> Revenge is Family Business
>  by Scout Charger
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> arrangements
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Applejack stood next to Fluttershy and Twilight, examining a squirrel laying on the ground. The yellow pegasus was gently patting the head of the suffering critter. As a series of new cramps shook the small body, she slightly whimpered and looked up to her friends. “Are you sure you can’t do anything?”
 
Applejack took off her Stetson and sighed. “I’m sorry Fluttershy, but I have no idea what he might have eaten to get himself belly aches like that.”
 
Twilight sat down next to Fluttershy and slightly nuzzled her friend. “It hate to say it, but even magic has it’s limits. I can’t do anything but lessen his pain.”
 
A few strands of her pink mane fell over Fluttershy’s face and muffled her sobs. “But … But, why can’t we just … just heal him with one of your spells? Or maybe one of Zecora's potions?”
 
Twilight looked down at her hooves. “As I said, even magic has it’s limits. If I don’t know what caused the condition, I can’t come up with a spell to cure him, nopony could do that. It’s like trying to walk through the Everfree Forest with your eyes shut.I It would come down to pure luck. And every failed attempt will probably do even more harm.”
 
Suddenly the squirrel in Fluttershy’s hooves started to tremble and small but heart-wrenching coughs rang out from the small creature. All three ponies looked down at the suffering critter, with tears welling up in their eyes.
 
A few moments later the coughing stopped and everything was over. Fluttershy broke down and hugged her little friend tightly, while Twilight wrapped her forelegs around her. Applejack just closed her eyes and mumbled an unintelligible curse.
 
It took almost half an hour for Fluttershy to calm down and let go of her little friend. Twilight suggested to walk her home, while Applejack would bury the deceased woodland creature under one of her trees.
 



 
Big Macintosh and Princess Luna always had to keep a low profile when they went on a date. For the princess it was not too big of a deal, she was able to alter her form according to her will and could therefore disguise herself pretty well. Most of the days, she just choose to appear as a dark blue unicorn with a shooting star for a cutie mark. She preferred her disguises to be rather small, like that she could actually enjoy to look up towards her companion. Normally she was taller than even Big Mac, but in her shapeshifted form she could cuddle into his chest and feel protected, like any normal mare.
 
Macintosh however was not that easy to disguise, which led to the two of them meeting at locations far away from Ponyville, where nopony would recognize the bulky red stallion. It would have caused quite the uprising if the somepony would have gotten wind of the fact that one of the princesses was dating an ordinary farm stallion.
 
The day everything was set in motion, they just went to a cafe, chatting about whatever came to mind and just enjoyed each others company. Big Mac told Luna about the orchard, which fields were ready to get harvested and which chores he had done. The princess of the night however, talked about what beautiful dreams she had visited. Although she always made sure to make them sound like her own dreams or stories she read. The fact, that she always had to be on guard not to blow her cover was kind of taxing, but she thought it was worth it.
 
When the sun started to set, Luna sighed and looked at Big Mac. “It appears that I have to return soon. My duties are calling, obviously.”
 
Mac chuckled slightly and looked at the setting sun. “We all have things we need to do.”
 
He turned his massive head slowly and smiled at Luna. “But I know you enjoy it, Lulu.”
 
She stood up and nodded with a cute smile. “But I would like to share more time with you, too.”
 
A vigorous blush turned her cheeks even darker than her coat was on its own and she coughed suspiciously. “We could go to my place and share some more time. Maybe have a cup of coffee? Or watch the night sky together?”
 
It took a few Moments until Mac realized what Luna was implying. When it finally sunk in, his cheeks tried their best to turn even redder than they already were.
 
His eyes darted around and he started to hyperventilate “I … ahm … I would … but ... chores … Applejack.”
 
Luna cocked her head and stared at him with an expression that showed equal shares of sadness and confusion. Mac took a few deep breaths to calm himself down before he looked at the disguised princess. “Sorry, you just caught me off-guard. I would love to share some more time with you, but tonight is too short notice. Applejack would rip my head off if I would be missing at dawn. I will tell her that I will be out for tomorrow night and then we have the whole night for us, just you and me.”
 
Luna smiled and nodded slightly. “I think that would be wonderful. Let us meet at the Canterlot station tomorrow, after sunset.”
 
Big mac nodded and gave his, secretly royal, marefriend a kiss that carried the promise of tomorrow night being the best night ever.


> talk between siblings
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was already pitch black when Big Mac arrived at Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack was sitting at the table, a shovel leaned against the wall behind her and a halfway emptied mug of cider in between her front hooves.
 
Macintosh sat down across from her and pointed at her mug. “Got a spare one?”
 
Applejack nodded, walked across the room to one of the cabinets and got a second mug for her brother. She tapped him a full pint from the cider barrel, which was sat up in a corner of the room, and placed it in front of him. “How was your day? Anything worth mentioning?”
 
Before Applejack had sat down, Mac had already reached out and revelled in the taste of the best cider in Equestria. He noticed his sister’s question, but after a long day, not many things could bring him to put down his mug. Although, Applejack knew that and waited patiently until the big red stallion was done with his drink.
 
Not even one minute later, Big Mac had downed the whole mug and heaved a heavy sigh as he put it down. “It was a rather normal day. We walked around Canterlot, talked about our daily, or in her case nightly, business and just enjoyed to be around each other. Later we went into a cafe, one of those fancy ones.”

His eyes took on a sad look and his whole form seemed to shrink a little bit. “After that, she asked me if I wanted to join her at the palace. For a cup of coffee or to watch the night sky together, as she put it.”
 
Applejack leaned forward and looked at her brother with wide eyes. “Why are you here then? This was THEEE chance.”
 
Macintosh waved a hoof to hush his sister. “Do you think I didn’t know that? I told her that today was to short notice, but that tomorrow would be great. Mainly because I wanted to talk with you before we start all of this and because it wouldn’t have been that great of a chance.”
 
Applejack arched an eyebrow. “What do you mean? She practically presented herself to you on a silver platter?”
 
Sometimes his sister was really slow on the uptake and Big Mac wasn’t so sure if he wanted to facehoof either himself or her when she was like that. “AJ, she wanted me to come to the castle. You know, this big house where there are at least five hundred guards at any given time? Not to mention her sister, which would wipe my sorry ass clean of the map, if she got scent of this.”
 
It took the mare a few moments to contemplate on Mac’s argument, but she gave in eventually. “Ok, you might have a point there, but you’re still in for it, aren’t you?”
 
He nodded and slowly started to speak, every word carefully chosen. “We are family after all and I want revenge as much as you, but I don’t feel very comfortable to drag Luna into this.”
 
A heavy sigh filled the room and Applejack’s eyes took on the same sad look that had crept into Mac’s earlier. “I’m not as close to her as you are, but I can imagine how it feels. You’re lying to her on an almost daily basis and if she ever finds out she might just snap.”
 
She took a swig from her mug before she continued. “Today I had to lie to Fluttershy and Twilight because I tested our mix. I dipped some walnuts into that stuff and gave one of them to a squirrel I found in a tree on the western fields.”
 
Big Macintosh cringed visibly. “Blearg, sounds horrible.”
 
Applejack gave him a humorless chuckle. “Looked worse than it sounds. At first, I watched how this little critter munched happily on the nut, but not even half a minute later he convulsed in pain. I felt like I could almost hear him asking why I did this.”
 
While his sister spoke, Mac got up and grabbed another mug of cider. When he took seat again, he looked at her with a pained expression. “Was it at least worth this little guy’s suffering?”
 
The orange mare nodded, slowly and carefully. “I called Twilight and Fluttershy over right after that and they were here within fifteen minutes. But all they could do was watch with me. Fluttershy was unable to make even the broadest guess what happened to him and Twilight said she couldn’t do anything without knowledge of what had caused his condition. She said nopony could do anything without knowing what happened. She stated that it’s not a question of ability, but rather of knowledge.”
 
Mac thought about that for a few seconds before he looked her in the eyes. “How much did you use? And how long did it take?”
 
Applejack pulled out a few walnuts from under her Stetson. “As I said, I only dipped these into the poison. The dose was minimal and I even watered the stuff down five to one beforehand. I thought a higher dose could cause suspicions. And in the end, it took not even 20 minutes from when he ate the nut until he dropped dead for good. If you ask me, if this shit doesn’t get the job done, I don’t know what will.”
 
The Apple siblings looked each other in the eyes. “Do you think a higher dose will kill her without unnecessary suffering?”
 
A firm shake of Applejack’s head confirmed Big Mac’s suspicions. “Don’t think so. And, to be honest, it was never intended to kill short and sweet. It was always meant to let the victim suffer, you know that. The only way to spare her the pain I can think of is to drug her before you give her the shot.”
 
The stallion nodded. “I thought so, but to be honest as well, Luna did nothing to us. She is as innocent as possible. I don’t want her to suffer.”
 
His sister closed her eyes and leaned back. “So? What do you suggest?”
 
Big Macintosh finished his cider, stood up and walked around the table. As he stood next to his sister, he raised to his full height and spoke in a tone that wouldn’t allow any contradiction whatsoever. “I’ve grown to like her, maybe not as a real marefriend but at least as a friend of mine. I won’t see her suffering, especially since she’s innocent. I know that her death is part of the plan and I swore that I will carry out that plan. But I will, at least, make her leave this world with happiness in her heart and without any trace of pain. And after all is done…”
 
The raise of an orange hoof and the pained face of his sister silenced him. “I know Mac. After everything is done, we will confess to Twilight and atone for what we did.”
 
Applejack took a few deep breaths and blinked away tears of guilt. “It’s ok, you can do whatever you want. I don’t feel comfortable to let Princess Luna suffer for Celestia’s crimes either. She deserves a little bit of happiness and a gentle passing.”
 
Mac bent his neck and nuzzled his sister. “Thank you.”
 
Without another word he left the room and went to bed. The next day would be important and he needed to be in top form to pull through it.
 
All the while, Applejack didn’t leave the table. Instead she downed a few more mugs of their strongest cider and gave in to her thoughts.
 
When Mac’s heavy snoring rang down the stairs she looked up and smiled, although it was a smile without any trace of joy. “You tell me you don’t love her, but your eyes tell me you’re lying.”
 
She downed another swig of cider. “I’m sure you’re planning to follow her after we’re done. And I think it’s your right to do so. I never wanted to make you choose between your special somepony and your family.”
 
Applejack raised her cider and toasted in the direction of Big Mac’s room “I thank you Mac.”
 
She downed the rest of her mug in one go and a single tear formed in the corner of her eye. “I’m sorry....”
 
Silence befell the room, only once in a while pierced by slight sobs.

> date in the moonlight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mac had skipped most of his afternoon chores to get himself ready for his date. Apple Bloom teased him more than just a few times, because he was really going out of his way to look the best he could.
 
Applejack kept her distance from the farmhouse while her brother got himself ready. Although she claimed that she wanted to deal with his chores, he knew that she felt guilty for what he would do to Luna. He thought it was a good sign that she felt bad about it. A good pony had to feel awful for what they wanted to do and he just refused to believe that his sister was a bad pony who would relish such actions.
 
As he walked up to Ponyville station he reiterated his plans for the day over and over. He would embrace her as soon as he arrived in Canterlot and not let go of her for the rest of the evening. They would take a walk across the city and search for a place to watch the night sky. While they admired Lunas stars they would savor the special cider he brought. Sweet Apple Acres was known for some of the best cider in Equestria and this was the really good stuff.
 
After the Cider would have been consumed, they would head for a place where they were among themselves, just the two of them. If Luna wanted it, they would spend the night like mare and stallion, no words, just emotions.
 
At the end of the day, he would wait for the princess to fall asleep. Since he didn’t know if the princess of the night needed any sleep at all, he had prepared some of the cider with soporifics and marked the bottles inconspicuously. Once she was fast asleep, he would inject her an even stronger anesthetic to make sure she wouldn’t wake up.
 
His eyes dropped to the floor, he felt terrible for thinking about how to end a life this special. He even actively avoided to think about how he would kill her. Only one thing was already decided, Luna wouldn’t feel anything and he would not inflict any harm to her body.
 
The sun disappeared over the horizon almost half an hour before the train hit Canterlot station. All the while Mac imagined how Luna shapeshifted into her disguised form and then got all dressed up for her special night.
 
When he finally arrived at their agreed meeting place, he searched for the dark blue unicorn mare with the shooting star for a cutie mark. Oddly enough, she didn’t seem to be at the track, although Mac had expected her to be eager to see him.
 
He strolled around the station for a few minutes in search of his date, until something jumped onto his back. Dark hooves covered his eyes and a deliberately poor attempt to mimic Nightmare Moon’s voice stroke his ear. “You walk around carelessly, my little pony. Are you not afraid of me gobbling you up?”
 
Mac couldn’t help but chuckle. “Nope. I have some candy on me.”
 
Luna dropped the act and her voice took on a more seductive tone, one that Mac had never heard from her before. “What if I have no interest in your candy?”
 
The red stallion started to wiggle slightly. “Then you give me no choice...” Within an instant the minor wiggle became a major earthponyquake.
 
With a dull thud, Luna fell of Macintosh's back and looked at her stallion with eyes as wide as dinner plates. She watched him for a few seconds before she got up and tried to give him a sulky look. Which proved to be rather difficult with the, not so small, smile on her muzzle.
 
With an apologetic look in his eyes Mac nuzzled her neck. “Sorry, if i’ve been rude. Did I hurt you?”
 
Luna shook her head and nuzzled him back, once again enjoying the small stature of her shapeshifted form. “It is fine, I have always found a good prank to be enjoyable.” 

She chuckled slightly. “Besides, it will take much more than that to hurt me”
 
After a shared laugh, they started to leave the station and began their special night.
 



 
The first stop Luna had wished for was a movie theater. She had learned that couples often went to watch romantic movies together and politely asked if they could do that. Mac didn’t like this sort of entertainment, but he was determined to fulfill every wish Luna had, so he agreed anyways.
 
After the movie was over and they left the theater Luna glared daggers at the place. “This movie was awful. The mare constantly lied to both stallions about each other and yet, they still seemed to adore her more than their own lives after they found out. Who would like a mare as indecisive and dishonest as that one? It even looked like they would kill each other over that stupid slob in the end. I have seen many stupid and disgusting dreams over the years but this was just … Blearg.”
 
Macintosh chuckled at Luna’s rant and slightly nuzzled her. “I never liked those things either. They just don’t feel like the kind of love I would enjoy.”
 
Luna smirked at the stallion. “Oh? What portrayal of love would you prefer then?”
 
He had to pause for a minute to think about what he actually would enjoy to see in a love movie. “I actually would go for something like the story of Princess Cadence and Shining Armor. AJ once told me how they met and I think it would make for quite a good movie.”
 
Luna cocked an eyebrow. “You know how they met each other? You definitely need to tell me that!”
 



 
Although Big Mac submitted his proposal to search for a private place, Luna insisted that she wanted to go to a restaurant first. She admitted that she never before went to a restaurant with a stallion and therefore was curious about how this would be. She admitted that her sister had provided her with more than enough books on the subject of ‘how to bond with your special somepony’ to give her quite a number of ideas.
 
Naturally Mac gave in and invited Luna to the best restaurant he could afford and declined any offer from her to handle the payment. But since Luna was rather persistent in that matter he had to resort to some sort of trump card. “Was in your books never mentioned that a true gentlestallion has to pay if he invites his beloved to a restaurant?”
 
Luna opened and closed her muzzle a few times before she looked down and mumbled. “It was stated that the common conception is that the stallion has to pay for the mare.”
 
She looked him in the eyes and pouted. “But I do not want this. I like that you treat me nice and caring and give me the feeling of beeing really special, but I do not wish to be pampered by you.”
 
She nuzzled against his chest and her voice was only slightly louder than a whisper. “Mac, the servants at the palace do this to me day in, day out. They treat me like a foal. Princess do you want us to do this? Or Princess do you want us to take care of that? I sometimes feel like they are on the brink of asking me if I want them to wipe my ...”
 
Mac cleared his throat and Luna seemed to realize instantly what she was about to say. She buried her face in his coat and mumbled few unintelligible curses into his chest.
 
Finally, she looked back into his eyes and her face had taken on a pleading expression. “Please Mac, don’t treat me like you are my servant.”
 
The big red stallion showed a smile as broad and loving as possible. “I would never treat you any other way. I only want to pay for you because I want to show you that you are worth more to me than bits.”
 
A single tear rolled down Luna’s cheek while Macintosh leaned in for a soft kiss.
 
Luna kept up thanking Mac for almost one whole hour after they left the restaurant. All the while he couldn’t do much more than smile and blush. It was a strange thought that the adorable mare in front of him, who had an almost fillylike joy written all over her face, was actually a nearly omnipotent and immortal alicorn princess. Oddly enough, that thought only made his marefriend all the more adorable.
 



 
After a long walk towards the castle they finally reached the royal gardens. Luna looked around suspiciously for a few minutes and Big Mac was given to understand that he had to be silent, at least until she signaled him otherwise. When she finally was assured that they were the only ponies in the gardens she dropped her shapeshifting spell and stretched her wings.
 
Mac admired her true form and felt another smile creeping onto his muzzle, she was simply stunning. “You’re beautiful.”
 
Luna chuckled and put her wings around his neck. “I have to admit, it feels really good to hear you saying that. Most ponies keep their flattery to Celestia.”
 
The apple farmer nuzzle his marefriend. “Well, mine is only for you. But what comes next? Do you want me to open up the cider I brought?”
 
The night princess shook her head and kissed him. “No, not yet. I had a special place in mind for our first night.”
 
Macintosh cocked his head. “Here in the gardens? I don’t see how...”
 
Another quick kiss from Luna silenced him. “Not here. I have a little sanctuary, which can only be reached using a special teleportation spell of mine.”
 
She leaned forward and whispered into his ear. “Not even my sister will be able to bother us there.”

Big Mac was hit by the sudden realization that he would never be able to come back if he decided to pull his plans off in Luna’s sanctuary. But a look into the princess’s eyes made this concern fade into nothingness.

Luna seemed to have notices something in his expression and looked concerned. “I’m sorry, did I say something wrong?”
 
A firm shook of his head made her worries disappear. “No, it’s ok. I’m just a little stunned that you have a place like that. Magic is something astonishing, especially when you’re an earth pony.”
 
The stallion received a gentle kiss from the princess before a sudden flash of light encased both of their forms.
 



 
The scenery of Luna’s sanctuary was stunning. The night sky stretched above their heads and seemed truly infinite. Every star was perfectly visible and not a single cloud dared to hinder their view. All around the two ponies was a vast garden with plants Mac had never seen before, although they seemed to be vaguely familiar. Behind the garden was the biggest mansion he had ever seen, build in a style that was almost identical to that of the castle of the two sisters. But only if any pony searched for the silvery disk of the moon, they would truly grasp what they were experiencing. Because, between the countless small dots of light there was no moon, but Equestria itself.
 
The sanctuary of the princess of the moon was nothing less than the moon itself. She explained that she, or rather Nightmare Moon, had constructed her own palace on the moon after Celestia had banished her for one thousand years and that she just took it over after her reformation. Nevertheless, the view was spectacular.
 



 
Luna slept next to Big Mac, a pleased smile on her muzzle. The stallion looked down on his princess and sighed. One didn't need much to know Applejack would be furious, but the plan needed to be changed in regards to the exceptional situation he found himself in. He never would betray his family, but Luna had become part of the family too.
 
At the beginning, the dates where only to get close to her. She was Celestia’s sister and if he and his sister could take her away, it would give the sun princess a good first impression of the pain they had felt when she took their parents. But over time, things changed. Luna opened up, shared her thoughts and feelings with him and, that night, even shared the very essence of herself with him. He couldn't go on without her, not even if he wanted to.
 
But no matter how he looked at it, their plan, the oath he and Applejack swore at their parents graves, could never be fulfilled with Luna around. Even if he did not kill her, she would never let the Apples take revenge on her beloved sister and he had to admit, he could relate to that.
 
In the end, there was only one solution.
 
Big Macintosh pulled out the syringe with the anesthetic he brought with him and sat down next to Luna. He stroke her mane and gently exposed her neck. He knew that big veins ran down the sides of a pony’s neck and that from there the anesthetic would take almost immediate effect. It would take mere seconds for the heart to disperse it into her body and then he only had to see it through.
 
He searched for one of Luna’s veins, lined the syringe up and, as careful as he could, injected its content into the princess’s body.
 
After he had pulled the needle out, Luna only scratched the prick slightly with her hoof before she came to rest again. All the while, Mac sat next to her and thought about it. He could still call off everything he had set in motion. She was an alicorn, she would definitely survive the anesthetic he gave her, she would maybe sleep one or two days straight, but nothing serious.
 
He shook his head, it had to be done.
 
Out of his saddlebags, he produced a small flask with a dark purple liquid. AJ had placed it in his room when he slept with a note that said. Just in case. And he thanked her for that, this whole mess was definitely calling for their special mixed poison.
 
He went back to Luna, uncorked the flask and sniffed. Strangely, it smelled like apple blossoms, not really what he expect from a deadly poison.
 
Finally, he gently tilted her head, opened her muzzle and poured half of the poison directly into her mouth. The unconscious Princess gulped the liquid down and didn’t even flinch.
 
After his deed was done, he laid down next to Luna and kissed her nose. “I’m terribly sorry that I had to do this. But, I can’t break a promise I gave AJ and my parents. I hope you can forgive me in whatever world comes next.”
 
He gently stroke her cheek with his hoof. “At least you won’t feel anything.”
 
With a sudden jerk of his hoof he had brought the bottle to his muzzle and greedily gulped down every last drop left in it. After he was done, he threw the bottle away and smiled at Luna. “I will follow you. And I will suffer for what I did to you.”
 
Even before the last words escaped his lips he felt a bolt of pain pierce his stomach. He leaned forward to kiss Luna one last time. “I love you …” An exceptionally hefty jolt of pain ran through Mac’s intestines and he drew a few ragged breaths before he was able to smile at her one last time. “… My princess.”

> fading sunlight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was almost one week since Big Mac went for his date with Princess Luna. Applejack hadn’t thought much about it when he didn’t return next morning. Maybe he had to keep a low profile to make it out of Canterlot or possibly his plan needed more time than they originally thought.
 
On the second day of his absence she grew more anxious by the hour. Apple Bloom and Granny Smith also started mentioning that they worried about him, he should have returned by now.
 
Finally, three days after his departure, the orange mare couldn’t bare it any longer and made her way to Twilight’s castle to ask her friend if she knew a spell that could help find Big Mac. And secretly she hoped to hear something that could help her determine if Mac’s attempt was a success or not.
 
When Applejack arrived at the castle two royal guards, with significantly heavier armor and more weapons than usual, stood in front of the gate. They eyed the newcomer suspiciously and with the obvious intention to either stop her or die trying.
 
One of the two stepped forward and pointed his lance at Applejacks chest. “Access to the castle is restricted.”
 
Applejack’s eyebrow raised, ever so slightly. “Princess Twilight and I are close friends, I don’t think I’m a security risk.”
 
The guard seemed unyielding in his decision. “We have strict orders from Princess Celestia, to let nopony inside. These orders furthermore got sanctioned and backed up by Princess Twilight Sparkle. I am deeply sorry Miss Applejack, but we cannot let you in. Despite the fact that we know exactly who you are.”
 
Obviously there was no point in arguing with these two, but at least they gave away a few hints Applejack had searched for. It was very likely that Celestia was deeply troubled by something to give such orders. And as far as the orange farm pony knew, this something was probably the death of her one and only sister. Which would mean that Big Mac had succeeded in his attempt to get rid of the night princess. Furthermore it was highly unlikely that they captured him, otherwise they surely would have arrested the other Apples already. As far as Applejack could tell at this point, her brother had succeeded in killing Luna and was now either on the run or hiding from authority.
 
She decided to stay at the castle and wait until she got permission to enter, then she would ask Twilight what was going on and maybe even got a few words from Celestia herself. With a little bit of luck, she might even get a chance to arrange the next blow against the sun princess.
 



 
It took a whole morning of waiting until the doors of the castle opened. Twilight peeked her head out and instantly recognized her friend, sitting under a tree not far away. “Applejack? What are you doing here? And why are you sitting outside?”
 
One of the guards cleared his throat. “Princess, we had very specific orders to not let anypony in. We informed Miss Applejack that there could be no exception to that order.”
 
The lavender princess grinned, blushed and nodded simultaneously. “Yeah, right … good job.” She focused on Applejack. “I’m sorry you had so sit outside, do you want to come in?”
 
Slowly the orange mare rose to her hooves and made her way over to her royal friend. “It’s no problem Twilight. I may not be around royal guards that often, but even I can see that these two aren’t here because it’s a nice day to be in Ponyville. Anything serious happened?”
 
Twilight cast down her eyes and scraped the floor with one hoof. “I can’t really talk about it here. Walk right in, then we can talk about everything.”
 
Applejack did as she was told and walked past the royal guards. After she was in, Twilight resumed with what she originally came for. “Princess Celestia is asleep for now. I need to handle a few things, so only disturb me if there is something really, really important. Anything and anypony else has to come back in a few days.”
 
The guards saluted in perfect unison before Twilight closed the door and heaved a heavy sigh. “I’m sorry Applejack, but can we talk in the kitchen? I really need something sweet to calm my nerves.”
 
The farm pony nodded firmly. “It’s that nasty?”
 
A humorless smile creeped onto Twilight's muzzle before she started to walk towards the kitchen. “You have no idea...”
 



 
Both mares sat on their haunches over a piece of apple pie and hot chocolate. Applejack thought about directly asking what had happened, but in the end, she didn’t want to put more pressure on Twilight than strictly necessary. She was her friend after all and despite her resentments against Celestia, she didn’t want to hurt her friend more than she had to. In the end, the sun princess was almost like a mother to the lavender alicorn.
 
After Twilight had eaten almost half of her pie she looked her friend in the eyes. “Celestia is devastated. She arrived here yesterday evening, shortly after moonrise and almost cried for one hour straight. She didn’t even tell me what was wrong, she just jumped at me, hugged me and started crying.”
 
Being the embodiment of the element of honesty had one clear advantage, Applejack was perfect in reading other ponies expressions. And when somepony can read other ponies’ feelings like an open book, she learns to control her own expression sooner or later. Nopony could tell what was going on behind Applejack’s facade if she didn’t want them to know. Besides, nopony even suspected her to lie. And so, the orange farm pony managed to put on a sorrowful, almost hurt, look, all the while her heart was filled with mischievous joy.
 
After a few moments, Applejack took off her Stetson, put it on the table and sighed. “Is it okay if I ask why she was like this?”
 
Twilight simple nodded and took another sip of her chocolate. “Luna is gone.”
 
The pained expression on her friends face was too much to bear, Applejack looked at her hooves before she asked the obvious question. “I’m sorry Twilight. I know how it feels to lose a member of the family. Did she at least pass away without suffering?”
 
The lavender princess shook her head and a tear rolled down her cheek. “That’s it, we don’t know. To be accurate, we don’t even know if Luna is dead, although there is no other explanation.”
 
“Explanation for what?”
 
“As I said, she is gone. There is practically no trace of her since three days. She left the palace shortly after she rose the moon and was not seen afterwards. The strange thing is, we can’t locate her. Normally an entity as powerful as Luna would be very easy to track down.”
 
Applejack cocked her head. “So, you can track down the princesses?”
 
Twilight nodded. “Technically you can track down anypony. Every living being has a magical aura that is unique in strength and appearance, like a cutie mark. The more magic a creature has, the easier is it to track it down.”
 
“So, shouldn’t be any princess extremely easy to find then?”
 
“Yes, that’s exactly the point. A normal pony, regardless of her tribe or anything, would only be like a single match in a see others. But an alicorn, especially one as old as Celestia and Luna, would be like the sun itself in comparison. YOU SIMPLY COULD NOT OVERLOOK THEM.”
 
“But wouldn’t that light vanish if she’s dead?”
 
“Not instantly, it’s like the warmth of a body, it diminishes over time. If there was a body, even a small shred of her, we could find it. But there’s nothing, it’s like she never even existed in the first place. Celestia searched for one and a half days straight, after she remarked Luna’s absence. This morning we searched together and still found not even the slightest trace.”
 
“What do you plan to do next? Somebody has to take care of the moon, right?”
 
Twilight looked down at her hooves. “After she told me about everything, I tried to help her. But even with all my magic, I can’t guide the moon. For now, the princess has resumed control over sun and moon, although it’s quite taxing for her.”
 
“How’s that? She did it for a thousand years, while Nightmare Moon was banished.”
 
“Of course, but back then, it was also extremely exhausting for her. She told me it took her several years to get used to moving both, sun and moon. And in the end, magic is like a muscle. If you train it, it becomes stronger, if you stop using it, it weakens. After Luna’s return, Celestia committed the control of the moon back to her. She didn’t use the magic to control it since then and therefore it weakened. I think it will take her at least one year, maybe two, until she gets used to it again.”
 
“I’m terribly sorry Twilight. Can I help you two somehow?”
 
Twilight smiled warmly and wiped a few tears from her eyes. “Thanks Applejack, but for now, I think it’s best for Celestia not to be around that many ponies. I think I will need your help soon enough, when she is a little more emotionally stable. I will call for you and the others then.”
 
Applejack smiled and nodded. “I think we all will do what we can to help the princess.”
 
Twilight kept smiling. “Thank you. But before you go, what did you want from me?”
 
“Beg your pardon?”
 
“You waited outside the castle when I peeked out the door. You must have been there for a reason.”
 
Applejack shook her head and gave Twilight a warm hug. “Nothing important, I just wanted to ask you a few things regarding family business. But it can wait until we dealt with the princess’s problems.”
 
Twilight nuzzled her orange friend thankfully. “I promise, we will deal with everything after Princess Celestia is back on her hooves.”
 
Without another word, Applejack left the kitchen and the castle of friendship. She had to restrain herself from smiling over Celestias condition. 

When she was back in ponyville, she allowed herself a few giggles. This was perfect, she didn’t know how Mac had done this, but he dealt a blow towards Celestia that was even more devastating than they could ever have imagined.
 
His own absence was most likely due to his feelings for Luna. The evening before he went on his date with her, she saw it in his eyes, he wanted to follow her. It was quite likely that he did exactly that. Strangely, Applejack had no problem with that, her brother was most likely dead and still, she felt only happiness because of Celestia’s pain.
 
With every second Applejack thought about the sun princess’s pain, she grew happier and happier. It felt good to know that she suffered. She deserved to suffer and if possible, she would let her suffer for all eternity. Yes, to her, Celestia’s pain felt good, very good indeed.

> grasping an opportunity
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Applejack spent the next few days calming her family over Big Mac's disappearance and reassuring them that he told her that he might be out for a few days. Initially, she had some remorse for lying to her own family, but since they didn't expect her to do exactly that they actually believed her rather easy. So, in the end, a combination of trust amongst family and the fact that no pony could even imagine the embodiment of honesty to tell a lie helped Applejack to convince her family that Mac would be back in few days.
 
In the meantime, she worked on a faked farewell letter to help her settle the issue. Due to the fact earth ponies used their mouths to write, they didn’t really have a neat writing and so it was anything but easy to distinguish the author of a letter by anything else than his signature and his speech pattern. Applejack could copy both things fairly easy, since she knew her brother better than anypony else.
 
A full week after Big Macintosh was seen last, Applejack presented her handiwork to her family. She had planned this whole situation in detail. The night before she had placed a little bit of chili powder inside the briefcase and hid the prepared letter under her Stetson. When Derpy finally showed up to deliver the mail for the day, Applejack made sure to be the one to get it. After the grey pegasus was gone, she took out her faked letter, ripped it open and pretended to read it. After that, she grabbed the chili and rubbed a little bit of it into her eyes to make them tear up. Finally, with teary eyes and a pained expression, she went back in and presented it with a slight whimper to her family.
 
Apple Bloom grabbed the piece of paper from her older sister with a confused look on her face. She never had seen Applejack crying before, but as soon as she read the first few sentences of the letter tears flooded her eyes too.
 
She took a few moments to calm herself down before she started to read Big Mac’s last message to his family out aloud.
 
“AJ, Apple Bloom, Granny,
 
I’m terribly sorry for what I’ve done but I can’t go on like this any longer. For the last few months I visited Mom’s and Dad’s graves more than usual, most of the time I went there all by myself. I kind of wanted to make a cut, but I never really could.
 
A few weeks ago, I came to the conclusion that I could never put a closure to this while I’m at Sweet Apple Acres. Furthermore, I have found a really special mare. I haven’t told you at the time I’m writing this letter, but I’m pretty sure I will tell you about her before you will get to read it. I hope the fact that I’m not alone right now will help you a little bit in this time.
 
Granny, I’m thankful for everything you did, you made me the stallion I am and I will never forget you. I will continue to work with apples, so rest assured, I’m not throwing the family tradition out the window. I will always love you.
 
AJ, I’m sorry that I put the entirety of Sweet Apple Acres on your shoulders with this, but you have the best of friends and I’m sure they will help you. Don’t be too proud to accept their help. I think you will be fine without me, you’re a strong mare now and you don’t need your big brother watching over you anymore.
 
Apple Bloom, I’m as sorry as I am sad that I can’t be around when you get your cutie mark, but I think I already know what your special talent is and I’m sure you will get a wonderful cutie mark. Don’t give AJ to hard of a time with your crusader friends, she will need your support now.
 
Don’t bother searching for me, I had plenty of time to think about and plan for this, I don’t think you’ll find me. And even if you manage to track me down, I won’t come back, I need this fresh start, far away from Sweet Apple Acres.
 
I wish you all the best of luck, good bye,
Big Macintosh”
 
Apple Bloom threw herself at her older sister and burst into tears after the last words of her big brother had faded away. Granny Smith went to her rocking chair and sat there in quiet acceptance of the message of her grandson.
 
Meanwhile, Applejack’s spice induced tears managed to mask the fact that she was rather relieved that her biggest lie yet managed to trick the ponies closest to her. Her plan for Celestia was not done yet and she didn’t meant to deal with anypony sniffing around because of a vanished Big Mac all the while.
 



 
A few days after Applejack had presented the faked farewell letter to her family, Princess Luna’s death was publicly announced by both Twilight Sparkle and Princess Cadence. They also announced a great funeral at Canterlot to honor the princess of the night and to put her to her final rest.
 
Princess Celestia herself was not seen since her sister’s disappearance, some ponies even started to doubt that she herself was still alive. Maybe the other two princesses had taken over the duties of the two sisters. Darker rumors even suspected that Cadence and Twilight overthrew the former diarchs of Equestria.
 
These rumors weren’t discussed in public of course, they were whispered in dark cellars and alleys. Nevertheless, slowly but surely, fear took hold of the hearts of ponies all over the land.
 



 
Within the next few days thousands upon thousands of ponies made their way to Canterlot to attend the royal funeral. 

Every pony whose dreams where ever visited by the night princess came to bow before her one last time. 

Foals begged their parents to go to Canterlot to say goodbye to the princess which brought them Nightmare Night. 

The pegasi of Cloudsdale decided that they would make the city itself shed tears for the dead princess and so, until the funeral was over, the greatest pegasi city cried rain onto the land.
 
For the ponies closest to Luna it was almost painful to watch this much love. All the younger of the two sisters ever desired was the love and admiration of her subjects. She once rebelled against Celestia because she felt unloved by the masses, but now, virtually everypony in all of Equestria cried because of her loss. She was loved by them, more than she would ever know.
 



 
Twilight and her friends escorted Princess Celestia back to Canterlot and volunteered to take care of everything regarding the funeral. Cadence, Fluttershy and Twilight stayed with the princess every waking moment and made sure she always had somepony to talk to. All the while Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Shining Armor took care that the funeral of Princess Luna was fitting. Even though it was a tragic cause, the ceremony would be worthy of the one and only princess of the night.
 
Rarity had resumed her relations with Fancy Pants to get her fashion idea to be the talk of the town in less than two days. When the funeral came, everypony had taken her plea to heart and wore dresses in dark blue colors, with Princess Luna’s cutie mark on them, in her honor. It was almost as if the whole city was populated by smaller lookalikes of the night princess. Meanwhile, Rarity wore a simple black dress with a veil to hide her teary eyes. While normally she would have tried to be the prettiest mare in the city for virtually any other occasion, this time, she preferred not to be the center of attention. This was Luna’s day and hers alone.
 
Rainbow Dash personally flew to Cloudsdale and talked to Spitfire and the other Wonderbolts. She had set her mind on the idea that they had to carry the coffin through the city. After all, they were the best flyers Equestria had to offer and only the best were good enough the princess. Rainbow Dash herself marched behind the coffin. Her head was bowed deep in one last gesture humility towards one of the few ponies she recognized as more awesome than she was herself.
 
Shining Armor had, for the time of the funeral, resumed his position as captain of the royal guard and drilled Luna’s personal night guard for days until they did everything in unison. He had an image of the perfect guard of honor in mind and he didn’t give in before he had formed them into exactly that image. They marched in front of the coffin, faces like stone and steely gazes, just like Luna herself when she protected her subjects from any harm.
 
Pinkie Pie had taken care of fitting music for the whole city of Canterlot. Her hair laid flat and her eyes were filled with tears. On every corner was a small band playing a sad tune. This was not the kind of party she liked, but it was probably the most important one she was ever involved in. If it would bring Princess Luna back, Pinkie wouldn’t have thrown a party ever again. Sadly, this was out of the question, she only could do her best to show the spirit of the princess how much everypony would miss her.
 
Applejack was placed in charge of the food and she gave everything she could to make the buffet for Luna’s funeral the best it could be. Salads, pies, snacks, niblets and many other things were prepared and she tested everything. If something was not absolutely perfect she disposed it personally.
 
What nopony else knew however was the fact that the taste of the food had to be as good as possible because of more sinister reasons. Applejack had brought everything that was left of the special poison she had mixed and had planned on adding it to everything she made. But to mask the slightly bitter flavor of the poison, the treats needed to have a more intense taste than usual and had to be incredibly good. Every time she accomplished this balance in one of her goods, she was one step closer to her revenge.
 
At first, she had a few concerns about how to get Celestia to eat the poisoned food, but she eventually decided to keep it simple and added it to every treat that would be served. Of course, like this a few guests also would bite the dust, but she couldn’t turn back now. Besides, after the murder of two princesses, what much difference would it make if she had a few dead nobles more or less to answer for?

> the deed
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Princess Luna was put to rest in the gardens of Canterlot Castle, with only a small marble plaque marking the exact location of the empty coffin. A huge line of ponies waited outside the gardens to say one last goodbye to the princess. Many of them had rather personal reasons, most were once visited by the princess in their dreams when they hit a crucial point in their lives.
 
The first to say her farewell was obviously Celestia herself. Nopony had ever seen her like this, her eyes were red from constant crying, her mane had lost its ethereal quality and even her coat was not bright white anymore, but rather a dull grey. For the first time in her life Celestia felt truly old and fragile.
 
Twilight and her friends were the next to say their goodbyes. Each of them approached the grave separately and shared one last moment with their friend.
 
Twilight herself only bowed wordlessly before the gravestone.
 
Fluttershy hid her expression behind her mane, but quiet sobs and dropping tears spoke more than her face ever could.
 
Rainbow Dash saluted in front of the grave and a single tear rolled down her cheek.
 
Pinkie Pie sat on her haunches with the saddest face she ever had. “Goodbye Princess Luna. I will bring you some candy on Nightmare Night, I Pinkie Promise.”
 
Rarity smiled sadly under her veil and nodded towards the city and all the ponies which wore Lunas colors and cutie mark. “I hope you like it.”
 
Applejack was the last to step towards Luna’s gravestone. She took off her Stetson and spoke in a very low voice. “You don’t have to wait very long, your sister will join you before this day comes to an end.” When a slight smile attempted to creep onto her lips and threatened to blow her cover, Applejack hid her face behind her hat and pretended to cry slightly. But aside from acted sadness, there was only dark glee in her heart, fueled by Celestia’s pain.
 



 
Princess Celestia was brought back inside the castle by Twilight and her friends. All but Applejack took care of the princess and helped her to get herself ready for the funeral reception. The orange farm pony however had to excuse herself to take care of the buffet, a few things still needed to be taken care of before the private farewell celebration for Luna’s closest friends could be held.
 
The main problem Applejack needed to address was the fact that Celestia had cut down the guest list for the reception quite a bit. Just this morning she declared in her royal court that only Princess Cadence, her husband Shining Armor, Princess Twilight Sparkle, the former bearers of the Elements of Harmony and she herself would be allowed at this celebration. Of course, Canterlot’s royalty was shocked and protested, but a single shout with her royal Canterlot voice made quite clear that there would be no discussion about that, and that the sun princess had quite the bad temper these days.
 
So, in the end, Applejack was forced to adjust the selection of treats. She needed to make new one.s which weren’t poisoned, so her friends wouldn’t die with the princess. Second priority on her list was to get rid of the majority of the other food, so nopony who didn’t deserve it would poison themselves accidentally. But her friends came first.
 
After several hours of baking Applejack was done. She had prepared an almost completely new buffet for the private reception, all the while fending of several dozen ponies who almost begged for some of the leftovers. She was exhausted, but happy with her work, this would lead to Celestia’s demise and she would have a front row seat to watch the show.
 
Applejack made her way back to her room and sprawled herself on the couch to get a few minutes of rest before she needed to get ready for the special event.
 



 
A slight knock on the door managed to creep into Applejack’s consciousness and started to wake her up. A few additional knocks later she managed to open one eye and looked grudgingly towards the door. Another knock finally forced a deep grunt out of her throat, caused her to rise up to take a look and maybe yell at the pony who insisted on ending her well-earned rest.
 
When Applejack finally opened the door a royal guard stood in front of her, the face stern like a statue and a hoof already raised to knock again. “Yeah, what do you want?”
 
The guard lowered his hoof and cleared his throat. “Since you didn’t show up for princess Luna’s funeral reception, Princess Celestia was worried you might have fallen asleep after preparing the food. She send me to look for you Miss Applejack.”
 
Applejack’s eyes widened slightly. “So, what time is it exactly?”
 
The guard didn’t show even the slightest emotion, neither in his face nor his voice. “It is a few minutes to five, Miss. The princess and the other guests are waiting since almost one hour.”
 
Applejack gulped and scratched the back of her head. “I will be there in a few seconds.”
 
A nod was all the reaction the guard could manage before the door to Applejack’s room slammed shut in his face.
 
While the guard himself retreated in a rather relaxed pace, the orange farm pony almost turned into a whirlwind of haste to get herself ready. Applejack not only needed to make herself presentable, but also needed to do it fast. Rarity had instructed all of her friends on how to properly dress and style for an event like this, so she was practically obligated to dress up and play along.
 
She first groomed her mane and tale, then she got rid of the dark circles under her eyes, after that she had to rebind the ribbons in her hair and finally needed to dust of her Stetson. Although, this was just the minimal program Rarity had her instructed to do, it was a pain in the flank for her. At least she could look forward to getting back at Celestia for what she did to her parents and, at least in her opinion, that made up for quite a lot of trouble.
 



 
Applejack arrived at Celestia’s private chambers a few minutes after the guard had awoken her. She calmed herself, put on an apologetic expression and knocked.
 
Twilight’s magical aura enveloped the door and slowly opened it, allowing Applejack to enter the room. She turned her head towards Princess Celestia and slightly bowed. “I’m sorry for getting late, I fell asleep after I finished up the treats.”
 
Celestia looked at her with slightly reddened eyes and smiled weakly. “There is no need to apologize Applejack. It must have been a great deal of work and we all understand that you were tired.”
 
Rainbow Dash pointed one hoof towards a barrel of Sweet Apple Acres’ best cider. “Yeah, but can you imagine how hard it was to not touch anything?”
 
Rarity cleared her throat. “But, as we all, Rainbow managed to keep her hooves to herself and wait for you. Although I have to admit that it all looks and smells magnificent. You have truly outdone yourself.”
 
Celestia chuckled briefly. “The self-control of your friends is impressive, although Twilight was adamant that she had to cast a force field around the cider-barrel.”
 
As if to emphasize Celestia’s statement, Rainbow’s hoof, that had attempted a sneak attack on the cider, met a solid pink shield that enveloped the barrel. A few of the others chuckled, meanwhile Rainbow Dash could only grunt at the field.
 
Applejack walked up to her friend and put a foreleg around her shoulders. “Rainbow, someday, we really need to have a talk about cider misuse.”
 
Twilight tapped her hoof on the table to get the attention of her friends. “Ok everypony, get a seat.”
 
Without further ado, everypony sat down at the big round table in the middle of the chamber.

Celestia cleared her throat and rose to her hooves. “I want to thank all of you, my little ponies. You did wonderful organizing the celebrations and without your help I would not have been able to make the festivities worthy of Luna’s remembrance.”
 
She turned her head towards Cadence, Fluttershy and Twilight. “I thank you for helping me and taking care of me while I, admittedly, was little more than a crying mess. You supported me in the hardest time of my considerably long life, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
 
Her eyes switched to Rarity and a gentle smile brightened her muzzle. “Rarity, you did a wonderful job in making the citizens of Canterlot show their affection for Luna. I know many of them only did it because you pulled some strings and not because they wanted to honor Luna’s memory. But she would have loved it, I thank you for that.”
 
Next, Celestias gaze fell upon Rainbow Dash. “I was moved by your display at the parade Rainbow Dash. We all know that you are a very proud pony, and rightfully so, but this only made your gesture all the more important. Luna would be honored.”
 
The eyes of the sun princess turned their look onto Shining Armor. “I know the night guard was in desperate need of a proper way to see off its princess. You provided a parade that was a perfect and worthy image of Luna’s more martial side. You did wonderful Shining Armor.”
 
Celestia turned her faint smile at Pinkie Pie. “Pinkie, the music and decorations were great. I’m very sorry that I had to bother you with a festival that does contradict your special talent as much as this did, but I thank you so much more because of that.”
 
Finally, the princess addressed Applejack. “And last but not least, I thank you Applejack. I’m sorry that I had changed the plans for today on such a short notice, but I felt that a small gathering of Luna’s closest friends would be more to her liking, Especially when compared to a great formal reception with lots of nobles whom she never knew, much less liked.”
 
Celestia’s golden magic enveloped a large number of different cakes, niblets, treats and the barrel of cider and levitated everything over from the serving cabinet nearby to the center of the table they were sitting on. “And now, let’s eat and remember Luna for all the good things she brought to us and the happy times we had together. For this is how she will live on in our memories, as a lucky pony with friends who loved her sincerely.”
 
Up until this point Applejack didn’t really know what it was, but something bothered her. At first she thought it was Celestia’s sentimental speech, but now it dawned on her. The food was wrong. She knew everything she had made for this event and many of the things in front of her weren’t prepared for her friends. The kitchen staff must have messed up the food intended for the funeral reception with what had to be disposed.
 
Applejack could tell that more than half of the things present on the table were prepared with varying amounts of her special poison. One bite of the wrong treat would surely kill her friends.
 
While Celestia’s magic grabbed a few knives and started to slice the different cakes, Twilight levitated a first slice onto everypony’s plate. Of course they had picked Celestia’s favorite cake to start. A layered chocolate cake with whipped cream and more poison in it than most of the other cakes combined.
 
Applejack would have smashed the cake, thrown it out of the window or even had eaten it all by herself, just so save her friends. All ponies in this room were about to kill themselves with only one bite of cake and she had to watch it, she had to watch her friends die. But when she saved them, she would have also saved Celestia. She had sworn to kill the murderer of her parents, but if she blew her cover she would never get a second chance. She would be sentenced for the murder of Princess Luna, as well as the attempted murder of three more princesses and five of the greatest heroes Equestria had.
 
Everypony grabbed their forks. This was the last moment. If she spoke up now, everything could be prevented. Her friends could live. Her friends, all of them as close as her family, could survive her treachery.
 
Applejack was paralyzed by her contradicting thoughts and emotions.
 
When Fluttershy was the first to stick a bit of cake into her mouth, something snapped inside her head. The others did as Fluttershy did and seemed to enjoy the cake. All the while, Applejack started a suppressed giggle, focusing her eyes on Celestia herself.
 
With every bite her victim took, the laughter from Applejack became a bit louder and harder to keep in check. Finally, after Celestia had almost eaten up her whole slice of cake, Applejack burst into manic laughter and fell onto her back.
 
All eyes were pinned on her as she rolled around on the floor, laughing. After a few moments, Twilight approached her with a worried look. “Applejack? Are you ok?”
 
The laughter stopped and an orange face, with a wide toothy grin plastered onto it, shot up. “I’m perfectly fine Twilight. Why shouldn’t I be?”
 
Twilight took a step backwards as her friend stood back up, still grinning like a mad mare. “Well, your laughter sounded reeeeeeeeeeally creepy.”
 
“And frightening.” added Fluttershy from her hiding spot behind her mane.
 
Applejack pointed a hoof at the cake. “Well, I kind of turned into the evilest mare in Equestrian history with that thing.”
 
Celestia cocked an eyebrow. “That’s just a cake. What do you mean by…?”
 
Without a warning Rarity grimaced and collapsed on the table with a high pitched scream of pain.
 
Rainbow was at her side in the blink of an eye. “What is going on here?”
 
Before Applejack could answer Shining Armor grunted, attempted to step back from the cake and fell onto his side.
 
Celestia gazed at Applejack. “What is going on? What have you done?”
 
Rainbow Dash was the next to collapse while holding her belly with a pained expression.
 
Applejack just kept pointing at the cake. “Poison!” She giggled a few moments. “I poisoned this cake with a very special family recipe.”
 
Twilight’s eyes widened in shock as she started to grasp the situation, but she and Cadence where the next to succumb to horrific belly cramps. Even being alicorns could not save them.
 
Cadence pressed herself against her husband, desperately seeking comfort where she always had found it before. Twilight on the other hoof could only stare at her friend with disbelief and pain.
 
After that, it took only a few more moment until only Applejack, who hadn’t eaten anything, and Celestia were still up on their hooves. The princess wore an angry expression as she fought against the intense pain in her stomach. “Are you also the one responsible for my sister’s death?”
 
Applejack first nodded vigorously, but then suddenly switched to shaking her head. “Yes. No. Kind of. I don’t know actually. You may not have known, but my brother and your sister, they had a thing going on. He met her at last year’s Summer Wrap-Up Hoedown and she, kind of, fell for him at first sight. And since we already had your death planned, we took the opportunity to let you feel a little of the pain we had. We agreed on killing her, but the act itself was only on Big Mac. I don’t know what he did, but I think we can agree that he did an excellent job.”
 
Intense pain shot through Celestia’s body and she had to sit down on her haunches to avoid falling over. “Why? I don’t understand why you needed to do this.”
 
In the blink of an eye Applejack’s expression switched from cheerful to outright angry. “Ohhhhhhhhh, you don’t remember? You don’t remember how your guards came to Sweet Apple Acres a few years ago? You don’t remember how they arrested our parents and dragged them away? And you certainly don’t remember how their dead bodies were found a few days later? They were not just executed, no. The belly of my mother was cut wide open and a few animals from the Everfree had already taken more than one or two bites out of her. And my father, he wasn’t quite as lucky as mom. Your guards impaled him, several times actually and, according to the doctor, it might have taken him a few hours to finally die like this. At least, they managed to take a few of your minions with them, maybe they even scared them off. Anyway, we found a few of your dead guards around our parents, their bodies left to rot by their own comrades.”
 
Celestia fell silent for a moment, contemplating over the story she just heard. After a few minutes, a slight smile creeped onto her face and a pained chuckle escaped her muzzle. “You have no idea haven’t you?”
 
Applejack’s angry stare turned into a confused one. “You need to be more specific Sunbutt. Of what do I have no idea?”

Celestia chuckled slightly. “Why I had your parents arrested, of course.”

Applejack looked at her with a sceptical expression before she finally shrugged. “It’s not that I really care about your reasons and they don’t hold any meaning, because you are dead anyway. So, go on, entertain me with your little story.”

An especially violent coughing fit hit the princess and it took her a few minutes till she was able to continue. “Did you ever ask yourself how the Apple family was able to establish an almost equestria-wide absolute monopoly in anything apple related? Granted, your family has a history of farming apples and most of your special talents are related to apples as well, but these two things also apply to other apple farmers. So, how do you think did your family manage to either put other orchards out of business or to outright absorb them?”

Applejack sat down on her haunches and watched the princess with a puzzled look. “You do know that, even though many orchards nowadays are under control of a member of the apple family, we aren’t one big company, right? We normally don’t interfere with each other, but we are far from cooperating on a national scale. Buuuuuut, you got me curious, continue.”

Celestia nodded and resumed her tale. “Nowadays the apples are only loosely tied together, but when your parents were alive things where a little different. In fact, your parents were the heads of the whole Apple family. After they inherited Sweet Apple Acres from your grandmother, they started to establish cooperations between different branches of the Apple family. In less than two years, they united the whole family under themselves and transformed them into an economic superpower inside Equestria itself. This was the first time they attracted my attention.”

The orange farm pony shrugged. “So what? Are you telling me you were jealous of them and plotted to take them down because of that? Big companies exist all over the place. Heck, Sweet Apple Acres still supplies almost every apple in the heartland of Equestria.”

Princess Celestia smiled as she laid down on her stomach and tucked her forelegs under her chest. “True, and if they only proceeded like this I wouldn’t had any need to interfere with them. But after they united the Apples, they started to get gready. They hired thugs to sabotage other farms, poisoned the deliveries of their competitors, stole cartloads of apples from other farmers to sell them as their own and even went as far as to kill ponies who opposed them. They created a syndicate that controlled virtually every apple in Equestria, and they were expanding. I couldn’t let this go unpunished.”

Applejack’s angry look returned “I don’t believe you.”

She rose to her hooves and screamed at the princess. “I knew my parents, they were good ponies and would never do anything like that.”

A few deep breaths brought her temper back under control. “To me this sounds more like you feared what they had build up and killed them because of that.”

Celestia shook her head “I would never kill anypony. There never was something like the death penalty in Equestria and there never will be. Even when we had to march to war I never lead an army or took a live, Luna always was the one that dealt with the fighting. She was the fearsome of us, I always had the privilege to be the diplomatic sister. Luna’s sacrifice of being the ferocious warrior and defender of Equestria, allowed me to be the gentle and motherly ruler of all ponies.”

Applejack threw a serious look at Celestia. “So? How died my parents, if not by the hooves of your guards and according to your order?”

The princess toppled over to her side and drew a few ragged breaths. “As I said, … they seized some cruel methods to get to their goals. Hence, as always, what goes around, … comes around. My guards were ordered to get them and bring them to me. Unfortunately, …  a few former competitors of them got wind of it and ambushed my guards near the Everfree Forest. … Only two of my guards survived and when they made it back to Canterlot, there was not much left to do. The Apple family … scattered across Equestria, although they largely remained in control of their property, … nopony ever again tried to unite them. Most of them simply feared that they … would be killed, like your parents.”

Applejack took her Stetson into her hooves and watched it for several minutes before she faced Celestia’s tired look once more. “That’s impossible. I would have heard something like that. Big Mac and I would have seen something, we were there.”

Celestia closed her eyes and her voice started to sound faint. “You never overheard a … conversation that might sound suspicious in … retrospect? You never saw anypony … trembling in fear when your parents talked … to them? You never heard your parents talk about strange … things you didn’t understand at the … time?”

Applejack’s eyes widened as she searched her memories involuntarily. There were bits and pieces everywhere. Once a Stallion with a strange accent begged her parents for mercy about something she couldn’t remember exactly. Another time an old mare screamed at them at the market for doing something to her son. She was grabbed by Braeburns father and was never seen again. They discussed a few times who they would deal with in the next season, although they never specified what sort of dealing they were planning to do.

More and more pieces of evidence clicked into place inside her head. This couldn’t be true. Her parents were good ponies. They never hurt anypony. They never stole. They never yelled at their children. They were good parents, great parents, the best parents. No, this couldn’t be true, they would have never done anything like that.

Applejack yelled at Celestia’s almost unconscious form. “You are lying! We are an honest family! No Apple would ever lie or steal or kill!”

Twilight lifted her head and tried to focus on her friend, even though her eyes were already dull and she was unable to see any more than light and dark forms. “But you did. You lied to us and you poisoned us.”

Tears shot into Applejack’s eyes and she glanced at everypony in the room. 

Pinkie Pie’s mane was flat and her chest wasn’t moving, all the energy once stored inside her was gone.

Fluttershy sobbed quietly while her forelegs were wrapped around her barrel. She occasionally mumbled names of a few of her critter friends, begging them to help her.

Rainbow Dash attempted to stand up, always toppling over. Her expression one of anger, but her eyes, filled to the brim with tears of physical and mental pain, betrayed her.

Rarity’s expression was one of calm acceptance. She had stopped breathing a few minutes ago, but even in death she kept her ladylike behaviour.

Shining Armor and Princess Cadence were wrapped in each others embrace, their faces graced by faint smiles. It seemed that they found some comfort in the fact that they were able to die together with their loved one.

Celestia was still breathing, her face was peaceful. It was strange to see an immortal being that calm in the face of death. She seemed like an incredible burden was taken off of her.

Twilight was the last one Applejack looked at. Her eyes looked like that of a blind mare. She had succumbed to the pain and was laying on her side, but her expression was begging. Not begging for mercy though, she was begging for everything being just a bad dream. She begged that Applejack, once called, the loyalest of friends and the most dependable of ponies, hadn’t done this.

A few moments later Twilight’s head lowered to the floor and her breathing stopped. 

Applejack started to back off, shaking her head.

Rainbow Dash was the next to succumbed to the poison. She stopped her attempt to get back to her hooves and glared at her friend, whom she held responsible for this. Suddenly, her eyes rolled back into her head and her whole form seemed to collapse.

Tears streamed down Applejack’s face and she tried to distance herself even further from the scene in front of her. When she found herself in the corner of the room, unable to back up anymore, she was forced to take in the whole picture of what she had done.

Applejack grabbed her Stetson, a gift from her father, and threw in on the ground. “See what I did for you? I hope you are proud of that. A stupid promise to you made me kill all off my friends.”

She glared furiously at the hat. After a few moments she rose a hoof, trampled the last keepsake of her father and started crying vigorously.

> atonement
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Celestia was, aside from Applejack, the last pony still breathing in her private chambers. Even in her weakened and strained state, she was far more resilient than any other pony, but she felt that it would only be minutes until it was over.

Applejack had vented her anger at her Stetson and was now little more than a crying mess, backed up in a corner of the room, begging for forgiveness.

Celestia was unable to open her eyes, let alone to speak, she just waited for her end. But, even though most of her senses felt rather dull at the moment, she suddenly felt something tingling at the back of her head. It was a strange feeling. In some sort, it was a familiar sensation, but the veil of death made it difficult to pin down where exactly she felt it before.

Applejack looked up when a sudden flash of dark blue light filled her field of view and Princess Luna just appeared in the middle of the room.

The princess’ eyes darted around and her face was unmoving, like stone. She was smaller than usual and her mane was only of a light blue, not the usual ethereal flow of a night sky, dotted with stars. She almost looked like she did back when she was freed from Nightmare Moon.

She walked over to Applejack and looked down onto her with eyes like steel. “I know what you did and I have to inform you that it is utterly pointless.”

Celestia gathered all her strength and opened her muzzle. “Lulu? You’re alive?”

Luna’s head turned like that of a hawk and her eyes were locked onto her sister. Without a second she rushed next to her side and put a wing around her. “Shhhhhhh, its ok Tia. I am here, and you will be fine in a few moments.”

Heavy breaths were audible from the sun princess. “I thought you were gone.”

Luna gently stroked her sisters mane. “No need to worry sister. I will explain everything in a few moments. For now, you only have to trust me and let death embrace you. You will understand once it is over.”

Celestia nodded and just stopped breathing, though with a happy smile on her face.

After her sister had exhaled her final breath, Luna backed off a few steps and watched the dead body.

The sun outside the window grew a bit darker, it could easily been overlooked since it was only a slight change and lasted only for a brief moment. To Applejack and Luna however, it was a sensation as if the world itself was tipped off balance and now stood at the edge of falling into the ultimate darkness.

Celestia’s body shrinked and started to suck in light from all around her. Within merely three to four heartbeats the whole room went dark, only a small white body with a pink mane was still visible. The darkness itself was not just a shadow cast over the room, it was the absence of light itself, pitch black and empty nothingness. Finally, Celestia’s body succumbed to this darkness as well and all that remained was a small dot of purest light where her form once was.

When it seemed that this last speck of light would also vanish, it suddenly exploded. In the blink of an eye, light filled the body of a young Celestia, only slightly taller than other ponies and with a purely pink mane instead of a multicolored, ethereal one. A moment later, the room was back to normal, the sun was as bright as ever and the sun princess stood in front of her sister, a baffled expression on her face.

Applejack, still crying, could only gaze at the display before her. Her mouth had to try several times before it managed to form any coherent words. “What just happened? How are you alive?”

Luna turned to Applejack and resumed the steely gaze from before. “Your whole scheme was completely pointless, right from the moment it started. The only things you have accomplished are the deaths of your friends.”

Celestia walked up next to her sister, for the first time in many years, they were of equal height. “Luna, I don’t quite understand how this is possible. I felt a enormous power calling me back and righting what was wrong with my body, but I don’t get how this is possible.”

Luna looked at her sister with a tender smile. “It is quite simply. You and I are not simply guiding the sun and the moon through the sky. Do you remember when we got our cutie marks?”

Celestia nodded. “Of course. We assumed control over both sun and moon and each of us got her cutie mark when we first grasped them with our magic. I remember Star Swirl being closer to a happy face as ever before or since.”

A slight chuckle escaped Luna as her sister mentioned the grumpy nature of their old mentor. “You are absolutely correct sister. When I first guided the moon, I felt all the raw magic power it contained and how a portion of it flowed into my body. I assume it was the same for you when you guided the sun for the first time.”

Celestia’s face was blank and she could only shrug. “Yes, well?”

Luna turned back to Applejack and resumed her speech. “Well, we both may not be truly one with the celestial bodies we guide, but they support us as much as we support them. We are not immortal because we are alicorns, we are simply eternal because sun and moon are. If the sun might ever get damaged or even destroyed, it will use some of Celestia’s power to fix itself. This also works the other way around, of course. For example, whenever Celestia gets hurt or even killed, she will instinctively draw a small fraction of power from the sun to fix herself. Essentially, if you don’t destroy both the sun and my sister at the same time, you can’t destroy either of them, one will always fix the other. The same goes for me of course.”

Her sisters look rested on Luna. “How do you know all of this?”

Luna cleared her throat and her face turned red with shame. “I have never told you, but when I was sealed on the Moon I tried to flee on many occasions. Aside from the ill effects the attempt to break a spell cast by the elements of harmony has on a being of darkness and evil, the emptiness of space is not suited for a pony. To make a long story short, I died about two thousand and ninety-three times while I tried to free myself, a few give or take.”

Applejack interrupted the princesses with a hopeful smile. “So, Twilight will come back?”

For the first time since she arrived the face of the night princess showed emotion, sorrow. She looked at the bodies that lay around the room and sighed. “No, neither Twilight Sparkle nor Cadence will revive. They were the embodiments of emotional concept, not celestial bodies. Cadence might have been able to come back as long as Shining Armor was alive, but since you killed both the princess of love and the greatest love of her life at the same time … I do not think she will be restored.”

Celestia’s eyes rested upon Twilights dead body and a few tears rolled down her cheeks. “I assume that it’s the same for Twilight Sparkle. Simply because you killed all her together with all of her friends.”

Applejack shook her head and her smile widened, putting a hoof to her chest. “That can’t be right. I’m still alive.”

Without waiting for any response, the orange mare bolted for Twilight’s body and grabbed her head. “Twilight? Do you hear me? Luna said you could come back to life as long as your friends are alive. I’m still alive. I’m your friend, Applejack, remember? The element of honesty?”

Dark blue magic enveloped Applejack’s body and dragged her away from the dead princess. She was held in the anger fueled levitation spell of Luna and thrown back into the corner she originally retreated to. “STAY AWAY FROM HER!”

Celestia put a hoof on her sister’s shoulder and wrapped a wing around her back. “Stay calm Luna. It’s obvious that we’re both weakened.”

Luna nodded. “You are right. It was quite taxing to teleport back from the moon, even though I had almost two weeks to gather strength after my rebirth.”

The gaze of the night princess fell onto Applejack. “But there is still enough power left in me to deal with this rotten Apple.”

Applejack was terrified and desperately tried to hide deeper in her corner. “P… Princess Celestia said there is no death penalty in Equestria. What are you going to do?”

Luna gazed at at her victim and laughed like Nightmare Moon herself. It was even more terrifying because of her somewhat fragile form.

When the laughter finally died down, the princess of the night lowered her head towards Applejack’s ears. “I will bring you to a place that is very far from Equestria and all its laws. But rest assured, even there you do not need to fear death. Although, you might wish for the reaper pony to free you from my grasp sooner rather than later. Either way, I will make sure you will pay properly … for Twilight, … Pinkie Pie, … Rarity, … Rainbow Dash, … Fluttershy, … Cadence … and Shining Armor.”

Luna reduced her voice to barely a whisper, so that not even Celestia could hear her words. “And after that, you will pay for Mac. I spoke to him before he passed away you know? He explained everything to me, apologized and refused for me to ease his pain. I loved him and you will pay for taking him from me.” 

Luna’s eyes turned turquoise, her pupils turned into dragon-like slits and she licked her lips in gleeful anticipation. “I know a few dark spells that are able extend your life. I promise, dear Applejack, you will pay me back … for all eternity if need be.”