Chapters It started with a dream.
And ended in a nightmare.
Centuries after her return, Princess Luna began to have strange and disturbing dreams which baffled her. At first they were nothing more than bizarre and unusual images, the likes of which she chose to ignore as nothing more as her own imagination.
A product of her time governing the dream realm.
But as time went on these dreams became more lucid. Manehattan's Mare Statue. Canterlot Castle. The Crystal Heart.
But things were wrong. The light on Manehattan's Mare Statue was too bright. Canterlot Castle had too many towers. And the Crystal Heart was larger.
And then things got ugly. Massive metal monsters from the sky would rain fire and steel down upon ponies. Buildings crumbled crushing its occupants. Princess Luna could only watch in horror as her own dream powers failed to banish such a nightmare. Only awaking from her slumber could she be spared from the horror, albeit temporarily. As the nightmares became more frequent, she knew she was fighting a losing battle.
Princess Celestia was not ignorant of the situation, but powerless to help. Despite her prior experience in the dream realm, the nightmares that visited Princess Luna were for her and her alone. Princess Celestia could not enter, or even see, Princess Luna's dreams at night. The extreme act of switching their cutie marks similarly had no effect.
Princess Cadence tried what she could do with her resources. Perhaps Princess Luna was lonely? No, the company of her sister was enough for her. Perhaps Princess Luna needed a break from her royal duties? A month of vacation yielded no change. Perhaps Princess Luna had begun to desire a mate? While that resulted in an endless stream of romance stories starring Princess Luna, it did not banish the nightmares.
Even other nations began to provide assistance and advice on the matter. Zebra potions and techniques proved powerless. Yak medicine simply gave Princess Luna an upset stomach. The Griffon patented method of taking a large rock to the back of the head only gave Princess Luna a headache in addition to the nightmares.
In an act of desperation Discord was brought to Princess Luna's bedside. But after hearing of the situation Discord merely bent down to her ear. Opened his mouth... and closed it. Smiling in the most bemused way, Discord simply said "you'll find out." And left.
With little assistance by way of magic, Princess Luna turned towards the mundane. Scribes were called and soon a small army of writers were by her side every night and every morning recording every word she uttered, hoping to help Princess Luna clarify her thoughts. Mere notes became journals. Journals became books. Books became bookshelves. And then the artists were called.
The scribes had a hard time trying to convey Princess Luna's descriptions of what she had seen, and so painters, artists and sculptors were called upon to bring shape to Princess Luna's words. Bookshelves became libraries. And libraries became museums. It was a golden age of art for Equestria, a single dream could launch an artist's career overnight; but the artists took no joy in their work. With every dream, every attack became more real. With every carving, the metal monsters became more real. With every night, the nightmares became more real.
But then the nightmares became fragments. And fragments became pieces. And the pieces were put together.
Princess Twilight had spent much of her free time trying to assist Princess Luna and finally realized upon something: Her research was useless.
Princess Twilight's research was based on the past, when in fact it should have been looking towards the future.
The light on Manehattan's Mare Statue was too bright? A new lighting system was planned to be installed to make it more visible during foggy days. Canterlot Castle had too many towers? A proposal to build new towers had been in the works for quite some time but never actually executed on. And the Crystal Heart was larger? It was noted that the Crystal Heart grew as the Crystal Empire ponies grew happier.
But none of this helped Princess Luna.
Knowing that her nightmares were visions of the future only haunted Princess Luna and terrified those around her. The threat of the metal monsters from the sky loomed over Equestria with no way to prepare for, let alone address, the future.
It wasn't until one day when Princess Luna stopped to look at a statue in the Canterlot Gardens did she realize there was a solution. If the metal monsters came from the skies to attack Equestria, she would go the skies and attack first.
That statue was a statue of Nightmare Moon.
Nightmare Moon stood over the crumpled forms of Princess Celestia, Princess Cadence and Princess Twilight. It was a bloodless coup. She had no intention of killing anyone. But she needed power. The power of a nation... no, of an empire in order to face the metal monsters.
Without the Elements of Harmony and Princess Celestia's unwillingness to fight her sister again, Equestria fell to Nightmare Moon.
And yet, little changed.
After proclaiming herself the leader of all of Equestria, Nightmare Moon designated Princess Celestia regent and allowed her to rule Equestria as she had before. Princess Cadence was sent back to the Crystal Empire with the promise of joining Nightmare Moon's future empire. And Princess Twilight continued her duties as Princess of Friendship, albeit it with more time dedicated to studying Nightmare Moon's nightmares.
Despite changing into Nightmare Moon, she was still terrified of her nightmares. Nightmare Moon threw herself into her nightmares every night trying to gather as much information as she could on the metal monsters. Some of them used magical beams. Others launched a hailstorm of metal arrows. Others stil in the distance launched large metal fireworks, with far more destructive power. A few even launched smaller metal monsters. Almost all of them had some kind of magic shield that was invisible until impacted.
Scholars from across the world began to dedicate their lives studying these weapons and armor, as well as how to reverse engineer and counter them. But research was slow. With nothing more than a visual description, scholars could only compare them to the magic of a unicorn or the engineering of a party cannon.
It wasn't until a casual statement made by Princess Twilight did Nightmare Moon realize she had been approaching the matter the wrong way.
"I wonder what the ponies of the future are like."
Nightmare Moon had no words for her. Nightmare Moon had been so enthralled by the death and destruction that she did not think to look and see what the Equestrians had been doing. And so she did. And that was the beginning of the dream.
Princess Twilight could only shiver in excitement. Working alongside Nightmare Moon for so long had convinced her that Nightmare Moon had no intention of anypony... if she could avoid it. It was only when a wild Ursa Major threatened to kill a foal did Twilight ever see Nightmare Moon draw blood. As awful as it was, she could not bring herself to condemn Nightmare Moon.
Life in Equestria had not been bad either. Despite declaring herself the ruler of all of Equestria, the world was peaceful brought together under one banner. Much of that credit went towards Princess Celestia and Princess Cadence, but the art and science communities surrounding Nightmare Moon had helped as well.
And now it culminated in this. Princess Twilight Sparkle, the first Equestrian princess and royalty to go into outer space... for a few days. Her work on Equestria still called.
Still, she shivered in excitement even more. The prospect of entering outer space, going to an altitude unreachable by pegesi or alicorn wings made the scholar, now scientist, heart within her buck in excitement. If it wasn't for the fact that she was strapped to her chair, she was sure she would be bouncing around the space craft as Pinkie Pie used to.
She felt comfortable as well. This was not the first launch and Nightmare Moon had shown nothing but love for her fellow Equestrians; ponies, griffons, dragons, changelings and others.
But she still felt fear. Despite all this time, the visions continued to haunt her. The changes of Manehattan's Mare Statue, Canterlot Castle, the Crystal Heart all came true. Mostly. One of the towers at Canterlot Castle was not built in hopes that intentionally avoiding the vision would dispel them completely, to no avail. The metal monsters, now known as space ships,
"Twilight, t-minus 60 seconds." Interrupted Nightmare Moon.
Dispelling her thoughts, Twilight refocused on the task at hand.
"All lights green, prepared for launch." Responded Twilight.
A few snickers from the Thunderbolts behind her reminded her how foalish she appeared. This wasn't their first launch and wouldn't be their last. Despite the scientific advances, pegesi continued to pride themselves on producing the best pilots.
Even in zero gravity, they wouldn't pass up the opportunity to poke fun at an alicorn's flying skills.
"Begin countdown." Nightmare Moon announced over the speaker.
"Begin countdown!" Relayed an earth pony.
"Launch in t-minus 10." Calmed stated the unicorn.
"T-minus 9."
"T-minus 8."
"T-minus 7."
"T-minus 6."
"5."
"4."
"3."
"2."
"1."
"Launch."
Author's Note
The art of war is of vital importance to the State.
No matter how many times she looked it, she never got tired of it.
Twilight stared out the window and took in the sight of the planet below. Equestria.
It had been a while since Princess Luna, now Nightmare Moon, started having nightmares of the future. As much as it pained Twilight to know that Nightmare Moon continued to be haunted by those dreams to this very day, she had to look at the bright side. Nightmare Moon's nightmares gave her Equestria insight into technologies unimagable before. From hot air balloons and zeppelins to a space ships and a space station, even though Twilight had been apart of the research teams for nearly every project, she was still fascinated by it all.
"Princess Twilight?"
Looking over to her shoulder, a bat pony stood in the doorway.
"Its time."
"A little bit longer." Replied Twilight. This had been the ninth time she asked him for more time. Surely this time he would drag her out by the tail.
"A little bit longer." Refrained the bat pony.
"A little bit longer." Repeated Twilight.
The bat pony simply bowed and left.
Twilight simply couldn't help herself. The prospect of returning to her castle to work as the Princess of Friendship still held its place in her heart, but there was something new. A deep realization within Twilight had been born. A simple one that she simply couldn't see before.
Ponies were small. Very, very small. Canterlot Castle vaunted towers were impossible to see from here. Its gold and purple topped towers overshadowed by the electric lighting of the surrounding city. Even the sculpture garden where Discord was once interned and the hedge maze were flooded by lights from the city.
Without even turning her head, Twilight could see the lights of Ponyville, a now bustling city. The presence of Princess Twilight Sparkle was more than enough to spark development in the area. But when Nightmare Moon ordered research facilities to be constructed there so that Twilight would not have to constantly travel between Canterlot and Ponyville, the area boomed.
Other countries had joined the newly established Equestrian Star Realm as well. Many had resisted but when the first rockets starting beaming down images of the planet's surface far above altitudes anypony could reach, no one wanted to be the last to join. To this day it was still rumored that Breezies had been employed to manipulated the order in which the paperwork was processed.
Thankfully, Nightmare Moon's new Equestrian Star Realm left terrestrial control in the hands of the locals. Dragons were already arguing with unicorns in regards to any prospective space gems. The dragons had already prepared research facilities on studying space gem cuisine, while unicorn tailors prepared warehouses full of dresses ready to be adorned with space gems.
"Princess Twilight?" The bat pony interrupted again.
"A little bit longer." Replied Twilight. This had been the tenth time she asked him for more time. Surely this time he would drag her out by the tail.
"We have an incoming transmission for you." The bat pony responded.
"A little bit longer." Repeated Twilight.
"Nightmare Moon is calling you. She said she wanted to speak to you about the colonization project."
Twilight silently stood there as the gears in her head slowly shifted. Willing herself to close her eyes, she finally turned around.
"Alright. Lets go find some ponies a new pasture." Answered Twilight.
Sitting in her castle in Ponyville, Twilight prepared for an emergency meeting between the princesses. The Thunderbolts exploration team had found something and sent the data back with urgency.
Months of exploration and many months more of planetary analysis to finally find a planet suitable for Equestrian life yielded nothing. It did yield something else though.
Alien life.
Not the aliens Nightmare Moon had been dreaming of for so long, but something else entirely. Alien spacecraft which looked completely un-Equestrian. Twilight could only stare at the images beamed back by the fleet in awe. Surprisingly, it was Princess Cadence who broke the silence.
"Gather anthropologists from across the world. Have them devise multiple ways of communicating with them. I want to open diplomatic channels as soon as possible. If they are not enemies, they can be allies." Sternly ordered Princess Cadence.
Princess Celestia quickly followed up, "Prepare to send a diplomatic mission as soon as communications are open!"
"Twilight begin allocating resources for fleet construction."
Everypony stared at Nightmare Moon.
"Ni-sister. We should not reach out with weapons in hand." Quietly replied Princess Celestia. Twilight's ears flopped flat against her head, after all this time, Princess Celestia still had trouble talking with Nightmare Moon.
"We won't sister. Our weapons will be behind our flanks." Coldly replied Nightmare Moon. "If they are not our enemies, they will not see our weapons. If they are, we will be glad to be prepared."
Twilight could only sit there in silence as the two stared at each other through the magical screens. Celestia was visibly troubled just by looking at Nightmare Moon, a testament to the damage done by her second return. Celestia no longer cried or begged Nightmare Moon to turn back into Princess Luna but she couldn't accept Nightmare Moon as her sister. Nightmare Moon however, stared with a troubled expression. She was not foalish enough to not understand Celestia's dilemma, but she was powerless to do anything about it.
No, thought Twilight. Thats not right either. Nightmare Moon could ease Celestia's worries by turning back into Princess Luna. But if those nightmares are still haunting her, would Princess Luna want to come back?
Cadence broke the silence, "Twilight, make the necessary adjustments to the budget to move forward on the colonization project. We will make the necessary changes once we know more about these aliens."
With more enthusiasm than necessary, "Agreed!" Shouted Twilight as she slammed her hoofs on the table and pushed herself up. Before slowly sitting back down when she realized her outburst. "I'll... get right on it. Aha hah ha..." Nervously chuckled Twilight as the volume of her voice continued to drop.
"*Ahem*, that will be sufficient then." Calmly announced Nightmare Moon. "Celestia, please contact the other nations and inform them of the situation. If they wish to participate, they know the conditions. Twilight, focus on rebalancing and redesigning the budget, I know you will want to join the research team, but this is more important right now. Moving forward, we will need the flexibility to reallocate resources quickly in the future. Dismissed!"
The images of Cadence and Nightmare Moon disappeared as they returned to their respective duties, but the image of Celestia stayed.
"Twilight?" Asked Celestia.
"Yes, Princess Celestia?" Twilight responded.
"Think we'll ever meet them?" Asked Celestia.
"Huh?"
"No, its nothing. It was just... a daydream I had. Huh." Chuckled Celestia.
Twilight simply stared confused by Celestia.
"I'm not sure what I was thinking then, but do take care of yourself Twilight. Your letters have gotten more infrequent since you returned from space. I hope Ni-my sister is not overworking you." Inquired Celestia.
"No, I've been... thinking about the colonization project." Cautiously answered Twilight. "So much of our culture is based on you raising the sun and Luna raising the moon. On a different planet that won't happen! What'll happen to ponies where the weather isn't controlled by pegesi? Can Earth Ponies buck alien trees the same as trees? Can unicorns do if they can't use their magic?! Dragons explode because of the atmosphere!?!" Frantically screamed Twilight as she began to simultanously babble and hyperventilate.
Celestia's face simply soften into a smile as she watched Twilight just as she had as a student. "Its all right Twilight. I have trust in you and your research. Whatever planet we colonize will be safe for Equestrians because you'll make sure of it." Celestia softly spoke, in the same teacher's voice she had used so many times with Twilight.
Slowing her breathing, Twilight gathered herself, smiled back at Celestia and simply said, "Thank you. I'll never get tired of hearing that from you Princess Celestia."
Twilight practically drowned in her work. Despite the army of ponies working under her, the project proved to be nothing less than a mess. Since the project had been conceived under Nightmare Moon's direction, none of the logistical planning had taken into account Equestrians other than ponies.
That was a mistake.
When the discovery of aliens had been announced to the world, a fuse was lit. The science that went into planetary research was dense enough to turn nearly everyone towards blatant disinterest, but the discovery of aliens summed up the situation quite nicely.
If aliens could live on different planets, we could too.
The parameters of the project changed on a daily basis.
Everyone, including non-ponies, wanted to be a part of the project and as members of the Equestrian Star Realm Twilight felt the need to accommodate them. The food stores quadrupled due to the variety of species onboard. Brand new research teams were established in order to adapt equipment for non-ponies. A brand new command center was even constructed because of the expanded, and non-pony, staff. By the time construction on the colony ship began, research teams had discovered no less than 4 viable planets for colonization.
And yet, that was not the only thing threatening to drown Twilight. The Equestrian Star Realm had established multiple resource gathering satellites at this time and had granted Princess Celestia authority to allocate and redistribute them for domestic purposes as she saw fit. Nightmare Moon's request to make the resource allocation system more streamlined resulted in a political mess so large that Twilight and Celestia both suspected Discord had a hand in the matter.
When Nightmare Moon ordered Twilight to redirect resources for use by the Equestrian Star Realm, the ruling classes were outraged. They had begun to enjoy the fruits of the Equestrian Star Realm and loathed to give them up. Not even Princess Celestia's one thousand years of negotiating experience was able to fully quell the uproar. More than once a furious ambassador or noble stormed out of Celestia's throne room fuming about the greed of the Equestrian Star Realm. And as the architect of the Equestrian Star Realm's resource allocation, Twilight's presence was demanded for the proceedings.
Its not completely terrible, thought Twilight. These meetings give me time to be alone with Princess Celestia. She pretends otherwise, but even now she tries to defend her sister. Projected meetings are no substitute for physical face-to-face meetings.
Curling up in bed, Twilight thought about the past. Her time as a mere librarian in Ponyville was filled with fond lighthearted times, unlike her current, high stress situation.
Well... that is not quite true either, dwelled Twilight. Using the Elements of Harmony on Nightmare Moon, reforming Discord, defeating Tirek and... I better not think about it. Maybe I should schedule myself a vacation. Or at least a few hours at a spa, I haven't had a seaweed wrap in a while. Tomorrow is another day, I should look forward to finally interacting with aliens.
4 Alicorn of the Crystal Empire
As much as diplomatic protocal forbade it, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza hoofpalmed herself. Hard.
Slowly dragging her hoof off her face, she opened her eyes and gazed upon the mess before her. What was once a minor political arena for dealing with the Equestrian Star Realm had become an all versus all brawl.
Three of the earth pony representives were pinning down and pummeling the lead unicorn delegate.
A pegasi representive dropkicked a dragon before it could tackle a griffin.
The changeling delegates openly transformed and encouraged the chaos by attacking in rotating disguises.
Discord floated near the ceiling and watched the whole thing with a tub of popcorn in his arm.
One of the minotaur delegates had gotten his head stuck in a table and opted to continue rampaging with it on his neck.
A breezie, zebra and a donkey alternated between throwing random objects at random people and hiding behind a gradually shrinking number of intact furniture.
More than once Cadance swore she could hear Dragon Lord Ember howling in lamentation that she could not be present for the brawl.
And so, she did the only thing she could do.
I should not be sitting here while I have a chance to suckerbuck those Canterlot nobles, thought Cadance.
And galloped into the brawl towards the unicorn delegates.
The politicians of Equestria were in total disarray. For decades, the resources demanded by the Equestrian Star Realm were regarded as a pittance to be paid and then ignored at worst, a new avenue for wealth to be exploited at best.
Now, the politicians of Equestria did not know what to expect. A shield against space invaders? A sword against unidentified enemies? Or worse? Something to undermine their own power?
Calls were made, publicly and privately. Nobles began to conspire. Elites started to plan. Conspiracies were founded. But there was simply no consensus. The technology introduced by Nightmare Moon would not go away, nor would the masses forget the loss of the Wonderbolts.
And so no consensus was reached. Instead, the politicians split among themselves, just as the people began to split among themselves.
Some demanded power. To protect the lives of all Equestrians through overwhelming force. To destroy the enemy before the enemy could destroy them.
Others demanded safety. To protec the lives of Equestrians with secure defenses. To engage the enemy on their own terms to maximize the safety of all Equestrians.
Some even demanded the elimination of all threats. To ensure that Equestrians were never threatened, only Equestrians could be permitted to exist.
And so they targeted the Equestrian Star Realm. Not to destroy it, but to control it in the worst way possible.
Politically.
Cadance was sure no political moves for the 6 months would be enough to ruin her content state after bucking the entirety of the Canterlot delegation. Twice.
She was wrong.
Cadance could only croak in shock half of her crystal ponies joined a multi-national group of delegates as they announced their establishment of a new political group. Their directive? To ensure the safety of Equestrians with an overwhelming military. Their wildest goal? To strip Nightmare Moon of her authority over the Equestrian Star Realm and replace her with a military leader of their own choosing.
I have to keep them under control or there is no telling what Nightmare Moon would do, mentally screamed Cadance. Demanding a stronger military is one thing, but to openly admit they seek to remove her from power? Nightmare Moon is from the old days, I would not be surprised if she executes them herself!
Cadance could only look out of the corner of her eye and up at the empty seat that was reserved for Nightmare Moon.
I don't know if its better she isn't here to kill them now or if it'll be worse when she finds out later.
"Ok."
Its worse than I ever imagined.
If it wasn't for the fainted Crystal Empire guards leaning her from both sides, Cadance was sure she would've fainted as well.
"Y-you're ok with this?" Squeaked out Cadance.
"Yes." Casually answered Nightmare Moon as she continued reading and processing reports as they flew across her screen.
"...but now they'll be united! Against you!" Suddenly yelled Cadance. As much as she disliked Nightmare Moon, she still wanted first and foremost to rescue Princess Luna.
"No. They'll be united for the Equestrian Star Realm. And in the Equestrian Star Realm, my word is law." Nightmare Moon responded in a matter of fact voice. "They may be able to influence the political process, but death is the great equalizer and I am not unfamiliar with assassination."
"But auntie-"
"I AM NOT YOUR AUNTIE! I AM NIGHTMARE MOON!" Snapped Nightmare Moon.
Shrinking in fear, Cadance pressed her ears down on her head and fell on her haunches.
"If they think they can use my own pieces against me, they will be corrected." Sharply glaring at Cadance all the while. "I do not like to play political games but I am no stranger to them. If they are useful, I will use them. If they are not useful, I will ignore them. If they are harmful, I will exterminate them."
Cadance could only lower herself lower to the ground at that last line.
"If that is all, then you're dismissed." As Nightmare Moon slowly went back to her previous nonchalant state. "Twilight Sparkle has been errant from her duties and it has disrupted operations. See to it that is corrected."
Cadance kept her head low and she quietly shuffled out of the room dragging her still-unconscious guards alongside her. It was only when there were two doors between her and Nightmare Moon was she able to begin releasing the tension inside of her.
The last time I felt that scared was when Nightmare Moon pinned me down and demanded that I yield, thought Cadance.
5 The Burden of Authority
Celestia stood silently and watched as Twilight Sparkle continued to write furiously. She was hunched over her desk and was so focused that she did not hear the door knock. Or hear the door open. Or hear Celestia call out to her. Or hear Celestia shout directly into Twilight's ears.
Celestia wanted to break Twilight out of her stupor but was unsure as to how to do so. Had Twilight been using a quill she would have been surrounded by a gallon of inkwells and enough broken quills to fill a pillow. Instead, she was surrounded by hundreds dried up or broken ballpoint pens. A marvelous invention Twilight personally continued to champion.
But this... this was different. Twilight had dealt with loss before. Old age, disease, mere accidents, even the Everfree Forest had claimed more than one pony under Twilight's watch. But she had never dealt with death on this scale, and it showed.
The stacks of papers around the room were filled with ideas and in-depth explanations on the benefit, usage and applications of each one. One of them was primitively and aptly named "MORE ARMOR!!!" Another detailed a magical fractal shield that nopony had ever come close to casting. Another forfeited the use of armor and shield in exchange for evasion, although said usage would be severely limited onboard a ship.
Finally, Celestia reached stretched a hoof and touched Twilight's wither an-
"PrincessCelestiayou'rehere,good,havethescienceteamsbeginworkonmetallurgyprojectsA2throughB2butnotP9throughQ1becauseweshouldfocusonprotectingponiesbutputoutapublicproposaltohaveideasX1throughZ9becau-"
Celestia missed the end(?) of Twilight's words as she was shoved out of the room by a stream of papers.
Looking down at the two wry earth pony guards, Celestia stacked the papers on the ground next to the other 4 stacks before stepping inside the room again.
Twilight was still in the same position, hutched over her desk and writing, but Celestia was determined to continue. In spite of Twilight's behavior, Celestia had noticed that Twilight's writing and speech would slightly slow down between each attempt.
And so Celestia shouted directly into Twilight's ears.
"P-p-rincess Cel*hic*estiaaaaaa!" Wailed Twilight as she suddenly threw herself at Celestia with all her strength. With all her alicorn strength.
Celestia was so caught by surprise all she could do was twist her body so that Twilight's horn didn't impale her and found herself pinned to the floor, out of breath and her rib cage screaming.
"Th-they died! All those ponies! And-*sniff*-and I couldn't do anything! I was in charge-*huk* but it wasn't good enough! Their shields and armor failed*sob*and all I could do was watch!" Wailed Twilight as she continued to pin Celestia down in her hooves.
Celestia attempted to soothe Twilight "*gasp*Tw-Twilight, I underst-" before feeling the air in her lungs being forced out as Twilight began to apply more pressure to Celestia's chest.
"NO! You don't understand! They were OUR ponies!" Yelled Twilight, a fury burned in Twilight's eyes, one which she had never expected to see in her student's eyes. "They were not YOUR ponies! They were not MY ponies! They were OUR ponies!"
Celestia simply gasped for air as Twilight's hooves began to apply more pressure.
"OUR ponies Celestia! OURS! The grief when you delivered the eulogy? Our fault! The tears of the bereaved families on Cadence's coat? Our fault! The hoofmarks on Nightmare Moon's face when she was bucked by the colt? Our fault! But you know the worst part? NO ONE DID ANYTHING TO ME!" Roared Twilight.
Guards flooded into the room but were immediately thrown out and the door locked shut. A few quick spells and the room was sealed from teleportation and sound.
"OUR ponies" growled Twilight, "will get THE best. The best shields. The best armor. The best weapons, engines, ships, leadership, food, information, entertainment, anything and everything they need and want. I will NEVER let them go blindly into a hopeless battle ever again."
Celestia started to flail from lack of air... or fear. She wasn't sure which at this point, but she couldn't muster the concentration to use her magic.
Twilight continued to stare down at Celestia with fury in her eyes.
And then, the fury began to leave her. Twilight released the pressure her hooves put on Celestia but Twilight continued to lean over Celestia.
"I am the Princess of Friendship." Coldly stated Twilight. "I would love nothing more than go out into space and make new friends among the stars. But I will not have others pay in blood for my flights of fancy. Friendship is about faith and risk, but until we know more about the stars, we will go out with swords in sheath.
Finally stepping off of Celestia, Twilight walked over and nuzzled Celestia.
"I apologize for my behavior. I shouldn't have done that to you, but this has been... building up." Softly spoke Twilight. "Nightmare Moon taking over Equestria and forming the Equestrian Star Realm. Heading the scientific research and development for... something we got out of a dream. And finally this..."
Celestia said nothing and returned Twilight's nuzzles.
"...I need a vacation." Twilight finally said.
"I'd be happy to take over your duties as long as necessary." Softly answered Celestia.
Twilight slowly nodded her head. "Thank you Princess Celestia. I've already streamlined the R&D teams and already assigned research leads, so all you'll have to do is tell them what to focus on."
Twilight turned away from Celestia and went back to her desk.
"I'll leave as soon as I organize these papers. As... frantic as they are, I want the science teams to have a look at them. Some fresh eyes could go a long way." Twilight turned around and looked at Celestia.
"And, thank you Princess Celestia. For coming to see me." Twilight softly smiled.
Celestia returned Twilight's soft smile with her own.
"Thank you my student. I should have visited you sooner." Celestia said.
If only... no, for now we must continue to move forward, Celestia thought.
Princess Celestia ensured that not a sound was made while she closed the door behind her before finally dropping her head and sighing.
"How is she?"
Celestia raised her head and looked into her adopted niece's eyes.
"Terribly. But she's recovering." Answered Celestia.
As the two walked down the hall and Celestia told Cadance what had happened in the room, Celestia thought about how her plans would have to change.
6 One stalk good, Four hooves bad
Dignity be damned, Cadance threw away her regalia in midair and belly flopped onto the largest cushion despite the presence of ESR guards rather than her own personal guards.
"Ice cream! Now!" Snapped her aide.
With her muzzle in a tub of chocolate ice cream, Cadance gave the nearby ESR guard a glance. The uniform was a crime against fashion but functional and could be adapted to member species of the ESR.
I wonder how we would adapt ESR uniforms...
Cadance's thoughts froze from a moment.
ESR, thats another change we've gotten used to pretty quickly. Although I suppose it was better than saying Equestrian Star Realm every time. It doesn't help that not everyone in the ESR was a pony in the first place. But now that we've made first contact... no. That is a very long ways off. Thought Cadance as she recalled the events of the past few weeks.
It had been a month since Celestia had spoken to Twilight but every inquiry to the ESR had promised Celestia and Cadance that everyone was keeping an eye on Twilight and actively moderating the amount of her work she did the best they could.
But the universe moved on with or without Twilight's vacation.
So it came as a complete surprise when a major breakthrough in alien contact came not from the ESR's enormous science division, but from the aliens themselves.
The aliens had successfully decrypted and deciphered the Equestrian language and reached out first.
As Cadance was designated to be the ESR's ambassador in the first place, she was ready to respond but unprepared. The creatures of Equestria were not ignorant to the tensions of an unfamiliar face and wanted to go in having quietly observed the aliens beforehand.
It certainly would have helped.
"MONSTER!"
The jaw of everyone hit the floor. Every race in the ESR had been represented for this meeting but the jaw that dropped the fastest was the alicorn jaw. Fortunately, that alicorn jaw did not speak that word.
Unfortunately, the sentient mushroom on the screen did.
For a moment, everyone had frozen and stared. Cadance stared at the fungoid lifeform while the fungoid lifeform stared at her. Despite the difference in biology and the technological distance between the two, Cadance could sense the fear radiating from her diplomatic counterpart.
"The Mycon Empire will not be stopped herbivores!" Hissed the fungus.
"Yaks won't be stopped by puny mushrooms!" Roared the yak ambassador with a stomp.
"We will feed your corpses to our spawn!" Shouted back one of the fungi.
"And we will burn you from the sky!" Sneered the dragon ambassador.
"...!" Cadance could only weakly squeak as the two parties devolved into a shouting match.
"What were you thinking?!" Cadance more than ever wished she had practiced the Royal Canterlot Voice. Half the ambassadors were able to stand their ground.
"First contact with an alien species and you allow it to collapse into a petty argument!" Continued Cadance. "We all agreed that we would reach out peacefully and minimize conflict, how could you do such a thing?"
"Because this isn't Equestria!"
Cadance stopped and snapped to see who said that and caught herself.
The dragon ambassador continued, "Peace and avoiding conflict cannot come at the cost of our safety and security! We cannot expect you alicorns to step in and magically fix things here!"
The breezie ambassador spoke, "If we must choose between being seen as small and weak or large and strong, we should appear large and strong even if we are not."
The yak ambassador stepped in, "Yaks enjoy a good boast, but not bad threats!"
The zebra ambassador interrupted his compatriots, "While we agree with your concerns, we see the burns. A troubled first contact, but not a lost fact."
Cadance silently stared at them and mulled their words. "What about you ambassador? You look like you have something you want to include."
The changeling ambassador shifted uncomfortably under the spotlight she found herself under. "I-um, well... I was wondering how Queen Chrysalis would approach this."
The flooring beneath Cadance's hooves sheared apart as Cadance slowly spoke through her clenched teeth, "What?"
"We-well, if they intend to be hostile to us we should take steps to deal with them?" Whimpered the changeling before curling up in a ball on the floor.
Cadance simply stared at the curled up changeling as the mood of the room quietly shifted towards apprehension.
No one wants to admit it, but diplomats can never discount the possibility of war, thought Cadance. Try as we might, war is and will always be a tool of diplomacy.
"Good job." Calmly said Nightmare Moon.
Cadance twitched at the response.
Nightmare Moon and Celestia's relaxed attitude towards Cadance's report both terrified and horrified her.
"But we've given a poor first impression! We only had one opportunity and we blew it! Our relationship will be mired by this throughout history." Cried Cadance.
Nightmare Moon simply glanced at Celestia.
"Cadance, over a thousand years ago early unicorns and griffins encounters almost always resulted in fights. The griffins thought unicorns were invading armed earth ponies and unicorns thought griffins were clawed pegasi raiders." Responded Celestia with a sigh. "I know our history is sparse on the details of that time, but a bad first impression doesn't foretell the future."
Cadance simply gawped at Celestia.
Celestia simply sighed and silently turned towards her sister.
"You did a good job. That is... what we expected of you." Awkwardly spoke Nightmare Moon before silently back at Celestia.
Sighing again, Celestia continued, "Cadance, while we expected you to put our best hoof forward as a diplomat, we also understood that the situation was so unusual that simply avoiding an immediate declaration of war would have been a success."
"You thought I would fail? Did you set me up?" Snapped Cadence.
"No!" Immediately replied Celestia. "We wanted you to present a good first impression, but you must understand that you and the Crystal Empire simply don't have the experience I have in diplomatic relations."
"Then why didn't you lead the delegation?" Pointed Cadence.
"You know why Cadance." Frowned Celestia. "As... Luna's sister, the nations of Equestria do not me to represent the ESR, lest all of Equestria appear to be ruled by us siblings. If it wasn't for Twilight heading the research and development division, she'd have my role as lead administrator."
"*ahem*" Interrupted Nightmare Moon. "If that is the end of your report, may I suggest we plan accordingly? Until the fleet is reassembled to full strength, it would be prudent to have plans in place should our new neighbors decide to graze on our lands."
"I'll see about expediting the necessary military resources... sister." Cautiously answered Celestia.
Nightmare Moon simply turned to Cadance, "Continue speaking to these Mycon. War is not a foregone conclusion. An enemy that doesn't point their weapon at us is not our enemy."
Equestrian linguistics soared after first contact with the Mycon and Equestria was determined to, if not avoid another diplomatic faux pas, be the one reaching out instead of being reached out to.
Bipedals, quadrupeds and unipeds; first contact was made with all of them and diplomatic channels were opened.
Mammals, reptiles, mollusks and sentient golems; they spoke. Some better than others. Some less hostile than others.
Diplomacy transcended species.
But so did backstabbing.
It had gone so quickly and so smoothly Cadance found herself suspicious of the offer.
A defensive pact. In the event an ally has a declaration of war made against them, their allies would join them against the aggressor. If their ally is the aggressor, however, their allies would not be obligated to join them in the war.
A wonderful deal that had all the trappings of a disaster covered in good intentions.
Cadance was well aware of the fact that the ESR navy was still broken. Its fleets reduced to mere exploration and construction vessels, a hopeless display of power.
So why the defensive pact? Why now? Why with us?
Because we are weak.
Nightmare Moon had established the ESR specifically to build a space military for Equestria. But should I trust that Nightmare Moon can build up that military before another empire decides to attack or should we be cowed into joining an alien race?
Or do I want to undermine Nightmare Moon?
No.
Not like this.
I want Luna back but I won't risk all of Equestria just to sabotage Nightmare Moon.
"Send word. Equestria will be free."
Cadance stood before Nightmare Moon, not through a screen, and her legs quivered like a newborn foal trying to stand for the first time.
After delivering the rejection, Cadance and the rest of the diplomatic envoy unsurprisingly found themselves expelled. And so Nightmare Moon was well aware of the situation and was waiting to hear directly what had happened.
Nightmare Moon stared at Cadance. Cadance stared at the floor.
Twilight was still on vacation and the other diplomats were dismissed for this meeting.
Celestia was not in the room but prevent via screen with an unseen expression. The floors on board the ESR station were not as reflective as those in the Crystal Palace.
"Good job."
"Wuh?"
Cadance blankly stared at Nightmare Moon.
"I said, good job."
"Wuh?"
Cadance blankly stared at Nightmare Moon.
"*sigh* I know you are terrified of me and you are afraid that you overstepped your ESR authority," Calmly stated Nightmare Moon. "-but you made the right decision."
Nightmare Moon's expression softened, a little bit. "Equestria will not be a pawn or bait to alien powers. That is the purpose of the ESR. If we are at a military disadvantage, we should not seek abandon our principles, we need only strengthen our military."
"Although our military is currently out of commission," Nightmare Moon shot a look of mild annoyance at Celestia "-our resource stockpiles and logistical supply lines are ready to rebuild the military. If necessary." Included Celestia, her face an expression of comforting understanding.
"Indeed. If anything, it is good to keep in mind that diplomacy on this scale is unlike diplomacy we have ever seen before. Space is a massive No Pony's Land waiting to be claimed, fought over and seized. A pony cannot simply walk into an alien city and start making friends. More than likely, a pony will be barred from getting near an alien star system." Bluntly stated Nightmare Moon.
"And thats assuming the pony can survive on the surface." Added Celestia. "I have spoken to the research teams and so far they're unanimous in their conclusions that Equestrians cannot live off Equestria, for now."
"Wait, -all- Equestrians? All planets? Even the dragons and changelings?" Gapped Cadance.
"Yes." Celestia took the opportunity to send Nightmare Moon a smile. "There is virtually no magic outside of Equestria and I do not need to explain to you how vital magic is for us to live. But additionally, the ecosystems of these planets are simply uninhabitable. To all of us."
"But... there must be some planet out there where we can live. Some ecosystem we simply have not discovered!" Cried Cadance. Cadance's mind spun at the revelation. "Our ships! Our embassies! Our space suits! What about those?"
Nightmare Moon smiled at Cadance like a mother trying to explain to a foal why grass is green. "Twilight would know the details better than I, but from what I recall, they all use a combination of... what did she call it again?"
"Magical resonance mimicry." Answered Celestia as she took the opportunity to smile again at Nightmare Moon.
"Yes, that." Nightmare Moon rolled her eyes at the scientific term. "Quite simply; our equipment is magically recharged when they return to Equestria."
"A gross oversimplification." Interrupted Celestia, as Nightmare Moon shot her a look of frustration. "We have ways to magically recharge equipment from a distance, but nothing as complex or magic dependent as a yak or a diamond dog, let alone a unicorn or a changeling."
"If we... but then... can we scale it? Make it long term? Have it fit a planet?" Cadance felt herself on the verge of a panic attack.
Nightmare Moon frowned at that, "If we could do that, we would have no idea how to actually go about doing so. Celestia, if you please."
Celestia frowned as well, "Twilight and I have looked into the concept before, but its not a matter of scale. Its also a matter of sustainability. Ships, embassies and space suits are one thing, but Equestria cannot perceptually supply another planet. Any artificial planet would require a degree of self-sufficiency. Twilight and I do not have the time to raise the subject beyond the theoretical stage."
Cadance frowned, but then smiled, "You two may lack the time, but the Equestrian scientific community can do the research instead!"
Nightmare Moon simply frowned at Cadance, "Yes, they can. But how long will it take? Will we even survive to see that day?"
Cadance silently wilted at Nightmare Moon's question.
Nightmare Moon sighed, "It is a good idea, but it is just a matter of time until war is declared. We will not abandon the idea, but for the time being the scientific community must focus on more immediate concerns." Nightmare Moon then smiled, pleasantly "On the other hoof, your yak and changeling diplomatic teams were much more successful. Both of them were able to sign research agreements in exchange for some excess food."
"Frankly, I'm surprised it even worked." Interjected Celestia. "A space faring species exchanging knowledge for food?"
"We should not presume to fully understand the ways of an alien." Pointed Nightmare Moon. "In any case, if that is all, I believe Cadance could use some rest. There is a shuttle standing by if you wished to return to the Crystal Palace to rest."
Cadance finally brightened at that, "I would, thank you very much. By your leave."
"...should ensure the safety of the crew and passengers." Concluded Twilight.
"'Should?'" Pushed Nightmare Moon.
"W-well, the situations we are dealing with are so fast and distant from Equestria that magical exhaustion will be a constant concern." Nervously answered Twilight, "We can prioritize and reserve magic for this, but... well... we should still avoid fights?" By the time Twilight finished that line, she had dropped into Fluttershy levels of volume.
Nightmare Moon waited and then simply nodded. Smirking at Twilight's poorly veiled sigh and turned her head to Celestia, "We should have the system refitted and designed into all existing and future ships as soon as possible. Civilian and military."
Celestia nodded, "I will have all ship production put on hold for refits and have the design teams work on the modifications. We will have to reduce our projected production rates due to the increased cost."
"A ship can be rebuilt, a crew cannot." Nightmare Moon mused.
That garnered smiles from everypony in the room.
"Nonetheless, we should we cannot always avoid fights." Nightmare Moon continued. "See to it that our scientists continue to work on improved armor and shielding. Ideally, we would need neither, but it would be naive to believe our enemies would not develop armor and shields themselves. Cadance?"
Cadance nodded in recognition. "Yes, it was as we feared, a war has broken out among the alien races."
"Wait," interrupted Twilight, "can you be more specific in which alien races we are talking about?"
Cadance frowned. "Well... no. Not exactly..."
"What Cadance means to say is we do not know who the Vasudan Imperium is at war with." Interjected Celestia.
"B-how can we not know who they are at war with?! It is an interstellar war! At this level of technology the number of deaths must be catastrophic!" Shouted Twilight on the verge of becoming hysterical.
"Twilight, breathe. Remember what I taught you." Calmly spoke Cadance as she gently placed a hoof on Twilight's wither.
As Twilight slowly inhaled and exhaled, Cadance continued, "The reason we do not know who they are at war with whom is because they refuse to share that information with us. In addition, we believe it to be an alien race whom we have not made contact with."
"Perhaps our diplomats need more experience in spycraft." Pointed Nightmare Moon.
"No." Simultaneously replied Celestia and Cadance.
Nightmare Moon simply shot a toothy grin, while Twilight stared confused.
Celestia recovered first, "In any case, all we can do in this situation is wait and watch."
Cadance nodded, "As... callous as it may sound, we got lucky." Noticing Twilight's continued stare of confusion, Cadance continued, "The Vasudan Imperium was one of the alien races that was seeking to sign an defensive pact with us. Had we agreed to do so, we would currently be at war with no military."
"Accurate, which will be corrected." Nightmare Moon growled in frustration. "I have no desire to see our ponies, or our fellow Equestrians, sent to war. Even less so for a war on foreign lands like mercenaries."
"In that regard, we are of one mind." Quickly affirmed Celestia.
"Agreed." Followed Cadance.
"Mmm." Muttered Twilight as she lost herself in her thoughts.
Celestia noticed Twilight's behavior and immediately recognized it, "A bit for your thoughts Twilight?"
"Oh! Um... well, I was just thinking." Twilight answered nervously.
"Please. Share it. It would be problematic if we avoided speaking to one another." Nightmare Moon insisted.
"Er... well... I do not want Equestrians to be sent to fight wars that do not involve us, but this would be an opportunity... for science?" Twilight covered her face with her hooves.
"Hm..." Thought Nightmare Moon.
"Hehe. Ever the scientist, Twilight." Laughed Celestia. "While I understand what you are trying to say, you must remember that this is not a Daring Do adventure."
"And this would not be like the wars of yore." Added Cadance. "We would not be marching side-by-side with the Vasudans, but separated from one another by space and space ships. Any camaraderie would be, at most, limited to military officers coordinating the fleets."
"I see... I guess it was kind of silly..." Twilight smiled sheepishly.
"No." Interjected Nightmare Moon. "It was not."
Confused by Nightmare Moon's claim Cadance spoke on behalf of the others, "What do you mean?"
"Celestia may have forgotten after a thousand years of ruling Equestria, but I have not." Nightmare Moon sneered. "I keenly remember a time when Equestria was beneath the hooves of other empires, other rulers. Ponies would fight and die just so the surviving ponies could learn."
Celestia's eyes and mouth began to gape as she recalled those long forgotten days while Twilight continued to focus entirely on Nightmare Moon's impromptu history lesson.
"In times of war, ponies go to war with the equipment they have, not the equipment they need." Nightmare Moon continued. "We may not be able to learn from the Vasudans or their opponents on a personal level, but we may be able to learn about their equipment."
"Salvage." Twilight slowly realized. "You want to reverse engineer the salvage from the war to advance our own technology!"
Nightmare Moon simply smiled.
Celestia had a much more complex smile.
Cadance just frowned.
"Twilight, I should not have to remind you that we are dealing with Equestrian lives." Coldly reminded Cadance. "I do not like the idea of putting countless lives at risk for the sake of science."
"And she would not." Interjected Nightmare Moon. "Although I agreed to decline the defensive pact, I did review the details with our military and we found them to be surprisingly pliable."
"Military independence." Recalled Cadance. "Each military force would remain under the independent command of each sovereign country." Eyes widening in realization. "You would use our allies as a means to weaken the enemy before our own gallop in to finish them off!"
"And seize the salvage." Nightmare Moon acknowledged with a wide toothy smile.
"And uphold our end of the defensive pact." Added Celestia with a smirk.
Nightmare Moon frowned at that, "Yes, I suppose there is that as well."
The two stared at one another before Nightmare Moon finally spoke, "Nonetheless, we are not involved in this war and our ships are in need of refitting. We will keep this in mind for the future. If that is all for today, let us adjourn. Twilight's scientific lectures are insightful but not lacking in brevity."
Before Twilight could react, Celestia grabbed Twilight with her wings and hugged her close.
Cadance smiled at the outward but not unfamiliar gesture between the alicorns.
Nightmare Moon stopped for a moment to stare at the two, before leaving the room. All in all, a good meeting.
Nightmare Moon stared out the enormous window into the darkness of space watching as lights in the distance danced around one another.
Celestia stood by Nightmare Moon's side, her eyes occasionally squinting and quivering as she sought to keep track of the lights.
Twilight stood by Nightmare Moon's other side using the window's many magnification, tracking and data readouts to keep track of the lights.
"Terrible. They are all terrible." Finally spoke Nightmare Moon. Looking down at Twilight, "Do you know why?"
Twilight sat down and contemplated the question.
Celestia instead spoke up, "Perhaps you could elaborate? The Wonderbolts have been working with Equestrian fliers from across the planet ever since the first battle. These are the best maneuvers Equestria have to offer."
"Then Equestria needs to be better." Sneered Nightmare Moon. "You may have become lax in time, but I will not allow Twilight Sparkle to follow your naive footsteps. Now answer my question."
Twilight looked up at the window again and slowly opened her mouth, "They are elegant and smooth... but they should not be."
"And why is that?" Pushed Nightmare Moon.
"...Because they do not need to be?" Asked Twilight.
Nightmare Moon stared at Twilight before slowly smiling. "Correct." Turning back towards the window, Nightmare Moon spoke to both of them.
"They pilot their ships like they are flying, when there is no need to do so. There are no wind currents, no crowds to please and rarely will there be anything to collide with. Space warfare will require an entirely new way of thinking. Attacks from above and below will be normal. Being able to withstand blows will be more important than avoiding hits. Ramming your opponent and in flying circles to orientate them will less important than dealing finishing blows."
"And that does not preclude an opponent from deploying overwhelming numbers. Try as you might; superior skills, weaponry and armor cannot triumph against overwhelming forces. The combined magic of four alicorns was bent before the combined magic of all the pony magic in Equestria."
"And Discord's magic." Interjected Twilight.
"Mmm, yes." Nightmare Moon begrudgingly conceded. "But that does not fare well for us. Equestria was lucky Tirek was arrogant enough to steal only the magic of ponies for that fight. Even I cannot imagine the level of magic Tirek would have held had he stolen the magical power of the dragons or utilized the alchemical skills of the zebras."
"Cloudsdale will protest, but I will have the Wonderbolts begin shifting their battle doctrines." Sighed Celestia.
"...No." Said Nightmare Moon after a moment. "The ESR should avoid becoming dependent on any one organization. We should share this information with the military of all nations. It would also help make your ponies look less militant."
"Our ponies." Corrected Celestia with a glare. "I assume the same will be applied to the army."
"It will, but hopefully that won't be necessary." Nightmare Moon glared back at Celestia equally but no more so, "The threats the ESR will face will be beyond what any one nation of Equestria will be prepared to face. Those who fight for Equestria must be willing to fight for all of Equestria."
Celestia held her glare, "They will not trust you."
"That is fine. I am Nightmare Moon after all."
The two continued to silently glare one another as Twilight frowning as she watched the two of them, the training exercise long forgotten.
The reaction was just as expected.
Fear. Anger. Hatred. Indignation... actually that last one was a surprise. Celestia had expected more of the former.
Celestia sat attending court once again, flat-out ignoring the outrage against Nightmare Moon's ESR military schools. All other matters had been discarded at the news. It was more predictable than Twilight throwing a fit over a damaged book.
Everyone demanded everything and anything out of the ESR on the issue. Pegasus admirals only. Griffin generals only. Dragon troops would have first right to sacking. Zebra style paintings for the ships. Breezie fashion for the troops. Changeling troop integration. Unicorn officers only.
That last one earned a buck to the back of the head.
But for all their complaints there was little Celestia or the politicians could do. When the ESR had been established, the signatory nations had agreed to give Nightmare Moon control over its military affairs. They could slow things down and protest to the princesses, but the moment there was little they could do once the ships were commissioned and the dotted lines were signed.
And so the politicians screamed at one another just so Celestia could hear and hopefully annoy her.
So Celestia did what she usually did. She sighed to herself, promised to give the Royal Guards a pay raise, a vacation and a stiff drink, in that order, and heard without listening.
Cadance fared moderately better.
Although some politicians of the Crystal Empire were depressed at the prospect of Nightmare Moon following in the hoof prints of King Sombra, most politicians took the changes in stride. After a thousand years of isolation, followed by the reintegration into the modern world under the guidance of Princess Cadance and Captain Shining Armor; many crystal ponies had simply accustomed themselves to lives of constant, and extreme, changes.
That is not to say Cadance did not wish for a stiff drink.
As the leader of the ESR's diplomatic corps, many Crystal Empire ponies were deeply concerned about Cadance's ability to establish and build new relationships with alien races. First contact with the Mycon was a disaster, the Vasudans were at war with an unknown race and relations with other aliens races were symbolic at best.
Did the Princess of Love only have love for Equestrians?
The question was never asked, but Cadance could sense it from the room.
Utter nonsense, thought Cadance. When I tried to shake hooves with a Mycon, the sulfuric acid burned through my suit.
Still, the concerns were largely symbolic. Although Cadance was the ESR's diplomatic leader, the crystal ponies understood that the ESR was largely a military organization.
Nightmare Moon ultimately decided everything.
Twilight was surrounded by squealing students and teachers eager to hear Twilight's latest stories from outer space.
Ever since Twilight's first vacation from the ESR, she had been inundated with people filled with curiosity and wonder about outer space. Although the non-military technologies of the ESR were shared with the public, the cost associated with space flight was still too much for many.
And so, when Twilight returned back to Ponyville, the public was ready and waiting to welcome her home. And her stories.
Stories of planets teeming or devoid of life, comets flying faster than a sonic rainboom and abandoned alien structures bigger than the planet of Equestria filled their minds with fascination. And Twilight was more than happy to share them.
And so with every story she told Twilight reminded herself to one day bring her friends to space.
"And they believe that all life other than their own should be exterminated?"
"UGH, yes." Answered Cadance for the seventeenth time that hour.
"My apologies, but even at my... most ill tempered, I never imagined such thoughts would be executed at such a scale." Replied Nightmare Moon.
Nightmare Moon and Cadance sat in a private room over cold tea and under a heavy tension.
"But you imagined it on a smaller scale?" Needled Cadance. She was on thin ice asking such a question, but her patience had been similarly worn down.
"Not imagined it. Executed it." Noting Cadance's shocked expression, Nightmare Moon continued. "The extermination was not taken lightly, nor was it ever fully successful. Twilight Sparkle and her friends were forced to return the Elements of Harmony because my failure."
Cadance sat thoughtfully, "...the Plunderseeds? But those were created by Discord."
"Were they?" Asked Nightmare Moon. After taking a sip of her cold tea, "It is true Discord was much more malevolent in the past, but a plant that interferes with magic?"
"Then... he did not create the Plunderseeds because they would interfere with his own magic..." Mused Cadance.
"And so?" Nudged Nightmare Moon.
"And so he used the Plunderseeds as a means weakening the Elements of Harmony, thus ensuring his release under the guise of mocking Celestia and Luna!" Concluded Cadance.
Nightmare Moon smiled. "Correct. We took him to task on the matter long ago but after his time with Fluttershy, Celestia felt it best to focus on the source of the problem."
"The Plunderseeds and your failure to exterminate them." Frowned Cadance.
"Yes." Frowned Nightmare Moon. "Equestrian life was completely and utterly dependent on magic back then. The Plunderseeds were the ultimate predator of Equestrians, thus Equestrians all over had the duty of exterminating them wherever and whenever possible. Obviously we failed as Discord was able to obtain its seeds."
"Discord did not create them with his magic?" Asked Cadance.
"Of course not. Discord is no fool. Discord is not so foolish as to create life and then have it bloom a thousand years late due to an oversight." Pointed Nightmare Moon.
Nightmare Moon sighed before continuing. "Not that it really mattered in the end. When the seeds sprouted, the damage was done. Equestria was forced to return the Elements on Harmony to the Tree of Harmony where they remain."
"Then the deed is done." Pointed Cadance.
"Is it?" Asked Nightmare Moon. "Celestia and Luna believed that and it nearly ruined Equestria."
"Then what do you suggest?" Pushed Cadance.
"Vigilance and less dependence on magic!" Pushed back Nightmare Moon.
"Equestrians cannot live without magic!" Shouted Cadance. "Twilight and her scientists have been researching this ceaselessly and we are still forced to rotate our people back to Equestria or risk magical anemia. Even with magical battery stores on-board our ships, we require constant resupply."
"Then Twilight and her scientists will simply have to keep on researching this subject." Growled Nightmare Moon.
"For how long? Those fanatics will not wait forever. They say everything short of formally declaring war whenever we try to speak." Barged forward Cadance. Her temper and frustration at the worthless negotiations had overcome her fear of Nightmare Moon.
"For as long as it takes." Coldly stared Nightmare Moon.
Cadance stared back at Nightmare Moon before finally replying. "Is that so."
"Indeed."
Cadance held her head in her hooves.
The changeling ambassador working for her took that as a sign to continue, "Our neighbors sense our weakness; in terms of raw numbers we are outmatched in every way possible. Military power, military potential, economic income, technological advancement, population size and colonized planets. Nightmare Moon will not permit us to make military boasts, although that would be an act of desperation at this point."
Cadance continued to hold her head in her hooves and groaned.
The ESR was in a very small boat surrounded by very large continents. The alien races that did not see them as targets to be eliminated at their leisure were either indifferent or callous towards their situation.
Traditional, and unconventional, methods of diplomacy were simply unavailable or impossible. Visiting foreign dignitaries did not hold much weight when an empire spanned solar systems. Elegantly worded praises and gestures fell on unfamiliar or uncaring ears. Even the act of gift giving proved difficult as the sentimental value of a birthday gift fell on deaf ears to those that claimed to be immortal.
Cadance slowly lifted her head and peered out from behind her hooves to stare at the changeling ambassador.
Perhaps a change of view then, "So what do think we should do?"
To his credit, the changeling ambassador only twitched one wing. "As in, what the ESR should do?"
Cadance lowered her hooves and nodded. "When the changelings started reaching out diplomatically, they were forced to do so from a position of weakness. The ESR is trying to reach out from a position of weakness as well, so what would a changeling think we should do?"
Rubbing a hoof against his chin, "Well, ignoring King Thorax's dealings with ponies, one of the ways the Changeling Kingdom started building positive relationships with other nations by making self... aligned promises."
"And they believed you?"
"Not immediately of course, but reminding someone that you promised to act in their favor is best when you never have to act in their favor."
Cadance thought about it. It was risky but completely doable. Twilight would have questions, Celestia would doubt it and Nightmare Moon would definitely hate it, but it would slowly open a pathway towards diplomatic relations with other alien races.
"Contact Nightmare Moon. Find out who our strongest neighbors are and see if we can guarantee their independence."
Cadance was caught by Celestia's magic before being bucked through the bulkhead by Nightmare Moon.
"Sister, please! Hear her out!"
Nightmare Moon sneered but made no move to buck her again.
Cadance sat up and held her ribs. Nothing broken, she held back.
"Nightmare Moon, our neighbors are too strong for us to fight and they see us as a target for expansion. All we can do is give them a reason to want us to be independent."
Nightmare Moon growled in frustration, "By risking our own independence for their independence? You would send our ponies to fight and die for someone else."
"If our neighbors are as strong as our information suggests, our ponies will never have to fight. We won't be fighting all of their wars either, only their defensive wars."
"Its a low risk political maneuver and it will be embarrassing to maintain, but Cadance is a patient diplomat, I know she can pull it off." Celestia added.
"And what of Equestria's citizens? This sort of one-sided treaty will anger many and they won't be courteous enough to buck you head on."
"Let Cadance and I handle them. I know you want to hold complete authority over the ESR, but we can make this work. Trust your niece and sister." Cooed Celestia.
After a moment of silence, Nightmare Moon spoke. "Do it, but I am still ordering a military build up and the fortification of our borders." Nightmare Moon gruffly stated before leaving the room, head bent as though she was preparing to charge an unseen enemy.
Alone in the room with Celestia, Cadance started to slowly rub her chest.
"Do you need a healer? I know she held back but theres no need hide the pain." Asked Celestia.
"No, its not that painful." Softly answered Cadance. "But, how do you know she was holding back?"
Celestia chuckled at her before answering, "Really now Cadance, you must spend more time training in the marital arts. Even if you do not know how strong Luna is, you should have noticed that she did not buck you in the face."
She really did hold back.
It was the ultimate act of unity. Politicians from all political factions, from all nations, from all species had come together for one purpose only.
To give Celestia enough of a headache to close court early and clear her schedule, Equestria be damned.
On a daily basis.
"Umm... Princess Celestia?"
Twilight Sparkle was being snuggled by Celestia on her bed.
"Shh... let me have this right now Twilight." Murmured Celestia.
Celestia knew her work at the ESR was going to make her own duties much more difficult, but she never imagined it would be this bad. The Canterlot nobility had always been annoying, but when the nobility of all the other nations joined in, it was too much for her to bear. They had succeeded in filling up her entire schedule for the next 2 months, directly and indirectly. Her lunches, her snack times, her day court, even her public appearances were used as opportunities to speak to her regarding her work with the ESR.
Thankfully, her team of castle staff, personal aides and the Royal Guards proved more than capable of handling Celestia's duties. Unofficially, of course. It would not serve anyone to know that the budget for next year had been reviewed and approved by the castle plumber.
Pulling Twilight closer to herself, Celestia sighed.
"I know I should not call you away for something like this, but things have gotten so hectic lately." Confessed Celestia. "With nobles visiting from all over, this is a great opportunity for Equestria to build new bridges and break down old walls, but its just so much so fast. I fear that I would lose sight of our ponies."
"That would never happen princess!" Leaped Twilight, before nervously settling back down into Celestia's embrace. "I mean, no matter how busy you may get, I am sure you would always remember the citizens of Equestria. You do not have to take on all this burden either."
"But I do. As occupied as this makes me, it is ultimately to the benefit of Equestria." Celestia sighed. "I am just not used to things moving this quickly. It seemed like mere years ago you were the second mare on the moon and now we are fortifying space to defend ourselves."
"No! I mean, no." Nervously chuckled Twilight.
She had managed to not leap up again, but lost control of her voice. Foal steps, smiled Celestia.
"I mean," Twilight sighed, "I have been doing some thinking as well. I know Nightmare Moon assigned me to head the ESR's science division, but I think I should help you and Cadance with managing Equestria as well."
Celestia's eyes widened. "Twilight, thank you for the consideration, but that is not necessary. Cadance and I are capable of handling things."
"I am capable of handling your duties as well. Some of them." Twilight quickly corrected.
To think Twilight came to this conclusion herself.
Celestia pulled Twilight closer and nuzzled her. "My faithful student, you never cease to amaze me."
"Does this mean you wil-ahahahahahah!" Twilight exploded in laughter when Celestia suddenly started blowing on her tummy.
Oh Twilight, it would be my honor to one day serve you.
Cadance had abandoned all pretense and started wearing a feed bag filled with mint chocolate chip ice cream whenever she could.
It was not because her Crystal Ponies wanted to hated her. No, her Crystal Ponies actually thanked her. Ambassadors from all nations were establishing or expanding their embassies in the Crystal Empire in order to influence Cadance's now proven power over the ESR. As a result, the Crystal Empire was booming with new construction, new trade, newcomers and new opportunities and the Crystal Ponies were reaping the benefits.
Rather, it was the stress of managing those ambassadors that was straining her.
As the head negotiator of the ESR, Cadance was the source of a major loss of pride and prestige for Equestria. And as the ruling monarch of the Crystal Empire, Cadance could only avoid the requests for an audience so much without damaging the Crystal Empire.
They did not come only to bluster about Equestrian pride and prestige though, no. That would be manageable.
They also came to make a deal, many deals, with many alien empires and Cadance held the keys to doing so. The advantages were infinite, the disadvantages insignificant and that meant everyone wanted Cadance's ears.
And so they came with honeyed words; not sharp, angry or threatening words, no. If they used those, Cadance would have grounds to ignore, or better yet dismiss, them.
Thus, with the grace of a princess, Cadance requested an ice cream refill.
"So we cannot get into their good graces that way?" Asked Nightmare Moon.
Cadance shook her head. "They see us as rivals to be defeated and refuse to even acknowledge our promise to guarantee their independence. Their people are steadily adopting that belief. If their leader proposes a declaration of war, it would be guaranteed."
Nightmare Moon raised her head and closed her eyes. With a slow inhale and an even slower exhale, she opened her eyes and lowered her head to look straight into Cadance's.
"Very well." Nightmare Moon softly spoke. "I will have defenses constructed along the border and have plans drawn for a possible conflict."
"Should I inform Auntie Celestia?" Cadance asked.
"No, I will speak to her myself. I will also need to speak to Twilight Sparkle. She had posited that our current space outpost designs were antiquated and needed updating. A more efficient space outpost would be of use should war break out."
"Not 'if' war breaks out?" Cadance noted.
Nightmare Moon silently stared at Cadance, opened her mouth to speak. Then closed it.
Princess Celestia ensured that not a sound was made while she closed the door behind her before finally dropping her head and sighing.
"How is she?"
Celestia raised her head and looked into her adopted niece's eyes.
"Terribly. But she's recovering." Answered Celestia.
As the two walked down the hall and Celestia told Cadance what had happened in the room, Celestia thought back to the events that brought them there.
Celestia sat on her throne while pretending to listen to the pompous noblecolt of the day when a pegasus wearing a Equestrian Star Realm burst through the throne doors.
Before the noblecolt could even inhale, Celestia raised her hoof to silence him and addressed the messenger.
"Speak."
While Celestia welcomed the break from her typical royal duties, she was now bound by her duties to the Equestrian Star Realm. And despite her current relationship with her sister, the individuals within the Equestrian Star Realm did their best to accomodate the existing ruling structures of Equestria. Ponies knew better than to interrupt Celestia's court without good reason.
And it was a very good reason.
The entire fleet had been wiped out.
The entire room was aghast by the news.
Celestia never doubted Luna's dreams as warnings, but her long experience with conflict and power as an alicorn had convinced her that the establishment of the Equestrian Star Realm as a military force was unnecessary. Her wisdom as a politician and her charisma made her a leader; a true peacemaker with the strength and knowledge to enforce and execute with.
But it wasn't enough.
The best engineering from earth ponies, shields designed by the smartest unicorns, even piloting skills of the Wonderbolts wasn't enough. The last thing they left behind was video footage of the fleet's last stand against an enemy they could not defeat and could not flee from fast enough.
There stood the incontrovertible evidence.
That wasn't the worst part either.
The worst part was seeing her little ponies floating in space dying or already dead, far away from home. Never to feel her sunlight again. Never to gaze upon Luna's stars again. Not even take their final resting place in the soils of Equestria.
That day, Celestia wept for her little ponies. And all of Equestria wept with her.
"The Yaks are drooling fools!"
"The Zebras are trickster snobs!"
"The Unicorns would just waste the resources!"
"The Breezies wouldn't even be able to use the resources!"
It was not exactly what was being said, but Celestia's long experienced diplomatic mind was able to interpret from the so-called debate before her with minimal thought.
If there was anything Celestia regretted about the establishment of the ESR, it was the headaches it brought.
As the dominant nation for all of recorded history, and then some, Equestria was synonymous with the planet itself. As the head of the Equestrian nation, Celestia had similarly been the dominant political leader.
However, with the establishment of the ESR and Celestia's role as its head administrator, Celestia found herself as The political intermediary between the nations of Equestria and the ESR. And that meant everyone from every nation wanted something from her.
Everyone wanted to be the first to benefit from the newest technologies to come out of the ESR. To be allocated resources acquired by the ESR first and the largest amount. To have the greatest political influence over the ESR. To have a voice on any and all matters of the ESR.
And that did not take into account Equestria itself.
As a member of the ESR, Equestria was naturally expected to act in its own self interest. As the political leader of Equestria, Celestia was naturally expected to act in its nation's self interest.
But as the head administrator of the ESR, Celestia was expected to act impartially towards Equestria.
This conflict of interest inevitably resulted in endless political debates.
Fortunately, they were all arguments Celestia had heard from overly ambitious pony nobles in the past.
Unfortunately, those arguments were now being repeated by all nobles, of all species, of all nations.
It was bad enough having to listen to three tribes argue, now I must listen to all nations argue. Thought Celestia. They can withhold their political influence and make things harder, but they cannot stop me or the ESR.
"Celestia should yield the throne!"
Suddenly the room went silent.
Celestia mentally groaned.
This will not go anywhere. Celestia thought to herself.
"Yes! We should take control of own activities!"
"A centralized government concentrated on a single individual is outdated!"
"Celestia has ruled for over a thousand years, surely she deserves a vacation!"
"We do not need princesses in this day and age!"
Suddenly the room went silent again.
Celestia mentally sighed. And there it was. Did not even last a full day of court.
"How dare you! Our king was appointed by divine right!"
"It is tradition to uphold the royal family!"
"Yaks smash those who smash tradition!"
"Dragon Lord Ember will hear of this treachery!"
Centuries. It had taken centuries for me to raise the noble class of Equestria and it will take me centuries more to raise the noble classes of everyone. Is this my punishment for banishing Luna to the moon for a thousand years?