Twilight decided to walk to her destination herself, having rejected the royal chariot. She didn't want to look like she's looking down at her interlocutor. Not after what she had done.
They never had a chance.
When the war was declared, it seems both civilizations have an equally strong army. At least until Twilight's prowess in science resulted in the sudden and rapid modernization of her troops. The knowledge of gunpowder weapons is already spread around the world, but Twilight's army took a step further. Instead of the muskets most ponies use, her military had developed and created assault rifles. Though the concept of both weapons are the same, the new weapon is far more lethal, effective, and accurate. The same thing goes for the navy. Her new engine powered ships blasts and sinks any ships with sails bearing a certain flag on them. As the alicorn's most trusted general said, it wasn't a war, it's complete destruction.
The memories flood through Twilight's mind as she walks through the ruins of what once a district. It seems to be dedicated to arts and culture, noting the smoldering remains of the art museum, or what seems like it. As advanced as her cities and districts can be, Twilight can never match the grandeur of this civilization's culture district. Ponies would flock to these lands to see their paintings, sculptures, and their famous fashion designs no other civilizations can create. Along them comes the wealth that comes into this civilization's treasury, prospering in culture and wealth.
Remembering that fact makes the memories more painful. At several points during the war, the possibilities of a peace treaty were discussed. Twilight wanted to, she would even return the cities she had occupied back to it's rightful owner, but she can't. Any breathing space she give might end up causing her own downfall through other means that's not war. The final offer was to hand over all the designs the civilization had to offer, but Twilight had no place for them since she didn't develop sites to house them, a lose-lose situation for those magnificent works of art.
Sighing, the alicorn finally sees her destination in sight. Her general is accompanied by a couple squads of infantry and some of her elite squad of Magic Missile Spellcasters. They're surrounding what once was the imperial palace of the leader of these lands. Such magnificent structure, now left as an empty shell of it's former glory. At one side it's a testament of how powerful her army is, but on the other, Twilight cannot help but think of the destruction she had caused out of her own selfish desires.
The white flag on top of the palace reminds her of why she's here. As the alicorn steps into the palace's courtyard with her dark purple coated general on her side, the one that’s supposed to talk to her appears. A white coated unicorn with purple mane with several ponies walks out from the ruined building. Her violet robe is in tatters, torn in several spots, like how her mane are unkempt and dirty. The ponies flanking her are all mares, wearing similar violet scarves. These 'Violet Guards' are the only real bumps Twilight's army faced, as for their armies, they carry the more sophisticated muskets with bayonets. Not only they can attack from range, they're still lethal in close quarters. Their knowledge of their own territories also meant they can attack from unexpected directions and move fairly fast. Now, however, their faces look defeated, showing they're no longer willing to fight, as they have nothing left to defend. The only thing they can do is to raise their weapons high to make sure everypony sees the white flags they're bearing.
Twilight is a mare of knowledge, but even she cannot understand the point of this... ceremony.
"They're ready for you, princess." The general with a broken horn called to Twilight. Princess... is she still worthy of that title after this war? Silently nodding, Twilight stepped forward, and so did the white unicorn, leaving their escorts to meet face to face in the middle. Twilight is the one who emerged victorious, yet her expression reflects the unicorn she had defeated. She does not feel joy, nor triumph, just a hollow feeling and sadness. After a few seconds, Twilight finally speaks.
"Lady Rarity..."
"No... Just... Rarity." The white unicorn looks away. "I am... no longer a ruler."
An uneasy silence fell again between the two mares. Using her magic, Rarity slowly takes off her purple royal robe, and the scepter that's kept inside it. It's golden and violet handle holds a gleaming light blue, almost crystal like gem at the tip. Kneeling on her hooves, Rarity's magic presents both of them towards Twilight, leaving her wearing nothing, for those are the only thing left she can give.
"I was naive to think fashion can change the world... You have shown me that. I hope you will not forget my final act of generosity to you as I have nothing left to give. Without generosity... your ponies will not be happy."
From the tip of her horn to the bottom of her hooves, Twilight felt like icing up. This isn't right, this is crushing her. This feels so sickening, almost causing her to throw up. Nopony deserves a fate like this. She wants to say something, but her mouth refuses to open, her breath refuses to leave her throat, and her mind refuses to think of words right now. With enough willpower, Twilight hovers with her wings and grabs the offering with her hooves, holding both the robe and scepter on her chest. it... feels really heavy, it feels like she's carrying more then just a robe and a scepter.
The alicorn had trouble breathing for a second, as if the weight choked her briefly. The lives, the dreams of so many ponies are here, just like it's the case on her own crown. Now she's carrying both. Is that why Rarity looked so miserable when she showed herself? Her robe, despite being damaged, is made from the softest and finest silk Twilight ever touched her hoof on. The scepter, too, was lined with real gold, and Celestia knows how valuable that gem is on the tip. It's almost like if she uses it, she'll immediately finish her research on laser technology... All the beauty never managed to minimize the weight of an entire civilization resting on their shoulders. If Twilight felt hers when her lands continue to prosper even during the war, she doesn't want to know how hard Rarity felt it when her cities fall one by one.
Gulping, Twilight looks at the unicorn again. Her eyes don't show any obvious emotion. It seems like she's going to burst into tears and wail at any second, but something is off, like she's incapable of doing it at all. Twilight doesn't want this to last a second longer, she said the one thing she can say.
"Goodbye, Rarity."
The unicorn hung her head low, before turning around and walking away, stripped of the last shred of pride and legitimacy she had. Her Violet Guards had thrown their weapons down the moment their leader hands over her robe. As Twilight walks back to the safety of her army, she stops next to her general.
"Your orders?"
Her voice comes across cold, and Twilight wanted to scold her for not feeling what the alicorn is feeling, but she knows that her general is a soldier. Twilight also knows what she meant by that question. What if Rarity and her loyalists are not as sincere as they turn out to be? What if there will be a threat to her and her land's safety? Soon, the alicorn shakes her head.
"No, Tempest. Let them go." Twilight said clearly. Trying to stand as straight as she can, which is almost impossible at her current state, she issues several orders to Tempest.
"Get your soldiers to guard every city and it's areas, make them help repair and rebuild everything when the builders arrive. Do not, I repeat, do not take or pillage anything else from the occupied lands."
"...Understood." Tempest nods, before she signals the soldiers to fall back.
It's the least Twilight can do. The weight of her crown, the robe, and the scepter is already unbearable as it is.
Author's Note
This is actually a reference to a certain game. Pay attention to the terms used for hints...
Also, if anyone asked why the war happened in the first place, I'll leave it open to the reader's imagination.
If you want to leave the story to end like this, then stop here. If you want a less... emotional and much more lighthearted and 'silly' explanation of this story, go ahead and read the next chapter.
Author's Note
Warning: Reading this chapter will change the whole perspective of the first chapter. If you want to keep the whole dramatic and epic feeling from the story, reading this chapter might change the experience.
This is a much more lighthearted reason for the war, and uses a world that's much more closer to the canon, except it's still an alternate universe, obviously. If you want something more cheerful, go ahead and read this chapter.
Hope you like it~
Just... One more
The sun is finally raised by Celestia, indicating that nighttime has passed, and morning has arrived.
Never the mare to miss any opportunity to take care of her personal beauty, the first thing Rarity did is look at the mirror to comb her mane, making sure not a single strand is out of place. A mare like her must always keep her appearance flawless. It's her whole life, after all. Smiling at her reflection, she decides that she looks good enough to leave the room, and into the hallways.
However, while she's walking, she noticed that one of the doors that leads into a room is slightly open. Strange, that usually never happens. Curious, the unicorn takes a peek inside, pushing the door wider with her head.
"Twilight, darling? You still there?"
What greets Rarity is Twilight, looking slightly groggy, with her chin on the table. She's staring at a monitor, part of the new invention called the Personal Computer, or PC for short, that Sunset had introduced to the princesses a year ago. Judging from the look of the alicorn, it seems that she's awake for quite a while.
"Ugghh... Just one... more..." Twilight babbled as she uses her hoof to click on the mouse. "One more... turn..."
When she pressed it, Rarity was already behind her, taking a look at what the alicorn was doing. She's playing the game that her friends had been playing for a while: Civilization VI. It's basically a game where a player can create their own civilizations from scratch, from the stone age to the future. They can build cities, improve it, create armies, and such. Thanks to... plenty of ponies, the game is heavily modified, to the point where Twilight's friends are 'created' into the game so they can play as themselves or each other, each with their own unique abilities.
Among their group of friends, Rarity and Twilight are the two of the best players, and they just went head to head last night. Twilight and Rarity usually goes for Science and culture, respectively, and they almost never fail. However, last time Twilight had unexpectedly changed her strategy by declaring war to Rarity. Her scientific prowess gives her the edge, upgrading her military rapidly to the point it made Rarity's army obsolete in battle. The unicorn lost before she can get her culture up, resulting in Twilight's victory through domination. That was Rarity's first defeat.
Looking at the screen, Rarity noticed the layout and the names of the cities Twilight is looking at. When the turn ends, the sounds of something built are heard through the speakers. This caused Twilight to pump her hoof, though her voice doesn't sound as excited as it should be.
"Y-Yes...!" She leans back from the screen. "Finally, everything is... fixed."
What Rarity can see are the names of the cities that's supposed to be in her civilization, but the purple color means it belongs to Twilight. The layout is kinda similar too. Rarity might be the most meticulous in planning her districts, but she recognizes the... view.
"Twilight, is that... from our session last night?" The unicorn asked. Only now Twilight turns her head towards Rarity.
"Yeah..." The mare yawned. "Spent the... entire night, fixing all your cities, he he..."
Rarity can't help but snicker. Why did Twilight even do all that?
"Hm hm, whatever for, dear? Sounds like you're sacrificing your sleep time for something so simple."
"Just to make up for... yesterday." Twilight rests her hooves on the table to support herself up. Inside, Twilight felt a little bad for doing Rarity like that. She knows how the first defeat can sting, especially in a war in Civilization. It's always a slow grind where the losing side will slowly get weaker and weaker until there's nothing they can do but get finished off.
"Oh, come now, it's just a simple game between us." Rarity chuckles into her hoof, but she can't help seeing what Twilight had did to her conquered cities.
It seems like the alicorn had repaired all the districts and improvements that were damaged by the war. Always someone that will not take any risks, Twilight is not afraid to pillage to gain an advantage in a war. Rarity's Violet Guards made the fight pretty hard, sometimes coming out from nowhere to attack. Unfortunately, it's not enough in the end. The damage Twilight's army did was pretty heavy, but it looks like she repaired them all. All this because in her love of the game, what Rarity really loves to see and do in game is to carefully build her districts and improvements as efficiently as it is pleasing to look at.
On one hoof, Twilight is a bit jealous of how good her friend is at designing the layouts of her cities. It's the reason why Rarity is so good at the game, especially with her own civilization heavily focused on culture and wealth. Even when she's not too good at it, it's what caused her armies to be quite formidable too. Who knows by doing this, Twilight herself can learn a few things about district building.
"I do appreciate this gesture of yours though. Wasn't it fun and satisfying how all my placements are so effective?" Rarity chuckles again. "Really though, Twilight, as addicting the game can be, don't lose your sleep hours because of it."
"I'm just about... done anyway." Twilight let out a weak chuckle herself.
Rarity uses her magic to help Twilight get up, even going an extra step to slightly comb her messy mane. The alicorn exits the game and starts walking away from her computer. Thankfully she has several free hours to sleep. That's why she can spend the night doing what she did. As she's walking away, Rarity speaks to her again.
"Next time we must have a rematch, Twilight." The unicorn winks, Twilight simply chuckles and nods lightly as she makes her way to her bedroom for a long overdue sleep.
Rarity stays in the room, staring at the screen for a bit before exiting the game to shut down the computer. Her record of three wins is no longer perfect with her defeat to Twilight. Sure, it kinda stings to lose to your friend for the first time, but it's not that big of a deal. However this makes her think of the game. She already promised to face Pinkie next time, wondering how she can deal with her friend's gameplay and focus on amenities... Especially that unique Rock band unit of hers.
Suddenly, a scream.
The noise made Rarity jump slightly, turning to the door where it came from. Twilight opens and enters the room again, her eyes wide open. Not because she's no longer tired, but it looks like she had seen a ghost. Rarity is about to ask what's wrong, but what Twilight said next made it all too clear.
"I forgot to save, didn't I!?"
