The Monument to All Your Sins.

Zecora and Fluttershy had taken refuge on a mountain to the north, far enough away from Canterlot to not have to worry about guard raids, the zebra's potion proved to be extremely effective, almost completely controlling the pegasus' newfound instincts and bloodlust.
So much so that Fluttershy had recovered some of her usual behavior, acting self-conscious and reserved, Zecora couldn't help a strange feeling when witnessing this, it almost seemed that her friend was forcing this behavior, not so much for her but for herself.

They had been discussing all day about what their next step would be, shuffling through all the options at their disposal, they thought about returning to Ponyville as it seemed to be the most sensible option at first, but soon fell into the realization that that would be the first place Celestia would send guards to investigate, then they thought about following Twilight and the others' trail to the Crystal Empire, but the journey was long and they weren't sure of the range of Celestia's patrols and even now the ingredients for Fluttershy's potion were in short supply, if they really wanted to do that they must resupply, be that as it may the thing was they had reached a dead end, too tired to come up with an elaborate plan, so in the end they decided that they would wait on the mountain for a few days, long enough for the relentless search to calm down enough.

It was evening, the dinner of the day had been potato soup which was kindly obtained by Fluttershy when flying to a nearby farm, both remembered to serve a good amount of position in the bowl that corresponded to the pegasus, not wanting to take risks, soon sleep began to invade the body of Zecora which could not help but let out a huge yawn, stretching and feeling her eyelids heavy.

“Well, even if you don't I'll have to say it, this day was more exhausting than any I would have dared to live through...” said the zebra rubbing her eyes.

“Well no one will blame you...” started Fluttershy who was using one of the claws of her new wings to throw a new piece of wood into the fire of her campfire ”Your body is recovering from the fact that you spent days without sleeping or eating properly, not to mention the constant blood loss you've been having, I can see how your body still doesn't recover it completely...”

Zecora felt a shiver at the comment, strangely specific and with a sinister touch to her, during the time they had spent together the zebra began to notice the patterns that made up Fluttershy's new personality, as much as she wanted to hide it, it was obvious that she had changed enormously, her postures were more imposing, her comments more shrewd and her initiative much more daring, not to mention the fact that from time to time Zecora caught her staring at her from a corner or coming closer than usual to play with her mane or sniff her deeply, she could deduce the reason for this strange behavior and the apparent growing fixation the pegasus seemed to have on her, after all it was her own blood the main ingredient of the potion that, though diluted, if or if it had to awaken something inside Fluttershy, for the same reason Zecora now carried with her at all times the small knife she used to collect her plants, maybe it wouldn't do her much good if Fluttershy really tried something, but it made her feel at least a little bit safer.

Finally and after another long yawn Zecora settled down by the fire, preparing to sleep, feeling the sweet song of sleep tempting her to fall into her lethargy, but this partial calm and relaxation was interrupted when she noticed out of the corner of her eye how Fluttershy got up, the zebra turned at high speed holding the knife hidden in her side, but the sudden panic was relieved when she noticed how the pegasus walked calmly away from her in the direction of the entrance of the cave they were taking shelter in.

“Fluttershy...” Zecora called out in an extremely low voice, knowing that she would still be heard.

Fluttershy flapped her big ears and turned around, looking at the zebra over her shoulder, her pink eyes glowing like two headlights reflecting the stupor of the campfire's glow answering in a voice that exuded serenity.

“Yes Zecora..?”

“Sorry if this seems inopportune, but are you planning to leave our safe haven?” she asked bluntly, so far Fluttershy had only left the cave when it was strictly necessary and when the sun was still shining on the distant horizon, I had never seen her with a desire to go out at night.

“I...” began the pegasus ducking her head almost embarrassedly ”I think I'd like to go out for a walk...”

“I hope you won't be offended when I say this, but that sounds more like a sinister euphemism” Zecora gave her a serious look, scrutinizing her friend, trying to find anything that would tell her she should be worried, but finding nothing.

“Don't worry...” replied Fluttershy ”It's just that I'd like to...fly...”

“Can you promise me...” said the zebra finally ”With your heart in your hoof that you won't cause any hardship?”

“It's just some fresh air Zecora, besides I'm carrying your medicine...” Fluttershy gave him a faint smile.

Zecora hesitated a moment longer but exhaustion caused her to yawn again, one that threatened to bring her down completely, she took this as a good sign as the usual instinct that made her uncomfortable around the pegasus subsided greatly, finally nodding to Fluttershy who continued on her way out of the cave while the zebra curled up by the fire, letting herself drift off to sleep.
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Fluttershy stood on the edge of the mountain ledge where a huge forest stretched at the foot of it, the pegasus had her gaze lost in the horizon, in the distant starry sky where the moon shone bright and ominous, Zecora's medicine was undoubtedly incredibly efficient quieting the tingling in the back of her mind, allowing her to feel serene for the first time since she transformed.
She allowed herself to surprise herself with the first contact with her senses finally clear, her new eyes were perfectly adapted to this environment allowing her to appreciate even the smallest detail of the panorama that lay before her, her ears were so acute that even standing on top of that mountain she could hear the heartbeats of the creatures that roamed among the trees and finally, taking a big breath, her sense of smell let her smell the blood in the veins of each of those creatures, it was intoxicating even despite the medicine, it was the most wonderful aroma she had ever experienced, closing her eyes to fully enjoy it.

But at that moment a memory probed Fluttershy's mind, leaks and like a flash, the terrified face of the castle nurse, her features distorted as Fluttershy wrapped in a frenzy ripped the life out of her little by little.
A sudden shudder and disgust ended the pegasus' tranquility, contradictory feelings overwhelmed her as more and more memories swirled in her mind, she remembered the animals and the guards, also her fight with Rock Hoof the feeling of fullness she felt with every drop of blood consumed, followed by the deepest guilt and regret.

She could not help shedding tears, covering her face with her hooves as she let herself fall to the cold rocky ground, she did not want this, this horrible feeling, sobbing silently for a long moment, she felt dirty, disgusted with herself, but above all, she felt terrified, since her crying was not provoked by the agony of knowing that she was the author of deaths full of agony and suffering, no, she did not suffer for that, she cried for the fact of not being able to feel anything for those lost lives, the ecstasy of blood completely overshadowed the possible repentance and that in turn made her feel ironically sorry, she hated herself for that and yet she could not stop reminiscing, longing to feel it again.
Finally she managed to push the thoughts aside, she decided to keep her mind clear, at least tonight, standing up and approaching the edge again, it didn't take her long to let herself fall without further ado, in a free fall down the mountain crags, she could feel the icy air hitting her face while the bustle of the forest became more and more clear, For a single instant the thought of not stopping the fall was present before the pegasus spread its huge wings which stopped the fall in its tracks, a gentle sweep of the powerful limbs was enough to lift Fluttershy all the way back to the top of the mountain and beyond, through the clouds until before her there was nothing but the starry sky.

But Fluttershy didn't stop there, feeling a surge of adrenaline going through her body she flapped her wings again and shot forward with such a speed that the pegasus was sure Rainbow Dash would die of envy if she saw her, It didn't take her more than a couple of minutes to fly out of the limits of the immense forest towards the meadows, crossing the darkness like a yellowish blur, in spite of her speed and the great height, a perfectly clear vision unfolded before her eyes, what little she couldn't see she could smell and what little she couldn't smell she could hear.
For her it was as if she could see for the first time, as if all her life she had worn a veil over her eyes from which she had finally freed herself, she wondered if this was how it felt to be an animal, maybe this was how all the creatures she cared for felt, she was not sure, but for the first time that did not matter to her, for the first time her mind was free of any worries, she had been reborn as a new her, a new her that was free.
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Zecora was quickly carried away by sleep, sinking almost immediately in a tangle of thoughts that gradually calmed down to make room for a familiar scenario, the zebra was in the home of her childhood, more specifically in the kitchen where her mother had taught her to prepare her first potions, her mother was one of the best healers that her people had ever seen and instilled in her from a very young age the work of always helping and healing those who needed it.
Zecora felt happy since being in that place brought back memories and long forgotten longings, she walked slowly along the room, feeling the warm wood under her hooves while a few rays of sunlight filtered through the thatched roof, she walked until she came across her mother's old work table full of herbs and various ingredients, as well as papers full of notes and scribbles.

She couldn't help but smile, it was just as she remembered it, approaching to leaf through the papers, recognizing her mother's handwriting, her mother...where was her mother? she never left her workshop during the day, she was very dedicated to her work, not to mention that usually there were always many zebras looking for her remedies every day, strangely Zecora began to walk around the house, it was not a very big place so there were not many places where her mother could be, but she was not, neither in her living room nor in the room they used to share, an uncomfortable feeling was present, realizing that not even the bustle of the streets she remembered was present, finally opting to go outside in search of someone.
Everything was in its place, the homes of her neighbors, the barren plain, the prominent sun that burned made her sweat as soon as she stepped outside, everything was just as she remembered it, except for the lack of inhabitants, suddenly all that familiarity and feeling of nostalgia disappeared completely and a growing discomfort settled in the back of her mind.

“Hello?” she exclaimed in a daze feeling his distant voice, there was no reply, slowly the warmth around her dissipated and an unusual cold sent shivers down her spine, the sun seemed to disappear completely from the sky and soon the first snowflake fell, then another and another until Zecora found herself in the middle of a prominent blizzard, a blizzard that wiped out the facade of tranquility completely, suddenly the small huts around her became a pile of frozen rubble.

The zebra was frightened. What had happened to her home, to her family and friends? Where had the sun gone? She felt a tear fall down her cheek which froze before touching the ground, her body felt rigid while a cold like no other seemed to take her life little by little, just when she felt the loss of her consciousness, when the cold seemed to turn her blood into ice suddenly everything stopped, absolutely everything, both the cold, as the collapsed village, as the place itself, everything disappeared to give way to a bright blue void that seemed infinite before her eyes, Zecora felt floating and her body was suddenly stunned by an indescribable peace, a peace that was interrupted when before her materialized the very princess of the night.

“Hello Zecora...” her voice was cautious, bathed in distrust not so much of the zebra but of her own words.

It took Zecora a moment to understand, she had heard the stories, of how the princess of the night was able to enter the dreams of the ponies, intrude into their innermost being, she found it distasteful, for her people dreams and the subconscious were a sacred space, which only belonged to oneself, for it to be desecrated by outside entities was considered a bad omen, still she tried to keep her beliefs and superstitions away, she kept her mind clear to be able to address whatever this was.

“Princess what an intrusion, to worm your way into my mind uninvited....”

“I'm sorry...” replied Luna slowly ”But unfortunately I'm here for an urgent reason.”

“What reason could you possibly have for probing my subconscious...if as I see it we are past imminent danger.”

Luna paused, Zecora could notice something strange about the alicorn, she seemed nervous, strangely excited, a strange facet for someone like her, so much so that the zebra couldn't help but feel disturbed by the possible connotations of that attitude.

“Listen...” the alicorn began again ”I'm here to update you, whatever you believe about being safe I assure you it's only a half-truth...my sister is still looking for her...”

“Forgive me if I'm being sarcastic with what I'm about to say, but I hadn't noticed the patrols of soldiers who won't stop chasing us...” Zecora was puzzled, and a bit annoyed due to the fact that Princess Luna up to that point seemed to have left them to their own devices.

“Please could you...!....stop talking for a second, I'm trying to protect them, for nothing in the world can they let themselves be seen or go near any pony...”

“Well for that I don't think you should worry or tremble, since we've been abusing it non-stop...”

“No! You're not understanding me, I know you plan to search for Twilight and the others, but you must desist, stay on this mountain and not come out...”

Zecora didn't understand, she was now more and more suspicious of the princess's real intentions, something Luna must certainly have noticed as she quickly continued.

“Do you know the reason why my sister took Fluttershy in the first place?”

Zecora rummaged through her memory, in fact, she hadn't thought about it, it was obvious that Princess Celestia had no intention of curing the pegasus' discomfort but keeping her alive, her lack of response was an invitation for Luna to continue.

“The pegasus has a tactical value that for my sister is of vital importance, beyond its value as an element of harmony, Fluttershy is the token she needs to keep at bay a power that even she can't control...”

At that moment the idea clicked in the zebra's mind.

“The draconequus...”

“Yes, Discord holds Fluttershy in high regard, holding her hostage was my sister's way of making sure to keep him away from this mess...”

“But then...” started Zecora ”That means Discord is the best token to win, because you would want to avoid him?”

“Make no mistake, Discord does not have the power to defeat my sister, but his power can put a period to this conflict, escalate to a point where my sister stops caring about appearances or collateral damage and then this entire kingdom will be reduced to ashes...”

Zecora understood instantly, the magnitude that this implied, to her mind came the dream she had had only moments ago and she imagined that this could only be the beginning if Celestia's unchecked anger was unleashed against Equestria.

“Discord still believes that Fluttershy is still in her castle, it must stay that way no matter what, if any pony, it's especially her friends, find out that she is free and the news spreads he will come and turn the chessboard into a pizza and then my sister will char that pizza Do you understand now what I am telling you?”

“Yes....” replied Zecora.

“Well, you must do everything you can to make sure that Fluttershy stays here, that she doesn't try to go back to anyone and at the same time you must prevent her new bloodlust from getting the best of her, the future of everything and everyone depends on that...”

“But princess in all honesty how exactly do you expect that I can ever control her? I've done everything in my power and I've barely been able to calm her down what if she gets out of control, couldn't you help me?”

“I am going to take it upon myself to ensure that my sister does not escalate her efforts to find you, but unfortunately I cannot provide more direct help, I'm sorry, but I trust you both will manage to do so...” At that moment the illusion around her seemed to fade, Zecora felt the floating sensation disappear as she watched the princess turn away.

“Wait!” cried Zecora ”You can't leave us like this, you must help us You can't expect us to just stay isolated on this abandoned peak for who knows how long!”

“I'm sorry, I promise I wish I could do more but... I can't...” and with that the dream faded.
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Luna let her magic dissipate as the glow of her horn disappeared, she stood on her balcony as she was bathed in moonlight, struggling to still her mind she was silent for a long while until light knocks on her bedroom door caused her horn to glow once more, with a simple nod of her head the huge ornate door opened and footsteps were heard cautiously stepping inside.

“I'm glad you're someone punctual...” said Luna without turning around, behind her back little Stygian kept his head down in a perpetual bow.

“I want to thank you for agreeing to speak with me Princess Luna...” the pony's voice reflected a nervousness that he clearly failed to conceal while trying to keep it extremely low key, he was so tense that he inevitably gave a start when the door to the room creaked as it slowly closed.

“You mustn't be afraid...” said Luna as she turned to finally face him ‘This is a safe place, please share your doubts with me...’ it didn't take the alicorn long to comfort the pony with a reassuring tone of voice.

Stygian took a moment to collect his thoughts, taking a deep breath and pausing to steady himself before speaking.

“Princess, I have concerns regarding the current situation in the kingdom, related to the events of the last few days I...well, we are all distressed regarding Princess Celestia's decisions for crisis management, with everything from the disappearance of Princess Twilight and the elements of harmony to the hunt for the...well, the monster, I, I, I feel there is something amiss, something is not right but I fear I am wrong...”

Luna listened intently, thinking, considering, she had been thinking about the pillars as potential allies but she was aware that most were too straight to even consider bringing up the idea to them and yet there it was, none other than the first of all, suddenly the idea of acquiring allies within the castle was once again an option, but she had to be cautious, not expose herself and especially not expose Celestia's trash, at least not yet.

“What doesn't add up Stygian?” she asked feigning intrigue.

“I...I don't know, I haven't been able to decipher it but something about her sister's behavior makes me feel...fear, and not just any fear, it's a fear I've felt before...” the pony felt a shiver as he remembered the last time he felt like this, when he was wrapped in bitterness and sadness, when the shadows surrounded him and comforted him with desires too ephemeral and too strong.

Oddly enough at that moment Luna also felt a shiver as the annoying voice in the back of her mind let out a chuckle.

“My my, the world is full of coincidence don't you think?” the voice sneered but Luna ignored it as best she could keeping her eyes straight ahead and paying attention to the pony.

“I, I fear that this foreboding is the omen of something bad, something that threatens Equestria... I have spoken to the other pillars, they too doubt but decide to turn all that on faith towards you, so I need to know...if their trust is accurate...” at that moment the pony looked up, finally looking Luna in the eyes in search of some sign, but the alicorn's stoic expression made it impossible for him to discern anything ”Please tell me princess can we trust you?”

Luna shuffled the options projecting this new information in the huge scheme she now had in her head Stygian was not exactly the strongest warrior but he was very smart and if he was telling the truth it could mean the support of all the pillars, that even though they would not serve as direct combatants their cooperation could help to put more hooves against her sister, finally, and after remaining silent for a long moment Luna spoke.

“Stygian I thank you very much...”

Why?” the pony asked in confusion.

“I thought I was the only one who had noticed my sister's strange behavior I'm glad to know it wasn't just my imagination...”

“What do you mean princess?” Stygian's voice sounded genuinely surprised, shocked that his wild theory seemed to have merit.

“You're right, my sister is not the same, something seems to have changed her and she's becoming more...radical, though I'm not sure why....”

“You don't think...it has anything to do with that mare that tried to attack her...”

“As I said, I'm not sure, but the truth is that my sister may be making the wrong decisions to solve this, I don't know if on her own or...under someone else's control, but you're right to be suspicious...”

“But then what do we do, this is very serious, if the sun princess herself is under outside influences how do we guarantee the safety of the kingdom?” the voice of Stygian changed to one of concern now with the realization that he was right to be suspicious his mind was filled with worries and fears.

“For the moment nothing....” began Luna noticing how the pony became even more nervous ‘You must use your head Stygian, if our suspicions are founded then we are in a most delicate situation, we cannot act impulsively Do you understand?’ the alicorn's gaze reflected seriousness, one that the pony had never seen before.

“Yes princess...I understand...” he finally answered after a moment.

“Also this must remain between you and me, you cannot share this, not even with the other pillars, not at least until we can make it one hundred percent sure, you must keep me aware of everything you see any suspicious things, as well as the situation of the other pillars, we must stay alert and prepared for anything...” she looked at the pony's face she felt doubt, she knew she was putting him in unimaginable danger and most likely not only him Was it really worth it? He didn't know, Stygian could quickly become a security breach, he could jeopardize his plan and even turn her in, it was a risk he wasn't sure was worth taking.

“We could get rid of him...” Luna heard the voice in her head “You've told him too much already, if you let him go now without concreting it he'll give us away...”
“We're not going to kill him” Luna replied curtly to herself.

“Of course not, we're not savages, besides, if he can be useful to us, just not in the boring way you think...”

“Shut your mouth...” Luna didn't want to hear it even though she already knew what he meant.

“The little one was submerged in the shadows for a long time, although he has healed the scars are still there, he could still receive them back willingly, a strong host able to tolerate our power and wield it under our orders, it seems to me that he is quite a valuable piece, a new puppet...”

Luna quieted that voice quickly, focusing back on the pony, almost impulsively blurted out the question she had been considering.

“Can I trust you Stygian, can I trust you to support me in solving this?”

Stygian did not expect such a direct exclamation, it took him a moment to consider his own intentions, again he tried to read the alicorn's expression, which on this occasion reflected a genuine concern, one that the pony interpreted as genuine and concerning the Celestia affair, he felt relieved believing that he could have someone he could trust, someone who would support him and stand by him if everything went wrong.

“Sure you can princess” he finally said feeling good enough to give a faint smile.
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Stygian left the room soon after, leaving Luna in solitude again, not a minute passed before the voice returned now with an irritated air.

“This whole diplomat thing is starting to bore me quite a bit...”

“Will you shut up...” said Luna gritting her teeth, her voice reflecting the same irritated tone.

“I'm just saying that you're letting the best opportunities slip away, and your facade of kindness and patience is leaving us unprotected...”

“It's not a facade...”

“Yeah right, we both know you were never good at lying, not even to yourself, you're better than this Don't you even remember how Celestia took over this place anymore, with pure teeth, to think you'll be able to take her place away with words of encouragement and useless allies is too much even for you...”

“I don't want to take away her place, I just want her to leave this place alone, to leave everyone alone...” Luna felt a nasty headache and her patience hanging by a thread, pacing back and forth in the room as they tried to keep their voices low.

“Pfff everyone...sorry but no honey, we both know you only care about a single pony in this tide of lost flesh and souls the rest, it's just collateral damage...” Luna stopped dead in her tracks, breathing heavily and remaining unresponsive for a long moment “If I'm being honest...” the voice continued “I don't think she shares the sentiment.”

“Did you see the way she looks at me?” said the alicorn finally ”She really hates me...”

“Yeah...and behaving like a coward is never going to get that to change!” exclaimed the voice, hitting the exact right spot and finally causing Luna to explode se.

“Shut the fuck up!”

“Or what, you'll make me the law of ice? ouch how scary, wait let me fake terror from my eternal prison...ahhhhhhhhh!” sneered the voice.

“Shut up! shut up! shut up!!!” Luna dropped to the floor as she covered her ears and closed her eyes tightly.

“You know what we should do? We should go see that bitch and make her scream in pain and then remind her who she belongs to...” the whispers of the voice penetrated deep inside Luna making her heart pound as tears began to fall down her cheeks ”Don't tell me you don't miss it...that feeling, admit it, you're as tired of this charade as Celestia, why don't you let your hair down a little? I know, I miss you...” the voice suddenly seemed to become soft and gentle.

“I want you to leave...” said Luna between sobs squeezing her head tightly ”Leave me alone please...”

“AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!” She laughed uproariously “Let me get out, please what thing do you think you'll accomplish without me? look at me and look at your size, you insect...”

“Piss off!” shouted Luna rising from the ground, shouting into the air ”I don't need you, go back to your filthy pit and rot in the dark!”

“How dare you insolent spoiled brat!!! I'm not a fucking pet that you can just toss aside whenever the fuck you feel like it!!! I'm your wretched bitch!!!”

“No you're not! I'm not going to be like you...I'm not going back to being you, you can't make me, you're just...a bad dream clinging on, believing you have some control over me, but it's not true, I'll do whatever the fuck I damn well please and knock my fucking sister off her throne and when I do...you and me, we'll stay away from these people forever...”

The voice seemed to fall silent and for the first time her tone reflected such deep malice and contempt that Luna felt a lump in her throat.

“You know what, do what you want You want to be the heroine? go ahead You want to pretend you're better than her? go ahead, but sooner or later the truth will have to come out and when that happens, everyone will hate you just like they hated her, no matter what good you've done, they'll leave you alone just like before and demand your head, then and only then, when you're rotting and bleeding all alone in the dark, you are going to beg me to come back, and I will come back, of that have no doubt just for the pleasure of watching you let yourself go and turn this filthy place into a frozen wasteland devoid of all light, until then, try not to get yourself killed, I'll see you later Nightmare dear.... ”

And with that the voice disappeared, this time for real as Luna could no longer feel it in the back of her mind, it was gone, back from where it had come from, Luna could finally breathe easy feeling extremely exhausted, she rubbed her sore eyes feeling the cold sweat on her forehead only to drop onto her large bed shortly after, she no longer wanted to think about anything even though there was so much to think about, she felt trapped in so many senses, at least she could be sure that night at least she got rid of one of them.