League of Bronze

by Mai Oates

Rating: everyone
Tags: Alternate Universe, Dark, Adventure
Length: 593

Equestria is forced back into the steam age.

With Celestia's health slowly declining, magically powered machines were becoming more and more difficult to maintain. The final nail in the coffin came when Luna's jealousy gets the best of her, and our dear Princess of the sun loses the companionship of her dear sister.

Eventually, all of our gears ground to a complete halt, and Equestria was forced to re-invent even our most rudimentary machines. Our standards of living were lowered, while the best and brightest were pulled from their homes to start the process of rebuilding.

Best and brightest included us, of course.

I am Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Clockwork, and we are the league of bronze.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-09-14 23:29:08 UTC

Prolouge: An Explanation of the Facts (and only the facts)

When you visit Canterlot, the only things you'll really see are the pretty parts. It's built that way on purpose. Nopony wants to come to the greatest city in Equestria and see the truth of it. Nopony wants to see the homeless ponies begging for bits, or the dumpsters overflowing with garbage. That's left for the adventurous ones.

If you like to think of yourself as rather brave, there is one place in particular you may find an interesting story.

On your way back to your lavish hotel room, one ally will catch your eye. It looks the same as any other, but there is something in that little road that will astound you. Walk down it.

Just when the smell is starting to take its toll, you'll see a little box leaning against a wall. It looks like it could fit one pony standing on its hind legs, and it has a screen stretched over the opening. It will be rotting, and probably covered in all types of stains, but something tells me you'll make it through.

An old telephone hangs from a broken cord, but you pick it up anyway. You hold it to your ear, shaking it around and hoping for a dial tone. Just as you're about to give up though, a female voice will murmur something.

You'll need to ask her to speak up several times (she does this on purpose), but eventually you'll make out: "What is your number?"

These words mean nothing to you, of course. The phones you know have no numbers, and no operators. Nonetheless, you'll search the box for a number, and find one scratched into the wooden wall.

"Erm... two hundred and fourteen," you need to tell the voice.

"And... what does the print under that say?" she'll ask.

If you take another look, there is something scrawled under that. "I can't read it," you tell her.

"Please try."

"It looks like..." you will squint at it for a minute, then say, "I think it says 'truth.' What does that mean?"

There will be only silence on the other end. You'll hear some hoofsteps and some heated whispering, and then a different voice. This one, however, is recognized by all of Equestria. This is the voice who addressed a panicking nation, the voice that tricked millions, the voice that swayed opinions and even fought a war.

It's my voice.

And I'll tell you some interesting things, once you've paid up. Simply calling me to the phone has a price to pay, and failure to subject will result in a secret arrest. After my guards are finished with you, nopony will ever have any evidence you existed.

The price isn't high, have no fear. All I want to hear are a few words. I can't tell you what they are, I'm not sure I know them myself, but once I hear them I'll never stop talking. You'll know the darkest secrets of our country, the deepest fears of our leaders, the cover-ups and lies and deceit.

It's easy to get, really. Just prove that you're worth it. If you succeed, I'll pull out a thick and heavy manuscript and read in that famous voice, and you'll hear our history. Not the one your parents told you. The real one. The one only a select few ponies know.

This is that story. The pony reading it to you is I, Twilight Sparkle, and you have just been accepted into the League of Bronze.