Princess Celestia and Princess Luna sat in their throne room, silently filling out paperwork of all things. Blossom's upcoming execution needed to be documented and it needed to be made official. Neither princess spoke except to say what was absolutely necessary, which wasn't much. For them, signing the documents made the whole things seem more real.
Celestia sighed sadly and looked down at the paper she was holding in her telekinetic grasp. It was the official order for her execution. One simple signature, and Blossom's life ended in a mere fifteen hours. Slowly she dipped the quill in the inkwell and brought the tip closer to the paper. One scrawl, and it was over.
Before the quill could even touch the parchment, the door opened and a solitary guard walked in the room. Both princesses put down their work and turned their attention to him.
The guard uneasily cleared his throat and bowed quickly. "Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, you have some ponies who would like to see you."
"The time for petitions is over," Luna replied. "They may come tomorrow should they wish to speak with us."
The guard uneasily scratched the back of his head. "Uh... you might want to see them. It's Blossom's family."
Celestia's eyes widened and she stood up from her seat. "Send them in!"
The guard inclined his head in a bow and trotted out the open door to beckon Blossom's family inside.
The two monarchs exchanged an uneasy look, followed by a sad sigh from Luna. Celestia, for her part, was just as uneasy about seeing them as her sister was, for she knew why they had come.
The doors opened even wider, allowing the Apple family, Sweetie Belle, and Blossom's father and his family inside. Both princesses stepped off of the dais, and met the group of ponies in the center of the room. All of the adults stopped just in front of the princesses, but the filly kept walking forwards for a few more steps. When she was a few hooves in front of them, she dropped to her knees in a bow. "Your majesties, we wanna ask you to please not give Blossom the shot that will make her die. She's not a bad pony; she doesn't deserve it."
Seeing such a young filly begging for the life of the sister she didn't know she had until recently almost caused Princess Celestia to burst into tears. She managed to keep her subtly sad expression, and she put a hoof on the filly's shoulder. "What is your name?"
The filly got to her hooves and looked up at the princesses with tear-streaked eyes. "My name is Comet Blitz, but most ponies just call me Comet. I'm Blossom's sister a-and I don't want her to die!"
"Comet. Such a lovely name." Celestia closed her eyes and sighed sadly. "Comet, do you know why we put your sister in jail?" Comet shook her head. "When Blossom was a filly, not much older than you are now, she hurt two fillies so much that they died. She just told us about it and that's why we had to put her in jail. I assure you that we do not like doing it."
"I-If you don't like it then let her go!" Comet begged. "Please I'm sure it was just an accident, my big sister wouldn't hurt anypony!"
"I'm sorry, Comet. We have made our choice." Princess Celestia looked up at the adult ponies as Comet began sobbing. "And Blossom has made hers as well."
"What do ya mean?" asked Apple Bloom.
"After her arrest, my sister and I talked to Blossom. She is of the opinion that her death would benefit her greatly." Princess Celestia turned her gaze to Sweetie Belle. "She's suffering, Sweetie Belle, she's suffering a great deal, and she's asking us to put her out of her extreme misery."
"Can't you help her?" whimpered Sweetie Belle. "I know she's sick, but can't she just see Dr. Mind some more so he can make her better?"
"Even if he did she would waste away in prison," Celestia said sadly. "If I knew of a way to genuinely help her I would take it in a heartbeat." Celestia subtly shook her head. "If our laws did not already call for her execution."
"But she was just a filly!" Sweetie Belle moaned. "You changed the law so that she didn't have to die!"
"She was just scared, Princess," Applejack pointed out. "It wasn't like she enjoyed it, right?"
"Had she killed just one of them I could accept that, but she killed them both," Celestia replied. Celestia shook her head sadly and turned her gaze back to Comet. "She welcomes death. If you want you can see her and maybe you can convince her that she has something to live for. If you do then I may reconsider. If not then my hooves are tied. I do not wish to see her suffer any more than you do. If letting her go is the one kindness that I can do for her to make up for the numerous mistakes I made in her life..." Celestia sighed and called a guard into the throne room. "Please escort them to Blossom. Give them as much time to see her as they desire."
* * * *
Blossom was lying on her bed, counting the seconds until ten o' clock the next morning when she could finally be free. No more sorrow, no more pain, no more Rarity telling her to snap the neck of the next pony she could get her hooves on, it would all be over and she could go to sleep. She allowed herself a small smile. It was a very comforting thought.
Her ears perked up when she heard the dungeon door open. She swiveled her ear in that direction and was surprised to hear what sounded like a lot of ponies coming down. She frowned, but didn't get up. If it was Celestia with a bunch of shrinks to analyze her she wouldn't tolerate that. She would remain silent if Dr. Mind had come to see her. There was no point anyway.
No. The voices weren't random ponies and they weren't Celestia. All of them sounded familiar, especially... "Momma?" Blossom scrambled out of her bed and ran up to the bars. She reached her hoof through them to signal where she was. "Mom I'm over here!"
"Blossom!" Sweetie Belle wailed.
The imprisoned mare heard the clattering of somepony running towards her, and in a mere second she saw her mother, and she wrapped her forelegs around one of Blossom's own.
Blossom gave Sweetie Belle a watery smile as her mother nuzzled her foreleg. "Hi, mom," she whispered. She looked past her mother at the gathering crowd of ponies behind her. She flashed them her weak smile. "Hi, everypony."
Blossom heard a whimper of fear, and she saw Comet breaking away from her mother. "Blossom!" she cried. When Comet reached the bars, she slipped through them and wrapped Blossom's waist in one of her tackle hugs, though this one held no joy. "I don't want them to give you the bad shot!"
Blossom half chuckled/half sobbed and returned Comet's hug. "Comet, Big Sister is very sick, and even though the shot would make me die, it would also make me feel a lot better."
"Blossom, you don't need to die, you need to get help!" Sweetie Belle insisted. "Princess Celestia told us that if don't want to die anymore then she might not order your execution! You would just have to see a lot of ponies who could help you! You'd get a better and you'd still be able to see us!"
"But if I die then we'll get to see each other again anyway," Blossom responded. "Think about this, Mom, would you rather see me in prison, slowly wasting away and holding on to the vain hope that I might get better so that I could fully register how terrible my life has become and how sad I'm making you, or would you rather wait just a little while longer, and see me in paradise, as happy and carefree as I was before all of this happened to me?" Blossom nuzzled a sobbing Comet's head and began stroking her mane. "I've made peace with what I am. It's time for me to go to bed."
Sweetie Belle whimpered and collapsed onto her haunches. She burst into tears, causing Apple Bloom to come forwards and wrap her forelegs around her shoulders.
Comet wiped her eyes with her hoof and nuzzled her sister's foreleg. "I just got a sister," she whimpered. "I've wanted a sister my whole life, I don't want you to die now!"
"Comet, I'm going to be okay," Blossom reassured her. "I know you don't want me to be suffering anymore, and this will make me better. We'll see each other again, I promise you. When we do, I'm gonna be the happiest mare in Paradise. I'll be all better, and we can be together like we would have been before all of this bad stuff happened." She nuzzled Comet's head and the filly resumed her sobbing as she leaned her head into Blossom's shoulder. Blossom resumed stroking her mane and began singing.
"Hush little filly and don't you cry,
know you sister loves you, this isn't a goodbye,
for we'll see each other in paradise's halls
in a beautiful land where darkness never falls.
Don't cry little filly, dry those sad tears,
your sister's love will abide throughout the years,
I'm going to a place that badness cannot touch,
we'll see each other again, Big Sister loves you very much."
"Big Sister loves you, Comet," Blossom whispered. "Never forget that, no matter what happens."
So the two sisters held each other, each wanting that moment to last forever. Blossom knew that someday it would, someday they could be happy together. But the current reality was not as kind.
"Such a touching scene," snickered an all too familiar voice from behind Blossom.
Blossom inhaled sharply and turned her head to see none other than Rarity herself standing behind her with a wide grin on her face. Blossom whimpered and began gently pushing Comet off of her. "Comet, Big Sister needs you to go back through the bars now. It's very important that you do!"
"No!" Comet sobbed, tightening her grip on her sister. "I don't wanna leave you!"
"Comet, please just trust me, I need you to go back to your mom!"
"Blossom, what's going on?" Apple Bloom asked. "Yer scarin' me!"
Blossom's attempts to pry her sister off of her became more desperate as Rarity slowly began walking towards the pair. "Comet please just trust me! I need you to go back to your mom!"
"Comet doesn't want to leave you," Rarity giggled. "All it will take is one little movement and you two can see each other in paradise, you get rid of me, and your execution comes that much quicker."
Blossom let out an ear-splitting shriek of fear, something that finally startled Comet enough that Blossom was able to pry her off of her. "Comet please go back to your mom! Please trust Big Sister!"
Comet began sobbing harder than ever, but she slipped back through the bars and into the waiting forelegs of her mother.
Rarity sighed and clicked her tongue. "Oh you're no fun."
Rolling Thunder began looking wildly between his two daughters, both of whom were sobbing in fear. "Blossom what's--"
"I'M NOT GOING TO HURT HER!" she screamed to Rarity. "I would never hurt her, Aunt Rarity, why don't you just leave me alone?!"
Blossom and Rarity both ignored the collective gasp that came from the group on the other side of the bars. Rarity in particular acted as if none of them were there. "I'm a construct of your mind, Blossom, I'm not going anywhere." A wide grin split Rarity's face. "Being part of your mind makes me privy to all sorts of information, like how close you were to killing Comet just now for instance."
"I was never going to kill Comet," Blossom snarled. "I'm not like you!'
"Blossom, there's nopony there!" Rolling Thunder walked up to the bars. "Blossom, you need to just calm down and we can talk about this!'
"I'm not going to hurt Comet, I never thought it for a second!"
"Blossom, I know that," Rolling Thunder assured her. "You're a good mare, you just need help!"
"I'd give you a week before you snapped and murdered whatever dullard they gave you for a shrink," said Rarity as she idly examined her hooves. "You might not kill Comet because she's your sister, but some faceless pony? Oh, I suspect that you'd have absolutely no trouble with him or her."
"I'm not going to kill anypony!" Blossom insisted. "They're going to give me the needle tomorrow, and then I can be free from you, and I'm not going to ever have to worry that I'll hurt somepony!"
"You could at least make an attempt to kill one of your killers before you go," Rarity mused. Celestia probably won't have you in hoofcuffs as you're going to the execution chamber, you can still get rid of me for the last few minutes of your life." Rarity's grin widened. "Otherwise I'll be talking your ear off the entire time!"
With a wail of sorrow and fear, Blossom collapsed onto the floor, leaning against the bed in her room "Just leave me alone, Aunt Rarity!" she wept. "I don't want to hurt anypony."
"But you did and you loved it."
"I hate myself for it," Blossom mewled.
"Think of the rush you got from it," Rarity replied. "Isn't that a good feeling to go out with?"
"I was sorry right away."
"They'd kill you quickly, you'd go out with that feeling," Rarity pointed out.
"I don't want to go to Tartarus."
"And you won't," said Rarity softly.
Blossom inhaled sharply and looked up at her aunt. Once more the psychotic version of her mind had been replaced with the kinder version of her aunt. Only this time it was different. This time her aunt was standing over the version that had tormented her for so long. Blossom had to hold back a gasp when she saw her evil aunt on the floor. She wasn't moving, she wasn't smiling anymore. She had a butcher knife stuck in her back up to the handle.
Her aunt smiled sadly at her and trotted over next to her. She sat down next to Blossom, neither caring that the bad Rarity's blood was pooling around her. "You're a good pony, Blossom," said Rarity. "And I know you'll be brave when your time comes."
Before Blossom could respond, she blinked once. When she opened her eyes, both Raritys were gone and the cell was empty once more. Blossom signed and turned back to her family, only to find that they had all left during her argument, doubtlessly unable to see her like that. All save for Apple Bloom who was still holding a sobbing Sweetie Belle. Blossom smiled weakly at them. "It's okay. She's gone now and I'm not gonna see her anymore after tomorrow."
Blossom walked up to the bars and sat on her haunches. "Mom... you need to go with Dad now. Comet needs everypony to help her right now." Sweetie Belle continued sobbing, unable to leave her daughter. "Please," Blossom whispered, "do it for me."
Slowly Sweetie Belle nodded, and she shakily got to her hooves with the help of Apple Bloom. Blossom mirrored her action, and allowed Sweetie Belle to come closer to the bars for one last hug. "This isn't goodbye, Mom," she whispered. "It's 'see you later'."
Slowly Sweetie Belle nodded and, with one last nuzzle, she trudged out of the dungeon. Apple Bloom initially began following her, but was stopped when Blossom called out to her.
"Aunt Apple Bloom? Can I talk to you for a second?"
Apple Bloom uneasily glanced over at Blossom, but she slowly nodded and stood in front of her again. "Yeah?"
Blossom sighed sadly and began blinking away tears. "I want to ask one request. It's not just for you, it's for everypony." Blossom looked up and locked eyes with Apple Bloom. "Make her feel joy again. I don't care how you do it, but make her smile with joy again."
Apple Bloom slowly nodded and whispered an affirmation before she too walked out of the dungeon, leaving Blossom alone once again.
* * * *
Thirteen hours later, Blossom was woken up by the sound of her cell door opening. She opened her eyes, and saw two of Celestia's royal guards entering her cell.
It was time.
She slid off of her bed and gave the two guards a small greeting nod, a gesture that wasn't returned. One of the guards took out a key and unlocked Blossom's leg cuff, allowing her to be led out of the dungeon. Blossom didn't bother looking around, desperately trying to squeeze a few last images of the world before her end. It wasn't something that she wanted to remember at any rate. Before she knew it she was inside a small, windowless room with only a table with restraints on it, and a tray, on which rested a solitary syringe.
Like her aunt before her, Blossom gave no resistance and placed herself on the table, allowing herself to be strapped down. She supposed there was a part of her that was afraid, she was dying after all, but it was dwarfed by a sense of relief that she felt.
Blossom didn't flinch when she felt the prick of the needle in her skin. She didn't tense up as the fatal liquid flowed through her veins, numbing her senses and darkening her vision.
It was time to go to sleep after a long, hard day. There was nothing to be feared from that.
Nothing at all.