"You've come such a long, long way
And I've watched you from that very first day
To see how you might grow
To see what you might do
To see what you've been through
And all the ways you've made me proud of you" -Celestia
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I assume you like your new political standing, Princess?" His voice was cynical and taunting, determined to destroy whatever hope she had left within to redeem herself. She knew deep down, it was working. She wouldn't let him know, though.
The pale white horse hung her slender neck over the balcony, gazing down upon the sleeping community that was now all hers. She parted her lips and let out a small, insignificant sigh, one that was filled with grievance and regret. The noise lifted into the air and floated off to join the stars. She closed her eyes, turning towards the monster behind her.
"Discord, we hast no time for thou’s petty attempts of filling one's heart with guilt." Her voice was the exact representation of death itself, void of any emotion or mercy. Yet, despite her desperate attempt of shooing him and going into desolation, he stayed persistent. Just like the parasite he was.
"Of course, Princess, you have no time at all, now that you’re the ruler of all Equestria." He threw the word 'Princess' around as if he was talking about the weather. It was irking her to no end. She walked passed him, opening up the double doors with whatever mental energy she had left. She heard him follow, but she could care less. There was nothing that would stop her from going into isolation. Except for one thing, and that thing was Discord. "Oh, and drop that stupid royal Canterlot voice, it's just you and me."
The wicked beast called Discord had situated himself at the foot of the queen sized bed, the plush silk wrinkling in under the weight of whatever animal the crooked creature was made up of. The Princess paid no heed to the ungodly creature, simply lying down on the bed, curling her wings around her tired body. She let her weary lids slip close and began taking calm, steady breaths in order to level her erratic heart.
Discord laughed. Never in his long life had the Omnipotent seen somepony so unemotional and dead after receiving such a tragic gift. Usually, by the time they had gotten this far, they would have gone mad with power and greed, laughing manically and rocking back and forth in a corner. Her ever so obvious nonchalance was a first. This would be interesting. A little magic would be needed to get a reaction out of her.
The young Princess opened her eyes slightly as a Cirque du Soleil of color splashed around the foot of her bed. She watched with baited breath as a few petty hallucinations began to form around Discord's contorted body. The colors danced and fought for dominance as they worked their way into some sort of twisted masterpiece.
The Omnipotent was finally able to conjure up two diminutive ponies that floated delicately by his sides. They looked as if they could be blown away with the tiniest whisper of wind. They were both Pegasus; one blue, the other pink. They were hauntingly beautiful, and locked Celestia in a sort of trance. It was one she wished she could escape. As one started it’s ascend towards Discord's ear, the other soon followed. They both whispered secrets with their tainted voices, and then giggled as they disappeared into nothingness.
"What was that? You thought that there were two 'Mortal' Princesses that ruled side by side, together? Well pink pony, you are sadly mistaken. That is no more. And what's that, blue pony? Why does this one have the traits of an 'Immortal' pony? Well, you see, this pony is cruel and selfish. She wanted to live forever, so she could rule forever, as well~" The look in the monster’s eyes was filled with malice. It disgusted the mare to no end, but she knew most of that disgust was towards her own self. She knew he was right. She felt her temper rise.
"Please, can't you go away? What, do you want me to be happy that I was foolish enough to fall for your schemes? That I-" Discord cut her off, his smile turning into a wicked grin as he continued.
"Of course, with Immortality, there is ALWAYS a price. For her, it was her own family." The Alicorn stared at him, her pupils becoming tiny, undistinguishable dots as the shock engulfed her. How dare he bring up such fresh wounds? She was unable to move. All she could do was sit there, and take the horrible things he was dishing out, for she knew. She knew full well she deserved it all. She hated to admit it, but it was all true. She continuously referred to him as a monster, but deep down-
"Only a monster would do such cruel things... Isn't it that right, Luna?" Celestia bolted upright, staring at the unforgiving being at the foot of her bed. She tried to stabilize herself with shaking hooves, but it was impossible. There was no way her body could handle the guilt he was piling on top of her. It felt like a thousand weights were being pressed down on her frail shoulders, and all she could do was scream.
Scream and hope it would go away.
The devil let out a bellowing chuckle as he relished in the pain he was causing her. This was so much better than watching them go mad. His eyes filled with a malevolent joy as he watched her mental stability crumble. There was no way he was going to let her forget what happened that night, and he would make sure it haunted her forever. Now, all he had to do was finish his little display and she would never forget. Ah, yes. This was much better than watching them go mad. He liked watching them die on the inside much better.
Celestia closed her eyes, and begged for the image forming in front of her to go away. She covered her face with her hooves, wishing to disappear. The blank canvas of air was being filled with blue and black hues, much like the night sky. They were all intertwining to make some beautiful nightmare that she just wanted to go away. Discord was relentless, and he would not leave her be. She knew she didn't deserve peace, after what she did. Yet, somewhere deep inside her; maybe it was common sense- she didn't know -something was telling her that she deserved some pity. She deserved at least a little sympathy. She silenced such fruitless ideas. After last night, no pony would give her a glorious thing such as mercy. Obviously, Discord was no exception to that bitter truth.
"Celestia, what is thou doing?" She couldn't stop herself from opening her eyes and unveiling her muzzle. She just needed to see if that voice really matched the familiar body, if it really- of course, it was just another vivid hallucination, but it was one she could remember so clearly. The blue mare wasn't staring at her now, but in the moment it was taken from, she was. She was staring at a bloodlust crazed monster. A monster she used to call her sister. She could remember that moment oh so clearly, and it took everything in her power not to cry.
"Stop it... Stop it Discord! That's enough!" Discord was gone now. She was back in the Throne room. Everything was just as it was that night. She knew it wasn't real. The mare knew it was just one of Discord's tricks, but it was a very harsh- and vivid -reminder of what a monster she was.
The entire room was damaged. The chairs were tossed and the curtains beyond repair. The bright red carpets were tore and ripped where battling hooves once stood their place. The only things left of her opponents were their crowns, lying off to the side. They were both broken, the gems lost due to their recent quarrel. The only remainder of life were the two ponies in the corner. One was the cause of it all, the other; the end of all the fighting. The taller of the two was closing in on the younger, horn lowered and glowing. Her body was ragged and bruised. She was breathing heavily, as if she had just gotten over a great turmoil, which she had. She had just murdered her parents, after all.
Celestia let out a small, barely noticeable whimper as the horrid monster approached her sister. She wished it was somepony else- any pony else -just so she could run over there and be the hero. To just hold her and tell her it was all some nightmare, and that she was alright now. She just wanted to save her sister, but how could she save her, when she was the one harming her? She walked towards them, taking notice that her hooves made no sound as they hit the decrepit marble tiles. Her head was hung low, not wanting to see the horrid ending that was undoubtedly unavoidable. Once she was in earshot, her sister's once proud and booming voice rung in her ears. It sounded so vulnerable.
"Sister, stop this madness! Sister!" Her small, pale blue body was pushed up against the corner. Her light blue hair was curled up around her body, disheveled and in tangles. She was trying to be brave, but even now Celestia could tell how much she was shaking. She didn't look like a Princess at all. Just a lost little foal.
The Princess glanced at herself and was surprised with what she saw. A row of sharp, flesh piercing white teeth weren't showing, like she thought they were. They were moving, silently chanting a phrase. The ivory colored pony couldn't even remember this, let alone what she was saying- although she could guess now.
'Trust me... Saying that won't make her forgive you. No pony will ever forgive you.' Princess Celestia stared into her own eyes. She had to blink and do a double take. She couldn't comprehend what she was seeing. She had become savage that night, there was no way- but there was. She was crying. Her eyes weren't filled with rage or anger; they were just amaranthine orbs full of sadness and tears. Her little sister hadn't been staring into the eyes of a monster at all. She had been staring into the eyes of her sister in her final moments. That made it so much worst.
It was then she began to cry, along with her past self, and along with her sister.
"T-Tia... Why? Please....Pl-please stop...I'm sorry... Tia..." Her horn started to glow more fiercely with each passing second, until it lit up the room in an arrogant white light. When the light disappeared, she was gone. Celestia watched as her old self backed up, calming down. She watched as realization dawned upon her strained features, and was forced to listen to her choked sobs as she cried for the first of many times. Celestia couldn't handle it anymore. She just sat there, staring at what a mess she was becoming, and cried with her.
'DISCORD! PLEASE! LEAVE ME ALONE AND LET ME OUT OF HERE!' Her body fell limp to the ground, her sobs erupting with a violent force. No one could hear how pitiful she sounded, and no one ever would. She just wanted to be left alone, left alone for a thousand years. She wanted nothing more than for the suffering to just end. 'I KNOW! I KNOW I'M A MONSTER! A monster...monster...'
"Ah, Celestia. I see you've finished the job. Now, let me give the monster her reward. Immortality." Somewhere in the distant part of her mind that was still in reality, she heard stone form around an unknown figure. She heard it disappear as her body unconsciously performed advanced magical spells without her consent. Somepony- or something- had been turned to stone. She hoped it was Discord, she hoped and prayed it was.
Her prayers were answered.
Celestia could suddenly feel her silk adorned bed beneath her. She whipped her head around, seeing that once again; she was finally in her bedroom. She breathed a sigh of relief, letting her head fall back to the waiting pillow. Tears streamed down her muzzle, staining the covers, and her ever reddening cheeks. Discord was finally gone. She was finally alone.
Alone for a thousand years.
Everything disappeared. The woeful Princess, the silk sheets, and the hollow night that was filled with nothing but her sobs. They were now in the Throne room. Nothing was broken, just painted with the fractured light as it filtered in through the colored panes. These panes told stories of great evils being vanquished with Harmony and life being restored in once forgotten empires. They told the story of a certain pony, and that pony was in the room at this very moment. These panes told the story of her friendship and love. They spoke of how she would stay by her friends’ sides for a millennium if time allowed. Now she would. The only problem would be that they would all be dead.
The two Princesses that stood before the lilac mare raised their heads from their former position to look Twilight in the eye. The horns that shone so brightly moments ago were slowly dimming, the magic radiating off of them dispersing into the air. Their eyes were solemn and stern, watching the smaller mare's every move; every twitch. Twilight fidgeted under their close watch, her wings unconsciously unfurling to relax. She felt each Individual feather as it said hello to the cold atmosphere; felt the tingle as they reacted to their external stimuli.
They were new, only earned a mere week ago. She had been shocked with the logic defying discovery that she could already fly, unlike an average Pegasus. She had spent those few days calculating facts and figures, trying to uncover this odd mystery. She laughed at how petty her worries had been only two days ago. Now, they were much direr.
"So, as you can see, becoming Immortal comes with grief and regret." Celestia stepped forward, keeping her eyes trained on the pony she used to call her student. She needed to make sure she was ready. In her heart, she knew physically and mentally, Twilight was ready. Yet, she had no idea if her heart was ready for the consequences. Celestia prayed it was.
"Are you sure you still want to go along with this, Princess Sparkle?" Unlike her sister's cold and dead eyes, Luna's had turned sympathetic. She knew this was a very important decision, and staring her down was not going to make it any better. Was Twilight's heart really ready? Luna prayed it was.
"Can I.... Just review everything you've told me?" Twilight looked at both Princesses with pleading eyes. The former Unicorn received two nods. One curt, the other sincere. Twilight took a moment to rack her advanced mind around everything her sensory system just digested. She couldn't believe it. In order to achieve the one thing she's wanted all her life, she needed to commit the most horrendous of crimes. She felt the unstable rhythm of her heart slam against her ribcage. Would her heart be ready for it? She would pray, but she knew all the praying in the world wouldn't make it ready. Nothing would.
"So, in order to become Immortal, I need to kill the Elements of Harmony," Both Princesses nodded once more. "Okay, but what about me? I am an Element, after all." She watched as both ponies glanced at each other, uncertainty gleaming in their wise eyes. Was there no answer? After a few moments of silent debating, Celestia herself spoke up.
"Trust me when I say this. Once you start killing, everything you once were dies along with your victims." Twilight was shocked, to say the least. What kind of advice was that? In order to live forever, your soul was to be butchered and thrown in the casket with all those you ever cared about. She wasn't sure about this anymore.
"I-I don't know..." Twilight began to back up. She didn't want to disappoint her mentor, but there were some lines that even SHE wouldn't cross in order to please her teacher. Or at least, the pony she used to call her teacher.
Celestia sighed. She hoped it wouldn't have to come to this, but Twilight was really pushing her buttons. The purple Alicorn was the only one fit to take the place of her sister and herself. She needed to become ruler.
"Fine, go ahead and deny this chance of a lifetime. There is one penalty, however. We need to revoke your wings." Twilight's entire body stiffened. Her blood became cold in seconds. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She earned her wings. There was no way Celestia was going to be that cruel. She just had to be bluffing.
"You can then just go back to being a normal Unicorn. Everything will go back to as it was, except for one thing. You will no longer be my student. If you deny Immortality, you will have failed me, Twilight Sparkle." The room began to spin. Everything around her suddenly became too bright, causing her head to commence having a massive headache. Her hooves wouldn't function properly. Nothing would. A warm, salty liquid was welling up in her eyes, but she couldn't even comprehend that. There was no way the Princess was serious, was there? The tone in her hollow, dreadful voice spoke otherwise.
"Sister. Please do not guilt trip her into doing what you want her to. Just because you chose that path, doesn't mean she has to. Being a Mortal Princess is fine, if that is her decision." Luna turned to her sister, shock evident in her voice. Even she hadn't expected that. She wouldn't stand by and let her sister destroy Twilight. It was going too far.
"It is not an option anymore, Luna. We can't let some randomly elected pony rule for their lifetime and put Equestria into a state of depression once more. I have made that my decree. My successor shall be the Immortal ruler until she can find somepony worthy to take her place. That is when she shall pass into the afterlife, just like you and I."
Luna watched her sister's every move with fierce accuracy. She wished she could do something. Twilight stared into her eyes for help. "I cannot help you, Twilight. I was not present during the time the law was passed, so I cannot change it. I was...’absent’ at the time of creation," Luna glanced at her sister, who stayed nonchalant. "I am truly sorry."
Twilight looked at both Princesses with a dubious glint in her violet orbs. "Princess, Immortals can't just die." Celestia laughed. It was a noise void of any emotion or feeling.
"Ah, but Twilight Sparkle, even an Omnipotent like I can die. The only difference is I am the only one who can end my own life." Twilight hung her head, defeated. She had no way out of this now. How, though. How could she kill her best friends?
"Think back to the wedding, Twilight. When you tried to protect your brother from an evil being, your 'friends' sided with a girl they barely knew, just because she was royalty." Twilight raised her head to look at Celestia.
"Princess, you did too." Celestia smiled. She knew Twilight would bring that up.
"I know, but you can't punish me. Think of it as punishment for abandoning you, hmm?" Was Celestia trying to justify her murder? She had already made up her mind; she didn't need Celestia's 'excessive' support.
The clockwork inside Twilight's mind was turning. Was she really willing to go ahead with this? Was Celestia really so important to her? Even more important than everyone she came to know and love? The lilac pony kept her head facing downwards, not really paying attention to her external surroundings. Everything was moving too fast, and she couldn't keep up. Not mentally, and surely not physically, either. Acknowledging Celestia's ever dwindling patience was enough to push her over the edge. She gave a slow, restricted nod.
The smile that was spreading like a virus on Celestia's lips was enough to cause Twilight to cringe.
"So, you understand your task?" Celestia took a step towards Twilight.
"Kill the bearers of the Elements of Harmony." Twilight took a step back.
"Oh, and bear in mind that no witnesses shall be left alive." Celestia took advantage of Twilight's sudden stiffness to approach the smaller Alicorn.
"WH-What...?" Twilight could barely hold in a shriek as Celestia wrapped a long, slender ivory wing around her lithe form.
"I lived for quite some time as a shame to my subjects; all because my 'elimination' was made 'public'. I don't want the same to happen to you, my dear. Though I know that an intelligent mare like yourself wouldn't make such an amateur mistake, now would you?" Twilight could hear the bloodlust filled venom slip into her words. The words slipped into her veins like morphine, causing her body to lazily bend into Celestia's embrace. She couldn't control her body. It was being taken over, like she was some kind of puppet. Her eyelids subconsciously slid closed for only a second, and when she opened them once more, Celestia was back into her former position parallel to her sister.
Had she been imagining things? Impossible. She had felt Celestia's body heat. Heard the drum of her heart. She had smelled the aroma of the foreign shampoo she always used. Yet, there was no way she could've gotten back across the Throne room so quickly. Teleportation? She would've felt the magic. Twilight dismissed the foalish calculations arising inside her equine skull. Why was she suddenly overreacting? Maybe it was just her nerves, because right now, they were skyrocketing.
"What about... What about Luna? If you killed the Elements of Harmony, why is Luna still alive?" Twilight bit her tongue. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why had she asked such a question?! Her eyes turned to the elder of the two Deities before her. They were both shocked, and unable to answer. That was, until Luna was able to muster somewhat of a response.
"Even I don't know the answer to that, Twilight." Luna tilted her heard to the side, younger eyes staring intently into elder ones. Celestia blinked, glancing frantically from pony to pony. She closed her eyes, and let out a frustrated sigh. It rose into the air and coated the room in a tense layer. The Celestial being craned her neck towards Twilight, horn humming with a bright icterine glow. The aubergine maned pony felt the magic enveloping her body, and just as fast as she had arrived, she disappeared.
Celestia initiated a series of deep, worn out breaths as her body was drained of all energy. She could barely stand. The teleportation spell was very powerful, even for her. Her body felt drained, along with her mind. To make things worse, that wasn't the only thing that was using her energy. There was something much worse attacking her, as well.
"What did you just do?! Did you just teleport her away?! You really couldn't come up with an answer, could you?!" Celestia whipped her body around, ready to yell right back, only to be greeted with a horrible sight. Her eyes widened as the claws hovered around Luna's neck, and the ghostly talons traced circles on the tender veins. She could barely withhold a gasp as she watched the wicked beast taunt her. Taunt her with her sister's life.
"Sister, are you alright? What are you looking at?" Luna turned, and the haunting imagery vanished. Celestia felt her heart rate rise, and the sweat pouring down her face. She needed to just go away. They all needed to.
"Luna, just leave." Luna was puzzled with her sisters bipolar like attitude. She took a step closer and tried to reach out to her, but Celestia batted her away with an uncoordinated hoof. The midnight mare felt her at her sister's odd distance, but didn't let it offend her. Something was seriously wrong, and she needed to find out. She gazed into her elder sibling's dilated eyes, trying to comfort her once more.
"Tia, please, just-"
"I SAID JUST LEAVE! LEAVE! LEAVELEAVELEAVE!!" The dark blur mare jumped back at the crazed outburst. She turned and ran, unable to calm her sister. Celestia watched her retreating back and groaned. Her body was being pushed beyond its limits, both mentally and physically. She collapsed when she heard the Throne room door close. There was no other sound of movement in the room but her. Her and Discord, that was.
"Ah, Celestia. You did well, my dear. Today is just the beginning of terrifying- yet utterly beautiful- chaos."
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"It's time now for a new change to come
You've grown up and your new life has begun
To go where you will go
To see what you will see
To find what you will be
For it's time for you to fulfill your destiny" -Celestia
