Three Equestrian Nations

My name is Emerald Light, and I am a Council Mare in the Unicorn Unitary Democracy.

I often find it odd when I think about my life as a Unicorn compared to that of others. Now I know that all Unicorns in the UUN live good lives but my life has always been more privileged than most. Being born into a wealthy family of powerful Unicorns I was immediately thrust into the luxury that would boggle the minds of a simple Pegasus or Earth Pony. I never felt the pain of hunger, I never felt the freezing bite of winter, and I always had plenty of toys and friends to satisfy my needs. Some of you may say that my life was perfect seeing as I was part of the one percent. You may say that I always got what I wanted at the expense of others. Some might argue that I am selfish and power hungry, and I have indeed been called that by my fellow Unicorn kin. Let me tell you right now that you probably win all those arguments but do not think that my life has been as easy as some of you make it out to be.

My father Sapphire Blaze wanted a colt as his first born, not a filly. Little did he know that fate would play a cruel trick on him when the nurse handed him me wrapped in a blanket. I heard that he wanted to immediately put me up for adoption, I believe it was my mother Shimmer who somehow managed to calm the spiteful stallion and convince him to keep me. From that moment on I had a broken relationship with my father. Now I know some of you may ask why my father simply didn't just have another foal with my mother and try again. The answer to that is simple and cruel, my mother died a few days after giving birth leaving me and my father alone with each other. My life from then on was not an easy one, or a least it seemed hard to me.

Growing up I rarely spoke to my father mostly because he was the ChairPony on a powerful board in the UUN senate but also because he ignored me whenever he could. To this day I believe that he blames me for the death of his beloved wife and it was only out of respect of her dying wish that he at least attempt to raise me. Who could blame him, there were nights growing up when I cried in my room blaming myself for her death wishing that I was never born or that I had at least been born a male so that my father would love me.

Whenever we did speak it was he who started the conversation, our short chats usually consisting of him complaining about his work.

"Those dam ungrateful Earth Ponies want us to lower their taxes! Can you believe that!? They should consider themselves lucky enough to be able to live in such a great democracy. They say that they can't afford food for their families and that they worry about their safety living on the edge of the territory! The only thing those work horses need to worry about is tending to their fields!"

"But Father, shouldn't we try and help them? If they live better lives then won't they work better?"

"Hehe. Emerald, let me ask you something. Do you what an Earth Pony basically is?"

"No father I do not."

"Well Emerald, all an Earth Pony is a Pegasus without wings. What use are they other than working out in the fields? Half of them can't read while the other half can barely talk in broken sentences! What else can they possibly do for us? Now away with you, I want to be alone."

"Yes Father."

"Just be glad you were born a Unicorn, other wise I doubt even your mother would of wanted me to keep you hehe!"

In a way I both feared and felt pity for that stallion. Behind his cold hard gaze was a broken pony, he never got over my mother's death and never married again. Any shred of respect that I had for him was from that alone. I did not care about his title or his power, to me he was just a broken stallion living without a wife that he loved and with a child that he did not love. As   I grew older I realized that I did not need his love. The various maids and butlers that he employed cared for me throughout my childhood. They were the closest thing I had to a real mother and father, how pitiful is that?

As I went on with my life and entered my adolescence I became perhaps a bit more happier. I was never truly happy but the few moments when I didn't hate myself or my life were the ones that I cherished the most. When I was old enough I was sent away to live at a boarding school in the capital fortress city of Loria, the school was only twenty minutes from my father's home. It was years later in my history class that I learned that Loria had at one point in history been called Canterlot, it was only after the UUN was formed that they had changed the name. While I attended school I made plenty of friends, or at least they considered me their friend. Behind their loving eyes and kind words I could see what they really wanted, my fortune.

"Hey Emerald wan't to come hang out with us after school?"

" I'm having a sleepover at my house this weekend Emerald, I'd really love it if you could come!"

" Gee Emerald, I'm so jealous of you! You have money and beauty, I wish I was you!"

They wished they were me.

If they were me they probably would of hanged themselves long ago. In fact, sometimes I did wish I could trade lives with them. Perhaps then I would be happy with a different life, or at least happy that another pony would know the pain that I went through growing up. If there was one thing that I did, and still do, love about myself is that I am beautiful. Nice and lean, a pointy horn, a bluish mane that flowed elegantly, and stunning white coat. My cutie mark had also appeared at one point during this time. I don't know when and I didn't care. It is only a scroll with a magic aura around it .I always had suitors and stallions always asked me if I could be their very special some pony. There was a time when I believed that perhaps the love from another pony would bring me happiness. I accepted the offer from the first stallion who asked me out. He was a handsome one, the kind of pony that all the ugly mares hoped and dreamed would acknowledge their existence. After our fifth date I left him seeing as how I was not happy.

"Yur-yur-You're breaking up with me?! Why!?"

"To be honest I don't quite know why I'm breaking up with you. I'm just not happy."

"What mare wouldn't be happy with me? I'm the captain of the jousting team, I'm the student body president, and I'm a shoe in for valedictorian when I graduate!"

"I'm aware of all that but that still does not change the matter. I suppose I should say farewell and head back to my dorm now."

"But no mare has ever broken up with me before! It's always been me, the stallion, who broke up with them after I was bored!"

"I guess I'm the first then, first times for everything you know."

With my brief experience with dating finished I moved on with my goal at attempting to seek happiness in life. The rest of my school years passed by rather quickly. As fate would have it I was the one destined to graduate as the valedictorian. At the graduation ceremony I gave a speech that I had written the night before. When I finished the ponies in attendance stood up and cheered, though I believe most of them didn't even understand what I had said.

I don't know why but I looked out into the stands looking for  particular pony. I saw that his seat was empty just as it had been when the ceremony started. He had disregarded the ticket I sent to him.

I acquired a job in the UUN armed forces as secretary for a high ranking general after I finished school. With my education completed I saw no reason to return to my father's home. I lived in the encampment with the soldiers on the outskirts of Manehatten.  With the money I earned I could of easily rented a cozy apartment in the city but I figured I was done with that life for now. It had obviously not brought me happiness so maybe it wouldn't hurt to ruff it out a little.

My barracks was my home and workplace, huh, I guess even with that aspect my life was cozy seeing as how I worked from home. Everyday was the same routine; wake up when the bugle horn sounds, get ready for the day, go outside, receive an inspirational speech from  General Salarian, go to work at my desk. The soldiers went about, clanking in their suits of armor, and I simply stayed in the General's office. Nothing particularly exciting would happen for the rest of the day and then I was off to my Barracks to read or do something to pass the time before I went to bed.

Even after all these years I can recall the camp motto that General Salarian always told new recruits and draftees.

REMEMBER-YOU WERE BORN TO DIE FOR YOUR NATION

Many of those young stallions did end up dying as well, at least they had some comfort in their dying moments that they had fulfilled their life's goal. They died attacking the other pony nations or they died defending from the the attacks of the other nations. It didn't matter, either way they died and dead was dead. Sometimes I would even visit the camp infirmary as I headed out to lunch. Bloody broken messes, that's all I would ever see with the occasional Unicorn suffering from shell shock or PTS. They would be bandaged up or healed with magic before being sent out into the fray again.

One day the camp was attacked. It was the first time I had ever seen a battle up close.

"General! A large EPSF force is heading towards our camp! They've already burned and destroyed the worker Pegasus Settlements to the West!"

"Those rotten filthy vermin! They think they can just waltz in here and kill our workers as they see fit? Corporal ready the men, if these brain dead animals want a fight then by the high council we'll give them a fight! Evacuate the camp of any non-essential Unicorn personnel! The Earth Pony and Pegasus workers will stay until the battle's over."

Out of curiosity I asked if I could stay and observe the battle.

" General, would it be possible that perhaps I stay and help fight the good fight?"

"You!? You're just my secretary, why should I let you fight when all you'll do is weigh my men down?"

"I'm sure I could assist in some form, after all my magic is strong."

"You want to assist? Fine take your magic and head on over to the infirmary with the Pegasus medics, you can assist those slackers."

Not good enough, so I decided to try a bluff.

"No General, I want to be on the front line. If you don't comply with my wish then I'm sure my father will have something to say about that!"

"You're joking right? Don't take me for a fool missy, I know all about your relationship with your father. He doesn't give a rat's ass about you! Now out of my way, I have a battle to win!"

For the first time in my life I had not gotten what I wanted. The feelings that had begun to swell up in me boiled. I was...angry, frustrated, and spiteful. I was a lot of things at that moment but one thing that I was not was stupid. Obeying his last order I decided to go to the infirmary and help the lowly Pegasus that were there.

The battle ended the next morning with a victory for our side. All night long the sound of magical explosions and yells from the dying were heard. The Pegasus brought back the injured and I tended to them. The UUN had the smallest armed forces out of all the pony nations but we were also the most advanced  technologically and magically allowing us to win most of our battles even though we were fewer in number.

Finally when the General and his troops returned to camp victoriously I was allowed access to go and see the battlefield. Carnage and chaos was what I saw, nothing more and nothing less. As walked through the field of bodies I thought that I would feel compassion, I did not. All around me lay body parts and remains of what had at one point in the recent past been living creatures.

They were dead and I was alive. I could continue on with my life doing what I saw fit, my journey had not ended. For them however life was over. Any dream they once possessed died with them in battle. They would never be fathers or return to their families. I guess you would say that I should of felt happy that it was they who died and not I, but I wasn't. There I was still breathing in the field of rotting corpses. I looked down and saw that blood had gotten onto one of my hooves. Blood from a soldier who died in battle for what he believed in or forced to fight. I wiped the blood off me on the grass before I returned to camp.

I wrote my resignation letter and said farewell to the General who was more than happy to be rid of me. I gathered my belongings and made my way back to Loria. I was done with this lifestyle and besides, for the first time in my life my father had summoned me.

While I was in the military for a few years my father had apparently become very ill. When I finally saw him again he was laying on his death bed with doctors and nurses around him. When I entered his room he just looked at me like I was ghost, his eyes hazy and shaking. He barked out a few orders and the nurses and doctors left us alone in that deathly room.

"Hello Father, you seem surprised to see me. I see that you're not doing so well, is that why you chose now out of any point in my life to summon me to your side?"

"Watch your tongue Emerald! I may be old and weak but I am still your Father and you will treat me with respect!"

"Very well, I suppose I can grant you wish. I know! How about I shut up and let you talk whatever the hell you want? You know just like when I was growing up? Oh wait you weren't there for that were you?"

"You little impudent mare, how dare you speak to me like that! I brought you into this world..."

"Wrong, it was my mother that brought me into this world and look at how that worked out for her."

"You watch your tone when you talk about my wife! It's only because of her that I gave you a happy life full of everything that you could ever want!"

Gave me a happy life?

"Don't kid yourself Father, I was never happy, how could I be? I just went through life dealing with all the crap that I encountered. You may have given me everything I wanted but that did not make me happy!"

He started to cough violently and as if sensing his time in this world was coming to a close he changed the subject.

"Look, the reason why I called you here today is that I have a favor to ask of you. I want you to replace me on the UUN Council."

To say that I was a bit taken back by the request would of been an understatement.

"Me? Replace you on the Council? Pardon me for being skeptical but why out of all the Unicorns that you know have you chosen me to replace you?"

"Because you are from my blood line! Is that not obvious enough for you? If anypony is to replace me in the Council it will be one who shares my blood."

"What if I refuse and go throw myself off a cliff? I'm sure that would end your precious blood line."

"Consider it as repaying the debt you owe me for eve-ev-everything tha-that I gave....gave y-"

His head fell back on his pillow with his eyes wide open but lifeless. I took his hoof and felt no pulse. He was gone.

"Fool of a stallion, you claimed to have given me everything that I ever wanted but you failed to give me the thing that I wanted the most...happiness."

I put his hoof back onto the bed and shut his eyes closed with my hoof. Life can be weird because I do not know if I imagined what happened next or if it actually occurred.

I started to cry at the side of my dead father.

Here I am now in the present. My life is good, I have a seat of power in the UUN, and I am rich beyond any ponies wildest dreams. I can have any pony saved from death or I can be the one that orders it. Here I am with all this power and influence, my wish being the command of thousands of ponies; Earth Pony, Pegasus, and Unicorns in the UUN. All of their lives being influenced by my power and decision making.

Just three days ago The Council was proposing that we send a UUN army unit to attack a PDC encampment to the East. I nominated that it be General Salarian who lead the attack on the camp. It was just this morning that I received the news that the General had been killed during the fight. Two victories had been achieved during that battle, one for the nation and one for me. Today the Council took a vote on whether or not to raise members pay another forty percent, naturally I voted yes. Over the past few years since I joined the Council I realized that I have developed an itchy hoof. More wealth for me seemed like a good idea and it was.

The wealth and power that I had acquired was filling up the void that had been present in me since the day I came into this world. Who needed happiness when money and influence could do the same thing? There is one problem however, no matter how much wealth I receive or how much higher I move in the Council it never seems to be enough. I always want more to satisfy this hunger that I have. Some say that all Unicorns are naturally like this. I say that its only the successful ones that develop this hunger.

I always need more and always in larger amounts. I will fill this void in me no matter how long it takes. Until the day I die my itchy hoof will continue to torment me demanding more.

Here I am now laying down in my bed, wide awake, thinking about more about how I can fill this void and maybe even satisfy the hunger I have developed. Finally my strength is leaving me and I discover that my eyes are closing on their own. Sleep has finally found me. My mind is drifting away  but one thought stays with me as I enter my dreams.

This greed will never be satisfied.