The first Herrscher emerged hundreds of years ago, beginning the 1st Eruption and destroying the cities of Cloudsdale and Manehattan. Nothing remained of the great cities, now simply piles of rubble. They were shadows of their former selves, making the modern day Equestrian maps inaccurate. They'd look like those out of a fantasy series. All that remained of them were the memories the ponies that had lived there left behind.
Celestia took light steps as she walked through the streets of Manehattan. She could hear the cracking of buildings around her, ready to collapse at any given moment. She could hear her metallic armour scrape against itself as she raised and lowered her legs. The edges protecting her knees pressed hard against her skin as she moved forth. The gentle breeze of the desolate city did nothing to quell her thoughts and ease the brief pain her hot armour gave her flesh when they touched.
She lifted her head, and stopped in the middle of the road. She watched the sun drift across the sky, briefly hidden behind one of the once sparkling skyscrapers in the city. She flinched as the sun drifted past the building, blinding her. It reflected off of the helmet she wore, and bounced off a nearby window directly at her face. Her horn glistened as she tilted her head down, and removed the silver mirror from her body. She freed her ponytail from an opening in the back, and finally was able to hold the item in front of her.
She stared down at it, seeing the reflection of her empty, but regretful eyes staring back at her with contempt. She heard the sound of rocks falling, and glanced to her side. She blinked as pebbles dripped off of the old building beside her. The falling debris made her think as she looked back at her helm. She thought about the day the eruption happened, for she had been there to witness it.
What could I have done differently? She wondered. There was no easy answer. She wondered if she could've helped to prevent the tragedy, but instead she chose to flee like her fellow ponies. She wasn't a Valkyrie then. She had no hope of stopping what was going on, for she did not fully understand it. She sighed, staring up at the sky again to watch the sun.
"Celestia," A voice called from behind her, erasing her thoughts and pulling her full-force back into the present.
She turned, returning her helmet to her head. The sun could not blind her now, so she chose to wear her armour again, and face whoever had called her name. From the shadows in the skyscrapers, a trio of ponies approached her as they entered the road. Their faces were obscured in their attire, except for one. The leader of the group was a dark orchid mare, whose broken horn and scars stood out against her coat. The black armour she wore completely coated her torso, hiding her cutie mark and many more scars she had sustained over the years.
The mare removed her helmet, letting her brightly coloured mane stand up straight, and reflect light of its own. The mare's horn sparked as she dipped her head in respect for the white mare in front of her, and the two ponies at her sides did the same. Celestia blinked slowly as the ponies lifted their heads, and the group leader stared her in the eyes.
"Tempest Shadow," She recalled the name. "What brings you to Manehattan?"
"I was sent on order from Luna," Tempest explained. "She asked me to come and fetch you."
"Hm," Celestia hummed flatly, flicking an ear and fluttering her wings. "She knows I'm busy here. Did she tell you why she needed me?"
"She did, but I didn't understand what she was saying until she said it in English," Tempest laughed lightly. "To summarize it for you, they made a breakthrough with the Herrscher core they discovered in Cloudsdale's weather factory."
"Did they now?" Celestia's eyes widened with intrigue, and she lifted her head as she smiled. "Do you have more details for me?"
"Not entirely," Tempest said, awkwardly clearing her throat. "If you asked me, I think a breakthrough means that they can utilize the core without destroying another civilization."
"I would hope so," Celestia hummed, turning on her hooves to face the end of the road once again. "This is the third core that we've uncovered. We've only found a suitable wielder for one of them, and we've yet to do something with the other one."
"Luna mentioned something about that," Tempest said as she approached the mare and stood at her side.
"Did she?" Celestia raised a brow, staring down at the shorter mare, who met her gaze with a blank stare.
"She didn't sound very enthusiastic about the idea of you putting Herrscher cores in ponies." Tempest shrugged.
She's said that for months, Celestia thought. She sighed, facing her snout towards the sky again. Celestia had begun a project of her own in an effort to save Equestria. Despite all the odds, Luna was entirely against everything she wanted to do. The forceful creation of stigmata on average ponies, the use of Herrscher cores to utilize their abilities and align their organization with the ideals of gods...
Celestia remembered every word of Luna's rants. The dangers of awakening these god-like beings rang freely in her head, but she didn't mind. It was her belief that she knew what she was doing. Nopony else understood her view like she did. They might never, and that was alright with her. She took in a breath, forcing herself not to dwell on the past.
"Luna has never been happy with my ideals," Celestia said after some silence. "I wouldn't be surprised if she left Schicksal. But that doesn't matter to me. When my plans work out will be when she gives me an apology."
"Right," Tempest rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed with the sister drama. "So why are you actually out here anyways?"
"I came here to check the levels of Honkai energy in this city," Celestia explained. "Despite how long it's been since the eruption, and the decreased activity from all organizations, Honkai levels continue to rise. This area in particular has seen many more Honkai Beasts than any city outside of our control. I'm not sure what's causing it, but I came to investigate."
"By yourself?" Tempest snorted. "You aren't a god, you know. You can easily get overwhelmed by those things if you're out here by yourself for too long. No matter how strong your magic is, if you aren't careful you'll die."
"I'm aware of that," Celestia spoke calmly, though her voice dripped with irritation.
She had heard this sort of lecture thousands of times. From her peers, subordinates, and even the Overseer, she learned the lesson time and time again that she shouldn't be playing games with the Honkai. But she was a smart pony, and each individual she met became aware of that within minutes of meeting her. When the situation got dire, she would flee or call for help. She very rarely needed to, but she wasn't stupid by any means.
She glanced back at the mare at her side, and the two ponies that stood silently behind them. They were much weaker than her, she could tell. They wouldn't have been able to take on this city by themselves either. They were certainly ones to lecture her. She huffed, pointing her snout to the ground before her.
"I know what I'm doing," Celestia continued.
"I'm not saying I doubt you," Tempest sighed. "Just don't let it get to your head. If you're right about Luna leaving Schicksal, we don't have many other ponies to turn for guidance to since Cadance's betrayal."
"Don't remind me," Celestia sighed and shut her eyes. "Cadance was different, this is my sister. But, no matter, you should head back to HQ and inform Luna that I'll be returning in a few hours. Tell her that I think I'm onto something new, and if I can find what I believe is here, we'll need to recruit more ponies at St. Freya."
"Wait, we'll need more recruits?" Tempest blinked and widened her eyes. "Why do you say that?"
"We need more ponies to deal with this crisis," Celestia said, and hardened her gaze when she turned to the dark orchid mare. "Most of our current semester is graduating in the next few months. After the Herrscher of Sentience awoke, many of our Valkyries died in the conflict. We don't have enough ponies for every project that we're trying to put forth."
"...I see," Tempest said with a hum, returning to her stoic state. "I'll inform Luna right away. Just... promise that you'll be careful out here."
"I'll... try," Celestia said, taking a deep breath to calm herself as well. "If I need help, I'll call for you."
Tempest said nothing, only offered a nod in response to the mare's words. She turned, walking back to the two ponies that had followed her. The ponies spread their wings, saluting to Celestia before they turned on their hooves, and followed Tempest down the road. Celestia watched in silence as the ponies left. She was left feeling frustrated with the events, and Luna's stubbornness. She shook her head, trying to blank out her thoughts and focus on her mission.
She continued her walk down the road, walking towards the sun as it traveled in the sky ahead of her. It would be noon soon, and she promised to be back at the HQ in a few hours. She told herself she would return home before the sun could fully set. She didn't know if she could fully honor that promise, but she'd try. She lifted her head, trying to map out her surroundings as she reached an intersection. She approached the railing on the side of the road, and looked out over at the great blue depths ahead.
She hummed, using her magic to turn a dial on the side of her helmet. From the top of her helmet, a pair of goggles descended and fitted itself over her eyes, and the glass within the framing lit up. She stared through the glass as the mechanism inside the metal goggles whirred to life. Strings of code traveled across her lenses, and she couldn't be bothered to read them. When the device had properly powered on, she knew exactly what she needed to access.
She cleared her throat as she used her magic to swipe across the lenses, locating a program that she had grown much too used to using. She stared down at the water when her vision cleared, and two separate bars appeared on either side of her goggles. The left bar was meant to track Honkai levels, and the right bar would keep tabs on her own exposure to it. As she called it, Honkai was a disease, and she would do her best to avoid exposure to it if she could help it.
As she stared at the water, the left bar filled only an eighth of the way. It was faint, but the substance had infected the very sea surrounding the city. That wasn't a good sign, as this sea connected some major cities in Equestria. Celestia made a note that she would report this event to Luna as well. She turned on her hooves, and continued walking down the street as her lenses updated.
She heard the cracking of a building yet again. She looked to her side, and up, and saw a long crack zig-zagging along the exterior of a skyscraper. Shattered glass littered the streets, and she watched as a piece of a corner fell off and hit the ground, breaking the sidewalk where it landed. Half of the broken piece snapped off, falling on the ground beside the hole it had left. The cracking continued, and Celestia began to grow nervous. She looked up again and saw more debris beginning to fall.
She swallowed hard and began to back away down the side walk. She kept a close eye on the building as the cracking grew more intense. Her lenses quickly updated as the situation continued. She paused, and her eyes locked onto the building as the left bar suddenly skyrocketed. Somewhere in the skyscraper, the Honkai signal was so intense that it went further than the bar should allow.
Celestia was broken from her thoughts as half of the building bent. The deafening roar of shattering rocks and glass made her ears ache, but she didn't have the time to worry about her own pain. She spread her wings, flapping them hard and launching herself backwards. Half of the building began to fall from where it had been situated, and aimed for the ground. Just mere hoofsteps from where Celestia currently stood, the building half hit the ground.
The ground shook vigorously as the building collided with the pavement and the asphalt. The clang of metal rang out as the glass and stone smashed against the railing, breaking off part of the building and throwing it overboard. The shaking of the ground began to subside as dust spread across the road, making Celestia cough and shield herself in her wings while her hooves tried to wave away the clouds. The sounds of hundreds of pieces of stone and glass splashing in the water filled the silence that the shaking left behind.
As the dust began to clear, Celestia could open her eyes again and look at the destroyed building that lay before her. Her initial path of exploration had been blocked. She huffed in annoyance. She blinked, and let her eyes wander through the skyscraper as a whole. The Honkai levels changed as her head lifted, turned, and lowered. One fact became obvious to her; they were strongest in the building half that had fallen before her.
She grew curious about what was creating such strong energy, and even though it was a distance away from her, she felt sick. She flapped her wings, lifting herself from the ground and peering through the windows in the building, searching for the root of the signal. The large building took some time to peruse, but soon enough, she found what she was looking for. She peered through one of the dusty windows as she caught the appearance of something bright and shining within the building. A Honkai Beast, perhaps?
But Honkai Beasts don't typically give off readings this strong, she thought. She backed away from the building slightly, before ramming into the window at full force, and breaking it. She used her magic to pull apart the shattered glass, and open a path for her. She flew into the building, and landed on the broken glass filling the inside. She approached the shining object in the distance that she had seen. As she approached, her eyes grew wide as she became aware of what it was.
She stood beside the glistening item, and surrounded it in her magic. Through the golden sheen her magic projected onto the item, as she brought it close to her face for examination... her lenses cracked. She gasped, dropping the item back on the ground, in turn cracking the window beneath it. The lenses froze, with the bar of the Honkai levels reaching the very top of her helmet, much further than they were ever supposed to go. She turned back the dial on her helmet, forcing her goggles to move back to the space below her horn and above her eyes. Her eyes peered down at the item before her.
A wicked smile came to her face. She had found something she had the hardest time discovering before. It was in plain sight, and she had no idea. She knew she had a good reason to come to Manehattan today. She cleared her throat, and lifted a hoof. She pressed a button on her ankle plate, opening a holographic panel that faced her. On the holographic screen, she put in a number to contact another pony, and waited patiently for an answer.
After a few moments of waiting, a golden pony appeared on the screen. The unicorn mare was clad in a black and white coat dress with a small white apron and cravat, and a black headband coated in white roses held her hair down between her ears. The mare adjusted her fiery hair with her teal magic, and smiled at Celestia. She stood in a white metal room filled with modified pony armour and machinery, and the room fell silent of whirring and background conversation as Celestia spoke.
"Sunset Shimmer," She addressed the pony. "I require your services."
"Ah, I knew you were calling me for something," The pony joked with a hum. "It must be important."
"It is," Celestia hummed, using her magic to lift up the glistening item once more. "I discovered something important in Manehattan that is going to help our research greatly. I need you and your Valkyries to lock down Manehattan and claim the area for Schicksal. Before you leave I'd like you to inform our engineers to abandon our plans with the Herrscher core we discovered in Cloudsdale."
"Already?" Sunset's eyes widened. "But, Luna and the others have already made a breakthrough with it, and we think we can reawaken the Herrscher within it."
"Forget that," Celestia snorted. "This is much more important. We won't need to reawaken a Herrscher if we can... create one."
"Create a Herrscher..?" Sunset's ears pinned back and a look of worry crossed her expression. "Is that possible?"
"With this-" Celestia lifted the item to showcase to the mare. "-We might succeed."
"You..." Sunset gasped as she looked at the item.
Both ponies knew exactly what it was that Celestia had discovered. It was something that many ponies thought was completely lost to time. Its purple sheen had long been forgotten after the 1st Eruption. Most ponies believed it had been destroyed, but none of its energy had never been located... until now.
"I'll inform the others right away," Sunset Shimmer said after she recovered from her shock. "Please, be careful with that thing until we arrive. Should I tell Luna?"
"No," Celestia said, setting the item back on the ground. "I want to tell her in person. Tell Luna I want to see her personally in the city so I can show her what I found. When you bring your comrades, make sure they keep it a secret from her. I want to see the look on her face when she sees this."
"Understood," Sunset said, dipping her head. "I'll get to work right away. Please be safe, Celestia."
"I will be," Celestia said. "Trust me."
The ponies saluted to eachother before cutting their communication. Celestia rested her hoof back on the ground and used her magic to lift the item that she had found. It glistened ever so brightly, and it was brimming with Honkai energy. She had never seen an item like this before, nor had she ever been so close to one. A smile came to her face as she stared at her reflection on its surface.
The Gem of Conquest... she thought. Oh, how I've prayed for a moment like this.
Author's Note
I'm not the best at describing outfits and markings, so I decided to make a 'fashion archive' in this author's note to help you guys understand what the pony outfits and body markings look like (when I've made them ofc)! I've made these in Pony.Town and some custom servers. The servers in question have been made the name of the pony so you know what they were made on.
WARNING: This archive spoils ponies that appear in the story! Please do not proceed if you don't want to be spoiled on character appearances in the story!
Celestia (Armour),
