Lines of Succession

by Mockingbirb

And Everypony Loved Her

Princess Celestia rested on an extra large couch, in a temporarily requisitioned back room of Ponyville's Town Hall. One small nightlight barely weakened the night's darkness. She glanced at one of her several personal clocks. About half an hour later, it would be time to start the show.

A dark, shadowy substance seeped under a door, and along the base of one wall.

Celestia said, "I see you, dear sister. I am so, so sorry. I never meant to send you away for so long. But at least we've had time for both our tempers to cool. I do not know how to express the depth of my regrets."

The shadowy cloud rose and coalesced, forming a midnight colored pony. A million tiny stars twinkled in her mane and tail. Steel armor, tempered to a deep blue color, covered much of her head and chest. "I doubt your regrets could ever be deep enough. Not for as long as you live."

Through another door, a young mare's voice said, "But of COURSE I'm on the list. I'm Princess Celestia's personal student and protege. She and I are like THIS."

The dark pony snorted, as her unicorn horn and her pegasus wings fully took shape. "How interesting. Your PERSONAL student."

"Don't you dare touch her," Celestia hissed. "She has NOTHING to do with our old quarrels."

A stallion's voice in the next room said, "I know her, and she's telling the truth, list or not. Let her in."

The door opened, and a small purple unicorn mare walked in, carrying a book and a bundle of flowers. The pony of darkness had instantly moved between the door's back and the nearest wall, hiding herself from view for the moment.

The door closed again. "Celestia?" the unicorn said. Her horn glowed softly, like a candle. "I just thought...while you're here...I made five new friends today, I think. Just like you asked for."

Twilight prattled on cheerfully, about Applejack and Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Rarity and Pinkie Pie. "I'm not sure about that last one," Twilight confided. "I think maybe she's a little...nuts. And Fluttershy seems to have some kind of social phobia...except she doesn't seem afraid of dragons at ALL, if you can believe that. Maybe she's infected with toxoplasmosis? She spends a LOT of time taking care of animals, so I suppose it would make sense.

"Anyway...I wanted to make you happy and proud, and I hope I'm doing that. And here, I brought you some flowers."

Celestia smiled at her protege. "Oh, Twilight. You shouldn't have."

"But I wanted to. Because of...how I feel about you."

Celestia's eyes darted almost imperceptibly towards the corner where her sister hid in the shadows. "I really meant that. You shouldn't have."

Twilight sniffled. "Maybe I'm just a fool. But...you're a very special pony. I don't know anypony so kind, so wise, so beautiful..."

"Twilight," Celestia said. "You should say no more, and go."

"No!" Twilight insisted. "Maybe most ponies would say it's just a schoolgirl crush. But I know it's real. Now I understand why you sent me away from the Palace. At first I was heartbroken, but now I understand."

Celestia gazed at Twilight, with unspoken sorrow in her eyes.

Twilight said, "Princess, it's because if I was still a student in your school, it would be wrong for me to be in love with you. But now that I'm not, it's totally different. We're...colleagues. Fellow researchers. And it's only natural, that sometimes colleagues might fall in love. There's nothing wrong with it! It's ok!"

"Oh, Twilight." Celestia's glance flicked over towards the corner again. "I'm not worthy of you. You should leave. Leave now."

"Never!" the little unicorn said. "I love you. And I'll never give up on somepony as wonderful as you."

In a dark corner of the room, somecreature chuckled softly.

"Who's there?" Twilight demanded. Her horn lit up the room, and she stared at the shadowy colored creature. "Who...what ARE you?"

The creature grinned, showing dangerous looking fangs. "Why...Twilight. With everything that she's taught you...hasn't my dear sister told you about her dear sister Luna? Or as some ponies call me, Nightmare Moon?"

Twilight stared for a moment, and laughed. "Ok, Celestia. I know you love your little jokes. But how could anypony be expected to believe this? A creature from children's stories? The monster parents tell their foals about, to warn them against tooth decay?"

The room grew colder. Frost formed in the windows' corners. The creature said, "I know not what foalish tales might be told using my name. But I am Celestia's only sister, by rights a ruler of Equestria." The night colored, twinkling-maned pony stepped out of the corner, and walked slowly around Twilight and Celestia. "Or might I say...by rights I am THE ruler of Equestria. After how my sister treated me, I think she has given up all rights to the throne. Or to anything else."

"Twilight," Celestia said softly. "Run. Run as far and as fast as you can. Nopony is safe here."

"Stay," Nightmare Moon said. "If you turn your back on me and run, I will strike you down. As the first installment in my 'DEAR' sister's just punishment."

Celestia hissed, "You have no right! Do NOT try to punish me by hurting other ponies."

Nightmare Moon smiled. "But why not? I know your game. She's still young enough that you would miss her."

Celestia glared at her sister. "It's...not like that."

"Oh, of COURSE it isn't. I remember what it was like. What YOU'RE like. Everypony loves you. You've had so many years of experience and practice, learning how to get other ponies to love you. Everypony worships you like a goddess. They would do anything to please you. Absolutely anything." Nightmare licked her lips.

Twilight's head swiveled back and forth between her two elders, until finally she stared at the Nightmare. "What...are you JEALOUS?"

Celestia shook her head. "If it would make you happy, dear sister, I would ask Twilight to serve you. I do not know whether she would be willing to do it, or for how long, but I would ask, if that was what you wanted. And if she loves me as you say, I suppose she would do it."

"What?" Twilight squeaked. "You would...give me away to somepony as a present? How DARE you?" Twilight's forehoof ineffectively struck Celestia's flank.

Nightmare chuckled. "Twilight? Now you understand just how much you mean to the pony you love so much. Or how little."

Twilight breathed faster. Was it fear, or anger, or some of both, that moved her soft-furred, delicately fluffy chest?

Nightmare eyed the unicorn's chest fluff with an ironic expression. "So, my dear sister. Does your 'dear student' even know about you? About how you used to pick out the most delicious little teen fillies, and occasionally a colt, and...'show them how much their princess loves them?'"

"That was a different time," Celestia said in a flat, carefully controlled tone. "Ponies' ways were different then. Many ponies even married younger."

"Yes," Luna said. "But not me. I never wanted a pony unless she or he was an adult. Because we are supposed to be ADULTS, Celestia. Not hormone-addled foals."

Celestia grimaced. "It's not like that. I haven't had an affair with a teenager for...many hundreds of years."

"Yes," Nightmare said. "Not that you'd admit to, at least." She eyed Twilight again.

Twilight said angrily, "I don't know what history the two of you have. I don't know if Celestia is simply humoring a pile of terrible lies coming out of a disgusting, evil creature. Or maybe you're simply insane! That would make sense, when somecreature claims to be a fiction from a foal's tale."

Nightmare snorted. "I don't know the fairy tales. I know only the truth."

"You don't understand!" Celestia said.

"Oh, I understand PERFECTLY. You always put on your big public ceremonies like the Raising of the Sun, and made your visits to teenagers' schools, with everypony spread out before you like the world was your own personal menu. And you took your pick."

Celestia frowned.

Luna said, "Oh, yes you did. You took what you wanted, and let them tell you how much they loved you. And you told them you loved them too...for a little while."

Celestia took a deep breath, but said nothing.

"And when you were done with them, DEAR sister of mine...when they started to show the smallest, slightest signs of age, then you tossed them away."

Celestia finally spoke. "I...Luna, an alicorn is perfect, and flawless, and in her own way, ageless. We do not wrinkle, or grow gray hairs. Our bones and joints will never creak. We never grow old. Ordinary ponies age together, and that's the way it is. When one pony travels towards the boundaries of that strange country from which nopony ever returns, another pony goes with them. And that's only right, that they travel so, in the company of ponies like themselves. Ponies making the same journey, together."

Luna sniffed. "So...you're still the same plucker of young fruit that you ever were. And the same cold, cruel discarder and destroyer of ponies' hearts."

"I...I don't know what to tell you. But I've changed now, I have."

"Hmmph. How have you changed?"

"I did not speak of love to Twilight...not like that. I did not encourage her."

"Encouragement does not have to be in words, my sister."

"All I did was encourage her to grow into herself. Into a smarter, more capable self. And if that's a crime, every teacher is as guilty as I. Every good teacher, at least."

"I still remember how you stole the pony I loved, 'dear sister.' You could have had a thousand...you DID have thousands, over the years. But when there was somepony my heart truly wanted...you took her first."

"I am sorry for that. I never meant to do that. But what did you want me to do, tell her I didn't love her anymore? I hadn't even known you wanted her!"

"You NEVER knew, Tia. You never wanted to know how you hurt so many ponies. You never wanted to know about my own feelings, how I felt so alone. Because everypony always loved you first, and me never."

Twilight said, "I don't know what this is all about...but may I please be excused?"

Luna chuckled again. "No, stay. Stay and get to truly know the pony who you think you love, with your pure, innocent heart."

Celestia said, "It doesn't have to be like that. I have a new plan. A plan I've never told anypony. I've started a special school--"

"A special school to feed your appetites? This does not sound new."

"No! I'm trying to gather the most magically talented ponies, and have them taught how to become so skilled at magic, they might succeed in casting some form of alicorn ascension spell. So they will live forever, ageless as you and I."

"Hmmph," Nightmare said. "So...I see. That's not the worst plan."

Celestia nodded. "Thank you. So you see...I HAVE reformed."

"Yes," Nightmare said. "Or maybe the 'alicorn ascension' plan is merely a thin excuse. You tell me a tale about 'ascension,' and in the meantime...you operate a school, with many young unicorns under your supervision. How NOVEL of you. You HAVE changed, SO much." She whinnied sarcastically.

Twilight said, "I've been a fool."

"Yes," Nightmare said. "You HAVE been. But at least you'll get to watch your false-hearted teacher Celestia die, which is something."

Twilight stood up extra straight and tall...which brought her to maybe two thirds as tall as either of the other two ponies in the room. "Celestia's concerns go far beyond just me, or any one pony. I never knew about her alicorn ascension plan. But if her plan succeeds, someday Equestria will have a wealth of alicorns, each one full of powerful magic to help Equestria. That's more important than just one pony like me. With more alicorns--" Twilight's horn instantly changed from dim to almost sun-bright, her magic aiming for Nightmare's head. The potentially deadly bolt struck Nightmare's helmet, not her flesh, but enough nimbus caught the midnight mare's eyes and the rest of her face to blind her, at least for the moment.

A beam of pure darkness exited Nightmare's horn. She might have intended to strike back at her attacker, but the sightlessly thrown blow went astray, passing over Twilight and blowing Celestia's head off.

"No!" Twilight screamed, glancing back at her former mentor. She chanted mysterious syllables she'd discovered one evening in an ancient book, hidden within a Palace Library storage room. Within her mind and her horn, she combined those energies with a strange magical diagram she'd once seen in a used bookshop, a shop the Canterlot Guard had since closed down and burned. The energies hopped across the gap between Twilight's horn and Nightmare's body, like a tiny, dim spark.

The room's door burst inward off its hinges, but to Twilight, the door seemed to move slowly. Maybe it was the Palace Guard, Twilight thought. Coming to save...nopony at all, now. It was all too late. Nopony important was still alive, Twilight felt.

As the room's door opened, the still-solid Nightmare Moon fell beneath Twilight's spell. Nightmare's chest was ripped open and flayed, her ribs spread wide like a dragon's half-finished feast.

***

"And how did you get eyewitness testimony about all this?" Sunset asked. She stared at Raven Quill and the scrolls laid out before her.

"The Equestrian Guard has had a busy morning," a guardspony said. Sunset tried to remember his name...Sky Sentry. He had a nephew named Flash.

"I can only imagine," Sunset said. "But how did you get this information? Is it reliable?"

The guard said, "One of the Guard's experts in gently questioning traumatized witnesses spent hours with Twilight Sparkle. Not continuous questioning, there were a lot of breaks to try to calm and soothe."

He added, "Guardsponies in the next room had overheard some of the conversation before the fight, but they didn't know whether or how to intervene without possibly making things worse, until the fight broke out and ended almost all at once, in only a few seconds. And as it happens, Ponyville is the home of one of Equestria's leading experts on animal-to-pony communication. She questioned several mice who live within the Town Hall, one snake, and one lizard."

"Hmm," Sunset said.

Sky Sentry suggested, "If you would like to see the scene of the...battle, I believe the Guard has it properly secured."

Raven Quill raised one eyebrow at him.

"Sometimes," Sentry said, "it can help a pony feel...maybe not better, but accept things better. Help a little with laying to rest old ghosts."

I'm going to have at least one personal ghost out of this, Sunset thought. A big old ghost. One of the most important ponies in my life. Maybe THE most important pony in my life, right next to my own self.

"I'd like that," Sunset said. "If Raven hasn't any serious objections."

Raven gave Sentry a somewhat peeved look. She said, "I suppose. If the Guard is willing to take full responsibility. Would you be willing to take PERSONAL responsibility, Mister Sentry?"

Sentry said, "As a Guardspony, I take full personal responsibility every day." To Sunset he added, "I do think we should be careful with your health, Princess Sunset Shimmer. We can carry you to Ponyville in a flying chariot, or in a royal railcar as part of a special express train."

Sunset shrugged. "I suppose now I could just fly." She added hastily, "With full Guard escort, of course. I wouldn't want you to worry about 'my health.'"

Raven remarked, "If you take a special train, your highness, we can bring as many officials and Guardsponies along as we like. That will facilitate more briefings, and enable us to make more progress on official business."

Sunset rolled her eyes. "Yay, paperwork! Everypony loves paperwork."

Sentry said, "Also, after your recent expenditure of personal energy in Equestria's service...if you need to get a little more rest, the railcar is well equipped for that." He whispered, "Royal napping car."

Sunset shrugged. "Ok, I give up. What's the use of being a princess if you don't take advantage of the little perks? I'm sure it's faster to take the train than argue with you all."

Comments

[Legiondude]

Well that was a thing that happened

[Sinnerlust]

What the buck did I just read?

[KittyrinnAiko]

Twilight prattled on cheerfully, about Applejack and Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Rarity and Pinkie Pie. "I'm not sure about that last one," Twilight confided. "I think maybe she's a little...nuts. And Fluttershy seems to have some kind of social phobia...except she doesn't seem afraid of dragons at ALL, if you can believe that. Maybe she's infected with toxoplasmosis? She spends a LOT of time taking care of animals, so I suppose it would make sense.

That's not how Toxo works. It does not make someone selectively afraid of one thing while unafraid of another. In Foxes, it breaks down the individual's fight or flight response. A fox with Toxo simply won't be afraid of anything. In horses and ponies, the effects are more or less the same as in humans where it takes on the symptoms of a viral infection. A mild infection may have no symptoms at all.

[ScisetShimmerEvan]

Twilight prattled on cheerfully, about Applejack and Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Rarity and Pinkie Pie. "I'm not sure about that last one," Twilight confided. "I think maybe she's a little...nuts. And Fluttershy seems to have some kind of social phobia...except she doesn't seem afraid of dragons at ALL, if you can believe that. Maybe she's infected with toxoplasmosis? She spends a LOT of time taking care of animals, so I suppose it would make sense.

I'm pretty sure what Twilight mentioned about Fluttershy is false.

Twilight said, "Princess, it's because if I was still a student in your school, it would be wrong for me to be in love with you. But now that I'm not, it's totally different. We're...colleagues. Fellow researchers. And it's only natural, that sometimes colleagues might fall in love. There's nothing wrong with it! It's ok!"

https://m.

"You NEVER knew, Tia. You never wanted to know how you hurt so many ponies. You never wanted to know about my own feelings, how I felt so alone. Because everypony always loved you first, and me never."

Sometimes I forget how sad Luna's past is.

A beam of pure darkness exited Nightmare's horn. She might have intended to strike back at her attacker, but the sightlessly thrown blow went astray, passing over Twilight and blowing Celestia's head off.

https://m.

As the room's door opened, the still-solid Nightmare Moon fell beneath Twilight's spell. Nightmare's chest was ripped open and flayed, her ribs spread wide like a dragon's half-finished feast.

That is just fucked up!

Sentry said, "Also, after your recent expenditure of personal energy in Equestria's service...if you need to get a little more rest, the railcar is well equipped for that." He whispered, "Royal napping car."

Lol, napping car.