You Too Will Deteriorate

by cleverpun

3. Leave My Loneliness Unbroken

Princess Nightmare Moon wanted to be happy. Celestia was alive. The original Celestia, her Celestia. She wanted to be happy. She wanted to feel the same elation and joy and trepidation that she had first felt upon meeting the new Celestia. Except, she didn’t. Celestia’s aura felt wrong. It felt too much like death. It felt like a lich or revenant. But clearly Celestia was alive. She could hear a heartbeat, feel a pulse, smell sweat and taste emotion coming off of her. It brought to mind flowers freshly planted on a grave: an unsettling contradiction.

Except it had to be her. The scar alone proved that.

The newer Celestia took a sip of her tea. “I suppose that explains some things,” she said. “Yet at the same time, it raises many more questions.”

“Oh, f-f-forgive my manners. I would not want to be rude to our h-host,” Celestia said. “I s-s-suppose the creature must have told you something, judging b-by your earlier comment and y-your nonchalant reaction.”

The new Celestia sipped her tea again. “She told me the basics. That she killed you. That Discord sent her back in time. That she…that she killed my Luna and took her place.”

Celestia’s smile faded. “I am s-sorry. I’m not surprised, but I am s-sorry.” Her eyes turned to Nightmare Moon. If Celestia's smile earlier had been drenched in malicious glee, then her gaze now filled with smoldering reproach.

Nightmare Moon flinched. She closed her eyes, but Celestia's scorn still tingled on her skin.

“It’s… It isn’t like that! She— I was insane; I had to be stopped!” Nightmare Moon stood up. “If I hadn’t killed her, she would’ve killed Celestia. The entire world would’ve died. Celestia,” she turned to the new Celestia, “you believe me, don’t you? You said you forgave me. You said that you loved me and that—”

“Q-q-quiet.” Celestia’s gaze remained on Nightmare Moon. Her voice retained the same tone and pitch, quiet and forceful. “I’m p-p-proud that you t-tolerated it for this long. When we return to our own Equestria, I will not be anywhere near as lenient on it.”

Nightmare Moon sat back down. Celestia’s words felt like they had struck her, stronger than any spell could have. She stared at the ground. She heard the newer Celestia take a sip of her tea, but couldn’t bring herself to look more closely.

“I am curious how you intend to return to your own timeline. Frankly, all the mechanics of this are confusing me,” the new Celestia said.

“Ah, y-yes, forgive my m-manners again,” Celestia said. “It’s really quite s-simple, you s-see. All p-pony-made spells are designed not to alter the timeline. So it,” she gestured towards Nightmare Moon, “decided to get D-Discord’s help. Obviously his magic is n-not beholden to the s-same rules.

“Some t-t-time after he sent this creature away, he must have gotten a little bored. He decided to revive me, a-a-as something to do. And, w-w-well, let us just say that I did not react as he had expected.”

“That’s how…” Nightmare Moon whispered. She looked up. “That’s how you have a heartbeat. That’s why I sense Discord’s magic in you. I thought it was just because of the magic he used on you, but it is more than that, isn’t it?”

Nightmare Moon smiled. She got up and walked towards her sister. “Then that means… that means you are just like me!”

The tile in front of Nightmare’s hoof shattered.

“D-d-don’t you dare,” Celestia whispered. “I am nothing like y-you. You k-k-killed me—you k-k-killed our entire world—just to solve your p-petty problems. I had n-no other choice. You f-forced me to become this wayyy. And that is why I am h-h-here. To b-bring you back, s-so that you can spend the rest of your life reb-b-building the world you destroyed.”

“That is enough.” The new Celestia used the same tone of voice, the same quiet, commanding tone. It felt even worse than the original Celestia’s. “It seems that this matter requires quite a lot of consultation, after all.”

She stood up and turned to Nightmare Moon. “You are confined to your quarters until further notice.” She turned to the original Celestia. “And I suppose you are confined to this drawing room until further notice.”

Celestia walked out of the room. Only when the doors shut did she allow herself to breathe. “Guards, post a full detail around both of their rooms.”

Any time she called for guards, more than needed showed up. For once, she felt glad to see so many of them appear.

The guards glanced at each other. The highest ranking one, Lieutenant Fire Work, stepped forward. “With all due respect, Princess, I don’t think a wall of guards will be able to stop either of them.”

“Not physically, that is true.” Celestia smiled her most reassuring and confident smile. “But neither of them would hurt any of the guards. No matter how unhinged they may be, they are both still princesses, somewhere in their minds.”

“Then why post guards at all, Princess?”

“Someone has to protect them from each other,” Celestia said. She walked off down the hallway. The guards would follow her orders. She had to summon the other Princesses as soon as possible.

She forced her hooves to keep going, even as she passed her bedroom.

Comments

[Flisky]

Some t-t-time after he sent this creature away, he must have gotten a little bored.

Called it

[Flisky]

“I am curious how you intend to return to your own timeline. Frankly, all the mechanics of this are confusing me,” the new Celestia said.

the new Celestia said.

[kooarbiter]

7471360

the "evil" princesses are presumably older in some fashion

[Hallucination]

This new Celestia is giving me a total Pet Sematary vibe.

[Aasha]

Before I read more of this I feel the burning sensation that I'm reading the followup to another story.
Is this a stand-alone story or did I miss some required reading somewhere along the line?

[spagooleynoodley]

7471360 This part seems to be Princess Nightmare Moon's perspective.

[Gallants]

7477492 yeah there are two stories before this one.

[Camolot the Creator]

7471360
That Celestia is somewhere in the neighborhood (PUNS) of 2,000 years younger than Nightmare Moon, and 1,000 years younger than her alternate self. Technically. NM experienced the timeline two times through that we know of, maybe more.

[Flisky]

7947404
...
Yes?
...
I'm not entirely sure what you're trying to say here, is this something you were under the impression I hadn't worked out?

[FOXTrot2]

7470466

let us just say that I did not react as he had expected.”

So in other words she murdered him, ripped his heart out, and replaced her own with his.

That is the most sickening Nad cruel thing I have ever heard.
still love it.

Love the air of defiance to all things.

[Csquared08]

I knew the epilogue from the first story would rear its ugly head again.