Project Sparkle

Equestria isn't the peaceful utopia we once knew.

It was the start of this, the Sixth Age, the Goddess Aeon if I'm being poetic. It all went so wrong for some reason, and before anypony knew it everything had declined despite all the hardships we'd overcome together. We looked up from our own little worlds and saw that the eponymous 'it' had snowballed out of any and all possible control, and it had been such a gradual shift that nopony cared enough to do anything beyond wishing that things would simply get better, all waiting for some kind of change that was put into action too late.

I'm just as guilty as anypony else, because so long had passed before I started noticing the changes. I don't recall the exact time I started noticing it, but it was almost as if the days had gotten darker, and people had become far more distant and uncaring. It was technology and the progress of industry, it made people different. I was always pretty glued to my books and my circle of friends, though when I started to feel the change it had already dug in, and even though I tried to do my part to keep things even the culture had already shifted too far, I was helpless to do anything.

I'd even seen the end of Canterlot as I had known it, without even realising I had.

There was an institute that devoted themselves to inventing spells that cured various diseases, that any doctor could freely learn if they had the ability. I remember being awed at how selfless that was, and it made me want to create in such a manner myself, I think I almost joined before Celestia sent me to Ponyville. That institute kept going on through the years as I stayed with my friends, just one of the old remaining beacons of decency left in the world as everypony else changed. Then, I took a trip to Canterlot to see the Princess, and decided to see how they were getting along, arriving to see they'd been sidelined by a rich snob and member of the aristocracy that had the institute's research out from under them. After learning it, the noble had bought all rights to the research's usage through legal means, and took the institute to court over bullshit, making sure the final decision couldn't be challenged. It set a worrying precedent that they didn't want a repeat of, and regarding their other work they had felt they could no longer share it in case another opportunist came along to ruin them, so when I arrived, they'd closed up shop about a month before I got there.

Using the magic from the institute and combining it with the upcoming technology of one of their businesses, that noble managed to essentially create the first megacorp.

I was much younger then, far more innocent, and at the time I hadn't known who or what had caused the institute's downfall, just that a huge up-and-coming business had started selling magical tablets that cured what ailed peoples ills. It had only been simple analgesic drugs, mass-produced paracetamol and ibuprofen, but back then it was everything. In the papers they called it a revolution of industry. I was naively excited too, I thought what else can be advanced through technology while not thinking of just how the business had come about, or the negative impact it and other technology would have on society, only seeing the good parts of what was shown to me in curated papers or spoken on the radio, medium's that were owned by the aristocracy in large parts to push a certain narrative.

As it turns out, many others had been the same.

When the next megacorp popped up it was also welcomed. The next one came after that and they started to consolidate their power, formed business alliances to push their growth, made moves to exploit the populace for profit, all very slowly and deliberately over the course of years so complaints were never massed. The Diarchy had obviously taken notice from day one before I had even registered there might be a problem, and were tentative about the long reaching effects, yet they were optimistic things wouldn't go very far south, and that things could be curtailed before they got out of hoof. After all, they'd helped the ponies of that institute by setting them up within the Royal Palace, the greed of others wouldn't be an issue, all further research would be their own and everything was going to be fine, everyone would get along and the megacorps would see being greedy only hurt them in the end.

They'd been too damn hopeful, and too caring.

It was already law that the Crown could never dissolve a legitimate business that operated in Equestria for the benefit of its people, and by Celestia how that law allowed the corps to flourish by technicality. The megacorps wanted more, and they didn't care if their image wasn't at its best or if somepony got hurt, because they made enough money from ponies that were indifferent to their greed, indifference that had been brought about because the culture had shifted so far into a sort of apathy. It was Celestia's own conviction that people would generally always choose to be better, and after thousands of years of nothing but peace and prosperity I think she must have grown complacent, even when the nobles in her court started to try and work against her she held to her belief.

I can't really fault her too much, she's always been idealistic. Luna had some different feelings on the matter, though back then she was far more distant from the current culture than she had been before the return, and it took her some time to get up to speed.

In the end all that could be done was to adapt, as that law, as with so many others, were coded into the fabric of society. It was one of many such guarantees to the populace that the Sisters would never overstep and become tyrants. I got the need for it, and still I think it paints them as benevolent, it's one of the many reasons they're still adored by the people.

In the modern day the Crown still controls Equestria, passes laws and the like even if they have to go through the noble houses to do it and fight them every step of the way, yet it's also become something of a giant of industry in many different places, and has to carefully work around other giants to not be toppled. It was likely inescapable in order to keep a majority of its power, I think it's another reason why the little people like it, and why even if the Crown were to fail technologically it wouldn't be forced to become a figurehead. With the Diarchy ensuring that barely anyone goes hungry and relief always attempts to be there for those that need it thanks to specialised systems in place, there's a bottom line that rarely fails, and the people have hope. Things degrade, but they keep it in check as best they can, push back and restore when they can, as much as is within their power to do.

These days, the megacorps and nobles have private armies, they have advanced weaponry and technology, slimy lawyers to defend them, certain judges in their pockets... even certain gangs have great sway. Everyone who has more money than sense has that kind of power, but I know the Princesses are stronger. They have the perspective of thousands of years and countless lifetimes despite their wealth, they've used what the corporations began to empower themselves into the modern day and become practically invincible. No matter how far the corrupt step forward, the Crown always strives to move further, for Equestria.

I don't know if Canterlot can go back to the way it used to be. Ponyville, Equestria as a whole, I doubt they ever will because it's all so far gone, though what hope I have left is tied to making sure that it doesn't fall any more than it has. The Princesses have me to help them, and I'll always fight for them.