Tears of Harmony

"I once knew a Griffon. She was a thief, a liar, and a schemer. They're all thieves, liars, and schemers. I once knew a Minotaur, and he was a con artist and a swindler. They're all con artists and swindlers. I once knew a Changeling, and nopony need ask of what they're all like. What is an Equestrian? Well, right now, they bow to these lesser races. But, what could we be, in the future, if we shed the shackles of servitude, and realize our rightful place?"

I remember trembling.

Such a horrible tremor had set itself deep in my bones, my body undergoing countless spasms and twitches. I stared out the window, but my eyes were unseeing, my ears unhearing. I wasn't present, not mentally. I was not in Equestria. I was not in the cabin in the village.

I was back in Tartarus.

In my exhausted state my mind had wandered, and it fell into that trap so easily set. The one of self-reflection, of introspection. A wild train of thoughts that early morning had run off, starting on my friends and going to that of my mother before travelling to that of the Princesses and Twilight and culminating in that time I spent--however long it was--reliving all those horrible, terrifying moments in Tartarus. I swore to myself that I would never to speak to anycreature about our time there, and I intend to hold that promise until my dying minute, but... It was...

I was eventually knocked from my reverie with a gentle tap to the door, and I flinched at the sound, as tinny as it was. I blinked and looked around, realized I'd had what would eventually become one of many episodes of trauma, and composed myself. My muscles were stiff, having sat on the bed, unmoving, for several hours, and I stretched as I stood. I cantered over to the door and pulled it open, Wisest of All standing beyond the threshold. He bowed and asked "sleep well, Great One?"

I opened my mouth to tell him that I did, to put on a brave face and lie, to tell him that everything was alright. As it was, I was barely holding myself together. In the end I smiled and gestured out towards the table, and Wisest parted to let me trot by him. "Great things begin, each day, with a great breakfast" he commented as he followed along behind me.

I could think of no reason to disagree.

As I sat at the table and Wisest went into the kitchen to start cooking I began, once again, to contemplate how I was going to challenge Empress Twilight and the empire she had created, if it or she even still existed. Being that I knew nothing about how the world was or what changes had taken place since I was interred I knew I'd have to first learn as much as I could. It was a daunting task, to not only find my friends but then challenge what may have been the most powerful empire to have ever existed in our world. There was so much to learn that, even if I did find Moondancer and the Pie Sisters, I didn't even know where to start.

One thing at a time, Flurry I thought to myself.

The smell of tea and toasted bread roused me from my musings and I turned to look into the kitchen. Being that the village had no electricity, Wisest--and all the others, I assumed--took to using fire for most of their cooking. In an odd dish he had rigged up beneath a window there was four slices of bread held, vertically, over an open flame a few inches below, lightly roasting the slices. Satisfied they were done well enough Wisest undid the pin holding the bread up and slid the slices off onto a ceramic plate, and reached through the window to pluck four daisies from a planter hanging just outside. With a deft move of his hooves he applied a perfect coat of butter to two of the toast slices and dropped a daisy on each. Finished with this he pulled the water kettle off a separate burner just as it began to whistle and poured some out into two cups, dropping a tea bag into each. Balancing the plate of food on his back and carrying the two cups of tea on their own special holder he hobbled out into the main room, where the table was. I took the plate on his back off with my magic, and gave me a thankful smile as he set the cups out.

"I regret that I can not offer a grander spread, Great One, but I'm afraid that we cannot spawn food with our minds here" he commented as he sat.

"This is more than adequate" I told him. I was certainly in no position to complain. As Wisest slid a plate to me I realized just how hungry I was. Things like hunger and thirst did not exist in Tartarus--one of the realm's only good things--but even then I could not remember the last time I had ate. I quickly digged in, wolfing down the toast in a very un-princesslike manner. With my breakfast quickly packed away I turned to the tea, levitating the cup to my lips and taking a modest sip.

"I had never considered that a Great One's hunger could be so...ravenous" Wisest said with a characteristic, warm, smile. I gave my own sheepish smile, mildly embarrassed. In truth I wasn't concerned with how he perceived me then; I had just been so hungry.

"Forgive me" I said by way of apology, swiftly changing topics. "Tell me, what is life like out here? Are there any other towns or cities nearby? Do you get many visitors or anything like that?" I asked, getting a feel for things. Really I was surreptitiously seeking information that would aid me in seeking out my friends, or, potentially, begin to strike back at Twilight.

Wisest shook his head. "I'm afraid that we are rather isolated out here, Great One. We are entirely self-sufficient here, and the ponies here have very little family beyond the trees. I have not seen a pony that was not of our tribe in, well, I'd say five years, as that was how long it had been before you arrived" he explained.

I nodded in understanding. I'd have to do my own reconnaissance work.

"I understand worry, but it is true that it accomplishes nothing. You will find your friends, Great One. I'm sure of it."

I found myself trotting through the woods surrounding the village, a light coat buttoned around me to conceal my wings. After breakfast had concluded I'd asked Wisest for the coat and set out to find the nearest town. It'd be a bit of a challenge, as I was avoiding all roads, but I was near enough to the river to be able to find my way back to the village. The river would also undoubtedly lead me to any other towns in the region, as towns tended to spring up around the mills ponies built on the rivers. Even if mills were long obsolete, which I thought was a possibility, the towns would still be there.

And so I just...trotted along, as natural as could be. It was still so surreal to be back in the normal dimension, to be out of Tartarus, that I couldn't help but enjoy the sunlight. I didn't even feel tired, despite not having slept at all since returning the night before. I pondered about my presence in the world, contemplated it. I had returned to Equestria, to the normal dimension, and was traipsing about, completely unbeknownst to Twilight. I wondered what she was doing as I cantered through the forest, oblivious to my return.

My mind lingered on the corrupt Empress that I once knew as my aunt. The horrible truth of her Ascension, the way she so callously cut down the Princesses, the way she twisted my mother into nothing more than a zealot, the way my father served her without question, all of it served to make my skin crawl and my blood boil. That so many stood by her side, took up arms in her name, and smashed and battered and beat the other races into submission, and YES I KNOW I once did the same, was all so horrible. It disgusted me. What was worse was the knowledge that had Fluttershy not shown me the truth I'd still serve Twilight and the Equestrian Empire to this day.

My own role in furthering Twilight's will was what tormented me the most. Not long after Twilight came to power, she organized a complete restructuring of the Equestrian military. Gone were the days of the Royal Guard, who stood only as defenders, replaced by the Shocktrotters, the Royal Rangers, and at the top: the Royal Hunter. A single pony entrusted with taking on all the missions that the Shocktrotters and Rangers couldn't. Hunts, assassinations, held to no standard except that of Twilight's, restricted by no word except that of Twilight's, and exempt from all law except that of Twilight's. A badge in one hoof and a gun in the other, given free reign to do as they saw fit, so long as it served to advance and protect the interests of the Equestrian Empire.

And I was the first Hunter.

I can remember the day I was sworn in. The speech, the ceremony. I'd never been so happy. I'd been raised, taught, trained my whole life to be the Royal Hunter. I could remember nothing but Twilight's reign, knew nothing but the Empire. I remember the look on Twilight's face; a painted smile that belied the wicked glee she felt. I remember the look on my parents' faces. The pride, the nearly hidden trace of worry knowing I was going to live a career of danger and battle for the rest of my immortal life. The ceremony had been held in private. Just Twilight and my parents. The parents who were long dead, like everypony else I'd known from that time that hadn't been trapped in Tartarus with me. My parents, Fluttershy, Pinkie, what few others I knew from my time as the Royal Hunter, all long dead and buried. If one could age in Tartarus, then Moondancer and the remaining Pie Sisters would also be dead, for as much as I didn't know how long we'd all been interred, I knew it had been for far longer than any normal pony's average lifespan.

A terrible sense of dread built within me as I realized that as it had been at least 100 years, if not more, since I'd been interred, that the idea of Harmony might be entirely lost on the world today, even if I did manage to depose Twilight. Ponies may not have been able to understand the concept of the other races being equal to them, to accept them as the same as us. If that were the case, if they rejected the teachings of Harmony, even with Twilight removed from power, would it even be worth it?

I stopped as I realized I was nearing another town, the sounds of life filtering through the air towards me. I looked beyond the forest and could see the first few houses, with countless more beyond them. It seemed this was a proper town or even city, though I could see no building taller than a few stories from where I was. I eased up to one of the trees as I trotted closer, straining to see what I could even in the face of my desire to remain hidden. As I watched and listened to the distant sounds I saw as an older stallion trotted out of his cottage, down the steps and toward a flagpole he had erected on the front wall, adjacent to the door. He unfurled the banner and I watched as gravity pulled taut the strings that mounted the flag to the pole, the standard clean, bold, and plain for all to see.

The flag of the Equestrian Empire.

My heart sank as I realized my fears were confirmed. Empress Twilight still lived, and her empire was still going strong. She was probably sitting in Castle Twilight--the palace she'd had built at the peak of Canterlot mountain--and contentedly reading and ruling, the seat of her power unchallenged. The defenses at Castle Twilight had been strong, even back when I'd been the Royal Hunter. I could only imagine how they were now.

Knowing that I could never have mounted a direct confrontation I began to consider my options when something happened that changed the course of not only my life, but inevitably the course of life in Equestria. Something that lead me down the path I now traveled with no intention of straying from.

From the stallion's house emerged a Starborn.

Empress Twilight had created the Starborn not long after the founding of the empire, the perfect blend of machine and life, she'd created them as a labor force, but they were intelligent enough to understand at least a little about the world around them. They were entirely robotic, assembled rather than birthed(their name just referred to how Twilight had created them), but they could very well be another species all their own. They were not a true artificial intelligence, but they could be.

If given the right push.

Then, in that moment, I knew. I knew just how I could strike back at the empire. How I could destabilize it just enough to distract Twilight long enough to infiltrate her castle and steal the Elements of Harmony, which I knew she had kept for safekeeping. She'd undoubtedly see the Starborn as her children and hesitate to commit to any drastic measures, and I knew I could exploit that hesitation. This was it! This was my ticket to restoring Harmony and justice to the world! This modest robotic servant, and all the hundreds of thousands(or maybe even millions) like it were the key.

All I had to do was turn that key.