From The Shadows

PARANOIA (revised)

From The Shadows

by DeepThought

Since Fire’s arrival in Equestria one question spins in the sun monarch’s head and keeps her awake at her sister’s nights:

‘Is he worth my trust?’

She knows that this stallion brought incredible inventions to her country and greatly improved her ponies’ quality of life. Never before were metal, food, and all other vital resources as cheap as now. Never before were the sciences as developed, the healthcare as good...

'My little ponies are happy... But at what price?'

Celestia is highly irritated by the fact that he doesn’t spread his knowledge, but successfully keeps it to himself and his city, which puts him in a position of relatively great political power.

‘HIS city!’ she sighs.

Her spies reported just weeks before from Liberty that the citizens’ sense of loyalty shifted drastically to this alien. They adore him in a way like the religious praise their gods...

Yes, she planned to make him royalty some day, so he, as an alpha alicorn, would have a purpose in this country and strengthens its position. But she didn’t want to create a country within her country - this city becomes more and more independent, even developing some kind of its own sub-culture.

Certainly, she is disappointed of him. His explanation for this need of secrecy, when she confronted him, was that the so-called ‘industrialization’ of Equestria would lead to great social, economic, scientific and demographic changes that could destabilize the whole country, if not first tested on a smaller scale. But seeing Liberty's obvious success she doesn’t believe him.

Soon she will have to act! The recent confrontation was just one of many signs of their(his? who are they?) growing self-confidence. Although the sun goddess admires his care for his subjects, though, and personally likes him as somepony who is charismatic and thoughtful, he's also dark, unlike her ponies; anything but innocent.

A dangerous mix of traits.

‘And he is friends with a changeling. The SAME race that ponynapped my beloved student...’ she realized. Is he secretly scheming against her? Is he trying to trick her into making the wrong military decisions?

‘SO HE CAN FINALLY OVERTHROW ME?’

Under different circumstances she’d probably have let him continue, until she figures out what exactly he plans; but now, Equestria is attacked by its worst enemies, internal opposition leads to failure. She is, was and will be the perfect ruler for her subjects - the sun monarch is sure about this.

‘I know what is the best for my subjects. Everypony who questions that is a problem.’

‘...A problem to be solved,’ she adds.

She also believes that this new kind of government he introduced, democracy, is a risk for inner security. Celestia feels quite certain that he’d never purposely do something to harm her subjects... But what if somepony with bad intentions wins the elections in Liberty some day? This system has to be wiped from the face of this planet for the good of everypony.

She finally concludes, ‘I have to put him in his place and restore my power! This little conflict of ours is just the perfect reason to start.’