Final Constant
Chapter Zero: Prologue
The great pair of doors creaked open as a weak, hurt royal unicorn guard limped in. His golden-plated armor crumpled and dirtied. He walked slowly, passing stained glasses of the triumphs of Equestria. He passed depictions of the defeat of the evil Nightmare Moon, the capturing and changing of the deceitful draconequus, Discord, and the sealing of Equestria’s most heartless dictator, King Sombra.
With a groan, he kneeled before Princess Celestia, who stood regally on her throne. Though her posture was firm and unforced, her small smile hid a troubled and disturbed expression, anticipating the worst may have yet to come
“Rise, my little pony.” Princess Celestia said in a practiced tone.
“yes, your majesty. I bring unsettling news from the front.” The royal guard exclaimed in fear. “The tyrant-”
“My sister is not a tyrant, please do hold your tongue if you say such nonsense again.” The older princess said in a leveled voice.
“A-ah, y-yes, Princess. My mistake...” The royal guard trembled under his leader’s eyes.
“...It’s just that, Princess Luna has deployed troops to overthrow our counter-force.” He hesitated for a moment and started again. “It’s overkill, my princess. I am the last of my platoon...” He shook his head, losing his resolve.
“I watched all of my squad mates turn to ash in front of me! I’m all that’s left! I’m the only-”
“Please, gentlecolt, I know not the pain you suffered but please, do tell me what is most important so I may ease that pain.”
“... yes... the news...Princess Luna... has refused to come with a peaceful agreement.” The royal guard said
with a resentful sigh as he levitated a scroll from his saddlebag. A scroll emanated a soft gray glow as it floated to Princess Celestia.
“She has refused to form a united Equestria once more.”
Princess Celestia caught the scroll with her own levitation spell and carefully pulled the ties of the parchment with her magic. As the tie unraveled, the pressure put in it decreased gradually and the new rectangular paper’s words were now visible. the document, as long as the Princess’s height, was from her sister, Princess Luna.
The royal guard had been commissioned to report to the infirmary for any possible injury and trauma treatment. It was afternoon when Princess Celestia received the letter written for her. It was now late in the night. Princess sat there in her throne, speechless, but thoughtful. The chandelier above her was no longer on. The throne room was only lighted by the colorful rays of moonlight that filtered in through the stained glass. She had been pondering of answers, of solutions, and most frequently, of miracles.
She had read it numerous times over and over again as not to miss or misunderstand a single word. Her hope dwindled each time as the meaning of it grew more and more clear. Her sister, who she loved the most, was waging bloodshed.
“Such... rash actions.” Princess Celestia muttered sadly. “Oh Luna where have I gone wrong? I’m sorry. Truly, I am. I’ve tried. Tried to be a better ruler, a better example, ...a better sister.
Princess Celestia looked up at the moon through one of her unstained glass windows. Surrounding the sun princess in equal distances away from each other was five close to life-sized pearl porcelain plaques of the heroes who have helped mold Equestria to what it was today. The ponies depicted on their individual plaques were no longer here. They have moved on, as evident in the day of their births and deaths engraved onto their plaques.
“I have been reflecting, dear sister.” Princess Celestia started. “I don’t recall anything that may have remotely hurt you. It has been fifteen years since we last met. And all those years, I have not advanced upon you, nor questioned your leaving of me to divide Equestria. I have not stopped to try to unite us. But this I must ask, why have you grown so distant?”
She closed her eyes and shed a lone tear traveled down her cheek, hitting the floor with an inaudible drop.
“If only it were a time of miracles, Luna.” Her eyes opened to join her frown. “I would wish it was only Nightmare Moon controlling you once more... but no, it seems many a bloodshed has been occurring in both parts of what should have been a one Equestria. Some caused by our royal disputes, and some caused by uprisings and rebellions. Our ponies are confused. Do you know that, little sister?”
She looked around her, setting her eyes upon the first plaque she saw. A one of a jumping lively earth pony accompanied to a what looked like a un-hostile cannon.
“The masses are unhappy. They are in fear of what’s left of their unsecured future. Pure smiles are rare to see around anymore. Most are fake and insincere.
Switching her view to two more plaques. One with another respectable earth pony with a rustic stetson hat and a lasso in between her teeth, and one, a beautiful dress wearing unicorn, levitating an actual breathtaking emerald gem.
“They resort to lies and deceit to progress in their limited lives, they choose to hold their possessions close to their chests and leave the needy to their own business.”
One last time, she looked to her left, focusing on the last pair of plaques. Both pegasi, the first one a humble pegasus who chose to stay on the ground to help nurse an injured rabbit who was grateful to see her, and the other, a fearless pegasus who was captured flying freely in the sky, face filled with determined aviation.
“The ponies are unrelentingly cold to each other. Fights are a norm in all of their cities and neighborhoods. Due to this, they do not know who to fight for and with. United camaraderie is non-existent in their hearts. Some join the ranks of the guards for the safety of the nation and some oppose them and try to overtake the law.”
Princess Celestia took a last look at the five plaques and looked again at the pale full moon partially hidden by the dark sky.
“This is not what I want for them. This is not what our heroes fought for.”
The royal guard silently walked out of the royal infirmary and out the castle. He waked to the edge of Canterlot’s cliff. He looked left, then right. Nopony around. He removed his patient’s garments and took off his brace to his injured leg. The royal guard made a devious smile.
“Thanks for the cast, but it is inevitably of no use.” He said to no pony in particular.
His form flashed a sickly green glow and his whole body was engulfed in a green cloak. His white body turned a sudden black, his now black sides sprouted two pairs of thin blue insect-like wings. He closed his hazel brown eyes and once he opened them again. they were now a multi-hexagonal surface. It was as if he had switched eyes with a horsefly. Two of his front teeth became massive incisors and his horn became crooked and unshaped. His bent horn glowed a slight green and a scroll bursted into existence and he caught it in his sharp teeth. His transformation was complete in a matter of milliseconds.
“A true changeling never uses braces.”
The changeling scout ended his flight and dropped in a small opening of a secluded field. He stood behind a fifteen-year old castle. It’s midnight blue hue contrasted the morning sky and light green grass. This castle was built in New Everfree. The entrance was barren of any guards. They all have been apparently deployed to quell the current ‘rebellion.’
He transformed into one of those lunar guards the he had seen and walked inside, faking a broken foreleg. His new navy blue coat and obsidian black armor matching the part, He opened the giant pair of doors leading into the throne room and carried out his act.
“Ach.” The impostor faked a trip.
Princess Luna, who was looking out a panoramic window over looking the relatively new city of New Everfree, noticed him and deployed her magic to soften the fall of the soldier.
“What has happened out there?” Princess Luna leveled the soldier in an upright position before removing her spell.
“It’s a three-on-three out there, my princess!” The lunar guard cried. “Most of our men are pinned down in the middle! The North has made their advance with magicians that can burn us! I watched all of my squad mates turn to ash! There’s virtually nothing left of us and even that’s not stopping the rebels!”
“It has escalated too quickly.” Princess Luna’s expression went darker. “What news can you give me? Did my sister finally forgiven me?”
“...I’m afraid not, Majesty, Princess Celestia did not only reject your apology, she burned it right in front me... she wrote a letter to you in response.” The guard reached into his saddlebag and pulled out a scroll.
The scroll was soon enveloped in a navy blue hue as it floated to Princess Luna with her magic. She untied it the string binding it.
“...I don’t need you...” Princess Luna read aloud, tears welling up in her eyes. She had read the entire paragraph but that one line stood out from the rest, even the war threat. Princess Luna found herself helplessly trying hard to stay focused on the threat but found it impossible.
“She doesn’t need me...” Her voice echoing in the long chamber that is her throne room. The throne was simplistic. It was devoid of any ornaments, paintings and sculptures. It was either Princess Luna kept it that way or she had no time to, considering the sudden circumstances.
“I have no way of knowing, dear sister. What have I done wrong?”
She headed to the window and looked out onto her new city she had built along with the castle. They were vastly enjoying the night. There had been several late-night festivals, soirees, and parties. Princess Luna was pleased to see they were doing such... but it has changed. None are going out anymore in the dark. They are all holed up inside their individual houses, afraid of the idea of battle.
“All these years sister... Why did you cast me aside to claim Canterlot as your own?” She looked at the moon as she pondered sadly.
“I may be inexperienced but by the life of me, I have done no wrong to either you or our ponies.”
There was a heavy silence in her throne room. There were no grasshoppers chirping. Awfully quiet. The moon princess closed her eyes in concentrated thought. She had been thinking all throughout the afternoon, she had asked the lunar guard to rest in the infirmary and to not be disturbed for the rest of the day.
What ever happened? There were no signs, no causes, only sudden results. One day they were the same as always, cheerful, ruling together. That thought earned a tear from her eyes, remembering the good times they had shared together, from the beginning, all the way to that night fifteen years ago.
That’s it.
Princess Luna opened her eyes in revelation and looked up at the moon. “From the beginning... there is no other way than this... this has got to be it.” She said in determined anger.
“You...” Princess Luna barely controlled her volume.
“YOU HAVE DONE THIS TO US.”
Fruit bats that were resting under the overhangs of the castle got startled by the sudden blast of sound and flew away. The princess took notice of her mistake and quickly contained her composure.
“First me, now my sister? You fiend... Of course it was you who was behind all this. I have done nothing wrong and yet she banished me away. Why have I not thought yet of this before.”
Princess Luna took one last look at her moon, it was about to set. She walked out the door of the throne room and proceeded to go to her personal chambers. Inside, she levitated a blank scroll and a fine quill. She dabbed the end of the quill with black ink.
“No more. I shall take back my sister and I shall take back the whole of Equestria.”
“So it begins then.” Chrysalis casually said while sipping from her levitating drink. She was on her throne, in the very center of the hive. It would have been really dark if not for the ominous bright blue glowing mushrooms lighting the area. She rested her legs on the left arm rest and her back on the other. Clearly the throne was too small for her.
“Yes, my queen.” The same changeling replied, not minding his queen’s unladylike-ness. “Their demise has been put into motion. They will soon weaken each other, and then, we shall strike while they are down.”
“Divide and conquer.” Chrysalis droned. “Although it’s easy, I wish it’d come sooner.”
Confused by her lack of enthusiasm, the changeling blinked a bit, and finally, finding the words, started. “Uhm, yes... yes, I also wish it would come sooner. But."
“But?” Chrysalis asked without looking at him.
The changeling grinned darkly. “The reward justifies the wait.”
