Turn this up loud. The volume is very quiet!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhB6YSCddzg

The gentle winds of an Autumn evening brushed their faces as they smiled. Sunset and Twilight were walking side by side toward Sunset's home. The older girl held onto the younger girl's hand as if afraid she'd run away. Merrily, Twilight pulled Sunset along and kicked some leaves around by her feet. Sunset smiled and chuckled.

Celestia followed, allowing them their distance just thinking about what she had done to taint this beautiful bond. It flashed in her head and she closed her eyes. She was to relive this moment the rest of her immortal life. She just knew it. Two girls so happy together, despite it being out of the norm for the same gender to be with each other. Both so different it's mind blowing how loving they are to one another. Connected by the most outrageous things that could ever happen to someone...

Again, the regretful thing flashed in her mind, destroying the image of pure happiness.

It replayed in her mind over and over again like a record.

Celestia was back at the palace with the vial levitating above the jewel. She stared down at it with deep intensity. The fragments shined up at her, daring her. Evil as the jewels was it seemed ironic to spill poisonous dark magic over it. She kept looking at the glowing pieces. So promising, they were, to bring its owner power. So alluring, it was, to grant any desire of its beholder. Celestia grimaced and had the vial float directly above the treasure.

This thing was a curse. It didn't promise a good fortune of any kind. It hurt those around it and Celestia needed to get rid of it. She opened the vial and its contents spilled out in ghostly whips of green. She focused her energy on making it go toward the jewels. But somehow the shards were causing it to bounce off some kind of force field. This surprised Celestia. She had no idea this thing had a defense mechanism.

She frowned and used her magic on the jewels. It was a strong barrier they had. Celestia used her magic to break it, sweating as she did so. Siren magic only being just below hers in strength did not make it an easy thing to fight with. Once she broke the force field she hurriedly directed the dark magic into the jewels. As the green smoke filled the pieces, they glowed a bright red and hummed.

It was a piercing ring that could've easily broke glass. Celestia flinched as she shielded her ears from the horrible sound. The ringing became louder until all the magic was absorbed into the fragments. Then it went quiet. The pieces became a dark red, the color of blood and no longer shined. A shade of the blood that was to run cold if things didn't turn out the way she hoped...

Looking at the two girls as they watched some squirrels chase one another was painful. She knew that what she had done would effect them badly. A nightmarish heaven this all turned out to be. It was the peak of beauty; the climax before things drop to shit. This was just too much.

What would Solar Flare have done about this?

He would've had a rage and stormed off, trying to hide his suffering tears. He would go to August for comfort on the whole matter. His level headed wife would be too stunned at the possibility of their daughter dying before she was meant to. The thought would press down heavily on the both of them, burdening their peaceful composure to that of depression. It would kill them to see their daughter smile, unaware of what lay ahead.

Celestia sighed slowly.

All of this was just too much. If she didn't do this, Twilight and others would be dead and Sunset would suffer. If she did go through this, like she planned to do, Sunset could die and then Twilight would suffer.

Guilt.

Sunset laughed and held her companion close to her. Twilight smiled and leaned back to rest her head on her shoulder. Celestia looked away. An agonizing image flashed before her eyes. Sunset was falling to the ground. Her strength all gone as well as her life. Hitting the ground below her, the girl felt no pain. Blood trailed from the side of her scarred eye; the eye gone and leaving nothing but an empty bloody hole. Bad things gone worse it represented. The color of her skin pale and rid of the blush she always had on her cheeks...

An arrow through her heart. Betrayal. From Celestia whom she trusted. Dark red blood pouring out of her oh so slowly, thick with sorrow and pain. Sunset had claws stained with sin. Stained with the blood of Twilight. Her lover gone and buried away to be forgotten.

Ashes.

Ring around the rosie,

a pocket full of posies.

Ashes, ashes,

we all fall down.

Sunset was the 'rosie'. People gathered around her in a circle and mourned her. Red Rose Celestia recalled, that was what Twilight had called Sunset before they left to Equestria.

Ring around the rosie.

Posy. A flower symbolizing mourning to those that have died.

A pocket full of posies.

Life gone from Sunset's body. Everything done and nonexistent. The meaning of her life gone up in flames and becoming nothing. So meaningless...So useless...

Ashes, ashes.

In the end, it's just apart of life. Death waits above the heads of those who are alive and times its strike to end what made you matter in the world. What made you important.

We all fall down.

Tears streamed down Celestia's face. Twilight and Sunset went on smiling blissfully. They were ignorant to what was to happen. Celestia wished things hadn't gone the way they had. None of this would plague her mind with sadness. Everything would be ok.

It would be fine.

Sunset would make it and so would Twilight.

Author's Notes:

I always thought Ring around the Rosie, that innocent nursery rhyme actually described the death of a soldier. When a soldier in the army dies, their living comrades wear posies in their pockets, a symbol of mourning. Ashes represents the person. Once the person dies, they are like ash. A dark matter that once was a thing, but now is nothing. And the ring around the rosie part of the nursery rhyme tells you the kind of flowers they use at funerals. A wreath of white roses is usually placed on the coffin of the deceased soldier. But it actually is about the plague.