//------------------------------//
// The Long Walk 
// Story: Shattered Suns that Weep for Darkened Moons 
// by Hipster Pony Raven Horn 
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	Celestia stood there, looking over the burning ruins of what had once been the castle that she and her sister proudly ruled within. She shuddered, looking away as pegasi brought in rainclouds to help quell the fires. She had not spoken in hours, knowing soon that the time would come that she'd have to address the public for what just happened. Walking slowly away from the castle, she looked back one last time. The cave below that protected the Tree of Harmony was partially blocked by rubble that fell during the fight. She would have to clean that up later, though she was certain the Elements were no longer usable.

As the princess walked through the forest towards the camp that had been set up to aid relief efforts, she thought about what had transpired. Her sister had betrayed her, given into evil and attempted to overthrow her. At first the thought flared inside her. Her sister, who had been with her through all her trials, through her parents rejection of who she really was, through the exile from their home and their disputes and defeat of Discord.

Tears burned tracks in her face as she screamed, fire violently erupted from the ground. She could not believe it had happened. The ultimate betrayal, the attempted murder of the one she so long had proclaimed love to. A love that Celestia had at times wondered went beyond a love of two sisters. A love that had caused her to abandon her loving parents to follow her hated sister. Was this her plan all along? To slay her sister and show to her parents that she was truly the worthy one?

But as the screaming died, flames fading, the truth seeped in. And though the tears subsided, the tracks still burnt as hot as the flames that were just present. A void, emptiness sucking every ounce of what made her feel had replaced her chest. No, Luna did not betray her. Luna could have let her sister continue to endure the abuse of their parents, she could have even joined in. But once the secret was lost, the name Helios never passed her lips. No, the princess knew who was really to blame.

Celestia collapsed on the ground. Every inch of her body shook as she mentally listed everything that her sister had done for her. She held court, made appearances, passed laws, managed taxes, and lead the guard. However Celestia ignored everything, preferring to remain solitary in her room. She did her duty of raising and lowering the Sun, making few appearances and obsessing on making herself as feminine as possible. Yet somehow the ponies liked her more, worshipped her even. To them she was the most important thing they could imagine, and never once could they give a thought to the true ruler.

Celestia couldn't understand it; while yes, she did lead the charge against Discord, while she did find the elements and did raise and lower the sun, she was not the one worthy of praise. It was all Luna. Luna who had pulled all the strings that allowed the new kingdom to function. Luna who not only made the kingdom function, but was also unyielding in her attention and support for her sister. The ponies somehow never saw it, even though Luna often made it very clear who was in charge. Celestia closed her eyes, shouting again; cursing everything from herself to the ponies she now was the sole ruler of.

As she opened her eyes, Celestia’s gaze was met by a broken reflection from a small puddle beneath her. She was not as feminine as she would have hoped. She had still grown far larger than her sister, far bulkier. While she was glad that the only other alicorn, her sister, also had a masculine face, she still wished that it could be more round and supple. Once again she closed her eyes. In the darkness she constructed the ideal build for herself, shorter, more slender with softer curves. Upon opening her eyes her reflection remained resolute, though something her sister told her just a few days before floated through her mind.

"Celestia," Luna had said, "I know you aren't happy with how you look, and I know you've still got a ways to go, but I don't think magic is going to help solve your problems. No matter how hard you try, you will never be happy with how you look, unless you accept who you are. And you are beautiful." Celestia hadn't responded to her sister before she had left, focusing on the spells to keep her shape. But as her reflection gazed at her, she could only think about why her sister would say such a thing. As ridiculous as she might have thought it before, fixated on her own appearance, perhaps her sister knew more about beauty than she did. Perhaps she wasn’t so hideous that the ponies of the land would be ashamed to be ruled by her. Perhaps… perhaps she could just focus in keeping subtle things in check until the magic was strong enough to sustain itself.

The princess got to her feet, looking at herself one last time in that puddle. From the distance she could see a part of the moon reflected. She swallowed, gazing upwards at the emblazoned image of the monster that was once her sister. No... the monster that had slain her sister. Celestia cursed again, cursed at the hope that clung to her. Even though she felt it would be easier to just throw it all to the void, along with her feelings towards her sister. But hope clung that she could one day be saved. But for now she needed an excuse for Luna’s absence, and an explanation as to what happened in the castle. If she told the truth, then ponies would panic about evil and corruption of their beloved princess. Although the idea that she passed away, perhaps it could dilute the truth enough and save her sister’s memory. It was the least that she could do.

As the princess left the forest, ponies gathered around, nervously asking about the state of the castle, what happened, who was the monster alicorn that they had seen in the sky? Celestia took a deep breath, and began to explain. "Citizens of Equestria, it is my somber duty to tell you that my beloved sister Luna, is no more. She was slain tonight, by a dark alicorn that managed, somehow, to penetrate the castle's defences. If it wasn't for Luna's warnings and fierce battle that started the fires in the castle, I may not have awoken in time to prevent myself from being slain as well."

Celestia knew they were all lies, the fires started when the two sisters were fighting each other, before Luna became Nightmare Moon. But the servants at the castle hadn't heard, the servants weren't even aware that anything had happened until the fires spread to their quarters. By the time they had risen to defend the castle, Luna had already been consumed by the corruption.

"The dark alicorn destroyed my sister's body, turning it to stone before shattering it. I had to harness the power of the elements of Harmony in order to defeat her, however I was not able to return the favour that she had done to my sister. The elements were able to seal her away in the moon, however I am not certain if it will last forever." Celestia silently prayed to herself as she paused that it would not, and by the time the seal would have worn off she would have found a solution to curing her sister. "All we can do now is move forward. The old castle has already proven to be of poor placement, I see that now. We shall build a new capital for our kingdom, and bury my beloved sister there. It shall be on the tallest mountain with the clearest view of the moon and the night sky, so that my sister's soul may be able to gaze from her resting place into the night she loved so much."

As the ponies dispersed, ready to take the news to the corners of the land, Celestia looked up to the moon once more. The shadow of Nightmare Moon lingered on the moon. Tears once more streamed down her face. Closing her eyes, she looked away, whispering to herself, "I'm sorry..."