It was along the chilled marble halls of the old capital, the once vibrant mixing of yellows and reds long faded with time and weather. Under the gaze of the blemished moon and setting sun a single cloaked figure moved deeper thru the cracked and stained masonry. The sound of hooves muffled by the wet squelching of nearly century old faded carpet. the pattering of rain painted the twilight sky with clouds of gold and periwinkle, yet for all the world it was nothing new or kind. After all how interested can one be when they were born under the fragmented sky? When the world was a never ending twilight, all thanks to the mad Queen.
Only a fool would call her such to her face however there will always be such fools, as there will always be those who only crave power. Nobles or commoners that will bend and kiss the gilded hooves of a unstable god if it gave them the chance to have more, or if they thought it was the only way to survive the her whims. The cloaked figurer stopped beside a painting, the wood rotting as the paint had faded to match the monochromatic world around it. The four figures stood side by side, alabaster and pink wings keeping them all pressed together. The tired form of the midnight blue figure being sandwiched between them leaving the only open space for the last figure. The only one that still had there face. the black markings of magic having burned away everything but the mad Queen. Once kind and bashful eyes looked at the world, eyes that saw harmony and love. eyes that would turn to hardened violet stones. Eyes that were cold as they ordered the death of any who would stand against her. Eyes that saw the world as pieces, tools to be used as she takes everything.
The figure moved closer to the painting, gently brushing a light pink wing over the painting. Feeling the paint chipping and crumbling under the contact with her wing. watching as those once loving eyes cracked and fell away. leaving nothing behind. With a sigh the figure turned away from the painting, They weren't here to get lost in the memories of the past. They would only hold one back. Even with the reminder the figure couldn't stop the memories from steeling them away, moments at a time as they remembered life before the change. Growing up in the glimmering city in the snow. Becoming friends so many others when she enrolled at the school of Friendship. Remembering seeing how spike had gone from the short and childish dragon into a lanky teen, Watching as she and her friends explored and learned how no mater what the power of friendship would win in the end.
The entire world seemed to rejoice when Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship and magic took the throne. A new era of peace willed the world that nothing seemed able to do more then shake a fist at. After who could stand against the mare who had saved Equestria and the world over and over? They had been right, After all who could stand against the embodiment of magic itself? It was a slow prosses, So slow that no one seemed to worry as small bits of there lives changed. An increase in taxes by three present, less then a Bit for the common pony and a almost inconsequential fee for the nobles. All explained as a necessary fee to help increase the industrialization of the Equestrian cities. Expanding infrastructure. It did, but it was also used to build and increase the E.D.P. (The Equestrian Defense Force) but the princess waved off the worries and questions by giving honeyed words of worry about natural disasters and protecting the people of not only equestrua.
It all seemed so simple, even mother had never expected what was coming. After all how do you prepair for the mare who not only saved you at your own wedding, protected your empire, and defeated Teric to turn her gaze from friendship to conquest? No one had noticed that Luna and Celestia had gone missing, and when asked the fools beleaved the traitor when she brushes there consurns to to the sides. Speaking of them retreating to a tropica island to get away from the idea of being princesses and have a true vacation. Who could complain? The sun rose and set like it always had. The world seemed to be getting better and better. More food, new technology, strides in medicine and education. It truly seemed like nothing could have stopped the world from getting better. Even the Lord of Choas had a place, happily helping ponies really see the world as he pulled pranks and assisted the mad queen with testing and flexing the static world as she brought change and new ideas to the world.
The figure turned left at the next intersection of dirty halls. The Twilight sky shining through the shattered and missing glass windows. The stained glass shards decorating the floor in a sea of color. They moved carefully, head low as they focused on not stepping on any of the shards. Even as the soft glint of silver horse shoes showed there bearers protection agaisnt such things it was always better to be safe then sorry. After all it would be horrible if they mad it all this way only to get hurt when at the last leg of there trip. They couldn't stop the quiet giggle from escaping there muzzle. Skipping over a shard that looked like the flank of a yellow pony.
The element bearers, the five mortal mares had lived comfortable lives. Needing not even as they grew old. Looking back it almost seemed like the mad queen had waited for them to pass. As if she didn't want then to see what she planed to do to the world now that she had everything she needed. Applejack, such a simple mare, only caring for her family and friends. She had gotten married to a dirt brown stallion, even had a filly of her own. She never got the chance to grow old, having passed on saving her filly from a landslide.
Pinkie was much the same, except even with her little foal she partied on and on. Here and cheese sandwich brining joy and laughter to the world until she passed out in the middle of a partly. Even with the best doctors and magic the pink party mare passed away from an aneurysm. It seemed to only drag the rest of the elements down, after all the very protectors of the world were now usless, having watched two on there number die only a year after there friend took the throne. Ponies were consered, beleaving that the lavender alicorn was hiding from the pain by making the world a better place. By fixing the very things that led to her friends loss. Sinking bits into fixing the things that stole the lives of her friends. Yet Twilight never stopped, never hid away. She took to the power and control like a duck to water. Reworking and fixing the century old government from the slow and single view to the swift and once just behemoth. It had a hoof in everything. No filly or colt went a day without eating, drinking, seeing, or even touching something that the government owned.
The nobility became nothing more then politicians struggling agaisnt one another to catch the eye of the Princess. To get the co tract with the government. For that was where the bits were. Why spend thousands moving, buying, selling, and worrying about something braking when one can sell the crop right from the field before it was even planted? Why fret about mining cost when you can sell carts of ore before they even see the sun? Nobility became nothing more then toys for the princess to pin agaisnt one another as they struggled to get there very idea sold to the princess. The common pony watched and enjoyed seeing houses lose the power they had. Soon nobal blood ment little. A common pony could become as rich or richer then any nobal in the Cort. All they needed was to be smart.
The world just kept changing, it was hard to now how far it had changed in the first ten years of the mad Queens rule. The entire country seemed to shrink as rodes and trains became better, the once nearly three hour train ride up to Canterlot from ponyvill became thirty minutes on a bad day. The magic drive engine faster then any steam train. Soon land trains with no tracks became a normal sight. Cars of wood and metal that made the trip from Seaddle to Philadelphia take half a day and no need to stop or weight for the train to follow its schedule. Roads seemed to have already been built for them, even if they had to be expanded. All funded and owned by the crown. The very patient, factories, and workers owned and payed by the crown. Yet life seemed so amazing. So new as it grew and changed.
The figure moved into the old throne room, it looked like a monster had come through and decided this room needed a bit of a makeover. The very room seemed to shutter as the stones looked ready to crumble to dust. The once magnificent pillars of marble destroyed. The grown dusted with the powered stone. There wasn't a single shard of glass, the very windows empty there once colored depictions having long since been used for a far uglier purpose. The three thrones that had once showed the unity of the three princesses having been tossed like flower, the once gilded solar throne now crumpled and half embedded into the once grand wooden doors. The lunar throne didn't fair any better. It's Ebony shards painting the ceiling with black shards and holes. The fight hat had balanced here was the first and last. For it only took one fight for the Crystal Empire to fall and the Empress Twilight Sparkle, queen of the United Equestria, to take the last tool she needed to stop the world from stopping her.
Twilight Sparkle sat on her throne, the periwinkle and gold throne for the now larger alicorn. No one had question her when she had slowly grew as tall as Celestia, ow when her mane begain to drift on its own ethereal breeze. It only made the very po ies that had come to Cort beleave she was truly the princess to lead them. No one asked where the old diarchy. Maybe that was the real problem. No one looked to the past or worried of the actions the princess took as the last petitioner of this days Cort left there problem partly solved by the lavender alicorn. She stood, stretching her body and wings as she let out a soft grunt. Only for the large throne room doors to slam open. The soft blue glow of magic tossing them aside as the angered pink Empress of the crystal empire stomped in.
"Twilignt Sparkle! I demand an answer as to why there are five legons of your solders storming through my city! They are harassingmy ponies and shutting down my city."
Twilight let out a long sigh as she slowly pulled her body back to its regal bering. The mask of calm understanding settling. With measured steps she worked her way down the throne steps and closer to the fuming alicorn.
"Cadence, I'm sorry for the miscommunication. I had sent a letter a week before they arrived. There is a dangerous criminal that fled to the frozen north. This unicorn has stolen Starlights altered time spell. With it they can alter the time line to the point of destroying equestria."
"No, no, that is not the Twilight I know. The TwilightI know would have told me face to face. Not send a letter and call it good. What is really happening ladybug? The last time we spoke was on Flurrys birthday, and even then you only stopped by to give her a present and vanished again."
Cadence moved closer, having to look up at her sister in law. Once the short unicorn would be flustered or abashed by the temper. Sorry for seeming distant, apologize and work to fix the problem. But this wasn't the little unicorn, this was the sole ruler of equestria. Even if ponies didn't know it yet.
"Don't worry Cadence, I have just been a little busy this last few months. Working to keep the social assistance programs from draining the coffers while not cutting or raising taxes. Even a few nobals are breathing breathing down my neck to limit it further. It's a long dance I grow tired of."
Cadence looked up at her sister, looking I to the masked smile, the face that reminded her far to much of Celestia. The life of hiding behind the motherly ideal. Even if Twilights mask was more of the collected and kind teacher then wised mother.
"Twi, i... you need to slow down. Your going to run yourself ragged. Even Auntie Tia needed to slow down and step back. Maybe you-"
"No. I will not slow down Cadence." Twilight I treated the smaller pink alicorn. Her mask cracking as she scowled down at the Empress of the crystal empire. Her wings opening slowly to show just how much larger she was. Horn crackling with magic as she glared doen at the pink alicorn. "For to long life has been the same dance with nobals and fake smiles. I play there game, I dance to the melody they play even as I change the tempo. Even as I pluck the strings. To long have the few on top kept the world stagnant and let the common creatures fester. I'm already changing the song sister. Every new note and instrument is nocking the fools off balance. Right now the only show I have to put on is with you."
Twilight didn't walk, no she stalked closer to the co fused and scared pink alicorn. Who stepped back as she watched twilight. Listened to her as she relised just how big of a mistake she had made. "Twi, how about we both take a deep breath. Calm down and talk about this over tea?"
"Cadence, you never change. You always have seen me as that little filly you babysat all those years ago. Even as you begain dating my BBBFF. But I think you will find I am not that week mare any more. I am not the fool that let others trot over them any longer." Twilight spoke as she moved past Cadence, her horn glowing as the sun began to set, the moon rised behind the lavender mare. Her once ge tle smile replaced with a devilish grin. Even as the stained glass windows begain to shutter and crack. "I'm sorry Cadence, but if there is one thing I learned is that there is no room for God's."
The figure shuttered, looking away from the windows. Having watched her mother get filled with glass was something she had always struggled to forget. Watching as her mother became nothing more then a gurgling mess of glass and blood. And yet she never died, she just co tinued struggling as her body tried to heal around the glass. How the sight of her mother was seeing her Auntie stand over her, her magic keeping every shard in place. Presenting her mother from doing anything but bleed struggle with her immortality. It was the only way to keep a alicorn down. To lock them away and prevent there body from fixing itself, keeping it from doing anything but struggle.
Flurry lowered the hood of her cloak as she looked around the room that the war started, a war that the creatures of the world didn't even know was happening. Started on the last day the castle held the royal sisters. For history had repeated, however there was a wild card. There wouldn't be one thousand years, there wouldn't be time for the mad Queen to prepair.
For Flurry Heart, crown princess of the Crystal Empire. Daughter of Shining Armor and princess Mi Amore Cadenza. Would not wait, with the fire of revenge burning in her soul her magic came to life. The soft blue light taking hold of the mad Queens old throne. With a yell she crushed the periwinkle wood and fabric. The sound of shattering wood filling the destroyed room. A figure stalked in from the old servents passage, a tall black figure of twisted carapace moved I to the room. A evil grin pulling at her lips, her fangs glinting in the eternal twilight.
"Ah, Flurry. My children are ready for are first move. Let's hope the mad Queen is as foolish as she was smart. If so we will have the empire before the months end."
"No, she is to paranoid for such quick moves to go unnoticed. I could barely brake you three out of stone without her finding out. Tell cozy to keep planing on getting close to discord. No one remembers her, especially now."
The Queen of the changelings smirked as she bowed her head to the alicorn not even a third her age. She had gotten her father's determination and her aunt's strength. Already she had forged a tempting alliance with the evil trio, after all. As ponies say. Better the devil you control.