27th of March, 3001, 1 Year After Luna’s Return, Canterlot, Equestria.

The spring is a beautiful time no matter where you go, a time where the dead come back to life, where the snow melts into beautiful rivers, a time of peace and friendship. Flowers grow from the dead brush killed by chill and winter, their petals facing upwards towards the welcoming embrace of the sun, no longer fearing the cold winter nights they hid away from. Foals run the streets more than the Guard, enjoying the warmth of the days and the chill of the nights without worry for anything else, innocent and precious. For Canterlot, spring is a time of rebuilding, for it’s been a week since the attempted invasion by Queen Chrysalis of the Green Hive. Even still the scars maar the streets, broken windows and the paint scratched on doors, while above it all sits Canterlot Palace, where the sisters rule together.

My name is Friten, I was born to a Green Changeling mother and to a Thestral father, earning me the title of Crossbreed. Unlike the other Green Changelings, I feed off of fear, and panic, much more negative emotions than the love and lust of my mother, earning me shame compared to my peers. I am no spy mistress, no warrior or conniving planner, I am an author, always having had a better time describing myself through word than through anything else. I stand taller than my peers, thinner, with wings a strange mix of leather and insect, a chitinous exoskeleton a more blue tone in color, and yellow eyes. I left my Hive shortly after the invasion, seeking to document the facts of the world, to do something with my ageless life, rather than waste it away in fiction and fantasy.

I sat in the waiting room in Canterlot Palace, having made to meet with Princess Luna first on my journey around the world. Princess Luna recently returned from her banishment, freed from the demonic influence of Nightmare Moon, and it’s safe to say she’s the freshest, yet oldest, pair of eyes in the world, seeing everything as it truly is, not as it’s pretending to be. Put simply, Luna sees through bullshit, that’s why Chrysalis took every step to ensure she never awoke during the Invasion, out of fear that Luna would immediately stomp her out.

Entering into the room, I was able to admire Luna’s form, for all that is shown behind her simple blue dress. She is muscular, more so than any other pony in Equestria, and she is tall, second only to her sister, striking a remarkable figure in the soft blues and blacks of her meeting room. Her eyes are a striking blue color, cold and warm at the same time, a mare who will observe your every move and order you into battle, a battle which she would lead, of course. Her mane and tail are twinkling starlight, reminding any who view her of just what she is, more than just body and muscle, she is a wise mare, a mare of the night, of thinking and starlight.

She sat across from me and poured tea for us to drink, black tea, freshly made, cooling it to a reasonable temperature with her horn. A show of power or merely a show of hospitality, or both, it’s impossible to tell with a mare such as her. She would start the conversation, leading with a simple question, her voice soft yet carrying unflinching strength behind it, “Good evening, Miss Friten. We detect you are a writer.”

I would nod, making sure to take all notes down in my notebook, taking her tea graciously and sipping from it. She would watch me all the while, not a specific suspicion due to my species as most would watch me for, but rather a general guarded and careful personality, letting me know I couldn’t get away with anything. I would sit back, my two-toned yet light voice speaking in return, “Good evening, Princess Luna, and yes, I would be. I’m sure you’ve noticed the deterioration in relations all across the world, as I have.”

She would nod as she finishes sipping, her nod strong and decisive, “Indeed we have. The strike against our nation has left others thinking we are weak, that we will not watch nor notice as they strike. The Griffons seek to retake lost land from the Minotaur to the east, the Zebras and the Hindians seek to unify into one state to the west, even the Kirin to the south are getting… antsy. Not to mention your homelands, the Changelings, a hive left in a state of chaos as a pretender takes the Green Throne, the Red Hive left to stagnate under a ruler even older than us, while the Brown and Blue do naught but sit back and watch. It feels as if the world is a string ready to snap under its own tension.”

I would look into her eyes, and tilt my head in response, inquisitive, “Perhaps, yes. You sound as if you speak from experience, Princess Luna. Given your long absence, and your long past, I was wondering if you had any unique insights from the past, which would apply here.”

Luna would look back, only to then glance away, out of a nearby window, where her moon was rising in the distance, “It’s not unique, that is true. We have seen it happen many times in our lifespan. It is ancient history, but in the collapse of the Romauian Empire, the world changed, as our father unified Equestria under his banner, the Minotaur unified under their King Cain, even the Zebra were able to take in refugees from the Romauians in order to jumpstart the development of the tribes. All of this led to later in our life, when our father was slain by King Cain, which once more caused the world to shift. Grover the First rose to fight the Minotaur menace, our uncle was driven mad with grief and wrought chaos upon the land, our other uncle locked himself in his crystal city, and even the Zebra and desperate Hindians were made to unify against an attack from the west.”

I would nod along, noticing a distant look to Luna’s eyes as she speaks, not nostalgia, but something akin to it, perhaps something a young being like myself would never understand. I would take a second before responding, “If I may, Princess Luna, what you’re saying sounds like… inflection points. There are times in history where everything happens, and in-between those times are times where nothing happens. Do you believe we are in one of those points?”

Luna would look back, taking a second before nodding, “We speak not as a Princess, but as an observer of the modern world when we say yes. As you phrase it, these ‘inflection points’ are started when an era of peace is broken, be it the Pax Romaunum, the peace brought about by my father’s presence, or the current thousand year peace, broken by the Invasion. It is impossible to say if this is a point, but all signs point to it. Acts shall happen to every country, which will shape their futures for all time to come. Griffonia shall rise and young Minotaruia shall fall, or the Griffon state may never rise again, the Zebras may achieve ancient glories, or fade away into famine and obscurity.”

I would point my pen to her as she speaks, “And what of Equestria? What do you think you shall do, Princess Luna, what will you push for, what do you hope for?”

She pauses and looks deep into my eyes, as if scanning for intention or trickery, but would relent after a quiet minute of contemplation, “We shall not share the same goals as our sister. We never have. Or, rather, we would trot a different path than she does. The Changeling Invasion has shown us all one thing, Equestria can no longer withstand to live disarmed and unprepared, or we open ourselves up to a more competent foe. We cannot rely upon the magical luck of two ponies to save us from every invasion, we were already lucky enough to survive once. We shan’t chance luck again, nor shall we test fate. Sister is a smiling imperialist, offering deals and subjugation behind smiles and kind words, we are not the same. Equestria has been the mother of the nations around us for too long, smiling and loving, it is time we remind them that ponies are more than smiles and sunshine.”

I nod once more, finishing off my tea and setting it down, “So you would have Equestria prepare itself for war? Who do you think would come after you?”

She would frown softly, before speaking in a more neutral tone, “Everyone, as it always has been. When we rose up against our sister, fellow nations watched like vultures, waiting for us to be too weak. It is only due to the coward Empress of Zebrica and the arrogant and corrupt Emperor of Griffonia being too busy in their own realms that they didn’t invade. If they were intelligent, as the Emperor Xerxes is, or had their pride bruised, as the Regents of Griffonia have, then they would have struck while we were weak. With all due respect, the Green Hive is barely a spot on a map, hardly a nation, and Chrysalis is a buffoon, yet still they almost won. The greedy Griffon and the desperate Zebra are sharks, and they smell our blood in the water.”

I write everything down quickly before leaning forward, “Princess Luna, what of other realms yet unknown? Scholars have detected odd amounts of pollution coming from the south, where the Storm Templar resided millennia ago, and the draw of magic north, through the Crystal Pass, has only increased. Do you believe these southern and northern realms hold any threat?”

She would shake her head quickly, “None that we could not face. We are Equestria, and no matter what force brought against us, no matter how powerful or how cunning, we shall be prepared.” She then stands, “Now, we are afraid that is all the time we can spare. We have courtly duties to attend to. We wish you luck in your endeavors and hope that none of what we have said shall come to pass.”

I would stand and give her a respectful bow, “Thank you for the time, Princess Luna, and have a good night.”

Spring is beautiful in Equestria, as it is a time of rebirth, a time for new life to spring from the ashes. The Canterlot Invasion was a bitter cold snap which destroyed the beautiful flowers of Equestria, withering away the roses and violets that once dominated it. But like a Phoenix, Equestria says it will rise from the ashes, and if Luna should have her way, it will be powerful, sturdy, a redwood tree in relation to the rose it used to be, sturdy and rising above all others. All along the streets, it’s easy to see that ponies are ready. Lower class, middle class, even the nobles all pitch in to help the Guard, picking up and disposing of leftover weapons, cleaning up dried blood, all with a smile on their face. Luna would see Equestria follow her to war, and it would seem the ponies are already in lockstep.

The logical next step would be to talk to Princess Celestia, but I would prefer to wait to talk to her for later, perhaps as my final chapter. For now, I head east on a train to Manehatten, so I may take a train over to Griffonheim, new capital of Griffonia, where I shall interview the Regents and then the child Emperor himself. Luna sees a future of war after being attacked, it will be interesting to see how the Griffons view it differently.

Signed Friten the Crossbreed, March 27th, 3001, may my trip remain safe.

Author's Note

Hello everyone.

So, I’m writing something new, and I don’t plan to abandon this one. I’ve realized over my long writing career that I’m not really made to write big stakes adventures, they never turn out how I want them to. So instead, I’m taking a new route, focusing entirely on a character and their adventure through the world. I hope everyone enjoys it.