that reapplying it would be preferential than letting Nightmare Moon's secret weapon die.

The scientists, despite their curiosity, remained silent on all of these topics. They had seen what she had done to the last pony who upset her.

And so, the years passed...

Schänder jumped up from where she was sitting when Celestia entered the room, making a happy little sound. Decades had turned to centuries which had given way to the dawn of a new millennium and beyond. The two had become close, but nothing had fixed Schänder's damaged mind; a fact Celestia lamented daily. Hundreds of ponies, innocent scientists, had died over the many years of study thanks to uncontrollable bursts of insanity.

Over time, Schänder had grown to know these ponies, but her blackouts removed all of her inhibitions. More than once, Celestia had needed to contain her. And now, more than ever, Schänder regretted ever drop of blood she'd shed. She wanted to kill evil ponies, not the ponies she knew to be good, ponies who only wanted to know what she was so they could help her.

She had watched ponies age and die; their children filling their places only to die as well. For ten generations, she clung to Celestia as a bastion of eternity, the one static thing in this life of death. Celestia had taken to her in equal measure; without Luna by her side any longer, Celestia had only Schänder, who was still a well-kept secret, living beneath the castle.

There had been... complications, however.

After about six hundred years of solitude, Schänder had made a grave mistake; she had 'altered' several scientists, making them bear Elf Pony offspring. Ashamed, she neglected to tell the Princess until it was too late. Six foals were born, each bearing the unusual chitin plate and two extra horns.

Of the six, four survived their first year. Of those four, three were either killed or, preferably, recovered by Celestia when their powers inevitably got out of control.

The last one was never found.

Now, four hundred years later, Elf Ponies are believed to be a local urban myth all over Equestria. Unable to contain sightings of the tri-horned ponies, Celestia instead aimed to discredit those who stood as witnesses, putting out fires wherever they began. She didn't want news of this race - a race that could and would eventually unmake magic, if left unchecked - become public knowledge.

And so, Celestia lied to her people. She kidnapped foals from their homes, erasing their parent's memories of them. She even had to kill, when the foals were too dangerous. She hated this turn of events, but she never let Schänder see her hatred, at least after her initial anger. She understood the loneliness of being of a rare breed. She at least had Luna by her side at one time... And now, she did once again.

"Hello Schänder." Celestia smiled as she sat, a common ritual for the two. "Are you ready for today's lessons?"

Schänder replied with an enthusiastic nod, sitting down in front of the Princess. She had begun to act almost foalish around Celestia after the first few years, making it harder to see her as a monster. Around everypony else, she was either cold and emotionless, or heated and filled with rage. It seemed there was no other side of her, until you saw her in Celestia's presence.

"Good... But first, I brought you more pictures, if you'd like." Celestia levitated out her gift; pictures of beautiful waterfalls and cities filled with ponies. Schänder would stare at the pictures for hours, even having gone so far as to cover her entire wall with photos Celestia had given her over the years. "These are from Ponyville, where my student departed to some time ago."

Schänder's Limb wrote in the floor, a dirt layer that could easily be smoothed out. 'Your student... Not Sunset Shimmer, but... Twilight Sparkle, yes?' Schänder wrote, not looking up from the photo. Her Limbs were fast when they wrote, digging into the soil with an accuracy that became disturbing when you realized the primary use of the weaponized extensions.

"Indeed... You've a very strong memory, Schänder." Celestia watched as the mare shifted a picture off to the side, finished with it, moving to stare at the next.

'I learned to not forget, Auntie. Forgetting means pain.' Celestia winced as she read the message, carved into the floor so casually. Messages like this, remnants of her sister's indoctrination, were still violently burned into Schänder's mind. She was improving, but...

"Schänder... We need to speak about something. I've been keeping something from you, but I feel it might have been... Unfair of me to do so." Schänder looked up to Celestia, her gaze becoming curious. "Know that I kept it from you, for your own protection, Schänder..." Celestia took a deep breath. "Nightmare Moon returned several years ago. She was defeated, more soundly this time, by my apprentice and her friends."

Schänder's eyes lost their glimmer of childlike glee. The cold, emotionless shell threw itself up and Celestia hesitated to go on. However, she knew she had to. She had kept the secret far too long. It was time.

"She was changed by a weapon you may not remember; the Elements of Harmony. She was returned to her natural form and the Nightmares were banished from her mind. I have my sister back once again, Schänder. Princess Luna is back to her old self."

Schänder simply stared, blank. Celestia began to grow uncomfortable under that stare, filled with neither anger, nor joy. It was like she felt nothing at all. A loud sound made Celestia snap her head to the side. A head-sized print from one of Schänder's Limbs was pounded into the stone wall. When Celestia looked back, alarmed, a single tear had betrayed Schänder's internal conflict. Another sound, the pictures covering her wall shredding as lines, like a massive invisible claw, ripped down them.

"Schänder! Stop it!" Celestia rose, but felt a sharp sting on her face. She had risen into one of the Limbs, which smashed into the wall behind her. Schänder continued to stare, but some sensibility returned to her eyes.

'Auntie? Why? How could you do this to me?' The words carved themselves into the back wall, over top of the pictures Schänder had collected and cherished.

"Schänder stop this, this instant!" Celestia felt blood run down the side of her face. It was a shallow cut, but face wounds always bled an unfortunate amount. "I have given you many chances, because you were never yourself when you shed blood. How can I not give the same to my sister?"

'Because she's evil!' The words were written large, the word evil frayed and warped from the sheer force behind each slash that wrote it. Her Limbs appearing in a torrent of lashing shapes around her, carving fresh words into all the walls. 'She deserves to be destroyed! Utterly! Completely! Perish! Die!' The walls bore the assault, the Limbs giving Celestia a wide berth from now on. 'You will bring her here so I can end her! The final phrase slashed itself violently into the floor at Celestia's hooves.

Celestia frowned, standing to her full regal height. "And you are to make this demand, Schänder?" Celestia's glare forced some of Schänder's rage to wilt. She stepped back, the Limbs fading away. "She is my sister. Her mind was not her own and I don't blame her for what was done. I have forgiven her, Schänder. I would like you to do the same." Slowly, her face melted into a warm, lovely smile. "We could be a family, Schänder. The three of us."

Too little too late, did Celestia realize her poor choice of words. Pain flooded Schänder's face and she snarled, the Limbs returning to visibility. 'I would sooner die than call her any part of my family! If you will not bring her here, then I will find her!' The words were filled with untold rage and hate, the emotions showing in the slant and emphasis on words.

"You will not, Schänder." Celestia stood firm, but she felt herself being torn in two. She had grown to love this haunted, damaged mare as her own child. And now, seeing this, she saw her error. She charged her magic on her horn, shaking her head. "I am sorry... But I will not allow you to harm my sister, Schänder. You will stay down here... Where you are safe. So she is safe. I'm so very sorry..."

Schänder snarled and rushed forward. She was able to take two steps, before striking the barrier Celestia had placed up only seconds before she'd spoken. She had always refrained from trapping Schänder whenever possible, but now was a time when she had no choice. She turned, trotting from the room, ignoring Schänder's silent pleas, and wailing cried. She was confident Schänder wouldn't disobey her.

With a flicker of magic, she shut the door and sighed.

"I am so sorry, child..."

Even after all these years, Schänder still dreamed the same dream, reliving her first memory; her last moments of innocence. She pretended it didn't bother her to see it all. She lied herself and said she was disillusioned, but she still cried. This time, however, she was calm and level headed. She stared at the dream effigy of Nightmare Moon, gritting her teeth. Here in the realm of sleep, she kept her tongue and her voice. She used them to great effect, within her own dreams.

"I've seen you in my nightmares for as long as I can remember. Never once did I consider you could be free. If you've any spine, come to me now and let us settle this." She said the words out loud, a ghost in her own nightmare, watching her younger self suffer.

She was met with silence. Snarling, she whipped her head this way and that, searching. "You can't hide! Not even here! I will find you and I will unmake you! Show yourself, you dreamwalking cur!"

The dream around her faded, a new sensation washing over her. She grinned wildly as darkness coalesced into a pony-shaped form. "How long have you watched me?" She paced around the Princess as shadows melted away, revealing her.

"Who are you, that calls through the veil of slumber?"

The voice was different, lacking the same ethereal edge to it, but the speaker was unmistakably the same. Schänder would never forget that voice.

The dreamer gave a mocking bow, making it as exaggerated as she could. "If it doth pleaseth thee, mine name is of little import. It is thine that I have sought out and thateth is all that mattereth, thou filth-ridden wench."

Luna's eyes widened, her mouth hanging open. She stuttered, not used to such treatment, then flared up, her body enlarging and her eyes glowing white. "Who dares!?" She blared, towering over Schänder.

Schänder merely tipped her head and grinned, a manic and pleased grin. She had gotten under the Dread Mare's skin so easily, it was funny. "Have you forgotten me already, Mother Dearest?" Luna blinked at that, looking both confused and shocked. "Think back a thousand years. Turn those gears in your mind, long coated with dust, and remember! I will not allow you to forget what you did to me!"

Luna's eyes lost their glow, her eyes becoming introspective. Slowly, realization dawned in her face.

"The lost child..." She shrunk back down to normal size, shaking her head. "I-I... By Equestria, I did not know you still lived." Luna took one step forward, then hesitated. "Are you well?"

Schänder just had to laugh at that. She gripped her gut, feeling a tang of pain in her lungs as she nearly choked on her own laughter. It was not the laugh of a sane pony. "Am I well? Are you moronic? Do you bear even a shred of sensibility in that head full of stars, Dread Mother?"

Luna took a step back, shaking her head. "That name is behind me. I are Nightmare Moon no more."

"And you think that undoes all the damage? You believe truly, that this exonerates you of all your sins? You do not remember me? Allow me to help you, my Mother!" With a thought, the Nightmares returned, just as Nightmare Moon pulled her from her mother's protective hooves. "This was when you stole my childhood." Luna twitched as she watched herself blast a hole in Schänder's mother. "This was when you stole my innocence." As Schänder's father died, Luna stepped back, becoming violently ill. It seemed that, thanks to her powers as a Dreamwalker, Luna could feel sickness in this place. Schänder hoped she felt pain too.

"Shall I go on?" Luna's eyes were terrified, mortified, but Schänder continued. She displayed all of her trials, every experiment performed on her. In the dream, Luna witnessed every action she ever took against Schänder; every cut in flesh she commanded, every broken bone she ordered for. At some point, Luna had begun crying, babbling for Schänder to stop, but the tainted mare wouldn't.

Luna, for her part, was gripped by the horror of this. She truly hadn't remembered much of her time as Nightmare Moon, but this...? She'd never imagined horrors like this had occurred, at her word. By her own hooves. She was paralyzed, unable to flee to another dream, unable to look away, as she committed one unspeakable act to another on the filly, who's life she had stolen.

Schänder watched her, a disappointed look on her face. As the final memory faded back into Schänder's psyche, she trotted across the blank space, a void of emptiness, stopping to stare down at the weeping Princess. "You are pathetic. You allowed yourself to be defeated, you forced me to wait one-thousand years to look upon you again and then you disgrace the memory of my parents by becoming a blathering weakling."

Schänder spoke with a dispassionate monotone, walking around the slowly-recovering Luna. "I have decided; I will not kill you, Princess. Instead, I will unwind you. I will take away everything you love, just as you have from me. No matter the cost, I will destroy everything you hold dear. And then, when you are wrapped in misery and hate, I will give you one final gift..."

Schänder leaned down, inches from Luna's face. "Now. Run, Mother. Run, and know that I'm coming for you. I give you this head start; use it wisely."

Luna, trembling, evaporated into a cloud of starry smoke, vanishing into another dream. Schänder looked around the empty black void in her mind; a place where she believed her heart to reside, and let out a slow, relaxing sigh. She pushed aside Celestia's words, denying them in their entirety. While she loved Celestia like family, she refused to let Luna escape her punishment.

"I am death."

The guards outside Schänder's room were shocked when the mare threw her bed through the door. Never once had Schänder ever made an attempt to escape, so nopony had ever reinforced the walls or doors. The barriers Celestia had placed were more a suggestion than an actual restraint. All Schänder had needed to do was dig under them, and she was easily able to bypass the defenses. She could walk out the door whenever she needed.

She did not, however. The guards on either side of her door, nervous and uncertain, peeked into the room. The first was lucky, he was struck with a flying stone, which dented his helmet and knocked him unconscious. The second was struck with a Limb, sending him flying into the opposite wall. Schänder had learned enough restraint over the years to keep from killing with her Limbs, but sometimes, she struck harder than she intended. Stopping to only ensure the guard was still alive - which he was, thankfully - Schänder charged down the halls, turning this way and that. She most everything there was to know about the lower levels of the Castle. She had been given free reign to wander, up until now.

More guards rushed to stop her, a general alarm going up through the whole castle. Bolts were fired at her from down the hall from powerful crossbows, pitiful projectiles that she simply swatted away with her ten Limbs. She batted ponies aside when they got too close, brandishing steel or magic. By herself, Schänder cleared though what had to be a total of four or five cohorts of soldiers. Deep down, she knew she could eradicate the entire legion.

Too caught up in her thoughts, too distracted by the adrenaline of combat, Schänder didn't hear the soldier. He had stood down a hallway, waiting for her to pass, and then fired at her from behind. With a fleshy thunk, the pointed bolt lodged itself into Schänder's flank, making her scream in pain.

"I got her!" The guard shouted, but paused, realization dawning. He may have hurt her, but she wasn't down and his crossbow wasn't loaded. And now she was mad.

In fact, Schänder was worse than mad. Pain seared through her mind like a wildfire through dry brush. Her vision reddened and she lost control once more. She turned to stare back at the guard with a blank, empty stare, no longer feeling the pain. She thought of nothing but of the kill.

"N-Now wait a mi-" The guard started to say, but stopped, suddenly trembling all over. Then, all at once, his stomach tore open, as if two blades had been pushed into him and pulled in opposite directions. Organs flew outwards as the guard was torn in two, each half striking an opposite wall.

"Gerald!" Another guard down the hall shouted, bringing up his crossbow. "You monster!"

Others joined in, firing bolts and spells in desperation. Schänder simply turned, catching all the projectiles that flew her way, not simply redirecting them anymore. Spells vanished as she tilted her head to the side, staring at the soldiers as if wondering why they even tried, or maybe why they weren't running. Slowly, all the bolts turned in the air, facing back at the soldiers, who quickly grasped the situation.

They turned to run, ducking down halls or diving into doorways. A goodly number, however, were too afraid to think rationally. They were the Royal Guard, a ceremonial troop. They had only seen combat several times, and never against something like this.

They were easy targets. The rain of metal struck, piercing through armor and flesh, filling the hallway with screams. Schänder slowly advanced, not showing an ounce of impatience. She wasn't a pony, she was a force of nature; unstoppable, invincible. Wounded soliders stared up at her, terrified, as they tried to drag themselves away.

With a glance, if even that, Schänder ended them in a spectacular fashion, tearing their heads from their bodies and tossing them ahead, as warnings to those who dared approach.

She was coming. They would die.

Celestia kept her horn level as she led her men down the hall. Schänder had escaped her floor of the Castle, but she was lost now, wandering the halls aimlessly. She was a danger; she had killed so many already. Had she been wrong to leave her alive all these years?

The Princess of the Sun had prayed some shred of equinity still lingered in the little pony. She had kept her alive, in hopes of making amends to her; one of the greatest atrocities to ever stem from the Eclipse War. Her guards kept well back, by her own orders. She knew they would be useless in this battle, but the show of strength would bolster her men in the future...

... She would be unable to keep Schänder here any longer. The guards would never accept her, after this. They would fear her or hate her for killing their comrades. Perhaps it would be better if something more drastic was done.

Celestia held up a hoof, stalling her men, as she walked around the next corner. Not seeing the Elf Pony, Celestia motioned them onward.

Would she have to kill Schänder? After so many years, could she bring herself to do that? She remembered the face of the mutilated pony Schänder had killed the day Celestia had found her. But she also remembered the smile, that pure and genuine smile she gave whenever Celestia entered a room. Yes, the trust had been slow in coming, but now Celestia would rest in Schänder's presence with no shield to guard her. She believed in the little mare, despite it all.

Another corner. She repeated the process with her men, stopping mid-step as she rounded the corner. The twitching form of Schänder was laying in the middle of the hall, soaked completely blood, a pool of the thick, crimson liquid spreading around her. Celestia could hear her weeping, even from here. The Princess steeled herself and took aim. She wouldn't give Schänder a chance to even feel the pain. Celestia had killed many Elf Ponies since Schänder arrived in the castle; another mistake she had made in regards to this mare before.

Magic gathered on her horn and Celestia bit her lip. She was not some innocent child. Schänder had killed numerous guards today, guards who's only wrong was being in the wrong place at the wrong time. She had to do this; something had to change.

Celestia felt her blood freeze. Schänder had rolled over, and was looking at Celestia with miserable, pain-filled eyes. She had a crossbow bolt in her flank. From where Celestia stood, she could see that it impaired the use of her leg. She must have continued walking, even after being shot, and ground the projectile through her muscles.

Celestia trembled, feeling the energy reach it's peak. A well aimed spell now would go so far as to disintegrate Schänder. No more pain. No more killing. Celestia bit her lip hard enough to draw a drop of blood.

She released the spell.

Healing magic washed over Schänder, making her shiver. The bolt was forced out by the power of the spell, her wound knitting closed. Schänder trembled, both in fear and relaxation as the pain settled. She rolled again, turning away from Celestia, still shivering.

'How many? The words slowly, shakily, slashed themselves into the wall. Celestia looked over, frowning.

"We've found a total of forty-three dead. Get up."

Schänder obeyed mechanically. She stared at Celestia, eyes wide. 'You were going to kill me?' The words slashed into the ground between them.

Celestia let her shame show. "I considered it, child. What happened today was inexcusable. I locked you in your room to prevent a situation just as this, but you ignored my words and forced your way out. By all standards, I should have you killed or exiled..."

Schänder lowered her head. She could see regret and suffering burn into the mare's face. Agony and guilt made tears come to her eyes and Celestia had to resist the urge to rush over and comfort her.

She simply watched as Schänder trembled, biting her lip. She had seen this before, when Schänder apologized about spreading her kind. She had never done it again, so far as Celestia knew, and held true remorse about bringing trouble onto Celestia's head. "You will no longer be permitted to stay in the castle, Schänder."

The mare snapped her head up, looking terrified.

Celestia continued. "My apprentice in Ponyville is studying the Magic of Friendship. She recently came into the power of the Alicorn. You will stay with her..." Celestia sighed, turning to look down the hall at the guards. "Well away from the castle..."

Schänder lowered her head again, closing her eyes and crying.

The Princess of the Sun sighed and leaned her head down and approached the crying pony. "Yes, Schänder; today you disappointed me, but this is not the end of the world. You are still precious to me and I send you away for your own safety, not as punishment." She leaned back, frowning. "However, I will have to forbid you from coming back here. I will visit you in Ponyville when time permits."

Schänder wiped away her tears and looked up to Celestia, giving a small nod. She wouldn't allow this to happen again...

"My apprentice has a castle all her own, one without guards. I expect you to respect her, as you would me." Celestia helped Schänder up with a hoof, smiling as she saw a glimmer of curiosity in Schänder's eyes. This would be the first time in over seven-hundred years that Schänder went outside. And this time, it wouldn't be just onto a balcony; she would be out in the world. Grief still wracked her, but Celestia was happy to see a shimmer of hope in her little friend's eyes.

"Come, let's go pack your things..." Celestia lead Schänder around the corner, back towards her men. Ten crossbows snapped up all at once, aimed at the Elf Pony. Schänder's ears folded back and she leaned behind Celestia, who gave a motion for them to stand down. Reluctantly, the soldiers obeyed.

Side by side, a Princess and a defiler walked through the halls of a castle, pretending like the world was a much less miserable place.