Fallen

by Rated Ponystar

Ending 1: Divine Justice

Harmony.

This was harmony?

This divine creature that claimed to be not just the God I worshiped, but all gods worshiped everywhere in all worlds was this being? At first, I didn't know what to believe, but now that I see it, hear it, and feel the power emanating from it? I believe it.

I have faced the powers of Nightmare Moon, Discord, Queen Chrysalis, Tirek, and even Celestia in my life, and none of them, even combined, can stand a candle to this aura that is before me. It is brighter than the sun and carries a weight that not all Earth could hold. I realize that this is no lie. This is A god. This is THE god. This is ALL the gods. This is Harmony, and I don't know if I should start kneeling or praying. 

Honestly, I can't even move. I don't think anypony else can. Nopony is making a sound, and all are just stunned to the core by what Harmony has proclaimed. Why wouldn't they? They were raised to believe Celestia and Luna were goddesses. Even Twilight, Cadence, and Flurry Heart were thought to be ones in the Church of Harmony. Now comes a being even they cannot match that claims to be the virtue Equestria has claimed to stand for since its foundation. 

And it didn't sound happy.

"That's... that's impossible..." Twilight is the first to speak after a long period of silence. "You can't be...harmony. Harmony isn't a god. It's just a concept. An idea. There are no-"

"AND YET HERE I AM," Harmony answers as it looks down upon Twilight, who squeaks mouse as she cowards quickly before the being. None of the others can stop shaking in fear while it continued to tower over us all like the Statue of Liberty I saw in New York once. "THE ARROGANCE OF MORTALS IS THAT THEY BELIEVE THEMSELVES TO KNOW EVERYTHING WHEN THEY KNOW SO VERY LITTLE. WISE AS YOU CAN SOMETIMES BE, YOU FAIL TO TRULY UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING BEFORE YOU, NOR CAN YOU IN YOUR SHORT LIFETIMES. BUT I AM INDEED HARMONY. I AM INDEED YOUR CREATOR. AS I AM THE CREATOR OF ALL LIFE IN ALL WORLDS. NOT JUST IN EQUUS OR EARTH, BUT OF WORLDS BEYOND YOUR COUNTING."

"But...if you are THE God of Harmony...where were you?" Applejack asks before growling. She stares at harmony with such anger and rage that I was almost surprised by how she even has the guts to do so. Then again, Applejack has always been braver (and dumber) than most. "Where the buck where ya when we were dying out there by the humans! Why didn't ya just come out and stop them from killing us?! What kind of god does that?!" 

Harmony turns to Applejack. "WHAT MAKES YOU THINK I SUPPORT WHAT YOU DID?"

"...What?" Applejack whispers as her pupils shrink. I'm sure she's not the only one as one by one, the faces of my friends turn pale. Even Celestia's is whiter than usual.

"DO YOU REALLY THINK I WANTED YOU TO LEAVE YOUR WORLD AND COME TO THIS ONE TO COMMIT GENOCIDE? YOU ARE NO DIFFERENT THAN THE HUMANS HERE WHO SLEW COUNTLESS OTHERS IN MY NAME." Harmony speaks as I just realize it has shattered the entire war's excuse in less than ten seconds flat. When the embodiment of your reasoning for war tells you that you were wrong, I guess there is no defense for it at that point. How many times did I hear speeches and propaganda telling us that it was our duty to bring harmony to humanity? The average Equestrian believed it was their destiny to bring such a thing to humanity, lost in chaos and despair. Now they were being told by the living concept of their most treasured virtue that they were in the wrong.

Twilight tries to say something but the voice in her throat dies out. Even Rainbow Dash, zealous as she is, has her wings drooping in shock while others complete similar aspects of disbelief. I look around and see the other ponies in attendance expressing similar emotions. A few have even fainted at this point or look ready to have heart attacks. 

"ALWAYS THERE ARE THOSE WHO CLAIM TO FIGHT AND KILL IN MY NAME. RARELY HAVE I EVER ASKED OF SUCH A THING, BUT WHAT TIMES I DO SPEAK TO MORTALS, IN THE MANY METHODS I HAVE, OFTEN GET TWISTED OR CHANGED BY OTHERS. SOMETIMES OUT OF GREED AND OTHERS OUT OF MISUNDERSTANDING. AND WHILE SOME WARS HAVE JUSTIFICATION AGAINST TRUE EVILS, MOST OF THE TIME YOU MORTALS FIGHT FOR YOUR OWN REASONS. BUT I WILL MAKE THIS CLEAR RIGHT NOW. I HAVE NEVER SUPPORTED YOUR WAR AGAINST HUMANITY. I HAVE, IN FACT, BEEN SUPPORTING THEIR RIGHT TO EXIST."

"You've been supporting those monkies over us?!" Rainbow Dash shouts in disbelief and fury. "But we're Equestria! We-"

"DO YOU REALLY THINK YOU ARE THAT SPECIAL? YOU ARE ONE OF THE BILLIONS OF RACES I HAVE CREATED ACROSS A NEAR ENDLESS SEA OF DIMENSIONS AND WORLDS. YOU ARE NOT THE FIRST PONIES OF EQUESTRIA I HAVE CREATED, NOR ARE THESE THE FIRST HUMANS OF EARTH I HAVE CREATED. NEITHER OF WHICH WILL BE THE LAST EITHER. BOTH YOUR WORLDS HAVE DIED AND BEEN REBORN MULTIPLE TIMES. I CARE ABOUT ALL MY CREATIONS, BUT NONE ARE SUPERIOR OR INFERIOR TO THE OTHERS."

"But the Elements of Harmony-" Rarity started, but Harmony interrupted again.

"I GAVE YOU MY POWER IN THE FORM OF THE ELEMENTS OF HARMONY TO GIVE YOU A CHANCE TO FIGHT AGAINST THE EVILS IN YOUR WORLD. JUST AS I HAVE GIVEN HUMANITY WISDOM IN MANY SAVIORS, TEACHERS, AND PROPHETS TO HELP UNITE THEMSELVES. YET, I ALLOWED YOU ALL THE FREE WILL TO DO WHAT YOU WISH WITH THE POWER AND WISDOM I HAVE GRANTED TO YOU TO SEE IF YOU COULD GROW UP AND ADVANCE YOURSELVES. I ONLY INTERVENE WHEN IT IS NECESSARY. TOO MUCH CONTROL OVER YOU ALL, AND YOU DEPEND ON ME TOO MUCH. TOO LITTLE OF IT, AND YOU DESTROY EACH OTHER. I INTERFERE WHEN IT IS PROPER, AND I HOLD BACK WHEN IT IS THE RIGHT TIME TO DO SO. THIS MEANS ALL THE BENEFITS AND CONSEQUENCES FROM WHAT YOU HAVE DONE IN YOUR LIVES ARE OF YOUR OWN DOING. SADLY, OTHERS SUFFER IN THESE ACTIONS AS EVEN A SINGLE RESPONSE FROM A LEADER OR A SPECIES CAN RESULT IN THE DEATHS OF BILLIONS."

And then Harmony glared at Celestia, who walked back in horror while looking ready to fly in fear, yet her wings refused to open. "SUCH AS YOU, SUNNYVALE."

"I-I-I am Princess Celestia and I-" Celestia, or Sunnyvale, apparently, was soon dwarfed by Harmony, who lowered its head before her and made her whimper like a filly. 

"YOU ARE SUNNYVALE. PRINCESS CELESTIA IS THE NAME THAT STARSWIRL GAVE YOU WHEN YOU BECAME A PRINCESS. JUST AS MOONCLOUD WAS THE TRUE NAME OF YOUR SISTER. RARELY HAVE I EVER SEEN FEW MORTALS MATCH SUCH SELFISHNESS AND IRRESPONSIBILITY AS YOU, BUT YOU HAVE DONE WHAT FEW EVILS HAVE DONE. YOU HAVE DESTROYED YOUR WORLD, AND YET DEEP DOWN, DESPITE KNOWING WHAT YOU HAVE LOST, YOU WOULD STILL DO IT AGAIN."

"D-Destroyed our world? What are you talking about?" Twilight Sparkle asks as ponies in the stands start whispering and questioning each other. Every eye is on Celestia as she sweats and looks around in terror. If it wasn't for the seriousness of the situation, I would laugh. "What is… he… she… it talking about?"

Harmony looks at me, and I gulp in fear at first, but then I feel… comfort. I feel at ease. As if a warm blanket spread over me while washing me with the warm rays of the sun. My injuries feel like they don't exist as I gaze upon this being of energy. Unlike how it's eyeing the others, it's not staring at me like a bug to be crushed but as a loving parent. I think about how my parents used to love me and care for me when I was little. This feeling is similar to that, and I don't want it to stop. Was it because I miss my parents' love, deep down, or because it just felt so good? "WHY DON'T YOU EXPLAIN, FLUTTERSHY? TWILIGHT WAS SUPPOSED TO FIGURE IT OUT FIRST, BUT IT SEEMS CHOICES WERE MADE THAT PREVENTED SUCH AN OUTCOME AND NOW WE ARE IN THIS ONE."

Immediately I feel the eyes of everypony in the entire stadium looking down at me. The old Fluttershy would have run away and cowered in fear, but I am not afraid anymore. The war has changed me, and I think for the better. Sometimes I wonder if I would have remained that scared little pony who was frightened of her own shadow, but having seen such horrors and injustice in my life, I realized that fear cannot control me. I must control my fear. 

Princess Celestia looks almost ready to attack me to silence me, but with Harmony around, I doubt she can do anything. The biggest secret she's been hiding from everyone, even from her own student, is about to come out, and we both know that it will utterly ruin her.

However, I know that this is going to hurt everypony. Equestria might have been prejudice, blind, and zealous, but I still believe there is some good in us. The idea that we left behind a dead world, even in ignorance, is something that even the most blinded pony will feel horrified for. The truth has to be told. They have to know of our sin. What Celestia did to us. And what we did to all those back home.

"Our world? It's gone. Completely. All life there is dead." There are some gasps, and I see the others staring at me in horror with Pinkie's mane deflating like a balloon. I find it strange that they are willing to believe me, but I guess the giant god alicorn has something to help with that. I can see the hesitation in their eyes in asking what I mean until I finally ask the question that made me realize the truth. "Girls? Who has been controlling the sun and moon since we left our world?"

My question echoes across a still stadium. For a brief second, there is nothing but silence. 

And then, at long last, the illusion is shattered. 

Shouts of horror and screams of denial, not just from my friends but all around the stadium, erupt across the stadium as it finally clicks in their heads. Tears are shed as ponies fall to the floor in sorrow and guilt while others are throwing up in their place. Now I think ponies really are having heart attacks as some are clutching their chests as medical ponies rush in but trip along the way in confusion. However, a rainbow glow surrounds those ponies who suddenly stop panicking from their internal heart problems and look at Harmony, whose horn was glowing in awe. 

A few guards are so shocked that they drop their weapons while one particular one starts to put his blade to his throat before the others stop him. All around me, I hear and see the despair as the truth is finally dropped upon a nation guided by a lie. No matter how much they try to deny it, they know it's true because of one thing. We've been told that Celestia and Luna were the only ones who could move the sun and moon in our world for all our lives. So what happens when there is nopony there to move them? We just assumed everything was okay because Celestia said so, but when do you finally stop and think? 

It honestly just shows how dumb and brainwashed we were as a species.

"That's not true! It can't be true!" Pinkie is screaming as her hair entirely goes down, with chunks of it even coming off. I don't know if she's ripping it off or if it's done by itself, but it's disturbing, to say the least. Her sobbing eyes are twitching in a panic, and she's running around like a headless chicken while Rarity looks ready to faint while sobbing. "They can't be dead! They can't all be dead!"

"Gilda…" Rainbow Dash whispers in horror as her eyes go wide and she sits on her backside. A few minutes later, she turns her head and throws up while crying her eyes out. Rainbow Dash rarely cries, especially in public, and to see her in such a state shows that she must be in terrible pain as she screams to the heavens in despair.

Applejack is just frozen like a statue in horror. "Zecora… Little Strongheart…mah family outside of Equestria..."

"This can't be...wait, no… if Celestia and Luna really were here all this time and…why didn't…." Twilight's reaction is one of confusion, horror, realization, and finally fury as she turns to a quiet Celestia and yells. "You bucking monster! How could you?!"

Everypony soon focuses on Twilight, who is glowing with rage and hatred. She roars in anger before shooting the biggest blast of magic I have ever seen her cast at Celestia, who summons a shield of magic to protect her. It barely manages to hold off against the attack before it ends. Even I am in disbelief as I have just seen Twilight, Celestia's most loyal supporter, attack the princess with the intent of killing her. The others are soon joining her and glaring at Celestia with such hatred that, if looks could kill, Celestia would be dead seven times over. 

"How could you do this?!" Twilight screams both in disbelief and rage. "You lied to us! You lied about everything! All those lives! Even the ones here?! Was it all a bucking lie?! Why?! TELL ME WHY?!"

"BECAUSE THERE WAS NO OTHER CHOICE!" Celestia screams with the full power of the royal voice. It was so loud and powerful that it had to have echoed all across Canterlot. The intensity was so loud that the six of us were knocked down from the blast alone. I gaze upon Celestia's voice and nearly wet myself with how angry and insane she looks. Her mane is floating around as she spreads her wings out and continues to scream endlessly, and her eyes are nearly pulled out. I can see salvia and blood emanating from her mouth, and her horn is building up such magic it looks ready to blow. She looks at us, the ponies in attendance, and even Harmony itself while speaking in a rampage. "EVERYTHING I HAVE EVER DONE WAS FOR ALL OF YOU! I HAVE SACRIFICED EVERYTHING BECAUSE I AM WHAT KEPT YOU ALL FROM KILLING YOURSELVES! YOU WOULD NEVER HAVE SURVIVED AS A NATION WITHOUT ME! THE SUN WAS GOING TO DIE! I DID WHAT I COULD TO SAVE IT, BUT THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD DO! I HAD TO MAKE A CHOICE! I HAD TO SAVE YOU ALL AND IF IT MEANT ENDING THE WORLD, THEN SO BE IT! WHAT MATTERED WAS THAT WE SURVIVED! WE LIVED! AND NOW YOU TURN AGAINST ME WHEN I WAS THE ONE WHO LET YOU AVOID UTTER DOOM?! I LOST EVERYTHING TRYING TO PROTECT YOU, BUT YOU ARE NOTHING MORE THAN CHILDREN WHO UNDERSTAND NOTHING!"

She then turned her gaze on Harmony and, with utter hatred in her voice, screamed, "AND YOU! YOU CLAIMED TO BE A GOD, BUT IF SO, YOU ARE THE WORST GOD EVER! WHERE WERE YOU WHEN MY PARENTS DIED?! WHERE WERE YOU WHEN OTHER RACES WERE SLAUGHTERING PONIES?! WHY DIDN'T YOU STOP DISCORD?! OR SAVE SUNSET?! OR STOP MY SISTER FROM TURNING INTO NIGHTMARE MOON?! WHY DIDN'T YOU EVER STOP HUMANITY FROM KILLING EACH OTHER?! OR EVEN STOP THE SUN FROM ENDING?! WHY DID I HAVE TO BECOME A PRINCESS WHEN ALL IT EVER DID WAS BRING ME PAIN AND SUFFERING?! YOU CLAIM TO CARE ABOUT US, BUT ALL I SEE IS A SELFISH, ABUSIVE BEING WHO PLAYS AROUND WITH MORTALS LIKE WE'RE TOYS! BUCK YOU! BUCK EVERYTHING!"

I was surprised that Harmony just didn't burn her into ashes the moment she finished cursing at a living god while taking deep breaths yet keeping that crazed look on her face. I think something has finally snapped in Celestia. Whatever she was holding back? It's now unleashed for all to see. I gaze over at Twilight, who looks near broken herself upon seeing her idol and mother figure act like this. I feel pity for her for a moment, but I can't help but still feel she should have seen the signs. I wasn't as bright as her, and yet I saw it. So many of us did. Or did Twilight just not want to believe that her mentor was capable of fault?

"...why?" Celestia whispered as a few tears fell down her cheek. "Why did you do this to me?"

"I DIDN'T KILL YOUR PARENTS, SUNNYVALE, THAT WAS GRIFFIN RAIDERS WHO CHOOSE TO DO SO. I DIDN'T FORCE THE RACES OF YOUR WORLD TO ATTACK PONIES. THAT WAS THEIR CHOICE. THE SAME AS IT WAS FOR HUMANS TO ATTACK EACH OTHER. THAT WAS THEIR CHOICE. YOUR SISTER CHOOSE TO BECOME NIGHTMARE MOON IN HER ANGER AND RAGE, THAT YOU WERE BLIND TO SEE. I MAY HAVE BLESSED YOU AND YOUR SISTER WITH MOVING THE SUN AND MOON, BUT IT WAS STARSWIRL WHO MADE YOU INTO PRINCESSES. YOU ALSO COULD HAVE STOPPED AT ANY TIME, FOUND A WAY TO HAVE EQUESTRIA BE RULED WITHOUT ROYALTY, BUT YOU NEVER DID SO. THAT WAS YOUR CHOICE. DISCORD CHOOSE TO USE HIS POWERS AS HE DID. FOR SUNSET, SHE CHOOSE OF HER OWN FREE WILL TO GO. AND YOU CHOOSE TO ABANDON ALL OTHERS TO DIE WHILE STARTING A WAR BECAUSE YOU ASSUMED THE WORST OF HUMANITY."

There is a loud sigh from Harmony like that of an old man.

"YOU CLAIM I DO NOT CARE FOR MORTALS, BUT YOU ARE MISTAKEN. I COULD EASILY BE A TYRANT AND ORDER ALL LIFE TO OBEY MY WILL, BUT I DO NOT. IF I REALLY WAS UNCARING, I COULD JUST LET YOU MORTALS DO WHATEVER YOU WANT WITHOUT CONSEQUENCES, BUT I DO NOT. I WANT TO SEE MY CREATIONS GROW AND SURPRISE ME, BUT I WILL BE THERE TO HELP WHEN NEEDED. I WANT TO SEE THEM EVOLVE AND CHANGE INTO BEING BETTER BEINGS WITH AS LITTLE INVOLVEMENT FROM ME AS POSSIBLE, BUT WHAT INVOLVEMENT I GIVE WILL ALWAYS HAVE MEANING. A PARENT HELPS THE CHILD GROW, BUT IN THE END, THEY MUST LET THEM FLOURISH ON THEIR OWN. IT IS UP TO THAT CHILD TO CHOOSE TO DO WITH THE POWER AND WISDOM A PARENT GIVES. I GIVE ALL LIFE THE TOOLS AND GUIDANCE, BUT I DO NOT FORCE THEM TO DO WHAT MUST BE DONE. SOMETIMES THEY EVEN FIND WAYS BETTER THAN I INTENDED. I DO NOT CURSE THE WORLDS THAT STOP WORSHIPING ME OR CLAIM TO NOT NEED ME ANYMORE. I AM PROUD OF THEM. FOR THEY HAVE BECOME WHAT THEY NEEDED TO BE OF THEIR OWN FREE WILL. SOMETIMES THEY FAIL AND DESTROY THEMSELVES, BUT I START IT ALL OVER AGAIN WITH THE HOPE THEY WILL LEARN AND BE BETTER."

That makes me wonder what all life would be like if we had to obey one person repeatedly with no thought. It doesn't sound like an exciting life. It sounds almost...mechanical. Maybe there are problems with free will, but I'd instead choose what is right and wrong than always being told what to do with no say in my life.

"WHAT YOU HAVE LOST IN THIS WAR IS A RESULT OF YOUR OWN CHOICES, SUNNYVALE. YOU CHOOSE TO TELEPORT EQUESTRIA TO EARTH, RESULTING IN THE DEATHS OF YOUR WORLD. A WORLD I HAVE HAD TO REBIRTH SOON AFTER WITH NEW LIFE. YOU CHOOSE TO WAGE WAR. YOU CHOOSE TO HIDE THE TRUTH. THE SUFFERING YOU AND EQUESTRIA HAVE DONE IS BY YOUR CHOICE AND YOUR CHOICE ALONE. AND THE CONSEQUENCES ARE YOURS THAT MUST BE LEARNED."

"You claim that, but what about the sun! It was going to die!" Celestia shouted. "Why didn't you give me the means to save it?!"

"WHO SAID YOU WERE THE ONE TO SAVE IT? THERE WAS A PLAN TO SAVE YOUR WORLD. THERE ALWAYS WAS UNTIL YOU, AS THE HUMANS SAY, FUCKED IT UP." Harmony explains, which makes Celestia's mouth drop down as low as it can get. "THERE WERE SIX OTHER SOULS WHO WERE DESTINED TO BE HEROES. THE SUCCESSORS TO THOSE SIX WHO LIE IN THIS STADIUM. UNITED BY FRIENDSHIP, THEY WERE TO BE THE ONES TO SAVE YOUR WORLD AS THE NEW ELEMENTS OF HARMONY. THEY COULD HAVE LET THE SUN AND MOON MOVE ON THEIR OWN AND FINALLY FREED YOU FROM YOUR BURDEN. THEY WOULD HAVE HELPED BRING PEACE TO EQUUS."

"W-Who were these ponies?" Celestia muttered in disbelief. "Tell me! I must know!"

"PONIES? WHO SAID THEY WERE PONIES? ONE WAS A LONELY GRIFFIN WHO WANTED NOTHING MORE THAN A FAMILY. A CHANGELING WHO SOUGHT TO LEARN ABOUT THE WORLD AROUND HER. A YAK WHO WANTED TO BE THE BEST OF HER KIND AND FILL HER FAMILY WITH PRIDE. A DRAGON WHO WANTED TO LET OUT HER SOFT SIDE AND BE HERSELF IN PUBLIC. A HIPPOGRIFF WHO WANTED TO EXPERIENCE THE JOY OF LIFE WITHOUT FEAR OR TERROR. THE ONLY PONY OF THE SIX WANTED TO BE JUST LIKE HIS HEROES BUT NOW CURSES THEM FOR MAKING HIM A KILLER. NOW FIVE OF THEM ARE DEAD, AND ONE IS BROKEN EMOTIONALLY FROM THE WAR YOU FORCED HIM INTO."

"But I… I…" Celestia tried to speak, but she fell to her haunches. "But we ponies..."

"ALL RACES ARE CAPABLE OF GREAT THINGS. NOT JUST PONIES. HAD YOU OPENED YOUR MIND MORE TO ACCEPTING THE OTHER RACES, THINGS MIGHT HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT. INSTEAD, YOU ARE BLIND FROM WHAT HAPPENED IN THE PAST THAT YOU DO NOT SEE THE FUTURE. YOUR ARROGANCE IS ASSUMING THAT YOU KNEW BEST AND YOU WERE THE ONLY ONE WHO COULD SAVE YOUR WORLD. YOU EVEN MANIPULATED YOUR OWN STUDENT AND HER FRIENDS INTO DOING WHAT YOU THOUGHT WAS RIGHT INSTEAD OF LETTING THEM BE WHO THEY NEEDED TO BE. YOU ARE NO GOD, SUNNYVALE. YOU ARE A SELFISH MONSTER WHOSE ACTIONS, AND THE ACTIONS OF THOSE WHO BLINDLY FOLLOWED YOU, HAVE LEAD TO UNTOLD MISERY." 

I slowly feel something cascading down my cheek, and I touch it to feel it wet. Tears. I was crying, but why? Was it because I realized just how thoroughly damaging Celestia's actions were? Was it because I wanted to know who these six new Elements were who would have been our successors? Or was it because what sounded like a bright and happy future was torn away by this witch? Celestia whimpered as she, the once-loved and worshiped pony of Equestria, was now glared at with hatred, sorrow, and heartbreak by everypony in the stadium. Even my former friends look at her with nothing but utter disgust, including Twilight, who has gone so far as throwing her element crown away. 

"I WAS CONTENT TO HAVE HUMANITY DEFEAT YOU IN THE WAR AS WAS THE OBVIOUS OUTCOME, BUT THEN YOU DARE TO TRY AND USE MY POWER TO WIPE THEM OUT AGAIN."

"What? The Elements of Harmony were going to be used as a shield around Equestria!" Twilight proclaimed.

"THAT WAS YOUR PLAN. SHE HAD NO INTENTIONS OF LETTING THIS WAR END. SUNNYVALE HERE WANTED TO FIND A WAY TO SPREAD THE ELEMENTS OF HARMONY AS A WEAPON TO WIPE OUT ALL OF HUMANITY AFTER THE SHIELD WAS DONE. NOT NOW OR EVER." 

I knew it…" I whisper, shaking my head. What else did I expect?

"You bitch! I don't...I just..." Twilight threw her hooves in the air and just continued to curse while her hair started getting all unwind.

"Twilight, my faithful student, I-"

"Don't call me that! Don't even speak to me!" Twilight screams as she glares at Celestia. "I reject you! I reject everything about you! You used me! You used everypony for your selfish gains! How many died because of you?! Not just the other races or humans, but ponies as well?! My brother, Cadence, Flurry Heart?! They're all dead because of you! Even Luna died, your own sister, because of your bucking actions! I didn't believe it when Lyra told me! I didn't believe it when Flash told me! I didn't even believe in one of my own best friends! Even my parents told me they had doubts about the war, but I ignored it all because I worshiped you! Maybe not as a goddess like everypony else, but you were everything to me! I loved you, but they were all right! Fluttershy was right! I am the stupidest pony in the world because I was so blinded by you that I couldn't even think for myself! I couldn't see what a selfish, hateful pony you really are! Well, buck you, Celestia!" 

"It was...It was..." Celestia starts weeping as she lowers her head as her own ponies began cursing her loudly in the stadium. Some were even throwing trash and screaming at her. The guards all throw their weapons down and even take off their helmets in utter rejection of Celestia. A few even leave. Even my other friends couldn't help but look at her in disgust. 

"I MADE THE MISTAKE OF NOT INTERFERING THE FIRST TIME WHEN YOU WERE GOING TO USE THE ELEMENTS TO TELEPORT EQUESTRIA TO EARTH. I WILL NOT MAKE THE MISTAKE AGAIN." Harmony proclaims as their voice rumbled as their horn began to glow. "FOR YOUR CRIMES, SUNNYVALE, YOU WILL SPEND AN ETERNITY IN STONE. YOU WILL NEVER BE FREE BY ANY FORCE IN THIS WORLD OR ANY OTHER. NOT UNTIL THIS WORLD ENDS WILL YOU KNOW DEATH. YOU WILL ALSO BE BANISHED DEEP INTO THE EARTH WHERE YOU WILL SEE AND FEEL NOTHING, AND YET YOU WILL BE AWAKE FOR IT ALL. THIS IS YOUR PUNISHMENT AND YOUR OWN PERSONAL HELL!"

A bright rainbow-colored light shone down upon Celestia, who screams in horror and agony as her entire being is engulfed in the god's power. I have seen this before with Discord, and yet I never thought I would see this happen with Celestia. Her entire being is slowly encased in stone that slowly works its way up from her hooves to her legs. She starts shrieking for help from anyone. Her guards, her subjects, even Twilight, who she begs to help her. Yet none of them move. None of us care. Even Twilight just stares at her mentor with a broken expression before turning away with tears in her eyes. Upon realizing that there is no hope for her, Celestia starts sobbing uncontrollably as every part of her body slowly turns to stone save for her head.

"It's not fair! I did everything for you! I did it all for you! I loved you all, and this is how you repay me?! I AM YOUR PRINCESS! I DON'T DESERVE THIS!"

And thus were the final words of Celestia before her entire body was turned to stone. It was done, and I still couldn't believe it. Princess Celestia, the divine ruler of Equestria, was defeated just like that. She was there as still as stone, and yet from what Discord told me, she could still see everything and was as awake as normal. Her stone body was gone with a flash, and I remembered what Harmony said would be her fate. 

Alone forever as a stone figure underground with nothing but an eternity of darkness. 

I honestly couldn't think of a better or more deserving fate than that. 

"AS FOR YOU FIVE," Harmony said as he turned to my former friends, who looked up in terror. "YOU ARE NOT GOING OFF LIGHTLY EITHER. YOU FAILED TO REPRESENT YOUR ELEMENTS. YOU, APPLEJACK, LIED TO OTHERS AND SOLD YOUR FELLOW TOWNSFOLK OUT FOR MONEY TO THE SECRET SERVICE. YOU, RAINBOW DASH, BECAME A BLIND LOYALIST WHO LUSTED FOR INNOCENT BLOOD. YOU, RARITY, BECAME SELFISH AND PUSHED AWAY ALL WHO WANTED TO HELP YOU. YOU, PINKIE PIE, SIDED WITH THOSE WHO BROUGHT SUFFERING INSTEAD OF SMILES. AND YOU, TWILIGHT SPARKLE, WHICH I HAD GIVEN SUCH A GREAT DESTINY ONCE, YOU FAILED TO USE THE LESSONS YOU LEARNED ABOUT FRIENDSHIP WHEN THEY WERE NEEDED MOST. THE ONLY ONE OF YOU WHO MANAGED TO KEEP TRUE TO THEIR ELEMENT WAS FLUTTERSHY."

Harmony turned towards me. "SHE SACRIFICED EVERYTHING FOR THE SAKE OF KINDNESS. SHE DID THE RIGHT THING BY STANDING UP AGAINST WHAT WAS WRONG, AND EVEN AFTER BEING HATED BY HER OWN KIND, SHE HELPED THEM IN BATTLE. THEREFORE, I LEAVE YOUR PUNISHMENT IN HER HOOVES."

"M-Mine?" I ask in surprise.

"THEY HURT YOU. WERE WILLING TO EVEN KILL YOU AT ONE POINT. YOU CAN REQUEST ANY PUNISHMENT FOR THE FIVE OF THEM. IT IS NOT BEYOND MY POWER."

My choice.

I could do whatever I want. I looked at my five former friends, who were huddled together in terror. I think about all the suffering they have done to me. The words that have hurt me. The physical and emotional abuse. How they accused me of being a traitor and disowned me as a friend. I think about Discord and how some of them were glad he was gone. I think about how I was accused of being a failure of an Element until now, when it was clear I was the truest of them all. I could have Twilight's horn and wings for myself. I could make Rarity into the ugliest creature in the world. I could have Applejack never be able to make or taste apples again. I could make it so Rainbow Dash couldn't fly. I could have Pinkie Pie never smile or laugh again. Or I could just have them all killed. Or even given the same fate as Celestia.

Deep down, I really did want to hurt them so much for hurting me. Especially these past few days.

I could have revenge.

...But that's not me.

That's not who I am.

I can't do it. Not just because it would go against everything that I am, but because I once saw these five as sisters. 

We were once best friends.

Maybe I really am too nice for my own good?

"I don't want them punished," I answer, which surprises not just my friends but also the stadium as well. "I'm not going to be like them and want revenge or further bloodshed. I want this war to be over. I want the fighting to stop. Whatever consequences my friends will get for their actions will not be from me, but by whatever awaits them after this." Harmony tilts its head as I smile up at it. "So no, thank you. I will not be asking you to hurt them. I want you to leave them as they are. Because now they, and everypony, knows who they really are now. They're not the Elements of Harmony. They are just ponies who made bad mistakes that they need to live with now that they know they were wrong all this time. Nothing more and nothing less."

For a while, Harmony says nothing. Then he lets out a small chuckle and a laugh. "YOU REALLY ARE A KIND CREATURE. EVEN AGAINST THOSE THAT HURT YOU. VERY WELL. HOWEVER," He then looks at Twilight, who is nervously gulping, "TWILIGHT SPARKLE, YOU WILL COMPLETELY SURRENDER TO HUMANITY. YOU WILL LET FLUTTERSHY AND MARTIN GO SO THEY CAN BE HAPPY TOGETHER. AND EQUESTRIA WILL WORK TO REPENT FOR ITS SINS. UNDERSTOOD?"

"Y-Yes," Twilight whispered, lowering her head in shame. "We will...surrender and make up...for what we've done."

"GOOD. NOW I MUST PERFORM SOMETHING THIS WORLD HAS NOT SEEN IN A LONG TIME. A MIRACLE."

A giant halo of golden energy slowly began to appear above Harmony before growing in size and brightness. I slowly covered my eyes until it was unleashed in the air as it spread out across the sky and continued to travel further and further until there was not a trace of it. "What was that?" I ask.

"THAT WAS ME TURNING THE NEWFOALS BACK INTO HUMANS," Harmony says, much to my shock. "EVERY HUMAN THAT WAS TURNED INTO A PONY IS NOW, PAINLESSLY, BACK TO THEIR HUMAN FORM WITH NO SIDE EFFECTS."

Harmony then stood tall and looked at all of us. "HEAR ME NOW, EQUESTRIA. YOU MUST REPENT FOR YOUR SINS AND WORK WITH HUMANITY FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE. YOU WILL SUFFER ALONG THE WAY, YOU BE CURSED, BUT IF YOU DO THINGS RIGHT, THE NEXT GENERATION AND THE ONES BEFORE THAT WILL LIVE BETTER THAN THEY DREAMED. IT IS UP TO YOU TO FIX THE MISTAKES YOU HAVE MADE. MAY THE FUTURE YOU CREATE BE ONE THAT YOU CAN BE PROUD OF."

And just like that, in a flash of light, I saw the giant alicorn turned into a small ball of light no bigger than that of a basketball. It glittered around for a while until it floated away into the heavens and disappeared. When it was all over and done, everypony reacted. Some ran like hell, others began sobbing uncontrollably, more than one was just sitting in horror as the realization of what had happened finally hit them.

At long last, the truth had been given to them.

Equestria was the bad guy. 

I turned to my friends. Pinkie Pie had started laughing and not in a good way. It was like she was broken as she slowly walked away into a wall before banging herself on the head. Nopony made a move to stop her even as she started drawing blood. Rarity had finally fainted by this point, and Applejack just looked down at the dirt before walking away like a shammed puppy. Rainbow Dash stared at me but turned away before just as I started to see the tears in her eyes. She then flew as fast as possible into the air and was gone a split second later. That left only Twilight.

Twilight looked like she had aged twenty years as she slowly turned to me. Her eyes were full of pain, and her face looks pale as death. I wait for her to say or do something until she closes her eyes and uses her magic to unlock my chains. I rub my hooves before turning to Twilight and ask, "And Martin?"

"...Both of you will be released. The war…it's over…." Twilight whispers, both bitterly and sorrowfully. "I'll…I'll make a statement…though chances are all of Equestria will know soon enough."

"And then what?" I ask.

"...I don't care," Twilight sighed as she wept. "My mentor was a liar. I have the blood of who knows how many on my hooves. You were right. I was an idiot. Equestria has no need for an idiot princess." 

"So you'll just step down? That's it?" I ask, narrowing my eyes. "You'll do nothing?"

"I've done enough," Twilight whispered as she turned away, dragging herself forward.

I open my mouth to say something but then I close it. No, I'm done. I'm not talking about this anymore, and quite frankly, I don't care. I want to see Martin. 

And then I want to go home.

I take a moment to sip my tea before looking back at the biography I had been writing for the past three years on my computer. After the war, I had a lot of free time on my hooves despite being praised as a hero. When one was credited as the one who ended the war, even if you really never did anything in your mind, the bills sort of paid themselves. Despite this, I felt that I needed to do something in my life, and writing was a talent I only discovered later in life. At first, it was just children's books. The same ones I used to make up for my children to help them get to sleep. I smile, thinking about them and how they've grown up to be such fine boys while gazing at the photo of us at Disney World on our vacation that year. 

Peter, Taeyong, and Feathershy. My pride and joys. I remember adopting them and welcoming them to their new home here in Cary shortly after Martin and I finally married. Sure, it was hard at first since almost every press around the world wanted to have interviews with me, but all I wanted was to live in peace, and eventually, they respected that. Martin continued to be a doctor while I took care of our children at home. Helping them move on from the horrors of the war was difficult, and there were many nights I had to hold them and whisper to them that nopony was going to hurt them anymore, but I'm proud to say that they all turned out to be the best sons possible. 

Like his father, Peter decided to become a doctor, but he wanted to be in pharmaceuticals and was now discovering new drugs for humans and ponies. Taeyong became a pop singer with a boy band called Fuzion since he loved hearing me sing and he had the voice of an angel. And Feather Shy was training to become a priest for the United Church. Once the revelation of Harmony had become known, religions worldwide started working together to make a unified religion that took all their good aspects while ignoring the bad ones. It wasn't perfect, and I guess no religious organization ever is, but for the most part, it's been peaceful.

A knock on my door distracts me from my thoughts as I turn around and see Martin, grey in hair and beard, smiling at me. "Come on, honey. We're gonna be late."

"Just let me finish a few more pages, dear," I say to him, to which he nods and leaves. I sigh before returning to my book and start typing:

"After the war was officially declared over, Twilight Sparkle stepped down as Princess of Equestria and allowed herself to be tried for her crimes while pleading not guilty. Despite all that she had done, Twilight's defense ruled that she had been manipulated by Celestia into doing the things that happened before and after the war. While a part of this was true, a jury still found her guilty, but she was given a life sentence instead of execution. After she was sentenced, Spike and her parents were the only ones to visit her for a long time until I decided to visit a few times. The first seven years were rough on her, knowing that everything she believed in was a lie and that the one she treasured most was using her. I only see her once in and while, but she rarely talks to anyone anymore. It's also the only time I ever get to see Spike, who's doing what he can to help Equestria repair itself now that it's under U.N. occupation. He's also gotten a lot busier ever since he became mayor of Ponyville and married Sweetie Belle."

"Speaking of occupation,after twenty years of it, elections being finally being held for the new democratic government in Equestria. I've had no interest in politics personally, but I hope Lyra wins as President. I can't think of anyone who deserves it more since she led us all in the darkest of times. Plus, I think with my endorsement as her friend, she'll be more than likely to win and finally guide Equestria to a better future. More so than the so-called "Real Equestrian Movement" tried to do fifteen years ago." I shake my head at the stubbornness of some ponies. Even after everything that was revealed, from a higher being no less, some ponies refuse to really step down. They all took over one upper northern part of Equestria and held it for two years until the U.N. finally ended their short reign. "Sadly, even some ponies like Rainbow Dash cannot accept defeat. Even when it's clear as day it's over."

I can clearly remember mourning Dash's death when they found her body among the rebels on the final day. Dash had been once my sister, so losing her was a heartache that still hasn’t healed. Dash was always a fighter who would never accept defeat. I honestly think she just had nothing left but the fight itself and wanted to die fighting even though she knew she would never win. Her expression in her casket was one of utter peace like she finally had found what she wanted for years ever since Harmony's revelation: death. I hope she's finally happy wherever she is. Her funeral was also the last time I saw Rarity. Thinking about her, I started typing again.

"Although not all of my old friends ended up in tragedies. Spike and Sweetie Belle finally managed to get Rarity to stop drinking, and she tried to turn her life around. Sadly, some ponies blamed her for what had happened, and Harmony's words for her had only hurt that. Her original career was essentially over, and she had to start fresh. Thankfully, Sweetie Belle didn't suffer any negative feedback and found a singing career that led her to become a teacher. Rarity, a good singer herself, became Sweetie Belle's assistant in helping the fillies and colts with their vocals while also working at charities to help heal the wounds between humanity and ponies. Mostly in making clothes for refugees on both sides. When we met after Rainbow Dash's funeral, Rarity apologized for everything, and after a long talk, we buried the hatchet. From what Spike tells me, she's doing much better, but she'll never be the once fabulous pony I knew her as. Just like Pinkie will never be able to smile again."

If there was any former friend, I felt pity for it was Pinkie Pie. What happened that day finally broke her, and she was forced into a mental hospital. Even after years of treatment, Pinkie was never the same again, but she was able to finally leave just a few years ago and go live on the rock farm her parents owned. Spike went to see her just once, but he could never do so again. He told me that looking at Pinkie Pie was too sad because of how far she had fallen from the once party-loving pony I knew into everything opposite of her. I just hope she can smile one last time someday.

"Still, I suppose it was foolish to think that my friends could just get away with what they had done, even if I had refused to punish them. Applejack was proof of that. The revelation that she had sold her fellow ponies out for money left her to be disinherited by her own family upon learning what she did. No matter how much she pleaded or begged, they considered her an Apple no more while Braeburn, his human husband, and their adopted kids were welcomed back. Even Apple Bloom wanted nothing to do with her sister and punched her in the face when she tried to show up for her and Scootaloo's wedding. Nopony mourned for her when relatives and friends of those who died under the ESS, because of Applejack, lynched her. They hung her from a tree and left her body to rot for three days before undertakers finally buried her in a lone grave in a graveyard. There was no funeral. No ceremony. Not even flowers, from what I hear. And honestly? Considering how many died because of her selfish lies? I hope she rots in hell."

I look at the clock and realize I need to leave soon. So I soon enter one last thing, "While I am grateful the war is over, I still feel the scars of it. Not just from the friends I lost, but what I've had to deal with inside all these years. It's my hope that the future humans and ponies learn from us and build a better future. It's also my hope that whatever new world Harmony has made from the ashes of our old one does better than we did. I suppose all I can do is have faith."

I save my file and shut the computer off before hurrying out the door to catch up with Martin.