Equestria at War
The Brightest Future
“I, Princess Celestia-”
My words caught. A decade ago, the words I needed would have flowed like a river. Not anymore. Now, with mere hours before a meeting with Queen Velvet and a speech to Equestria, I didn’t know what to say. Here, all alone in my chamber, where I have practiced millions of speeches, I couldn’t find the words.
“I, Princess Celestia of Equestria, treasure the love and admiration that you have shown me-”
No, that wasn’t true. I couldn’t treasure what my little ponies felt for me now. Despite defending Equestria from its enemies they did not show love. Even with the deer of Olenia freed and Queen Velvet rightly on the throne, they did not admire. Chrysalis, herself, defeated and in hiding, but all the ponies could do was place blame.
I floated my goblet up to my lips, sipping the steaming tea.
It was not enough that I had united all races of Equestria under alliance. Stalliongrad and Vasiliy Pantsushenko may not be under our graceful rule, but they were our allies all the same, and yet the ponies still wanted to vote against me. A thousand years of peace and one war washes all of that harmony away.
The tea was not hot enough.
“I, Princess Celestia, have done nothing but my best for-”
I shook my head at the pitiful pony in the mirror. The ponies calling for my abdication would eat her alive. No, I had to be firm yet fair. Kind, yet strong. harmony must not be mistaken for weakness. With Stalliongrad’s looming influence over the West Griffon Union and the defeated United Changeling Hives, their belligerent rallies for an equal Equestria threatened the peace we fought so hard for. Weakness would only invite more strife, even as more pressing issues threaten harmony far and wide.
Only one week past I received a message from Queen Gytha herself, of the harmonious changelings in far away Greneclyf. Long have they supported harmony and stood by the good ponies of Farbrook, but a threat thought long gone is marching in those frozen forests. The dead march for Rosa Maledicta, so called Queen of Blood, and the mighty griffons of the Arcturian Order fell to the last trying to stop them.
Surely Stalliongrad understood the severity of this message? Surely Archon Eros VII of the Griffon Empire did, as well? Would we set aside their petty squabbles for the good of the world, or bicker and destroy each other so the dead may sweep across the land in a black crusade.
“I, Princess Celestia, will not abandon ponies to the horrors-”
Horrors. The undead were but one kind of horror in a world of many. The changelings under Chrysalis were a horror. The shadow of Sombra was a horror. The threat of war upon my little ponies was a horror. I will not stand for any such thing again. Letting Equestria squalor in its own splendor was not the right path any longer.
Enemies surrounded Equestria. I had alway denied it, tricked myself into believing I could turn every confrontation into a peaceful resolution. Now, that foolish belief had failed Equestria. Perhaps I should abdicate? Perhaps my time has passed, and I must pass on leadership to the little ponies.
“I, Princess Celestia, have failed.”
How would Equestria continue without me? Stalliongrad would certainly impose their equality upon all of ponykind. Their ridiculous government idea would create a wave of revolution over Equestria, and then they would try to spread into the rest of the world. They would ignite a spark in countries like the Griffon Empire, and that spark would bring more war to Equestria.
No, I couldn’t leave the future in the hands of the young and the foolish. My sister and I had to persevere. Before us, now was the most difficult challenge of all. We-
My sister was gallivanting around in the north, and I hadn’t seen her in weeks. I needed to be strong, and she was out there, hiding from responsibility, leaving me to deal with everything by myself. I didn’t need her. This Equestria would be mine-
That wasn’t true. She had not failed me, and I had not failed her. Our bond was stronger than ever, and it would remain so into the new Equestria we must forge, for this challenge will be more than either of us have ever overcome on our own. As we changed so long ago, we will change again.
“I, Princess Celestia, am reborn.”
The world has taken its stand. Those who would threaten us have revealed themselves. It is now that we must stand strong and face our fears. Together, we will crush those fears with the unbridled fury of the sun and devious cunning of the moon. Our new Equestria will never face another dark day.
Just as I took a breath to start again, my door burst open. Only my sister would such a thing, and I had thought she was off gallivanting around the northern borders when I needed her here, beside me.
“Luna, where have you been? Have you heard what the ponies want? Why are you smiling at a time like this?” Not only was she smiling, but she had left her uniform behind, as well. She stood as I did, only wearing her royal regalia.
“Sister, there is something I have to show you. Come this way.”
She walked out at a brisk pace, and I followed her.
“Luna, I have hardly seen you since the end of the war. I need you now, more than ever before, and you show up like nothing is amiss?”
Luna hardly broke her stride. “Sister, I haven’t been idle. There were dark tidings in the north, and knew that if we waited, another threat would break down the door to Equestria, just like Chrysalis did.”
“Dark tidings? Luna, we have problems here. The ponies want us to abdicate!”
That stopped her, just outside the heavy door to the palace dungeon. Honestly, every palace had a dungeon, even if this one had never held a prisoner.
“Abdicate? After all we have done for them?”
“I know. I can’t just stand back and let Equestria be destroyed by our enemies. I won’t.”
Luna put her hoof on the door. “This might help.” She pushed through, and I followed.
The Canterlot Dungeon was pleasant compared to most. Well lit, with tapestries much like the rest of the castle, it was never fit to be a prison. It was also small. The short passage that Luna and I walked down was lined with royal guards, including some from the Crystal Empire. That alleviated the surprise I felt when we stepped around the corner to see Princess Flurry Heart.
The youngest Princess bowed her head, even though she didn’t have to. “Princess, it is good to see you. It always seems so long.”
“It is good to see you as well, but I can’t say I’m not concerned. What brings you to Equestria during these difficult times?”
Luna stopped me, and I saw that there was a cell to our left. Inside were six guards and three prisoners wearing hoods. They were ponies, but more than that I could not say.
“It is this that I want to show you, sister. I told you I was busy. This is the fruit of my labor.” With a wave of a hoof, the guards pulled off the hoods.
The two ponies to the side might as well have been dragons, for all I saw was the unicorn in the center. Dark mane and coat, with a blood red horn, Sombra was unmistakable and, even behind those bars, threatening. Though, as I stared, I saw that he was beaten. Bruises and dried blood covered his body, and his red horn was chipped.
“You captured Sombra? I hadn’t even heard that he had returned.”
Luna stifled a giggle. She never did that. “That’s not even the best part.”
The guards in the cell acted quickly. The two behind Sombra forced him to the ground, holding a gun to his head, and the same happened to the prisoner on the left. A flash lit the right, as the unicorn guard cast the now painfully familiar spell to reveal a changeling, and the image of a earth pony mare was replaced with-
I recoiled as Chrysalis snarled and leapt, quickly tackled and held by both guards. As they beat her into submission, a burning rage filled my heart, wishing it were my hooves hitting her instead of theirs. All this pain and death, and the cause was held before me, a captive. Finally.
My sister’s voice sounded distant at first, while she pulled me from my shock. “Sombra was too aggressive, believing Princess Flurry Heart to be too young and weak to stop him. She was smart, and had called for my help, and we captured him and his supporters. As we moved them, the Queen thought she could get revenge, but I’ve seen enough of her tricks. She walked right into my trap.”
“This is amazing, Luna. I’m sorry I was harsh before.”
“Perhaps now they will retract their ridiculous demands.”
I stared at the defeated Chrysalis. No, they won’t. They had to be convinced that we were not weak. That we would defeat the enemies at our borders. That our power was not cowed.
I turned to Flurry Heart. “Princess, would you be so kind as to visit with Queen Velvet? I was to meet with her before the speech today, but now that my sister is here we must discuss our plans together.”
She bowed again. “Of course, Princess. We both stand with you.” Flurry Heart, and all of her guards, departed. Luna waved a hoof, and their guards gave them space. They would ensure this discussion was private and uninterrupted.
The words I needed were coming to me.
Once alone, spoke first. “You don’t want Flurry Heart and Velvet to join us?”
“This matter will require strength and force of will. The ponies will not forgive our failure to protect them with this offering. They believe we can no longer protect them.”
Luna stomped a hoof. “But we have protected them. We risked our lives protecting them.”
I shook my head. “It was not enough. They fear that our past failure will only repeat itself.”
“Surely they will see that we can protect them when we show them that we have stopped Sombra?”
“It won’t be enough. They are foolish. They did not see him as a threat, so they won’t realize we have saved them. They will still ask for us to abdicate.”
Luna paced the empty room, looking from banner to banner before looking back at me. “What can we do?”
“We can let them vote. They will cast us aside, let us retire to the countryside. Let us watch as they foolishly squander their resources and fight amongst themselves. All our work will perish as they are swept aside by enemies we could have defeated. Because they don’t respect us. Because they don’t cherish us. Because they don’t want us.”
My sister recoiled from my words and fell still.
“They see all we have done and want to throw it away. Treat our sacrifice as a meaningless trifle. That is our fate.”
Luna lowered her head, staring into the ground. Her wings slumped. Even her mane stopped its ethereal shiver.
I stomped my hoof, cracking the stone and snapping her eyes up to me.
“We must show that we are strong. We must demonstrate that the inaction of the past will not be repeated. Together, we will lead Equestria throughout the world, and stop every threat.”
“Sister, that sounds…”
I stood close to her. “Sister, we must change, just as Equestria has changed. Our pleasant rule is past. Only through force and power will we protect our little ponies. Only by tapping into our potential will we realize our greater destiny, the destiny of a peaceful world under our reign.”
“Celestia?” She looked into my eyes, as I into hers. I saw fear there. Fear of change. Fear of power.
“Sister, our past is fraught with failure. Every time we have forgotten that our bond is paramount, we have failed. Every time we did not hunt down every threat, we have failed. Every time we have let ourselves become weak, we have failed. Now we must see the truth. We are weak.”
I embraced my sister, holding her tight. “But we can be so strong. And our strength will never fail us.”
“I was foolish back then. How can you say we should do that now?”
“Then, you were jealous and spiteful, me blinded by false glory. Now, we have each other and all the world dares threaten us. Our bond is our power, and our power will save Equestria.”
She held me close a little longer.
“There has been much horror, sister, and I have seen my share. This power, if only we had taken it sooner. Perhaps-”
“No, sister. We do not look to the past. Only our future matters now.”
We pulled away from each other, and I saw her eyes had changed, the pupils tall and narrow. In the reflection, I saw that mine were bright, like the burning sun.
“Sister,” her voice had dropped, a sign of the changes to come, “how will we convince the ponies to accept this?”
“I have a plan, dear sister. First, I’ll need you to disguise our lovely prisoner…”
v^V^v
My sister and I walked onto the platform before a crowd of ponies larger than any I had ever see before. Many carried signs, of protest and of support. All looked eager to hear my words today.
Queen Velvet and Princess Flurry Heart were waiting on stage for us, and offered us smiles of support. We nodded back, and proceed to the front. When we stopped, a procession of royal guards marched out, displaying our two prisoners before us for all the ponies to see.
The crowd was not silent. They cheered and jeered, calling us old mares and graceful goddesses, but quite a few stared at the unicorn prisoner in revulsion.
I cast a very old spell to amplify my voice so that all may hear.
“Ponies of Equestria. You have struggled through a troubling time. Everypony among us has lost somepony they held dear. In these difficult times, we must remember our bond is what will allow us to carry on through the darkness.”
My sister lifted the ragged unicorn prisoner into the air so that all may see him clearly.
“This is the dark sorcerer of the north, Sombra. He threatened all of Equestria a thousand years ago, and tried to threaten us again. My sister, with the Princess of the Crystal Empire, Flurry Heart, captured this threat before he could enshroud our lives in his darkness.”
He was sat back on the ground, and by now the crowd has grown quiet.
“That is only the beginning of the evils in the days to come. Revolution and civil war threaten us from within, and aggressive conquerors threaten us from without. Unholy horrors are stirring from their dark domains in the most remote corners of the world, but they will come for our peace and harmony. They will sweep across our lands like no enemy has before, and we will fail as we are now.”
Ripples stirred across the ponies. They were right to be unsettled.
“You have called for my sister and I to abdicate the throne. You have called for a change in the status quo that has so clearly led us to ruin. I see the value in your judgement. Equestria as it is will not last. Our enemy will overcome us and destroy all that we hold dear. To prevent that terrible fate, my sister and I have made a decision, one that will ensure Equestria is ready for the future.”
Everypony waited, poised, breathes held, wanting nothing more than to hear my next words.
“I, Princess Celestia of Equestria, am no more. I saw the birth of Equestria, amidst the strife and chaos of Discord. Long did I guide my little ponies through dangers as great and terrible as the Dark Sombra you see before you. Long did I protect you when the times were dark beyond our borders, sheltering you from the horrors of the world. Only this Queen, whose wrath was mighty, broke my shield around Equestria.”
My sister’s horn shined, the dark glow of her magic cascading at the second prisoner, dispelling the false image and revealing Chrysalis’ ragged form. The crowd collectively gasped and went silent. First, a single jeer was called out. Moments later, the entire mass of ponies were yelling for her execution. The royal guard struggled to keep them back, but could not stop the objects thrown. I savored every hit scored against the former Queen. I nodded to my sister, and she trotted past the prisoners. Her magic flared again, forming and orb around her and bursting with such force that everypony rocked onto their heels. In the shower of magic, her form shimmered in darkness. Towering over the guards around her, Nightmare Moon’s nebulous mane rippled in the wind. Everypony was utterly silent.
“That folly has ended. I will no longer protect and defend and guide. The ponies of Equestria will not hide or cower from the evils of the world. We will stand tall, proud of our heritage and our strength. We will march across lands far and wide to ensure that we, Equestria, will never be threatened by those who stand against us.”
My own magic, burning bright, burst forth into the sky, arcing down onto Sombra and Chrysalis, engulfing the area in an inferno. I walked into the fire and flames, letting the merciless heat melt away the old, weak form of Celestia. Stepping beside my sister, I was invigorated. I felt a power like nothing before, and with my sister beside me, nothing could stop us.
“The weak Equestria the world knew is no more. Now, my sister and I will lead my little ponies in a great campaign, one that will leave the world in a complete, undeniable peace that will last forever. This is the vow my sister, Nightmare Moon, has made. This is the vow that I, Daybreaker, have made. In this bright future before us, no enemy shall threaten our foals. No danger will attack our homes. No horror will deny our world. Equestria stands together!”
The roar of the crowd only fueled my fire more. They loved us and our promise of peace. Nothing would stand in our way.
I cancelled the enchantment on my voice. “Queen Velvet, Princess Flurry Heart? Stand with us.”
Though they trembled, they did as I commanded. Perhaps they feared for their lives. Perhaps they did not believe in the greater good that my sister and I would bring. It did not matter. They stood with us now, and will stay there, by our side.
We will have our harmony, but only after we show the world why they need it.
