The Downfall of Equestria, Volume 1: Conflict Uprising

by TheHylianBatman

Rating: teen
Tags: Princess Celestia, Alternate Universe, Main 6, Princess Luna, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Adventure
Length: 2874

When a mysterious letter shows up in the princess' office, it's up to the Mane 6 to take her place

The first of three books.
A mysterious letter shows up in Princess Celestia's office, and when it nearly causes her death, it's up to the Mane 6 to take her place as ruler of Equestria.

My first proper fic on this site. Any criticism is appreciated, but please, not too rough.

Rated teen because it can be suggestive, but this may be bumped up.

Feel free to comment, but please, no spoilers.

Cover art is needed... PM me for more information.

Published 2012-10-06 02:10:01 UTC
Last updated 2012-12-03 02:06:15 UTC

Chapter 1: And So It Begins

AUTHOR'S NOTES:
READ THE DESCRIPTION, FOR GOD'S SAKE!
This story is intended to be read in Sans-Serif, Normal, Dark.
This story can take place anytime after Season 2.
However, I have no intention of following the storyline of Season 3, so that's technically non-canon, hence the AU tag.
Enjoy your read.

Chapter 1
And So It Begins

~~><~~

Tensions were as tight as a guitar string. Nopony knows how it started, or how it caught on so fast. All anypony knew was that all hell was about to break loose. This wasn't a little protest movement. This was something even the Elements of Harmony couldn't fix.

~~><~~

Princess Celestia began the day like any other. She raised the sun, attended the Day Court, then returned to her office for the daily paperwork. Some days, pillars of papers an folders as tall as the ceiling in her study would leave only a pony-wide gap that lead straight to her desk, resulting in nopony seeing her until it was time to lower the sun. Other days, a folder and a few papers would sit in a basket on the edge of her desk, leaving her with an entire day to do with what she wanted. Today was a pillar-esque day. When she pulled the doors open (Luckily, they were double-hinged, so, when she couldn't push them in, she could pull them out) and saw the ridiculously tall wood-pulp pillars, she decided that Luna just may have to do both their jobs that night. She sat at her custom-made mahogany desk with a thunk on the wool-carpeted floor and magically grabbed the first folder off the closest pillar to her desk. However, as she sat it on her desk and pulled out her phoenix quill, she noticed a big brownish folder under it. Replacing the folder, she inspected it quizzically. It was one of those big yellow-brownish folders used for business forms that couldn't be folded. The folder itself was non-descript; no return address, no sender name. She wondered why such a different folder would be in such an important place. Only the most important forms went right on her desk. She shrugged, and activated her magic. The folder was surrounded with a yellow-hued glow, and it lifted itself off her desk. She held it in front of her as she unclasped the pin with her magic and pulled the form out. She donned a perplexed expression as she pulled out a half-page with a single, blurry word on it. She squinted to make it out, and brought it closer to her face.

Surprise.

As she read the word, she tugged at the page, only to find out it wouldn't go any farther. She saw a hole punched through the bottom right corner with a string tied in it, which led to the inside the folder. She gasped as she realized just what the folder was, and pulled it back to toss it across the room just before there a flash, a bright sound, and then...
Nothing.

~~><~~

It had been a late night for Twilight Sparkle. She had been researching the estrus cycle of herself and her friends, and how they somehow all linked together. When she finally made it to her bed, she didn't even cover up; she just slipped into Dreamland.

She was pulled out of dreamland by a strange rapping sound... Kinda like a hoof hitting glass... except a really big hoof, she thought, as she battled to keep her slumber. She wasn't due to be awake for another hour. Suddenly, she heard the sound of shattering glass. She gasped, sat up in bed, and turned towards the nearest window in the library, the glass balcony door. Lo and behold, the middle pane was broken, and whose head should be in it but Derpy Whooves, with a red letter in her mouth.

"Oops, I'm sorry, Twilight! I'll pay for it, I promise!" Derpy said worriedly. Saying this, she dropped the letter. She gasped and leaned down to get it. At this, her head got stuck leaning down. Twilight used her magic and practically ripped the door off its hinges, let alone Derpy.
"Derpy," Twilight started, glimpsing at the clock, "it's 4:30. What is so important that you have to wake me up at 4:30?!"
"Oh, gee, I'm really sorry, Twilight, but this letter is an Emergency Palace Express Letter. The office makes it so I have to stay here until you personally get this letter. So here I am."

"Uh-huh... wait, Emergency Letter?! Let me see that!" Twilight's magic enveloped the envelope (?), yanking it out of Derpy's mouth and in front of her face where she could read it. Twilight read out the letter.
Dear Miss Sparkle:

We regret to inform you of this tragic event, but exactly 6 days, 3 hours, and 26 minutes ago (at the time of writing this letter), a bomb-
"A BOMB?!" Twilight shrieked, before continuing the letter,
- was detonated in the Office of the Royal Chambers of Princess Celestia. The reason for the attempted assassination is unknown, but the Royal Offices have been destroyed. Princess Celestia, currently booked in Canterlot General Hospital, is alive, but in critical condition. Before you ask, visitors are NOT allowed. The Doctor says that it's going to be a good 3 months before she completely recovers, and that it's a miracle she's alive. She has remained unconscious, borderline comatose, since the accident, only waking once, screaming in agonizing pain. The Doctor had to put her under to bring relative silence to the O.R. The extent of her injuries is... extensive, to say the least, but she's hanging by a thread, and that's all the surgeons need. Princess Luna has temporarily taken over her duties in the Courts, but, needless to say, she is quite overwhelmed. Therefore, I, as well as the other 349 members of the Emergency Parliament-
"A PARLIAMENT?! How long have they had THAT?!" Twilight yelled angrily, before once again resuming the letter,
of Equestria, would greatly appreciate it if you, as well as the rest of your fellow Elements of Harmony, would come to Canterlot to fulfill her duties until she recovers. Of course, if you accept, you will not be required to fill her role as the Celestial Goddess, merely to act in her stead as chairman of the Equestrian Day Court and as Princess of Equestria. Your fellow Elements of Harmony will each be appointed to a particular position that suits their separate talents, but you have been asked to take the highest position, due to your personal experience as a student of Princess Celestia. Please, Twilight Sparkle, we beg for your help.

With all due repect;

Tally Mark

Prime Minister, Equestrian Emergency Parliament
Twilight just stared at the wall, shocked. Derpy had long since flown away, earning bits for her family of 3. Twilight's mind was screaming, saying that if she flipped it over, there would be a Post-it that would say Haha, sorry for the joke, but Princess Celestia is fine, and you DON'T need to uproot your entire life for three months to replace her! She was a bit upset... she used her magic to grasp her least favorite book and flung it toward the nearest window; she had to replace the door, why not a window, too? Just hearing the glass shatter helped ease her. She wasn't sure of why this had happened, what she was going to do, or many other things. She just wished that she had never woken up this morning... then there would be no Derpy, no letter, no bomb...

No chaos.

Thanks for reading! If you have anything to say or point out, just comment below!
Written and edited by me.
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, all characters, and all locations created by and property of Hasbro.
Tally Mark and the Equestrian Emergency Parliament created by me.

Chapter 2: Getting the Gang Together

Chapter 2
At the Train Station

~~><~~

Naps. We all love naps, or, at least, those of us that are sane. Of course, one pony who REALLY likes naps is Rainbow Dash. We should all be aware of this, yet, it seems like nopony in Ponyville is. There's always something falling, somepony crying, and one pony who's most definitely NOT napping. However, today was one of the few, few days Rainbow actually could enjoy her lunch-to-dinner nap.

Or so it seemed.

"RainbowDashRainbowDashRainbowDashRainbowDashRainbowDaaaash! Wake UUUup!"

Rainbow would recognize the voice of her best friend, the hyper-hopping baker, anywhere. She frowned, groaned, and peeked over the side. Sure enough, there she was, hopping, smiling, and waiting for a response. So that's exactly what she did.

"Pinkie," Rainbow said, yawning, "If you're going to ask about the cupcakes, I don't feel like baking any. I just get an... eerie feeling when I go into Sugarcude Corner's kitchen. Sorry."

"Nononononononononononononononononononooooo, silly! Twilight wants to meet us all at the train station! I don't know why, I want to keep baking, but I listen to Twilight, and she told me to come get you, so here I am! Hi!" She plumped her rear on the ground, stared up, smiling, and started waving. Rainbow rolled her eyes. She loved Pinkie more than any of her other friends, but only in a friend way (right?), and there were times that she could just really, really, REALLY annoy her.

Rainbow sighed. She could be having a meeting with the mayor of Snoozeville. But duty calls, and she's not just the Element of Loyalty for the Hell of it. Besides, if Twilight wanted her, it must be important.

She rolled off the cloud, spreading her wings just before she hit the ground, slowing the fall and allowing her hooves to gently hit the ground. Suddenly, her back was on the ground with the pink baker on top of her, squealing.

Rainbow Dash could get used to this.

~~><~~

Her back hooves hit the tree, the apples fell, and onto the next. A standard day in the life of Applejack. She straightened her hat as the apples cam tumbling down, then moved on to the next tree. She'd be back to pick them up later. Applejack sighed. Somedays, she wished she were a unicorn so she could just magic down all the apples and actually have some free time before late in the afternoon. Maybe she'd go get a book from Twilight or go see if Rarity was still interested in that "Rural Beauty" dress line... but, she realized, if she kept daydreaming, she wouldn't even have the little free time she regularly gets. She shook her head and walked on to the next tree.

Meanwhile, on the edge of the expansive property that was Sweet Apple Acres, Rarity slowly walked towards the gate, watching for any mud puddles from the rain the night before. She shuddered, wondering why Pinkie wanted her to get Applejack. She knew that she didn't have time for a party; her dress line wasn't going to make itself. She decided the sooner she was done with this, the sooner she could make sure the Carousal Boutique was still intact and Sweetie Belle's cutie mark wasn't for pyrotechnics. By now, she had passed the gate, and she could feel the mud squish under her rain boots; the sweet scent of apple pie wafted into her nostrils. She thought about merely forgetting Applejack and getting some apple pie.

Of course, if she waited long enough, Applejack would give her plenty of apple pie, with a very special ingredient in it...

She glanced around for a hint of orange amongst the brown and green. Sure enough, there she was, her beautiful Applejack, bucking the trees as normal. Rarity knew how strong those legs were; she'd seen them in action many times. She started walking towards her favorite mare in Ponyville. Applejack glanced her out of the corner of her eye, and saw white and purple. She smiled, knowing exactly who was there to visit.

"Well, hiya, Rarity! Need somethin'? I'ma bit busy right now, but I could probableh swing by the boutique later tanight. Ah cud bring that toy ya like, the one with the-"

Rarity practically shouted, "APPLEJACK! You know we don't discuss such things outside either your barn or the boutique, and only after the little ones go to bed. You never know who could be listening. Rainbow Dash could be on a cloud above us, Pinkie- well, Pinkie could be anywhere, Twilight could have a sound-enhancing spell or something... you never know. NEVER."

"Rarity, ah'm pretty sure everypony knows ba' now, and ah'm amazed the little ones get any sleep, after all the noise we make.. especially when I-"

Applejack chance a glimpse at Rarity, and regretted it instantly. She was giving Applejack the 'shut up now before I start wrenching your very soul out of your body' look. Applejack shut her mouth. Rarity smirked.

"Anyways," Rarity continued, "Pinkie sent me to get you. We all have to meet Twilight at the train station. Before you ask, I don't know why; I just know that's what Pinkie told me."

"And you're sure that it's not one a' there pranks?"

Rarity knew that question would come. Both of them were often at the blunt end of the prankster's 'harmless' jokes. She had made Pinkie Pinkie Promise that is wasn't a prank before she left the boutique.

"Yes, Applejack, I'm certain. Now, we need to head to the station. Are you coming or do you need to grab anything?"

Applejack's mind flashed with all sorts of thoughts, and she whispered in Rarity's ear.

"Well, there might be a few things I need ta... grab."

Rarity looked at Applejack, and her face broke into a smile. She knew her next destination in a heartbeat: Bedroom, right end table, second draw down, press the pressure release switch and open up the false bottom...

~~><~~

Meanwhile, at Canterlot Castle, Princess Luna stood at the top of her tower, watching the clock that was Canterlot's marketplace tick. That unicorn is getting a new coat. The pegasus over there was at the Wonderbolt Merch Stand, buying a replica of Spitfire's goggles. A brown earth pony is getting into that police box, and now it's disappearing- wait, what? The Princess of the Night dismissed it as an eye trick, a shadow caused by her sister's beautiful sun...

'Oh, my dear, dear sister. Who could've done this to you?' Luna thought. She forced her eyes shut as the dam broke and the tears poured out.

Rap.

'What was that noise?' Luna wondered. It couldn't be knocking; she'd asked not to be disturbed.

Rap. Rap. Rap.

And yet it was. The princess sniffled, wiped away her tears, and yelled, "What is it?! I ordered that I was not to be disturbed!"

A gruff voice came from the other side, muffled. "Your sister is awake, your majesty. She's asked for you to come to the hospital immediately."

Luna's eyes went wide. She pondered the mathematics in her head. Celestia was at point-blank range, the bomb was powerful enough to destroy the royal tower, her fur was black when she entered the hospital, it's only been 53 hours, 26 minutes, and 47 seconds, and her sister was awake? It didn't add up. Which meant...

Luna took on a fighting stance. Whoever this was, it was most definitely NOT a royal guard.

"Show yourself, imposter!" The Royal Canterlot voice kicked in, "Who are you and how did you get up here?! Speak!"

The voice took on a sinister echo as it started laughing madly. Luna did not back down; she only used a secret trigger to summon her Dark Guards.

"Discord? Have you escaped? The Elements of Harmony are on their way; they will stop you!"

The disembodied voice just kept laughed insanely, then replied, "Please. Discord is a carnival sideshow compared to me, and I'm not afraid of those petty jewels. They can only put me in a prison, and every prison has an entrance. Only the mighty Celestia can stand up to me; that's why I took care of her. My only regret is I didn't give my minion a more powerful bomb..."

"WHO ARE YOU?!" Luna screamed through the door.

The voice just laughed. Luna charged the door, and buck-kicked it open, magic at the ready. She did a 360 so she would be facing out the door, and she found...

Nothing. An empty hallway.

She broke down and cried.

Thanks for reading! If you have anything to say or point out, just comment below!
Written and edited by me.
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, all characters, and all locations created by and property of Hasbro.

Chapter 3

I had an idea for this chapter.
And I had a name.
NOPE
WE'RE NOT STAYING IN YOUR HEAD
WE'RE LEAVING
BYE
So, as a result, I give you this apology instead.

(credit to Niji-koi for the image. I've never heard of him; I did a google images search, and found ^. It was the best option. Check him out HERE)
The proper Chapter 3 will probably be up between now and the end of time itself.
Sorry.