>Celestia has a dirty secret
>She knows that if anypony were to find out, her image would suffer
>The truth is, she enjoys watching things die
>Not just plants or insects, either
>It has to be much more significant
>Somepony has to care for the life that ceases to be
>At first, she would do things like take in a lovely bird that happened to fly nearby her balcony, love and nurture it for however long its lifespan would allow, and then watch as the last of its life drained away
>She first realized her fixation with the natural, beautiful occurrence when she was just a foal
>She was tracking a bunny—the prettiest bunny she’d ever laid eyes on to this day, and when she chased it into the woods, a snake leapt from the bushes and mercilessly killed the poor thing
>As she watched the horrific event, she noticed the bunny had soon ceased struggling
>Her little eyes widened, and her tiny heart pumped away
>Of course, she was sad for it
>That feeling hasn’t went away
>But, stronger than that, is the appreciation for how abruptly something so bright and full of life can be snuffed out in the blink of an eye
>As for right now, she is currently chatting away with a wonderful little filly
>Her name is “Dandy”, and she’s a pegasus filly with the colors of a dandelion
>She is actually very smart for her age, Celestia notes
>Very cute, too, and full of joy and laughter
>The current topic, as provided by Celestia, is: “What do you wish you could be, in a perfect world?”
>The little filly, without hesitation, answered: “A pony who can brighten anypony’s day with ease, and can always be depended on no matter what!”
>It moved Celestia, as generic and naive as it was
>Why?
>Because the filly in question is bedridden, with only minutes left to live at this point
>Any wishful thinking was ultimately meaningless, but Celestia wasn’t about to crush her hopes and dreams
>No
>She wanted to watch them fade away with her
>”C...Celestia?”
>Celestia had convinced her to call her by her name, lacking any title
“Yes, Dandy?”
>The sweet little filly looked very troubled, and nearly had tears in her eyes as she looked up at the alicorn
>”Am I.... g-gonna be okay?”
>Celestia smiled down at the innocent foal and gently stroked her beautiful mane with a hoof
“Of course, dear. Everything is going to be okay; I promise”
>She smiles up at the knowing alicorn, her hopes soaring above even the clouds that make up Cloudsdale
>”R-really?”
“Yes... Now, listen carefully, okay?”
>Dandy shifts a bit, and gives her full attention to Celestia
>Those immaculate, dark yellow eyes pierce Celestia to her core, in all the best ways
>”M-mhm”
>Celestia leans in to whisper to the filly, feeling a fire in her loins as she prepares to utter her next words
“...Your life is over, Dandy. You are going to die here, and there is nothing you, or anypony else, can do about it”
>Dandy’s eyes widen with horror, and she begins shaking
>”W-what? But... y-you said—“
>Celestia wraps her wings around the little one, tucking her head under her chin as she speaks in a delicate, comforting voice
“Shhhhh... It’s okay, Dandy. Dying isn’t so bad. I promise”
>Celestia preemptively casts a spell that will ensure that no sound escapes the room
>Dandy begins sobbing, but stops abruptly as the monitor next to her begins blaring
>It’s meant to inform the doctors and staff that the patient’s heart rate is either too high, or too low
>In this case, it’s quickly shifting between the two
>Celestia’s breathing becomes labored as the anticipated moment approaches
>Dandy starts shaking, and cries out to Celestia in a panic
>”P-Princess! H-help me... please!”
>The filly’s breaths become increasingly short as her time nears an end, and Celestia pulls away from the embrace to stare deeply into Dandy’s eyes
“It’s okay, little one. Don’t fight it; just let it take you, okay?”
>Dandy’s pitiful sobs are interrupted by coughs as her heart palpitates wildly, and the fear in her eyes grows to a level that Celestia has never seen before
>Celestia’s breathing increases in pace once more, and she can’t help but ignite her horn and pleasure herself as the event continues to unfold in front of her eyes, so blessed
>”I-I don’t... wa— *cough* w-wanna dieeeeeeee!”
>Dandy wails as all of her hopes and dreams shatter and fall away within the span of less than a minute
>Celestia loses herself in her desire
“You are ‘dying’, Dandy! Everything you ever wanted to be; all of the ponies whose lives you wanted to brighten, all of it will die with you!”
>Celestia uses her magic to force Dandy’s eyes onto hers as she stares maniacally at the little bundle of quickly-fading life
>Dandy becomes pale as her time nears, and her pupils are pinpricks as reality crashes over her in a single, torturous wave
>Before she fades, as all others have, her little voice utters one last, quiet sentence
>It cuts Celestia deeper than any blade ever could
>”N-no... it w-won’t die... with me... It’s with... y-you... now.........”
>With that, Dandy finally fades away
>Any negative feeling that was forming within Celestia is quickly and greatly overshadowed by the mind-numbing orgasm wracking her body as she pushes herself over the edge in tandem with Dandy’s death
>Once she has recovered enough to think coherently, she ignites her horn once more
>This time to snuff out the seed that Dandy had tried to plant with her dying words
>This, too, brings the alicorn great pleasure
>The only thing left to do is silently remove the cooling filly’s body, then purge the memory of her from everypony that knew her
>She would save her parents for last, but only after informing them of her tragic demise
>And, of course, the great pleasure that she had taken in watching every beautiful moment of it


~~~
>*Crunch!*
>The windpipe and throat of the pony beneath Celestia’s hoof gives with ease, and the resulting sound sends pleasure shooting through her like bolts of lightning
>With great satisfaction, Celestia watches with rapt attention as the life drains from her pupil Twilight Sparkle’s tear-soaked eyes
>She’d done it
>Everypony had been extinguished from the small town of Ponyville, and its existence forgotten by all
>Before long, after she had taken the requisite time to let her actions set in, she would vaporize it entirely
>As she stands there, eyes closed, listening to the deafening silence of the once bustling, happy-go-lucky town, she gets a strange feeling
>Her eyes open to scan the area, but she sees nothing out of the ordinary
>It was as if she was being watched
>That would be impossible, Celestia reasoned
>But, no matter how illogical it is, the feeling remains
>She feels uneasy from her location in the middle of the street, with the shadows between the buildings moving to the forefront of her attention
>Giving her wings a powerful pump, she takes off and scans the area from on high
>To put it lightly, she feels foalish for being so afraid of seemingly nothing all of a sudden
“Have they come back to haunt me?”
>The question, addressed to no one, is quickly carried by the wind above Ponyville, which is noisier than the town ever will be again
>She can’t hold a straight face and laughs to herself at the ridiculous notion
>When only a smile remains of her joyful laughter, she prepares to teleport back to her room in the castle to plan her next indulgence
>To her surprise, the spell succeeds in doing nothing
>She remains in the sky
>As she tries again, and fails, her mind begins racing to come up with an explanation
>One that doesn’t involve ghosts, preferably
>She thinks, and thinks, but finds no reason her magic would be failing her
>She’s only used so much to subdue Ponyville’s residents, and couldn’t possibly be out
>She shakes her head
>The one thing she wants more than an explanation is to leave the quiet, eerie town behind her, so she begins the slow process of flying back
>As she reaches the town limits, she finds herself unable to go any further
>Not as if a solid wall blocked her path, but more as if her mother had called her full name in a stern tone of voice and stopped her in her tracks
>She quickly turns to face the town once again, fear starting to rise quickly within her
“Is this... is this your doing, Discord!?”
>...
>No such draconequus appears
>Celestia knows that he would’ve jumped at the chance to pop into existence and take the credit, so it can’t be him
>As she scans the silent and unmoving streets, she notices something
>Right in the center of town; a spot of darkness hanging impossibly in the air
>Celestia’s heart stops briefly, and she questions her sanity
>Before her eyes, the dark spot widens, and she feels herself drawn to it
>Every fiber of her being screams at her to stay far from the vague mass, but her body betrays her and sends her flying slowly toward it
>By the time she’s a few hoofsteps’ distance away, a shape begins exiting the darkness’s center
>It’s a shape that she recognizes almost immediately
“L-Luna!?”
>Said alicorn fully emerges from what Celestia now knows is a portal, and stands before her
>Her expression is unreadable
>”Celestia”
>Returning the question with a greeting, she says nothing more and chooses to simply stare into her sister’s eyes
>Celestia’s heart begins racing as she slowly starts to realize something
>Out of habit, she attempts to remove the harrowing thought with a spell, but once again finds no success
>Luna speaks up, this time to say more
>”You will not be hiding from the truth any longer, Celestia. It is time that you faced the repercussions for what you have done”
>Luna’s horn lights up, and - mere moments later - the streets of Ponyville are once again filled with life
>Every one of its inhabitants appear, as if nothing had ever happened
>As happy as they look, the spectacle is made deeply unsettling by their positioning
>They’re all lined up in a circle formation surrounding the two Princesses, and their attention lies firmly with Celestia
>Celestia tries her best to ignore them and looks back to her sister
“What... what do you think you’re doing, Luna? What is this!?”
>Luna’s eyes narrow as she casts yet another spell
>One by one, the town’s population begins speaking in an almost chant-like fashion
>The words they utter— the same ones that she made sure to forget, are made real once more
>”It won’t die with me. It’s with you, now”
>Celestia’s breaths become shallow as the same line is repeated over and over again, shredding her sanity bit by bit
>Luna easily speaks over the crowd, her voice calm as she asks a simple question
>”Do you understand?”
>Celestia’s heart races wildly as the truth fully sinks in
>”I had realized what you truly are long ago, and prepared this cage to contain you. Celestia, you have not killed anypony. Nor will you ever”
>The weight of Luna’s words crash down on Celestia, sending her mind reeling back to try and find the origin point—the moment that this had begun
>Without warning, a familiar filly appears before Celestia
>The same pegasus filly that she had watched die several years ago now hovers in front of her, under the strength of her tiny wings
>She speaks in that same, adorable voice, but now it only serves to horrify the shivering alicorn
>”It won’t die with me. It’s with you, now”
>Celestia screams as she’s unable to look away from the floral-patterned filly, tears of sadness and regret pouring from her eyes nonstop as her sins rise to the surface, no longer able to be hidden from sight and mind
>Luna ignores the wails of her sister and walks up to her before forcibly quieting her with a spell
>Celestia’s eyes are fearful as she awaits the next terrible thing she’ll say
>”This little one does not exist outside of this “cage”. I created her myself, as a true test of your willingness to cause suffering and death to fuel your twisted desires. The moment you watched that pure, idyllic creature die, ‘you’ died, Celestia”
>Celestia’s heart sinks to her stomach, pure dread washing over her like a tidal wave
>Luna closes her eyes and lowers her head, tears streaking down her face as the appointed time approaches
>Nearly a minute passes, the only sound heard being that of the chanting crowd
>When Luna’s head raises once more, it’s with open, yet narrowed eyes; their sadness-filled gaze locked determinedly onto Celestia’s
>”Your real body is being escorted, as we speak, to the final place it will draw breath”
>Luna’s horn lights up, and a window - bordered by magic - appears before her
>As her sister’s previous sentence fails to sink in right away, Celestia looks through the window and sees what she meant
“N-no... NO!”
>What she sees is her unconscious body being strapped into a device that she assumed had fell out of use hundreds of years ago
>Its primary funcion is to apply pressure to the neck and cut off the criminal’s airway, and an unbreathable mask is applied to prevent air from entering their nostrils
>Its secondary function, though you could argue that it’s the more important one, is to force the offender into the most uncomfortable position possible as they slowly die of asphyxiation
>Luna speaks again, her expression and tone becoming serious as her tears are no longer visible
>”Do not fear; this will not have a significant impact on the state of Equestria. You may think that it has been many years since your sadistic rampage began, but in reality, not even one has passed. Soon, nopony will remember your existence besides me. I will rule the kingdom alone; I will not force Twilight Sparkle or Flurry Heart to rule alongside me. Now, take a moment to think about all that you have dreamed”
>As quickly as they appeared, the ponies of Ponyville disappear; that same, terrifying silence from before ringing in Celestia’s ears
>Unable to stop herself, the memories of everything and everyone she killed come rushing to the surface
>Their beautiful smiles... their pretty laughter...
>Their hopes and dreams
>Their lifeless eyes... their cold corpses
>She’s a monster
>She has been for a long time
“I-I... I’m...”
>She struggles to finish the sentence
>The weight is unbearable
>Luna’s eyes narrow, this time with sadness
>”Can you not say it, Celestia?”
>Celestia’s eyes shut tight, tears pouring forth again
>She can’t
>Luna’s eyes close for a moment, and when they open, they’re cold and uncaring
>”Then watch, Celestia. That is the least that you can do. Know the horror of what you have become, and watch the world brighten as you leave it”
>Her heart beating wildly with terror, Celestia forces her eyes open and onto the window portraying her helpless body
>As if on cue, the lone guardspony closes the contraption around her neck; the space inside not enough to accommodate it, thus squeezing it to the point that no air can enter her lungs
>Her body’s eyelids are already forced open; her unconscious, unmoving eyes on full display
>The paired mask is coldly and swiftly applied to her muzzle, disallowing any air into her nostrils
>Fear grips Celestia’s heart at the horrific display
>In a way, she’s thankful for this
>She never truly killed anypony, and can die knowing that - the fear that she’s experiencing now - will never be instilled in another pony by her hooves
>Celestia takes a deep breath, trying her best to face her end with some semblance of composure
>Not looking away from her own dying body, she speaks somberly
“Thank you, Luna. Thank you for having the heart to put a stop to me, despite my position as your older sister. I love you, and I’m going to miss you. I want you to know that”
>Luna’s mouth opens to speak, but then closes again
>She sighs
>”I cannot say the same things, after what I have seen here. You are welcome to, though”
>Celestia feels a twinge of pain in her heart at the cold words of her sister, but she understands
>She deserves no sympathy
>Luna speaks as she ignites her horn
>”This is it. I will leave you alone for your final moments”
>With that, she leaves through the same portal she showed up in
>Celestia was alone with the quiet streets of Ponyville again
>She decides to reminisce a bit, while she still can
>Her pupil made many great friends here
>Celestia smiles as she remembers all of the incredible things that she and them did for Equestria
>If nothing else, Celestia could be proud of her choice in sending Twilight to this wonderful town
>Unfortunately, she won’t get to watch her grow up any more
>The realization grips her heart with one last bout of sadness as she watches the life fade from her own eyes
“Goodbye, dear Twilight. Goodbye, my sweet sister Luna. Goodbye, Equestria...”
>The thing she feared most is the disappearance of the love and hope she feels in her heart for those that she loves, but then she remembered
“It won’t die with me... It’s with you, now”