//------------------------------//
// The Nightmare 
// Story: The Word is Fear 
// by BronyWriter 
//------------------------------//

Princess Luna reclined on her favorite couch in her room as she looked over the reports of Blossom's latest deeds. Somehow she had to convince the griffons that Blossom was Equestria's problem, so the griffons had no right to muscle in on Blossom's inevitable death. She shook her head as she scanned the ultimatum that the new Griffonia to Equestria delegate had issued to the crown. Something about how they demanded Blossom's blood themselves, or they would consider war with Equestria. Luna clicked her tongue and tossed the ultimatum aside. They would deal with that when the time came. 

Luna stretched out and shifted on the couch to make herself more comfortable. She closed her eyes and fluffed up her pillow with her magic. A nap would do her well. 

Just as Luna was about to fall asleep, she hears a loud knock on her door. She opened one eye and glared at the door, but she sat up. "Enter."

The door swung open and two of the Ghosts walked in Luna sighed, leaned back down, and draped a foreleg over her eyes. "Zeta, Delta, We assume you have news of Joyous Blossom for Us."

"Uh... not exactly," said Delta. 

Luna removed her foreleg and opened one of her eyes. The two Ghost were glancing between Luna and each other, and their ears were flattened. Luna frowned and stood up. "What is the matter?"

"It's about Comet," Zeta muttered. 

Luna closed her eyes and sighed. "Do not tell us, she has been found dead, correct?"

"No," said Delta. "She..." Delta exhaled and ran a hoof through her mane. "Look, what has Princess Celestia told you about Order forty-two?"

Luna opened her eyes and cocked her head. "Order forty-two? We only heard about it in passing, but given that Tia fought against it We gave no thought to it. We know no details."

"I thought not," said Zeta. "Princess Celestia ordered us to never speak to you about it."

"And yet thou does so now." Luna's eyes narrowed and she took a step forward. "What, pray tell, is Order forty-two?"

Zeta and Delta glanced at each other again before turning back to Luna. "Order forty-two was first suggested by Alpha not long after Blossom hit Dodge City," said Zeta. "It was an order to foalnap Comet with the intention of drawing Blossom out of hiding."

Luna's jaw dropped and she flared her wings out. "No. Tia would never agree to such a thing!"

Delta's gaze trailed to the floor and she slowly nodded. "But she did. After the death of Shining Armor..." She sighed and shook her head. "Blossom doesn't have Comet. We do. We severed Comet's tail and put it on a park bench." 

Luna screamed and took flight. She levitated Delta into the air and stared at her with glowing white eyes. "Where are they?!"


*  *  *  *


Blossom opened the door to her hideout a mile from the warehouse. It wouldn't do as a long term hiding place, but it was a good place to re-charge for now. She levitated Comet off of her back and gently placed her on the ground. Comet was shivering and staring at her forelegs which were stained with blood. Blossom trotted over to a sink and got a few towels. She soaked them in water and walked back over to Comet. 

"Hey, it's okay," she soothed as she washed the blood off of her sister. "They can't hurt you anymore. Big sister's got you now."

"Blood," Comet whimpered. "Blood." Comet looked up at her sister and stared at her with wide eyes. "Why did you kill them, Blossom?"

Blossom put the towels down and wrapped her sister in a hug. "They were going to hurt you, Comet. Don't you remember what they did to your tail?"

"B-but those two guards who you..." Comet's ear twitched. "K-killed were going to take me back to Mommy and Daddy!"

"Comet..." Blossom nuzzled her sister. "They were lying, I promise you. They were just going to take you to another place where I couldn't find you. They were going to do more stuff like cut off your tail." Blossom tightened her hug. "But big sister has you now. You're safe with me."

"Okay," Comet whimpered. 

Blossom took a deep breath and put her sister down. She looked over her to see if there was any more blood on her, but there didn't seem to be. Comet looked up at her sister and put her hoof on Blossom's foreleg. "What are we gonna do now?"

Blossom closed her eyes and deeply exhaled. "Comet... I don't know. Where I go, I can't take you." Blossom reached out a hoof to stroke Comet's mane. "Do you know where Dad and Lilly are?"

"I think so." Comet squeezed her eyes shut. "Uh... we were in Applewood. The city right under Las Pegasus. Sometimes we would go up to there, and Mommy cast a cloud walking spell on herself. I'm not sure if Mommy and Daddy are still there."

"Okay." Blossom stood up and put her saddlebag over her shoulders. "Well then, we should start there. If you can remember where in Applewood you were, we can get you back to Lilly and Dad." Comet slowly nodded, and Blossom followed suit. "Uh..." Blossom ran a hoof through her mane. "Before we do... what have you heard about me in these past few weeks?"

Comet opened her eyes and looked up at her sister. "What do you mean? I haven't heard anything about you. Mommy and Daddy don't talk about you at all." 

Blossom sighed in relief, and a small smile appeared on her face. "That's very good, Comet." Blossom levitated Comet into the air and put her on her back. "Okay, let's go find Dad and Lilly. I might have to change your colors so we aren't caught by the guards."

"Okay," said Comet quietly. 

"Good. We're going to be okay, Comet." Blossom smiled comfortingly at her sister. "You're going to be safe. Just hold on to me, okay?"

"Blossom." 

Blossom's ears perked up as the sound of two voices, speaking as one entered her ears. She looked around her and saw Rarity and the filly staring at her with emotionless faces. "Do you hear it, Blossom?" they said. "Do you hear it, Blossom?" 

Blossom's breath died in her throat as the sound of hoofsteps coming from outside grew louder. Her eyes widened and she let out a loud gasp when she was what was outside: royal guards. Dozens and dozens of them converging on their position. 

They were led by none other than Princess Celestia herself. 

Blossom whimpered and ran back to the middle of the room. "No, not now! Th-they can't be here now?"

"Blossom, what's wrong?" Comet whimpered. "Why can't we go back to Mommy and Daddy now?"

Blossom levitated Comet off of her back and reached into her saddlebag for her knife. "Comet, you're going to be okay. They aren't going to hurt you!"

"Who?" Comet curled up onto a ball on the floor. "Who isn't going to hurt me?"

"Comet, just be strong for me, okay?" Blossom let out a single sob, and tears began streaking down her face. "B-big sister has to die now. Please be strong." 

"Blossom, no!" Comet wailed. "Why can't we go back to see Mommy and Daddy now?"

"Because they're out there, Comet. The bad ponies who hurt you are out there and they want to hurt me."

"I... I don't understand," Comet whimpered. "Y-you're a good pony." 

Blossom wiped her eyes and turned back to her sister. "C-Comet. I--"

Blossom's words were cut off when no less than thirty royal guards burst into the room. They crashed through the windows and disintegrated the door, flooding in like an unstoppable tide. Blossom whimpered and used her body to shield Comet just as Princess Celestia walked in, a large, smug smile on her face. "Good evening, Blossom. It's lovely to see you again."

Blossom glared at Celestia. "Don't you bucking hurt Comet."

Celestia lightly chuckled and flared out her wings. "Oh, now that we have you there's no reason to deal with your sister. I must say that the tracking spell I put on her was a stroke of genius on my part, yes?" Celestia's expression darkened and she fired up her horn. Comet was lifted into the air and placed in the forelegs of Alpha. 

Blossom ran forward, swinging the knife. "Leave her alone! She's just a filly!" 

She was knocked back when Celestia created a barrier between the two. The knife was almost flung from her grasp but she held on to it. 

Celestia took a step forward. "Joyous Blossom, you stand accused of the crime of the murder of dozens of my subjects in ways most foul."

"If you had just let me die in the mental ward like I asked none of this would have happened!" Blossom screamed. "This is all your fault!"

Celestia's left ear and right eye twitched, and her smirk fell ever so slightly, but only for a moment. "I wouldn't call it my fault, but not killing you when I had the chance is a mistake I plan to rectify." Celestia's eyes narrowed and she ignited her horn. "IMMEDIATELY!" 

With a yell, Blossom threw the knife at Celestia as hard as she could. Celestia caught the knife in her magic. Blossom whimpered and began moving backwards, but Celestia exerted more power. A golden glow surrounded Blossom, and she was lifted into the air. "Joyous Blossom, I sentence you to death for the crime of murder."

"Please stop!" Blossom cried. "J-just make it lethal injection like you did for my aunt!" Blossom saw to ponies standing behind Celestia: her aunt and the filly. Both had a completely blank look on their faces, and they seemed to just be staring straight ahead. Blossom whimpered and tried to struggle out of Celestia's grasp. "I never wanted this! Just make it quick!"

Celestia chuckled and moved Blossom closer to her. She leaned in next to Blossom's ear and lightly licked her lips. "Oh Blossom... I don't think so." 

With that, Celestia grasped the knife in her hooves and slammed the knife up to the handle into Blossom's gut. Blossom let out a weak gurgle and twitched in the air. 

"BLOSSOM!" Comet screamed. "LEAVE HER ALONE!"

"Silence her!" Celestia growled. 

"L-leave her alone you heartless, spineless--" 

Blossom's word were cut off when Celestia used her magic to jerk on Blossom's horn as Alpha muzzled Comet. "I should have removed your horn," Celestia growled. "In fact, if I had known what kind of monster you'd be, I would have done it just. Like. THIS!" 

A resounding crack echoed through the entire house as Celestia tore the horn off of Blossom's forehead. Ignoring Blossom's shrieks of agony, Celestia dropped the severed horn on the ground and smashed it under her hooves. As she did, the disguise that Blossom had been using to hide her scars fell revealing the multitude of scars all over Blossom's body. "One more part to this execution, I'm afraid," said Celestia gravely. 

"Just stop!" Blossom screamed. "Please don't!" 

Celestia chuckled and swept the horn fragments away. "Blossom, Blossom, Blossom. If I stop now, where is the justice in that?"

With another burst of her horn, Celestia began bending Blossom backwards, putting considerable strain on her neck and backbone. Blossom began gurgling as her air supply was cut off. Celestia reached forward and pulled the knife out of Blossom's body.

Before Celestia could finish the deed, the entire wall behind Celestia was torn away, revealing Princess Luna. Her wings were flared, and her eyes glowed a pure white. "CELESTIA STAY THIS MADNESS!"

Celestia raised an eyebrow and looked back at her sister. A small smile crossed her face. "Oh, Lulu. You never really understood what it took, did you?"

Another final burst from her magic shot from her horn, and a resounding crack echoed through the entire house. It sounded like a plastic pipe being snapped in two. A snarl crossed Celestia's face, and she slammed the broken body of Joyous Blossom on the ground so hard it left an indent in the wood and split Blossom's skull open.

With a snarl of pure fury, Luna shot a bream of midnight blue light at her sister. It collided with her head and sent her flying. "That was not the way to accomplish this, Tia!" Luna screeched. "Thou art no better than the murderer lying broken at your hooves!"

Celestia shot to her hooves and fired a golden beam at Luna. Luna barely got a shield up in time, but the force of the spell shattered it, knocking Luna back. "You never understood what had to be done! Mayhaps you sympathize with the murderer? Mayhaps you wished to not execute her?!" 

"Celestia, listen to thyself!" Luna fired off a rapid series of spells at her sister, half of which connected. "We are not the enemy! Thou just committed murder!" 

Celestia's eyes glowed white, and her mane and tail once again ignited as pure fury coursed through her. "I will kill anypony that decides to hurt my little ponies!" Celestia sent a shockwave through the house that knocked the guards back, but Luna was able to block it. "Even if that means hurting you if you try to stop me!"

Luna's eyes narrowed, and she stood her ground. "Thou art not the sister We knew. Thou art a danger to Equestria; We see that now!" Luna flew into the air and began charging her horn. The magical aura expanded until it nearly encompassed Luna. "We see now what must be done!" 

"What must be done?!" Celestia cackled and shot a beam of magic at Luna. "What, do you wish to emulate Mother and put me in a corner?"

"Celestia cease this at once!" 

Celestia's eyes narrowed and her white eyes blackened as she shot rapid fire spells out at Luna. "You dare betray me?! You are not on my side, I see that now!" Luna whimpered and poured more magic into her shield. "I see that if it were up to you Blossom would still be alive!" 

"Celestia, listen to thyself!" Luna cried. She shot an offensive spell out of her horn that Celestia blocked. "We wished for justice for Joyous Blossom the same as you!" 

"Lies!" Celestia spat. "You never wished to do what must be done!" Celestia's looked down at Comet who was shivering in the forelegs of Alpha. "In fact, there is still more to do. Rarity's line is not quite wiped out completely yet." 

Luna gasped as Celestia shot a powerful beam of magic at Comet. Luna only barely managed to get a shield in front of the shivering filly in time. The blast ricochet off of the shield and smashed into the opposite wall, leaving a small crater where it impacted. "Tia thou just attempted to murder a child!" 

"I will do anything that I have to to protect my little ponies, Luna!" Celestia sent a burst of magic through her horn and a whirlwind swept through the room, throwing the guard around like rag dolls. It was only by Luna's protection that Comet and Alpha were not swept up themselves. "Once Rarity's family is completely gone, we will be safe forever, Luna! We can go back to the way it was before!"

"Things will never go back to what they were before, Tia!" Luna sent a shockwave through the room that negated Celestia's whirlwind. "Thou shalt not murder a child!" 

"You know what has to be done, Luna," Celestia snarled. "This must happen to protect my ponies! They will be joyful that I did this, and you will see the good in it too!" 

Luna's face twisted into a growl and she began charging up her horn. She began siphoning magic from the unconscious and dead unicorn guards in the room, and her whole body began glowing a midnight blue. "Celestia, you were wrong when you said that We would not be willing to do what must be done. Thou art mad, Tia. We will not let you murder!"

The magic flowing through Luna shot out of her horn. Celestia was encased in the dark glow that had covered Luna. She was lifted into the air, screaming in agony. For the briefest of moments, Celestia and Luna locked eyes. Luna saw a look of recognition in Celestia's gaze. A look of fear. "Lulu," Celestia whimpered. "I... I'm sorry."

With one more burst from Luna's horn, Celestia evaporated into the air. 

Luna powered down her horn and collapsed onto her haunches. She weakly raised her head and looked tearfully at the sun. "W-we are sorry, Tia. Perhaps someday you will come... back." 

With that, Luna collapsed onto the floor.