//------------------------------//
// A Conflict of Interest 
// Story: TCB: Thera 
// by Joe Toon 
//------------------------------//

June 27, 2020
Two weeks after the start of the war

To the rulers of Equestria and its nobility,

Let us be the first to congratulate you on your successful capture of Egypt and the Suez Canal, which in effect should guarantee your inevitable victory against the nations of Thera. We hope that the blueprints of Theran weapons, the maps that mark the locations of various Theran Airshipyards and military bases, and the supply of Arzen crystals were sufficient enough to kick the war effort into high gear to further your conquest. We must say, what took the Starcatchers a hundred years and a half to prepare and still fail took you two weeks to eventually succeed.

Taking Thera’s very own silver bullet to everything from energy shields to thick armour, and using it against them was a tactic that we often find ourselves short due the inability to mine (or for your case, cultivate). It is still a wonder how your rock farms manage to grow what are essentially highly volatile lava crystals. 

However, we’ve come to the part of the letter where we inform you that we couldn’t help but notice a certain conflict of interest between our respective factions. I believed it was agreed upon that in exchange for the technology, information and Arzen, on top of a percentage of the planet’s population converted and yours to keep; you will not interfere with our agents and you will deliver the ownership of Thera to us. 

Do not take us for fools. We have been watching you with interest for the last five years. We know of your plans for Thera and her colonies. We know of your sudden interest in mankind, particularly from certain reports of your ponies that mingled with them over the past five years. We know what you did to one of our most promising agents, callsign Cozy Glow, or rather what’s left of her. We know you plan to break our deal just as you betrayed the League of Nations.

Make no mistake Equestrians, Thera is ours by right and you have no claim to it, whatsoever. It is the seat of humanity and must therefore be ruled by humans; not by some mythical creatures with the resemblance of children’s toys. We have waited for a thousand years to claim this world and we will not have you steal what is rightfully ours.

Now you may be wondering; the organisation that was infamous for selling out humanity to the Starctachers is arguing with us about honouring deals? Oh the irony! We believe you have misjudged us. Yes, we betrayed humanity to the Starcatchers but we were promised ownership of the planet in exchange for its resources. Yes, we sparked the Great War and kept it going for more than a hundred years for our Xeno benefactors but in exchange we were guaranteed the technology to travel across realities. And yes, we caused the deaths of more than a third of the world’s population over the course of a hundred years but in exchange we gained a population that is made easier to control. All a small price to pay. 

Yes, we are devils in our own right. We strike deals most favourable to us, but make no mistake, we always hold our end of the bargain. You made a deal with us and you intend to break it. And if we devils keep true to our side of the bargain what does that make you, Equestrians?

As the saying goes; make a deal with the devil and you owe him your soul. Break his deal, and he breaks you. You would deny us what is owed, so therefore we will deny you your victory. Consider this our declaration of war against you. We will break you from the shadows. We will sabotage your weapons. We will destroy your economy. We will turn the population against you. We will steal your experiments and use them for our own. And as you watch everything you laboured crumble beneath you, know that it was we who caused your demise.

You are probably thinking to yourselves; how far will we go? How much damage could we possibly cause? You will know sooner than you think. In fact, it has already begun. Inside these letters addressed to each and every one of you contains a very deadly poison called Anthrax. As you are reading this, you have no doubt touched this letter. Or for those who are holding this with magic, breathe on it. If you are quick enough you might just find a way to cleanse yourselves from the poison before it chokes you from the inside. But for those of you that realised far too late, best of luck.

With full regards, The Shadow King.
All hail the New World Order.




That same week, more than half of the ruling class of Equestria including Luna was poisoned by Anthrax spores. The attack claimed the lives of 28 victims with 79 more in critical condition. This was just the first of the many acts of Terrorism by the New World Order against Equestria.