Strawberry first noticed the smell. He breathed in the a little of soaking wet dust coating the air, walls, floor, and ceiling all around him. He coughed. He tried to open his eyes. He made out something solid black. He felt something soft and soothing like silk going across his face.

He then opened his mouth, and soft, gummy sensations ran up his cheeks. The taste came out to nothing he could describe. He thought of raspberry cupcakes wrapped in lettuce and then filled with fried eggs. Although the unicorn had just woken up, the sides of his mouth seemed to slide off of his face down to his lap-- feeling totally numb.

"My loooooooove," Luna cooed from somewhere behind Strawberry's head. He lifted up his hooves. They immediately slammed down. He heard some kind of stringy rubber stretching. "Oh, don't worry your pretty little head." He jiggled his sides. He immediately felt the same soft, gummy sensations running up along his back on both sides.

"Luna," he whispered. He wanted to scream, but he barely felt the strength to breathe. He shifted forward, and he felt thick leather nudging him all along his chest and belly. "Luna, please..."

"We'll be ready be begin in just... about... now..." Luna announced. She then pulled off his blindfold. He gazed up into those big blue eyes. He focused right into them-- taking in that soothing feeling from the mare that he loved, that he praised to himself every day, and that he wanted to have his kids. Strawberry's nerves surged with terror, yet he couldn't help feeling so connected with her.

The alicorn stepped back. Strawberry ran his eyes down her warm, loving face and to the thick white surgical apron across her body. She somehow had pinned her huge mane back across her neck-- something like giant brass rings around her skin. He stared at the little pink mist sprayed across the apron's left side.

"Oh, that, don't worry my love," Luna said, and then she wiggled her front hooves in the air, "It just was a little harder than I thought to get the sedative dosages right. And finding the right vein and everything with the injections on both of you. I decided to go with topical and local stuff rather than the general... just medically safer..." She chuckled a little bit. "Momentary messiness immediately cauterized, that's all." She chuckled again.

"Messiness," Strawberry moaned. He blinked. He felt something hard going over his eyes. He then looked up at his wife-to-be with his glasses on. Her chuckled and smile morphed immediately. His eyes then ran across the horrible cracked look as face curled. Her eyes shrunk into circular pools of intense blue.

"Sweetie, sweetie, just look," she said, alternately between her usual sing-song voice and a terse, high-pitched snarl, "The Moon is out full. Just the right angle-- as I pushed it. Check!" Strawberry looked upwards and gazed out the massive hole in the ceiling. He glanced a bit down and felt the starlight reflecting upon Luna's face. "Now then, pentagram alignment is perfect as well." She giggled. "Check-a-rino!"

Strawberry groaned as he heard Luna bouncing around the room. She made little checks on her list and happily clicked her hooves with every success. Where... Where for goodness' sake is Celestia? He ran his eyes all around him-- from empty brick wall to empty brick wall. He made out sets of tables and chairs with big, black tarps covering everything. She doesn't want me to see too much, does she? She's afraid of what I'd think

A little moan came out from under one of the tarps. Strawberry's heart seemed to stop. Luna suddenly jump out into view, and she nervously rubbed her hooves together. She looked at Strawberry, and she winked at him.

"No need to, uh, postpone it any further," she squeaked. She shuffled around behind the tarp-covered table and then pushed it over across Strawberry. She leaned over. "On the opposite pentagram side as specified. Good." She sighed. The rustling then burst out again. "Uh..." She locked eyes with Strawberry. "You didn't need to see this."

"Show me," Strawberry said. He found enough strength to raise his voice.

Luna twirled her head around. She then smiled again, and her teeth ground against each other. "Well, I suppose there's no reason for any more deception. No secrets, no lies. You should see the beauty of this ceremony." She wiggled in place, and then she smacked her hooves against her head. "Our labor of our LOVE!" She then ripped of the tarp.

Strawberry let out a whine. He stared right at white alicorn spread out atop the table. He ran his eyes upon the thick black bands coating all over Celestia's skin. He saw large metal struts holding her wings, fully erect, out in place. Some set of huge tubes held her mane, pulled far back, as well as her tail, pulled far forwards, in place. He then looked over at Celestia's face. Luna had shoved it inside a huge muzzle with a thick rubber stub in between Celestia's teeth. For the pain? Her eyes stared out with a glazed over, empty look-- like the eyes of sculpture. The sun goddess then wiggled a little bit about.

Luna sped over to Celestia's side. She pressed a hoof against Celestia's neck. "Sssshhhhhhhh?" she muttered, and then she put her hoof to her mouth. Luna slid over a cart filled with trays. Strawberry stared at the nasty black magical aura flowing over them. Luna glanced over at Strawberry, and her cracked expression faded a little. "Not too intense, my love." She let out a sigh, and then she magically floated up a gigantic syringe filled with a glowing red liquid. "It's..." Luna closed her eyes, and Strawberry saw the fear shooting through her. "It's all for you... Strawberry."

Luna thrust the syringe into Celestia's left side-- right below the wings. The sun goddess let out a little moan. Then, she slumped over a few inches down upon the restraints. Thank goodness, she's still breathing at least.

"Time for the next step," Luna muttered. She magically lifted up a small grey box. She clicked the edge with the hoof, and it lit up with this alien looking green energy. She ran it over to the far left side of Celestia's wing, and then she pressed it down. Strawberry's eyes wandered up the trails of dark-green steam puffing up from the machine. He sniffed. Oh... dear goodness... It smells just like grilling hay fries. He tried his best not to cry.

Luna then slowly and deliberately ran the machine along the middle of Celestia's wing. Strawberry tried his best to breathe out his mouth. He still couldn't keep from hearing the awful crackling sound. Each loud pulse out of the machine seemed to scar inside his brain. Luna finally made it to the other side. She took a breath, and then she walked around to the other side of the table. As Luna treated the other wing, Strawberry stared at the burned feathers.

It didn't look like just heat per se-- but something much worse. In fact, the thick green globules dripping about Celestia's feathers seemed to freeze, melt, burn, and then freeze again. Dark energy ripped through her wings like lightening bolts. He saw the sun goddess' flesh beneath her wings clenching against the horrible sensations, although she didn't scream or whine. Not yet?

Luna walked back to the tray. She then picked up some kind of big round-ish vase with black and gold stripes along the sides. It almost looks like... one of those spray bottles Fluttershy has for her indoor flowers. Luna then picked up a thick white stick with an inky black chalky something at the end. It's like a... paintbrush? What can she possibly be doing? Luna rhythmically moved like a machine all along Celestia's wings. She sprayed a dusty dark golden power all around every last inch of the feathers, dousing them top to bottom, and then plopped the chalky stuff all around in a semi-straight line along the middle of her wings.

Luna finished, and she placed the items neatly back into the tray. She then paused. She took a deep breath, and she tapped against her apron as she stared at the floor. Finally, she looked out at Strawberry-- determination almost dripping from her face. "For you, my love," she whispered. She magically held up a long, jagged knife. "Always, I'll be with you. The two will be in total harmony. Forever, our love..." She held Strawberry's former knife right in front of her face, and then she moved it over to the edge of Celestia's wing.

Strawberry's eyes couldn't possibly be any wider than at that very moment. "No," he moaned. He jiggled all across his restrains. "No..." Luna's face twisted. She turned away from the unicorn, and she nudged the knife right into the first big hunk of feathers. She hesitated. Dark magical energy coursed all along the knife's edge up into Luna's hoof. Little black bolts shot across the middle of the wing-- all of the various items melting into one solid black line across.

"Strawberry," Luna whispered, "All I am and all I live for is for: you." She nestled the knife against the tip of the wing, "Only you."

*Snap*

Blood spurted out of the wing all across Luna's apron. She stared down, and then she bit her lip. She shoved the knife in deeper. The red trails grew thicker and thicker. The knife dug inside the feathery mass. Luna shifted over, and then she dragged the knife along the side.

Strawberry felt like having a heart attack. His eyes locked upon every last new slash along Celestia's wing. Luna moved through methodically along the thick magical line. Blood soaked the feathers from all directions. The snapping and breaking just went on and on. It drove him mad. Luna stopped, coming upon a particularly matted mat of feathers. She scrunched her face and then curled the knife back and forth-- sawing through with all her strength. Globs of blood spattered all across her chin, cheek, and nose.

Luna let out an angry groan, and then she thrust the knife into the last patch of feathers. Strawberry shut his eyes tightly. A horrible cracking sound burst through the room. It's a dream. I'm lying under a tree somewhere with Fluttershy. It's a dream. I'm lying under a tree somewhere with Fluttershy. He heard a loud mechanical clank, and then the noise of leather rubbing across metal. It's a dream. I'm lying under a tree somewhere with Fluttershy.

Strawberry peeked his eyes open for just a second. He saw Celestia's left wing cut straight lengthwise in two. Blood just poured everywhere. Huge metal clamps held the severed end hoisted up above Celestia's body, which quivered and jerked around uncontrollably. Strawberry shut his eyes again. It's not happening. It's just a dream. Not happening. He opened them again, and he looked out to see Luna lining herself up along Celestia's right wing.

"It's just a dream! It's not happening!" Strawberry called out. He closed his eyes, and he knew he'd keep them closed. He heard that awful, ear-shattering cracking and snapping noise begin once again. "It's not real! It's a dream!" The snapping grew louder and louder. "It's a dream! Just a dream!" Luna grunted hard. "Not happening! Just a dream!" He heard misty trails of blood shooting out, and then the snaps somehow just burst out-- like a sledgehammer upon feather and bone. "JUST A DREAM! NOT HAPPENING! JUST A DREEEEAAAAMMMMMM!"

The same loud mechanical clank sounded. Strawberry mindlessly screamed. He twisted his head about. He jiggled all around in his restraints. They only seemed to grow tighter with every last move. He heard Luna's panting. She moved closer, and his breathing seemed to stop. She then was only inches from him.

He felt Luna's hoof picking up his face, and he squealed. He tried to keep his eyes shut. He felt Luna's side rubbing up against him. She touched along the back of his head in some way, and his eyes just reflexively sprang open. He stared out past Luna at the two pairs of severed wings held up in the air. His eyes seemed to burn as he saw the mangled mats of bone, tendons, blood, flesh, and feathers.

Luna suddenly stepped over to the side and locked eyes with him. He gulped. She leaned a little bit back. His eyes ran down the thick trails of blood pasted along the side of her face. She opened her mouth, but he didn't hear a thing.

"I- I- I- I- I lo-love y-y-y-you," Strawberry moaned. He knew how redicious he sounded, but his mind was otherwise blank. He tried to see that cool, comforting embrace that he had always found-- even back in her days as Nightmare Moon-- in her beautiful face. Luna smiled at him. She then pushed forward, and she kissed him.

The lips pressed hard against each other. Their tongues danced against each other's teeth. Strawberry felt as if he was in another world. He felt as if everything that he had just seen had indeed just been a dream. He then saw Luna pull off of him. He felt Celestia's blood tickling against his own cheek, and he saw his spit trail coming out of Luna's mouth.

The blue alicorn stepped back. She motioned over for the tray, and then she magically held up another syringe. Luna moved the needle over besides her face, and then Strawberry's eyes locked at the evil looking red liquid inside. She then stepped back closer. He looked at her face, but she had turned as still and as cold as a statue. He wiggled around. He took a deep breath, and then he did the only thing he could think of-- he mouthed 'I love you, Luna'.

She stood right in front him-- just inches from his face once again. She shifted a little bit over. She then stabbed the needle into his right side. Everything went black.

"I love you too."