A peaceful night is shattered by a sudden clap of thunder, and in the wake of a violent arrival, Princess Luna finds herself taking on the unexpected responsibility of motherhood. The orphaned girl hails from a world similar to, yet very different from, Equus as Luna knows it. It is a world where magic is nearly non-existent, home to an autocratic Empire, now embroiled in a rapidly onset struggle for survival against an unspeakable swarm of monsters. It is a place where the basic freedoms and technologies Equestria takes for granted have been suppressed and stagnated, where the sum of a person's worth is defined solely by their utility to the state.

In her Old World, Orzel was little more than a nearly blind child of the Warrior Caste, a pawn in the uncaring machinations of her Empire, destined for little more than obscurity. Even as she grieves the loss of all she has ever known, Orzel must take on the awesome responsibility of becoming her adoptive Mother's heir. It is a title that carries with it innumerable questions and burdens, which challenge all she's ever learned about freedom, family, duty, and faith... Of all the questions she will face, there is one that stands paramount.

Can one grieving teen bear the weight that comes with wearing a crown and, whilst bearing that weight, help steer the destiny of her new motherland?

Author's Note: Hey! Been a while since I posted something, and I apologize for that. This is Book 1 in a new series, though I'm not personally sure how many books there will be overall. Unlike previous series, this is one where I intend to publish all the chapters of a story at once, rather than as the chapters are completed. As such, there may be some serious time between stories. Not to worry, I've got plenty of ideas for a sort of 'side-story', which I intend to update far more frequently.

Despite how long it's taken me to actually put this up, I had a lot of fun writing this story. I have done my best to refine it to a higher standard than my previous works, so I am very hopeful that you'll enjoy it. To give some idea of the amount of effort I've taken to ensure its quality, I've re-written this story in particular at least three times, and have discarded nearly as many words as I've published. Even so, I realize it may be far from perfect.

As always, your respectful comments and concerns are welcome, as that's the only way I can hope to improve in the future.

Content/Tag Info

Human/Alternate Universe: The characters are humanized, though spell-casters (unicorns) don't have horns, pegasi still have wings and are still capable of flight. Equestria in this story is in an era of technology on par with the Inter-Bellum Period (1919-1939), though as with the show's murky level of technological advancement, there are definitely some anachronisms. Even so, I've tried to be as accurate as possible.

Sex: Despite the 'Sex' tag and mature rating, there is no actual sex described within. It is implied with several adult characters having done so in the past, and there is some brief nudity, but that's generally the extent. The primary reason I felt it better to err on the side of caution and include this brief aside is the discussion of a character's sexuality in a psychological/therapy setting, particularly as to how it pertains to their religious/sociological upbringing. As this character is not 18, they do NOT engage in/discuss in detail ANY implicit or explicit acts WHATSOEVER.

Death/Gore/Violence: It doesn't occur very often, but there are some scenes of violence/killing or even bodily mutation that warrant the inclusion of these tags.

Profanity: There are a few instances, both in English and a few other languages, nothing I would considered excessive however.

Suicide/Self Harm: Once again, no such activity actually takes place, but the possibility of it happening is discussed. I figured it best to err on the side of caution and include this tag as well.

Narcotics: A lot of people smoke a lot of cigarettes and cigars. There are also scattered instances of alcohol consumption, and a few instances of taking Magic Mushrooms, though... They're literally magic mushrooms, as in they have magical properties, but still... Anyway, that's about it.