Celestia, attempted conqueror of Earth stands atop a roof with nothing but herself for company. One year ago she failed to bring harmony to earth by way of the the Conversion Bureaus, and humanity has begun to reclaim what it lost. She has been punished for her genocide, though she wonders if her sentence was too lenient.

Written as a speed-writing exercise. Completed in about an hour, and it's unedited. It's just a concept I've had for a while and wanted to see what others thought of it.

Below her, the remains of the world, and everyone in it, spin slowly, around and around, in a sea of purple goo. But that doesn't mean Celestia's work is done. The Road lies ahead of her, and at its end—the most difficult decision of her life. Again.

How long can one pony keep hope alive?

Long.

2nd place in the "History Repeats" write-off.
Dramatic reading by AShadowOfCygnus.
Dramatic reading by Cherax.
On EQD Aug 12, 2014.

Fifty years ago today, there was not a war. It was not one of the longest and bloodiest struggles ever known to ponykind. It did not claim the lives of hundreds upon thousands of ponies.

There is no such place as Shetland. It could not have been Ground Zero for Operation Petrichor because it never existed.

The Cloudsdale Massacre is a cheap horror flick, nothing more. Chemistry has no solid application in combat. The Non Sunt Dii has not existed since the first days of the Royal Sisters' reign.

Celestia is perfect. Celestia has never made mistakes. Celestia is not a coward.

War changes ponies. It can make civilians into soldiers, and soldiers into heroes. But becoming a hero requires a sacrifice, not only of blood, sweat, and tears, but of the soul. For when the dark days come, it's the heroes who bring the sun, and when it returns, they're forever lost in the light.

Being a hero doesn't just mean being brave. It means giving up your life to the cause—regardless of whether or not you die.

First attempt at telling a story through poetry. Might try more things like this if the ideas hit me.
Winner of The Rarity award for EFNW's Scribblefest 2016
Cover art by Sheandog

A normal end to a normal day -- at least, that's what it was supposed to be.

But it wasn't.

Luna went to raise the moon as usual, but something went wrong. Terribly wrong. She felt it, but she couldn't stop it.

None of us could.

It appeared too suddenly -- acted too quickly.

The only warning we received was a roar and a bright flash of light, then everything was gone. No more Canterlot, no more ponies, no more anything.

Nothing survived.

Nothing... except for us and whatever 'it' is.

We may be immortal beings, but that doesn't make things any better -- if anything, it makes the pain all that much worse. The only thing we can really do now is try to avenge those dear to us. Our subjects... our families... my friends...

Everything.

I don't care how long it takes, and I don't care if it's a pointless battle. All I care about now is making sure we put that thing down for good.

After that?

Well...

Cover art done by Little Tigress. Check out her other stuff on deviantart if you wanna see more!

Celestia pays Twilight and her friends a visit.

It has been a very long time since she saw them last.

You've read this scene before.

This story is a sequel to Inexcusable

She looked just like Princess Celestia, except marred and broken. Her ceremonial barding had rusted slightly, and dirt matted her coat. Most noticeable was her hair; black streaks accompanied its usual multicolored luster. They looked like discolorations in an old photograph.

Worst was the scar across her chest. Her armor covered it, but nothing could hide what it meant.

The tarnished Celestia smiled at Luna. "H-hello, monster. I would say I am glad to see you, but that w-w-wouldn’t be quite accurate."

A big thanks to AlicornPriest for editing/prereading.

Russian translation by MLPMihail, with editing by Randy1974.

Comments contain spoilers. See here for a complete series timeline.

"Beware Her wrath, fools who dare threaten our Kingdom. For if Celestia be our Shield, then Luna is the Sword."

Spiritual companion to Sweet Celestia.

The elements of harmony did not posses emotions, despite what many thought. They were simply a weapon to be used against evil and disharmony, they were black and white when it came to their use. They cared not for what lead one to evil or why. When used they reflected the users desire and were open to interpretation to what the users wished for them to do. In her desire to destroy the evil that corrupted her sister. Celestia did not realize the elements would interpret it as a desire to kill!

Thanks to everyone that looked over the story. You guys rock.