Fulfillment

by Amaranthine Thought

old Chapter 9

Gentle was walking behind Rarity, only faintly struggling with carrying Sweetie on her back. Rarity was ahead of her, Diamond on her back and Emptiness floating near her, held aloft by her magic.

The unicorn was very heavy, and Rarity struggled not to let any part of her touch the ground.

The pair exited the Everfree, and it wasn’t long before somepony saw them on their slow walk.

The first screamed at the sight of Emptiness. A few others didn’t even notice her, and instead focused on Diamond and Sweetie, screams of a different nature for those sights.

Rarity and Gentle, the filly trying to hide behind Rarity from the crowd, reached the center of town with possible everypony in Ponyville watching in silence born of total shock. Fear and sorrow were dominate, but confusion and anger were also present.

What had happened to the fillies? What, or who, was the pony Rarity carried with her? Why was she covered in horns? A few suspected they knew.

The mayor was speechless, and Twilight herself was having a hard time finding words as Rarity slowly dropped Emptiness and turned to the crowd.

“It wasn’t long ago that I feared for Sweetie’s safety. As you all know, she and Diamond Tiara had vanished a little more than three weeks ago, and a few know that she was behaving oddly during the last days she was with us.”

“Rarity, what happened?” Twilight finally asked, becoming the voice of the crowd.

“What happened was that a monster decided Sweetie was going to be its next victim. You see her now, right next to me.” Rarity glanced at Emptiness, and lifted the unicorn again, standing her up so that she could be seen clearly.

“The tale is rare, but her name was Emptiness.”

“The… the horn hunter…” Twilight whispered, horror competing with curiosity. “She’s real…”

“She was all too real. Sweetie was forced to play her ‘game’.” A few ponies in the crowd, mostly unicorns, seemed to know the story, and flinched.

“Even I never knew. Never suspected. Emptiness tormented her for seven nights. She destroyed things important to me. Ruined your library, Twilight. Killed Diamond Tiara right in front of Sweetie. For that matter…”

She scanned the crowd and spotted Filthy Rich. He was nearly white, and had fainted. She sighed.

“Well… Sweetie won her game. The first pony to do so as I understand it.”

“And Emptiness took insult, and took her horn anyway when Sweetie finally felt safe. Attacked her in the morning light in revenge for Sweetie’s win.”

She glanced at Twilight for a second, her face sad, Twilight’s horrified.

She had finally discovered the cause of that horrible scream, and what happened to Sweetie. And for all her life, she wished that she had remained ignorant.

Then Gentle took a deep breath.

“Diamond saved Sweetie, and Emptiness killed her for it.” she said. “And Sweetie figured out what Emptiness always wanted, and then led her away.”

“And all that’s left is the ashes.”

Twilight shook her head. “Then… it’s over. Everything’s done. The monster’s dead. Nothing to save. Nopony to help.”

“Just… just two tiny heroes that gave their lives for us…”

She looked to the mayor. “Mayor Mare, I will need to contact the Princess for this. Would you mind helping everypony form a line, so that respects can be paid and final words can be said?”

The mayor started from her daze.

“O, of course Twilight.”

---

There were many tears. Some anger. Rarity and her friends actually had to protect Emptiness’ body from those who wished for some revenge for their loss and anger.

If anything, Filthy Rich might have sobbed more than Rarity had over his daughter’s death. She was his only daughter, and he found little comfort in that she had died a hero.

It took the entire day to settle things enough to allow everypony to say their piece, and give their consolation, or cry, or scream.

Rarity returned to her own home soon after, exhausted. It had been a long day and the funerals needed to be planned. Even for Emptiness.

She didn’t even notice Gentle trailing after her until she sat down and found the filly next to her.

“Gentle?” she asked, confused. Why was the filly still there?

“Um…” Gentle fidgeted for a moment. “Sweetie… Sweetie told me to tell you everything, and I… I haven’t just yet.”

Gentle looked uncomfortable and worried. Rarity watched her for a moment, taking care not to pressure her in any fashion.

Then Gentle sighed. “Re, remember when I said I met Emptiness when I was ten?”

“Yes.”

“And that I had a sister? An older sister?”

“Yes…”

“Well… Emptiness… she started her hunt with me.”

“Started her…”

Rarity realized something, and gaped.

“Darling… is… was she your,”

“No! Emptiness is not my sister!” Gentle snapped, angry suddenly. And then she sighed and drooped.

“Emptiness… my sister died and turned into her.”

“When she grabbed me all those years ago I could still see her. Her eyes were still hers…”

“When she told me her plan to steal the magic, I begged her hot to. I said that she would become something horrible if she did.”

“I begged her to stay my sister. She… didn’t listen.”

“My sister died the moment she ripped my horn off. She turned black and her eyes became mad and she became Emptiness.”

“But she is not my sister. Emptiness is somepony else. She just used my sister as a way to come to life.”

“Gentle…”

“My sister died when she took my horn. But she never left until Sweetie took her away. I…”

“She made the choice to become Emptiness. She wasn’t forced to do anything… when I saw her that last time, we both knew the same thing. She could never say sorry. It would never be true.”

“She was crying, but we both knew; if she had the chance, she would have done the same thing all over again.”

“Do… do you understand? Emptiness isn’t my sister. But my sister became Emptiness. They aren’t the same pony. They are separate… like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly… the same life, but different… forms.”

Gentle sighed, hanging her head.

“And now I’m free. You even made sure of that. I don’t have to listen to anypony ever again. I can have my life as my own.”

Gentle walked away, and Rarity followed her to the door, and held it open for her. Gentle took a few steps outside, and then paused in the light. She looked out into a world that seemed so… big now. She could do anything she wanted, go anywhere she wanted. And it was all so... overwhelming.

She looked back. And despite all of Rarity’s control, she saw the desire to say something in her eyes.

“You know…” Gentle said, turning back. “I can do what I want now.”

“You can.” Rarity said.

“And I… um… don’t really have any place to go to… or a place to stay… So…”

“Can I… can I live with you?” she asked.

Rarity beamed for a second before slapping herself and simply nodding. Gentle giggled again and went to her, and looked back up at her.

“But on one condition.”

“What might that be darling?”

“That you become my older sister. I… I might be really old, but I’m still a filly.”

“I’m not ready to make all my own choices. But I am ready to make one:”

“For good, for bad, in health, or in pain… I want you to be responsible for me. To tell me what to do, and how to live properly, and give me chores, and yell when I’m bad, and praise me when I’m good... To treat me like… like your own little sister.”

“But I’m not going to do anything unless you ask me nicely.”

“However, I won’t do anything to you that you tell me not to.”

“But… I do think that we should get rid of not doing anything for each other unless we ask. I thought that was a little silly.”

“I… I would love to Gentle. I would love nothing more.”

Gentle grabbed onto Rarity as the unicorn wiped at her tears.

“I thought about my name too. Flowers is… not me anymore.”

“What do you think of… of Gentle Belle?”

“I think I can say everything in a single sentence.” Rarity said, hugging the filly.

“Welcome home, Gentle Belle.”