//------------------------------// // Prologue // Story: Demonocracy // by MegaColt //------------------------------// Demonocracy A MLP FiM fanfiction by: MegaColt Disclaimer: All rights to MLP FiM belong to their respective owners. Chapter 1: Prologue It had only been a month since the “peaceful” revolution. The clock in the center of Ponyville chimed nine times as I carefully slipped through the large oak door of the plantation house that had once belonged to my family; Sweet Apple Acres. The communal kitchen at the opposite end of the corridor smelled heavily of eggs and bacon. It had a large line of ponies flowing into it, waiting for their daily rations. Plastered above the ponies’ heads was a poster with a unicorn’s face on it. It was a poster of Prince Blueblood, the then newly crowned dictator of Equestria. How the most hated pony in all of Equestria became the supreme overlord of all Equestrians is a story full of lies, war, and corruption. As we all know, or at least believe, Celestia was a ruler who loved and cared for all ponies. She had ruled Equestria in absolute peace for eons. The idea of war wasn’t even known to most Equestrians. Everypony loved and tolerated their neighbor regardless of what they said or did. That all changed when Princess Luna returned from her banishment on the moon. After being freed from the bonds of jealousy and rage, Luna returned to Canterlot and began quietly reasserting her authority. Her political ideas were the complete opposite of Celestia’s, and whenever she told Celestia about her ideals the elder alicorn ignored the younger one. Celestia believed that Luna was still disillusioned by jealousy, Celestia thought that she couldn’t trust Luna. After being ignored and denied power for so long, Princess Luna began associating herself with a small group of radicals who suggested that Luna leave Celestia’s administration and create her own. Luna began taking “diplomatic” trips to places such as Neighxico, Zebraca, and Appleloosa. Unbeknown to Celestia, Luna was actually giving speeches on how she was going to bring peace, prosperity, and wealth to the frontier regions of Equestria; something that Celestia had never been able to do. Not only did she make promises to the ponies, but she campaigned for freedom and equality for the buffalo, deer, zebras, and griffons. These creatures had seen Luna’s revolutionary ideas as a sign of hope. While on one of these trips, Luna sent Celestia a letter of secession. She was going to take all the frontier lands of Equestria, and make them into a Lunar Republic. Luna asked to meet Celestia at a conference in Appleloosa to discuss the drawing of borders between the two nations. Celestia was stunned by Luna’s actions. She didn’t have a valid reason to take such a drastic step, at least in Celestia's opinion. As far as Celestia had known, Luna had been content with the way she had been running the government. What happened the following day in Appleloosa is a mystery to all but a select few. Luna’s government proclaimed that the tyrannical Solar Empire would not recognize their new country. Celestia told her subjects that Luna and her followers were traitors. Celestia created and mobilized an army. Equestria was going into the first war of its history. I listened to Celestia’s passionate speech on the radio while I was plowing a field for the next planting season. She announced that she was going to need volunteers in order to form an army to squash the rebellion. I didn't even know what she was talking about. This thing called war was an idea that was about as alien as Mars. In the speech she declared that Luna was a traitor and that she would stop at nothing to bring eternal darkness to Equestria. I was such a fool to believe an obvious lie like that. All Luna wanted to do was to make Equestria a better place for everypony. Regardless of whether or not Celestia had lied to us, we all believed her. As ridiculous as her story had sounded, nopony believed that Celestia would lie to us. All of us farmers signed up for the royal guard as soon as we heard the speech. We wound up unknowingly joining the ranks of the most villainous and ruthless unit in the Solar Empire's military; the Demon Lords. Before I left the farm for basic training, I went to Twilight Sparkle to ask her what war was. When I arrived at the library she was crying at her desk. I asked her my question anyway. She looked up at me with her big purple eyes and quietly told me, “Well Mac, war is a place where everypony is a hero and a villain, but no one knows who is the victim or the aggressor.” At the time it sounded like a load of nonsense, but it didn't for long. In basic training we were taught how to form phalanxes, and how to advance on an enemy battalion without taking major losses. They told us how to deliver a kill on an enemy without our rival even knowing that we were there until it was too late. The military took us country bumpkins and turned us into killing machines. We were no longer loving and tolerating ponies, but bringers of death and destruction. Our only mission was to bring the rebels to justice, and to reunite Equestria. During the training I had become good friends with a general who was known as Shadow. He was a tall and gaunt looking earth pony who had eyes that looked like they would melt your face off if he so chose to. His cutie mark was a shield covering two crossed swords. He was definitely meant to be in the military. In training he was a fairly friendly pony who seemed to care for his subordinates, but in battle you were merely another pawn to be sacrificed for the glory of the Solar Empire. I was lucky enough to get on his good side. I made small talk with him almost everyday, and because he seemed to like me, he allowed me to ride his coattails to the rank of lieutenant. He left me in charge of a squadron that seemed to consist of all the work hands I had met in my years at Sweet Apple Acres. These weren't the same ponies who had plowed the apple orchard only a year before. On the contrary, they were now elite soldiers in Equestria’s most efficient unit. Despite their ruthlessness, they were the best soldiers an officer could ask for. With them under my command, our victory seemed assured. On the night we set off on our first campaign to retake Appleloosa, I had a lengthy conversation with the general. I strode into the general's tent with his nightly pot of coffee. “Here is your coffee, General.” He replied in a distant tone, almost as if he had been trapped on another world until I had walked in. “Thank you, Lieutenant. Do you mind if I ask you something that has been bothering me?” I answered him not like a soldier, but a friend, “Of course I don't, General. You can ask me anything. What's bothering you?” “Have you wondered why the marauding band of savages that is supposed to be trying to make eternal night a reality in Equestria aren't attacking us? Night and day still changes like always. Nothing has changed except for the fact that Luna isn't ruling by Celestia's side.” I didn't even take his questions seriously; I honestly thought it was a test. I gave him the same counterpoint that I’d been giving all of my men. “Sir, why would Celestia lie to us? It is imperative that we strike first so we can put a buffer zone between them and the capital.” Shadow glanced at me with disbelief. “So, you too, huh?” Now it was my turn to be surprised. “Sir, what are you talking about?” He shouted at me with more ferocity than I had ever seen him muster before. “You’ve fallen for a darn lie! Why can’t you see it? Celestia’s entire rule is based on lies! That old pony’s tale that tells why Luna was banished to the moon; that was a lie. The ‘fact’ that Celestia was letting Luna share power with her after her return is a lie. This bucking war is a lie! You’re an idiot, just like the rest of them, not to mention that you’re such a drama queen! Get your flank out of here, now!” I risked being demoted, but at the time I didn’t care. I yelled at him. “Listen, Shadow, you shouldn’t call Celestia a liar. She loves everypony. She wouldn’t harm a fly, yet alone lie to all of us. Shame on you.” I didn’t even wait for his reply. I simply trotted out of his tent. He called out to me, “Listen, Lieutenant, come back in here, that’s an order!” I grudgingly trudged my way back into his tent, “Yes, sir.” He grabbed a seat and leaned back. “As you know, my family has been in the service of Celestia’s military for a long time now. I guess you could say that I’m part of the oligarchy. Being part of such an oligarchy I’ve come across some secrets. I’m going to tell you the biggest one. If Celestia found out I’ve told you she’d probably have me executed. So, if I do tell you, you must not tell anypony.” I suddenly became nervous, “Why would you tell me something that could get you killed, sir?” He grimaced as he told me, “Because someone outside of the royal circle needs to know. When Luna was banished what really happened was that she suggested to Celestia that they should create a legislature, and a system of checks and balances to curb some of their absolute power. Luna also told her that she had been giving speeches without consulting Celestia about it first. She also told Celestia that she had been reading the forbidden book; ‘Two Treatsies on Government’ which had been written by a radical reformer. The two had an argument, and the same thing happened that is happening now.” I couldn’t believe him. At the time even the idea of that being true shook the core of my beliefs. I said to him, “Sir, you need to lay off the coffee, and stop spreading lies.” I stormed out of his tent. I felt so stupid after that. The general was a smart pony. He was one of the few who knew the truth about the meeting at Appleloosa, and Luna’s banishment. He felt guilty about what he was about to send his troops to do. He had every right to feel that way. The next morning was the first time I didn’t wake up feeling that the day was going to be great. In fact I felt sick. I was about to experience war firsthand. I was left in charge of the best unit in all of Equestria. The Demon Lords were going to lead the charge into Appleloosa. We set out from our borders, and marched into enemy territory. It was a desolate and unforgiving place. It looked like there was nopony around besides us for at least a hundred miles. The red sand crackled beneath our hooves as we walked over it. A pair of griffons flew over our heads towards Appleloosa. Shadow sent two of his best pegasi after them. An hour later the pair came back with two griffon scalps. Despite having strict orders not to kill them, the soldiers had done so anyways. One of them told me that it had been the most adrenaline filled experience of his life. Taking the life of another being seemed to be the most exciting thing this pony had ever done. Now it sickens me what we had done to these soldiers in training, but back then all we felt was pride. Not even a month ago these same ponies had been buying apples from me, now they were cold-blooded killers. I was surrounded by ponies like that. I was no different from them, I too was looking forward to killing some rebel scum. Equestria was no longer the peace-loving place it used to be, that was certain. Our army came to the outskirts of an Appleloosa that seemed to be as busy and prosperous as ever. Our orders came from General Shadow over the radio. His voice boomed in our comlinks. “Alright men, your orders are to take Appleloosa. If they resist, take no prisoners. We spare no traitor. It is imperative that we strike fear into our enemies' hearts. Use any means necessary to take the town. That is all.” Methodically our forces descended on the western village like a tiger stalking its prey. The Appleloosans didn't even realize our intentions until it was too late. It was almost like there wasn't even a war underway. The townsponies went about their normal business as if nothing was going on out of the ordinary. We walked right into town without seeing a hint of an enemy army. When the attack began we were smack dab in the middle of town. Words can not describe the horrors me and my men committed during the fight, but I’ll try my best. My squad was assigned to capture the town saloon. When we walked in most of the patrons were too drunk to even see, “but they wouldn't surrender”. So we needlessly butchered them. I made an example of one particularly rowdy unicorn. I cut his head off and paraded it around the town on the end of my spear. As if that wasn't bad enough, the general ordered my men and I to do the most shameful deeds we had ever done. We raped the mares and killed the fillies. We burned all of the buildings, and left nothing behind for the enemy to use.Our forces behaved like savages...we certainly lived up to our units name. Finally towards the end of the fighting an enemy force of buffalo and cowponies descended from the hills above us shouting wildly. They were led by one seemingly familiar pony who galloped at full speed with his forces behind him towards our lines. We formed a phalanx and braced for their charge. At the very last second before impact we thrusted our spears out from behind our shields skewering the charging buffalo braves. I personally dispatched of their leader, but then I realized who he was. He was my cousin Braeburn. I immediately dropped everything, and held his dying body in my hooves while the battle raged around us. For a pony who was raping mares and slaughtering children five minutes ago I was crying like a newborn filly when Braeburn told me his last words. “Mac! Is that you, cousin? Listen, Momma is dead and so are all the all the others. These soldiers are destroying the town for no reason. You've gotta help us Mac, you just have to...” He was coughing up blood the whole time he was saying this. Brae was so out of it that he didn't even realize I was one of the soldiers attacking the town. I got sick right then and there. I was responsible for all of this. I was the one who told the men to show no mercy and I even told them to have their way with the girls. I snapped back to my old self as I watched my beloved cousin die. I considered taking my own life to somehow make up for the killing of my beloved cousin, but what good would that have done? It would only have served to bring more grief to my beloved family. His final words were, “Not you too...” As he went limp, I dropped his body on the ground and walked away from the fight. I was done with this “war”. The so-called enemy didn’t even realize that we were going to attack them until it was too late. I finally understood what Twilight meant when she told me what war was. I thought I was going to be a hero when we took the town, and brought the rebels to justice, but now that we had done just that I only felt like a villain and an aggressor. When we returned to base camp I asked General Shadow for a transfer to the Royal Guard in Canterlot. The general smirked, an action that really irked me, and said to me, “So you’ve finally realized what I was talking about before the battle. You know, Lieutenant, it is good that war is a horrible thing, lest we grow fond of it. I’ll be more than happy to transfer you, but there is a catch.” I was starting to get irritated with the general, so I snapped the obvious question at him, “And that is, sir? He laughed and said, “I will understand if you’d rather stay here and fight, but it seems that the only position open in the guard is the job of guarding Prince Blueblood. He seems to have had a falling out with yet another one of my men. If you accept, it means that you’ll have to stay with him at all times. You might even have to become friends with him. I know it doesn’t sound fun, but it pays better than your current job. So, do you want the job, Lieutenant?” I couldn’t have accepted the assignment fast enough. “Eeyup, I sure do.” I thanked Shadow, and the next morning I was in a balloon heading back to Canterlot. I was about to begin the next phase of my career as a soldier. I was going to be the bodyguard of the most hated royal in the Solar Empire, and as crazy as it sounds I was going to befriend him. I didn’t want to at first, but then I realized that he had access to information that if exposed would easily end the war. All I had to do was convince him that it was the right thing to do. That would turn out to be just as hard as it sounds.