The rain pours down onto Silver Shoals, drenching the coastal town and making everything a muddy mess. Due to the thorough efforts of the weather team, everypony in town knew to expect this rainstorm, so there aren't any ponies caught outside in it. At least, there shouldn't be. A single figure jogs through the darkness, their identity protected by the brown, hooded cloak draped over their body. Their hooves splash in the muddy puddles beneath them as they quietly make their way towards the outskirts of town.
Eventually, the figure slows their pace as they reach the outside of a large manor. The cloaked pony presses a hoof against the main gate, finding that it has been left unlocked. After letting themself in, they close the gate behind them and quickly approach the front door, giving it a few loud knocks when they do so. After a few moments, the door glows a gentle yellow color and opens with an audible creak. The cloaked pony makes their way inside, immediately removing their cloak upon doing so.
The figure reveals herself to be none other than Princess Twilight Sparkle, the current ruler of Equestria. Meanwhile, a taller mare stands before the princess, her long, colorful mane and well-defined features making it clear that she could be none other than Celestia, Twilight's old mentor and the ex-princess. Celestia greets Twilight with a smile, and while Twilight tries to return the favor, the fatigue on her face makes it obvious that she isn't really in a smiling mood.
"Good evening, Twilight. I know you warned me that you were coming, but I wasn't expecting you to fight through the rain to get here."
"Sorry if it's an inconvenient time. I just... I can't push this off any longer."
Celestia embraces her ex-student in a warm hug, one which Twilight happily returns.
"It seems so. I hear there's been a bit of a commotion in Canterlot lately." The two separate once more, and Celestia turns around while beckoning for Twilight to follow her. "Come. Let's get a bit more comfortable, shall we? Luna is off in the Crystal Empire right now, so it's just the two of us."
Twilight follows Celestia into what seems to be a small study. The room is extremely cozy looking. The walls are lined with bookshelves, and a large, comfortable fireplace that has already been lit rests in the center of the back wall. Several large, comfortable-looking chairs and sofas are positioned throughout the room, as well as a coffee table and a single writing desk. If there was ever an ideal place to escape to on a rainy day, this would be it. Celestia takes a seat on a large chair that looks as though it was made with her large stature in mind, and she beckons for Twilight to sit in the chair across from her. Twilight obliges, and the two alicorns smile at each other as their faces are illuminated by the firelight.
"This is a really nice study."
"Thank you. I designed it myself while this place was being built, though I'll admit that Luna gets even more use out of it than I do, hehe. Now, then." Celestia looks Twilight directly in the eyes, a warm, motherly smile plastered on her face. "What's on your mind, Twilight? I haven't had to act as your mentor in several moons now, so it must be important to you."
Twilight sighs as she hesitates to begin speaking.
"Have you heard of a stallion named Double Edge?"
"Hmm. I believe I've read that name in the newspaper recently. Is he the pony that got arrested in Canterlot a few days ago?"
"Yes, that's correct." Twilight takes a deep breath. "Edge got caught by the Royal Guard after a string of muggings. He was threatening wealthy ponies with his magic, demanding that they give him all of the bits they had. I'm sure I don't need to tell you this, but that's practically unheard of in Equestria, let alone Canterlot."
"I take it he made a lot of money, then?"
"He did, but the Royal Guard couldn't find it. In fact, they have no idea where he's from or where he lives. He won't say a word to them."
"..."
"I... I just wanted to know why. Why resort to mugging? What pushed him to need that much money? Is he in distress? Is he just greedy? Is he... not well? What does he plan to do now that he's been caught? I don't want to just leave him to rot in a cell."
"And that's what you came to ask me about?"
"Not quite."
"Oh?"
"You see, the Royal Guard may not have been able to get him to talk, but I was. He was willing to speak to me, and me alone. Of course, I was more than willing to hear him out in the hopes that I'd find answers to those questions I mentioned."
"And? Did he answer them?"
"Every single one." Twilight glances at the floor with a downtrodden expression. "A part of me wishes he hadn't."
"Well, what did he say?"
Twilight looks back up at her mentor. She isn't crying, but her eyes are filled with distress.
"He lost everything, Celestia. Everything."
"Hm?"
"There was a house fire in Dodge Junction. His whole family got caught in it. He made it out, as did his four kids, but... not his wife."
"Goodness."
"It happened in the middle of the night. They have no idea how it started, but it wasn't a particularly fancy house to begin with. They weren't exactly living in luxury. And after the house burned down, he lost his job, too."
"They laid him off after that?!"
"He ran a private business from home. He worked in advertising, or something along those lines. But the fire took everything. His bits, his tools, all of his legal documents. His community felt bad for him, sure, but they also couldn't do all that much to help him. Dodge Junction isn't a very wealthy place to begin with, and with four kids to feed combined with the weight of having just lost your spouse, I can only imagine how horrific it must have all been for him."
"Let me guess. In order to support himself and his kids, he found a train to Canterlot, hid his kids away, and started resorting to crime to get the bits he needs?"
"That's right."
"Then I see no issue in letting him go. It might be difficult to convince the public, but what is a princess without empathy?"
"...I wish it were that simple."
"Hm? There's even more to it then, I take it."
Twilight slowly nods. Her eyes begin to get misty, but she hasn't broken down completely yet.
"He wanted to admit something else to me this morning. I didn't have a choice but to tell the Royal Guard to take care of it after the fact. It hasn't been brought up in the papers yet, but I know it will be there in the morning." Twilight takes one more deep breath, doing her best to retain her composure. "He... he killed somepony, Celestia."
"What?!"
"It was an accident, according to him. Somepony saw him in an alleyway a few days ago right after one of his muggings. It was some older mare, but she threatened to report him to the Royal Guard if he didn't follow her orders, which included giving her most of the money."
"Blackmail?"
Twilight nods.
"He tried to threaten her like he had done to the ponies he mugged. Apparently she surprised him and actually tried to fight back. One thing led to another, and he found himself on the defensive. He... accidentally ended up making good on his threat. He knew that if he turned himself in, he'd probably never see his children again. So, he ran away. I suppose the guilt must have been eating him up inside. Now that he's in jail anyway, he seemed relieved to have told me that. Desperate to do so, in fact."
"I suppose that does make things a bit more complicated."
Twilight, barely holding herself together, continues.
"There's one more thing."
"There's even more?"
"I had Rarity and Applejack come with me to Dodge Junction. I wanted to know if we could learn anything about the fire that started all of this. It..." Tears finally begin to fall from Twilight's cheeks, her voice quiet and shaky. "It was my fault!"
"What do you mean?!"
"The Cherry family requested a large-scale import of leddleberry bushes for the town and for their orchard. I thought that doing so would help stimulate the local economy, which they desperately need down there. So, I signed off on it. And while I understand that this probably sounds unlike me, I made the mistake of not doing my research."
"That does sound unlike you."
"I've been finding that I have less and less time nowadays to devote myself to my studies. Just like how I've been improving my delegation skills, I've also been working on my time management. I had no reason to doubt Cherry Jubilee, so I trusted that she knew what she was talking about. Apparently, she hadn't done her research either, because as it turns out, leddleberry bushes find it extremely difficult to grow in that environment. Her orchard couldn't get a single one to produce fruit before dying, so the matter was mostly dropped. But, by some miracle, a few of them did bear fruit. Those were the bushes planted in the shade. None of the orchard bushes managed to grow because of that, but a handful did around town. And unknown to the ponies growing them, Double Edge included... they become highly flammable after producing fruit. Especially in that environment."
"...I see. And that's what caused the fire?"
Twilight forced herself to speak through her tears.
"Yes."
Celestia doesn't respond immediately. Instead, she gives Twilight a bit of time to weep. There isn't much she can say about that matter. While Twilight is, of course, not directly responsible for causing the fire, she knows how Twilight's brain works. There isn't any way to convince her that the matter wasn't caused by her negligence, even if it's not true. So, it's better to let that matter sit for now and allow Twilight to cry as much as she needs.
After a bit of time, Twilight manages to regain her composure. She wipes the tears from her cheeks and sniffles one more time, just as Celestia magically offers her a tissue, which she happily blows into.
"Th-thank you."
"Mmhmm. Now, let me see if I'm understanding the situation correctly. You allowed Dodge Junction to import some bushes which inadvertently caused a fire, killing Double Edge's wife and leaving himself and his children jobless and homeless. To survive, they fled to Canterlot, where Edge resorted to mugging ponies. He was arrested for doing so, but the news will come out tomorrow that he also killed someone. Am I correct in that assessment?" Twilight slowly nods. "And you want to know what you should do about it?"
"...Unless I say otherwise, Equestrian law is absolute. The public will never believe that he only killed in self-defense no matter what evidence they find, if they even find any to begin with. And even if they did, it's not like he's innocent of the mugging charges. All things considered, unless I put a stop to it, he will most likely be banished."
"..."
"I... I don't want that to happen. He was just doing what he felt he needed to do to survive! Plus, it was my fault! I caused that fire! It was my neglect that killed his wife and put them into poverty! I can't let that happen to him because of me! Plus, what will happen to his kids?!"
"Then why don't you let him go? It's within your power to do so."
Twilight winces, and she hesitates before responding.
"You know as well as I do that it isn't that simple. Public opinion on the princesses is extremely important to Equestria's stability. If they can't trust me, who knows what will happen?"
"..."
"And no matter what I do or what I say, they're going to want Double Edge to face 'justice,' if you can even call it that. Letting him walk free would destroy our reputation. Who knows what the families of his victims, or of the deceased mare that threatened him, will have to say about that? Plus, sometimes it feels like everypony has this... perverse interest in seeing criminals get punished. I..." Twilight closes her eyes tight and forces herself to vocalize her fears. "I just don't know what to do."
"...Twilight." Twilight slowly opens her eyes and looks up at Celestia, who wears a dark, serious expression. Celestia's magenta eyes carry hundreds of years of pent-up emotion, and they do not break away from Twilight's own. "As the ruler of Equestria, it falls onto you to make the toughest decisions the country has to offer. No matter what your choice may be, you must stand by it wholeheartedly. You must accept the consequences that come with your choices. Have you made a mistake? I really couldn't tell you. But, what's done is done. What's important now is what comes next."
"What comes next?"
"...You want to show Double Edge mercy. I can see that beyond a shadow of a doubt. But you're afraid that the repercussions of doing so are too great to ignore. Am I correct?"
"Y-yes. Exactly."
"Hm." Celestia takes a deep breath, but does not break eye contact with Twilight. "Then let me tell you a story. I seem to recall a time when you drank a potion Zecora made for you that let you watch the altercation between myself and my sister on that... dreadful night."
"You mean, when she became Nightmare Moon? And you had to banish her?"
Celestia nods.
"It's a story I'm sure you've heard dozens of times, and one that I'm not particularly proud of. What the history books won't tell you is what happened after she was banished. At least, not entirely."
"I thought you took over for her and started to raise both the sun and the moon?"
"I did. But there was more to it than that." Celestia hesitates, the expression on her face making it clear that this conversation is bringing many painful memories to light. "At the time, I was beloved by all. 'The fairest pony in all the land,' they called me. I raised the sun, brought them light. I was the charismatic princess that brought prosperity to Equestria. I was brave, I was beautiful, and I was kind. Those were the kinds of things they said about me.
"I know you're retied now, but they still say those things," Twilight interjects. "Even I do."
"Hm. I'm flattered, but that attention was part of the problem, for while I received all of the attention and adoration, Luna..."
"She was ignored, right?"
"No."
"N-no? I thought that was why she became Nightmare Moon?"
"Luna has always done well outside of the spotlight. That isn't to say she doesn't crave attention or external sources of validation now and again - who doesn't - but if she was simply ignored, perhaps Nightmare Moon would never have happened. No, her jealousy of my position did not come from the ignorance of others. It came from their active disdain."
"They didn't like her?"
"They didn't like that she wasn't me. I'm not ignorant to the opinions of the masses. When Luna was ever mentioned, it always seemed to be in a hushed tone. 'Why can't she be more like Princess Celestia,' they asked. 'Does this nation even need two princesses? What does she actually bring to the table?' 'Why are our taxes going towards the paycheck of this pony who we barely even see? She needs to be doing more.' All the while, they ignored the massive impact that Luna had on all of their lives. At that point, there hadn't been a single nightmare in Equestria in a very long time. That's not even mentioning her control over the moon, or the desk work that we were splitting between us. Everypony thought I could run Equestria entirely on my own, yet after I was forced to banish Luna to the moon, they all complained that I no longer had the time or energy to be as open or active as I was before. Instead of complaining that Luna wasn't doing enough, they started complaining that I wasn't doing enough."
"That's so unfair, though! Surely they must have realized what a toll that would have taken on you!"
"They care not, so long as they get to live in peace. Like it or not, a populous with no bigger problems than petty complaints is a populous that is thriving. Regardless, my point is that it was not Equestria's indifference that drove Luna to her lowest point. It was Equestria's pettiness. And, of course..." Celestia lowers her head, her gaze fixated upon the floor and her expression dark. "My own hubris."
"Celestia, you're one of the most humble ponies I've ever met!"
"Thank you for saying that Twilight, but I wasn't always this way. I was adored by all for many, many moons. That kind of attention went to my head, whether I knew it or not. Luna rightfully called me out on it, too. 'You've become a narcissist, sister,' she told me. 'If you keep going like this, you are bound to falter.' I... I snapped at her. After all, 'what could the princess that Equestria doesn't even want possibly know about what's right?'" Twilight holds in an involuntary gasp, not expecting such a statement from her mentor. "...That was her tipping point, I imagine. Don't forget, she visited the dreams of the masses every night. She knew as well as I did how little the public cared for her. To hear the same sentiment come from me, even if it was just an outburst from a young, stupid mare... Well, I don't blame her for becoming Nightmare Moon."
"..."
"I'm not sure what hurt more when she refused to lower the moon: The fact that I knew I would have to banish her, or the fact that I knew it was my fault?" Celestia's breathing falters. She isn't crying; she's shed enough tears because of this memory over the years to fill an ocean. But the pain still lingers. "I can't even begin to express the sorrow I felt after I used the Elements of Harmony against her. It... it was just so quiet."
"I'm... I'm so sorry."
"To this day, I find it a bit uncomfortable to sit in silence for too long." Celestia sighs, finally lifting her head and looking at Twilight once more. "Eventually, though, I had to push that sorrow to the side. I was still Equestria's princess, after all. Except, after that, I was the only one. I lowered the moon, and a new day began. Of course, between Luna's defiance and our not-so-subtle struggle, our... my subjects knew something was up. So, I organized a formal address. I intended to be open about the whole affair. Princess Luna was gone, and it was our fault. My fault. The address occurred a few hours later."
"This is the first I've heard of such an address. Surely that would have been recorded somewhere, right?"
"It was, though you likely know it in a different context. I..." Celestia takes one more deep breath. "I began my address by stating that Princess Luna, my dear sister, had been banished. The darkness in her heart consumed her, turning her into the vicious Nightmare Moon. She refused to lower the moon and attempted to overthrow me. I used the Elements of Harmony to defeat her, and going forward, I would do my best to take on her duties on top of my own. Then... well, I was about to explain how that was a tragedy of our own making, how my sister's downfall was caused by our own inability to treat her with the respect and mercy she deserved."
"...W-wait. Wasn't the day after her defeat the-"
"Summer Sun Celebration, yes. I never got to finish my address. I started to speak the truth about how awful her banishment was, but all they heard me say was that my sister rebelled and I defeated her. The crowd erupted into cheers over that, and any hope I had of retaining their attention was gone. To them, it was like I had miraculously taken care of the problem they complained about when they thought nopony was listening. 'Another great victory for our beloved Princess Celestia!'" Celestia's voice grows louder, her sorrow turning to anger. "My sister was gone! We... I had failed her! I would not see the only family I have for one thousand years because of my decisions, AND THEY ALL CHEERED MY NAME!"
Twilight sits in stunned silence. Never in her life has she ever seen her old teacher like this. Celestia, the calm, composed, motherly Celestia, fumes before her. She breathes deeply as she tries to regain her composure, and Twilight realizes just how much this memory has tormented her over the years.
"...Luna coming back didn't make that pain go away, did it?"
"No." Celestia's voice is quiet, barely even audible. "A thousand years is a long time to regret a decision, Twilight." As Twilight looks into Celestia's eyes, it's as though her mentor is looking through her. "An agony that only an alicorn could experience."
Both ponies sit in pained silence for what feels like an eternity. Celestia has clearly finished telling her story, and Twilight struggles to figure out how to respond. Eventually, Twilight stands from her seat, approaches her mentor, and embraces her. Celestia is surprised by the notion. Typically, she is the one giving the reassuring hugs. Also, isn't she supposed to be helping Twilight right now?
"Thank you. I know it hurt for you to have to remember all of that, but... I'm glad you told me. It was something I needed to hear."
Celestia carefully wraps a leg around Twilight in a surprisingly sheepish manner, returning the hug.
"I'm glad you got something out of it. It would bring me great joy to know that that story has, in some way, done some good for the world."
"It has." Twilight breaks the hug and takes a step back, giving her mentor a warm smile in the process. "I know what I'm going to do now."
"Oh? And what's that?"
"I suppose you'll see in the paper tomorrow, won't you?" Twilight chuckles, finally breaking the tension that had been building in the room. "Speaking of, I need to get going. Time is of the essence!"
"Do be careful in the rain, won't you? The last thing Equestria needs is its princess getting sick."
"I'll be careful. And I'll be sure to visit you for a more pleasant conversation soon!"
Twilight waves as she heads back to the manor's entrance, draping her wet cloak over her shoulders once more upon reaching the door.
"I look forward to it, Twilight. Good luck!"
With a smile and a nod, Twilight heads out the door and into the rain, filled with a renewed feeling of confidence as she begins the journey back to Canterlot. Meanwhile, Celestia sits back in her seat and lets out a long, drawn-out sigh. She's made many mistakes in her time, and she will never be able to take those mistakes back. However, if her mistakes can act as stepping stones for future generations to succeed where she failed...
Maybe it isn't so bad, after all.