Ponid-19

Rose Garden and Smooth Boulder noted that Twilight was incredibly quiet on their train ride back to Canterlot. After ordering the conductor to let them on, she’d taken her seat and remained motionless. It wasn’t a very long trip back to the capital, but it looked as if she would be sitting there for years. Her head bent downward, and her eyes looked as if an absolutely perfect storm had been unleashed upon her. It was beyond pain, beyond heartbreak, and beyond depression. It was completely lifeless, and the other two ponies didn’t know what to do. So they just sat beside her and tried to make themselves available for friendly and encouraging conversation.

Twilight noticed. “Look, I appreciate everything you’re trying to do,” she said sadly, “but…I just don’t feel like talking right now.”

Rose spoke up anyway. “Princess, what happened to your final words before we left the castle? You were so gung ho about heading to Canterlot, battling Celestia, and saving Equestria. Why the sudden change in emotion?”

“I just said that to sound royal,” Twilight confessed, “the fact is, I don’t know if I should believe you or not! I mean, you are just two ponies off of the street, and here you are accusing MY mentor of being evil and conspiring to eliminate everypony! However, my commitment to my ideals, and my love for Celestia and Luna demand that I at least investigate your claim. But I warn you…if Celestia is still good and Luna doesn’t recognize you, then may they protect you from my rage.”

The way she spoke the last part and the way her eyes flashed caused the two to flinch. They knew they were in the presence of greatness and power, but they had not realized just how much power. For two ponies who had never experienced such a phenomenon, it caused quite a shock and they realized that Celestia must be much more powerful than this. Even though they knew the truth rested in their encampment, Twilight’s quietly aggressive threat was enough to startle them into silence. They knew better than to cross her.

Luna dodged another magic blast from her sister’s potent horn. Celestia still had a wicked smile plastered to her face, and she cackled every time her sister had to bob and weave. She hurled insults at the moon raiser, determined to break her spirit and end her existence. One small dab of the illness and Luna would turn to crystal just like that. Since an Alicorn had created the virus, it was much more devastatingly rapid on their species. Celestia knew this, but Luna did not. Even so, she guessed that the blasts were concentrated spores of the virus and she rolled out of the way of each forced emission.

“You BITCH!” Celestia howled, thoroughly enjoying having the upper hoof, “I don’t know why I didn’t kill you when I had the chance!”

“Perhaps because you still carry a small, shriveled ounce of love for me?” Luna offered as she ducked behind a couch.

“Oh, PLEASE!” Celestia shrieked, “I never loved you! You were always under hoof, always in my way! Ever since we were fillies, you’ve always been IN MY FUCKING WAY!”

Celestia’s barbs stung Luna’s heart, and drove her to tears. The gentle Princess of the Moon always held a deep affection for her sister. She remembered the times when they were fillies, when Celestia’s love was real and they were able to play and learn together. She remembered the joyous birthday celebrations, and the beginnings of Hearth’s Warming. She remembered the spring frolics, the summer wonder, and the piles of leaves they would ecstatically bounce into during autumn. She remembered when they were simple Unicorns, and did not have the weight of Equestria on their shoulders.

Oh, my dear sister, Luna thought as time seemed to stop around them, you might not love me anymore, but…I still love you. I just wonder where you went wrong. What kind of monster would enslave an entire nation to a sickness? What kind of brutish, malevolent creature are you? Even so…I love you. I hate all that you’ve done in these past few days, but I still love you.

With those thoughts, Luna stepped out from behind the couch and faced her sister bravely. “I shall not allow you to harm Equestria any longer! I shall not allow you to determine the fate of everypony with a wave of your horn! I hereby depose you as Princess!”

“Oh, really?” Celestia asked with biting sarcasm, “because that worked SOOOO well the last time you tried to evict me from my place! Perhaps…no…I WILL kill you this time! Nopony will ever know of my secret, and I shall be free to rule Equestria as I see fit! Nopony will be free ever again, and I can just use ‘the greater good’ as an excuse for racking up new laws and new oppression! Your night is done, Luna, and my day is just beginning.”

Celestia let forth an evil laugh as her horn lit up once again, preparing to shoot the death blow. But Luna suddenly leapt forward and knocked her sister to the floor. What had been a battle of magic now turned into a battle of hooves as each sister fought to gain control. Luna had never struck Celestia before, but she broke down those mental barriers as quickly as each sharp hoof connected with her sister’s face. Celestia landed her fair share of shots as well, and soon, each pony was bruised and bloodied severely.

Luna nailed a particularly hard right front fore hoof to her sister’s jaw, and then began slowly scraping her sharp hoof nail across the fur and skin. She hated every single second of it, but she knew that Celestia needed to feel it. She was a little skittish at being so close to her sister’s horn, yet she continued dealing out her punishing blow. Celestia’s warm blood pulsed out and around her hoof, and she had to stop herself from flinching. But her justice laden blow remained, and Celestia howled in pain.

“Do not think that I enjoy this, Celestia!” Luna said, “because I don’t! I want so much for things to return to normal between us!”

“Normal?! With you…everything is abnormal!” Celestia spat.

“Your barbs and insults can no longer faze me,” Luna responded, “as long as I know I’m fighting for the freedom and lives of everypony in Equestria, I shall press forward until the bitter end!”

“That end might be sooner than you think,” Celestia said before firing up her horn.

“Go ahead! Shoot me!” Luna shouted, “I don’t care! I’ll still fight you! You’ll never be able to be rid of me!”

“As you wish,” Celestia sneered before blasting Luna directly in the face with a spore-packed beam of sisterly hatred.