Princess Celestia looked out her balcony, watching the latest train from Canterlot depart to Ponyville. Blossom was on that train, riding away from the direct gaze of her and her sister. She could not go to Blossom's room every day to check on her to see how she was doing. Now she would have to get that information from a second-hoof source. Blossom's fate was almost entirely up to her at this point.
Celestia watched as the now tiny train snaked over a hill, disappearing from her sight completely. She sighed and shook her head. She really was unsure of why she was so worried. Blossom had only attacked with a harmless spell when she was afraid for her life; when she really felt things were getting out of her control and she panicked. However, Celestia mused, if Blossom truly wanted to hurt her or Storm Shaker, she could have fired something more damaging than a color changing spell. She could have used her skill at levitation to attack her with a physical object, but she refrained. Celestia was unsure of whether or not that was was a conscious choice or if she merely cast the first spell that popped into her head; the one she was best at.
Princess Celestia exhaled and turned away from the balcony. She decided to see if Luna was awake or if she had dragged herself off to bed. She honestly wished the latter as Luna had been awake far too long already. Being an alicorn she did not physically need to sleep, but both princesses certainly enjoyed it. It was a good respite from the daily, or nightly, grind they endured ruling a nation.
She exited her room and began trotting down the hallway to the throne room. If Luna was indeed awake it was likely she would be there, waiting for her sister to return so they could discuss what to do about Blossom next. In truth there was little they could do if they wanted her to have something resembling the normal life that Celestia felt she deserved. Celestia was honestly going to suggest that they only involve themselves in Blossom's life in the context of the reports the sisters would receive from Dr. Working Mind. They had interfered with that filly's life far too much.
Celestia reached the door to the throne room and was surprised to find that there were no guards in front of the door. Normally there were at least two guards standing at attention; either her own solar guards or Luna's bat ponies. If Luna was inside the throne room she had sent the guards away. Celestia ignited her horn and encased the door to the throne room in her magical glow. The door swung open revealing a completely empty throne room with one exception.
A sobbing Princess Luna sat in the middle of the throne room.
Celestia gasped and ran over to her sister. She briefly used her magic to shut and lock the throne room door before rushing over to the distraught night goddess and wrapping a wing around her shoulders. Luna flinched away at the sudden warmth of her sister, but once she realized who it was she leaned into the embrace. Princess Celestia put one of her forelegs over Luna's shoulders. "Shh," she soothed. "It's okay."
Luna vigorously shook her head. "N-No, it is not okay, Tia!" she insisted. She took a few uneven breaths and continued sobbing.
Celestia cocked her head and tightened her embrace. "Luna, what is wrong? Why are you crying? Is there something I can do to help?"
Luna sniffled and wiped her eyes with a foreleg. "Tia, thou cannot help Us unless you can change the past; erase out past mistakes."
Celestia blinked in bewilderment. "W-What do you mean, Luna?" she questioned.
Luna's sobs nearly began anew but she took a deep breath and closed her eyes tightly to keep back the tears. "We... no... I, Tia, I, I am feeling guilty about my past mistakes, particularly those regarding..." Luna whimpered and fluttered her wings "Rarity."
Celestia let out a sad sigh and shook her head. "Luna I..."
"No, Tia, no!" she said sharply. "Thou cannot erase our mistakes with a mere word! Tis my fault that nine of our subjects are dead!"
Celestia shook her head. "No, Luna, Rarity's actions were her own. You cannot be blamed for what she did."
Luna snarled and pushed her sister away. She stood up and wheeled to face her sister, her wings flared out aggressively. "IS A RABID DOG TO BE BLAMED FOR ITS ACTIONS OR IS THE ONE WHO ALLOWED IT TO BE KEPT OFF OF A LEASH INSTEAD OF PUTTING IT DOWN AT FAULT?!" she screeched. "I KNEW that Rarity was a serial killer and I instead put my faith in trinkets that did not allow me to access the kind of power that would have allowed me to help her!"
Celestia rose to her hooves and raised one in an attempt to placate her sister. "Luna you only..." Celestia paused as her brain drew a blank. Her mouth opened as if willing comforting words to come forth but none came.
Luna's face contorted into an expression of pure rage. "Say it, Tia, admit that everything that has happened since I found out is my fault!" Luna began shedding angry tears and she actually whimpered in frustration. "Had I merely informed you and o-ordered her execution then nine of our subjects would be safe at home! She killed a mother and her child after I had found out!" Luna let out another pained sob and collapsed onto her haunches. Her voice dropped to a low whisper and she bowed her head. "It keeps us up in the morning, sister," she whispered. "It pains us, Tia." Luna widened her eyes and took a step forward. "We see their faces and know I could have saved them if I hadn't been so misguided!"
Celestia merely continued to stare silently at her sister. No words of comfort came but she felt that she had to say something. "Luna, you didn't know that...that she would continue on with what she was doing. Particularly if she expressed regret and a willingness to--"
"Spare me your empty words, Tia!" Luna snarled. "I made another mistake that I can never take back that cost the lives of our subjects!" Luna put her head in her hooves. "And I just wanted to avoid making the same mistake with her niece." Luna sighed and shook her head. "I know that I...I was probably too hard on her but if she committed murder and is capable of it again and I had the opportunity to stop it; to redeem myself for once in my wretched life." Luna opened her eyes and stared up at her sister. "Wouldn't you?"
Celestia gingerly took three steps forward and reached a hoof out to touch her sister's foreleg. "Lulu..."
The corners of Luna's mouth turned up and she managed a small chuckle. "Thou have not called us that since we were but fillies," she whispered.
Celestia gave a smile of her own and took another step forwards. "To err is to be equine and we are not perfect, not nearly as perfect as our little ponies believe us to be. When ruling a nation, sometimes mistakes are made that cost us lives."
"Not so obvious as our mistakes," Luna mumbled bitterly. "Twas not difficult to see the correct choice and still we did not take it." Luna closed her eyes and a singular tear feel from them and splashed onto the floor below. "Now ponies are dead and it is my fault."
Celestia shook her head and put her hoof under Luna's chin and raised it so she made eye contact with her. "No, Lulu, Rarity's actions were her own. Your intentions were good. We both know how painful execution is and I know you wanted to avoid that, particularly with a pony that had helped you in your darkest hour. I do not blame you for that."
Luna pushed her sister's hoof away and stood back up. She turned away and slowly trotted over to a window and stared out it as if searching for something. "Good intentions do not bring cadavers back from the grave, nor do they prevent their deaths in the first place." Luna sighed. "We are frightened, Tia, We are frightened that Blossom will follow in her aunt's hoofsteps."
Celestia stood up and walked up next to her sister. "She will not," said the sun goddess simply. "I do not know what the future holds for that filly, but she will not see the end of her life on the execution table."
Luna tightened her jaw and continued staring out the window. "And if she does?"
"Luna that will not happen."
Luna rounded on her sister with an angry glare. "You know as well as I that ponies in our positions must consider possible outcomes to events, however unlikely! Blossom becoming a killer may be unlikely to you, but it is still a possibility and I would like to know what would come of that!"
"Luna I do not know!" Celestia snapped. "I do not want to consider that option, I do not wish further misery and death upon that family, I do not want to believe that Blossom will become a killer especially when the evidence points to the fact that she will not become one!"
Luna sighed and shifted her gaze back out the window. "I hope you are right, Tia, I really do," she whispered. "And We know that We may be acting unfair to the foal to the point of cruelty and I wish to avoid that." Luna shook her head. "I also do not want to know that we could have stopped more murders if we just kept her here under our watch."
"I know, Luna," Celestia muttered. "I know. But we cannot control her life and she is innocent until proven guilty. I am sorry but there is nothing we can do unless Working Mind says that there is a danger or she does something."
Luna glanced over at her sister and a grim look crossed her face. "By then I fear it will be too late."
Well....
Now I feel bad about calling Luna a bitch.
I'm sorry, Luna...
Nice chapter, but...
Luna doesn't address herself in plural tense all the time.
2311243 I have her alternate for a few reasons. 1. I always liked the plural tense. It added a lot of depth to her character because it really showed just how out of touch and out of place she was with the modern Equestrian society.
2. I had her use singular because she was taking full blame and thus would not associate her sister in her mistakes by using the Royal We.
3. She's working on modernizing her speech but she slips up sometimes.
Does that make a bit more sense?
2311257
Ah. Carry on, then.
So she's scared that not doing anything will repeat the same thing again?
2311506 Something like that. She's scared that if Blossom is left to her own devices then she's going to kill like her aunt.
Maybe I missed something but, where did Sweetie Belle's parents go? They just kind of disappeared and I thought they would have been given custody over Blossom, not the Apple family.
2311540 They don't live in Ponyville, they live in Hoofington. Ponyville is where the Royal Sisters want Blossom because it's simpler for them to keep an eye on her that way and she's around far more ponies she knows. She's a lot less likely to kill ponies she has an emotional attachment to and she doesn't get that in Hoofington.
Bueno
Now that Celestia told her that its not gonna happen...
Blossom is gonna be a killer. Personally I would like that path.
Your new avatar is disturbing, I like it.
I had suspected as much for Luna, who helped Twilight and Rarity use the elements and sweep everything under the rug. I always imagine Luna as being the more realistic princess, having turned evil and known darkness. It makes sense she would be harsh on Blossom. Where Celestia believes the best in every one of her subjects, Luna knows what the darkness inside every pony can do.
2311546
Ok, thanks for clearing that up for me. Love the story, by the way, and I hope that this tale ends with a happier ending than the past two.
I never disliked Luna in this.
From what i've seen, she's one of the few that's actually aknowledging the possibility that ponies could very well start "Dissapearing" from Ponyville all over again.
Now that I think about it, since these stories began, there have only been 6 different people (ponies) that seriously got under my skin.
Rarity, Twilight, Celestia, Silver Spoon, S.B up until she got her own place, and Blossom.
2314056 Why have those in particular gotten under your skin?
2314723
Well, at first I felt sorry for Rarity when she killed those bullies that wouldn't leave her alone.
But she didn't stop at them, she kept going, and her reasoning for it didn't make any sense to me. If I remember correctly, she was about to kill AJ too.
I actually smiled when she got the needle.
Twilight annoyed me because after she found out what Rarity was doing, she didn't turn her in. Which I can understand, but it still pissed me off. Because of her, more ponies died. I doubt that she would have ever turned Rarity in. And if Iron Will hadn't have stood his ground the way that he did, Rarity would probably still be alive right now, and the slaughter fest would continue. I know that there were other reasons for why Twilight annoyed me, but i'd have to go back and re-read.
I can give you a list as long as my arm about why I don't like Celestia, so i'll just say that ever since she let Twilight off with a slap on the wrist, I wasn't happy.
For Silver Spoon, it's complicated and hard for me to explain.
I HATED S.B because she tried to help Rarity with the murders. She wanted to be like Rarity. I can understand the 'She's my hero and I want to grow up to be just like her' thing, but still ... And when she got off the hook it felt to me like she was getting away with killing that one lady. And it got on my nerves every time she tried to defend Rarity's memory. I still get annoyed when ever I read the phrase 'She was a sad pony with sad feelings'. No, she was an insane pony that Twilight could have stopped but didn't. And for every life she took, a family was injured. Something that S.B kinda made worse (In my opinion) when she tried to speak out at the memorial.
And then there's Blossom. I don't like her because right now she's litterally getting away with murder. Actually, no, it's not that she killed and is getting away with it that bothers me. What blows my mind is how many other people (ponies) know that Blossom could be the real killer (Which she is) and yet they're still acting like it's no big deal. For me, most of Ponyville, Celestia, and Thought Process are all prime examples of this.
And those are my thoughts.
2314952 1. Well the whole point of the original story is that she's evil. Sure she is portrayed sometimes as a sympathetic character, but really, you don't ever get sympathetic when she's killing. She's cruel, heartless, and unforgiving. She's really the only one who got what she deserved in the story.
2. With Twilight she didn't want to see a good friend, a sister essentially, get executed, particularly since she was so remorseful. If she could fix her she wanted to. Should she have turned her in? Well no duh she should have turned her in but Twilight couldn't and I don't think that canon one would either. I dunno, that's only speculation since there's no way to know for sure really.
3. Celestia rules with her emotions sometimes. One of the big themes of the trilogy is that Celestia and Luna aren't perfect, Celestia in particular. Celestia had already executed an Element of Harmony, a pony that had saved the world twice over. She didn't have the heart to punish her beyond what she gave her, a fate worse than death for Twilight at any rate. Should Twilight have gotten a good twenty years for what she did? Yeah, but Celestia just couldn't. I don't think canon Celestia would have done it a different way.
4. Uh... okay.
5. Sweetie Belle and her motives are a little complex. That initial 'I wanna kill like my sister' is a combination of three things. 1. the fact that she does, 2. the fact that she equates 'I hate Diamond Tiara a lot' with 'I'm able to kill her.' and 3. she's eight when she finds out and that's how her eight year old mind reacts to it. Is it right? Of course not! She's still only eight and can't emotionally cope with what she's been told.
She flipped out when she killed Scarlet Tomato and when she remembered it later. I'm pretty sure she would have had the same reaction even if she had only given her a little cut as planned.
Again, her defending Rarity goes back to the fact that she's ten and can't emotionally or mentally cope with the fact that her sister was one of history's greatest monsters. Her mind had to find little outs by lessening her evil nature so she could justify it to herself. A big part of the second third of the story is her finally coming to terms with the fact that her sister was evil and she takes her off of that pedestal and accepts that she was a monster.
She only used the phrase 'sad feelings' to Blossom because you can't say 'your aunt was one of the most evil ponies who ever lived' to a seven year old. Remember, Blossom pretty much found out about Rarity in the exact worst way possible. Sweetie Belle (who remember, did accept that Rarity was evil by this point) couldn't dump that on her as well. She had to ease her into it and soften the blow a little.
6. Just trust me is all I can say for now about it. Please don't make judgments on Blossom until the story is over.
Also recall that the only ponies who know for 100% certain that Blossom is the killer are Blossom and Sweetie Belle. Thought Process only has one facial expression and a gut feeling and Luna only has a gut feeling. Celestia is choosing to rely on the evidence instead of pointing hooves. Same thing with most of Ponyville. There is no conclusive evidence that Blossom is the killer and most of Ponyville thinks that she isn't and even those that do only have suspicions.
I hope that helps explain what I was going for a little more.
2315714
For 2, 3, and 5: Oh no, I understand WHY they did what they did. I've always understood why (Except for with Celestia. I needed you to explain that one, which you did ... two or three times now). It's the fact that they did it, or are doing what they're doing, that gets to me. Does that make sense?
For 6: ... I apologize. Those are just what my thoughts are at the moment. I'll keep quiet about her until this is over with. And Ponyville ... i'm done bringing that up too.
2316248 1. Ah. I guess that makes some sense. Just wanted to make sure it wasn't something that wasn't unclear in my writing. With Celestia, sorry if I've explained that too much. It's one of those 'I've explained it a million times or not at all I'm not sure which" kinds of things. You know how it goes.
6. I hope I do not disappoint. Just know that I know what I am doing and why.
I like how, as she breaks down even further, Luna slips out of her formal third-person speech pattern. It really gives a clearer picture on how deeply this is affecting her. Amazing as always, BronyWriter.
2426179
Actually, I think the royal We is used outside of the royal family/close friends.
Using first-person "I" is correct there, since Tia's her sis.
"Had I merely informed you and o-ordered her execution-
Yes, if only you had ordered her execution, the only surefire way to stop a pony from hurting anyone.
Are we SURE this Equestria doesn't have Gulags???
It was already fairly apparent, tbh, I like that you kept Luna regretting her past actions from the original story.
so many feels of sorrow and some anger but I don't know why I am angry? I guess its just luna is hurting really bad and I don't like seeing her hurt
2564566
At least 71 confirmed killings. Nope, she looks innocent enough to me.
Next time, on Dragon Ball Z
I need to go to sleep. T.T
Stop reading reading stop reading sleepsleepsleepsleep...
Damn you Next Chapter button!!!!!!
That can't be it something's gonna go horribly wrong I can feel it in my bones.
What cruel game are you playing sir?
2620311 I can guarantee it's probably because you know as well as I do something is bound to happen.
eeeehhhhhhhhh?
So I guess regarding my other comment:
Luna did empathize with Rarity and was in a sense betrayed by her continuing to kill. And as a result did a 180 on her stance, devoting herself to justice... I suppose I understand her position but it justs tastes wrong that Luna would switcharoo this hard. Since she is about 50 years post Nightmare and still who knows how many hundreds of years old, it feels weird that she would be cured, realized ponies can change, see a pony not change, and decide buck it, justice is the one true path. Feels like something a foal would do.