//------------------------------// // Downfall // Story: Numbers // by Omegathyst //------------------------------// Princess Celestia held her head high as her intimidating eyes never left Twilight and Tempest, who were staring at her with the same intensity. "What was Tempest doing in front of you?" Celestia asked. Twilight prepared a teleportation spell to use on Tempest, and Celestia lunged, using her wings to increase her speed. Twilight was faster, and Tempest was gone moments before Celestia crash-landed at Twilight's hooves. Twilight frowned when she took in her soon-to-be-ex-marefriend smothered in dirt from falling over. Celestia slowly got up and shook the dirt off, licking her wings quickly. "Where did you send her?" Celestia whispered. "I'm not telling you!" Twilight sighed. "Not when we already have so much to talk about." "Right, you still haven't verbally reciprocated my love." Celestia stopped grooming and looked at Twilight. "I've come here to put your mind at ease about us, because I love you from the moon and back. I'm aware that we have eternity to figure this all out, but I don't want you falling for anyone else, my star pupil." Twilight's ears flattened, knowing that everything was wrong here. She knew she wasn't in love, but she realized that she wasn't even falling in love either. The most she felt for Celestia was when she could feel the tall mare walk past her down hallways in the castle. Even their first kiss felt weird, as if she was kissing her own mother. Twilight had rationalized her lack of feelings over and over again: maybe she was aromantic, or demi, anything to justify why she couldn't feel strongly for the Princess that gave her everything. She could hardly understand why she's even willing to give up that for a unicorn that she once called her enemy. But she knew one look from Tempest did more to her than Celestia roaming her purple body with her delicate hooves. Twilight wanted to break things off now more than ever. She knew what Rarity meant know, her and Tempest were meant to be. "I don't need eternity to decide my decision." Twilight told her. "It's over, Celestia. I realized that I was never in love with you, and I can't change that." "I can give you a d-dose of a love spell!" Celestia begged. "Twilight, there's no need to be so rash. Allow me to use my magic, and I can make you feel the same way for me-" "No! Do you ever take me seriously?!" Twilight finally snapped. "I'm a grown mare just like you now, not a conflicted filly! I'm just as free-thinking and responsible as you, maybe even more responsible!" "And who do you have to thank for that?" Celestia scowled. "You were just a friendless egghead with your muzzle stuck in books before you met me, you owe me your life! As the co-ruler of Equestria, I demand that you remain dedicated to me for eter-" "Fuck no!" Twilight yelled. Celestia went silent, her entire body trembling as she held herself back. Twilight didn't care, staring daggers at her former teacher. "You spoiled simple pony, you were nothing before I turned you into a princess." Celestia growled. "You were right by the way, I was never impressed with your pathetic spurts of magic. I only turned you into an alicorn so I could feel the luxurious purple fur on your ass and hear you cry out my name for eternity." "I..." Twilight's eyes widened. "You cannot leave me Twilight. If you do, you'll have nothing left." Celestia sighed. "I can destroy Ponyville, take away your wings, and imprison your friends all with a beam of powerful magic if you don't stay with me." "Celestia, if you're really in love with me, you'd leave me and Tempest alone." Twilight frowned. "I fucking knew that you liked her!" Celestia cried. "I can't believe it, this is how you're going to let us break up? For a no good, hornless, scarred blank-flank?" "She is more of a mare than you'll ever be!" Twilight retorted. "Celestia, you were one of the most important ponies in my life, why can't you just be happy for me?" "Because, I've given you everything and all I've asked is for your unwavering loyalty." Celestia stepped away from Twilight, taking a deep breath. "I've made up my mind. Twilight, if you follow through with breaking up with me, I won't destroy Ponyville or hurt your friends. But I'll have to consult the other princesses about having your status reverted back to a unicorn, as well as evict you from this castle." "So, your decision." Celestia held her stern expression. "I'm standing by my decision." Twilight decided. Before Celestia could react, Twilight teleported back into her castle, casting a protection spell over her castle before calling out for Spike. "Spike?!" Twilight yelled through the halls. "Spike!" "I'm here, what's wrong?" Spike ran to Twilight's side. "Hurry, get a paper and pen, I need to said a letter to Princess Luna. It's an emergency." Twilight explained. "Celestia is planning on taking everything that I have." Spike didn't ask anymore questions. He flew away and came back seconds later with a piece of paper and a feather pen, ready to write Twilight's letter. "Dear Princess Luna, the stability of Equestria is in your sister's hooves. I've dumped her for another mare, and now she's threatening to take away everything I have. I expected Chrysalis, Tirek, and even Starlight Glimmer to be the cause of my downfall, but never the mare that practically raised me. You need to reason with her before it's too late, before somepony gets hurt. Your sister's former student, Twilight Sparkle." Spike rolled up the letter and blew green fire at it, sending it to Luna's room. Twilight collapsed, covering her eyes with her hooves and gritting her teeth. "I'm sorry, this is what I was worried about." "Tempest?" Twilight stood up. "How long have you been there?" "I got here as soon as I heard you yelling for Spike." Tempest responded. "I'll gather your friends here, we may have a war coming straight to Ponyville-" "Celestia is not going to cause a war." Twilight insisted. "She's just extremely emotional, she'll get over it after a few days. I just need her sister to keep her from making any impulse decisions that she'll regret later." "I'm not leaving your side." Tempest decided. "Not until Princess Luna responds to your letter, at least." Twilight didn't protest, she knew that Tempest was willing to die for her, and there was nothing she could do about it. Instead she walked towards Tempest and pressed her head against the unicorn's neck. "I don't want to wait for this to blow over." Twilight looked into Tempest's eyes. "I want to kiss you now. Celestia shouldn't stop us from loving each other." Tempest looked up to see that Spike had left, before lowering her head to meet Twilight's lips with her own. Never in her life had Tempest felt this much emotion; intense love and fear were swirling in her head. It had become too much, and Tempest pulled away to run to the window. There only a few feet away, was Princess Celestia staring at Tempest with shock on the other side. Tempest lifted her hoof, and Celestia scowled before teleporting away. The darkness and silence of the night sky was overwhelming as soon as Celestia teleported back to Canterlot. Her normal surroundings felt so much heavier that she couldn't move right away. It was still sinking in that her former student, that had meant so much to her, had denied her in every way. She loved Twilight so much, gave her everything! And she still ended up falling in love with a mortal unicorn, if Celestia could even call her that. Celestia unfolded her wings and started flying to her castle. Now that the moon was up, Luna would be awake. It would be perfect time to start discussing about Twilight's fate, and once she got her sister on her side, they could corner Princess Cadance. After all, the pink alicorn has an emotional attachment to Twilight as Celestia once did, and two against one would force her to accept Twilight's forced resignation. She flew into an open window in the castle to see Luna waiting for her. She barely landed on her hooves and stood up to face her sister, making sure to keep her calm demeanor. "My dear Lulu, it appears that Twilight had manipulated me." Celestia lied. "She convinced me that she was in love with me so she could become a Princess, and have her own castle and power. It was a mistake that I let love blind me, but we must undo this mistake and change her back into a unicorn." "Sister...I received a letter from Twilight only a few minutes ago." Luna began. Shit, Celestia thought. "She said that she broke up with you for another mare, and I understand that it hurts you greatly." Luna frowned. "But I know Twilight, she genuinely worked for all of this. And your relationship with her didn't even start until the night of your play, so how would she have told you this without a relationship forming at the time you made her Princess?" "I-" "Tia, you need rest." Luna approached her sister and rested her wing on her back. "I'll use a sleeping spell to help you, and I'll check on your dreams several times tonight. Don't worry, I'll be here for you." Celestia felt the anger inside her rising until it all disappeared. She felt a pink energy emitting from her sister's horn, and started to feel drowsy. "You...need to believe me!" Celestia begged as she fell onto the floor. "Twi....." Celestia didn't finish her sentence before she closed her eyes and fell asleep. Luna teleported Celestia's body onto the nearest bed in the castle, and sighed. "Oh dear sister, please be okay." Two weeks later Twilight finally felt like she was living her best life: she was living with Tempest in the castle, two of her best friends were planning their wedding, her school was thriving better than ever, and Thorax took Spike and Grubber to his hive only a few days ago. It was just a vacation, and Spike and Grubber would be back in a few days, but it gave Twilight plenty of time to be intimate with her new marefriend. And the night before, they had made love for the first time for both of them. It was perfect. She felt comfort as Luna raised the moon over Ponyville, remembering the letter Luna sent back, telling her that everything would be okay. Twilight heard nothing from Celestia, and hoped to speak to her on good terms one day. They'd have eternity to figure it out. Twilight froze in the middle of her walk down the hallway, remembering that her beloved was mortal. She wondered if she had the same power that her former mentor had; perhaps she could make her marefriend immortal. Was there any law against that? No, Twilight thought, there's hardly any laws in Equestria to begin with. Twilight was no longer frozen in concern, prancing down the hallway to the bed she shared with Tempest. She knew that Tempest was waiting for her, probably reading one of Twilight's books. Her heart bloomed with love at the thought, and all was well. The same could not be said for Princess Celestia. She had explosive fits with any of the guards that spoke to her, and avoided her sister when she could. Time couldn't heal this wound, she was convinced of it. The one mare she couldn't seem to avoid was her and Luna's therapist, and Celestia knew that her sister had set the therapist to check up on her constantly. The beige-colored unicorn followed Celestia down the hallway, taking notes and adjusting her glasses over her big blue eyes. "Celestia, please let me help you-" "What do you know about us alicorns?" Celestia snapped. "Hundreds of years later, Twilight will still not want me. But both you and Tempest will be dead by then. Maybe sooner if you don't leave me alone!" Her therapist, Cookie Hooves, shrieked and bolted in the other direction. She ran past Princess Luna, who flew to her sister's side. "Celestia, please, you may have as much time to grieve as you wish, but you cannot lash out at the guards and servants of our castle." Luna pleaded. "I love you, dear sister. We're all here for you." "Except Twilight. And she's all that matters." Celestia looked out the window, avoiding Luna's gaze. "Celestia! You can't be saying that none of us matter! That...I don't matter?" Luna stepped back. "I'm the most important pony in your life, and you are in mine. Twilight is allowing you time to move on, that's all she can do." "All she can do?!" Celestia's head swiftly turned as she glared daggers at her sister. "She can give back everything that I gave her. Her wings, her castle, her friends, her damn dragon, and her place in Ponyville. I gave her a home there, when she should be back in Canterlot-" "You sent her there!" Luna retorted, backing up against the wall. Celestia moved towards her and stopped. "I made a mistake, letting her go. I made a mistake, coming back to her." Celestia whispered. "I made a mistake thinking you'd understand. Cause nopony loves you like I love Twilight." Luna's eyes widened and she bolted in the same direction that Cookie Hooves left. Princess Celestia took a deep breath, one that did nothing to calm the raging storm in her heart. She walked into her room, slamming the door closed with a swift kick of her back hoof. Her thoughts wouldn't stop... She thought about waiting for Tempest to pass away, for Twilight to open her eyes and realize that there was only one infinite love in her life. But what if Twilight still denied her? Waiting in agony, only to have her heart broken all over again would be too much for Celestia. What am I supposed to do?! Then, the thoughts of Twilight and Tempest being together were again replaced with the violent thoughts that Celestia was trying to repress. Thoughts of Tempest being turned into a broken bloody pile of limbs in front of Twilight, and knowing that after such violence, Twilight would never fight back again. Rather, the light of rebellion would be extinguished from her forever. One day, she would thank Celestia in ways that would arouse her if she wasn't so livid. These fantasies were too good to pass up, and Princess Celestia channeled her anger in a way that Princess Luna did over a thousand years ago. Orange swirls of magic rapidly surrounded her body before all of them entered Celestia's body at once, and she vanished into a white ball before the ball disappeared, revealing a different pony entirely. Daybreaker. She grinned, revealing sharp teeth. Daybreaker knew that she could accomplish what her weak former self could not: killing Tempest. But why stop there? Daybreaker could destroy buildings and countless lives, and Twilight would surrender quickly. Her eyes lit up as she noticed the fire that made up her mane and tail; she could light Ponyville on fire! Daybreaker noticed that the carpet beneath her was on fire, and she put it out with a few stomps of her hoof. After all, she couldn't have Luna know of her plan until after the deed was done. Well, she could easily get rid of her if necessary. Daybreaker opened the window to see the sun shining brighter than ever, and she cursed angrily. It was supposed to be nighttime, and Luna would notice the sun right away. Well, guess she had to get rid of her now. "CELESTIA!" She heard her dumb former sister cry out. "CELE-" Daybreaker kicked the door down and ran towards Luna and clocked her in the head, rendering her unconscious. She casted an even stronger sleeping spell that would keep Luna asleep for days. "By then, I'll decide what to do with her." Daybreaker huffed. She teleported Luna's body into the nearest closet and locked the door. Killing seemed unnecessary at the moment, unless she wanted to kill both her and Princess Cadance. Then her and her beloved Twilight could be the sole rulers of Equestria. It was a possibility that Daybreaker found delightful. Daybreaker returned to the window and breathed in the fresh air, feeling absolutely euphoric now that Tempest's death was within her grasp. She leaped out the window and took flight, teleporting to a few yards from Ponyville. She saw some stray ponies outside, huddled in a circle. But everypony else appeared to be asleep and in their homes still. Daybreaker smirked, her eternal sunlight didn't give her away here. She flew closer to Ponyville, and a ball of fire generated from her mouth. Aiming her muzzle in the direction of the pony circle, she spat the ball of fire right into Ponyville, causing the area to catch in flames. She heard desperate screaming, but her rampage had only begun.