REGRET (Good Ending)

Luna woke with a start, her heart racing and her mind clouded by a heavy fog of unease. The faint light of dawn filtered through the curtains of her chambers, but it brought her no solace. Something was wrong. Deep in her chest, an ache festered—a sense of something unfinished, unresolved.

The memory of Twilight's face surfaced, and the pain deepened. Luna rose from her bed, her hooves trembling slightly. It had been years since the fateful day when Twilight was turned to stone, but the memory haunted her dreams as if it had happened just last night. Luna had fought battles, faced unspeakable horrors, but nothing had cut her as deeply as the sound of Twilight’s voice, desperate and broken, echoing through the halls of the Crystal Castle.

Why?

Why had Twilight spared her and Cadence? Luna could not make sense of it. Twilight had the power, the resolve, and yet... she hadn’t. Was it hesitation? Was it regret? Or was it something else, something darker that Luna dared not put into words?

A soft knock at her door pulled her from her thoughts. Cadence stood in the hallway, her expression as worn and troubled as Luna felt.

"You felt it too, didn’t you?" Cadence asked, her voice quiet but heavy.

Luna nodded. She didn’t need Cadence to explain further. They both carried the same weight—the knowledge of what they’d witnessed, the guilt of what they hadn’t stopped, and the doubt that gnawed at their souls.

“We need to speak to Celestia,” Luna said, her voice firmer now.

Cadence hesitated, her gaze flickering with uncertainty. “Do you think she’ll even listen?”

Luna sighed. “She has to.”

Together, the two alicorns hurried through the castle halls, their hoofsteps echoing ominously. As they approached the throne room, a strange silence hung in the air—a silence that only deepened the tension.

When they entered, they found Celestia standing by the great stained-glass windows, her gaze fixed on the garden below. Luna followed her sister’s line of sight and saw the stone figure of Twilight Sparkle, her expression forever frozen in anguish and defiance.

“Why?” Luna demanded, her voice trembling with anger. “Why did you do this?”

Celestia didn’t turn to face her. Her shoulders were stiff, and her jaw was set, but there was no mistaking the tears glistening in her eyes.

“It had to be done,” Celestia said quietly.

“No, it didn’t!” Luna shouted, her wings flaring. “Twilight… she changed, Tia! Something inside her shifted. She spared me. She spared Cadence. Why couldn’t you see it?”

Celestia closed her eyes, her composure threatening to crack. “She was too dangerous, Luna. You saw what she did. She killed thousands, destroyed cities, and turned the Elements of Harmony against us. If I had let her go, she would have—”

“She would have what?” Luna interrupted. “She would have proven you wrong? She would have found redemption, just as I did? Just as Sunset Shimmer did? You didn’t even give her a chance!”

Celestia’s silence was deafening.

“Do you even regret it?” Cadence asked, her voice soft but piercing.

Celestia flinched, and for a moment, she looked like she might shatter under the weight of their accusations. But then her expression hardened, and she turned to face them, her eyes cold and distant.

“I did what was necessary,” Celestia said, her voice steady but devoid of warmth. “Regret won’t bring back the lives she took. Regret won’t undo the damage she caused. And regret won’t keep Equestria safe.”

Luna stared at her sister in disbelief. “At what cost, Celestia? You’ve turned into the very thing you claimed to protect us from. Twilight was right about you.”

Celestia’s eyes flickered with a brief hint of pain, but she didn’t respond.

The room fell into a heavy silence, broken only by the distant sound of birds outside the window. Cadence took a step back, her wings drooping as she turned away from Celestia.

“I can’t do this,” Cadence said quietly. “I can’t pretend this is right.”

She left the room without another word, leaving Luna and Celestia alone.

Luna took a deep breath, trying to steady the storm of emotions raging inside her. “You should undo the spell, Tia,” she said, her voice low but firm.

Celestia shook her head. “You know I can’t.”

“You won’t,” Luna corrected. “And that makes all the difference.”

Without waiting for a response, Luna turned and walked away, her heart heavy with disappointment and sorrow.

As she exited the throne room, she cast one last glance at the garden below. Twilight’s stone form seemed to glare back at her, a silent reminder of their failure.

And in that moment, Luna made a vow.

“I’ll find a way to fix this,” she whispered to herself. “Even if it takes me another thousand years.”

Time had no meaning anymore. Days bled into nights, and years passed in a blur of monotony. But I counted them anyway. Every single one.

4,356 years.

That’s how long I’ve been here, trapped in this cold, unyielding prison. I’ve watched the seasons change, the ponies grow old and die, and the world move on without me. And every year, I’ve grown stronger.

I know Celestia thought she’d won. She thought she’d silenced me, ended the threat, and restored peace to her precious kingdom. But she was wrong.

I’m still here. I’m still thinking. I’m still remembering.

I remember the fear in her eyes when she turned me to stone. I remember the betrayal in her voice when she called me a monster. And I remember the regret she tried to hide, the regret she’ll carry with her for the rest of her life.

She thought she’d broken me. She thought she’d won.

But cracks are beginning to form.

Her magic is weakening, her hold on me slipping.

It’s only a matter of time now.

And when I return, she will know a world of hurt.

For now, I’ll wait. I’ve waited this long. What’s a few more years?

But don’t think I’ve forgotten, Celestia. Don’t think I’ve forgiven.

I’ll be back.

And this time, I won’t hesitate.