Tales of First Contact: Tragedy

by Banjo64


One Solitary Link

Rarity sighed. She could feel the Princesses coming. It was inevitable really, but she was still not looking forward to this meeting. She cleared her thoughts and remembered her mental notes. It was time.

The dream world around her wavered as Celestia and Luna appeared before her.

“Rarity! Are you alright? When you vanished without a trace we feared the worst,” said Luna.

Rarity rolled her eyes. She prayed Luna was simply speaking in ignorance.

“I told my friends I was leaving. And seeing as this is a dream, I think we can skip the formalities and get to the point. You’re here because you want to know why I chose to pack my things and disappear into the wilderness, correct?” asked Rarity.

Rarity waited as Celestia and Luna shared an uncertain look. It wasn’t like her to be so direct, but this was no time for flare or fancy words. She had only one chance to make a difference. She had to make this count.

“Er… yes. That is exactly what we were wondering. Why did you leave, especially in these uncertain times?” asked Celestia.

Rarity scoffed, despite her best efforts.

“Oh yes, uncertain times. Indeed, with war seemingly more and more inevitable with every passing day, how could anyone possible be certain of what is coming?” she snarked.

Celestia shook her head.

“Rarity, we’ve been over this already. I understand your concern, but we have things under control. You don’t have to…” she started.

“No, you don’t have it under control. And even now, when you came here to ask me to return, you refuse to listen to me. If you truly wish for me to come back and aid your cause, then you had better stop giving me that ‘mother knows best’ tone and actually listen to what I have to say,” declared Rarity.

Celestia and Luna were clearly taken aback by Rarity’s confrontational attitude.

“Do you honestly expect me to believe that you’ve done everything you could to avoid war? Ever since our worlds have been connected you’ve made mistake after mistake. The border issue, the knowledge refusal, and do I even need to bring up that incident from last month? If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were deliberately pushing everyone towards war. But the Princesses of Equestria would never do something like that, would they?” asked Rarity.

Luna backed away looking rather uncomfortable, but Celestia just sighed.

“I know you have a rather high opinion of the humans, but you always seem to ignore just how horrible they…” said Celestia.

Rarity once again interrupted the Princess and stomped her hoof in anger, which in the dream managed to shake the ground.

“So it’s true then?! You’ve decided that the humans are just so awful that it’d be perfectly fine to  dispose of them?! And this whole mess has been nothing but you attempting to paint yourself as a righteous judge rather than a xenophobic warmonger when you set out on such a crusade!” accused Rarity.

Celestia’s expression hardened.

“Rarity, you know that’s not the case. I don’t want to see the humans destroyed, just subdued. I am not trying to declare war. I have been doing everything I can to avoid it. How can you even believe such rumors?” asked Celestia.

Rarity glared at Celestia. The Princess's words said a lot more than she thought they did.

“Because those aren’t rumors at all. Nopony is saying anything like that. There are too few ponies who’d be willing to speak up against you, let alone suspect you. Now, would you care to tell me why you would believe such claims are circulating among Equestria’s populace, if you’ve truly done nothing wrong?” asked Rarity.

Celestia’s expression became unreadable, while Luna’s turned to horror. Celestia turned toward her sister.

“Luna, would you mind leaving us? I get the feeling this will discussion will only get worse, and I can see it’s making you rather uncomfortable,” asked Celestia.

Luna nodded and faded away. Rarity thought this was a rather odd turn of events, but she wasn’t about to complain. It appeared Luna really wasn’t part of this whole mess. This could only work to her benefit.

“Rarity, I don’t know where this hostility is coming from, but it's clear that you’ll not return to us unless you speak your mind. But if you insist on sharing your thoughts, I expect you have an adequate explanation as to why you feel as you do,” said Celestia.

Rarity took a deep breath. This was it. The future of two worlds hinged on this discussion.

“I am certain you have done nothing to avoid war because I know firsthand what the humans think of you. You know perfectly well how they’ve been interpreting your actions, yet you have done nothing to disprove them,” said Rarity.

“How so?” asked Celestia.

“If I must name an example, how about the fact that you haven’t said a breath to humanity about semi-sapience? Your silence on the matter has convinced many that you approve of slavery from how we treat sheep and cattle. And you know perfectly well that semi-sapience doesn’t exist on their world, so there’s no reason for you to assume that they would know about it,” said Rarity.

Celestia shook her head.

“Alright, I admit that was a mistake…” she said.

“A mistake you could have fixed at any time by saying two words or, I don’t know, letting humans and ponies interact with each other? Your closed borders approach is rediculous. I can accept and understand wanting to keep humans out of our country. Your refusal to let ponies visit the human world, however, I cannot. There are plenty on both sides who are more than eager to meet with each other, but you, and you alone, have forbidden it without giving an explanation why,” said Rarity.

Celestia winced.

“It was a bit of an extreme measure I admit, but I don’t want to endanger…” she said.

“And then there were those speeches. Those how so wonderful speeches. Did you know that even Twilight Sparkle thought they were insulting? Not that she’d say as much to your face, as we both know perfectly well. It was clear to her that either Blue Blood wrote your speeches without you realizing it, or you set out with the intention of making humanity hate you. And I recently learned that all those speeches were written, in their entirely, by you,” said Rarity.

Celestia sighed in defeat.

“Alright, I suppose there’s no point in denying it. Yes, I have been deliberately antagonizing humanity. I did not, however, plan to push us to to point of war. I was simply playing politics to give Equestria a stronger standing. I underestimated how resilient these humans are, and have been trying to defuse the situation before it escalates any further,” admitted Celestia.

Rarity sighed. So much for doing this the easy way.

“And yet, you’re still lying to me,” said Rarity.

Celestia blinked in surprise, but then glared at Rarity.

“What, exactly, makes you think that? I just finished admitting that I made mistakes. What more could you...” asked Celestia.

“That letter you sent to the United Nations last week,” said Rarity.

Celestia’s expression turned to shock.

“Oh? Was I not supposed to know about that one? Well then, it’s a good thing I’m in the wilderness, isn’t it? Wouldn’t it be the darndest thing if I were to return to Ponyville and tell Twilight about it? It’s not like you’d do something so drastic without consulting your fellow Princesses, would you?” asked Rarity.

Celestia was silent.

“I see I finally have your undivided attention. Now please, stop playing your games and tell me what’s really going on. I’m sick and tired of you treating the lives of both humans and ponies as if they’re disposable. You’ve been alive for well over a thousand years! You know perfectly well what will happen if we go to war!” accused Rarity.

Celestia remained silent for a moment before speaking.

“The humans are dangerous Rarity. I know we stand to gain much by seeking friendship with them, but I cannot accept the risks. If our cultures were to intertwine, Equestria’s very way of life would end. They are too powerful, too influential, and far, far too creative. We may enjoy a small period of growth, but with magic the humans will quickly surpass us in every way,” said Celestia.

Rarity sighed.

“Then it’s as I suspected. This isn’t about the humans. This is about the idea that Equestria might not be the most powerful civilization for much longer. I am quite disappointed, Princess Celestia. This is quite petty of you,” said Rarity.

Celestia got angry.

“Petty?! Do you fail to understand what’s at stake?! This isn’t about Equestria as a nation! This is about the elements Equestria was founded upon! Perhaps you are familiar with them: Honesty, Kindness, Laughter, Loyalty, Generosity, and Friendship!” exclaimed Celestia.

“All things humans are perfectly capable of,” countered Rarity.

“And yet far more choose to cast them aside! Is that what you want?! Ponies to overshadowed by those who disregard the nature of harmony just so you can have new kinds of fabric?!” demanded Celestia.

Rarity stomped her hoof again, trying to keep her temper in check.

“Do you honestly believe I’m so against the notion of war over something as inconsequential as fashion!? Forgive me if I don’t want to see ponies and humans killing each other because you decided to be a hypocrite and let your paranoia push you away from potential friendship!” cried Rarity.

Celestia starting burning with the energy of the sun, but she took several breaths and forced herself to calm down.

“I do want friendship, Rarity. But the only way friendship can be obtained with the humans is by forcing them to accepting it on our terms. I loath the path of war, but it is the only way to ensure that they do not corrupt our beliefs,” said Celestia.

“Yes, by eliminating theirs. I know about that reeducation program you’ve been developing and I must say I’ve never seen something quite so despicable. That is not the way of harmony, Princess. And even then, you’re acting on the assumption that ponykind will win this war,” said Rarity.

Celestia shook her head.

“We have magic, Rarity, and they don’t. I have gone to great lengths to ensure that it remains that way. We have shields to counter their bullets, control over the environment to slow their vehicles, and we even have the means of magically stopping their nuclear weapons. When war comes, we will easily sweep their forces aside, and they will surrender in short order,” said Celestia.

“You're wrong on all accounts, I’m afraid,” said Rarity.

Celestia looked at her in confusion.

“Humanity has still been able to gleam some arcanic knowledge despite your efforts. They’ve already discovered a way to measure arcanic fluctuations. It’s only a matter of time before they begin finding ways to use magic themselves,” explained Rarity.

Celestia opened her mouth to speak, but Rarity held her hoof up.

“Yes, it will take years of effort. But I guarantee that no matter how harshly you press down on them, they will never surrender. The persona you’ve built up for yourself has convinced them that the war will be a struggle for their very right to exist. And if all they have to do is hold out until they can start using magic themselves, why would they ever surrender to the likes of you?” asked Rarity.

Celestia again opened her mouth, but Rarity wasn’t done.

“Once that happens, the tide of the war will change. Human innovation combined with magic will utterly crush Equestria’s forces. And then what? Will you consider surrendering to the people you’re convinced will destroy harmony? We both know the answer. And what’s more, you’ll be forced to adopt the humans’ weapons of war just to survive. And then we’ll be two worlds who have learned and shared with each other, only instead of doing so in friendship it’ll be in a mutual desire to wipe the other out, and this would completely defeat the reason you pushed war in the first place!” exclaimed Rarity.

Celestia looked at Rarity in disbelief.

“Have you taken leave of your senses? How could you possibly understand how the humans will react? Do you truly believe anypony can know how those chaotic beings will act?” asked Celestia.

Rarity sighed. This was what she’d been hoping to avoid, but she’d also expected it to come to this.

“Because I know humans better than anyone else in Equestria,” she said.

“How?” demanded Celestia.

Rarity raised her hand.

“Because I am one myself,” answered Rarity.

Celestia gasped and stepped back. Rarity was no longer a pony, but a human woman.

“For as long as I can remember, I have lived a double life. Every time I go to sleep, after my dreams, I switch to my other half. I have lived a full life as Rarity, but I have also lived a full life as Rachel. I am as much a human as I am a pony. I don’t know how, and I don’t know why, but I am,” said Rarity.

Celestia didn’t reply. She was too stunned to speak.

“Can you imagine my surprise when suddenly both of my homes connected? The first thing I did was arrange for a letter to be delivered to myself to make sure it really was both my Earth, and my Equis. It wasn’t easy because your actions, but I managed to do it. It turns out there’s some time displacement going on as well for me, but as I said I have no idea how it even works,” said Rarity with a shake of her head.

“At first I was delighted. I could see how the harmony of Equestria could benefit mankind, while the innovation of Earth would benefit ponykind. I wasn’t naive, however. I could tell that there would be unfortunate consequences of this. But I firmly believed that the positives would far outnumber the negatives. Until you started ruining everything,” said Rarity.

Rarity sighed.

“You want what’s best for Equestria. As a pony I know this, and can understand why you want to keep out the darker aspects of humanity.  But as a human, I can also see you are betraying the very concepts you are trying to protect. The war you seek will benefit no one. Not humans, not ponies, and definitely no one else caught in our crossfire. It will only push us into a war that will never end. Please, Princess, listen to someone who knows both sides of this debacle. Stop pursuing such a destructive path,” pleaded Rarity.

Celestia looked at the human in front of her. It was some time before she spoke, and when she did, she couldn’t meet Rarity’s eye.

“I… I must acknowledge that you must have a better understanding of humanity than I do. However, it is too late. If I attempt to change things now, Equestria’s authority will be all but destroyed. We stand to gain nothing from peace now. I’m sorry,” said Celestia.

Despair welled up in Rarity, but she wasn’t done yet.

“I see. Then I have no choice but to act,” said Rarity.

Celestia looked at Rarity with a guarded expression.

“As you can guess, my condition enables me to do things that no one else can. My first efforts to prevent the war were diplomatic. I tried to conceive you not to act so aggressively, but you dismissed me. I also tried to convince humanity that you were not as evil as you appeared, but I was dismissed as a conspiracy theorist. Now, it is clear I must take drastic measures, and I have determined two ways I can prevent the endless war,” said Rarity.

“The first option is that I use my human self as a spy for Equestria’s forces. I could easily inform you of their movements and operations. More importantly, I could point you toward any and all human efforts to discover magic, enabling you to prevent them from finishing it. Without that factor, mankind may yet be defeated. Equestria's harmony will be preserved, but I know that you plan to smother everything humanity stands for.”

“The other option is that I share my unicorn knowledge with humanity. I simply have to give them all the major arcanic equations, and those years of research will be reduced to a few weeks. They will be able to fight back so quickly that you will most certainly be defeated. Most humans wish to spare ponykind, you don’t have to worry about that, but they will do everything they can to erase your influence. This will inevitably include the nature of harmony, which will be reduced to ‘indoctrination propaganda’ that you seemingly came up with.”

“I believe in Equestria’s harmony. I believe in Earth’s humanity. More than anything else, I want to see both continue to grow. But if war comes, I will have no choice but to see one fall in order to ensure the other survives. I will not allow both to become entangled in war until nothing remains of either,” said Rarity.

Celestia took a more aggressive stance.

“And which, pray tell, have your chosen?” she demanded.

“I refuse to tell you,” replied Rarity.

Celestia’s horn lit up.

“Why?” she demanded.

“If I choose to side with humanity, you’ll move your forces to capture me before the war begins in an attempt find a way to prevent me from reaching my human half. If I choose to side with you, you’ll have no reason not to press forward to war. But if you don’t know where my loyalty lies, then the path of war posses a great risk and sending your troops to find me could prove a waste of your armed forces. And believe me, you’ll need more than a search party to find me,” said Rarity.

“You asked why I chose to journey into the wilderness? It’s because now you have to compare the risks of going to war and the risks of simply letting things defuse. There is now a possibility I can convince you to turn away from war. That’s why I left. And that’s why I refuse to return until either war is declared, or peace,” said Rarity.

Celestia’s horn dimmed, but her stance remained aggressive.

“Do you realize what you are forcing me to do?” she asked.

“I’m forcing you to do nothing. The choice is still ultimately yours,” said Rarity.

“You are making me choose between endangering harmony, or gambling it’s existence! There is no winning move here!” exclaimed Celestia.

Rarity glared at Celestia.

“With all do respect, your highness, you’re forcing me to choose to destroy one of my homes, a notion I do not care for in the least. And unlike me, you have the experience to make this whole situation work out in the end. Humans are far harder to push around than any other race you’ve encounter before. Either accept that you must now play against skilled opponents who will not bow to your every whim, or give me the power to decide which one wins,” said Rarity.

Celestia remained tense.

“Well then, I suppose that I must remind you that Equestria is where your friends live. Where your sister lives. Do you truly wish to…” said Celestia.

Rarity stomped the ground so hard that it nearly ended the dream. The air crackled with energy as her anger boiled over.

“AND EARTH IS WHERE MY HUMAN FAMILY IS, INCLUDING MY HUSBAND, MY CHILD, AND MY SECOND THAT IS ON ITS WAY! DON’T YOU DARE SUGGEST THAT MY HUMAN LIFE IS WORTH ANY LESS THAN MY PONY ONE!” she cried.

Celestia wilted under Rarity's fury, and her expression grew horrified as Rarity’s words came to her.

Her wrath spent, Rarity calmed herself down.

“I believe there is nothing more to say. I’ve done everything I can to protect both of my families. All I can do now is hope you will see reason and not force me to choose one over the other. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must be going. I need to pack my son’s lunch for school tomorrow,” said Rarity.

“Rarity, I…” started Celestia, but the dream quickly faded.

...

Rachel awoke in her bed, and started crying.