A Silver Sky: Four Little Ponies

--Chapter 28: Sisters--

The first time Rarity had met Princess Luna, she had done her best to hide her disappointment.

This was after Nightmare Moon, after the Everfree Forest, the challenges, the spark. Rarity knew enough about the legend of the Sisters to know that Nightmare Moon and Luna could not be considered the same pony; whatever corruption took hold of Luna had changed her, body and soul, into a new being. Still, while she feared Nightmare Moon and was glad to assist in her downfall, Rarity had a strange respect for the black alicorn who had appeared before her that night. She seemed almost proud of her own corruption. She announced her intention to bring eternal night with an utter lack of shame or hesitation. It did not matter to her what others thought of her terrible deeds. She had enough power to render them helpless, and their opinions meaningless.

Rarity envied that sort of power.

She had hidden her true self for so long, allowing it to be known only by herself and her various victims. She enjoyed the subterfuge of living a double life. But it wore on her. How she wished she had the power, the pride, to stand before the world, and announce her depravities in a loud voice. How she dreamed of laughing, as Nightmare Moon did, at the disgust and fury which would have crept upon the faces of every pony who heard her proclamation.

But she knew this to be impossible. Even if she were as powerful as one of the Royal Sisters, she knew that she would never be able to bear the feeling of betraying the ponies she had come to know as her friends. Even before Twilight Sparkle had cemented the six of them as friends, Rarity had built far too many precious connections in Ponyville. She lived in constant fear of them discovering her secret life, and she knew that all the power in the world would not make it any less painful to see her friends turn their backs on her.

In moments like those, she thought back to her foalhood. To a filthy, diseased garden where nothing healthy grew. And she remembered a lonely, miserable filly who looked up at the moon and longed to be as cold and empty as it was.

This, Rarity concluded, was the true source of Nightmare Moon’s power: she was alone. No one loved her, and she loved no one. As such, she could condemn an entire world to endless darkness and eventual death, and think nothing of it. In her solitude, there was total freedom.

But Rarity had long since abandoned her desire to throw away all her emotions. She had come to value friendship; so much, in fact, that on the night she faced Nightmare Moon, she became one of its paragons.

And then she saw Luna.

There, huddled among pieces of broken armor, lay the Moon Princess who Rarity had so long admired. She had none of the majesty or power Rarity had imagined as a foal. As Nightmare Moon, she had boasted of vanquishing Celestia. Now she cried to her sister and begged for forgiveness. She seemed so small to Rarity now, so weak.

Was this the same Princess she had admired for so long? The one whose solitude she had envied? Was this truly Luna?
Although she had thrown away her childhood philosophies long ago, a part of Rarity could not help but feel profoundly let down at the sight of the Moon Princess.

I suppose it’s true what they say, she had thought to herself. Never meet your heroes.

Rarity did not see Luna again until the royal wedding, and even then she had barely paid attention to her. After the Changeling invasion, she had spent the bulk of the reception asking Fancypants if there were any openings in his inner Circle. The stallion had reacted positively.

Now, years after their first encounter, Rarity once again came face-to-face with Princess Luna.

The Princess had changed.

Her hair, which Rarity remembered as a simple purple mane, was now a billowing field of magical stars. She had grown larger, her wingspan greater, and Rarity could feel an intense magical force emanating from Luna as she flew toward her sister. Her eyes were jet-black, and an otherworldly darkness emanated from them.

Rarity stood in horror as one of her childhood dreams was unexpectedly fulfilled: to see the Night Princess in her full glory.
Luna looked at Rarity, and returned a look of sheer contempt.

Behind Luna was the largest dragon Rarity had ever seen. He began to land, even as Luna continued flying in the direction of Celestia.

“Styngian,” Celestia said. She spoke the name with a strangely respectful tone.

The ground shook as the dragon landed. The disturbance caused Rarity to fall to the ground.

Before she could get up again, a dark blue hoof hit the ground, inches from her face.

Princess Luna stood before Rarity, her expression radiating hatred. Rarity’s blood turned to ice as she realized that Luna had not been flying toward her sister. She had been flying toward her.

“Do not get up,” Luna said to Rarity. “If you value your safety, remain down in the dirt like the vermin you are.”

Rarity had never truly seen the moon princess angry before, not even when she had faced Nightmare Moon. Her anger was like a cloud around her, an almost tangible thing. Rarity found herself trembling in response to Luna’s voice.

“Y-yes…” she said, almost involuntarily. She did not attempt to stand.
Luna turned her head away, in a clear gesture of revulsion. “Twilight Sparkle,” she said, addressing the purple unicorn. “I take it you delivered my message?”

“Yes, your highness,” Twilight said with a respectful bow. “I set your knight free. But as soon as I did, he disappeared. I haven’t seen him since.”

“Um, your…your majesty...ness?”

Silver Spoon approached Luna nervously. She had never been in the presence of royalty before, and even with all her society manners, she was completely unsure of how to address one of the rulers of Equestria.

So she bowed, as low as she could. The gesture was very familiar to her by now. It comforted her.

“I saw Sir Twenty just a few minutes ago, your majesty,” Silver Spoon said, still bowing. “He was…not well.”

“Child…” Luna said, in hushed shock. “What have they done to your flank?”

Silver had almost forgotten that the scar was still there.

“That’s not important right now, your highness,” Silver said. She surprised herself by speaking so directly to the Princess, but she did not want to discuss her own mistakes with Luna. “I saw Twilight free Sir Twenty. Then I saw him again a while later, and…you have to stop him, Princess.”

Silver stood up. She decided she needed to speak as frankly to Luna as possible.

“Twenty’s gone mad. He's armed and he’s been killing Circle members left and right. I know you must hate the Circle, but you can’t possibly condone-“

“Twenty is dead.”

Celestia’s voice did not just interrupt Silver’s. It overwhelmed it. The authority carried in her voice was enough to rob Silver of any resolve she had. But there was something else there, too: anger. Silver began to slowly back away.

“Sister,” Luna said, noticing the pile of ashes near Celestia for the first time. “Please, tell me you did not…”

“He was a traitor, Luna. A danger to Equestria. Or are you going to defend his killing spree?”

Luna shook her head. “No,” she said. “Those ponies should have been hunted down, arrested, and then thrown in a dungeon to rot. If anything, Sir Twenty showed them too much mercy.”

Celestia sighed. “Oh, sister. You’re still so confused. Don’t you understand that I’m doing this to protect you? To protect all of us?”

“And who protects them?” Luna said, gesturing toward the five foals who now stood together on the mansion grounds. “What sort of Princess abandons her most vulnerable subjects?”

“I thought you believed in the Balance, Luna,” Celestia said, walking slowly toward her sister. “I thought you understood sacrifice.”

“You speak to me of sacrifice, sister,” Luna said. “Yet you never seem willing to make those sacrifices yourself, do you? It’s always someone else. Imprisoning me. Leaving these foals to suffer. It’s never you, is it, Celestia?”

“DON’T YOU THINK I WOULD HAVE TAKEN YOUR PLACE?” Celestia cried, her voice suddenly choked with emotion. “Don’t you think I would have gladly spend a thousand years locked away if it had meant you could be free?

“Don’t you think I spent every day of your exile wishing I had been the one who had been corrupted?”

The moon princess looked in her sister’s eyes. She gently raised her hoof and brushed a few of Celestia’s hairs to the side. It was a gesture of affection.

“Oh, my dear sister,” Luna said. “I fear your wish has come true.”

Celestia lowered her head sadly. “I am doing the right thing,” she said. “One day, you’ll see…”

“I don’t believe I shall, sister,” Luna said. “You say you understand what these foals have gone through to preserve your balance. You say you will silently honor their sacrifice. But you don’t truly understand their pain. Not like I have.

“You haven’t seen their nightmares.”

Luna turned from her sister and walked toward Rarity, who was still cowering on the grass. Sweetie Belle tentatively ran toward her sister, looking up at Luna protectively.

“Since you locked me in the sanctum, I have spent my nights walking in the dreams of many of these foals,” Luna said. “I do what I can to ease their pain, but in the end, it is futile. For once they awaken, they are back in the Circle’s Gallery. Back in a nightmare in which I cannot walk.”

Luna approached Sweetie Belle. “And I have seen your dreams, too, little one. I believe I understand you most of all.”

“Me?” Sweetie said. “But…you’re a Princess…”

“Yes,” Luna said. “But I am also the younger sister to a pony who has committed acts of the vilest nature. A pony whose actions disgust me to my core. A pony who, despite everything, I love with all my heart.”

Sweetie Belle looked down at the ground. “Oh,” she said. “I guess I see what you mean…”

Behind them, Celestia lowered her head.

“Even now, you move instinctively to protect this creature who is unfit to call herself your sister,” Luna said to Sweetie. “It breaks my heart to see it, because I understand the instinct so well.”

“That’s enough.”

Her voice was barely audible, but Luna noticed it nonetheless, for Rarity’s objection coincided with her disobeying the Princess’ threat and rising to her hooves.

“How dare you,” Rarity said as she faced the princess. “You may insult me if you like. You may condemn me if it suits you. But do not dare trivialize the bond I share with Sweetie Belle! I call myself her sister because that is who I am. Because the feelings we have for each other transcend whatever petty disagreements we may have. In the end, Sweetie and I will always have each other. Because we are sisters. And nothing can change that.”

Luna sneered at Rarity, but did not reply. Instead, she addressed Sweetie Belle. “Sweetie, is this correct? Do you love Rarity? Speak truthfully, child.”

“Yes,” Sweetie said in a weak voice. “Yes, I love her.”

Rarity hugged her sister. “You see, Luna?” Rarity said. “You should know better than to belittle the value of family.”

Luna scoffed. “I haven’t just looked into these foals’ nightmares, Rarity,” she said. “I have also seen their good dreams.
Sweetie Belle, shall I tell Rarity of your happiest dream? The one you’ve had over and over again?”

Sweetie’s eyes went wide. “No!” she said. “I mean, please don’t tell her that, your highness! It’s just a dream, it doesn’t mean anything…”

“Sweetie,” Rarity asked. “What is she talking about?”

“Nothing!” Sweetie Belle said. “It’s nothing, sis, really…”

“Luna,” Rarity said. “Tell me.” Luna could not remember the last time a commoner had spoken to her like that.

“The details of the dream always vary,” Luna said. “In some of them, you simply disappear one day. In others, you die in some sort of accident. In many cases, Sweetie simply finds the courage to walk out the door of your shop one day, and never returns. But all these dreams spring from the same basic desire, Rarity. They all speak to your sister’s fondest wish:

“She wishes she did not love you.”

Upon hearing those words, Rarity’s resolve vanished. The proud, defiant stance she had taken seemed to evaporate. Rarity’s legs shook, barely able to support her weight, as the full impact of Luna’s words sunk in.

She looked at Sweetie, who turned away from her. But her expression said enough. It said that Luna’s words were true.

“Sweetie,” Rarity said, her voice breaking. “Please, not you…”

Sweetie’s voice was quiet as she responded. Her words were meant for no one but Rarity.

“I used to think I could fix you,” she said. “I thought I could make you better. But you’ve never really wanted to get better, have you? It’s not just a sickness. You like being this way.”

Rarity reached out to touch her sister’s mane, but Sweetie backed away from her.

“I just want to be free, sis,” Sweetie said. “But I can’t be. Not as long as I still love you.”

Rarity fell to the ground.

There was no buildup to her collapse, no slow moment of realization. It was as if her heart had stopped for an instant. Then, after a moment of lying silently on the ground, she covered her face and began to sob.

Instinctively, Sweetie Belle reached out to comfort her sister. But she felt a hoof on her shoulder holding her back.

“Don’t do it,” Diamond Tiara said. “You’re the one with the power now. Don’t give it up.”

“But I don’t care about power,” Sweetie said. “I just…look at her, Diamond. She’s in pain…”

“Good,” Diamond Tiara said.

“Miss Rarity…” Silver Spoon whispered. “I’m sorry…”

She wasn’t sure why she said it.

“I am sorry, Sweetie Belle,” Luna said. “But I felt she needed to know.”

“It’s okay,” Sweetie said. “I don’t think I could ever have told her on my own. I just hate seeing her like this…”

“Oh, for sun’s sake!” Diamond Tiara said. “How many times has she seen you like this? How many times has she left you crying or suffering, huh? Did she lift a hoof to help you then? Or did she just stand there, getting off on your pain? And even after all that you still feel sorry for her? You pathetic little doormat! What is wrong with you?”

“There’s nothing wrong with her!” Silver Spoon interrupted. “Leave her alone, Diamond!”

“No, she needs to hear this!” Diamond Tiara said. “She's just inviting the abuse as long as she keeps being such a weak little-“

Diamond’s rant was cut off as Silver Spoon slapped her across the cheek.

“Diamond,” she said, addressing her in an authoritive tone. “Stop it.”

Diamond Tiara looked at Silver with bewilderment, while rubbing the spot where she had been struck.

“S-sorry…” Silver said.

Diamond smiled. “Wow,” she said. “I didn’t think you had it in you.”

“Sweetie has a right to feel sorry for her sister,” Silver said. “And you were being a bully.”

“That really upsets you now, doesn’t it?” Diamond said. “You really have changed.”

Diamond patted Sweetie Belle on the shoulder. “I’m sorry, Sweetie,” she said.

Sweetie said nothing, but simply nodded. She looked back at her sister. She was still crying.

Celestia watched the display with a regal detachment. Only when Luna looked back at her did she betray any emotion.

“Well, then, do you share the foal’s sentiment, Luna?” Celestia asked. “Do you wish you didn’t love me?”

Her tone was not accusatory. It was almost pleading.

“I wish…” Luna said. “I wish you would stop, sister. That is all. Let this be the last Circle. Let it end tonight.”

“Luna, the balance-“

“Oh, enough about your damn balance, Princess!”

Twilight Sparkle approached Celestia, seething with anger.

“I’ve read hundreds of books of magic. I’ve studied under you for almost a decade,” she said. “And in all that time, I have never once seen any mention of this balance of yours. Seems odd, doesn’t it? That such a powerful magical force, which you claim you discovered over a thousand years ago, isn’t mentioned anywhere in Equestria’s magical texts?”

“I learned of the balance in a book of philosophy,” Celestia said. “But that does not make it any less real.”

“So you say,” Twilight said. “But I was here in Fancy’s mansion for a week, Celestia. He has a huge library. One of the most impressive I’ve seen, actually. And Fancy was making sure to restrict my movements. So I did what always do when I’m backed into a corner: I studied.”

Twilight approached her former mentor fearlessly. There was accusation in her voice. “I’ve read more books of philosophy in the past week than most ponies have in their entire lives,” she said. “And do you know what I learned about the balance, Princess?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Celestia said. “I will-“

“Nothing,” Twilight said. “I learned absolutely nothing. There isn’t a word about your pet theory in any of those books, Celestia. Do you know what I think? I think losing your sister terrified you. Not just because you had to imprison someone you loved, but because it meant that the almighty Princess Celestia wasn’t as completely in control of Equestria as she thought she was. You were still at the mercy of random chance. So you convinced yourself that there was no random chance.”

“This is absurd,” Celestia said. “The duality of our world is self-evident. Luna and myself. Harmony and Discord…”

“Imaginary patterns imposed on random events,” Twilight said. “You made up your own philosophy, and in your grief, convinced yourself it came from someplace else. There is no balance, Princess. There never was. There was just you, lonely and afraid. Trying to impose your will on a universe that had stopped making sense.”

Celestia closed her eyes. “And you, Luna?” she said without facing her sister. “Do you agree with Twilight?”

“Twilight Sparkle is a brave, wise, and truly remarkable pony,” Luna said. “But she has not lived as we have lived. She did not see Equestria’s birth, and will not live long past her death. Your knowledge is without peer, sister. If you say there is a balance, then there must be.”

Celestia smiled.

“But even if the balance does exist,” Luna said. “It changes nothing.”

Luna’s mane began to grow darker in color. “If a sacrifice must be made, then you and I should be the ones to bear it,” she said. “Before, I indulged your selfishness, out of fear of losing you. I see now what a terrible mistake that was. The suffering you have allowed to happen is incalculable, sister. It must end. Tonight.”

“And what if our suffering is not enough?” Celestia asked, as her own mane began to change its color to more closely mimic the sun’s color. “What if destroying the Circle means the downfall of Equestria itself?”

“THEN LET IT FALL!” Luna cried, as she spread her wings. “A nation that would allow its children to suffer this way has no right to exist!”

“Don’t you understand, Luna?” Celestia said, as she spread her own wings in response. “I did this so we could be together! Do you really want to lose me?”

“Celestia…” Luna said, as her horn began to glow. “I fear I already have.”

A burst of magical energy exploded from Luna’s horn, hitting Celestia in the chest. The impact sent a shockwave throughout the estate, knocking Twilight to the ground.

The smoke from the impact cleared, and Celestia still stood, with a small burn mark on her chest.

“Another rebellion,” Celestia said sadly. “Do not do this, Luna. You are weaker than you were back then. But I have only grown stronger.”

Luna did not answer, but instead flew straight up into the air at unearthly speed. Celestia followed, firing a blast of solar energy at her sister as she went. Luna dodged it, and returned a volley of her own, which missed Celestia and hit the ground with the force of a small explosive.

“What’s going on?” Peregrine said. “I don’t understand…why would Princess Celestia want to help the Circle?”

“I’ll explain when this is over!” Twilight said, adding “Assuming there’s anypony left to explain it to…” under her breath.

“What the hell are they doing?” Diamond Tiara said. “Don’t they realize that we’re down here? Twilight! You’re magic, right? Go stop them!”

“My magic is nothing compared to theirs,” Twilight said. “There’s no one else here who could possibly stop those two!”

“Maybe,” Twist said. “Or maybe we’ve all forgotten someone!”

With that, she broke off from the group and ran across the grounds, heading directly toward Styingian.

“Twist! What are you doing? Come back so I can teleport us to safety!” Twilight shouted.

Twist ignored her, instead yelling in the great dragon’s direction.

“HEY! HEY DRAGON!!”

Styngian was a hundred times Twist’s size. Yet he lowered his head and acknowledged the filly without hesitation.

“Yes, little one?” he said casually. “What can I do for you?”

“What can you do for-YOU CAN STOP THE PRINCESSES FROM KILLING EACH OTHER, FOR STARTERS!” Twist shouted as another magical blast shook the grounds. “You’re the biggest dragon I’ve ever seen! Don’t tell me you can’t at least slow them down!”

“I have promised not to interfere in Equestrian affairs,” Styngian said. “This is an issue the sisters must resolve on their own.”

“So you’re just going to let them blow us all up?” Twist said. “Well, that’s just thuper!”

“Wait…” came a small voice from atop the dragon’s head. “Did you just say ‘thuper’?”

Twist jumped. “Aaaah! Your horn is talking! I didn’t know dragons could do that!”

“Oh my gosh!” said the voice, as Twist saw a small purple figure peek out from behind the great dragon’s horn. “Twist, is that you?”

It was something about how he said her name. She hadn’t recognized the voice at first, but the tone in which he said her name suddenly jogged the small filly’s memory. It recalled a thousand shared sunsets and countless private jokes exchanged on a little hill near a schoolhouse. When she heard him speak her name, Twist realized that her prediction had finally come true.

Her friend the dragon had come to save her.

“Spike?” she said, overjoyed. “Ith that you?”

*******

The first time I destroyed something innocent, I was seven years old.

It was far from the last.

I am barely aware of what is going on around me. I hear what sound like shouted incantations, explosions, shouts for help. Perhaps the princesses are fighting. Perhaps they will consume us all in their fury.

I cannot be motivated to care.

I have lost them all. My friends. Silver Spoon. And now, even my beloved sister. I always told myself that I could survive anything this world might throw at me. Any judgement. Any persecution. I held my head high and laughed in the faces of my accusers.

Because I had her. And I thought I always would.

Now I lie here in the dirt, having cried myself to exhaustion. No one has come to comfort me in my despair. Not even her.
And I realize, at long last, that I have succeeded in realizing my fondest wish.

I have made Sweetie Belle like me.

When I was her age, I would gaze at the moon and dream of being empty, without the capacity to love or feel pain.

Tonight, the same princess who controls that moon told me that my sister wishes for nothing more than to lose the capacity to love me.

And I see the path I took from there laid out before me. My first glimpse of my sister, born from a mother who had already lost the motivation to care for either of us. The way my parents, broken and bitter from years of mutual contempt, simply faded, as some ponies do, until even the will to live was too much for them. At my mother’s funeral, someone remarked that it was romantic the way she had died only a few months after he did.

I had resisted the urge to laugh at them. What had ended my parents was mutual resignation, a total lack of passion for life. There was no love there. There was only exhaustion.

And so Sweetie Belle came to be mine.

I remember the first time I looked at her with desire. The lies I told myself to convince myself it was normal, that I was doing nothing wrong. That I was only looking.

I remember the first time I acted on that desire. I remember the way she fought, the way she cried. I remembered the look of betrayal on her face.

I have seen it so many times over the years.

I remember the other foals. So few names to go with the faces. I never cared what their names were, what their lives were like. It only complicated things.

And I remember Silver Spoon. The way she gave herself over to me completely. The way I returned her devotion by nearly destroying her.

And I was able to do this, all of this, because on some level, I had succeeded. I had learned how to shut down my emotions.

Not completely, not so much that I could not feel. Not so much that I could stop myself from loving Sweetie. But enough that I could look into the eyes of a terrified, suffering foal, and feel nothing but lust.

All of it began when I looked up at the moon and swore to deprive myself of feeling.

And now my sister has made the same vow. I have set her down the same path.

And only now, when I have succeeded in molding her into a replica of my younger self, do I realize the utter horror of what I have done.

I have not just lost Sweetie Belle’s love. No, it is worse than that.

I have set another pony down the same road I have taken. The same road my father took.

Sweetie…my love…

What have I done to you?

I hear a loud thud and feel something warm suddenly hit the ground beside me. Instinctively, I open my eyes.

It is Luna. The Princess I once revered. The Princess who made me realize what I’ve become, and what Sweetie is becoming.

She appears to have fallen from the sky.

She lies on her side, with smoke rising off her body. She is breathing heavily as she struggles to get to her hooves.

I realize now what I must do.

Luna sneers at me as I begin to stand.

I look across the grounds and see Celestia landing, and beginning to walk toward us.

I recall that she made me an offer tonight.

It is time I gave her my answer.

*******

With considerable difficulty, Luna managed to stand. The magic bolt had hit with more force than she had anticipated, but the fall had hurt more than the attack itself. Still, it was clear that Celestia was still more powerful than she was.

The Princess winced as she walked toward Celestia. But Rarity walked past her at a much brisker pace.

As she passed the moon Princess, Celestia saw Rarity’s lips move, and Luna’s eyes go wide with shock.

Rarity, wearing a confident smile, strode over to Celestia and gave her a quick bow.

“I have been considering the offer you made me earlier, Princess,” Rarity said. “And it occurs to me that it is exactly what I need at this point in my life. A change. A fresh start. A chance to strike out on my own, in a position of safety and power.”

“Get to the point, Rarity,” Celestia said. “I am occupied with matters of far greater import than you.”

“I am ready to become the leader of your new Circle, princess,” Rarity said, bowing much lower this time. “I promise to serve you faithfully, and to never question your wise judgment.”

“It is a sad day when you are the only Element Bearer I can rely on,” she said. “Very well, Rarity. Once this is over, the Circle will be rebuilt with you at its center.”

“Wonderful,” Rarity said. “There’s just one little thing I ask in return.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow. “And that would be?”

“Your love,” said Rarity. Suddenly, her eyes turned bright green. “Give me your love, Princess!”

Celestia watched as the image of Rarity vanished in a burst of green light. In her place stood Chrysalis, the Changeling Queen.

“I DEFEATED YOU ONCE, CELESTIA!” she bellowed. “AND THIS TIME THERE’S NO ROYAL COUPLE HERE TO SAVE YOU! YOUR KINDGOM IS MINE!”

Celestia looked thoroughly unimpressed.

“Rarity,” she said. “How stupid do you think I am?”

Celestia’s horn began to glow bright yellow. At the same time, a strange dark blue aura, not unlike a halo, appeared around her head.

“Did you honestly think I didn’t know about your skill at illusion-casting spells?” Celestia scoffed. “For pity’s sake, Rarity, it’s been a staple of all of your fashion shows ever since you and your friends used it to win over Hoity Toity. And even if it hadn’t been, I can see through illusions as flimsy as yours without the slightest exertion. What the hell were you trying to do, you stupid pervert?”

Celestia’s horn pulsed with golden light. The image of Chrysalis vanished, to reveal a cowering Rarity in its wake. The aura around her head grew darker.

“You disgusting, perverse little insect!” Celestia said. “I offer you a second chance, and you throw it in my face? Very well, then. You have made your choice.”

Celestia’s horn lit up once again, burning with a fiery red glow. Rarity stood her ground, defiant.

A beam of bright red energy flew from Celestia’s horn, hitting Rarity dead on.

She screamed as magical energy lanced through her body, like red lightning. Then, a moment later, she fell silently to the ground.

“SIS!”

Sweetie Belle came running toward Rarity like a shot, with a look of utter horror on her face. Silver Spoon followed close behind, looking equally fearful.

“Oh, please, no no, NO!” Sweetie cried as she cradled her sister’s head in her lap. “Sis, don’t leave me! I love you! I’m sorry for what I said!”

“But you still…meant it, didn’t you?” replied a weak voice. Rarity’s eyes opened slowly, and as her vision came back into focus, she saw Sweetie Belle smiling with relief.

“So beautiful…” she said between coughs. “Sweetie Belle…remember this. The way you feel, right now. Hold on to it. That kindness, that compassion, that love you have for a pony who is worthy of none of those things. Don’t deprive yourself of those feelings, my darling. Don’t ever let them go. Not for me. I don’t deserve them. Do it so you can save yourself…”

“Save myself?” Sweetie said. “From what?”

Rarity reached out and gently stroked Sweetie Belle’s cheek. This time, the foal did not resist.

“From living my wretched life…” Rarity replied.

Silver Spoon looked at Celestia. The foal's features were contorted with rage.

“How could you do this to her?” she said. “She was never any threat to you!”

“She will be fine,” Celestia said. The dark blue light around her head was pulsating now. “The spell is meant to hurt and disable an opponent. It will not kill her, nor do her any permanent harm. But she will be in severe pain for quite some time. Such is the price for attempting to harm me.”

Upon hearing those words, Rarity began to make a weak, guttural laugh.

“Harm you?” she said. “Oh your majesty, I’m afraid you’re mistaken. I had no intention of hurting you.”

Celestia’s vision was suddenly getting blurry, but she could make out the smile beginning to creep across Rarity’s face.

“But if you weren’t trying to assault me,” Celestia said as her legs began to wobble. “Then wha-“

The dark blue halo suddenly vanished, and Celestia fell to the ground.

Princess Luna stood behind Celestia, her horn still glowing the same blue color.

“She meant only to distract you, sister,” she said. “And she played her part well.”

“What happened?” Twilight asked as she ran up to Luna, with Diamond Tiara and Peregrine in tow. “I saw the Princess just sort of collapse…”

“When Rarity walked past me a minute ago, she whispered something into my ear,” Luna said. “She said, ‘I can buy you time enough for one good shot. Be certain it counts.’”

“Sis…” Sweetie Belle said. “You let her attack you on purpose…”

“I had to do something, Sweetie. She would have brought the Circle back…” Rarity said weakly. “She would have made the world safe for ponies like me…”

“Stop it,” Sweetie said. “Stop talking about yourself like that! You just helped beat Celestia!”

“Celestia is not beaten just yet,” said Luna. “The spell I cast upon my sister was a spell of sleep. Its casting time is unusually long; there is no way I could have completed if Rarity had not diverted her attention.”

“So how long will she sleep?” asked Twilight.

“The spell is designed to put a normal pony to sleep for three days,” Luna said. “But my sister is not a normal pony. She should be awake in just under five minutes.”

“That’s it? What was the point, then?” Diamond Tiara said. “Rarity got herself zapped so you two could take a coffee break?”

“She is asleep, child,” Luna said, as her eyes flashed and turned into dark, pupilless masses. “And all things that sleep, can dream.”

Celestia’s eyes opened, and flashed with the same dark light as Luna’s.

“She’s awake!” Silver Spoon exclaimed.

“No,” Twilight said. “I’ve seen Luna do this before. She’s gone inside Celestia’s dreams. Where Luna will have the advantage.”

Twilight sat down on the grass next to Luna’s unmoving body. “All we can do now is wait,” she said.

*******

Princess Celestia found herself walking through a large, windowless room, filled with couches and beds. On the wall were various restraints, harnesses, and objects which seemed designed for causing pain. There were no other ponies in the room, yet the place radiated a feeling of profound and utter misery.

“What is this place?” she asked aloud, despite her solitude.

“This is the Gallery, my sister,” replied a familiar voice. “I thought it would make a fitting enough backdrop for the two of us. You’ve never actually seen it, have you?”

“Of course not. Why would I visit such a dreadful place?” Celestia replied.

“Yes, of course, how foolish of me,” said the voice of Luna. “You would never dirty your hooves and actually come down here, would you? No point in actually bearing witness to the consequences of your own plans, is there?”

“The consequence is that Equestria is at peace!” Celestia cried out. “I know what you’ve done, sister. This sleep spell will only last another minute or two. I’m tired of your games, Luna!”

“GAMES?” shouted the voice, and suddenly the Gallery split in two, as if the fabric of the world itself had been torn asunder. Princess Luna walked out of the tear and into the Gallery, seething with rage. “This is not a game, sister! Nor is it some ledger where one attempts to keep track of good and evil deeds with equal measure! These are lives you are toying with! The lives of our subjects!”

“And I am protecting those lives!” Celestia shouted back. “In keeping the balance, I am saving all of us! I’m saving you!”

“I do not wish to be saved! Not if it results in so much suffering!”

“Don’t speak to me of suffering!” Celestia cried. “While you slept, I spent a thousand years alone! Trying desperately to form connections with ponies who faded and died in front of me like mayflies! You don’t think I’ve suffered? You don’t think I’ve known pain?”

“Not like they have,” Luna said. “No one in Equestria understands pain like the foals who occupied this room. But you just can’t feel bad for them, can you? After all, they’ll wither and die soon, enough, won’t they? Like mayflies. Is that all our subjects are to you, sister?”

Celestia avoided Luna’s gaze. “I do pity those foals. Of course I do. But in the end, it is of paramount importance that you and I remain together. And that Equestria is preserved.” Then Celestia turned and looked at Luna, smiling. “I’m not sure what you think you’ll accomplish by bringing me here. I could sense the spell as I passed out. We’ve been talking for at least four minutes. I’ll wake up any moment now.”

“Sister,” Luna said. “We have been speaking for less than one second.”

The night princess began to walk toward Celestia. She seemed to grow larger as she approached. Or was Celestia getting smaller?

“There are two things you should learn about dreams, Celestia,” Luna said. “First, in a dream, one's perception of time means nothing. In here, I can make those few remaining minutes seem like centuries.”

“Luna, whatever your plan is, it’s pointless,” Celestia said. “This isn’t real. You can’t truly harm anyone in a dream.”

“The second thing you must learn,” Luna replied, advancing slowly toward Celestia, “Is that a dream can be a weapon, more dangerous than the sharpest sword.”

Luna stomped her hoof, and the Gallery cracked, as if it had been made of glass. There were fractures running all across the surface of the world.

“Before, I told you that I understood the suffering of the foals who resided here. Do you recall why?”

“Because...because you had visited their nightmares,” Celestia replied, suddenly feeling very afraid.

“I did not just visit them, sister. I collected them.” Luna raised her hoof and a large, pitch-black orb appeared above it. It made a sound like the screams of a hundred children.

Luna looked into Celestia’s eyes, and just for a second, Celestia could have sworn she was standing before Nightmare Moon.

“For a week I walked in the dreams of every foal in the Gallery, and I took each dream with me when I left. Seven hundred nightmares.”

The orb was growing larger.

“This is my final weapon against you, Celestia. I experienced these dreams one at a time, as an observer. You will experience them all at once, as their subject. You will feel the same things these foals felt. The fear, the shame, the hopelessness. All of it. At once.”

Luna closed her eyes sadly. “And then, perhaps finally, you will understand the suffering you have caused.”

Celestia shook her head. “You wouldn’t…” she said. “I’m your sister!”

“And I love you,” Luna said. “With all my heart. Please, Celestia, give up. Don’t make me use this. Swear to me that you will annihilate this Circle, and never again create another. I do not wish to witness my own greatest nightmare.”

“Your greatest nightmare?” Celestia asked.

“Seeing you in pain,” Luna replied. “Sister…please…just give up.”

Celestia winced. “And if I give up, and Equestria falls to ruin as a result?”

“Then it falls,” Luna said. “Perhaps a new land will be born in its place. A better land.”

“And if I give up, and every last one of our subjects dies because the balance was undone?”

“Our subjects are hardier than you give them credit for,” Luna said. “But all things pass in their time.”

“And if I give up,” Celestia said. “And you and I are separated forever?”

“Then I shall remember you always,” Luna said. “And never forget that my sister made the right choi-“

“NO!” Celestia cried “I will not allow myself to be without you! No matter what the cost! I won’t. I…I can’t…”

The black orb hovering above Luna’s hoof was growing larger and larger.

“Sister, I beg you!” Luna said, “Please see reason! Don’t make me do this!”

“You’ll understand one day,” Celestia said. “You’ll see that I was right.”

"Then I have no choice," Luna said mournfully.

The orb was now so large that it was beginning to overwhelm the room. The already shattered Gallery broke once more, and the pieces vanished into nothingness.

Luna winced as she flicked her hoof ever so slightly, and the orb began to drift toward Celestia.

As it approached, so did the sounds coming from inside. Screams, crying, terrified prayers and the sadistic laughter of adults. Celestia could make out a few of the things being said.

Not again, not again…

Just want to go home…

Can’t move, can’t breathe, why can’t I breathe?

Let me go let me go let me go let me go let me

“I love you, sister,” Luna said, as tears began to roll down her cheeks. “I hope that someday, you can forgive me.”

The voices were growing louder.

He won’t stop bleeding, he won’t ever stop bleeding

Not there! Please not there! It hurts! It hurts!

Never get out. I’ll never get out.

Drowning, drowning forever…

They found the knife. I thought I hid it but they found the knife and they took it. They won’t even let me die.

CELESTIA!

Just as the orb was almost upon her, it had called her name in a foal’s voice. Celestia gasped.

Celestia! It repeated.

I've been good! I prayed to you every morning like they told me to in school…
So why haven’t you come and saved me?

An instant later, the orb made contact with the sun princess, and seven hundred nightmares entered her mind at once.

*******

On the mansion grounds, the light coming from Celestia’s eyes suddenly turned from jet black to blinding white.

Then she began to scream.

Twilight and the others backed away in horror as Celestia convulsed violently on the ground. No words left her lips. Only a single, continuous cry of agony.

At the same moment, Luna staggered back and fell to the ground, once again in control of her own body.

“Princess,” Twilight said, horrified. “What have you done?”

“What I had to, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna said as Twilight helped her up. “I taught my sister what supporting the Circle really means.”

The screams lasted only a minute, and the convulsions stopped soon after.

When it was over, Princess Celestia lay helpless on the ground, letting out tiny, pathetic whimpers.

“My dear, beautiful sister,” Luna said. “Look what we have become.”

Luna turned and addressed the ponies assembled before her.

"It's over," she said.

“So…” Twilight said. “What happens now?”

“Now, my sister takes an extended sabbatical from her reign,” Luna said. “With your help, Twilight Sparkle, I should be able to create a spell powerful enough to bind her in the Sanctum.”

“For how long?” Twilight asked.

“I am not sure,” Luna replied. “But long enough, at least, that no mortal pony alive today need concern herself with further questions about my sister’s fate.”

Luna’s tone was firm and harsh. Twilight did not inquire about Celestia further.

“Hey, her lips are moving,” Peregrine said, pointing to Celestia. “Is she trying to say something?”

He leaned down close, only to hear Celestia whisper, in a rapid voice:

Be good. Smile. Be happy. Smile and they hurt you less. Be happy and they don’t beat you. Tell them you want it and they aren’t as mean. Be good. Be nice. Lie to them. Lie by smiling. Lie by saying yes. Be good so it won’t hurt as much. Lie. Lie or it will hurt. Lie and it will hurt. It always hurts. It always hurts!

“What the hell?” Peregrine said, backing away from Celestia. “That isn’t her voice!”

“What you are hearing is an aftereffect. The residue of dreams,” Luna said. “The nightmares are leaving her now, but some are leaking out into reality for a brief moment before they vanish. Pay it no heed, child. The effect should dissipate soon enough.”

Peregrine thought he had recognized the voice, but he wasn’t sure. He leaned down again, consumed by his curiosity.

Peregrine. Stop.

The voice was different this time, and its owner was unmistakable.

Peregrine, pleathe, no…

Peregrine was perplexed for a moment. Why would Twist be dreaming about him? Why would she be telling him no?
It was a moment before he realized the answer.

“Oh no…” he said quietly.

Peregrine, please just leave me alone. Stop touching me! Please not again! It hurts! Not again! No more!

Peregrine covered his temples with his hooves and began to tremble.

Not far away, in the shadow of a massive old dragon, Spike and Twist embraced each other.

“I can’t believe it…I never thought I’d see you again…” Spike said. “They all said you ran away...I was afraid you had ended up like Silver Spoon…”

“I kind of did!” Twist chirped. “She was alive this whole time, too!”

Spike blinked. “Seriously?” he said.

“Yeah!” Twist replied. “I was trapped thomeplace really bad…we both were…but we both broke free! And she even helped me escape!”

“It sounds like you’ve been through a lot,” Spike said. “Well, if you ever need a sympathetic ear, I’m your dragon!”

Twist giggled and rested her head against Spike’s shoulder. “Darn right, you’re my dragon,” she said.

“TWIST!”

Twist and Spike broke their embrace as Peregrine landed in front of them. He wore an absolutely miserable expression, and his eyes were red from crying.

“Peregrine?” Twist asked. “Are you alri-“

“I’M SORRY!” Peregrine shouted, covering his face with his forehooves. “Twist, I just…I was just so mean to you and so stupid and I wanted to feel big and strong by picking on the new girl and I…I’m awful…I put you through hell and I’m awful…”

He moved his hooves away from his face, but still looked down toward the ground. “What I did…there’s no excuse. None at all. I know I helped you out with the escape and stuff, but that doesn’t matter. I just…I hated that place so much and I was just so scared all the time. I was so tired of feeling helpless so I picked out someone I thought was weak and…”

He shook his head violently and wiped away a few more tears.

“No. No excuses," he said. "I just came here to tell you that I’m sorry, Twist. I’m so sorry for what I did to you…”

“I won’t ever bother you again,” he said. “Goodbye…” He turned and began to walk away.

Before could get far, he felt a hoof gently come to rest on his back. He stopped, and turned around.

Twist was smiling.

“Spike, this is Peregrine,” she said. “He’s my friend.”

Upon hearing those words, Peregrine broke down and began to cry again.

But this time someone was holding him.

“A lot of those foals will need a place to live,” Twilight said to Luna, as they watched the Gallery foals walk out of the mansion and unto the grounds, led by Diamond Tiara, who had been sent to fetch them. “Some of them probably have families to go back to, but many of them don’t. And considering that a few foals were actually sold to the Gallery by their guardians…”

“The foals will be cared for,” Luna said. “I will see to it. Just as I will ensure that every last Circle member will be hunted down and thrown in prison for the rest of their worthless lives.”

“Every member?” Sweetie Belle asked, still holding her sister. Rarity’s exhaustion . “You’re going to lock them all up? Even the one who helped you stop your sister?”

“What Rarity did tonight was brave, perhaps even noble,” Luna conceded. “But it cannot undo all the evil she has done.”

“So that’s it?” Sweetie Belle said, raising her voice. “She gives up an easy life as Celestia’s new Circle leader, risks her life to help you, and you’re just going to throw her in jail?”

“Child…”

“Celestia would have won if it wasn’t for Rarity! You owe her!”

“OWE HER?” Luna shouted. “This foul, contemptible rapist is lucky I didn’t-“

“STOP IT, BOTH OF YOU!” Silver Spoon shouted, at a loud enough pitch that both Sweetie and Luna took immediate heed. “Hasn’t there been enough fighting tonight? Geez!”

Silver turned to Luna. “Princess, I know better than anyone that Mis-that Rarity is a pony who has done terrible, inexcusable things. But if there’s anything I’ve learned tonight, it’s that a pony can change who she is if she really wants to. Six months ago I would never have dreamed of standing up to Rarity the way I did tonight. I would never have imagined that Twist could one day be so brave and so determined. And Rarity…”

She looked down at her former mistresses’ sleeping form, and smiled.

“Rarity incurred the wrath of the most dangerous pony alive, just to give you a chance to stop her. She helped save Equestria tonight. You do owe her, Princess. If not for this, then for proving that any pony can change if she really wants to. Maybe even your sister.”

Luna sighed. “Your words are wise, child,” she said. “But what would you have me do? I cannot just let her roam free.”

“Exile her,” said Twilight Sparkle, as she walked up next to Sweetie and looked down sadly at Rarity. “Banish her from Equestria forever. I've read about the practice. Celestia introduced it about six hundred years ago, when-"

“Stop…me…”

Rarity coughed as the exertion of speaking took its toll. Though her voice was quiet and weak, it was enough to silence Twilight and draw the attention of the others.

“I know myself too well…” she said. “If you exile me, I’ll just find foals someplace else…no matter how hard I try, sooner or later I'll give in to temptation...

“I want to stop…but I don’t think I can.”

“Rarity…” Twilight said.

“I hope you’ll pardon the intrusion,” said a booming voice from behind Luna. "But if the mare is to be exiled, then that places her outside Equestrian affairs. Which means I am free to offer my expertise."

There stood Styngian, doing his best to crouch down low so as to make eye contact with the ponies.

“I couldn’t help but overhear your words, Rarity,” he said. “Do you truly wish to stop?”

“Yes…” she said. “For her…I do…”

She smiled up at Sweetie Belle, who returned the gesture.

“And what are you willing to give up in return?” he asked.

“Whatever I must…” Rarity said. “Anything…everything…”

“Very well,” Styngian said.

“What exactly are you saying, Styngian?” Luna asked.

“Simply that I believe I have a solution to your Rarity problem, your highness,” he said. “There is a way that we can finally end this.”

And so the dragon began to explain. As he spoke, Rarity nodded her head weakly, agreeing to every provision he laid before her. Twilight looked down at her former mentor and felt a strange mix of pity and disgust. Silver Spoon looked on in awe, once again amazed by Rarity, but this time for a very different reason.

On a patch of grass not far away, Spike, Peregrine and Twist lay together on their backs, counting the stars.

And Sweetie Belle, with tears in her eyes, listened to the dragon’s words and held on to her sister with all her might.

She would not hold her again for a very long time.

[NEXT: The final chapter]