The Worst Gamble

Chapters

A Beginning to the End
First Contact
Twilight's Rude Awakening
A Walk in the Park
The Three Princesses

A Beginning to the End

In one of the many war-torn cities of Equestria, Acornage, there was no quiet or peace. Military trucks and equipment paraded through the battered streets. Some ponies, bearing visible scars from mistreatment, others with more subtle trauma, watched from the sidewalks as tanks, primarily Comet's, and soldiers with stern expressions marched by, heading to the next major theater of war. Fortunately, Equestria lay behind them.

Princess Luna stood on the balcony of the city hall, observing the scene with a sigh. Many of those ponies would not survive the coming months, but at least the tide of the war had turned.

For a brief moment, her gaze shifted across the road. On one side, a park had lost much of its greenery due to artillery and fire. On the other side, a whole city block lay in ruins, its original purpose unrecognizable. Down on the roads, ponies thanked the passing soldiers. The Changelings did not hide their intentions for this city or Equestria as a whole.

Luna turned around, closing the balcony door with a deep sigh. She couldn't bear the sight of the city she had liberated.

Instead, she focused on a strategic map, overlaying a newspaper she had received a few minutes earlier. With a hoof, she scrolled through its pages, and the first headline practically leapt out at her.

In bold letters, it read: "ACORNAGE LIBERATED." Disregarding the extensive section dedicated to the heroic efforts of all those at the front lines and Princess Luna's strategic leadership, there was a smaller portion about the Olenian front. It appeared that Blueblood had captured Equadoe and was warmly received by cheering citizens.

Another article, smaller in size, provided information about the war between the fascist Wingbardy and the Griffonian Empire.

"THE ARCHON MARCHES ON KARTHIN: Artillery pounds, bombs explode, and soldiers march. These were the sounds that awakened the residents of Karthin today. The Griffonian Army has finally reached the city gates, and though the fighting is intense, the beleaguered defenders are being pushed deeper into the city. At 4:20 AM, the first artillery shells struck the city center, claiming the lives of several civilians and demolishing the western portion of the Arch of the Fatherland. Additionally, unconfirmed reports mention strategic bombing campaigns that have already leveled large sections of the industrial districts, now extending to the older districts. The Equestrian and New Mareland Embassies have initiated evacuation procedures."

The article continued, providing further details and reactions to the current situation in Wingbardy's capital. Oh, how swiftly one can fall. Just two years ago, Wingbardy was considered almost equal to the Griffonian Empire, which had recently emerged from years of decline. However, this war exposed the fragility of the fascist dream.

For a moment, Luna, the one who raises the moon, wondered how it must feel to be at gunpoint, forced to sign a coerced surrender. Fortunately, that had never happened to Equestria! She dismissed these intrusive thoughts with a shake of her head. They were distractions.

Yet, with a loud "poof!" from her starry mane above, a wrapped scroll fell to the ground, sealed with the golden royal seal. Luna immediately knew who must have sent it and picked it up using her horn. She quickly opened it, seeking distraction from the war or perhaps simply relieved to hear from her only relative.

However, her expression shifted from joy to something different as she read,

"Dear Sister,

Please come to Canterlot immediately. I understand the war effort is crucial, but if you don't come soon, something terrible will happen. The-"

There she likely spilt the ink she wrote with. It left a small blotch, but she could still read the remaining sentences. The blue ink on the paper was noticeable and, frankly, quite bothersome. She knew Celestia would never write in this sloppy of a manner. This was wholly unlike her, unless of course, there was an actual reason for panic.

" -re massive things in the sky. It's reminiscent of the Storm King's invasion. Please come immediately and meet me in the palace. Just come!"

Worry creased her face. She became fearful for her sister, her bones turning to jelly, and her heart racing. Like the Storm King? Did that mean someone had invaded again? But how? The Equestrian Airforce would surely have shot down any intruders in Canterlotian airspace. And surely this was no joke! Celestia had practically lost all her humour amidst the war, so why would she make a jest? It seemed unlikely.

For nearly half a minute, she nearly panicked, gazing out the window, at the map, at the newspaper, and back at the letter. What was she supposed to do? Simply relinquish command? Could she leave her sister in Canterlot and assume it was a mistake? No, no, she couldn't take such a risk.

Luna trotted toward the window and peered through it. The sun shone through a thick layer of clouds and the haze of lingering fires.

At that moment, she made up her mind. Joke, mistake, or not, she would get to the bottom of this and fly to Canterlot.

"Guards!" she called, projecting an air of confidence. Gold-armoured Royal Guards, mainly personal servants and ceremonial peacekeepers at this point, entered the room. Only one of them.

"Bring me parchment immediately," she ordered, then returned to the wooden table. It felt like minutes until the sheet of paper was finally delivered, though in reality, it was less than thirty seconds—it just felt agonizingly long. Once it was in her hoof, she felt a slight relief.

Luna hastily wrote down her orders, a process that took around ten minutes. With the final words penned onto the document, she could still hear the tanks rumbling on the cobblestone streets outside.

"Guards, instruct the radio operators to transmit this communication to Major General Sunset Shimmer. I am uncertain how long I will be absent, but she shall command the frontline for the time being."

"Of course."

With those words, she left the guard and the letter, sealed with the royal emblem, attesting to its significance. All left of her was but a gust of wind as she left for the balcony. Few ponies from below could spot a dark shadow flying across the sky.

First Contact

There was once tranquillity in this city. This capital, the city of Canterlot, was nearly abandoned at one point. The war had taken its toll, but now, as Changeling bombers became rarer and rarer, victory drew closer, and some soldiers even returned for a visit to their families a quiet sense of hope had seemingly returned. The bright lights of the city shone once more, visible from as far as the churning weapons manufactorums of Cloudbury and the once idyllic town of Ponyville. And with it being early morning in Canterlot, even as the capital and beating heart of Equestria, the city was unusually quiet.

But the rumblings of tanks and lorries disrupted the serene and cool morning, all heading towards the Central Square of Canterlot, where far below, a dark, wedge-shaped structure—an intrusive object—had descended to the ground. Pony soldiers jumped from their lorries and tanks, assembled, all pointing towards the object in question. The square had turned from a place of tranquillity to one of tension.

Citizens, awakened by the commotion outside, had also taken to look down from their windows towards the park. And then, for a moment, there was silence. This thing, seemingly made out of a metal-like material—origin unknown—just stood there, emitting merely a low hum. It had wings much like the aircraft used by the air force, yet much more robust while also possessing two tail fins. On what might be considered its hull, there were intricate and complex carvings depicting unrecognisable shapes and objects. From this distance, it was too hard for pony eyes to properly analyse the patterns engraved on this pure metal. Long continuous lines and well-rounded wings made for a sleek design that could inspire the imaginations of Equestrian writers for centuries to come.

With the last soldiers and tanks having taken up positions from which they had the upper hand over whoever might leave, there was silence for quite a while. Little stirred, and sweat ran down the uniforms of a few ponies. Platoon Commander Comet Trail, likewise, was nervous. This was a situation no amount of training could have prepared her for. Things... coming from space? Who would have thought that?

Any further thoughts on the matter, however, dispersed as a member of the Royal Guard, visibly exhausted and quite sweaty from having run all the way from the palace, gave her a letter. And it had the royal seal! She opened it immediately and just nodded silently before putting it into one of the pockets adorning her military uniform.

"Hold fire and stay alert."

Another sixty seconds passed, yet that singular minute felt like an eternity. Comet Trail toyed with the thought of sending someone to check whether it could be some kind of bomb, but before she could dwell further on that, the 4.5-metre-wide and 3-metre-tall backdoor opened.

The ponies at the ready tensed up, and the General eagerly anticipated what kind of life form might leave this craft. And as both expected and feared, what emerged was not a pony, nor changeling, nor griffon, but something entirely alien in origin.

It was a tall, sickly pale figure. Instead of trotting on four legs, it only used two, while having two more extremities with four odd sticks of meat protruding from them.

As this figure moved quietly through the grass and towards the ponies, soldiers in awe made a corridor for it to walk towards the palace. It was as though everyone was in a trance - a state of seduction - simply by looking at the tall, feminine figure. Even the Platoon Commander had to pull herself together.

This thing... whatever it was... had something about it that made everyone act like they were under a spell and sedated, or perhaps it was the sheer awe of seeing an alien life form walking towards the Royal Palace.

Oh, wait, it was walking towards the Royal Palace? Comet Trail snapped out of it and realised that - peaceful or not - this being was well on its way to the Princess now, and if the Canterlot garrison was this easily caught off-guard, then the pitiful Royal Guards stood no chance!

As she walked towards the pale lady, she called out, "By order of the Princess, stop! Identify yourself and state your intentions!"

With this equine finally catching the attention of the alien, she... or it... turned towards the Thestral and asked in a soft, yet monotone voice, "If you have any authority, then please bring me to your leader."

The Princess looked out onto the horizon. The sun was about to rise in a few hours time. And shortly after that, she would receive her morning news, as compiled by the Secretary of the Royal Palace, Dotted Line. She wondered how things were looking elsewhere. Did such a vessel also cast a shadow over other capitals? Versalipolis, the capital of the hated enemy, Griffenheim, the heart and centre of the Griffonian Empire, Karthin, the embattled "Eternal City," Mount Aris, Vermillion, Hjortland, Rijekograd, Nimbus, and countless others? What about them? If these things came from above, then surely Equestria would not be an exception.

Celestia wouldn't dwell for too long on those questions, though. There was some sweat on her furry brow, and her bones felt like jelly. She might be a millennia-old alicorn, but in the end, she was just a pony underneath the white fur, shiny jewels, golden crown, and peytral. Yet, all the years of experience could not help her imagine what would come from outer space. And not like anyone was here to advise or support her on the issue. Her sister was leading the war effort from the recently-liberated Acornage, Prince Blueblood was leading the Olenian campaign, the Elements were all scattered across Equestria, the Pillars were helping with relief efforts and Discord? Well, Discord was, as always, Discord, staying out of it.

"Yes," she sighed and knew that she had to solve this alone. Before dedicating more time to preparing herself, a guard called for her, "My liege, the delegation is here!"

"Tell them I'll be with them shortly!" Celestia called out.

"Yes, Your Majesty," the gold-clad white pony replied before leaving her sight of the field. One last time, she looked out of her window, towards the quaint town of Ponyville.

"Hopefully, she gets my letter in due time," she thought before turning her flank to the open window and heading for the door. It did not take long for her to arrive at the gala, where usually she expected nobles and governors. But this night was to be different, and so would this diplomatic meeting.

And once the two-meter-tall figure finally came into view, she couldn't help but gulp. It was well and truly now clear that this... creature was truly alien. In all her years, she had never seen a being that could walk on two legs. As she tried to go through the information relayed to her earlier by guards, she remembered that the one she was encroaching upon could speak Equestrian fluently.

"I bid you welcome to the Royal Castle."

"Princess Celestia, it is an honour to meet you," said the voluptuous figure in what looked to be a quite regal yet slightly revealing dress. If a pony were to wear something like this in her times, oh how many would have screamed "obscenity!" But her black dress was not at all the most distracting feature of her appearance, but rather the quite alien features. She had two eyes, a visible nose, but hair as black as the night itself. Even while she was speaking, the thousand-year-old Princess had trouble adjusting to the circumstances.

"L-Likewise. I believe you are the first diplomat we've... ever received from outer space."

"We know. I am aware that this is a first for you and your race. But your reputation precedes you, and I'm sure we can come to an equitable agreement for both of our races."

"I am sure we can. I'll find us a more fitting place to talk about this than the gala."

"Sure. Please lead the way."

The walk to the room in which the meeting would be conducted was marked by an eerie quiet. Neither said anything. The alien expected the Princess to say something, but so did the Princess. And so, this silence continued until they were all but seated and ready to begin, the humanoid having surprisingly no issue sitting on a couch specifically made for ponies and the like.

"So, who are you? And what do you want from us?"

"I'm a Admiral visiting this fine world as a representative of the Sylanian Empire. I will explain my intentions shortly."

"And I suppose you don’t need an introduction from me?" asked the Princess rhetorically but in a way that did not come across as rude, she believed.

"No. We know enough about you and your sister for this meeting."

"Now, I believe it is time I show you why I have arrived at your humble castle."

"Humble?" she quipped, almost like it was a personal insult against her.

"Yes, humble. I don't question that it must have taken your race quite an effort. It's aesthetically pleasing, of course, but a castle, palace, whatever one might call it, of this size, would be reserved for minor nobility back where I come from," explained the Admiral quite calmly.

She stuttered slightly as she asked: "If... how... how big is your largest one then?"

"I don't know the exact numbers, but it's around 20 kilometres in length and 30 kilometres at its tallest point." Any derision about her boastful behaviour was overshadowed by the numbers stated.

"What... and this is no joke?" The co-ruler of Equestria asked in shock. She had no reason to doubt those numbers, were it not for their extreme verticality. A kilometre-large castle? Is that even physically possible? She had to ask what this Empire was as slowly all second thoughts about them coming from this world vanished. But could she even take their words at face value? Maybe the alien was just boasting ridiculously? Her eyes widened. Countless questions clogged her thought processes and clouded the alicorn's judgment and glued her hooves to the wooden floor.

"No jokes. Only the truth, Princess. After all, diplomats don't lie to rulers; at least from where I hail from."

"Then, I believe this question has been overdue. Where do you hail from, Seheset?"

"Let me present to you, Princess... a star map." With a warm smile, mostly of pride, the pale alien female put a circular grey device on the table with a hole at the top. One that began to glow. His smile grew wider as light was emitted.

He opened something indescribable to Celestia's eyes. It was like a three-dimensional television, yet with a resolution that looked indistinguishable from reality, emitted from a small pad that the outsider put onto the low-lying coffee table. For a moment, it portrayed a thin disk of luminous stuff and countless dots. And then the vision zoomed in upon a relatively small area of the disk, now turned into a thick band. Suddenly, hundreds of dots became visible. They all glowed in different spectra of light: yellow, red, blue, white, and a few even black.

"These are all the worlds that our people inhabit. The ancient and new dependencies on the Crown Her Holy Majesty. We are an interstellar society with a history going back before even the time of the Irassians. Recorded history began around 802,301 cycles ago with the Empress uniting our race 798,199 cycles ago. Since then, we have spread our wings across the galaxy. Empires rose and fell, but ours remained constant. The stars are in reach, to you now too, and all those which you can see in the night sky are ours."

"You are indeed from the space above!"

"Quite. We hail from a world not too dissimilar to your own. It lacks that vibrant colouration though," she wryly commented.

"That glowing point in the centre... it's your home." Celestia asked with a sense of wonder as she pointed with her right hoof towards one particularly bright dot in the middle of the projection.

"It's beautiful. That's the throneworld. Our place of origin which since then has become a single city."

"I... don't understand? You can visit other stars? And you have done so with many? And your world has become one city? How?"

"We own them. Our empire comprises around 370 member worlds and 11,890 minor colonies, some of which are more important than others. Each one of those can be imagined as orbiting around a single or even several stars. And yes, it has, as we and most interstellar civilizations call it, become an ecumenopolis millennia ago."

"Does every star have someone like me to raise them?" This question caught the Admiral off-guard. She was lost in thought for a moment before calmly explaining to her the basics of astronomy, something so minor that every Sylanian learns during their first Initiation.

"No. Stars function independently, and planets orbit in every single case around them. But your star system is an anomaly."

"I...? I... I'm sorry, but..." For a moment, Princess Celestia lost all and any composure. So many things were on her mind right now, but in addition to that, the possibility that HER planet was the exception in a night sky of thousands of stars? This all was too much to handle, even for a thousand-year-old alicorn, and her ancient bones trembled at the thought.

"Hm, quite the personal topic, it seems. I suppose we can explain it at a later point. Perhaps you can tell me something about your duties, way of ruling, and just the general day-to-day issues a Princess faces."

"Why would you want to hear it from me, Mrs. Seheset? I thought your people knew everything about us already."

"Oh yes, we do. Orbital mapping will do that. But while information is one of the most powerful tools one can have at their disposal, it is stale, neutral, and lacks the subjectivity of those who are directly involved. I merely want to know how your peculiar type of civilization functions from the point of view of one of its leaders," the Admiral explained while sitting there, calmly and with only limited movements while she spoke.

"I'm afraid I'll have to refuse. Why don't you instead tell me about your people and your culture? It would only be fair," Celestia asked with an inoffensive yet quite surprising initiative. The diplomat seemed relatively unfazed by the lightly passive-aggressive tone she began to exhibit with her words. The eyes of the Sylanian temporarily widened before she opened up further.

"I see. Well, I'll gladly do that."

"As mentioned previously, we all serve the Empress. She is the direct descendant of our God Tamesa and rules our Empire since its very founding. Every major decision has to be approved by her." It didn't take long for the Princess to connect the dots. If all decisions are, in the end, approved by this self-proclaimed Empress, then she is at fault for her coming down and talking to her in such a manner. However, her facial reactions were subtle, if not even there at all.

"Meaning that this... first contact was also approved by her."

"Indeed. And due to her masterful rule that has given us peace, security, prosperity, and freedom for millennia, we venerate her. Some planets have shrines with billions flocking to them, while others keep their gratefulness reserved. Every Sylanian can choose however they want to express their gratefulness to Her Holy Majesty."

"So your Empress is an object of worship." she figured aloud. The way this female diplomat was talking,... it had an awful lot of similarities to the likes of some Severyanian guests she had received before the revolution that would create Stalliongrad - the Severyanian Soviet Socialist Republic. Tzar here, royalty there but rarely if ever did a mention of the common pony come about. Celestia could only theorize but so far they were not creating the impression of being anything like Equestria.

"Yes. Does she not deserve all the praise in the universe for her actions?"

"Questionable..." the ruler of Equestria whispered under her breath.

"Culture and traditions differ only slightly from planet to planet. Like your civilization and many others in the galaxy, we Sylanians tend to enjoy music, dances, food and hundred other things. We have a holiday for the end of every year, New Year, depending on the circumstances of each planet, but also Unification Day where we celebrate the unification of our homeworld."

"In addition, I believe it's also important to mention that our quality of life exceeds that of your subject races by roughly 1500 cycles, thanks to easy access to medical technology that can easily heal someone who has lost most of their body or can stop ageing at an early age. I, for instance, am several hundred years old. Unlike most primitive civilizations we encounter, such as yours, we have superseded the concept of death. While the physical body can decay after a while, the consciousness of every individual can, if chosen, be brought into an artificial world of their choosing, where each and every desire can be satisfied until the very heat death of the universe itself."

The concept baffled the alicorn, in more ways than one. Wondering how that would even be possible with machines she scratched her chin. Unless of course, they used magic for it, but then again, at some point any sufficiently advanced technology will seem like magic. There was so little she knew yet and couldn't stop to ask questions, "I see... so you have created an afterlife?"

"Quite correct. Alternatively, we can also imprison rogue elements of society who will then be turned into an upstanding individual that contributes to society."

"What? So... so let me get this correctly. You imprison people you consider criminals in an afterlife where they are essentially brainwashed?" Celestia intended to confirm with a question that was entirely devoid of euphemisms. Her fascination had died at that point.

"If you want to call it that. It's not different from the prison systems found across your civilization, only with the caveat that ours doesn't take years but rather just a few minutes," Admiral Seheset stated with a subtle smugness, as though she found the Princess's struggles in this conversation funny.

"I don't even know what to say. I-I don't believe you. It sounds fantastical."

The diplomat was, of course, entirely aware that what she referred to as fantastical was, in reality, more of a synonym for "dystopian" or "impossible," but she couldn't blame this ruler. She was quite ignorant, much like the people she ruled over, and would need to be shown or rather convinced to cooperate. "It is quite fantastic, yes. But sapient beings such as you and me have the grim trait of becoming easily used to things."

The Princess, ignoring his mind games and attempting to refer to what she feared they were planning, instead dug deeper: "You mentioned other 'primitive worlds' you have visited. What was your conduct on them?"

"That depends entirely on the situation. In most cases, we leave them alone until they reach the space age."

"And then?"

"We either integrate them or intervene to protect Sylanian interests." Celestia frowned. She knew that integration had different meanings for both of them. Yet worse, she now knew they were prone to intervening when it suited them, something that she sadly heard all too often about over the centuries.

"Protecting interests - such a terrible excuse. It seems you are more similar to 'primitives' than you'd like to believe."

"And what did non-intervention bring you, Princess? Why didn't you support the nation of Olenia when it was overrun? Or yourself attack the greatest internal threats to your realm: Tirek, Discord, Sombra? Our experience from observing over a hundred primitive planets over the millennia tells us that neutrality only works if you're willing to fight for it." This diplomat! Oh, Celestia had the displeasure of speaking with quite a few bad apples, but the audacity of this alien! It almost made her feel guilty. But she knew that if she truly went ahead to have 'defended' her land by their definition, she might as well have it burn in the ambitions of Chrysalis, and it would not look any less devastated.

"Oh, we are quite willing to defend our Equestrian independence from any threat," using the opportunity that was granted to her, she used this chance to assert Equestrian fighting spirit. Her eyes were filled with the fire of determination.

"We know. Which is why I am here to negotiate."

"Negotiate what?!" Celestia cracked, with the Princess being visibly stressed. And yet, the diplomat was as calm, as cold, and almost emotionless as at any other point during this conversation.

„You are fighting a war and against the Changelings no less. A force that has had supremacist ambitions for decades with the end goal of enslaving your people. And just now you have begun to bring the fight to their people. Let’s just say your soldiers are not exactly following friendship and harmony while on tour.“ What was he on, she thought? The alicorn calmed again before, towards the end of Seheset‘s sentence she felt uncharacteristically… ashamed. What was she doing with her? Why was she, the embodiment of calmness and wisdom so tensed up and… fearful? She became defensive.

"I am not proud of the actions some of my little ponies take. War can do terrible things to someone. The blood, the gore, the loss. But I am not, and so you should know too, dedicated to punishing any war criminals."

"Indeed. A terrible loss of so many promising ponies, some of whom would have grown up to become renowned scientists, bureaucrats, administrators... engineers."

"Comparatively, of course, your country has been quite peaceful, pacifist, some might even say. All the while in Griffonia, many empires rose and fell in a never-ending cycle of war, order, chaos, and war. And that’s not even mentioning Zebrica."

"We have been following the values of harmonism and the magic of friendship for millennia. What is your point, alien?"

"And this war has proven that while it can adapt to the times, it can easily become outdated," the diplomat continued, beginning to poke holes in her ideology.

"Peace and friendship are not negotiable. Queen Chrysalis threatened my ponies, and I protected them. For friendship and harmony."

"Exactly. I love harmony too. You see, the ideologies of our civilizations are... compatible." Sounding almost patronizing, the diplomat's tone shifted to being simply sickening. There were few if any, words in the Equestrian language that could describe the way the Admiral could shift her tone and way of speaking, and if there were, she was not knowledgeable of them. The Princess couldn't help but feel disgusted towards this comparison.

"I don’t think so," Celestia answered with a tinge of anger in her voice.

"We are ruled by an Empress in a way you might call absolutist but is not too unlike your own rule. She has ensured the Empire is run smoothly and with wisdom for countless millennia. The long and happy lives of the citizenry are protected by a press ready to suppress any misinformation and the largest military in galactic history, with several million ships ready to be mobilized at any time and countless billions ready to fight for their Empress." She reiterated before coming to a conclusion the Princess wished to forget.

"I’d say our two civilizations are not so different after all, technological disparity aside," Seheset concluded with a wide smile.

"No. They're nothing alike. In fact, what you have just told me sounds more like the vision of... someone I’m glad will never arise."

"Princess, I know who you are talking of," the alien said with a consoling voice, but her facade made the Princess only more furious.

"You don't!" she lashed out at her with an apparent rise in her tone.

"Anyhow, I am happy to tell you that your hated enemy has been eradicated," Seheset suddenly said out of the blue. Which hated enemy? Did these aliens not even know the basics of conversation and a smooth transition between topics? Celestia frowned before becoming genuinely intrigued.

"What?" she asked.

"I implore you to take a look at Versalipolis," the Admiral advised before showing a video, projected once more onto the screen, that showed a charred and burning city. Few things stood upright still, as though it had been subjected to month-long strategic bombardment. The only thing that reminded her that this was a city she was looking at was the layout of roads and a large ruined structure in the centre that was clearly discernible.

"I only see ruins..." Celestia backed away, her face turning from intrigue into pure shock, fear, and much more.

"Indeed. They are your most vile enemy, are they not? And they have refused the ultimatum we sent them a few hours ago," Admiral Seheset uttered with the most confident of expressions.

"I-..."

"Are you not overjoyed at the Hegemony having been defeated?" she asked, genuinely wondering why the Princess was not elated or even feeling joyous.

"I- I would have! But not like this! You monsters!" Celestia's eyes were clearly filled with fear and contempt. But mostly fear. Her heart raced like it never had before, and her bones felt truly like jelly. She openly called them out for what they thought they were.

"Might I remind you of the Manehatten Project? I doubt you'd have held back once you had developed the bomb," the diplomat retorted.

"H-how? That is top-secret information!" she wondered openly, with her confusion and fear only rising. How? How did they know? How could they know? It was literally impossible for them to send spies to its facilities! Wasn't it?

"You planned to bomb the city. We have done so for you. Had we not interfered, the Changelings would have eventually met defeat, though at a far later date. And as we speak, there is one ship for every major capital, as you see outside the window." The diplomat walked toward the window that looked upon the white city of Canterlot, now fully alit in the crimson light of dawn and its spirit oppressed by the black object above. She even pointed at it with a sneer on her lips while mentioning their worldwide presence.

"You are invading," Celestia stated with horror, her worst fears realized and on full display. But upon this accusation, the Admiral's face did not show any changes, hints of guilt or regret but rather, she turned around to look the shaken Princess in the eyes and corrected her with a subtle smile, "I prefer enlightening."

Twilight's Rude Awakening

Birds chirped, and a gentle breeze graced the early morning. A vast sea of grey mist rose from the colourful fields surrounding the quaint town of Ponyhill and the towering dark-blue crystalline castle that stood out from every other building in the town.

Spike, who struggled to open his heavy eyes, yawned deeply before jumping down from his bed and leaving his room. On his way to the living room, he peeked into Twilight's study. The purple alicorn occupied the entire bed, her limbs sprawled across the mattress. Right next to her was the desk, cluttered with opened, unopened, and half-opened letters scattered haphazardly. Twilight liked to pretend she had some system for it, but honestly, she handled the letters in whatever order she pleased.

And then there were her letters, also strewn across a secondary table on the opposite end of her room. Spike couldn't help but admire her dedication to sending letters of consolation to war widows and widowers, even though it broke her heart every single time. Closing his eyes for a moment and gently shutting Twilight's door was his way of expressing admiration while she slept.

He then entered the kitchen, one of the few places in the castle that didn't look like a tornado had swept through it. With a small sigh, he headed to the coffee mill, about to grind the coffee beans into powder until he noticed a stark shadow over Canterlot. It loomed in the distance, omnipresent every morning with good weather, but... not this time.

He took a closer look and couldn't believe his eyes. A giant floating rectangle hung above Canterlot, blotting out the sun and hovering over the city, completely unnatural in appearance. Spike ran outside, hastily opening the main door to confirm his suspicions, and indeed, there it was—a large but thin, black rectangle-shaped structure suspended above the capital of Equestria.

He rushed back inside, slamming the doors shut as he went, stomping up the stairs, and barging into Twilight's bedroom.

"Twilight!" he called out, rousing her from her slumber.

Surprised and still half in a dream-like state, she exclaimed, "I'm Pudding!"

She quickly closed her gaping mouth before asking, "What is it?!"

"Twilight, you need to come and see this!"

"See what?!" she nearly screamed, visibly upset at being abruptly awakened while already suffering from lack of sleep.

"The window... look towards Canterlot," he said, pointing with his right claw to the bedroom window.

Twilight struggled to crawl out of bed, yawning twice before finally making her way to the window and then the Alicorn Princess saw it too, her eyes widening.

"Please don't tell me I'm hallucinating. I thought I should inform you."

"You're not. I see it too."

"Should we..." And yet, the day seemed to be moving faster and faster as the doorbell rang, startling both of them and causing a short physical reaction. They glanced at each other for a moment before Twilight decided, "I'll go."

Twilight descended the stairs, rousing herself from sleep, with Spike closely trailing behind.

"Who would come by this early?"

"I'm asking myself the same thing. It certainly won't be the mail mare," Twilight said after yawning once more, before placing her hoof on the doorknob and pulling it open.

Standing in front of her was a creature she had never seen before. It was a female, as she quickly discerned from the feminine voice, but most perplexing of all, they stood on two legs and towered over her. Yet, calmly, the visitor asked for her name, as though it was a casual visit. "Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle?"

"Y-Yes?" she asked with a shocked expression. The princess didn't even know what to say... she simply went with what felt somewhat appropriate. Who was this being, and what did they want?

Spike, too, was shocked yet fascinated in a way. While the dragon couldn't utter a single word, he looked at this humanoid figure with awe. Was she perhaps a rare type of dragon? After all, the pale figure stood upright, much like Ember or her father, or like he did. Yet, if she were, she would be missing her scales.

No, it couldn't be. Spike concluded and dismissed the idea with a subtle shake of his head.

"I apologize for the untimely visit. I am General Kahemot of the Sylanian Empire and I need to speak with you urgently," said the pale humanoid figure with a hint of emotion in her voice and a brief introduction. Twilight's face displayed confusion, mainly expressed through a raised eyebrow. The alicorn princess tried to suppress it, but her expression turned slightly angry.

"I literally just woke up. Also, I don't even know you, and you never scheduled a visit, and what... what even is that empire?" The visitor seemed unconcerned about her attitude and, in fact, provided the briefest possible answer.

She gestured towards the object above Canterlot before addressing the Princess with a sickeningly sympathetic voice that resembled an instructional figure, like a teacher, with complete seriousness. The alien visitor seized the opportunity to sound sympathetic. "This ship over there is what we arrived on. We come from the stars."

The ship itself was black as the night, resembling a dagger aimed at the heart of the country, at Celestia herself. Its edges were smooth, yet it bore the shape of a triangle with different layers, each with a distinct sinister purpose, but from Ponyville, it appeared small. One would have to squint to recognize the finer details, occasionally obscured by passing clouds.

"I..." The Princess struggled to form words, her face a mix of shock, confusion, and mostly shock. Was she just dreaming?! What was even happening? Why? How? What?!

"Twilight?" the purple dragon interjected, trying to snap her out of the vortex of confusion clouding her judgement. Judgement, her judgement, that immediately failed, and its failure made her crack for a moment.

With her dark lids now clearly visible to all, she asked with wide eyes and a panicked tone, "What am I even supposed to say to this?!"

Yet once more, Kahemot showed little interest in her personal issues and frankly had a quite bored expression. She took a short but near-deep breath and said with what came across as complete and utter neutrality, "I can keep it short, but I advise you to at least listen to me. As we speak, my... colleague is negotiating with Princess Celestia."

Princess Celestia's name came up for the first time after this ship was spotted. Twilight immediately asked about her, clearly worried about her well-being. "What? Is she alright?"

"Yes, but she won't be once she hears the demands of my colleague. The demands the Admiral will dictate will be very hard to accept, impossible even. I suggest we talk about it in detail inside."

With her right hoof, she touched her forehead, reluctantly accepting her offer before ordering Spike around once again, "I... ugh, fine. Spike, get a parchment and a quill. I want you to write down everything she says."

"And you're from space?" the alicorn reiterated with clear disbelief in her voice. All this information, having been said over the last few minutes, was too much to handle, even for an educated pony such as her. The bulk of the information given, in fact, went - much like a boring college lecture - into one ear and out the other.

"Yes. We have been colonising other worlds for millennia, and now we've arrived on yours."

"If there are so many out there, then why us? Couldn't you have chosen an uninhabited world?" Twilight pleaded, trying with rising desperation to convince this General otherwise. Why Equestria, especially just as it was slowly gaining the initiative in its deadliest war for millennia?

"Forces higher than myself have decided to invade this planet for a number of reasons, including to protect the fragile ecosystem, research opportunities, and to end the wars being waged on this planet. However, we are willing to give nations that cooperate with us a chance at the future. This includes Equestria." The way she said this... It was as though this pale female was not speaking of a mere superior, like in a traditional military, but rather as if the 'higher force' was of supernatural - magical origins, perhaps. Maybe these people had been corrupted by a Sombra-like figure? Many questions and theories went through Twilight's head, but paramount among them was whether they were speaking truthfully. She may have revealed their genuine motives, but assuming they are true her words would not hold much importance or matter at all. How much can she trust these people and their words? The lack of knowledge could have made the pony shiver.

The purple pony pleaded again, with desperation setting in once more, while Spike furiously continued to write down everything he could about what these visitors said. Spike, for his part, feared they were not willing to deal with Twilight's idealism, and he would be proven correct. "Please, think about this! We can share these crystals and technology!"

"You may think you are right, but unfortunately, we have the force to back up every single one of our demands, and any of your deals would be less than we could extract ourselves. Millions of soldiers stand ready, and some have already landed."

"You aren't even trying to negotiate…"

"That's right. What my colleague is presenting to the Princess is an ultimatum."

"B-But we just went through a massive war! You can't just expect Celestia to give up Equestria."

"We don't. In short, we are demanding nothing more than for your army to surrender to our forces and a significant amount of land. We are no Chrysalis. Your people will be left in peace if they don't oppose us."

"That's... horrible!" Twilight said loudly, petrified with shock.

"Your Princess will refuse the demands, though. That is problematic for a number of reasons."

"And what do you expect me to do? I am the Princess of Friendship, not of diplomacy!"

"You were Princess Celestia's protégé for a long time. You two are very close, are you not? There are few people on this world who can convince her to accept the ultimatum."

"But why would I? For all I know, you have come to claim land and resources from us. Give me a reason to even so much as think about supporting you."

"I will show you what could potentially happen."

"Hu-?"

The Princess found herself in the central square of Ponyville. For a few seconds, it felt familiar... like home. Then the purple alicorn gazed upward, and instead of a sunny day greeting her, the sky was covered by grey-crimson smoke rising up from burning buildings and the occasional black fighter craft screaming ahead. She found herself in a twisted version of Ponyville.

Alien figures with similar bodily proportions to the General, clad in armoured, skintight attire made of unknown materials, ran through the city shooting at the pony inhabitants, scaring them for their lives. Buildings were purposefully blown up and fired at with metallic rifles that shot out what seemed like the sun itself. The air was thick with soot and fine ash, irritating the Princess' throat, and all over the blood-soaked ground, next to once-beautiful estates, glass splinters lay. Twilight turned around to see Mrs. Cake lying on the ground, blood flowing from her eyes and rear hooves, battered and being pointed at with a gun.

"No! Leave her alone!" she screamed out in horror, tears in her eyes, and fury in her voice. The soldier seemingly did not notice the Princess.

Mrs Cake ran toward the masked gunwoman, but before she could even reach her, Mr Cake's wife was no more than a body that had lost all that once resembled a head. With a short but loud bang, the mare had lost her life. Twilight wasn't even able to react, to comprehend the horrors occurring in front of her, before Mr Cake too had a gaping hole in his torso.

Twilight couldn't hold back her fury anymore as she unleashed a barrage of pure magic from her horn, overpowered by anger.

But instead of avenging her death, she found herself back in the living room, having just shot a massive hole into the wall behind Kahemot. She had tears in her eyes, and Spike, seeing Twilight so shaken to the core, screamed at the General.

"What did you do to her?!" he screamed, ready to burn the diplomat to a crisp in no time.

"I showed her nothing but a reality in which negotiations broke down and our military was forced to take Equestria by force," Kahemot answered with indifference while heightening her head after the blast from Twilight blew a massive hole into the wall behind her, smouldering and smoking.

"And now I will show her what we could achieve if peace is maintained."

Twilight couldn't even react quickly enough, and now she found herself yet again in a different Ponyville. The alicorn hadn't even calmed down yet, wanted to even bring this diplomat to justice, but now she once more stood in the town's square. The sun was shining brightly, and the birds could be heard chirping. Ponies and... again, these humanoids, but this time not in full-body uniforms but rather regal outfits like dresses, pants, and the like, walking among ponies. As Twilight walked toward the empty main square, the pavilion was all but replaced by a round flat area with stairs leading up to it. A vessel of unknown materials landed on it. It was practically prompting her to come in. The Princess, having all but forgotten the horror from before, looked at it in awe.

It was metallic and looked clearly alien, but it had practically been designed for ponies, with seats fitting their size and stature. Before she could decide what to do next, she walked onto an open-air platform that was in the middle of the vessel, with enough space for six passengers.

Twilight knew this isn't what she chose and tried to resist, but yet she couldn't move and had to endure what this alien was forcing her to watch. She sat down, this time by her own choice, and as the craft took off and left behind some white steam on the ground, railings went up where she previously stepped on.

The pastel-coloured inhabitants of the town turned into little more than silhouettes. The princess found herself 300 meters in the air. Unlike the aircraft of modern Equestria, it was quiet, emitting only an easy-to-ignore humming and was very comfortable too. She peeked over the railing down as a voice began to speak to her from a loudspeaker above the door to the cockpit.

"Thank you to everyone who has entered the tour at this stop. Ponyville, which you can see below, is a small town of 10,000 inhabitants, mainly native ponies. While it may seem quaint to an outside observer, it has played a major role in the years before. It is home to some of the Elements of Harmony as well as the Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle, important symbols for Equestria."

"In recent years, it has become a major hub for the Planetary High-Speed Rail Network. Designed by renowned infrastructure planners Polemet and Blue Tails, it has come to encompass every major city in the world."

"Next Stop: Canterlot."

"What?" Twilight uttered as she saw from far above long white lines on the ground, going all the way to Canterlot and over the horizon itself. The old train station had been replaced by a sleek, white contraption that formed a roof over both the rail line and the ticket area.

The flight itself took a few minutes with the height increasing exponentially the closer they got to Canterlot, with the white towers of the castle taking up more and more space in front of the craft. At least 900 meters above the ground, one could practically touch the clouds. Twilight, both amazed and terrified, couldn't resist the temptation of sticking her hoof out and touching the fluffy white strands of water vapour. Droplets of water accumulated in her fur as they flew right through them and the villages, rivers, and creeks overshadowed by Canterlot's presence high on the mountain became obscured by layers of mist.

As the near-magical flying vehicle approached the capital, it passed through a few more clouds and finally passed by the castle before flying around the city. Twilight finally knew what she was feeling.
This flight felt... familiar. Just like that time she and her friends went on holiday via an airship. The clouds passing below her made her eyes almost go heavy from those nice memories from past years. Before more time could be spent on reminiscing, the voice spoke once more to the sole passenger.

"Canterlot is the capital of Equestria and one of the most renowned cities on Faust. For centuries, it has been the centre of culture, commerce, politics, and faith. The most visible building is, of course, the Canterlot Palace, home to the Royal Sisters Celestia and Luna, as well as the seat of government for the Equestrian Diarchy. While its historical district has been preserved, inroads have been made into expanding the city both around the mountain as well as into the mountain. It is also home to many of the Empire's most famous stars and icons, such as the composer Octavia or the renowned clothing designer Rarity.

Aside from the Castle, major sights include the Central Square, Mountainside Park, as well as the Tartarus Museum. An honourable mention is the Canterlot Space Port, formerly the Airship Harbor for the city, at which we will be landing shortly.
For all passengers leaving here, we hope you've enjoyed your ride with Equestria Tours and hope to welcome you in the future once more." As the vessel now started to approach one of the docks once used for airships, Twilight was able to easily spot a short line of aliens waiting for the docking procedures to be complete. In the background, however, ponies - pegasi, earth ponies, thestrals, and unicorns - could be seen waiting for their spaceship to arrive so they could go to the stars.

Then images flashed before the Alicorn's eyes. With wide eyes of wonder and amazement only a filly could have, she saw true beauty. Images flashed of a large and voluminous, luminous disk of a billion tiny multicoloured dots shining in all different colours. Some were a subdued red, others a bright luminous blue, and seemingly most a warm yellow. Clouds of brown to black gasses likewise swirled around the bulging brightly yellow centre, occasionally blocking the view as the angle of view changed. She knew this disk... yes, Twilight and every other being on the planet saw them every clear night. These were the long white strands of starlight spread across the night sky observed since time immemorial.

And then an area of space within that disk was focused on - so many more stars - simply uncountable, and following that a star system was shown to her. A bright, yellow ball of fire lit up crescent shapes, and finally an amalgamation of three objects.

She knew those objects! One, with towering crystal-clean skyscrapers reflecting the evening sun in a trillion different shades, endowed with dark-blue plant life searching for its equivalent in Equestria; the vast round lake lands of a tiny rock with the horizon marked by the glow of its parent's atmosphere; and finally, the churning and perplexingly clean cities and fortresses of a world built for war and war only, a guardian to the heart of Sylanian civilization, practically shrouded by the uncountable amount of ships all around it.

This is what Twilight saw, and not for a single moment did she dare shift her attention away, consciously or not.

And then the Princess of Friendship found herself in her room once more. She glanced at Spike, who was standing next to Kahemot with anger in his eyes, which, once he saw her back on her hooves again, turned into relief just before he turned back to the dignitary.

"What did you do to her!? Explain yourself now!" demanded the dragon of middling stature once more, pointing his claws at the woman.

"What did you do? It felt... so real. And..." the alicorn princess demanded with a frail voice, her right hoof trembling.

"What did you see, Princess?" Kahemot asked with less indifference than usual, still threatened by the dragon next to her and the smoking hole in the wall behind her.

"Ponyville... it was burning, and then... I was in a different Equestria. One of high technology and magical flying buses," the Princess stuttered.

"A better Equestria. In both scenarios, you were shown things that could happen."

"No, just different," Twilight muttered in disagreement, before turning to Spike and gesturing for him to stop threatening the alien, which he reluctantly obliged.

Kahemot crossed her arms and spoke, "Now it should be self-evident why we would prefer your Princess to surrender. The Empire does not want to harm you, and I don't want you to witness lesser aspects of our race."

"Your soldiers just looked too eager to burn, rape, and pillage their way through my town!" the Princess snapped, losing all her composure. She was distraught and enraged at the mere implication of her friends, whom she had known for years, being harmed in such a way.

"What?!" asked Spike in disbelief.

Unable to have this dignitary from a foreign, truly foreign state watch her well up, she put both her front hooves over her eyes, as if she needed to scratch them, and said, "Yes, Spike. I-I just don't understand. Why would you do such a thing? Who? Who would kill innocent people like that? You are no better than the Changelings!"

"Those pictures disturbed you? I apologize," the dignitary stated with bored eyes and fake sympathy. Spike walked over to Twilight and comforted her as she wiped away her tears, like someone trying to clean up a floor speckled with shards of glass.

But her hollow apology only further enraged the Princess. She quipped a short but vengeful, "Shut up."

"Our goals are beyond your understanding, but to make it clearer to you, I will list some of the things Equestrian citizens will have access to." The diplomat ignored her outbursts, but Twilight didn't even listen at this point anymore, as she still had to reconcile her feelings with the inevitability of invasion. Spike spoke to her as the alien continued talking to a brick wall.

Both the dragon and pony came closer to each other, and Twilight, tears running down her cheek and sobbing every other sentence, rehearsed the obvious. Was it a desperate plea for an idea? To earn sympathy she already had? The alicorn didn't even know what to think anymore. "Spike... I don't know what to do. We are at gunpoint here..."

"Please, Twilight, don't. We don't even know their capabilities. Perhaps they are bluffing? M-Maybe they are just like the Storm King. We just need the others to-"

"The others aren't here!" she screamed, "We are alone! On our own! No magic of friendship will solve this!"

"Twi, I... I can't imagine how hard this is for you. Please let me understand what you are thinking."

"It's the hardest thing I'll ever do. Please tell me there is a different way," it became increasingly obvious what way she intended to solve this issue. She was actually about to give in to their demands!? How could she even take their word for granted? But Spike remembered that he didn't see what she saw. All he knew from those precious few seconds was Twilight's rapidly changing facial expressions before breaking down with a whole host of emotions she didn't know how to deal with. The desperation in the Princess' eyes and the shaking of her hoof shook the dragon to his core, and even he was not able to formulate an answer.

During all of this, the diplomat continued to list benefits that no one in the room but her cared for, "Free universal and highly sophisticated healthcare, immortality, the ability to travel the galaxy, economic equality, the right to self-rule within reserved territories, perpetual peace..."

"Fuck you! Fuck you and all your Empire stands for! I couldn't care less about your world-travelling abilities or your Empress. Now shut up!"

"I see this is getting emotional," the alien noted in a wry manner, rolling her eyes unsympathetically, before asking, "What is your decision?"

"I... I wish I did." Spike lowered his head, having been able to blot out the diplomat. The dragon felt only disappointment, and Twilight could see, no, feel it. Her heart raced as much as his.

Dismissing the diplomat and her inappropriate comment, Twilight took Spike's claws into her hooves, seeking approval and stumbling over her words, "No matter... No matter what, Spike, we'll always stick together, right?"

Spike hesitated at first. After years of war, was this truly the right thing to do? Giving in to an alien power and trying to convince Celestia to surrender, to, some might say, even betray Equestria, ponykind, specieskind? Did it even matter? Perhaps? No. It couldn't. No. Ever since Twilight hatched all those years ago, he had been with her, and no amount of growth or alien ultimatums would change that, and so he looked her in the eyes, uttering, "Yes. Always."

"I'll always be with you, Twilight," he further added, just before proceeding to hug her tightly with his purple-scaled arms and claws. It was a gesture the Princess of Friendship couldn't help but reciprocate. She did not even care at this moment about the diplomat probably thinking horseapples of her.

And so, with the question still hanging in the tense morning air, Twilight turned to the pale and unimpressed Sylanian still sitting on the opposing couch.

Her exterior seemed untouched by the quite unprofessional display as if she were silently judging them. Whatever she thought, nothing was dripping outside, like a properly insulated roof protecting a family from rain. She was like a book unreadable, an enigma unresearchable, and a door unopenable – a closed book in every sense of the word – entirely devoid of emotions.

If she represented her entire race, then there was little hope for Equestria, but whatever they held in store, at this point, Twilight had seemingly made her peace with this inevitability.

And then, with no more hesitation and in quiet resignation, she spoke, "I accept. I will try to convince Princess Celestia."

"I will try to convince her. But..." Without showing a hint of pride as she admitted defeat, the pale humanoid flinched with her right eye for a moment before making a demand.

"If I see even a single one of your soldiers harming Ponyville or as much as a single hair on my friends, I will ensure this will be your last meeting! I will raise Tartarus itself if necessary!" she threatened, her horn glowing purple and her eyes filled with hate.

"Then we have a deal," the General uttered with subtle satisfaction. Twilight suppressed her surprise, taking mental notes instead.

"Yes, don't relish it too much, though. The only reason I'm doing this for you, alien, is because I love my friends. You better not go back on your promises!" she angrily uttered once more.

"We speak many languages, but a Sylanian never lies," the diplomat promised with an almost invisible but certainly genuine smile.

"We'll see," Twilight mumbled dismissively.

"So how will we get to Canterlot in time? And who will manage the letters?" Spike asked before Twilight looked at him with eyes like those of a little puppy or a griffon chick.

Spike rolled his eyes and told her off, "Please don't give me that look!"

"Spike..."

The dragon rolled his eyes one more time and left the room, bidding her farewell. "Fine. I'll be here, looking over Ponyville. Oh and... please watch out for yourself."

"You too. I love you, Spike."

"You too," he concluded with a nod before leaving for Twilight's office.

"Now, how do we get quickly to Canterlot?" Twilight asked herself aloud with a sigh between words. The Princess and the General left the Castle of Friendship for the cool outside, bathed in the crimson-orange morning light.

The Sylanian then turned to the Princess, pointing stiffly with her hand at her wings, "You have wings, Princess. Would it not be possible for you to carry me?"

"Forget it! Do I look like a pack mule?!" Twilight snapped at the sheer ridiculousness of the proposal before realizing she does have the physiology of a being made to carry weights.

After a few awkward seconds of silence, she said, "Don't answer that. I'm flying, and you take whatever otherworldly craft you came here with!"

And so she took off, the purple pony becoming smaller and smaller as she flew toward Canterlot, while the General added quite belatedly, "That was a joke."

A Walk in the Park

The Admiral looked behind herself, at the side of the castle facing Canterlot, within the shadow of her ship and the mountain illuminated by the rising sun.

She had decided to give the Princess some time to raise the sun and grant herself a few moments to contemplate. Celestia would come around to their ultimatum, she was sure.

As she passed the castle walls and drew suspicious glances from guards and citizens alike, she did not pay them too much attention. Instead, the humanoid was focused inward, attempting to communicate with her subordinate in Ponyville. But she was not able to get a response just yet. Their telepathy would only work if Kahemot really wanted to respond, and it seemed to her that this was not yet one of those times. Perhaps she was still preoccupied with convincing the Princess of Friendship, or she simply chose not to reply because she merely wanted some time to herself. All understandable, of course. But she couldn't help but wonder and worry in equal measure how she was mastering this task, even if failure would have already been reported to her.

Soon her attention was drawn away from the mind and instead toward the citizens of Canterlot. Right as she traversed all the steps down from the Royal Gate, she had her eyes glued to the bewildered citizenry glancing at her. Many of them looked at her with fear, with some of the fillies hiding behind their fathers or mothers.

A few even ran into their houses, barricading themselves and watching through the relative safety of their windows.

What would make them fear her so much? Seheset was fully aware these poor ponies had been through a lot. They lived through a war and curfews associated with it and had to endure the cruel measures of an uncaring Princess. Who would deny their citizenry all they needed to live? They were primitive, for sure, but general post-scarcity was already possible. Of course, societies reject such concepts until a certain point of technological and spiritual development, but she could never and would never be unable to ask herself such questions.

Maybe it was their inferior physiology or the fact they had been born of the shroud; what that meant, she didn't know, and Kahemot didn't dare tell her everything. But she was determined and looked forward to bringing these poor primitives into a new era. Or maybe that was just what she was deluding herself into believing, in light of all the other reasons for invading this world, personal and altruistic.

Then again, fear is what may be needed, so whatever angst the equines showed, she gracefully ignored. In some way, she even enjoyed their fear, but this enjoyment was only momentary, fleeting as her attention once more passed to the streets that came alive in these early hours.

The walkthrough Canterlot continued, with her taking note of the pastel-coloured facade and yellow or purple roofs protecting them and their inhabitants from the elements. It almost felt like the colour palette of this world was not made for Sylanian eyes, despite all the beauty this city and the Equestrian landscape might have.

Finally, the Admiral reached a round hedge patrolled and manned by armed ponies of the Canterlot garrison - the Central Square - where just a bit over an hour ago she had landed with her ship, destroying the pristine symbol of the two sisters, the crescent and sun, now partially glass from the heat of thrusters.

The soldiers and the commander from earlier, whose name she had already forgotten, looked at her with unease. The commander's gaze turned into a frown, displaying clear distrust. Squinted eyes observing her every move told her everything she needed to know about this Thestral. She would be one of the first to be subjected to check-ups to see if she would remain loyal.

She also noticed the dark shape of her shuttle still standing in the square. The onboard AI was still doing its job, considering that the welcoming committee had not broken down the doors and entered the ship. Reluctantly, she thought.

With stoicism, she continued her walk towards the mountains. Just as she was about to enter the Canterlot Mountainside Park, a grizzled old pony with a white beard took note of her presence, glanced upward towards the dark shape still above the city, and muttered something to himself.

She just knew it was about her and couldn’t resist the temptation of interrogating this old earth pony.

Seheset approached all of a sudden and inquired, "What did you just say?"

The veteran mare hesitated for a moment before repeating herself, "Your kind brings trouble."

"What makes you think that?"

"I know your kind. You are the type to arrive in a city and proclaim yourself the new ruler of it. I’ve seen and fought you before."

"You're a veteran," Seheset realized at that moment.

"Changelings and again the Changelings. But not you," the mare told her. "No. My fighting days are over."

"Why did you fight against the Changelings if you barely look like you can hold yourself upright, pony?" she asked, with no effort put into seeming politically correct. The Admiral knew she could afford to be direct with this insignificant earth pony.

"So the young don’t have to. Now get out of here before I lose my temper."

"Why don’t you believe we come in peace?" she continued asking, with the elderly pony becoming increasingly hostile.

"Had you come in peace, you would not have arrived with this monstrosity blocking out the sun. Now get the Tartarus out of here. I don’t want to be interviewed," she concluded before waiting for the alien to leave, which she wasted no time doing.

What an unfriendly mare, she thought. But it was to be expected. The ones most resistant to the invasion will always be the elderly, though mainly spiritually and much less physically.

"In time they’ll see the light," she told herself while approaching the park.

"Some life extension technology, and they will look as good as newborn and can let go of their bitterness. After all, beauty is everything."
This last sentence might as well have been the mantra of Sylanian society. Ideally, there is to be beauty in everything, from war and punishment, architecture and city building to mundane concerns such as diplomacy and the way one walks. There can and should be beauty in everything.

"Is there not beauty in the way I conduct myself?" she asked herself, before assuredly dismissing the question, knowing fully that she follows the Empress' Mantra to the best of her abilities while continuing to walk as though she was some model, though it’s also less overt than when a humanoid from the other civilizations presents the newest fashion trends.

These thoughts vanished as she began to walk up an increasingly steepening hill. This was the green basis of the mountain, and the thing she could see at the top was a wooden contraption bridging the raging river next to her. Extra security was provided by a wooden fence.

For a moment, she stopped and took a moment to look back. The river in question was sourced from the mountain itself and flowed down into channels that formed a ring around the city centre and eventually pooled in floating ponds right next to the castle before being spewed out, creating waterfalls that even the most critical of Sylanians might find beauty in. Even the castle's looks were quite to her liking. In her deepest of hearts, even she had to admit that the Canterlot skyline, with its alternating purple and yellow roofs, the whimsically shaped clean white castle, and the channels flowing with clear freshwater, had quite the appeal.

As she eventually finalized her climb of the steep sandstone pathway upward, she arrived on a natural platform, and as she saw the blades of grass blowing in a strong breeze and could look not just at the castle but beyond it, as far as Clouddale she breathed deeply, in relief. After a minute of a steep march upward, it felt near-satisfying standing on the roof of the city... or at least a hill overlooking it, with the mountain just behind her.

From up here, she could see Canterlot for what it truly was. A quaint if impressive piece of art - a planned city done right - and a treat for the eyes. Oh yes, this would become the centre of administration for Equus. For a moment, she let herself go, drowned into a meditative retreat into the confines of her mind, falling with her considerable backside onto the wooden bench. Oh, a few moments to herself, while the Princess mulled it over, couldn't hur- "OW!"

A plump pain made itself swiftly known on her buttcheeks as she sat - for her stature - ridiculously close to the ground. She forgot these benches were not made for Sylanians! Her knees reached all the way up to her breasts, and due to her wearing a skirt, everything below could be seen! She quickly stood up and cleaned herself up, lest she'd be seen by some citizens passing by like this! Once she stood upright again, she took fast-paced looks around with her head, and cleaned her clothing before standing there awkwardly for a moment. Her cheeks ran blue, hoping that no one from the Castle balconies saw her.

The increased in speed of her heartbeat passed, and eventually, she just stood next to the brown wooden bench, looking toward the city. Aside from worried citizens going hesitantly about their lives in the shadow of the mountain and the ship above, loud, polluting, and frankly, ugly vehicles made their way through the crowds of people forming on the streets.

In contrast, the ship those same crowds worried so much about. Oh, how she enjoyed the sleek, sharp lines and smooth hull of her Empress-class Battleship, but unfortunately, she had to remind herself that she could not forever dwell on her favourite ship in the navy.

Still feeling the need to relax, she continued standing there on top of the hill overlooking Canterlot. The Sylanian closed her eyes and fell into a trance, a beautiful rest while still standing - proud as ever - upward and facing the city, a cool morning wind continuously blowing into her face. This was the windof change. She could feel it blow straight towards total Sylanian dominance.

In the end, whatever sacrifices stand in her way will be worth it. For all the privileges she will afford these primitives, they will still be, in the end, just another leaf in the beautiful tree that is the Sylanian Empire, carried by the roots that are the Empress and her ambitions. Faust already has the potential to be a world of gardens and furthermore a pivotal node from countless ones in the most glorious of civilizations to ever grace the galactic firmament.

But first, the Princesses need to be dealt with. They are key to everything, and she is determined to keep that key turning, but only to open Sylanian doors.

Oh, she could already grasp the glory she would receive. Not just from the Empress but from ponies adoring her and the Empire she opened up to them. Seheset could practically hear the jubilant cheers of elated and happy crowds at one of the many public speeches she will have to hold, and ideally, the General would be by her side, having overcome her troubles.

As the wind of change blew into her face, she formed a smile at the future she imagined.
And once she left her meditation, she looked around and saw the sun was significantly higher than before. She could feel at least 15 minutes had passed, if not more, and of course, greater warmth from the rays hitting her pale, grey skin and Kahemot had reported!

"The Princess agreed. We are making our way to Canterlot shortly."

Yes, she enjoyed her time in Canterlot Mountainside Park, but now she had to return. She kept the excitement about the arrival of Kahemot to the city under a stoic facade, but she could nonetheless feel her heart beating faster. Hopefully, the Princess of the Sun had made up her mind.

And so, with near-sadistic glee, she smirked as she left the overlook, walking back in the direction of the Castle she would soon call home.

The Three Princesses

Celestia sat by the telephone, holding the receiver close to her right ear. Her front hoof stomped rhythmically on the wooden floor panels beneath her. The Princess was sweating, although hardly visibly. She bit her lips, hoping for a response soon.

However, the Princess realized the futility of making another attempt. This was hopeless! She couldn't reach the Governor of Manehatten, the Lord High Admiral, or even their allies in Stalliongrad.

"Horse apples…" Celestia muttered under her breath in frustration.

As she pondered whom else to try and warn, she remembered - Blueblood! Of course, how could she forget? In an instant, her hooves once again darted to the phone as she dialled the telephone number for his headquarters in Hjortland.

"Come on…" she pleaded while holding the receiver with one hoof and tapping the desk with the other.

"Yes. Finally," she triumphantly stated as she was finally connected.

"Major General Prince Bl- uh, what's the purpose of this call, Aunt?" Blueblood muttered unprofessionally, stumbling over his words at the sudden and surprising call from Celestia. Why would she call at this early hour? The white alicorn couldn't see his facial expressions, but the slightly exaggerated tone in his voice alone suggested his surprise.

"I need to warn you about the Changelings!" Celestia said without any small talk.

"Warn me? Our troops are overwhelming their positions. There's a significant amount of confusion on their side. Many are surrendering, and others are fleeing." He happily and ecstatically informed her about the sudden breakthroughs that had been achieved. Blueblood, previously surprised and perhaps taken aback, spoke almost triumphantly and with pride about the successes in the field.

Celestia, for her part, was confused. "What?"

"Yeah, our soldiers have made impressive gains in the past hours," he told her. She scratched her ever-flowing mane for a moment before realizing what was happening. She put two and two together. They were fleeing, not because Equestrian soldiers and Olenian partisans suddenly broke through the frontline, but because there was no more command.

"Wait, you don't understand! They are fleeing becau—" the connection faded, and whatever she was attempting to convey was lost on the other side. Celestia narrowed her eyes and seemingly immediately knew who was responsible. Of course, it was them. They wouldn't be interested in allowing their target nation to communicate with their own forces!

"Curse you!" The once composed Alicorn cursed, struggling to suppress her anger. Then something else caught her attention. She heard trotting, someone entering the room. She turned around, putting on a mask of false calmness.

"Princess, you have a visitor," explained a bowing Royal Guard in golden armour.

Celestial eyes widened. How could she have returned so quickly? She needed to collect her thoughts, her fears racing before she managed to ask with loud stutters, "Already? T-Tell the H-High Admiral to wait outside."

"My liege, it's not the alien," the Guard clarified before making way for a blue-furred alicorn to step forward, a dark blue mane adorned with an eternally sparkling glimmer of starlight. Oh, thankfully it was Luna!

"Tia, what's happening?"

"Oh… Luna. I'm so glad to see you," Celestia exclaimed, leaping forward and falling into her sister's embrace, a hug that the Princess of Dreams accepted after being momentarily stunned. In the meantime, the guard from before left the vicinity, leaving the sisters alone.

"Is everything alright?" Luna asked, detecting the relief in her sister's voice as they embraced.

"We're being invaded. Again. It's the Changelings all over again. They're forcing their ultimatum upon us."

"That's what this unholy ship is? So what are they demanding?" Celestia didn't have time to notice Luna's slightly outdated vocabulary. Instead, she sighed in resignation once her sister's question had been fully spoken out.

"I-I'm not sure. So far, it's been nothing but vague threats and implications. I've tried calling the Admiralty and Stalliongrad, but I couldn't get any response," the Alicorn expressed with worry in her eyes and fear permeating her voice, gesturing towards the red telephone on the wooden desk she used.

"This is what you've been calling me about," her sister realised aloud in front of her.

"Yes. I think you can see how dire this is."

"Let's try to reach Blueblood and tell him not to advance into Changeling territory. We need forces here immediately since I don't think the garrisons would be able to hold out against whatever they'll throw at us," Luna suggested, suddenly springing to life when it came to military matters, with Celestia realizing she would have to - unfortunately - disappoint her.

"Sister."

"What?" she asked, almost annoyed but not nearly as emotionally overwhelmed as her sister.

"These non-ponies have destroyed Versalipolis, killed Chrysalis, and eradicated the Changeling government. I called him just before you arrived, and… there's pure confusion on the front as the changelings have started to flee en masse."

As Luna listened to her sister, her eyes widened in both amazement at the military feat and shock over the implications for the civilians, forcing her conscience to ask, "Destroyed Versalipolis? How?"

"I don't know. She showed footage of what was once the city, with only fires burning and a crater remaining. Not even the foundations of the Queen's Tower were recognizable. They have weapons more powerful than the Manehattan Project on each of their ships!"

Luna turned sickly pale. The alicorn felt queasy in her stomach. The sense of wonder from before had faded, much like the changelings who once played, walked, and marched on the streets of Versalipolis, now only a dark stain on ruined roads. She shook her head for a moment, her mane moving in conjunction with her equine head, before trotting in a circle and turning back to her sister, "How are we even supposed to respond?"

"I- I thought you might know," Celestia shamefully admitted, but she realized Luna had as little an idea of how to defeat them as she did.

Celestia was never a military genius. Long ago, when Sombra terrorized Equestria, before the Griffonian Empire was even an idea, it was Luna who led the armies of peasants and Royal Guards against the brainwashed citizens of the Crystal Empire. It was Luna who commanded armies that would unify the disparate pegasi, earth pony, and unicorn kingdoms, and it was her, no, Nightmare Moon, who had nearly toppled Equestria over a millennium ago.

Much had changed since then. Equestria changed, society changed, politics changed, and even the world around them changed. Even both of the sisters had been shaped by the time spent either in Canterlot or on the moon, but this? This aspect of the two sisters never changed. Luna was always the firebrand willing to fight the wars for her older sister, and it made Celestia feel regret.

However, Celestia was soon snapped out of her thoughts by her sister. Alicorns had a tendency to overthink and underfeel...

"I fear we still know too little. Tell me, sister, what did this alien demand?" Luna asked, regaining her sister's attention.

"As I said, nothing yet. She only spoke about her people. They're from the stars and want us to surrender peacefully."

The smaller of the two Princesses felt almost insulted, her face scrunching up as if she had eaten a spicy fruit from Kiria. "Surrender? After we've fought tooth and nail for every meter of Equestrian ground?"

"She said it doesn't matter if we surrender or not, but she's offering us an easy way out by giving up and not endangering our citizens."

Luna shook her head, stating with fading confidence, "Sister, nothing is lost yet. She might just be bluffing."

Then the guard who had previously admitted the Princess of the Moon called out once again, "Princess Twilight has arrived."

"Twilight?" Luna asked, "I thought she was in Ponyville." She exclaimed with bewilderment before Celestia's gaze shifted as the purple alicorn entered.

"Celestia! Luna, I'm so glad to see you," she said, embracing the two with a tight hug, first the older and then the younger of the two.

"I thought you were in Ponyville," Luna stated in disbelief, not having anticipated an impromptu visit by the Princess of Friendship. Of course, she did not mind seeing her again after almost a year, but the last time she had been dead set on helping on the home front - writing letters to injured soldiers, congratulating and rewarding especially distinguished frontline personnel, visiting the homes of war orphans, consoling the victims of changeling atrocities, and reminding the weary populace about the value of fighting for the magic of friendship. She had chosen not to be directly involved in battle, potentially putting herself at risk, unlike Applejack, who had gone off to fight at the front, or Rainbow Dash, who was required to participate in special operations when the Wonderbolts were integrated into the Air Force.

What Luna saw now in front of her was a shriveled, sleep-deprived husk of a pony who barely looked like a Princess anymore. She recognised that look in her eyes – the one that she had seen countless times on the front. The look of trauma.

"I was, but I got warned that you'd refuse their ultimatum," explained Twilight, still breathing heavily from the flight she had taken to Canterlot.

"Ultimatum? Whom were you warned by?" Celestia asked with suspicion.

"The General serving the alien High Admiral."

"Twilight, what did he tell you?" Luna asked before her sister could. To all, this felt more like an interrogation than an equal conversation, and all three felt uncomfortable with the flow of this meeting.

As Twilight began to open up, she had to sob, suppress tears, and pull herself together to reveal, "That if you were not to surrender, all Equestria would be razed to the ground. I-I saw it myself. She showed it to me."

"Showed you what?" Luna asked, anger swelling inside her, managing to ask before Celestia could.

"The General... I don't know how, but she showed me the future. Of what would happen if you fought. P-Ponyville burned, and my friends were all dead, and everything was burning, even worse than with the Changelings!" The once so calm and collected Princess of Friendship was on the brink of tearing up. She did not even take note of her mishaps while talking to the other Princesses, skipping a few breaths while doing so.

"Maybe she was manipulating you?" Luna suggested, putting one of her hooves to her chin.

"Manipulation for sure, but I would not dismiss the power they have brought with them. They are willing to enforce their demands, having destroyed Versalipolis after all." Celestia added, having been present in the first part of their diplomatic meeting, unlike Luna.

"Sister, perish the thought! We can't just surrender to these... monsters after a year-long war and thousands of years of our rule. Where would our honour and respect be if we just gave up?" Princess Luna was disgusted and appalled at what her sister had proposed. Yes, some of her concepts and opinions may be from a different time, but they would make more sense to the common folk.

"I'm not about to give up either, but we can't fight openly either. Assuming they are only bluffing, they would still be able to steamroll our military, as the majority of our forces are tied up in the Changeling Lands," Celestia stated, similarly surprised by her sister's belief that she would capitulate this easily.

Luna, however, did not argue against it but rather added: "One can't improvise the redeployment of millions in a few hours."

"So what now? I don't want to see the country burn."

"It already is, but it won't be destroyed if we can act quickly enough," Luna spoke with determination, mainly to alleviate Twilight's worries.

"You have not seen what I saw! You can't just dismiss it!" acted out with tears in her eyes. In a fit of anger and perhaps desperation, she pleaded with them, so as to have the two take her seriously. Something they, so she believed, did not!

"Twilight, please... I understand your concern, but..." Celestia tried to convey; however, Twilight's reaction became only more volatile.

"No, you don't! And that's the problem! You can't see the threat that is in front of us. This is bigger than three alicorns. Take a look at that ship in the clouds!" trotting in fast-paced steps to the window and gesturing to the black ship still hovering forbiddingly above Canterlot.

"How are we supposed to fight a threat that could have hundreds, if not thousands of them? How are we supposed to convince an opponent that is intent on invading our planet? Why should we risk the destruction and death of everything we know and love? Maybe..." she continued.

"Maybe we should just let them. Perhaps they aren't as bad as it seems." Twilight concluded with tears running down and into her fur. Both Princesses could not deny she had been scarred by whatever she saw and glanced at each other in concern. Yes, Twilight was already under pressure from the war, but whatever this General did to her made her lose all composure.

"What happened to you?" Luna muttered, looking toward her sister once more with grave concern. Twilight's optimism and hope for the future seemed to have been extinguished. How could she not see the value in resisting evil?

"You haven't seen what I have. You wouldn't understand."

Celestia knelt, initiating eye-to-eye contact on equal heights before she said compassionately but also with worry for her former pupil, "Then let me understand. What exactly did you see again? What you've told us was very vague."

"So was your reply," she scoffed with her eyes rolling before opening up, "I woke up in Ponyville. Everything was burning, ponies were shot at by dark alien figures in wicked armour, and their rifles pulverised any Equestrian soldier. Some ponies were even dragged into their homes, others were-..."

"Were..." Tears once more ran down her cheek. She could not hold it any longer... she needed it. Twilight needed catharsis. Celestia reached for her as she fell into her embrace, crying and sobbing nearly uncontrollably.

"It's okay. You don't have to say more," Celestia calmly stated, still embracing her while her sister, who stood behind her, looked on with concern but still stood there like a statue. Frozen and regimented, maybe to distract from that or to get more information about the threat the aliens persistently posed, she inquired further after Twilight's sobbing waned.

"So they want to destroy everything if we resist?"

"Everything, and in the end, they will get what they want anyway. Please, whatever the demands... accept them," Twilight pleaded while still in the arms of her former mentor.

Celestia refused outright again, "You know I can't possibly accept an unconditional ultimatum. Tartarus, we don't even know exactly what they want! We shall hear them out... hopefully, we're overestimating the threat they pose."

"Hear them out? Just accept their demands!" she cried out once again.

"Twilight!" Celestia spoke, not with compassion and warmth but marked this time with authority and intense volume, snapping her out of the maelstrom of sorrow and anguish and tugging her back to the surface of a sea plowed by the storms of stress and heightened emotional vulnerability.

Once the bookworm's ears were stiff and her wailing had passed, she spoke, once more with the warmth only a mother could convey, "Please listen carefully to me. I am scared. Just as much as you are, if not more, but neither Luna nor I can sign over our country to these people while we don't even know anything about them or their motives. We will negotiate a favourable deal."

"Luna? Where is your opposition to the idea?" the purple mess of an alicorn asked as she stood up again and left Celestia's embrace. Once she turned with her head to the dark blue-maned pony, she grew horrified by how little the previously opposed Luna said against Celestia's decree. Was everyone now acting however was unlike them?

"I am opposed to it yet if what they said was true, then we don't stand a chance. We will pressure them into giving us a fair deal, whatever that may encompass, and if they refuse? Well... then I'll still consider openly opposing them, but on my own terms."

"Please..."

Her plea went unanswered as immediately after a guard entered the room and announced, "Princesses, the diplomats are here. They are awaiting your return to the room."

"Understood," Celestia answered before gesturing for him to leave, which the guard, of course, did.

"Sister, I shall come with you," Luna decided on her own, with Celestia seemingly welcoming her presence.

"Me too," Twilight said before being interrupted in her walk.

"No, Twilight. Stay here or return to Ponyville. If something happens here, I don't want you to be in the crossfire," Celestia ordered.

"No, as Princess of Friendship, I too want to participate," she claimed while crossing her hooves.

Luna, however, made no effort to euphemise the situation and told her, with no attention given to Twilight's views, "Please, we can't have another one in the meeting further complicating this situation."

Twilight's eyes narrowed, and her voice rose in volume, "So I'm complicating the situation now?! I am trying to help here - warn you - why ignore me?"

"We haven't! Now stay put or leave for Ponyville and gather your friends. We may need them," Luna told her, almost at the top of her lungs and nearly reaching the necessary volume for her Royal Canterlot Voice.

"What? B-but they are scattered all across-"

Luna walked towards Twilight, her sister already below the door frame. While starting loud, she progressively turned calmer, telling her, "You're the Princess of Friendship now, so pull yourself together. If things go down the drain here, we need a guarantee that not everything will be lost. You are that guarantee."

"Get her the quickest ride back to Ponyville," Luna then ordered the next available guard, who began moving.

"Good luck, Twilight," Celestia said before leaving her alone in her office, with her thoughts.

The two mares made their way through the palace's marble white halls and red-carpeted corridors with haste. Until they were nearly halfway there, nothing had been said. Not by Luna or Celestia. The Princess of the Sun's mind was occupied by worry about the upcoming second coming of the diplomats, while Luna still thought about Twilight, and so she asked her sister, with clear concern for her sibling's former student:

"I worry for her. Her eyes had the look of a soldier who saw years of war, not that of a Princess."

"I know, me too, but we can't take her into consideration. Her experience in international diplomacy is minimal at best, and we can't trust her to stay calm in the state she is in."

"Right, but you would not have called for me if you were able to masterfully conduct yourself either."

"No! I called you because-..."

The once socially awkward, shy, and reserved sister had now arisen after years of war. Luna could read people after years of experience on the front better than likely any other alicorn in the world, and so she read her sister too, but for that one did not need to be a Princess or leader. Celestia's thin, cracking, and rotting facade was easy to look past, something her sister did as well, "Because of my leadership skills against a force that is very likely superior to the Army and Air Force in every way? No sister, don't lie to me. You called me here because..."

"Because I cannot do this alone! If the... the worst case comes to pass, I can't just sign over everything I know and love without you being there; without you being able to offer an alternative to this... rubbish they are demanding." Celestia stated with a progressively rising voice until the audibility reached its climax with 'rubbish'. There was no question about whether or not she was desperate, but rather how long it would take for her to lose her temper in the meeting, if she didn't already.

Luna sighed in quiet resignation and admitted to her, "Sister, I can't. I am also just a pony, but we will stand through this together. Promise?"

"Promise. I love you." Celestia said as they stood before the door that separated them from the alien diplomats. Time ran fast, but so was the white mare's leap into her sister's arms. A fleeting feeling of relief spread.

But Luna was taken aback by her declaration of sisterly love, surprised, and her eyes portrayed shock. Stumbling over her words, she clumsily answered with stutters, "I- eh love you too."

And so they stopped their hug before turning and facing the double door, opened by the Royal Guards, through which both trotted in unison.

They stood face to face with two pale feminine figures, each possessing voluptuous bodies of very similar but not quite identical proportions. Both had hair as black as the night sky and skin as pale as corpses. Luna found herself unable to tear her gaze away from them, not due to their curves or exotic attire, but rather their unusual form. While she had encountered various bipedal creatures in the past – Abyssinians, some dragons, and even Yetis – this sight put her severely on edge, even though she strived to maintain her composure and show respect.

Among the Princesses, Celestia recognized the High Admiral, who was seated beside her attendant – presumably, the General that Twilight had spoken of, and about whom Luna knew nothing. The General's expression remained blank, as if she were focused on an entirely different place within the room, her breaths eerie and quiet.

"Welcome back, Princess Celestia. I trust your hiatus from the meeting was enough to fulfil your sun-related duties. To whom do we have the pleasure of introduction?" the Admiral asked with confidence and even a hint of enthusiasm, fully aware of the redundancy of the question.

"Oh, you're already aware," Celestia sighed in exasperation, displaying her irritation at the diplomat's unnecessary verbal sparring before continuing with the same sense of frustration, "In fact, I could ask you the same. Is this the General who interacted with my former student?"

The General, for the first time during the meeting, opened her mouth and a subtle smile appeared as she spoke with a voice that sounded both dead and ethereal, "Indeed. She was quite receptive. Please address me as Kahemot. "

Celestia narrowed her eyes, attempting to gauge the authenticity of the situation, only able to speculate about how vivid Twilight's vision must have felt.

"And I am Luna, Princess of the Moon and Dreams, as well as General of the Armies of the Diarchy of Equestria," the Princess of the Night introduced herself with a respectful nod toward the two enigmatic figures.

"By now, your sister must have informed you of our identity and intentions. Our dedication to this cause remains unwavering, but it's important to note that we are still offering a peaceful resolution to the current crisis," the High Admiral stated.

"We understand that your intention is to invade us. That much we know, but what exactly do you want?" Celestia inquired, maintaining a friendly demeanour, her emotions once again under control as she contained her disdain for the invading party.

"Our intentions are multifaceted and our motives may not be comprehensible to you. However, I'm sure a treaty or ultimatum would be more agreeable to your equine sensibilities?" the High Admiral responded, maintaining a certain air of enigma.

"You persist in speaking in riddles! What is it that you desire from us, from Equestria? What are your demands, alien?" Luna's patience reached its limit as she demanded clarity regarding the situation and the necessity of her presence, having flown all the way from Acornage.

"Hmm, quite the fiery presence you've brought along, Princess Celestia. No time for pleasantries, it seems," Seheset remarked playfully, displaying a sense of enjoyment from the unfolding meeting, a stark contrast to the growing disillusionment felt by the alicorns.

"But I will humour you. Our demands are simple and projected upon this tablet. Read them at your own pace." She handed over an odd flat machine to the temporarily bewildered Alicorns. They glanced upon it only realizing after several uncomfortable seconds what this construct's purpose was. Its flat surface emitted a very soothing surface-emitting light, one that formed a text, which read in very simple white letters:

"1. The Diarchy of Equestria (subsequently accounted for as 'Equestria') shall be transformed into a protectorate of the Sylanian Empire and will therefore be upon the signing of this treaty be the way Equestria shall present itself toward other states and the Sylanian Empire in particular.
1.1 As a protectorate Equestria is under the full protection of the Sylanian Empire and all of its forces, planetary as well as space and airborne. An attack on any of the protectorates will be seen as an attack on the Sylanian Empire.
2. Equestria shall grant independence and land to the following reservations including the lands marked upon the map following thereafter: "Tzinacatlian Republic" and "Buffalo State."
3. Equestria shall cede the lands marked upon the map following thereafter to the Planetary Administration, which capital shall be henceforth the city of Manehatten until a new capital has been constructed from which the lands under the direct control of the Planetary Administration will be governed.
4. Equestria must cease all military activities in any foreign state that has existed up to the point of this treaty. Separate treaties with opposing nation-states will ensure a graceful end to any ongoing conflicts.
4.1 A retreat must be organized after which the honourable discharge from service for all military personnel must be complete in a matter of two months after the signing of this treaty.
4.2 All weapons and ammunition that have been owned by the Equestrian military up to this point must be handed over to the Planetary Defense Force in a matter of two months after the signing of this treaty.
4.3 All research relating to nuclear programs, space flight, energy generation, technology based upon magic and the extraction and refinement of crystals and other resources of critical importance shall be conducted by Sylanian-sponsored and certified organizations.
5. The Planetary Administration shall respect and foster the right to the existence of sentient races, housing, work, freely available and universal healthcare, freely available and universal education and the right to free movement of sentient races among others.
5.1 These rights can be temporarily suspended for citizens or groups and organizations for up to two years at any time providing a sufficient threat against Sylanian or Native citizens has come into existence. These threats may include natural disasters, rogue political or societal elements, the results of failed policies by states, the deliberate violation of the aforementioned points by individuals, groups, organizations and/or state actors or other exceptional circumstances.
6. The Planetary Administration shall respect and foster the right to self-governance of the Equestrian state including partial judicial, full economic and total political self-governance.
6.1 The Princesses shall retain their position as ruling monarchs and all the rights and privileges that come with the current rights afforded to the aforementioned rulers provided that these laws do not interfere with matters that are outside the afforded privileges to the established protectorates and reservations.
6.2 The Planetary Administration reserves the right to construct infrastructure deemed to be mutually beneficial to Natives and/or Sylanians.
6.3 The Planetary Administration reserves the right to conduct operations and police actions inside the protectorates and reservations, including the Diarchy of Equestria if deemed necessary for the security and safety of Sylanian or Native citizens.
6.3.1 Equestria must revoke the citizenship and rights of all citizens deemed a danger and are to be handed over to Sylanian authorities until further notice.
6.4 Equestria must ensure Standard Sylanian is at least an optional secondary language in all academic institutions, so as to foster interracial cooperation.
6.5 Equestrian institutions must ensure the equal treatment of Sylanian citizens.
7. Violating any of these points will result in an immediate punitive response by forces of the Planetary Administration."

For the average pony, this is already a whole lot of cut-and-dried legal jargon, but the Princesses recognised from the very beginning what this was and represented: an ultimatum.

Luna immediately drew attention to the issues she found within the text she had only read halfway, "What preposterous demands! You are not just intending for us to give over our country but also keeping the language deliberately vague so you can later interpret these points however you see fit!" Luna pointed out while thrusting her right hoof at the two confident-looking diplomats.

The High Admiral rolled her eyes with visible irritation at her moment of revelation, "Oh please. A Sylanian never lies. I propose you read it fully before throwing a fit."

"The audacity," Luna was about to erupt from the sheer nerve of this foreigner coming here into their palace and insulting them to their faces! Celestia, still having her eyeballs roll over the text, noticed her sister's flaring emotions and stopped what she was doing to immediately move towards her, grabbing her by the shoulder.

The white alicorn with the golden tiara looked her in the eye. Celestia recognised her sister's turmoil. She was both afraid and embittered, but the lack of time she believed herself to possess made her quip only a judgemental, scolding, and disciplining, "Sister... please."

With a single shake of her left shoulder, the pony moved away from her with a barely noticeable "hmph."

She then spoke, "I was willing to give them a chance, but this is simply unacceptable! No self-respecting sovereign state in the world would possibly accept such frivolous terms!"

"Huh, and we've already made it a lot more lenient towards Equestria." the High Admiral interjected, putting up a facade again, but this time with faked bewilderment.

"You must be joking! These terms are intolerable! You are demanding us to disband our military and give independence to states that voluntarily joined Equestria in ages past or make us simply give up all of our most valuable research!"

"I don't recall the bats living in harmony with the other pony races for what... almost a thousand years in your absence," the diplomat argued with dripping arrogance and smug superiority while facing away, towards the window and looking out onto the awakening nation.

"If you intend to rile up my sister against me, you have sorely miscalculated," Celestia stated defensively while moving in front of Luna, maybe out of instinct to protect or perhaps simply by miscalculating her steps and not accounting for her sister.

"Don't worry, we've been over this, sister," Luna reassured her older sister as she moved away from behind and back towards the table they previously stood at.

"We know what you did. Equestria may pride itself on being built on harmony and friendship, but everyone in this room knows this is a half-truth. There were surely countless kingdoms and tribes who did not want to become subservient to Canterlot. Yet with arms and subterfuge, Equestria spread widely and far until becoming the largest nation on Equus, and let's not even mention the buffaloes who were driven back by pony settlers until but a few years ago."

"We have decided these groups deserve states of their own, and we are not negotiating for it." Seheset finished with a stern voice and face. In disbelief, Celestia slowly shook her head before stating:

"You are destroying the careful balance that we have built over so many years!"

"A balance I can commend. Few nations in this world have been built on the cooperation of so many client races, however, the future waits for no one. If you want to stay in the past, we have provisions for that too in the ultimatum. You can retain your government and administrative structures with very minor changes. It's all there," she said in an attempt to assure the two equines of the treaty's guarantees of security as she pushed the tablet that lay on the table back towards their side of the room.

Celestia began reading once more while her sister seemed lost in thought, something the Princess of the Sun paid momentarily little attention to before noticing her sister's absentmindedness and lack of response.

"Luna, what do you think? I think the ultimatum looks... acceptable."

A pause followed in which she trotted in a circle before facing the diplomats and Celestia again.

"Luna?"

"I have been thinking..."

"Maybe... the reason you are not attacking us like Stalliongrad or the Changelings is because we are alicorns! You fear us! That's why you talk with us! We could just blast your vessel out of the sky." Luna ranted with blazing anger and joy at the elation of having come to this conclusion! Why else would they seemingly attack their neighbours but not Equestria if not for the Alicorns in leadership positions?

While all were initially surprised at Luna's sudden outburst, Seheset chuckled before revealing to all,
"I believe you two are under a misconception, the misconception being that what you do or say today matters, that you somehow have any importance now. You don't. Your opinions are inconsequential."

"E-excuse us?" Luna asked, taken aback at how little the alien cared for her threats.

"The universe is vast and dangerous, with countless predatory alien empires who are all too eager to take a bite out of the galaxy in which we live. Empires that would exterminate your race without so much as a thought. Predatory races and hiveminds who have only consumption in mind, and whose long existences are marred by a life of sorrow and pain.

The Sylanian Empire is the oldest and only fortress against these intergalactic threats. Our Empire has endured for aeons, and you have not been the only primitive world to resist our offer, but what differentiates you is the origin and history of your planet. There are truths about the nature of your existence that would tear your society, systems of faith, political systems, and nation-states asunder, if you had unfettered access to them."

A short pause followed in which the High Admiral caught her breath quietly and rearranged the last words in her mind so the remaining speech would have the largest impact on these ponies.

"We have not decided to negotiate with you because you have leverage. The Empire is, in fact, not seeing this as a negotiation but rather as what it is - an ultimatum. The only reason we give you two the option to work with us is to prevent an unnecessary war. However, given you have shown barely any willingness to cooperate, I doubt that's even possible.

What we are giving to you is the ultimate guarantee of security. Your people will know neither war, hunger, disease, nor even mortality itself. No matter what you do or say, soon, ponies, griffons, zebras, and deer will walk among Sylanians together into a better future. We are uplifting you, and what you are trying to prevent is inevitable.

We have ships in orbit that could turn Equestria into a wasteland very quickly and easily, and billions of souls ready to fight in every possible theatre for Her Empress's Holy Cause. By signing this ultimatum, you will see a peaceful transition into an interstellar society with you still able to rule Equestria however you see fit, but with the added benefit of accessing our technology. All our goals will be achieved without war and death.

But in case you refuse, I can promise you that our forces will not hold back. For all countries that have refused the ultimatum outright - so far only Stalliongrad and the Changeling Hegemony - will witness their capital being annihilated, and all other cities being sacked to the foundation. Our soldiers will burn every city, desecrate every single pony they can get their hands on, and destroy a millennia's worth of history, so your people may never rise from the chains of slavery again. Eventually, pegasi, earth ponies, and unicorns would simply be our thralls, and we will have gotten everything we want from you anyway."

"Of course, you may revert into your primal forms from sheer emotional immaturity and kill us, but if you do that, I can only promise you an eternity of servitude for your people. I would not want that for you. So why make it so hard?"

The two diplomats were no fools. The muscles of the Princesses were tense, their eyes clenched, and their faces marred by offence and pure visceral hatred. Seheset had poked the beast, but the High Admiral was not about to burn herself. Instead, she moved to be more... persuasive.

"You could attack us, but that would leave your people as unfortunate victims. No, what we want is to elevate pegasi, unicorns, thestrals, earth ponies, and Alicorns." The High Admiral continued, seemingly unfazed by the two angered alicorns in front of her.

"To give them a chance at living their lives in an interstellar society, for if one wishes to stay solitary, that choice is viable. The greatest gift we wish to grant your race is that which you have long sought. There will be no more invasions from the Changelings, no more deadly civil wars in Griffonia and precious few genocidal empires intending to eradicate ponies and their way of life. Our gift to your race is perpetual peace and to you two something that both of you have yearned for millennia. A cure for your... violent side, for your primal forms, for what you refer to as Nightmare Moon and whatever you could turn into, respectively. This is our generous offer. We expect you not to squander it."

"Wha- What, how would you even know?!" Celestia asked with horror upon her snout as they realized they knew what she could become. The keyword being 'could'. The Princess herself was never sure if what happened to her sister could befall her too nor how it would occur. Nightmare Moon came about from her personal failures to properly care for her sister and recognize her insecurities, jealousy and fear of being supplanted, but the fact these aliens, clearly very knowledgable, at the very least theorize - believe it to be a possibility - fills her with shock.

All the hatred that had built up over the last few minutes subsided as questions ran abound. Are they meaning this or are the diplomats simply trying to sow and exploit her fear? Are they trying to trigger what could be her transformation? Luna too was taken aback, but less surprised by her case as she took a step back, glancing at her sister before returning to eye contact with the aliens.

Luna straight-up refused the offer, opting to berate them for their supposedly failed attempt at persuasion, "We don't need any of your cures to something we don't even know could happen to anyone but myself! It was my personal victory over evil to refuse the temptation of giving in!" Luna stated with pride while pointing to where her heart was.

"And you two never wondered about why you are alicorns, why you have these primal forms, why your sister, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, her daughter and Princess Twilight could have these forms too and what can be done to permanently destroy them?"

Only further aggravated, Luna approached her before looking the alien deep into her red pupils, "Look, alien! I don't care what you think you know about our nature! Why should we not just blast you and your ships out of existence? Why should we even believe you not to be bluffing? Do you have any evidence for this... tape you've shown Celestia not just to be a fabrication?"

"Sehy, please," she muttered beneath her breath, with neither Alicorns having been able to properly hear what she said.

"What did you say?"

Without warning, the pale alien female returned to answering her question, "Because you two are in no negotiating position, no matter what you say. We are offering terms of immense privilege to your race, so I'll ask you one last time to sign that treaty."

"We demand it."

"Luna?" Celestia asked as she noticed her sister's eyes becoming heavy; however, the Princess of the Night quickly snapped out of the short moment of tiredness and moved to Celestia before pleading with her,

"Sister, please... what will the people think of us?"

Celestia dismissed any thoughts in favour of answering her sister, admitting truthfully and with a regretful tone, "It would be nothing positive. They'll think we sold out to aliens we barely know. But-"

"But what?" Luna asked.

"But... as Princesses, it was always our responsibility to look out for them, to protect them in times of need, even if it means from threats we never could have anticipated when we founded this..." It took Celestia uncomfortably long to even come close to pointing to what she was referring to. Of course, she meant Equestria but far more than that, not just the state structure they had created and evolved over centuries, but also its people, generations who knew nothing else but the friendship of magic and the achievements that had been reached by a hundred ponies or more of millennia. The Gothenburgs printing press, James Wutt's electricity or the combustion engine, and radio communication among a millennium's worth of innumerable other inventions, all owed to ponies that grew into Equestrian citizens.

When she meant to say Equestria, she was not just talking solely about Equestria, but at this point, she even questioned if her sister knew how much she truly felt heartbroken about the notion of signing away the sovereignty of their little ponies.

"After years of fighting for the freedom and liberty Equestria holds dear, you are willing to sign it over now?"

Celestia couldn't stand to have her sister think she did not care and moreover hated how direct she was, even if by principle she was entirely correct and so with the discussion heating up Celestia tapped the wooden floor with her right hoof with increasing speed, all the while the General and Admiral watched the two respected heads of state arguing back and forth, "Luna, you know I always think about my ponies! But I don't think it gets any more favourable than this. If we resist now, the terms of the treaty will only worsen and with them the treatment of the populace!"

She furthermore continued adding on top of a pile of statements Luna could only feel disgusted for, with wild movements of her hooves, "We need to do what we got to do to survive!"

"And how is that? Consigning a nation of millions, that existed for over a millennium and has fought tooth and nail in the last years for every inch of ground against invaders only to just sign everything over!? I will have no part in this!" Luna declared before both her sister and the diplomat. Yet before it could get any more heated, the General and Admiral shared a glance before taking a stance themselves.

"That will not be possible. Both of you rule this country together and thus must both sign this document." Seheset interjected, interrupting the heated argument between the Princesses.

"I said no. My sister might be so far gone to give up, but I will not dishonour this country and its soldiers in this way. I am willing to exile myself if it spares Equestria." Upon hearing her sister's proclamation, Celestia peered at her sister with visible anguish. If this were not a meeting, she surely would have let loose tears and begged for her to stay.

"But the times when the two argued over who was the more mature and which decisions were the best for the country had long since passed, and a gulp and deep but weak breath later, in resignation, she agreed... conditionally.

"If that's what you deem necessary, then do it, Luna, but at least sign this document! For the sake of Equestria," Celestia pleaded, with the diplomat interjecting once more not long after.

"You may leave as long as you sign the treaty with..."

"...an additional clause that ensures mutual trust between signatories of this document:
6.6 All members of the Alicorn Race are exempt from any temporary restrictions imposed upon citizens of the protectorates and reservations and are immune to traditional criminal prosecution. No physical harm is to come to them under any circumstances."

Celestia's face turned towards them, equally shocked and surprised, "Y-you would grant us immunity? Why?"

The Alicorn could simply not picture a reality where they would grant them such a provision. Especially in a moment where she knew Luna would leave to organize some sort of resistance, but they would not just let her but incentivize her sister? There was no hope or joy at this prospect but maddening bafflement by the ancient Princess of the Sun. Why would these aliens shoot themselves in the foot like this? Perhaps, she was simply not able to think clearly, but of course, the High Admiral would grant her an answer with benevolence which she knew instinctually to be a farce.

"You heard right, Princess. You two are rulers and religious figures for your people and combined with the knowledge of the Sylanian Empire's superiority, we see no reason to believe you would exploit this in any way upon signing this treaty."

"That is quite the opportunity," muttered Celestia below her breath, out of the hearing range of the two Sylanians.

Luna's reaction was far more negative in contrast to that of her white-furred sister. She rolled her eyes and spoke with clear disdain, "For the love of the mother, this is-"

"Sister, please!" Celestia once more bargained with her.

"This goes against everything I have fought for since my reformation. I can't betray the countless soldiers that bled, suffered and died for this nation's survival, that trusted in me to lead them to victory only to have them end up empty-hooved, without the catharsis, the right of defeating the hated enemy and being stabbed in the back by us, the Princesses they have fought for all these years! I can't..."

"And I can't not do what's best..." Celestia mumbled while staring at the wooden floor.

"Princess Luna, I understand your concerns, however, I can promise you that all the soldiers you care about will not be seeing the next week if you don't stand down, nor is military force the only way of enforcing our demands. I'm sure you can see that there is no value in honour when there is no one left to perceive that honour?" the High Admiral argued with authority on the matter while still as tranquil as at any other point in the meeting.

Luna's expression turned sour as she began to insult her armies, "Like you and your quiet confidante would know anything about honour. From what you've told us, in fact, your soldiers don't have any semblance of discipline, acting more like a horde of rabid beasts. The only thing this horde truly reflects is your intentions."

She, however, then looked her opponent in the eyes, "But fortunately for you, that horde of beasts is more powerful than any army we could muster."

"So you admit defeat?"

"Defeat? No. There was never a fight in the first place nor true negotiations. This is an unjust dictate, alien, and history will remember it as such." the warrior princess promised her before putting her right hoof with momentum onto the meticulously clean surface of the tablet, so immaculate that she could see the reflection of her mane on the glass illuminated by the machinery of unknown capacity below. Catapulted across the table by Luna's signature, closer to a smack than the carefully considered conclusion to a conundrum neither alicorn had been able to escape.

The alien seemed unimpressed and soon satisfied as even Celestia approached the table on which it lay and put her hoof upon it after several seconds of hesitation. A deep sigh followed. And so both ponies put their right hooves upon the holographic section of the tablet assigned to their signature. As such, the treaty was signed and agreed upon.

"Then we have a deal. We will make sure you won't regret your decision." And now, at the end of the road for the Equestria of yore and the beginning of a new age, the High Admiral, for the first time, showed joy, not the facade put up to appease the rulers of the most powerful nation on the planet or machinations to exploit the emotional vulnerability, but genuinely heartfelt joy at this treaty having been now signed, with only a warm smile following.

The black automobile rushed down the concrete freeway, into the valley and away from Canterlot, the ship, and the Princesses, the silhouette of the castle becoming ever slower and occasionally covered by the scant cloud. Twilight's lower leg was twitching almost vibrating and her heart aching, bleeding from the knowledge that the Princesses may very well choose to resist. She feared the outcome, let loose sweat even and tried to distract herself by looking at the landscape, at Canterlot, at the occasional passing car or thinking about her friends, all in futility. All in futility, except for one possibility, one that did not leave her mind, for it could not.

Her friends... scattered all across Equestria. Perhaps she could organize... something as Celestia ordered.
Rainbow Dash, last she heard of her she was engaged in some air battle of Fairflanks.

Applejack served with distinction so far and has even become a general, currently supporting Prince Blueblood's efforts in Olenia since Operation Dawn. Fluttershy still lives in Ponyville giving a home to her animals.

Pinky Pie is a hard one and Twilight shook her head, at the thought of what happened to her old cheerful friend.
What she heard from her was not pretty. When she joined the war effort she became a Major General, and she supposedly had several times become violent towards her own subordinates. Since then the only thing she heard from her was that she was demoted before being dishonourably discharged from military service. Where Pinky Pie has been since then Twilight does not know and she shudders at the thought.
Twilight does not believe this was just a result of the mess that was the army at the beginning of the invasion. She must have been falsely accused, but either way, she must join her.

As for Rarity, after the failure of the School of Friendship Rarity left for Manehatten and has now become a popular fashion designer contracted by different fashion firms including those producing military uniforms of all kinds.

And Starlight, while not an element of harmony is still immensely powerful however after her school closed she went into politics to become a leader for the Confederation of Trade Unions and a spokesmare for a social democratic movement in Baltimare. She too was too hard to reach.

No... Twilight shook her head. If the Magic of Friendship won't be able to solve this requires a wholly new approach, one that requires more force, but whom could she possibly contact now? Almost all her friends are out of reach and have built their own life.

But then an idea came to her mind. Yes, she would be possibly willing to help, but for that, she would need to return to Canterlot, for only there could she find a way to pierce the veil between worlds and go visit an old friend...