Puppet Strings

by Sweet Berry

Rating: teen
Tags: Princess Luna, Rainbow Dash, Princess Celestia, Twilight Sparkle, Main 6, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Alternate Universe
Length: 2390

"The villains" aren't the only one who control ponies minds. Manipulation is rampant in wartime Equestria.

With the Lunar Rebellion reestablished by Luna's return, Celestia is desperate to find any way to hold on to her sovereign power. Twilight supports Celestia, dedicated until the end, going out and trying to maintain the support of the general populace. The ponies wonder, though, why is she so loyal to the dictator?
What about Rainbow Dash? What side will she, the element of loyalty, choose when forced to choose between her friends?

Gore tag is in place just in case. If there is gore in the future, it will be a light amount.

Published 2014-12-07 00:30:12 UTC
Last updated 2014-12-08 00:04:32 UTC

Chapter 1 [Re-revising]

Twilight Sparkle, known to Equestria as the personal student and favorite companion of the princess, as well as a national hero, trudged to the gaudy throne room.

The nation was in a state of chaos; the Lunar Rebellion was attempting to overthrow the throne. Luna, now leading the rebellion, had forsaken her title as princess upon her return from the moon, disgusted by the absolute monarchy and furious with her sister for having locked her away for a thousand years. She had tried to adjust to the modern way of life, but had been horrified by the political corruption that went on behind closed doors.

The elements of harmony had taken sides, ending up on opposite sides of the war. Applejack and Pinkie had chosen the rebellion. Twilight begged them to make the right choice, not to go against the empire, but there was no changing their minds. Upon seeing her friends so divided, Rainbow Dash had disappeared.

As such, Twilight had recently taken on some of the responsibility of attempting to calm the tensions. She, along with Rarity, had become public figures, giving speeches weekly and sometimes daily, representing Celestia. These speeches were desperate attempts to talk the rebels down and yet, the war raged on.

Twilight had just returned to from one such speech to report to Celestia. The royal guards saluted as she passed through the ornate throne room doors and into the gilded room. Since the rebellion had escalated, court was no longer held more than once a week, if it was held at all. The security was considerably tightened, the stone face guards lining the walls. Princess Celestia sat regally on her throne with her war time advisors bustling around her and debating with her every word. When Twilight entered, Celestia was in a heated debate with a stallion bearing a cutie mark of two scrolls. Twilight recognized him as a diplomatic advisor. He seemed to be trying to talk Celestia in to attempting a peace treaty. Celestia argued vehemently. "I will not make peace with such radical dissenters. Their influence will ruin this country. I've already tightened security in all government buildings to protect my citizens. I will mobilize troops if they do not back down. I will not stand for this loss of my pow- peace." The advisor backed down, realizing his words were not going to change her mind and only served to make her angry. He stumbled over himself to apologize, stuttering and throwing himself at her hooves.

As she saw Twilight approach the throne, Celestia shooed her advisors away, clearing the throne room for all but the guards.

The monarch smiled gently, the dark circles under eyes becoming slightly more pronounced. "It's good to see you, Twilight. How did the public address go?"

Twilight stopped at the foot of the throne, bowing her head towards the powerful monarch. "I think it went well Princess." Now that she was up close, however, Twilight could see just how tired, and long Celestia's face had grown. It seemed her once majestic white coat was slowly going grey and faint signs of illness lingered in her face. In light of that, Twilight decided maybe it was best she stay silent about the rebel the guards had dragged away earlier that day

Celestia nodded, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, attempting to relieve her stress. "Good. You know, handling this rebellion is very taxing."

Twilight looked down, something weighing heavily on her mind. "Yes, I understand. Faust knows where Dash is, and I'm very worried about Pinkie Pie and Applejack. I still can't believe they joined the rebellion." She couldn't help but worry that she had made the wrong choice not joining her friends on the other side. She sighed, "And poor Fluttershy hasn't left her cottage since the rebellion started."

Twilight thought back to the princess' argument with her advisor, fearing that they were heading towards war. She did not want to go to war against her friends and blamed herself for Luna's return. 'Maybe Luna was right,' she thought. "Princess, I believe we are on the path to war, and I don't think that is what you want. Is there not a way to come to an agreement?"

Celestia narrowed her eyes, "As I told my advisors, I will tell you. There shall be no sanctuary for these rebels. Attempting to ruin the country and harm the citizens is not to be pardoned."

Twilight winced, knowing that when the war came, if the rebels lost, Applejack and Pinkie were likely to face execution. 'Maybe I should join them. At least we'll go down together and I'd have died fighting for the rights of the people,' Twilight's thoughts were conflicting, and she was left feeling that she was on the wrong side of the war.

Celestia could tell Twilight was doubting the side she has chosen. She knew she needed Twilight to keep the support of the citizens. People adored Twilight and listened to practically everything the savior of Equestria said. Celestia knew she could only seem fair for so long if it came time to go to war. She needed every bit of power she had. For centuries, Celestia had slowly been restricting the ponies' rights and money, giving the majority of the country's wealth to herself. Her subjects had lived in ignorant bliss until Luna came back and shattered the illusion. Twilight's influence on the people was a loss that she could not afford.

Scowling, Celestia's golden aura of magic lit her horn and surrounded Twilight's horn. Twilight let out a pained gasp, “Wha- what are you doing?” The throbbing pain radiating from her horn and deeper into her mind was crippling. She let out a pained whine, lighting her horn in an attempt to fight off Celestia's advances. She managed a few faint sparks, before Celestia suppressed her magic with a simple thought. Celestia wrapped her magic around Twilight's mind, taking control of her body and locking away her will, despite her mind's desperate struggles to break free. Twilight screamed in agony, suddenly freezing and falling silent, her eyes glowing with the gold that matched the Celestia's aura.

Celestia spoke in a cold voice, far from the warm motherly tone she typically used with her subjects. "Listen well, Twilight Sparkle, I am Princess Celestia, Sol Invictus, Monarch of the Equestrian Empire. If there was ever a side to choose, it is mine. Your so-called friends are no longer to even be acknowledged. They are nothing more than scum. Any being who dares to go against me will pay the ultimate price. You are my pawn, and you will do everything in your power to convince the people that I am right. Understand?"

Twilight nodded, no longer of her own free will. "Yes, your majesty," she responded, her voice empty of emotion and her normal intelligent tone was lacking.

Celestia looked on coldly, the facade of the kind and fair ruler having been dropped with no need to maintain public appearance. "Good," she murmured, compassion no longer a part of her. "Now, bow to your queen, my little puppet." Twilight dropped in to a deep bow, prostrating herself at the base of the throne before the princess, unable to fight the iron grip Celestia had on her mind.

"I'm sorry, my little puppet, but I have to do this."

Author's Note

I'm working on developing this as an alternate universe for a series of stories. If you have any suggestions or criticisms, feel free to comment. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. If this does well enough, it will become a longer story rather than a one-shot.

I'd love to know what side you would choose. Don't pick until you know both sides, though!

Chapter 2 [Revising]

Deep in the Everfree Forest, the ruins of the old castle were serving as the Lunar Revolution's headquarters. Luna was holding a meeting in the humid library to discuss the future of the revolution. Applejack and Pinkie Pie stood on either side of her desk, as the members of the rebellion shouted and argued around them. The air of the room was tense, the heated discussions only added to oppressive atmosphere. Luna waited as the last of the representatives from different towns and cities pushed in to the already crowded library. Ponies from across Equestria had joined the movement. Already the rebellion had around three hundred followers and was only growing.

Luna stood, and walked around her desk, quieting the room with a stern look. "Comrades of the Lunar Revolution! For how long did we live under the sun lies?

"A thousand years!" The crowd responded, shouting at the top of their lungs.

"For how long did the sun lull us into ignorant contentment?"

"A thousand years!" The revolutionaries were getting fired up, gradually growing louder and more rambunctious.

"For how long has the sun stolen away our faust-given rights?"

"A thousand years!"

"For how long has the sun looked down upon us and stolen our riches?"

"A thousand years!"

"For how long has the sun sat and watched while we worked ourselves to death for her comfort?"

"A thousand years!" roared the crowd.

"For how long did we suffer under the sun's iron hoof?"

"A thousand years!"

"For how long will we stand for this? No longer! No longer will we stand for such betrayal!" With each question and response, the crowd cheered, getting more and more passionate with each passing moment. The outrage and discontentment spread like a wildfire across the room.

Luna paused, before returning her attention to the crowd, "Remember, comrades, I am one of you! I, too, have been oppressed by the sun. Just like you, I have spent a thousand years locked up with no rights of my own. We have done nothing to deserve this treatment and we will fight against it. No longer we will sit back and take this poor treatment. Your support and faith in this revolution is what will make this a success. Without your sacrifices and hard work, we will never be able to give ourselves and future generations a better life. They may take away our lives, but they may never take away our freedom!" She emphasized the word freedom as the crowd nodded, hanging on to her every word.

Luna took a deep breath and continued, "Today and, Faust willing, many days after this, we will stand tall as the illusion of peace is stripped away. For today, we have the Element of Laughter, and the Element of Honesty in our midst!" She gestured to Applejack, "You can be assured that I will never lie to you as the sun has. For Applejack Apple, Bearer of the Element of Honesty, will not stand for such lies!" The crowd cheered, stomping their hooves in appreciation for Applejack, who blushed, taking off her hat, and giving a humble nod. Luna then gestured to Pinkie Pie as the crowd quieted, "With the element of laughter, we will never give up hope! Pinkamena Pie will help us to look at things in a new way and find ways to achieve our goals no matter what! The bearer of the element of laughter's support will keep us smiling through the toughest of times!" Pinkie giggled, sticking her tongue out at the crowd who laughed and cheered.

"For a thousand years, we were lied to by the sun! By the one we looked up to as a god! Now, with Laughter and Honesty by our side, we fight the sun! Snuff out its light! Today, we finally bring ten thousand years of peace to this land!" As Luna finished her speech, the crowd erupted into ecstatic roaring and hoof stomping.

Luna instructed them to find their battalions and begin training. She would be drawing up plans for gaining more support for the time being, so there would be more time to learn how to fight. They would be at a disadvantage with the civilian fighters, but Luna was working on getting in contact with the night guard. She hoped they still remained and were still loyal to her.

The ponies filed out of the library to meet with their platoon leaders and Luna sat down at her desk, opening a book of war. She had been trying to catch up on history since her return and was almost to present day. "Applejack Apple, bearer of the element of honesty, how have the ponies stood for such injustice for so long?"

Applejack simply shook her head, "I don't know, any ponies who questioned Celestia disappeared. It was better to just keep quiet about your doubts. There ain't no need to be so formal with us, though. Just Applejack is fine."

Luna sighed, "And two of the other elements are in her custody?"

Pinkie Pie nodded, looking unusually sad. "Yes, Twilight and Rarity. They took her side." Pinkie sat down across from Luna and gave her a sad smile.

Luna gave Pinkie a sympathetic look, "Worry not, I am sure we can regain their loyalty. I worry, though. Faust knows what Celestia will do to maintain her power. We must try to get in touch with them."

"Canterlot is under strict guard, no mail in, no mail out. Only important nobles and dignitaries are allowed to enter the city," Applejack explained, "If we could figure out where Spike is, we might be able to get some mail to Twilight, though."

"I suggest we search the library," Luna stood, donning her armor and walking towards the exit of the library. "We leave at nightfall. Head down to the old armory and get some armor and weapons. I expect there to be guards in Ponyville as well. You are important to our cause and I cannot lose you." She turned towards the window and looking across the forest. "Tomorrow, I'd like you both to join the military training. This is war."

Author's Note

My writing has been a little awkward lately. Sorry.
I will start using more military terms, and i've done a bit of research, but they might not always be right. I mean no offense, I'm trying my best.

Special thanks to the members of the struggling authors group for providing speech inspiration and advice. Especially DerpyMuffin7 and Prane