Fulfillment

by Amaranthine Thought

Chapter 9

Gentle walked with Rarity back towards Ponyville, the pair bearing the remains. Gentle carried Sweetie on her back, only somewhat struggling to do so, while Rarity had Diamond on her back, and Emptiness levitated behind her.

The monstrous unicorn was heavy, her collection of horns more so, but Rarity made sure to not let any part of her touch the ground.

Their walk into town was first met with curiosity, then apprehension, and then fear and shock. Ponies screamed as they saw Emptiness, stared in utter shock at the still forms of the two fillies. Gentle stayed near Rarity, but nopony had any time or ability to notice or really care about her.

Rarity walked all the way to town hall, where a speechless Mayor waited them, and, to her surprise, Twilight Sparkle. Rarity didn’t look to her much though; she had much else to focus on right then.

She came to gently lay Emptiness on the cobbles, and turned to face the crowd that had followed the pair.

“On the last new moon, our little town was chosen as a monster’s next target.” She began. “A few of you know her already,” she continued, looking at Emptiness, “and you all now see that she was no mere frightening story to tell at night.”

“The, the horn hunter… she’s real?” she heard Twilight breathe behind her, glancing to see Twilight staring at Emptiness with wide, shocked eyes.

“All too real.” Rarity answered, looking back at the crowd. “Before you is the body of Emptiness, the horn hunter; the nightmare of unicorns all throughout Equestria. She came last new moon here, and here she found my little sister, Sweetie Belle, who saw her eyes that terrible, dark night. And so, Sweetie was pulled into the horn hunter’s terrible game.”

“Even I never knew, never even guessed.” Rarity continued. “For Sweetie was forced to keep the truth secret, lest Emptiness come to kill everypony she cared for. So she played The Game, and she suffered not just Emptiness, but even me. For I, ignorant of the truth, had Emptiness manipulate my opinion and thought, and turn me against my own sister. Emptiness destroyed things important to Sweetie, important to me; she even ruined the library, when I, thinking the destruction was Sweetie’s doing, drove her away.”

“But Sweetie, despite everything, kept fighting. She won The Game, the first to ever do so; possibly the first to ever give Emptiness a defeat. And for her victory, Emptiness attacked her in the morning light, and stole her away, to torture her. And if not for the heroic action of Diamond Tiara, Sweetie would have perished then, but another of the horn hunter’s many victims. Diamond gave Sweetie the chance to finally bring an end to Emptiness, and the two gave their lives to end her at long last.”

“The evidence lies before you; are there any who would doubt me?” Rarity finished, daring anypony to suggest otherwise. Nopony did, the crowd shocked, horrified, and silent.

“…It, it’s over, then.” Twilight weakly said, her gaze caught by Emptiness yet, her tone a little empty itself. “It’s… done; there’s nopony to help, nopony to save… Nothing to do…"

“Dear Mayor,” Rarity asked, causing Mayor Mare to startle a little, and stare at her with wide eyes, “I’d ask for your assistance helping to organize funerals for our heroes, as well as something for the horn hunter, and her many horns.”

“Of, of course, Rarity.”

---

The bright sun that day felt grey and hollow in Ponyville. The shocking truth spread through the town and not a single pony was not affected by it. A great many hurried to see for themselves, to stare in shock at the fallen fillies, and most to offer condolences as fewer grieved.

Filthy Rich had broken over his daughter’s body. His only daughter, the knowledge that she had died a hero did little to ease the agony of losing her so suddenly.

The fillies had a wake to end them all, a much more somber Pinkie Pie helping put together the calmest, most respectful party she’d ever thrown. The story found horror and respect alike; two fillies had come together and brought an end to a nightmare. Even the solar princess came soon, to pay her own respects to the two fillies that had ended a long nightmare.

Rarity had to hide Emptiness. A number of ponies felt that such a peaceful, quick end wasn’t good enough for the horn hunter, and if they had been allowed to, they would have destroyed the body of Emptiness. Their number included Rainbow Dash, who became quite heated at Rarity for it, only calmed by the Princess Celestia, who warned her, and everypony else, that their anger towards the dead Emptiness would only keep the nightmare alive in a sense.

Respect those that gave their lives, she declared, but let the horror they defeated fall into nothingness; it was gone, and to think of it still would only darken hearts that found nothing to hate.

It lasted the whole rest of the day and then the night alike. It was the next morning that things started finally calming back down, and Rarity went back to her home, satisfied with the end, and exhausted from having to make sure everypony knew the correct story.

Even if it wasn’t the ‘true’ one, it was the better one.

Things would continue later; the funerals had to be held, Emptiness likely needed to be buried in secret, and the many, many horns each merited their own burials. Those, though, would be interred in Canterlot, where Princess Celestia had assured Rarity that Sweetie and Diamond would receive their own glass window to honor their sacrifice.

But it was done for right then, and Rarity returned to her home in exhaustion. Yet, she went into her creation room, to ensure that her labor wouldn’t be left out.

Once that was safe, she came back out to find Gentle waiting for her.

“G, Gentle?” she asked, blinking, heading to her. “Why are you still here?”

“Well… Sweetie told me to tell you everything, and I promised I would.” Gentle told her, the filly fidgeting a little. “And I… I haven’t told you everything yet.”

Rarity blinked. After a moment, she went to take a seat, Gentle following her; she helped Gentle up, but made sure to not pressure Gentle in any way.

“…So, so you remember what I said about when I first met Emptiness?” Gentle asked.

“…Your family?” Rarity asked, and Gentle nodded.

“And do you know the story behind Emptiness?”

“I do.”

“…W, well… Emptiness… started her hunt with me.”

A moment passed, Gentle watching Rarity carefully. For a moment, Rarity seemed confused, before her eyes grew suddenly, and a hoof went to her mouth.

“Was, was she your sis,”

“N, no!” Gentle yelled suddenly. “Emptiness was never my sister!” She said, mad, but then she sighed and looked sad. “…My sister died and turned into her.”

“When she grabbed me that day, I could still see her. Her eyes were still hers, even when she told me what she was going to do. I, I tried to tell her that she was making a choice that would turn her into something horrible. Tried to convince her that things were alright, that she could let go, that we could find another way, that her not having magic never mattered, that we’d all love her no matter what.”

“I begged her to stay my sister. But she didn’t listen.”

“Gentle…” Rarity murmured, shaken by the thought.

“My sister died the moment she took my horn. She turned black and her eyes turned mad and she became Emptiness, but Emptiness isn’t my sister. She’s somepony else; she just used my sister as a way to come to life, but my sister never really left. Not until Sweetie took her away. And I…”

“She made the choice to become Emptiness.” Gentle said, her tone a mix between angry and sad. “She didn’t have to do it. She didn’t have to make that choice. Nothing forced her to do it. When I finally saw her after so long… s, she was crying, but we both knew:”

“She could never say sorry. It wouldn’t ever be true.”

“Given another chance, she’d just do the same thing all over again.”

A moment passed, and then Gentle asked, her tone concerned, “Do, do you understand? Emptiness isn’t my sister. She became Emptiness, but they aren’t really the same. Like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly; the same life, but two different forms.” Rarity only nodded, not trusting her voice.

“…And now, I’m free.” Gentle said, slipping off the couch. “You even made sure of it.” she continued, heading towards the door, Rarity getting up to follow her. “Nopony gets to control me anymore. I get to make my own choices now. I’m finally free.”

Rarity opened the door for her, and Gentle paused at the threshold. She’d known her freedom for days by then, but it was really only then that she really noticed:

She was alone; out on her own in a world that… that looked just so big now.

She looked back, and saw Rarity behind her, holding the door open for her. For many, there was nothing to see, but Gentle saw something in how the unicorn held the door, how she stayed silent even as she stood in place for so long.

“…You know…” Gentle said, turning to face back at Rarity. “I can make whatever choice I want to now.”

“You can.” Rarity confirmed.

“And… I don’t really know anypony out there… or have a place to go… or stay… So… what do you think about me staying here?”

Rarity smiled a moment before she scrunched her face up and forced herself back to neutrality. “That would be fine.” She managed to say, her tone neutral.

Gentle giggled at that, and told her, “But I have a condition.”

“And what might that be?” Rarity asked, and despite all her control, Gentle heard the little desire.

“Well… I’m three hundred and fourteen years old, and I know a lot of stuff. But… but I’m still a filly. I don’t think that I’m really ready to make all my own choices just yet. So, if I’m going to stay here…”

“I want you to be in charge of me. To teach me how I’m supposed to make all my own choices, but also to tell me what to do. To give me chores to do, to yell at me when I’m bad, to praise me when I’m good, to be there for me to run to if I get scared or need help. For you to… to treat me as if I was your little sister. What do you think?”

“Gentle I… are, are you sure?” Rarity asked.

Gentle smiled at her, and didn’t technically answer her. She instead went and hugged her, a wordless confirmation that had Rarity tear up. More so, as Gentle told her, “I trust you; and I want to know the pony that Sweetie loved so much myself.”

“…I, I have just one thing to say.” Rarity told her, gently hugging her back.

“What?”

“Welcome home, Gentle.”

Comments

[Scaly fiend]

I loved this story, I'm wondering why you have "new" and "old" chapters? Super curious!

[Amaranthine Thought]

11807961
The new chapters are polished versions of the old, with a few minor changes in them. The old chapters were left behind because I felt people might want to check between the two for changes, and because deleting chapters tends to make things kind of wonky for some reason.