A state of emergency was declared after the attack during Sunset Shimmer’s birthday party.The palace was locked down and put on full alert with every guard put on watch duty with authorization to arrest anypony they found acting suspicious. Every guard had to have an inspection to make sure they were loyal or not. Those who did not pass the screening were sent back to the barracks under house arrest until further notice. Those who could trusted were ordered to keep to their assignments and not let anypony enter, regardless of their social or political standing.
Celestia had ordered to keep the news of Guard Captain Chainmail being a traitor silent for now, at least until she reached her own conclusions. For now, the Solar and Lunar Lieutenants were chosen to share the title of Acting Captain until one of them was chosen as the permanent replacement. The only visitors that were allowed into the castle were medical personnel who were called into the palace to help the wounded before taking them to nearby hospitals.
The princess didn’t know who to fully trust, for the betrayal of her own Captain Chainmail having shaken her up. Even worse, her daughter was currently in the hospital wing dealing a deadly stab wound. She offered the doctors healing her anything to save Sunset, even royal titles, but they assured her they would do this without reward.
Others were asking what should be done for now. There were nobles, press, and citizens who wanted to know what was going on. Already rumors were going on about how Equestria was going to war or that Celestia had been killed and it was being covered up. The entire city was awake in the dead of night in a panic and the one pony who could restore order was too occupied with worry for her daughter.
Said princess sat outside the hospital wing. Celestia kept thinking of the events over and over again in her head. How could I not see this happening? Why did I let my guard down? How could Chainmail do this to me? Oh, my Little Sun. I’m so sorry! It’s all my fault!
However, that wasn’t the worst of it all. Sunset had heard, clear as day, the truth that Celestia had hid from her for so long and it was in the worst way possible. Celestia closed her eyes, doing her best not to collapse into tears as she prayed to every deity she knew or heard about in her entire life that her daughter would make it.
Banishing her sister had almost broken her. Burying Sunset would completely destroy her. She wished he was here. Right beside him. The only one who made her break her vow to never love until her sister was returned to her. The feeling of his fur against hers as they embraced. She wanted to cry into his chest and not be the Princess of Equestria. Only Celestia.
More than anything she wanted to hold onto her daughter. Comfort her and kiss her until the dawn came. She was half tempted to just grab Sunset, go into whatever world the magic mirror led to, and live the rest of her days there. It was only the logical voice in her mind that reminded her that, like it or not, she was a princess. She had a duty.
And it had to come first.
Haven’t I sacrificed enough for this duty? My sister. My love. The hundreds of friends who rest in the earth. Must I sacrifice my daughter as well? she bitterly thought, cursing her fate.
That all was pushed away when she heard the door open and she got off her flank to rush towards the doctor with worry in her eyes. “Is she alright?!”
The doctor nodded. “She’s alive. We have her stable and she’s resting. The dagger nicked her liver, but we were able to save her. We also managed to start the blood transfusion.”
Celestia didn’t even respond in thanks, she just rushed in and nearly gave a hollow cry of sorrow upon seeing her sleeping daughter on the medical bed. Tied to her was a pulse reader, an IV, and the bloodpack that Celestia personally donated. She would give all her blood just to see her daughter live.
“Oh, Little Sun,” whispered Celestia as she knelt down and nuzzled her daughter. “Forgive me, Sunset Shimmer. Forgive me. I tried so hard to protect you... I’m so sorry.”
She gently stroked her daughter’s sun kissed hair and began to whisper in song:
Oh little sun, so quiet yet bright
Hiding in the shadows, afraid of the night
Come to your mother who lies in the sky
Waiting for you as time marches by
When you come up, and bring about the day
Your mother shall kiss you and together we will play
“That was beautiful,” said a familiar voice that warmed Celestia’s heart and filled her with hope.
She turned around and, there before her, dressed in his purple and white uniform back in the day as former Captain of the Guard, was her old friend. “Shining Valor.”
Despite being in his seventies, he was still fit as he was twenty years ago. Arguably considered one of the greatest Captains in the century, the white coated stallion with a light magenta mane in a crew cut walked up to Celestia and saluted. “I hope you don’t mind me coming back into duty when I heard the news.”
“No, if anything, having you here make me feel better,” said Celestia with a smile before she turned to her daughter again. “How is your family?”
Shining Valor chuckled as he walked over to the other side of the bed and stared at Sunset. “My grandson wants to be a guard like I was, despite Night Light and Twilight Velvet trying to dismiss him. He’ll go far. He’s got that light in his eyes my dad saw in me when I wanted to be just like him. And my granddaughter says she wants to go to your academy when she’s old enough.”
“They sound like good grandfoals,” muttered Celestia.
“They are. Something special about them. Call it an old Captain’s instinct,” whispered Shining Valor before sighing as he gazed at Sunset’s peaceful face. “She looks just like him in so many ways. I take it you changed her appearance when she was born?”
“I had to. to protect her. so much for all my efforts, huh?” bitterly laughed Celestia.
“You couldn’t have see this coming. Nopony could. Not even I,” whispered Shining Valor, shaking his head.
“I trusted him. How could he do this to me?” asked Celestia, shaking with rage. She wanted to take Chainmail’s corpse, burn it, and spit on its ashes.
“One of the cultists you captured confessed that they were holding his family hostage,, but...” Shining Valor shut his eyes and sighed. “He admitted that they killed the family before the party even started and dumped them in a lake outside the city. I ordered some guards to get their bodies. They were planning to kill Chainmail if he survived the assassination attempt.”
“Monsters,” muttered Celestia, closing her eyes as a tear dripped down her cheek. “See that Chainmail and his family are given full military burial rights, but he is to be striped of his rank. Even if he had his reasons, I can’t forgive him what he did. Gods help me, I just can’t.”
Shining Valor nodded. “How are you going to respond?”
“Should I really be worrying about that right now? When she needs me?” asked Celestia, closing her eyes.
“Princess Celestia…, you were attacked. Your daughter was nearly killed. You’ve let these cultists get their way for far too long. What if you were weeping over your daughter’s body in a casket, instead of this bed? Next time that might happen,” pointed out Shining Valor. He walked over and put his hoof on her shoulder. “Those who died in that attack are going to have families and friends who will have nothing but graves to look to now. That DJ you hired was a single mother whose eight year old daughter has nopony for her now. The least you can do for them, and those who died, is avenge them. Shut this cult down once and for all.”
Celestia lowered her head as a new feeling began to emerge from the words. A single emotion that burned like the sun she raised and set.
Rage.
***
The cells of the palace were the only places in the palace that were never cleaned. The dirt, blood stains, and vomit from those who once occupied these prisons were hundreds of years old. Princess Celestia was a just and fair ruler, but she knew when to be tough and deliver justice to those who deserved it.
Currently, the only ones occupied were by those of the Nightmare Cult that had survived the assassination. As the princess passed with Shining Valor and two guards, they started to curse her and praise Nightmare Moon. Celestia ignored them and instead focused on the loudest of them all, who was said to be one of the leading assassin leaders.
Celestia glared back at the stallion who hurt her in a way she never thought possible. He stood in his cell, glaring at Celestia as she came forward, a smirk slowly spreading across his face. He was a yellow unicorn with a dirty red mane. His cutie mark was that of a nail and hammer and he, by the indication of his eyepatch, was missing an eye.
“Leave me,” said Celestia to her party.
The three nodded and left. Celestia opened the door of the cell and walked in, closing it behind her.
The assassin leader was about to speak when he was suddenly thrusted against the wall in a wave of magic. He grunted and looked up only to gasp and turn white. Celestia’s horn was glowing a sickly dark purple color, like smoke rising from a volcano. Her eyes were completely green and filled with such hatred that she could see his blood turn to ice. With her wings flared out, and her grip growing ever tighter around his neck, she slowly walked up him and whispered. “Do you know how Dark Magic works?”
A choking gasp was his only answer.
“Fear. Desperation. Pain. Hatred. These four things feed the flames of shadow magic,” answered Celestia. “It is hatred that fuels it the most. And right now? I hate you. I hate you and all your friends. I hate your families. Your children. Your very existence. I would even say at this moment I hate Nightmare Moon, even though she is my sister. I hate you all. And I have spent years, ever since I was born, trying to not hate anypony. I have preached it. I have taught it. I have tried to make a world where there is no hatred, but congratulations: you won. You and your miserable pieces of shit have finally broken me. You have taught me to hate. And you know what I am going to do with that hatred?”
Celestia smiled. “I am going to kill you.”
She looked around the room, chuckling at the horrified faces of the once quite smug cultists. “I will kill all of you. Every Nightmare Cult member from the oldest to the youngest will die this night. I will drown the earth with your blood. I will have the sky echo your final screams. I will then kill your families, from your oldest grandparents to the youngest of your foals, so that nopony will be left to seek revenge against me or my daughter. I will send all of your worthless souls to judgement so that whatever god you believe in condemns you to the farthest depths of hell. And I shall relish in it.
“But before I kill you. I will make you suffer. I will make you all suffer. So much so that my soul will be black for eternity, but you know what? I don’t care. No, more than not caring, I shall enjoy every single second of you screaming and begging for mercy. And when I’m done, I will go to bed and dream without a single regret., Some may find out what happens here, but I don’t care. I will do anything—anything—to protect those I love. If that means becoming a monster of hatred, I will become that monster, just for you.”
Thick, black tentacles erupted from her horn, spiked and pulsing with energy. From the far end of each, the cultist watched with horror as sharp teeth formed, biting in the air.
“But first,” confided Celestia, “I need information that you have in that tiny brain of yours. However, I am not in an asking mood right now. So instead, I will be taking your brain apart, piece by piece, until I have everything from the first day you took a shit to this very moment where you are shitting yourself in fear.” The tentacles inched closer to his ears, their saliva dripping from inside their mouths. “And while I feast on your brain, gaining the information I need to find your little band of cultists? I want you to scream. Scream so hard that when your friends will hear they piss themselves waiting for their turns for me to work on them. Now be a good little pony and die.”
He screamed as the tentacles entered his ears and feasted.
As did the many others who begged for mercy as she descended upon them.
There was no mercy in her heart. There was no pity.
There was only wrath.
My reaction:
Also, #celestiadidnothingwrong
Spare their innocent family members Celestia! Do not become what you despise.
darkness only a Makuta could love
Well Nightmare Cult shitheads, I hope you've all reserved your spots in tartarus, because Celestia's gonna send ya'll there on a blood-splattered, spike covered platter. After making you experience the mother of all painful torture a raging mama bear sun goddess can inflict on those that would harm her daughter
"As did the many others who begged for mercy as she descended upon them.
There was no mercy in her heart. There was no pity.
There was only wrath."
This is why you don't piss off a Sun Goddess by trying to kill her daughter.
Whoa dont piss off Celestia
You asked for it, Rated.
HOLY MOTHERF***ING SHIT!!!!!
Ho shiet, we gots a badass over here. Seriously that escalated quickly.
This was wonderful, I want more.
Now for twilight's reaction...
Imagine Twi´s face while Celestia describes her how she mind-rapped and killed the cultist with a smile in her face.
I guess AJ´s family got lucky: Celestia still needed a Bearer of Honesty.
5454629 there are currently no immortals around for people to ask in regards to their living status.
Shining Valor, huh? I'm guessing that the military tradition is from Night Light's (or Twilight Velvet) side of the family.
Jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeezus.
That was a bit too quick of a mood change for my liking, but holy shit.
"dealing with"
You might wanna fix the indentation around these two lines.
"stripped"
what
Sweet crispy candy coated Jesus, that was unexpected.
Is it bad I coudlnt' help but SMile at the end of this chapter.
I aint read a roller coaster of feel jerking story in a long time, And Damn, Hateful Celestia is freaking terrifying. I got chills. Good god this is a good story so far! I must read moar!
Have read only the blurb of this story...let me guess, something to do with a daughter and a mother in this story?
5674261 #celestiadidnothingwrongeeyup
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5674635
What chapter has it that AJ's parents were cultists?
5674553
That part where Celestia said she was gonna kill every single family member related to the cult members? Yeah, Applejack really did get lucky.
5676760
Indeed...
5674261 you took the words right out of my mouth.
fc04.deviantart.net/fs22/f/2007/314/5/a/Daaammmnnn_by_sasukelovergirl111.jpg
5675670
Precisely.
D'ammmm Calista be crazy!
Badass Celestia is always the best type of Celestia.
5682451
What about Molestia?
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5682486 She's second best.
There is only one logical follow up to this. She casts her dark magic family-killing spell on the cultist. It reaches out it's ebony tendrils across generations, slaying parents and grand parents and then slaying their children and grandchildren. Grimly satisfied with her revenge, she leaves the charred corpse of the would-be assassin to be one more horror in the cell in order to return in triumph to her daughter.
But all is not well. You see, her mate with whom she had her child had a sire. And that sire had several children. Each of them had several children as well. One of whom had one day been brought into a basement by a friend and gradually entered the folds of a secretive organization...
Of course, this can't happen because it's a prequel, but that's what should happen when promises of retribution get carelessly cast about.
This is not the direction I was expecting this to go. Hooooly shit.
Holy shit!!!!!
This is so fucking dark but omg i love it. Shits getting real.
Celestia turn evil? Yes please!
5684000
Darth Vaarsuvius approves Celestia´s Familicide:
static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/darthv3_7699.jpg
And what made it perfect - all efforts, all her crimes went down the trail! Yeah!!!
Just like Luna. Tia would be too blind to see what become with her beloved daughter.
And case of Twilight perfectly confirm that despite all her words about her daughter, Celly for a long time give up on her. It's my opinion
Sorry for my bad English.
Daddy? whats a war crime?
It's a law designed to protect basic rights, and is frequently used by edgy kids to try and make their story interesting, Son.
5684000
Depending on how closely related she goes, a familicide spell could end up killing the entire pony race. And if she does things the standard way, word will inevitably get out somehow. And then she'll find that she's only created twice as many cults opposing her. When she tries to stamp those out...sooner or later, one will succeed.
5674635
...I do hope she doesn't actually carry through on her statement of killing the families.
The only other problem I have with her actions is that she didn't do the mind-eating executions publicly. Punishment can't deter others if it is done in secret.
But then again that would tip off the cult... maybe she can do the final rounds of executions publicly.
img10.deviantart.net/a7a3/i/2014/031/b/b/shocked_pinkie_pie_by_magister39-d7219eh.png
...okay.
6222913 no shit
What in the name of all that is holy did I just read?!?! Well I guess what they say is true that Hell has no wrath like a angry mother.
This is still a good story though.
Wow talk about going alucard and alex mercer on a motherbucker... I mean holy faust!
"Every single cultist, including your friend, Chainmail, is now an ENEMY OF EQUESTRIA.
Do what must be done, Celestia. Do not hesitate, show no mercy. Only then will you be strong enough with the Dark side of the Horse... to save Sunset Shimmer.
THIS! this is why you don't piss off god tier parents!
7778076 No shit my friend. Never piss off celestia.
Celestia did nothing wrong, and also BASED TIA.
To be honest, Celestia should not be using casual swearing to intimidate and threaten. It really takes away from her menace and is OOC for someone as old and wise as her.