“Why are you doing this?” Luna had to choke the words out. It just didn’t make any sense. The Elements of Harmony were the personification of peace and friendship. What could possibly have driven one of them to try and destroy the world as it was known. Equestria had been a utopia, and Rarity had destroyed it.
“It’s quite simple, darling. I seek perfection.” There was a rather obsessive glint in Rarity’s eye. “Everypony thought the system was perfect. They thought we lived in this little perfect world, and that nothing was wrong with it. I saw the truth. Our system was flawed, and everypony else was just too naive to see it. I made it my goal to fix it. It was for the good of Equestria, and I was willing to give anything to do it. If it meant giving my soul away in the process, that was a price I was willing to take.”
The princess of the night was not going to just cower for this madmare. The lunar maiden gathered all the energy she could muster, and prepared for the long night to come. She would fight with whatever weapon she could use, even if the only one she had was her tongue.
“Committing atrocities for the greater good does not excuse them, Rarity.”
“Did I ever say I was to be excused for my actions?” The coy smile returned. “You don’t seem to understand that my confession to you is, in and of itself, part of my plan. Whatever this tale may lead to, you may be certain I will have won in the end. Now, where was I?”
…..
Ah, that’s right. I had delivered the gift to Rainbow, but she had yet to open it. In fact, she hadn’t even woke up yet. I had to wait until noon for my plan to commence. I had delivered the package at dawn, but Rainbow always liked to sleep in. I suppose in hindsight that was part of the plan, even if it was for personal reasons. I wanted to see the faces of everypony passing by one more time. This was to be their last day among the living, and I felt that, if nothing else, I owed it to them to burn as many as their faces in my mind as I could. I was doing this for them. I was trying to make the world a better place, but they would not be able to partake the fruits of my labor. They were to be the sacrifice that began it all. I was going to give up my life, my friends, and my very being, all so I might give the world the gift of perfection.
Ponies assume it’s those petty gifts that mark somepony as generous. What does charity for a beggar mean if the beggar doesn’t even have the will to live? What does a toy for an orphan mean if the orphan desires more than to be a street rat? Material gifts mean nothing in the grand scheme of things. I was doing the most generous thing I could think of to make the world a better place. I was willing to destroy myself, and everything I stood for so that I might gift the world with perfection. A utopia beyond the little one of naivety and ignorance we had built. But I’ve moved off on a tangent, haven’t I?
Rainbow finally rose from her lazing slumber. Groggy from sleep, she almost missed the carefully arranged package I left for her. That would have ruined the whole plan. I had been setting up all my manipulations for weeks. If she had missed it, all my plans would have been knocked out of synch. I still remember my heart skipping a beat, in both relief and annoyance, at the thought of that happening.
She picked up the small brown package rather carefully, as if expecting a trap. You see, I had marked the package as if it was a present from Pinkie Pie. While Pinkie was known for her gifts, she was also known for her pranks, and it was this randomness of hers that made me put the package in her name.
We were all drawn to the sheer bundle of energy that was Pinkie. She made anything look possible, and that’s why we all liked her. She was also the most enigmatic pony you would ever meet. She was random, and silly, and she always left you wondering if you could really believe that whatever had happened when you met had actually been real. Rainbow had always been fascinated with Pinkie’s randomness, and it was that very same fascination I planned to use.
Nopony knew what to expect from Pinkie Pie, so, when Rainbow opened a package that had a proclamation of her love for her, she was obviously left completely confused. In reality I don’t think Pinkie thought of anypony that way. She was almost childlike with naivety, but the shock of seeing something like that would leave Rainbow so confused that she wouldn’t even realize the ridiculousness of the situation. That was why I’d chosen Rainbow Dash. She was rash, and hasty, and quick to panic over anything serious. She wouldn’t be able to handle the implications of the gift, and ,when the panic began, there was only one pony she would go to advice for.
…..
“You lied,” whispered Luna, “You took everything you knew about your friends, everything that made them unique and special, and you used it to further your own ends. What kind of monster are you?”
“I’m the kind that does what others don’t for fear of the consequences to follow.”
“You destroyed them. You didn’t just kill them. You took the things that had created the bonds between you and you unraveled them.” Luna tried once more to move, but the drugs still held her. “We remember our sister before she left. She said Ponyville was in chaos and she had to help you. We wondered why she didn’t just let it settle down, since you six always saved the day. Do you know what she said? She said she wanted to go because the strength of your friendship was the purest thing she had ever seen, and that, even if she came after the problem had settled, it would be worth it to see your faces. You corrupted that friendship to destroy the utopia we had in a mad quest to make what was perfect better, so we shall ask again. Why?”
Rarity chuckled before taking a sip of tea. “Darling, you may have Equestria was a utopia, but as I said before I saw the truth. It’s true that we had two immortal and benevolent rulers with the wisdom of ages come and gone, but that was what made us complacent. Ponies lost the ability to think for themselves. We followed your teachings mindlessly, not even understanding why you taught us these lessons. You said something was right or wrong, and we followed without question. Nopony thought to question whether you were right or wrong. Eons of wisdom may have been yours to command, but that didn’t mean you couldn’t make mistakes.”
Rarity lazily turned her head to look directly into Luna’s eyes. “You of all ponies should know you can make mistakes. Some you can see, but, like all ponies, there will always be some you’re blind to. Do you know the greed and corruption that festered among the nobility while you two were in power? They were arrogant, self-absorbed, and greedy. They used their power only to further their own ends, and leave everypony else behind to rot. Nopony but myself could see it, and so I sought to break the curtain of naivety you had created.”
Luna stared at Rarity with the utmost contempt. “Rarity, my dear, you must realize you’re being a hypocrite here. What have you done, except everything you have just accused the nobility of?”
The audacity of Rarity’s laugh made Luna flush with anger. The lingering chimes of her laugh rang through the room for the longest time before settling. “Yes, I am a hypocrite, but you see I knew that all along. I told you I had to sell my soul to give my gift to the world. I became the very thing I hated, so that I might banish it from the world. I am the cruelest, most manipulative, witch you will ever meet, and it is the story of my crimes that shall be my lesson to others. Now, if you don’t mind, shut up. I have a tale to tell, and you will listen. You will listen, and then the puzzle will be complete.”