//------------------------------//
// Recap ~ The Fate of Four Years 
// Story: Dragon's Descent 
// by Compendium of Steve 
//------------------------------//


Whoa, that was something. Hell of a way to kick things off, huh? No doubt many of you are wondering how things got to that point, given where I last left off. And probably some of you don't care and just want to go back to the carnage. But I'll cater to the concerns of the former by providing context for this latest bloody spectacle. It can be annoying and maybe a bit jarring, but I just wanted to catch you up on some things, paint a picture and all. But don't worry, we'll get back to the action (eventually).



So, for starters, about four years have gone by. Four years since I killed two princesses, grievously maimed another, and murdered an Element of Harmony. Things have… turned out considerably well, surprisingly. The little government Twilight had set up did good in terms of keeping Canterlot and, subsequently, all of Equestria from descending into anarchy. Granted, it wasn’t much of a change from what it had been before. The main difference is that Twilight stepped down from full royal responsibilities, so that the regular politicians did all of the work. Of course she still did her part (keep the sun and moon moving), and weighed in on major laws and treatises and whatnot. But for all intents and purposes, it’s been strictly a constitutional sort of monarchy.



This meant a little less stress for the girl, as you can imagine. Less time-consuming responsibilities, no need to parade around evoking the regal spirit of command. Just live like anyone else (so to speak), help out in her own way. And she didn’t waste any time in doing that.



With things in Canterlot settled, she turned her focus on repairing the damage caused during her… initial tenure as princess. The first thing she did was repeal all the laws she had put forth regarding book lending and exchange, so that overdues and illegal possessions were no longer the death sentences they had been for years. Not so good for the literary black market, but that just meant more books coming back into the public when their once prime stock more or less got tossed out. Very win-win on that front, at least.



Afterward, there came the matter of my involvement in the whole affair. There were talks of tribunals, prison sentences, the death penalty. Eventually it blew over on the grounds of me just following royal orders as were approved by the central royal entity, that being Celestia. Plus the fact that plenty of times I helped protect the country from insurrections, cults and nasties from beyond our borders helped shine a positive light on me. That said, it still took some doing to convince the general population that I rather than tracking them down in the night, I would be sticking to the lone surviving princess’ side as a bodyguard. Hard to swallow since I had been on the cusp of murdering her as well, I know, but that got accepted as well, given Twilight’s vouchsafing me and the higher-ups seeing what a truly laid-back guy I can be (so long as I’m nowhere near them).



Her PR still needed a serious overhaul, which prompted what I like to call Twilight Sparkle’s Apology Tour (not the official name, mind you), wherein she went around the country offering consolation and compensation to those who were most severely affected by her laws and her idea of Order. I tagged along to provide protection and offer some counsel when things got heavy (and they often did), as well as give my own bit of apologizing (not quite as often) to better my own self-image. It got rough early on, being with her as she visited the surviving friends, family, lovers, orphans, and everyone else her form of justice had harmed. There were some nights I had to console her, hold her close as she let all that guilt sink in, sorrows and remorse smothered by some gentle pats on the back (mindful of those wing stubs, of course). I may have killed a lot of ponies, but I rarely stuck around to see the aftermath. Letting it fester over many years—the broken lives and shattered communities—then seeing the results up close can take a toll on someone who’s regaining their sense of compassion. But I was always around for those uncertain nights, to provide comfort. Gave me a chance to soften myself up some more as well. At least, in terms of being a shoulder to lean on.



It got progressively easier as it went on. Twi learned to shoulder the accusations and heartaches, while doing what she could to make up for the past eleven years. For the majority, though, they were pretty much complacent about it, or had gotten over it entirely. Seemed that apathy effect was of good use for something (probably what made dealings in Canterlot go by smoothly, come to think of it). Though what got me were the ones who said what I did was a mercy to their friend/family/acquaintance. Among the innocents and Average Joes, there had been quite a few unstable ponies (and other species) that could have done some serious harm if left unchecked, as I alluded to. Some good had been done, but all still a very messy and unglamorous business.



Once that was over, everything else went by swimmingly. Ponies adjusted well to the change in their rulership, with no cause for unrest or dissension or anything messy like that. Even so, the military Celestia had built up for years was still put to some use. Rather than dismantling it, Twi recommended they be used for peacekeeping purposes around the country, setting up watch stations and barracks in just about every city and settlement, rendering them into more of a national guard. Combined with a lax in military decorum for these stations, it didn't take long for the citizens to get real chummy with their new protectors, and vice versa.



I could just go on and on about these kinds of changes, but that’d take more time then you're willing to spare. Instead, I'll just take a moment to talk about Twilight’s other little project. Namely, with regards to friends long overlooked: the other Elements of Harmony.



The first attempt at mending the friendship fence was… somewhat shaky, to put it nicely. Of course, Twi hadn’t expected everyone to come jumping on her with open arms, and there were some loud scoffs at the supposed official meeting that had been set up (namely from Dash and Applejack). But in explaining how Discord had messed things around and pointing out how out of touch they’ve mostly been, they eventually softened up to the idea of being a little more cordial, and even changing their outlook on things.



Fluttershy remained as sweet and peachy as ever, so no mending needed there. Over the past few years Rarity had taken up her hoof in dressmaking again, eventually putting aside her, uh-hum, previous occupation. Nice to see that creative spark light back up in the ol’ girl. Rainbow still remained gruff and focused on the Wonderbolts, but she gradually loosened up and even came to hang around at holiday get-togethers. Same more or less applied to AJ, who became less focused on the bottom line in apple manufacturing. That didn’t do away with the excess crop that had arisen in years past, but that meant more food to go towards feeding the hungry instead of being a mandatory staple in school lunchrooms. A nice rearrangement, I guess.



Concerning Pinkie’s death, they were more or less alright with it. Not that they wanted her dead or anything, but with how distant they all had become her passing didn’t come off as particularly tragic. They understood the circumstances, that it was more or less a very Pinkie way for her to go. And pretty much everyone just went about their usual day-to-day, like regular ponies. I mean, it was evident that the world had no need for the Elements anymore. Equestria had gotten quite good at taking care of itself.



Which leads back to asking why I’m currently in the midst of slicing through a storm of griffon entrails while ponies of war cry havoc. To properly answer that, we would have to look back to about two weeks ago. That’s when the first big sign of the troubles to come arose...