As the enemy of Equestria sat in a circle of flame ready to meet their fate, the Monarch of the land approached with slow steps. Slowly entering the ring of fire as it slowly lick with hunger. Her eyes were fixed on the enemy's. They (the enemy) could not tear away the gaze.
The Monarch's eyes were soft and kind, but filled with sorrow and sadness. Why would the winner of war have such sorrowful eyes for it's victory, wonder the enemy. The enemy looked at the eyes carefully and started to feel tired. A daze of rest flooded over them, as if all worries were slowly leaving their mind. The Monarch's eyes were now starting to fill with tears. They roll softly over her face, glowing as if they were pure light.
"Forgive me," whispered the Monarch softly.
The enemy's mind filled with their happiest memories. They felt happy as day. They felt nothing but joy and love. Something that they lost feeling a long time ago. As the thoughts warped the mind of the enemy, their vision slowly faded as the flames made their last attempt of turning the enemy to ash.
The flames faded and tears from the Monarchs eyes were dry. The ashes of the enemy were swiped by the wind and scattered across the battle field. Leaving nothing behind, but memories.
So..I drew something…yay! (Well it's actually just a sketch)
So I have another headcanon. I think you all know how much I love creating stories, so obviously I'm doing more of these.
Note: This picture sets place after Nightmare Moons banishment and before the mane six were born.
Headcanon: As a ruler Celestia had to make decisions for her land that at times were not what she wanted. But she had to make them for the sake of her land. So, when the decisions came to a form of war Celestia would come along victorious. But at the end of the war, the leader of the enemy. Will have to pay the price of their crime.
Celestia has to do it herself. By burning them to ash. Of course she is not a pony that wouldn't fancy ending a life in agony so she used a special talent that she was gifted with. I don't have a name for it yet, I'll think of one up soon. The special talent is making ponies remember their happiest memories before their last breath so they can rest in peace and not wonder the land as a restless spirit stuck between the two worlds.
In this process, they cannot fell the pain of death nor hear anything. They will slowly fade to death as their body gets destroyed or in this case, burn to ash.
Celestia knows, it's not what a punishment should be. But she would rather let someones suffering end then continue to feel/carry it. The majority of Equestria's enemies had a bad start as rulers or life in general. Some of them were born that way, some were shaped, some were forced and some were made that way and they didn't ask for it.
The "Forgive me" is just that. An apology. Celestia whispered those words with a lot of meaning. Maybe she was the reason those normal beings turned evil in the first place, maybe she made them suffer and she never knew it. She say does words from deep inside her heart and means it in every loving way possible.
She may have lived a long life, but she never forgot how to forgive and to love. She and Luna saw/faced the Great War with their own young eyes. They saw to many lives being taken, to many devastation, to many suffering. Even their mother 'went away' in front of them.
Celestia may be mean at times, but she is not cruel. That's basically one of her flaws as a ruler. She can't feel pure cruelty. Because that's not how she was raised to be.