Blooming Days

"The issue isn't just the Nightmare, Twilight."

The Princess of the Sun's candid demeanor was refreshing. It was also absolutely terrifying.

Harsh truths always are.

I appreciated my mistress' wish to protect me from things that might harm me, but if she coddled me forever I'd never grow into a mare she could be proud of. The only one who seemed to want to give me the opportunity to change, to grow, was the Sun Princess.

You won't like it.

...

Maybe not. But that doesn't really matter, does it?

Sunset was listening to our conversation in complete silence. There was a look of intense contemplation on the mare's face. My mistress was still facing away from me. I loved her so much, but Celestia wouldn't spare my feelings like she would. I didn't want to betray her trust, but I had to rely on her older sister for the time being.

"Then... what is the issue, Your Highness?" I asked the white alicorn, doing my best not to sound like I was begging for her help.

I'd been so angry with her again. She seemed so blasé about my plight. The Nightmare was something I didn't know how to fight. If anypony could help me in my struggle -- other than my mistress, of course -- it'd be her older sister. And yet, the alabaster alicorn hadn't said a word about it to me. If she really did have a plan before, I should've been made aware of it.

Why would you ever think that? You are utterly insignificant.

And you're nothing but a pain in my FLANK, so would you kindly shut your mouth!?

Princess Celestia didn't answer me. Instead, her eyes drifted down to the dark alicorn. The Princess of the Sun looked like she intended on asking something, but kept her mouth closed. She didn't say a word. At least, not audibly. They were clearly doing what my mistress and I had done countless times before: Communicating telepathically.

They have to be.

Their extended silence was far too telling.

...

"If that is what you wish," Princess Celestia finally turned her attention back to me after what felt like an eternity. A slight smile was tugging at her lips, almost as if she might start laughing at any moment. My mistress remained quiet. She hadn't moved a muscle since she began "speaking" with her sister.

Maybe even before that.

Celestia laid a hoof on both of our heads this time, patting gently. "You two are so much alike, it perplexes the mind," she moved her hooves back to the floor. "I adore you both." Her smile faltered just a tad. "Which is why it pains me to have to be the one to tell you this." She focused her attention on me. "Do you truly wish to hear what I have to say, Twilight?"

...

Trust me. You do not.

...

I lifted a hoof in front of myself, reaching out to the alicorn. She looked a little surprised, but she lifted hers as well, carefully placing it on mine. It was so much larger, so heavy. The gleaming of her extravagant gold horseshoe in the light was nearly blinding. Holding it with mine felt... good.

"I do, Your Highness," I bowed my head, both out of respect and for the remorse I was feeling for my irrational actions towards her. "I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions before, I just-"

"It's okay, Twilight. I understand," she squeezed my hoof gently before letting go and using the same to raise my head. "You don't have to explain yourself."

"Thank you, Your Highness," I smiled at her. She let go of me, lowering her hoof back to the floor.

"Now then..." She took a deep breath before letting loose. "The real issue is you, Twilight."

"PRINCESS!?" Sunset was clearly a lot more bothered by her mentor's words than I was. Even my mentor visibly shook at just how blunt her elder sister had chosen to be.

Of course. I figured...

I told you.

"That's... what I thought," my body slumped. That was the exact thing I'd expected to hear from her... as well as one of the things I feared almost as much as the Nightmare itself.

"It's not as dire as it might sound, Twilight," she continued, though she had lifted a hoof slightly in Sunset's direction to silence the golden mare. Her student did so with no protest. "The darkness that took root in your heart all those years ago is what I wanted exorcised from you while you were in the Empire."

Right. That.

My head drooped even farther.

That particular issue was something I didn't want to deal with anytime soon. I glanced at my mistress. She was still hunched over as well, staring at the carpet opposite my direction. She'd alluded to my problem when we'd spoken about my happiness back in the lab. I'd come to a realization at the time. The Nightmare was only one of the problems I would have to deal with to overcome my issues.

It wasn't the one making me feel this way. It wasn't the one making me so unhappy. After I realized that, I decided to shift the focus of my scorn elsewhere. I blamed my issues with Celestia. I blamed her. However, after we'd come to something of an understanding, I couldn't use her as a scapegoat any longer either.

And now that me and Shining Armor are on good terms...

...

And I definitely wasn't about to blame Starlight for my misfortunes.

I won't do that.

I couldn't blame her. Not after what I'd done.

So then... it really is me.

"What did you want to happen, Princess?" Sunset asked, drawing me from my reverie. Enough time had passed that she'd decided to break the silence that had ensued. I was thankful for her kindness. It was evident Celestia wanted me to reply or do something else and wasn't going to say anything further herself. I didn't want to.

Sunset...

She rescued me... again. And I was certain she'd do it countless more times if need be.

Wrong again, unicorn. She thinks as little of you as Starlight Glimmer.

I didn't even need to reply to it. I knew that was a lie. I lifted my head, smiling at my best friend. She returned the gesture, sending a trill running through my heart.

I don't know how or why I could have ever thought she was my enemy. Just like Starlight had before her, -- possibly, even moreso -- the golden unicorn was showing me that she cared. It hadn't all just been big talk. I had to do more for her, for them. I had to be better, for their sake.

I have to show them.

But... even if I did manage to change somehow...

I don't deserve them.

EXACTLY!

And that was precisely what Princess Celestia had meant. I was the one thinking these horrible, self-deprecating thoughts. The Nightmare was merely reinforcing my own negative musings.

"Had things gone according to my plan," Celestia turned her gaze onto her student. "You were to have been overpowered by Chrysalis, Sunset."

W-What!?

I stared at the Sun Princess, my eyes wide and my mouth hanging open. I shifted my gaze to Sunset expecting her to be just as stunned as I was. What met my eyes confounded me even more than the princess' claim had.

The mare didn't look particularly shocked at all by her mentor's words. Her face was screwed up in deep contemplation, a hoof lifted to her chin, gently tapping. I'd have been absolutely devastated if my mentor had said something like that to me, yet it didn't seem to trouble Sunset in the least.

"There's only one reason I could think of that'd be why you'd have wanted me to lose," the golden unicorn said in response to her teacher's claim.

"I didn't want you to lose," Celestia objected with her own raised hoof and a stern glare that could shake one of her guards with ease. Sunset took it in stride.

"Right, sorry," she rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "What I meant to say was; I think I can guess why you'd want things to go in a way that would involve me losing."

"And why might that be?" Princess Celestia's expression instantly shifted to a smile. She was clearly pleased that her pupil had stayed calm and not jumped to conclusions like I would have.

Like I had.

We're so different.

Like glorious day and pitiful night. Now shut your abhorrent mouth.

"I think it's becaus-"

You shut your... wait...

"H-Hold on a second!" I stood up, lifting my hooves to stop the conversation from going any further.

"What is it, Twilight?"

You cheeky little BRAT.

Thankfully, Sunset stopped.

"It... it can hear," I looked between them expecting the worst. "It's listening to us... right now." My friend was mortified, the look of disgust on her face causing me to wince. Princess Celestia on the other hoof...

"I am well aware of its presence, my little pony," she assured me with a consoling smile. "There's naught we can do to stop it from doing so. They prey on whom they wish, when they wish. Whether it's spying from afar..." she swept a hoof in front of herself before placing it against my temple. "or trespassing right inside one of us."

...

Was my little Lulu not enough to satiate your ravenous hunger? Now you focus your wrath on my innocent Twilight?

I could hear the Sun Princess' voice in my mind. Or at least, I thought that's whose it was. It was gentle yet firm and beyond comforting. It felt like she'd cast a spell on me, but her horn wasn't even active at the moment, so that wasn't a possibility.

What have I to do with you, Goddess? Are you planning on tormenting me? That is a flagrant disregard for the rules y-

Silence. What a pitiful creature. Nary enough courage to even fully manifest before me, yet you have the audacity to question me? Hold your tongue, demon.

Even the ever so slight increase in the volume of her voice wasn't unpleasant. Somehow, it was just as soothing as before, if not moreso. She removed her hoof from my head, and along with it, the presence from my mind.

"This particular curse has been a nuisance to..." she paused for a moment. "my sister and I for quite some time." She was still smiling for some reason, though it looked a little more lopsided than before. Her odd jubilation suddenly turned more serious. "Are you able to bear it for a bit longer, Twilight?"

"I..."

...

Can I?

"You'd request such a thing of my dearest, Celestia?" my mistress asked, finally looking up from the floor at her sister. There was sadness in her, for sure, but there were also hints of fierce determination. To question her older sister for my sake spoke world's of just how much she cared for me. Celestia ignored her sister's question, continuing to look down at me. It was apparent she was waiting for me to answer her and nothing would sway that.

I couldn't stop the trembling. The fear of the being that had once preyed upon my mistress' insecurities, and who was now singling me out, was all too vivid in my mind. I wanted to run away, wanted to tell her I couldn't take any more... But, I wasn't that weak. I couldn't be. Not any longer. I had been pathetic in the past far too many times. If I wanted a semblance of hope that I'd ever overcome it, that I'd work things out with Starlight, it had to start somewhere.

Never again. I swear.

"Somehow... I've been able to this long, Your Highness," I declared, smirking with the utmost confidence at Sunset. She looked confused at first, but was intrigued. "With my friends helping me... I know I can continue to endure." A smile bloomed on her face. A silent, firm nod of the mare's head told me I had her complete support.

...

"You've grown," Celestia drew my attention back to herself. She was satisfied with my answer, a smile on her face as well. "Both of you," she nuzzled the top of her student's head. "Well done, girls."

Her praise hit me like a tsunami, my body tingling all over. It was even better than I'd ever imagined it could feel. Sunset was looking over the moon -- er, sun -- herself.

"You're such a strong mare," my mistress wrapped a wing around me, sidling closer. "So much stronger than I," she whispered.

That's not...

My elation was snuffed out instantly. Sensing her melancholy made me acutely aware of what I needed to do.

She's done it for me so many times before. I have to be better for her too.

"That's not true," I whispered back, hugging her tightly. "You're the strongest mare I know... Luna."

...

"Thank you, Twilight," she nuzzled into my mane, hers fully encompassing my body.

Has she always been this...

I snuggled into her, taking in her scent like I'd done countless times before. But this time... This time things were different. Remembering back. My mistress so very close to me. My back pressed against the wall of her room. Her mouth inches from mine.

"May I... may I kiss you?"

...alluring?

I didn't want to let her go. I never wanted to let her go. I wanted...

I want...

...

"So, Sunset..." Princess Celestia had given us our moment before continuing. I was grateful to her for that. I'm pretty sure Luna was too. We still held each other close, but we both shifted our attention to the golden unicorn. "You were saying?"

...

"Huh? What?"

...

"OH! Right!" she snapped out of whatever corner of her mind she'd been exploring. She'd looked so lost in thought that the princess' question didn't appear to register with her at first. Thankfully, she looked a bit better now. "S-Sorry!" she moved closer to her mentor as well. The white alicorn was completely caught off guard, a look of confusion coming to her face.

"Sunset?" Celestia wrapped a foreleg around her student. "Is everything okay?" The Sun Princess looked truly concerned for the first time since we'd arrived in her quarters.

"Yeah," the unicorn replied, a smile I'd seen too many times in the mirror on her face. "What was I...? Right... RIGHT!" She laughed like a mad mare. It was a poor attempt at masking the discomfort she was experiencing, but I'm certain none of us were going to say anything when she so clearly didn't want to talk about whatever was troubling her anyway.

I'll ask her about it later.

"What I was going to say was..." she began once she'd calmed down a bit. "that I think the only reason you'd have hoped for something like that to happen is because it would have been beneficial for me."

...

"That's... a very good guess," Celestia giggled.

"Is it wrong?" Sunset tilted her head. Again, she'd maintained her composure. I'd have taken the white alicorn's words as a complete and utter insult. We really were like day and night. Now that I was finally over my foalish prejudices towards her, I might be able to learn a thing or two from her example.

"Not... exactly," Celestia rubbed Sunset's shoulder with her wing, her smile becoming more playful by the second. "But, I suppose in a way... You're also one hundred percent correct."

...

"Sister, even I can grow weary of your abstruse meditations from time to time," my mentor chided the Princess of the Sun with a look of pure exhaustion.

"Alright, alright," Celestia waved a hoof in front of herself dismissively, her smile staying firmly in place. "Celestia never gets to have any fun. I get it, I get it," she chuckled, looking down at her student once again. "Had events gone according to my intentions, the Elements would have confronted Chrysalis and Twilight, which would have resulted in the two of them being purified."

Purified? But...?

I wasn't sure what she'd meant by that exactly, but there was something more pressing I had to get clarification on at the moment.

"But I didn't even get a chance to fight," I shook my head. My mentor looked down at me, stroking my shoulder. "Not... not really, at least," I slumped, feeling the pangs of guilt begin to form in my belly once again.

It was so unbelievably ironic. I'd blindsided Starlight, one of my only friends, like the monster that I was. And then only minutes later, that monster Chrysalis did the very same to me.

"Chrysalis incapacitated Twilight pretty early on..." Sunset was just as confused as I was, but she still made the decision to take the opportunity to defend me. She had a hoof lifted to her chin as she pondered further. "I don't think the girls would've had enough time to do anything to help Twilight."

"You'd be correct in that assumption, Sunset," Celestia's mood continued to brighten. She was clearly pleased with her student's logical assessments once again. "That is where the other curse threw a wrench into the works."

"You refer to the one Sunset designated the Nightmare's brother, Tia?" my mentor asked, her body stiffening slightly at mentioning the fiend that'd made her life unbearable.

"Yes, Luna," her sister replied before turning to me. "It is a creature much like the demon that has afflicted our family for all these years. I believe its appearance is what caused Chrysalis to take a less... drastic approach to her invasion."

"Less drastic?" I accidently let slip my thoughts. When the trio looked at me I knew I had to elaborate. "It could have been more extreme than it was? How?"

"She didn't kill anyone," Sunset answered quickly. She wasn't being contrary or standing against me, she was simply stating fact. "Not even your brother, and he was one of the ones taken to the hive. But..." her head lowered, a look of agony gripping her.

"Something happened," Celestia looked as if she already knew what her student was going to say. "He hasn't contacted me in days." Sunset said nothing in response, though I did notice her head bob slightly. "Don't worry," the Sun Princess lifted the unicorn's head. "He'll be okay. I promise."

"He did so much for all of us..." Sunset smiled. "Thank you, Princess."

I wasn't really sure who they were talking about.

"Always," she replied before returning to the previous topic. "As I was saying, I believe Chrysalis made the decision to forego Twilight's assistance because of the curse aiding her."

"But why would she-" I stopped short, my eyes opening wide in understanding. "She didn't need me."

Am I really that we-

"Before you go any further, Twilight," Celestia lifted a hoof, her wings ruffling for a moment. She knew me all too well. "know that with the pact she made with the curse, Chrysalis was nigh unstoppable by mortal hooves. She didn't need any help from anyone. I believe Sunset can corroborate that claim for me, yes?"

The three of us looked to the golden mare, waiting for her to answer. She clenched her teeth, her eyes narrowing on a foe that was nowhere to be seen.

"He was strong enough to make a fool out of me without even trying." She was irate, and rightfully so.

"Then... what we discussed... It really was true?" My mentor trembled at the possibility. "There are more than one? And they're...?"

It can't be...

"It appears so," Celestia sighed, closing her eyes. "Not only are there more than one, they have the ability to destroy all we hold dear... and..." She hugged her student tighter. My mistress did the same to me.

"And?" Sunset wrapped her forelegs around her mentor. I did the same to mine. "Your Highness?"

...

"Luna?"

It was a solemn silence that had taken the sisters. One that sent chills down my spine. I looked to Sunset for a semblance of hope. I received none. She was just as afraid as I was.

"And... they have the ability to take our lives as well."