Universe 31870

Rarity’s breath was caught in her throat. She… She couldn’t breathe… Why couldn’t she breathe? She was barely injured, so why… Why did it feel like she was dying? The unicorn’s body trembled as if it was freezing as she fearfully lowered her gaze. Her hooves were stained with red. This shouldn’t have been here. Why was this color on her hooves? Why… Was it getting colder? Why was… Twilight’s body getting colder?

The lavender unicorn lay there, speechless and unmoving. But she was speaking a few seconds ago. She was still standing too. This didn’t make sense! A pony wouldn’t go from standing and talking to… to… To being dead in a matter of seconds! Right? This couldn’t happen!

“T-Twilight…” Rarity stammered, slowly regaining her breath as the other mare’s last words replayed in her mind. “Darling… Please… Just talk to me… Anything. Tell me anything… Please, just say something,” She begged shakily. The fashionista didn’t notice the tears freely spilling out of her eyes, her gaze and attention fully focused on the body of her friend. “Somepony… Do something… Please…” The mare fell to her knees, her voice breaking. She was unable to take her eyes off Twilight, praying that this wasn’t real… But she knew the truth. And the flashes of the time she spent with this Twilight along with the one she was most familiar with going through her mind only served to squeeze her heart harder than it ever had been. “Don’t let her go…” She whispered. Twilight was dead. She was dead? She… Let one of her friends die?

An orb of darkness suddenly materialized in the air behind her, quickly revealing the shape of Princess Luna as it dissipated. The alicorn’s eyes immediately focused on her student’s body as she landed, widening once she appraised the condition she was in.

“No… Luna is… I am too late…” She whispered in shock, hesitantly approaching the crying unicorn. “Twilight…” The night alicorn gazed upon her precious student. Twilight was covered in injuries, bleeding from every side, scorch marks across her body, and a mane seemingly shortened by fire. The worst of all was the hole in her chest, which was still fuming. Luna’s gaze shifted to the white unicorn. The otherworlder was still on her knees, crying that would only stop for a moment so she would hiccup as she stared at Twilight’s body.

“She… She’s the one who got hurt… So why… Why am I in such pain?” One of Rarity’s hooves shot up to her mouth to hold back a choked sob. She had never lost a friend. Not like this. And even if she wasn’t the Twilight she had met first… Rarity was dealt a pain just as deep. Her heart felt like it would burst!

A memory suddenly flashed back at the forefront of her mind, the first night she spent in this world…

She was stirring in her sleep, moaning in fear as a nightmare haunted her dreams, a nightmare of such intensity that she wanted to escape her own body. Talking in her sleep, she only managed to let out a small fearful “no” before loudly breathing out.

Suddenly, when all hope seemed lost for a peaceful sleep… A faint glow surrounded her. It was warm and reassuring as if someone she loved was comforting her. All the fear instantly vanished as did the sound of the basement door.

The glow around her body lingered for a moment longer before fading away, leaving Rarity to have a calm and pleasant sleep.

She could still feel the faint warmth of Twilight’s magic, desperately keeping it in her heart because if she didn’t… She would forget it… She would never feel that warmth again. Despite the pain she was in, Twilight’s laugh came back to the forefront of her mind, reminding her of their training together.

“Uhm, no. You’re just floating,” Twilight giggled as the white unicorn opened her eyes in a panic, noticing she was floating above the floor.

“Ah!” She flailed around before falling flat on her face when the magic around her disappeared.

When he friend had allowed herself to smile and enjoy her time. When Rarity started to go through to her… Right before she taught her how to dance.

“Rarity, I’m…” Luna cut the unicorn’s memories off, just as she was about to remember when they went shopping together. It was like every memory she had of Twilight was rushing back to the surface.

“Did you know?” Rarity whispered after sniffling her tears.

“What?” Luna uttered in confusion.

“Did you know that you would be cursed? And that it would be Blueblood…” Rarity clarified, her voice colder. “You had his handkerchief,”

“I… I knew he was preparing something, and I’ve had… A prophetic dream about it. So yes… I knew,” The alicorn revealed as Rarity slowly stood up, her back still facing Luna.

“You knew… You knew and you let Twilight… You let her risk her life for you. You let her…” Rarity choked on her words, unable to finish her sentence. “You could have avoided all of this,”

“It wasn’t supposed to go like this, Rarity. I promise. A curse shouldn’t have put me in such a state, but I’ve been more weakened than I thought. It was supposed to…” Luna weakly defended herself.

“Let me guess!” Rarity suddenly sharply spun around, finally facing the alicorn and allowing her to see her expression. It was filled with tears, and pain like she had been stabbed in the heart. “It was a test, right?! It always is! Test here! And test there! And Twilight’s health never matters, right?!” She shouted, glaring daggers into Luna’s very soul.

“I… Yes, it was. The last one before she was ready to become an alicorn,” Luna conceded reluctantly. “But I do not like your implications. My beloved student’s life has always been my top priority,”

However, Rarity’s glare didn’t relent, if anything, it only seemed to grow more ferocious.

“Then… Why aren’t you shedding a single tear for her?!” She stomped the floor. Luna flinched at the unicorn’s words, but they rang true. The alicorn didn’t shed tears. She didn’t seem close to crying at all. “Is that the extent of your love for her?” Rarity questioned.

“She was like my daughter,” Luna sternly responded, refusing to have anyone question her intentions or feelings. “But I’ve had hundreds of students over the years, and they were all like my children. I know you’re not a mother, Rarity… But could you imagine losing hundreds of your foals?” The alicorn asked. While the other mare’s eyes slightly softened, her ire didn’t fade. “I cannot allow myself to mourn and cry for all of them because if I do… I will not survive. I will break,” She shook her head.

Rarity remained silent for a couple of seconds, studying Luna’s face.

“No. That’s not an excuse,” The unicorn finally responded. “She had no one. No one but you. She didn’t have a family or friends because of you. There’s no one else in this world to mourn her, so… You better cry for her right now…” Rarity stepped up to the alicorn, her face only inches away from hers. “Or I’ll make you,” She warned through clenched teeth.

“Rarity…” Luna spoke softly as she backed away. “You’re angry. You’re grieving. I understand that. You’re looking to blame somepony, and I won’t deny you that because you don’t know who to direct your anger to, and I don’t blame you for this… But…” As expected, it didn’t quell Rarity’s rage at all. “I have never forced Twilight to forsake her family or the idea of friends. Most of my students were that way, either because they were orphans or because they sought to avoid all distractions, and… She likely wanted to follow in their footsteps. I’ve always prided myself in giving my students the freedom of choice, she…”

“She was a child! She was just a filly who didn’t know any better!” Rarity snapped, veins bulging on her forehead as she leaned forward, likely doing her best not to actually attack Princess Luna. “You’re the adult! You had to be the one to be responsible! You should have told her she didn’t need to forsake those things!”

“Princess Luna is literally perfect!”

Rarity paused, remembering Twilight’s words, which only served to add fuel to her already infernal rage.

“But I suppose that would have been too inconvenient for you, right?” The unicorn questioned with narrowed eyes. “Having a student completely devoted to you is much easier, after all! You’re the only one she has to think or care about, isn’t that right?!” She accused the princess.

“I told you. If there is one thing I refuse to let you doubt… It’s my intentions. I considered her my daughter,” Luna retorted, giving the other mare a light glare. The only reason she hadn’t hurt Rarity by now for her words was because she understood that the unicorn was in pain, maybe even in more pain than she had ever been before. However, Luna refused to have her feelings questioned.

“She thought she was expendable… That you could just replace her,” Rarity responded weakly, her glare slowly turned sorrowful. “She died believing no one loved her. She didn’t deserve such a cruel fate,” She revealed, making Luna slightly widen her eyes. Yet, the alicorn couldn’t help checking Twilight again, specifically her facial expression. The lavender unicorn… Looked peaceful. Despite her injuries, it was as if she had died in her sleep. Not only that… She was smiling. A smile filled with warmth. At that moment, Luna doubted that Twilight truly died believing no one loved her, or perhaps, her student had discovered in her last moments something even more powerful than being loved by someone. “So, I’ll ask you again… Cry for her. Now,”

“I’m sorry,” Luna quietly apologized while looking down, yet… No tears came. “This pains me. You have to believe me. But I can’t mourn, Rarity. I just can’t. Not after everything I’ve already lost. It always… turns out like this… My beloved students grow strong and healthy, they study, they do their best for Equestria, they fight for me, but… It always ends the same way… They die for me too,” She declared in a strained voice. “I wish I could change that. I wish I was stronger. I wish for so much… But I’m not a goddess, and I don’t have…”

“No,” Rarity lightly shook her head. Luna looked up in confusion. “She didn’t die for you. She died for me,” The unicorn revealed, lowering her gaze. “She… Gave her life for me. I don’t know what I did to deserve it, but I’ll never forget this, so if you won’t at least mourn her… I hope you remember as well,” She looked up again, meeting the alicorn’s eyes. “She didn’t die as your puppet,”

Princess Luna looked at her student again as Rarity sniffled back tears; the unicorn turned around to sit by her student’s side, softly caressing her mane and wiping off the blood on her face.

“Perhaps you’re right,” Luna quietly conceded. “She may have found… Something worth dying for. Something… That mattered to her more than I did,” She added while observing the gentle way the white unicorn handled her beloved student’s body.

“I can’t look at your face. I want to leave. I want to see my friends again because if I don’t…” Rarity muttered with conflicting emotions on her face. It was a mix of anger and sadness. She still, undoubtedly, wanted to hurt Princess Luna, but the agony brought by Twilight’s fate kept her in place.

She wanted to see her friends embrace them, to seek comfort in their hold. However, it also meant leaving the friend she just lost. Twilight died, and the only pony who cared enough to cry for her was to leave this world completely. How was it fair? What did she do to suffer such a fate? How was it fair that after the battles they’d just been through and won, she had to die? If only… If only Rarity had killed Blueblood… This wouldn’t have happened! If she had done what needed to be done, then she and Twilight would have been laughing about this whole ordeal by now! Maybe they’d treat her injuries first... Then, they’d have a nice dinner in a tranquil restaurant before finishing the night with another slumber party or even… Or even… No, these hypotheticals didn’t matter. It didn’t change reality.

“I understand,” Luna nodded, finally showing something akin to sadness on her face. Rarity spun her head to look at her, just as the alicorn lit her horn and made something teleport to her. The unicorn widened her eyes in realization as she noted the object’s appearance. It was the same stone that brought her here!

“This is…” The fashionista began hesitantly.

“Indeed. It’s the stone you’ve been looking for. I’ve had it this whole time… I’m sorry. I wanted to make sure you could be trusted. Please, don’t blame Twilight for keeping it a secret, she was only following my orders,” The alicorn explained regretfully. Of course, now that her student gave her life to save that unicorn, she felt remorse for ever doubting her.

Rarity’s mind flashed back to a previous memory again at Luna’s words, finally coming to an understanding.

“I’ll have to properly apologize to you once this ordeal is over,” Twilight nodded with confidence.

So that was it, huh? Rarity didn’t know what Twilight had been talking about at that time, but it was suddenly much clearer. Even though she only followed Luna’s commands at that point, she still wanted to apologize for it? How silly… A bittersweet smile rose up her cheeks.

“You never had anything to apologize for,” She whispered fondly. Princess Luna arched an eyebrow in confusion. However, that small, bittersweet smile vanished as soon as it came as she looked at the alicorn princess again. Rarity wrapped the stone in her magical grab and took her from Luna’s. The unicorn levitated the stone close to her, looking it over. “How can I be happy with this when I… Failed so miserably?” She muttered, still not taking the stone.

“I wish things were different… I… Didn’t want any of this to happen,” Luna argued weakly as Rarity finally touched the stone, though, it didn’t activate yet. “I simply wanted… Twilight to make the world better with me…”

“I don’t think I can forgive you for this… You’re partially to blame, Princess… And you sound like you don’t care,” Rarity softly spoke, glaring at the unicorn princess.

Princess Luna didn’t respond immediately. Of course, she blamed herself. This wasn’t her original plan. She had been weakened by her injury much more than she thought she was. Originally, she should have been able to move and cast spells even through the curse’s effects. She would have observed Twilight from far away and would have saved her if needed. The bond Twilight created with Rarity, along with overcoming her limits to save Equestria was the last element she needed to become an alicorn. Twilight would have become Luna’s equal, and would have reigned over Equestria by her side. She would have created more bonds, and made even more friends until… She was ready to defeat Daybreaker once and for all.

Perhaps, her emotions over this matter were finally visible on her face since Rarity’s glare slightly softened… Only to return in full force. The fashionista just lost a friend, and she wasn’t going to stop blaming herself or the one who could have stopped all of this before it started. As far as she was concerned, Twilight partially died because of Princess Luna’s selfish agenda. She cared more about what she considered the greater good than her supposed daughter’s life. Just then, the stone finally activated, shining bright as it floated out of Rarity’s hoof. The unicorn’s gaze briefly shifted to the stone, which began creating a portal.

“I don’t know why your sister tried to kill you,” Rarity stated as the portal fully opened. The unicorn scowled at the ruler of the night one last time. “You two would have made a great duo of tyrants,” Those were her last words as she was pulled into the portal, which promptly closed as soon as she went through.

Luna widened her eyes in shock, but she remained in place. She didn’t move from where she stood as the stone dropped to the floor and turned off. No one had ever spoken to her in such a way. She should have been enraged to be put on the same level as what her sister had become… Yet, Rarity’s pain was clear, and she could hardly blame the unicorn for her words. She had made too many mistakes in her life.

The princess slowly approached her fallen student and lowered herself beside her. With great care, she enveloped Twilight’s lifeless body in her magic, lifting her gently into the air. Drawing her close, she wrapped her wings and hooves around the lavender mare, tenderly cradling her.

Princess Luna quietly whimpered into her student’s cold neck.

Author's Note

Yep, this one ends on a sad note. Equestria may have been saved again, but not without losses. Rarity lost a friend she grew very close to in that short time. Luna lost a daughter. And Twilight died right as she started to live again...

This Princess Luna will return in her respective epilogue.