Her nights were usually nothing more, nothing less than blissful oblivion. It was her sister’s gift and she cherished it each and every time after a day spent with the hardships of ruling their land.
And yet, when she laid her head down that night, she found herself walking down an old, time-worn path with no goal in mind. She glanced up at the familiar distant peak of her home and hummed. She’d almost forgotten what it looked like without their castle jutting majestically from the side. The sight filled her with nostalgia, and some regret as well.
She continued down the path. Each step felt like a century, and indeed, as she placed one hoof after the other she saw brief glimpses of field giving place to huts, then villages, then towns.
Celestia walked the history of her land, and with each heavy step she saw only mistakes. Figures took shape from thin air: A bickering lord she could have talked into cooperation instead of needing to fight. Towns she couldn’t save because of her inexperience. A famine here, a civil war there. Pain and misery walking hoof in hoof; Equestria’s growing pains were laid bare and she was forced to bear witness.
In shame, she averted her eyes and looked up to the sky, seeking her sister’s support. Yet, where she expected the stars to aid her, she saw only an endless void with a single light that yet wasn’t the Sun. As she stared at it, she couldn’t help but squint while it slowly became brighter and brighter. And even she, who stared down volcanoes and gazed hours long at her burden, found the growing speck of light unbearable. Celestia raised a hoof to shield her eyes while it continued to grow larger.
With a piercing howl the comet tore through the sky and the fireball smashed into the ground right in front of the princess, cracking the earth and nearly knocking her off her hooves.
Celestia never shied away from her negative feelings, they too were part of what kept her a pony. Yet, what she felt at that moment was an emotion she hadn’t experienced in decades. As she took a tentative step closer to the crater, she felt dread. Complete and utter dread. All of her senses screamed imminent death and for her to run as fast as she could and never look back.
And yet, as much as she tried to force her body to run, she felt compelled to step closer and gaze inside, unable to look away. As the fire slowly subsided, the blood froze in her veins.
The mare lying inside was just like her. Except, the moment Celestia laid eyes on her, her first thought was that she was perfect. Her radiant, unblemished coat shone from the light cast by her burning mane. Her face was like a statue, chiselled over millennia by the best artists of each generation. Her slender form radiated power, and as she slowly awoke Celestia felt immense heat sweep out of her. A heat of such utter strength that Celestia’s own felt like a candlelight in comparison.
“W-who are you?” Celestia’s voice mimicked her body’s own trembling. “Why do you torment me with these visions?”
The figure slowly looked up, and her burning, orange eyes locked with Celestia’s. A predatory grin spread over her face. “Me? Why I am but you,” she replied slyly as she slowly raised herself and stepped out of the crater. A wave of heat hit Celestia, causing her to stumble in place. “I am all you could be.” She looked across the land, snorting at the misery happening all around. “And tormenting you? How droll. Did you think you could hide under your little sister’s wings forever? We both know it was about time you faced your shortcomings.” She grinned again, before looking to the side. “You could have prevented all of this,” she said flatly, waving around a dismissive hoof. “If only you didn’t hold back. If only you weren’t such a bleeding-heart,” she spat with unmasked disgust. “Watch,” she said coldly, and the world lit on fire.
The Sun rose in the sky, its face looming over the horizon, covering a quarter of the blue emptiness. One by one the memories, the failures began to change. The bickering lord, who cursed Celestia’s name the moment he was out of earshot, immolated, leaving nary but charred bones in his place and a far more agreeable successor. The elderly in the famine-stricken city followed suit, their beaten bodies grown old from hard work blackening quickly, leaving enough food for the rest of the city to survive. Then those who conspired against her in the civil war saw their fiery ends. Under the emblem of the Sun, piles upon piles of corpses of Lunar traitors fed the flames.
One after the other the radiant green fields turned orange and the rivers ran red. The sky darkened from smoke. The Sun’s strongest rays shone through the thick plume casting a haunting ghost-light upon the massacre. Where once was chaos, now reigned order.
The mare basked in the glory and the heat. Her mane fluttered in the hot wind as she raised her head high and enjoyed the crackling of the roaring flames and the hissing of burning flesh with closed eyes and a serene, beatific smile. Slowly she looked at the princess again and took a step closer. “Join me,” she said as she held out her hoof for Celestia to grasp. “This can all be yours.”
Celestia sat up in her bed with a silent scream. She stared into the darkness vacantly while she tried to calm her shallow breaths. Her heart trembled in fear.
Fear of such a loss of life.
Fear of the horror she had witnessed.
Fear of the ruthlessness she had been forced to see.
And above all else, the fear of that minuscule, yet burning ever brighter part of herself that found the flames beautiful.