Demonstration
"Keep moving, keep moving," the guard ordered. "You in the front, spread it out." Applebloom and her two friends Sweetiebell and Scootaloo had no choice but to obey. The crowd of ponies behind them slowly spread out in a half-moon shape, taking up most of the space of Canterlot Square. Directly in front of the crowd was a raised wooden platform, recently constructed by laborers like themselves. The three teens had a front row view of the stage but what kind of "performance" they were about to see was anypony's guess.
It didn't take them long to find out. Two royal guards carried a gray stallion with a tan stallion with a slightly darker beige mane onto the stage. From the opposite side, another figure ascended the wooden platform, the boards creaking under his heavy legs. His two heavy legs.
The guards dragged the tan pony right up to the middle of the stage and threw him right in front of the tall red dragon. Standing at almost a head taller than even the tallest stallions, Minister Talon regarded the pony in front of him before looking out at the crowd.
"Is that CJ?" a voice behind the three mares asked. Applebloom squinted her eyes to be sure. The tan stallion on stage was the foreman of Applebloom, Sweetiebelle and Scootaloo's labor division, Crackerjack or CJ as he was affectionately nicknamed.
"What are they gonna do with him?" Sweetiebelle asked.
"Isn't obvious? It's another execution," Scootaloo answered.
Sweetiebelle turned back to the stage in front of her. "No... not CJ..."
Applebloom turned her head to the ground. She'd seen enough examples made of ponies who didn't live up to The Tyrant's expectations.
The red dragon cleared his throat. "We are all of us greatly privileged. We should all be thankful for what SHE has done for us."
"Oh great," Scootaloo said. "He's going to speak again." It was a good thing Scootaloo wasn't within earshot of the guards or the Minister; it might be her on the stage next.
Minister Talon pointed a talon to the setting sun. "She does that for US. For you, for all of you. Do any of you understand how grateful we should be? How much we owe her? We owe the Queen EVERYTHING," the dragon clutched his chest, taking a step towards the crowd. "To display anything other than absolute loyalty... is a disgrace. And is treason."
Applebloom just rolled her eyes. Minister Talon had his head so far up Celestia's flank he could see daylight shining through her teeth. The Minister was essentially the governor of Canterlot, he enforced the Queen's rule over the entire town and managed day-to-day affairs.
Talon looked across the crowd. He barely noticed the eyes, observing them like a herd of cattle rather than individuals. "And you all are closer to her than I will ever be," the dragon lied. "When she liberated the Dragon Domain from the oppressive Empress Eos, I was one of the lucky few chosen to serve her glory." The dragon let his gaze drop and his tone become sorrowful. "Even I... a beast without magic, without potential, even I have a destiny in her infinite design, the future of our world. I cannot tell you what a blessing this is."
"Does anypony even know what this is about?" Sweetiebelle asked.
"Shh!" a pony behind her quieted her. The three ponies had no choice but to stand and listen.
The red dragon stepped over to the tan stallion. "Mister Crackerjack... CJ has not been grateful. Not only has he allowed our ruler's newest monument to be disgraced but he has also allowed production of it to be slowed by misplacing valuable materials."
CJ shook his head weakly. "I... I didn't deface the statue," he declared.
Talon picked him up by the neck. The crowd let out a gasp in response. "You know who did?! You know who stole those supplies!"
"No..."
Talon dropped the colt. "So, we have an innocent. That's what makes this so difficult." The dragon started pacing a bit, making it look like he was talking to both himself and the crowd simultaneously. "You, like me are responsible for more than just yourself. You were in charge of the project and therefore, you must bare the consequences. This is just the way it must be."
The two royal guards behind him picked the tan stallion up. Applebloom turned away. She knew what was coming next. Or so she thought.
"Who would be so selfish as to let this colt be punished for their crimes? I ask you, who has the GUAL to let another take the blame for their actions?!" Talon shouted at the crowd. None of them said a word.
Scootaloo and Sweetiebelle averted their own gazes.
"Order must be maintained... you've cost us time and efficiency. An example must be made," Talon said. "An example must be made to all of you. To show you how LUCKY we all are that we have such a merciful ruler. Guillotine? Too messy. Hanging? Too slow and we've wasted enough time already." The red dragon pulled out a small phial of blue liquid and held it for the audience to see.
"Do any of you know what this is?" Minister Talon asked. "Potus Operandum Kenetosfy. Otherwise known better as, The Cutie Pox!"
Another collected gasp was released from the crowd. Applebloom and her friends instinctively took a step backwards trying to get away from the substance the dragon held.
"Developed by her majesty's own scientists, this is a weaponized strain of the disease known as Cutie Pox. You see," Talon walked over and picked up CJ again with one claw. "CJ's about to teach us all how to be more efficient." With the phial in his other claw, Talon popped the top off of it and smelled the contents. Not having a cutie mark himself, he was completely immune to the virus's effects. Something he was about to demonstrate in greater detail.
The red dragon drank the contents of the phial. Taking a moment to swish the liquid around in his mouth, CJ was helpless as he watched the dragon's face contort, his own face frozen with an expression of anticipated horror. Still holding the tan stallion, Talon breathed fire directly into the pony's face.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!" CJ screamed. The blaze scorched his face leaving him cut, scarred and blackened in an instant. In less than two seconds it was over and CJ was in a great deal of pain, his entire face blackened along with his mane, his entire body went slack. Talon threw him against the wooden stage and he rebounded off of it, the wood audibly snapping as the pony impacted it.
"No!! CJ!!!" Applebloom called. She watched her poor friend, technically boss lay in a heap on the platform. As he had been helpless to avert his fate, now so were she and her friends helpless to save their friend's life.
Talon turned to the audience and smiled. "I barely even kissed the poor boy," he said. The red dragon crunched the glass phial in his other claw and sprinkled it over the stage.
"CLEAN THAT UP!" Talon shouted.
Something strange happened. Tears were in Applebloom and her friends' eyes as they heard some sort of horrible cracking sound, like wood splintering. CJ rose up off the stage, somehow getting up despite hid injuries. It wasn't a mystery for long however; the tan pony's eyes glowed a sickly green. The two royal guards behind him levitated a dust pan and small broom into view. The possessed pony grabbed both and began sweeping up the shards of glass at Talon's feet.
Applebloom looked in horror. Talon just smiled back at the crowd as he saw his demonstration working. CJ's original cutie mark, a jackhammer slowly morphed into a new image: that of the dust pan and broom he now held.
"As you can see, our friend CJ's now become an absolute model of efficiency. What is his destiny? Whatever the queen wants it to be. Whatever we need it to be. He's now a model citizen, a shining example to all... quadrupeds. Unfortunately, his life expectancy's also been reduced from a matter of years to... about a week at most."
The crowd was shocked. Talking broke out amongst themselves but was quickly silenced by a wave of Talon's claw. "This strain of Cutie Pox is one-hundred percent effective in every form. There is no cure or vaccine. And we've made a lot of it. Using it on all of you now would be... a waste of potential. But we can gas your families." Talon looked out on the crowd practically smelling the fear like a predator. Good. She would be pleased.
"This concludes our demonstration for today. You are dismissed," he ordered the crowd. Slowly, the red dragon turned to the pony at his feet, still sweeping.
"Should we take care of him when he's done sir?" one of the guards asked.
Talon scratched his chin, looking at the colt's glowing green eyes and vacant open-mouthed stare. "No... normally, I'd say finish him off but I want to see the full effect of the virus. Set him to clean up the statue when he's done. Make sure they can see it from the worker's quarters."
"Yes sir," the guard said.
Slowly, the crowd dispersed from around the stage heading back the way they had came. Just as before, Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetiebelle were at the front of it.
Celestia meditated in her throne room. In the silence, she entered an almost trance-like state. Her power grew stronger every single moment of the day. When she closed her eyes, she barely felt herself, her physical form. She was close to transcendence; she knew it. She couldn't feel her own heart beat or her own breathing. Power surged through her and the world around the white alicorn melted away. Truly, she felt like a god.
This must've been how her parents felt before they transcended. Celestia vowed that she would join them one day as an entity that went beyond time and space itself. She would fulfill her namesake and her destiny by joining her parents as a god. She believed that to be true and she had never felt closer to her goal.
Light crept in, the light from the sun as it set. A single pin-prick seeped through the stained glass window and laid upon her eyelid, slowly rising as the sun went down. It was small things like this that reminded Celestia she was still technically mortal. She used the irritation to steel her resolve normally. At the same time, she wondered how she would reach the next level. It didn't matter if she wasn't there yet; she would do whatever was necessary until she reached true ascendance. It was her destiny.
Slowly, she allowed her eyelids to upon and her mind to come back down to Equestria. Seven stone statues occupied her room, each representing one of the Elements of Harmony... and one representing the link she had to them. They were hers now as it always should've been.
Long ago, she and her sister had wielded the power until Luna had rebelled against her. Then, Celestia had tried to bestow the Elements upon subjects that would serve her undying. Again, they it had resulted only in rebellion. This had convinced the ruler: only she could control this power after her parents. That is why it had been given to her and why it was her burden and duty to wield them to protect her citizens. Even and especially from themselves.
The door to her throne room opened. It was another annoyance, though this one was not unexpected. A red dragon, proud and powerful strode towards her with a burning determination in his eyes. Celestia watched him. It was her own determination she saw in his eyes.
The dragon kneeled before her, his stance low and submissive. "My Queen, I have performed as you asked and returned. The demonstration was successful."
"Was it now?" she asked him, her voice stoic. She had lost all use for emotion or conveyance of emotion long ago. "How can you be so sure of its success?"
The dragon kept his head bowed in the kneeling stance. "I... performed exactly to your specifications, your highness. I administered the virus before the assembly and-"
"You said you were sure of the demonstration's success, not your own," the queen said. "How are you sure that the demonstration had the desired result?"
"I... I am-" he began to speak again, his voice uncertain. The princess used her magic to pick him up. He levitated off the ground and flew over to her throne. His limbs spread out involuntarily, Celestia's magic fully enveloping him, controlling him like a puppet. The magic then lowered him to just in front of her.
"How are you so sure of the demonstration's success? How can you be so sure that our goals were met by this single display? How do you know it won't take more?" she asked him.
"Your majesty..." the dragon trembled before her. "I... have misspoken."
"You have," she smiled. He understood his mistake. She turned away from him and looked out the stained glass window. While she averted her gaze from him, she allowed her magic to crush the dragon, pressing him to the floor until he returned to his submissive stance albeit lower this time. The dragon winced and groaned as his body was forced to bend uncomfortably low. Pain was good; it would remind him of his place and expectations.
"We will not be aware of the demonstration's success until we see an increase in productivity and a decrease in outbreaks. You will oversee our subjects directly and administer the virus to those who display any signs of disloyalty," she instructed him.
The dragon's eyes were closed tight as he bore the pain. "Yes... my queen..." he said. The magic abruptly released him and he shot upright.
Celestia had to admit, Minister Talon was useful. Absolute loyalty, strength and resourcefulness. Unfortunately, he was also a lizard and therefore inferior. Ponies were next for transcendence, not dragons. And Celestia was next among them. That is why she had ordered so many statues of herself to be built: she was a role model. She believed that was in fact all great leaders built monuments to themselves. They wanted to be seen as role models, something for their citizens to work towards. And Celestia made sure they worked.
That is just the way it was. Ponies were beasts of burden. It would be on the backs of each other that they would transcend. It was the only way; dragons, griffons, sea ponies, dogs, all were savages compared to the equine. Especially the barbaric dragons. Talon was the exception and that is why he had been spared when Celestia removed the dragon royal family for lack of a better word. He was a model to his species as she was to hers. But Talon would not transcend. On occasion, he needed to be reminded of that.
"Go now. Obey," Celestia said softly. She let the last word OBEY ring longer in his ears, a subtle work of magic. The dragon turned around abruptly and marched out without another word. The throne room door closed behind him and all was quiet again.
The sun almost went down completely but still shone through the window. Celestia watched the sun, HER sun as it descended. It would be another month before she had to use her magic again to set it in motion. The moon had been acting strangely lately. No doubt it was the result of her sister, still trapped. There were still some things in this world Celestia couldn't control and she had to be reminded of that sometimes. She would need to control everything if she would ever follow in her parents' hoofsteps.
The last ray of light reflected off the ceiling and angled down onto one statue in the throne room. Again, another appropriate reminder. The beam of sunlight landed on that of her last student, the statue of Twilight Sparkle.
In that last split-second, Celestia was reminded of her student, the one she'd entrusted Magic to. At first, Twilight had proven to be a model citizen herself. Her own powers of magic and her own relentless pursuit of power mirrored Celestia's own. Twilight researched day and night in Canterlot trying to become more powerful, learning more, trying to be more like Celestia. It was inspiring. Until the faithful day Celestia had sent her to Ponyville.
Twilight's path had been interrupted the day Celestia entrusted her to oversee a crucial ceremony, the Summer Sun Celebration. It was Celestia's mistake; she'd been preoccupied with her own sister's possible return from imprisonment and had left the care for the ceremony to Twilight. What Celestia hadn't anticipated was that Luna would reappear in Ponyville, not Canterlot and spread her vile idealism there.
Twilight and a few friends she'd made retrieved the Elements of Harmony as Celestia had planned. But Luna's appearance had changed things. Her sister planted seeds of doubt in their minds. Even Twilight had strayed from her path and each of them rose to challenge Celestia for rule. Using the power of the Elements of Harmony and her own sister, the seven ponies had attempted to usurp power and overthrow Celestia. How futile there attempt had been was as plain as the statues that adorned her throne room.
Celestia had steeled herself for what needed to be done. Twilight and her friends had bonded with the Elements of Harmony, becoming them in a sense just as Luna had bonded with the moon and Celestia the sun. They thought this would shield themselves from Celestia's ultimate wrath. But quite the opposite was true; there were many fates worse than death. Rather than destroy them, Celestia turned them to stone and banished her sister back to the moon. She'd lost a student in the process and a sister once again.
Celestia looked to the smaller statue next to the stone Twilight. Did Talon know his brother had rose against her? She didn't doubt the Minister's loyalty but she enjoyed testing it. Perhaps she would introduce him to his imprisoned sibling and remind him of the fate of those that opposed her. There was only one path and those that didn't follow it were distractions.
That is one way that the princess even remotely considered herself equal to any other creature on Equestria: they all walked the path. Celestia only led because she was the farthest down it, the closest to the goal. She was simply doing the duty of the followers.
