Wroth Sentiments

by The Apologetic Pony

2: Hollow Threats

For once, Twilight was happy to take a day off. Her room was a mess, she was a mess -- everything that was supposed to be organised was a mess. Like an old mare (which she technically was) she took a nap; her last thoughts questioned Luna's sympathy for the dead phoenix.

Of course, the contents of the note was strange and hypocritical but Twilight was too heavily burdened with the events of the day to process it yet.

It was dusk when she woke, so much for a healthy sleep pattern. The long nap and bed had done their job in partially clearing Twilight's head. Unused to lacking a clear objective, Twilight defaulted to trotting to the palace library. She didn't make lists anymore. Spike didn't make lists anymore.

Luna being the introvert she is, was reading some obscure novel and nursing a bottle of dauntingly strong alcohol. Her usual nocturnality made sure of that. Even an a vivid imagination couldn't conjure talking stars, or a healthy one at least.

Twilight was somewhat ambivalent upon seeing her. For all she had learned from the book, she couldn't help but feel there was something more, something that even Philomena had not dreamed of, could not have dreamed of.

Luna's head swiveled to face Twilight, but didn't raise an eyebrow.

'Up with the birds?' Twilight said as she briskly sat next to the dark alicorn.

'Diurnality is winning today,' Luna said, listless.

That was when Twilight saw the unopened bottle. She disapproved of its presence in the library, but had grown tactful enough not to push it. There were more important matters to peruse.

'I read it,' Twilight stated flatly.

'Read what?'

'The book, the book with a blank cover.'

Luna immediately put down her own book and took a swig.

'I'm sorry.'

'Sorry for what, Luna?'

'Sorry you came across such pathetic, selfish drivel.'

Twilight stared agape for several seconds.

'Why?'

Luna took another swig, trying to imagine she wasn't having this conversation. It was she who'd killed her really.

'Why what, Twilight? Why did the conditions exist? Why did we kill her? Why do I sit before you now? Why do you ask? I had thought you precise.'

'Just why everything.'

Luna snorted in mock amusement.

'You're going to have to do better than that. I'm not exactly enjoying this, in case you couldn't tell,' Luna said, surely delaying the inevitable.

Twilight frowned, concerned this would be no more fruitful than her angry dance with Celestia.

'In that case, could you tell me just why both you and your sister are so unwilling to talk about this?'

Luna rolled her glazed eyes.

'You talked with her? She hasn't even read it.'

Twilight hoped good things came to those who waited. Eventually, after minutes of Luna sadly eyeing the bottle, she spoke again, apparently irritated at what these memories brought her. In truth it was a lot more than irritation.

'Tia came to me, distraught that an old phoenix friend was requesting death. She told me, she'd met her when I was gone, banished.' Luna took a deep breath. 'I was nonchalant. I said, "kill the bird if she wants." She said about her meaning something to her. I told her it made no difference. She said the bird was mad. I told her it made no difference. She said I was mad. I told her it made no difference. I told her, I'd do it for her and that was that. We concluded it wouldn't harm us so long as we kept it secret, but it isn't anymore, obviously.'

'So if you want to blame somepony, blame me, Twilight,' Luna concluded, now starting at nothing in particular.

Twilight cradled an infernal wrath once more, but steeled herself to find out everything before she let it spill out. That had been her mistake last time; she wouldn't repeat it. Spike had told her to learn from her mistakes.

'But it was you who had it written.'

'My sister to be exact. Her thinking for it was beyond me, but I let it go. It's barking at me.'

The past was never dead for those who lived forever. Luna liked to whisper to herself that the rules mortals held, "law" couldn't be applied to immortals in the same sense. For the timeless suicide wasn't merely a permanent solution to a temporary problem, it was greater, infinitely more tragic; the end to a means unknown. This was the standard block she took shelter in from a storm, a violent, roiling storm.

Luna took yet another throat scorching gulp.

'More questions, or am I in peace?'

'Why did you have Celestia not read it?'

'For the same reason you hadn't read it. It's useless for all purposes. I'd have burned it to a cinder if Tia wasn't so silly. A big, fat pile of ash.'

'How dare you speak such lies! I won't fall for this-this balderdash, no matter how fastly you and your sister stick to it! Why are you trying to deceive me like this? Are you so afraid of me that I can't know the truth? Is that it? Are you so drunk that you think I can't tell? I'll uncover it, whatever you're hiding from me, I'll find it! And when I do, you're not going to be here anymore, never!'

Luna said, 'I've got a moon to raise' quite casually, before vanishing to space unknown, along with her bottle of course.

Oh how it angered her, how it made her blood boil, how it drove her to ideas so raw! Tropes raw in both detail and scale - primitive and dark. As if she should be feeling guilt for them, as if she should be ashamed by them! They were utterly unblemished in their sweet menace. It made her giddy! And though she was uncertain if she should seize them, as attractive as they were, she was already bathing in their fuzzy warmth. It was a comforting, encompassing warmth.

Comments

[Ceraph]

WOOO
IT BEGINS

[The Apologetic Pony]

2965317
Yes, yes it does.

[The Amateur]

Well... Twilight is a walking thesaurus...