Chapter Forty: Piercing The Dragon's Heart
~BlackRoseRaven
Spring gave away to a miserable, humid summer as a sweltering heat wave passed over Equestria, and there was nervousness on both sides of the battlefield. Kvasir, after all, had Sleipnir running all over Equestria, gathering materials, making contact with ponies and Strange Ones, and even plunging deep into enemy territory to rescue or recruit specific people to his cause. Demons and other servants of the darkness rarely attacked him, under Luna's orders... but pony soldiers and hungry undead on the other hand often threatened the warrior, although none proved any match for the legendary earth pony.
But Luna's servants were also gathering materials: at first, Kvasir had panicked, thinking it had something to do with the amplifier towers. His suspicion had worsened when he'd spoken to the Chief Artificer about it, but even half-drunk Greece had snorted in disgust, muttering as he'd rubbed at his face: “Oh yeah, big deal, big project, ooh, let's put the central amplifier in Enstasis... but then she just leaves the rest of 'em half-done and rotting! Worse... worse than what she did to Canterlot. Ruins... even though she broke it worse and didn't ever go back to... fixing it...”
Still, whether he had become undependable or not from abusing alcohol too often to get away from the reality of the darkness and war around them – and the fact that he was building weapons now that had no purpose but to kill, not to defend homes, but strictly to go out and kill any enemy they came across, which severely bothered the moralistic dwarf – Greece was able to answer a lot of questions. Experimentally, Kvasir ordered a unit of ponies to go out and bring down a nearby amplifier tower to see if it would attract Luna's attention... and when it was destroyed and nothing happened, he decided they were of no consequence.
This wasn't entirely true, but Celestia said calmly that the best way to defend the towers was to ignore anything done to them: as far as New Equestria was concerned, they were just landmarks, nothing more. Besides, if things went as planned, they would never have to resort to putting them to use.
Luna's servants were able to gather the materials Celestia desired for her plan much faster than Sleipnir could recruit people by himself, but the problem was that Celestia required a large supply of fairly-rare objects. Twilight Shadow, meanwhile, went to work with several of the newly-trained Necromancers to work on mixing and preparing the concoction: herbs, bones, clay, and other things.
The end result was a gray-pink putty that Celestia ordered them to shape into ponies. The statues became strangely lifelike, the putty easily maintaining whatever form it was given before they were placed into cold storage in the labyrinth. Twilight had asked if they were clay golems, and Celestia had only smiled slightly, replying softly: “Oh, we'll be animating them, Twilight, when the time is right... but no. They are not simple golems. They're something to help us get through the Temple's defenses, that's all.”
As both sides prepared their secrets, the war raged on: New Equestria blew apart the ruins of Charger's Crossing, which resembled the massive bridge that had been in the old Equestria as well, the last leftover structure from some ancient civilization: Luna had simply deployed the North Wind, however, and they had layered the entire strait around the bridge in rock-solid, permanent ice, negating the damage that New Equestria had done in trying to separate Luna's territory and cut off a trade route.
New Equestria staged a fearsome operation right near Ponyville, however, seeking to take over the mountainous territory and complex passes just to the north of Enstasis to try and cut Luna off from the neutral village of the Strange Ones and stop her from seeking their assistance with crafts and enchantments: the Strange Ones still refused to choose a side, after all, no matter how they were goaded, threatened, or offered reward. It was frustrating for both sides... but the Strange Ones were also a very necessary resource, especially in these dangerous times, with their alien magic and knowledge of everything in this new world. They were powerful allies that both sides wanted and yet neither side would risk destroying... so it meant they instead had to resort to much more complex methods in order to stop the enemy from getting their help.
Kvasir sent troops from Ponyville to participate in the attack... and was surprised when Applejack and Rainbow Dash both refused to go. They had both recovered from their ordeal, but they were both spending much more time training, both much quieter than they had been in the past... and now fewer ponies respected them and more were scared of them. All too many times Applejack in particular came close to lashing out at some poor soldier who did something wrong... and half the encampment had seen her catch a demon outside, wrestle it to the ground, and pummel it with her hooves even as Kvasir had shouted desperately at her to stop, that it was one of his spies... but all the same, she had snapped its neck and broken its skull, saying with the harsh, uncaring devotion of a zealot: “All demons are monsters. All of them have to die.”
She spent most of her time with the zebra, learning their methods of combat and conquest, fearlessly drinking the potions they offered her, learning to fight with their weapons and how to make their poultices and simple elixirs. Rainbow Dash, meanwhile, trained alongside the Nibelung, his features tighter, paler than they had been in the past, learning to throw hatchets and use heavier dwarf weapons and modify his own already-dangerous armor at the forge to make it even deadlier.
And yet neither wanted to take to the field, both saying they wouldn't be ready if Luna and Scrivener showed up. Strangely, it sent a chill down Kvasir's spine, and so instead he had deployed several teams of Pegasus, a large group of earth ponies, and a few unicorns, arming the last with shell helmets as well. He also sent in Nibelung workers and an Architect to set up blessed oil, spike pits, and other dangerous traps that would hopefully deter even the Tyrant Wyrm from being too aggressive.
As they hoped, it was easy to drive off the few demons guarding the pass when the massive New Equestrian force pushed in: with countless ponies and Nibelung, five dragons, and the support from Ponyville as well, it was flee or perish. Immediately, they began to fortify and lay their traps through the area, looking at gleaming black Enstasis in the distance: if they did successfully lock down the blockade and prove this was a holdable position, then New Equestria would begin moving in more troops to build a base only a short walk from Luna's stronghold... a bold move that might let them turn the war around.
They expected an attack to occur at night: therefore, when it didn't, they were understandably confused. But as the sun rose, they received another surprise as not Scrivener Blooms, not Luna attacked... but instead a lone figure dressed in golden armor, whom New Equestria called 'Dusk,' and Luna called 'big sister.'
Three dragons had eagerly attacked, and the soldiers had sat back to watch... but when the first dragon had crashed into the calmly-standing figure, it had passed uselessly through what it found out too late was an illusion before the real Celestia had crashed down onto the head of the dragon from above, stunning it before the second dragon had attempted to lunge in and bite her. Celestia had simply weaved backwards, however, and the dragon had instead snapped its jaws down on its comrade, who had been shocked out of its daze to turn and slash the offender across the face. The two dragons had forgotten for a moment about the golden-armored warrior as she had easily leapt away, attacking one another... and then both staring when the third dragon's head had topped from its long neck and hit the ground, the body staggering backwards as if stunned before it collapsed as Celestia stood calmly with her fiery mane blazing behind her, her swords spinning once at her side to rid them of blood.
The dragons had lunged towards her furiously, but the battle had not lasted long. They were slow, and Celestia was stronger than she had ever been, well-earning her old title of 'Dragon Slayer' as she calmly strode over the corpse of one of the behemoths, presenting herself as a target to the stunned audience. And during the theatrics of the battle,the New Equestrian army had failed to hear the Hellhounds and the drakes creeping silently up behind them, followed by Twilight Shadow and a legion of silent undead knights who had used the long dark night to circle the far way around the blockade.
The army of hell-beasts and the undead drove the soldiers down from the cliffs and fortifications and through their own traps, Celestia calmly lighting the trenches of holy oil without fear or trepidation. She looked back and forth with both clinical detachment and quiet sorrow as ponies and Nibelung burst into flames as they staggered through the inferno, golden fire consuming their bodies, turning those who were fortunate to stone... charring those who weren't into ashes over what was undoubtedly an excruciatingly-long few seconds as they were forced to feel every moment of their bodies being disintegrated, their spirits that rose up from these embers still screaming silently even after their bodies were gone until they simply burst apart into steam.
And yet, as Celestia stood in the aureate fire, it never singed her, never burned her, her own golden-fire mane and tail glowing brighter, absorbing and feeding off the holy fire around her that made her armor almost pulse with light. She felt strange, standing there as the soldiers around her suffered and died, wondering if it was a sign before the fires had finally begun to gutter as the army of living death gave chase to the New Equestrian soldiers that tried to flee.
Twilight Shadow had strode down, smiling as she'd quietly walked into the embers and dying holy flames... and Celestia had looked down in surprise as the Lich had strode through the weakening fire. It licked along her hooves, but didn't harm her, neither burning nor petrifying, and Twilight had glanced down after a moment herself before she laughed a little and murmured: “I guess in some ways... I'm still caught between both worlds, aren't I?”
That thought made Celestia smile... and when she returned to Enstasis, she allowed herself to feel pride instead of sadness, she allowed herself to be happy for the victory instead of worrying if it meant she was losing herself to the darkness. It was true, after all, she was embracing the shadows... but with it, she was also embracing her nature, becoming at peace with who she was, and who she could be... who she wanted to be.
That night, she found Scrivener Blooms reading quietly in the library, and she sat with him, letting him finish his chapter as she pressed their sides together and dropped her head on his shoulder, feeling... free. Her adornments glimmered over her body, her collar felt warm and good and comforting, her chains jingled softly, and Scrivener smiled at her as servants and other citizens of the castle passed by now and then, before he stroked his claws under her chin, and pulled her up into a kiss that she gladly returned, not caring who saw. They all knew her title, after all... and why try to hide? Why not let herself finally be truly free?
Their plans were almost ready to put into action... but Luna had called a short delay when Pinkie Pie had rushed through the castle excitedly one day and shoved her way into the meeting room, shouting happily that Fluttershy was having her babies. And Twilight had immediately leapt away from the table, followed by Luna, Scrivener and Celestia, to find that Pinkamena and Nirvana had already taken Fluttershy to her quarters, so she could give birth in the comfort of her own home, just as she'd asked for.
Twilight, Celestia, and a Greater Nightmare helped Fluttershy through the process while Nirvana sat and rumbled apprehensively at the other side of her bedroom. Scrivener, Luna, Scarlet Sage – the filly having joined them after hearing about what was happening from one of the Moon Blessed – Pinkie Pie, and Pinkamena, meanwhile, sat in the hallway outside, talking between themselves as Luna gave awkward comments and clapped her hooves together. Nothing she said quite compared to when Pinkamena commented after the sound of crying that if one of the kids came out stillborn, she might ask to eat it, which had made Pinkie Pie run for the nearest bathroom and even Luna and Scrivener stare at her with horror as Scarlet Sage covered her ears.
Finally, as Pinkamena was getting grouchy and threatening to leave despite Pinkie Pie saying firmly that they had promised to stay and thus they absolutely had to stay until they saw the babies and knew Fluttershy was okay, Twilight had pushed the door open and said with relief: “They're okay. Fluttershy's okay, the foals are okay and... oh, come on, come look!”
They had all crowded into the little bedroom, and the blonde-coated Pegasus had smiled softly over at them, her features pale but serene as Celestia looked affectionately at her and Scrivener Blooms and Luna strode forwards with Pinkie Pie and Scarlet Sage, looking with amazement at the three foals cradled silently with her. Two colts that had darker coats, their shape a little more like Nirvana's... but the filly looked more like a Pegasus with her tiny wings, a clear resemblance to her mother present as Fluttershy looked up with tears in her eyes and whispered: “Thank you all for being here... I... this is so amazing... this is all so wonderful...”
They had taken turns holding the newborns, Luna looking particularly awkward despite being obviously delighted, studying them intensely before she'd finally looked up and said softly: “I cannot begin to express how glad I am, Fluttershy... nor how utterly, utterly, terribly jealous I am. Fluttershy, Nirvana... my heartfelt congratulations to thee both. And my envy, too... and all my love.”
The Phooka rumbled softly, leaning forwards and nuzzling the Pegasus silently, eldritch eyes glowing with warmth, and Fluttershy smiled brightly as Twilight leaned towards her from the other side of the bed, stroking her sweaty mane back as she murmured: “And the very same from me... oh, they're so gorgeous, Fluttershy...”
“They are.” Scarlet Sage agreed, smiling a little as she looked up at the Pegasus adoringly. “They really, really are. They're... like my sisters or my cousins, huh?”
“It would mean the world to me if you treated them that way.” Fluttershy said quietly, smiling radiantly towards the young Pegasus as she nodded slowly, then she gazed silently down at the foals cradled comfortably in either forelimb before she gazed towards the last, who Celestia was holding and looking down at lovingly. “Oh... I haven't even told you their names, though...”
“You've already picked out names?” Scrivener looked up with surprise, and Fluttershy nodded, making the male laugh a little and grin slightly at Luna. “She's a lot better at this parenting thing than we're going to be already.”
Luna grunted in agreement, making the new mother blush and shift even as she gazed at them warmly, then she looked around the room and said softly: “We knew... well... I was so large by the end it was obvious I was going to be giving birth to more than one foal.” She blushed a little, then smiled back and forth, her eyes almost glowing with her joy. “So we picked out a few names and choices and... well...
“The colts are Virtue and Temperance... the filly is Tender Trust.” Fluttershy smiled a little, nodding slowly as she gazed towards the newborn half-Pegasus, half-Phooka that so resembled her. “I... I plan to be the best mother to them I can be.”
“And thou shall be. Thou shall do wonderfully.” Luna said firmly, nodding once, and the Pegasus gazed over at her with true joy on her features, touched by the faith in the winged unicorn's voice and the honesty in her eyes.
They stayed with Fluttershy for a little while, then left her to get her much-needed rest, the Greater Nightmare, Pinkie Pie, and even Pinkamena all glad to stay and help tend her and the newborns. Nirvana settled himself down on some soft pillows across from Fluttershy's bed, looking at her with clear love in his green-fire eyes... an expression that made it clear how truly intelligent and compassionate such creatures were, in spite of how little so many ponies thought of them. And the foals themselves were healthy, strong, and happy... not monsters, but beautiful bouncing babies no matter how strange they might seem.
Luna was pensive and thoughtful that night, as she lay curled with Scrivener Blooms in their bedroom after quietly requesting some privacy with him. They studied each other silently, the male reaching up a claw to stroke her face gently before she closed her eyes and pushed her cheek against his digits, murmuring softly: “I envy her, beloved. And yet I am so glad, so very glad, too... you saw her foals. Gorgeous... and Fluttershy, how could even I wish harm upon her head? She is too gentle, too loving, too deserving of this wonderful good. I wish... I wish I could show her babies to the world. I wish all of them could see the, light and darkness mixed splendidly together. I wish every pony would open their eyes and hearts to it, if but for a moment, so we could all be connected by it.”
Scrivener smiled little despite himself at this, studying the winged unicorn silently before he said softly: “One day they will, Luna. One day everyone in Equestria will see and understand the gifts that the darkness can bring. One day they will all respect and love us for the bounty we will share with the faithful, the loyal, the special.”
The winged unicorn nodded slowly, then she curled herself forwards against him, closing her eyes as Scrivener Blooms wrapped his forelimbs around her and held her tight to his body. The night was long and quiet, spent in each other's warmth and comfort... and with morning came a new determination to end this war as quickly as possible, to ensure the safety of their servants and citizens of the night.
They continued to pour most of their effort towards building the putty figures as New Equestria tried to recover from the damages the latest failed attack had caused. Kvasir took much of the blame, and ended up having to lock himself in his office in Ponyville as demoralized and scared soldiers rioted outside the converted warehouse, and it had been Sleipnir of all ponies who had been forced to make them calm down and go back about their duties. He had later found the god hiding under his desk, hurriedly paging his way through a file, but the earth pony had barely had time to make a joke before Kvasir quickly sent him off to escort a supply wagon to the east and into a thought-abandoned mine in a mountain range now known as Demon's Bane.
Sleipnir agreed nervously: he would be guarding several Nibelung Architects and an enormous caravan of supplies. They had already moved many of the ponies and others that had been recruited for the project without trouble, but the problem wasn't that he feared attack. The Demon's Bane mountain range, after all, was rich in natural deposits of both iron and rock salt, making it incredibly difficult for demons, evil spirits, and many of Luna's other supernatural servants to travel... and the nasty terrain and tall guard towers took care of the rest.
No, the problem was that the project going on in the mines scared him more than a little: so many ponies, Nibelung, zebra, and even a few Strange Ones working together to assemble the plans Kvasir had developed out with the help of quite a few others should have been something to applaud, but the thing they were building... its only purpose was destruction. It could have been something glorious and revolutionary, but because of the war instead if would be something awful that sent chills up Sleipnir's spine... especially because he was somehow sure that all it would do was instigate a further merciless slaughter.
There could be no victory for New Equestria, and he thought Kvasir knew that... but the god was desperate, and even though he knew what he was doing was a dangerous, perhaps insane gambit, he also had no choice. He had to bring down Luna, one way or the other, although these days he looked more scared than anything else when he said that. And Sleipnir, horribly, could no longer blame Kvasir's way of thinking after seeing to what lengths his little sister and her husband were willing to go in order to ensure their rule over this world, from personally murdering countless soldiers to delving into the darkest, most-forbidden of magic arts.
While Sleipnir transported the supplies, New Equestria staged a small diversionary attack to the north that Celestia responded to with the undead in the area, killing off most of the enemy soldiers. The transport caravan did not go unnoticed by Luna's spies, but Celestia refrained from attacking it, not wanting to harm Sleipnir, and moreover feeling assured that their attack on the Temple of the Sun would come long before New Equestria could gather their forces for a powerful offensive or finish whatever project of theirs was hidden in the Demon Bane mountain range.
Luna, meanwhile, made a personal trip with Scrivener Blooms to the Strange One village near Enstasis: the cloaked, alien figures welcomed her calmly as always, cowls hiding their pale-skinned, oval faces and bulbous eyes. She had a request for their enchanters to fulfill, with the vaguest idea for a design in mind... but the Strange Ones had nodded solemnly, looking as calm and confident as if she had brought detailed schematics with her... and all they requested in return was a 'fair trade's worth' of fruits, cloth, and silk.
Luna had several wagons of these sent out as soon as she returned, still not entirely sure why the Strange Ones always asked only for simple or raw materials in return for their incredible, beautiful crafts. But the Strange Ones answered few questions... and moreover, even with her confidence, ruthlessness, and strength, they still disturbed her more than a little bit for some reason.
The days passed, and Celestia finally announced that they were ready to begin the first stage of their surprise offensive. She had demons, Nightmares, and undead gather to the far east, supplemented by soldiers from Saltwater's barony, to prepare to attack the metropolis of Sea Saddle: a large city and shipping hub, it was a key point for New Equestria to maintain their eastern territory. There was a rail-line, a large port, several shipping yards and ferry lines that ran along the Wildrun River... in other words, if the city was taken, New Equestria's supply lines would be damaged and Luna's forces would have several new routes they could follow right into New Equestria's gullet.
The attack was massive, and as expected, New Equestria immediately sent out reinforcements from the south and the central baronies, hurrying soldiers along the shipping lines... exactly what Celestia wanted. Victory was uncertain, but also unnecessary, as they pressed hard for three days, forcing New Equestria to send in more reinforcements from Central Equestria as necromancers continuously rose the dead, Saltwater sent in more soldiers, and artillery like catapults and ballistas were moved in.
And on the morning of the fourth day, as a New Equestria supply train shot along the tracks, they found too late that the metal rails had been completely frozen for a long stretch by the North Wind, to the point that the brittle steel shattered when the train passed onto it. It derailed, killing most of the soldiers on board and leaving the rest wounded, terrified, and stranded in the wild. Not that the soldiers being shipped in by river fared much better: the boats ran into a blockade of ice, and before they could organize their forces to figure out what to do, haunting song had begun to rise up from the river all around them as seaweed-maned, grinning green equines had slowly surfaced on every side of the ship, their sharp teeth glinting and eyes glowing...
Celestia and Twilight Shadow had taken two days to move into position, bringing with them Greater Nightmares and wagons loaded with the dozens of putty golems they had constructed. Demons moved invisibly with them, and the two winged unicorns had taken turns using cloaking spells to keep their caravan hidden from sight. Celestia had isolated the largest gap of open land around the Temple of the Sun, and they had calmly set up camp there, patiently waiting for the right time to attack as soldiers were shipped out of the city and surrounding military encampments to be sent to the defense of the east, unwittingly leaving themselves more and more vulnerable to the assault yet to come.
The Temple of the Sun was not a large city, but it was made of gold and marble, every building polished and shimmering like a decadent dream of sanctuary. The city was surrounded by a hundred foot wall of stone more than twenty feet thick topped with spikes and evenly-spaced guard towers; the only way in and out was through an enormous set of gates on the wide main road, and these were guarded by massive steel and stone golems in the shape of faceless earth pony knights. Over the months of combat, the fearful Royal Council had further enhanced their defenses, layering the walls with iron to prevent demons and spirits from entering the city, putting up wards and enchantments, and then expanding the defenses by building larger, wider walls around the wall already in place: it meant that the Temple of the Sun was surrounded by no less than a mile of 'rings' of stone walls that became progressively smaller and thinner, spaced relatively evenly so that patrols of soldiers could walk silently through the hundred and some feet cordons between walls. It was supposed to be unconquerable, indestructible, but Celestia aimed to prove that wrong. The defenses were concentrated around the gates, after all... which mean she would simply use another path.
At high noon of the fourth day, Celestia calmly signaled the attack to begin with a flick of her horn, animating the first of the putty golems: they had no sentience, no life, all of them controlled instead by the will of herself, Twilight Shadow, and the Greater Nightmares, and they were designed with one purpose in mind as Celestia smiled slightly, her eyes glowing before she tilted her horn forwards as she glanced over her shoulder at Twilight and the milling, excited Nightmares. “Timing is crucial. Remember, do not stop for anything: the demons will do the job of holding the enemy at bay long enough for us to make our attack.”
Twilight nodded firmly, and then Celestia had turned forwards, her mask and armor glinting, golden swords gleaming over her back before she faced the wall some two hundred feet away and began the charge, guiding the putty soldiers in front of her and keeping a good distance behind them. Soldiers on patrol had stared, dumbfounded, at the sight of the attack before sounding the alarm, even as a few high up on the twenty foot wall only laughed, not believing they were in any danger... and then Celestia's horn had pulsed, and the putty soldiers had burst into flame before they crashed into the wall and exploded with a monstrous bang, knocking a hole almost thirty feet wide in the first of the defensive rings as Celestia veered quickly to the side to let Twilight Shadow pass by with the next wave of animated explosives in front of her.
Wave after wave of the volatile putty golems was sent forwards, smashing into the walls, crumbling the hardiest of defenses: soldiers desperately ran in to try and cut off the attack, but the vicious spearhead was too well-executed, happening too fast to be stopped... and moreover, demons were storming in following each wave, running down the corridors between the layers of wall and savagely attacking the soldiers they came across, driving them back from halting the violent stampede. Celestia and Twilight Shadow stayed near the head of the column to add their own support as well until they reached the final wall, Greater Nightmares guiding a wave of explosive golems into this and shattering more than halfway through, the bulwark beginning to crumble even as another wave of explosive golems were sent forwards to smash into the damaged barrier... and an enormous hole was torn leading directly into the temple city, rock, metal and smoke blasting backwards over the precious few soldiers that were actually positioned inside before Celestia and Twilight tore through the tunnel and ripped their way into the unprepared troops.
They didn't stop, didn't slow down as the Greater Nightmares followed, smashing their way through golden-armored soldiers that, while elite, had never expected to have to defend their thought-impregnable city and were too terrified, too panicked to put up any sort of fight. And Celestia knew exactly where to go, feeling cold contempt and vicious triumph already surging in her blood: New Equestria, in their arrogance, had never prepared actual defenses inside the city, just as there were few soldiers in these walls, and those that were here were only for show, no matter how well-trained they were. Instead, they charged past horrified nobles and staring officials all the way to the steps of the Temple of the Sun itself.
The Royal Council was in their chambers: only ten minutes had passed since the first explosion, and while scared, none of them knew the danger. It was only with the last explosion that they had begun to panic, to think about fleeing, even as they shouted at each other to calm down, their aides bustling back and forth, personal bodyguards running out into the corridor and the doors barred... but to little avail, when they were simply blown off their hinges in a blast of golden flame, shrapnel pelting the ponies inside before Celestia stormed in with Twilight beside her, the Lich grinning coldly as her eyes glowed.
The barons and baronesses had only been able to stare with horror as Celestia calmly, coldly rose her head, her amethyst eyes flashing behind her mask, and in that last, fatal moment, they recognized her. Too little, too late, they understood what they were up against... and five minutes later, Celestia strode calmly out of the Temple of the Sun with Twilight Shadow beside her and several smiling Greater Nightmares. Behind them, the temple burned with fire so hot and terrible it seared along metal as easily as it would wood, as soldiers, nobles, ponies and Nibelung, stared helplessly.
Then Celestia reached up and pulled her mask off, and the crowd stared with awe and terror as her features were revealed, Twilight Shadow looking at her with surprise before Celestia declared coldly and clearly: “New Equestria has fallen. My sister's reign begins, and all forces of New Equestria are hereby ordered to surrender, disband, and stand down... or you will be destroyed. Send messages to every corner of the country, every city, town, and village, send messengers to every encampment and nook and cranny... Luna Brynhild is Queen! Scrivener Blooms is King!”
Any fight that might have been left in the heart of New Equestria was sapped from that declaration from the former queen they had all idolized. The messengers went out, as Celestia and Twilight calmly retrieved their forces as New Equestrian soldiers dropped their weapons and fell to their knees in terror and defeat. Even the golems that had guarded the city shut down as the Temple burned and the defeat of New Equestria became a physical thing... filling those who glorified in the night with bliss and joy, terrifying those who had believed in the daylit promises of New Equestria.
The civil war rolled slowly to a halt as Luna's forces withdrew to defensive positions across the land while the messages went out... and as territories submitted themselves, as cities acknowledged their new rulers, Luna's servants of darkness strode proudly into every corner of the nation, spread into every city, every settlement, forcing those who were still determined to fight to flee into the mountains and the forests. But those were far from safe places... and in the dreamless nights of fading midsummer, all too many rebels learned there was nowhere to hide from the encroaching darkness now that they didn't have the security of numbers and unity behind them.
Celestia and Twilight returned to Enstasis, and proud, delighted Luna welcomed them with a grand celebration, joyous and triumphant. They were both rewarded with affections, gifts, and adoration from both now-Queen and King, as more and more letters of surrender and submission flooded in from across the country and Luna reveled in the triumph and the victory.
In Ponyville, Kvasir heard within the hour about the razing of the Temple of the Sun and Celestia's decree. Not knowing entirely why, he informed Sleipnir first, but left the village to find out on its own about what had happened... which it did by nightfall, through messengers and letters. Applejack had stormed in not long after the messages had begun rolling in, saying coldly that it wasn't over... and when Kvasir had started to argue, to point out they couldn't win, they couldn't fight, Applejack had only grinned coldly and gestured for him to follow.
She led him outside, and the god had stared at the army he himself had helped assemble, he had helped create. Nibelung, zebras, fanatical ponies, even several dragons sitting outside the walls and glaring balefully into the village... Ponyville still had its army. Ponyville still had its soldiers, and Applejack had first calmly informed him that others who believed in Equestria, who believed that good could triumph over evil, were on their way... and that while she appreciated all he'd done for the village, it was time for him to step down, and hand operations over to her.
The coup, at least, was bloodless: to them, Verdant Vintage was just a politician of the now-defeated New Equestria, a failure who wasn't even worth throwing in jail for all his screw-ups. Still, Applejack had interrogated him, found out about his project in Demon's Bane, and decided to oversee the completion of it herself once she understood what he was building. It would provide her with the firepower she needed, and her eyes had burned with insane devotion as she'd said ruthlessly: “We'll let Luna think she's won. Let her and her husband settle in... and then we'll attack. We'll kill them all... Luna, Scrivener, Twilight, even Celestia for what she did, for turning out to be too weak to fight her own sister, for being a traitor to everything she taught us and believed in herself. They think they've won... I guess they forgot about us. I guess they forgot about the real good guys fighting them. But we'll make 'em remember, oh yes. We're gonna make 'em remember us real goddamn soon.”
Late that night, Kvasir had dragged himself to the tavern and found Sleipnir and Big Mac sitting alone at the bar, as usual. Every other pony, after all, was either hiding in their homes or working feverishly to further fortify Ponyville and the surrounding encampments. The two stallions had silently welcomed the god as he'd sat down beside them, the bartender automatically filling a glass of vodka for Kvasir, and then Sleipnir had raised his bottle of ale and said quietly: “To my little sister's victory. To Luna.”
Not even knowing why, Kvasir echoed the last words as Big Mac had done the same, glasses and bottle clinking together before they all drank deep. They had spent most of the night in silence together, and it was only in the early morning after they parted ways that Kvasir understood he had two friends now. It was a strange feeling... almost as strange and alien as the wistful longing to forget all of this and simply return to Valhalla, or better yet, simply run away...
But where could he run? If he tried to escape this layer of reality, undoubtedly one of Odin's other allies would follow him, if only to mock him for his failure and likely to drag him back. Not that he expected the gods to hang around whether he won or he was defeated... he had long realized the only reason they had helped him at all was because like him, they too had been afraid of Luna and her awful, growing power. Unlike him, they had other places to return to, hidden, dark and deep places: he had only Valhalla, which was not beyond Luna's reach. And no matter where he ran in this world, this layer of reality, Luna could find him. The only safe place, ironically, was here in Ponyville, protected as it was by the wards that wouldn't allow the former Valkyrie or any of her cohorts to enter the walls of the city.
And yes, he still wanted to defeat her, to bring her down if he could... but he'd settle for imprisoning her, or better yet handing her over to Sleipnir. Sleipnir wanted to defeat Luna too, and he could tell that the earth pony was both scared of what his little sister was becoming as well as determined to stop her. He wanted to help her, and now that Kvasir could look at the earth pony as... as a friend, could respect his strength and his way of thinking after seeing how atrocious his own methods and plans had all ended up, he could... admire what Sleipnir wanted to do.
Luna and Scrivener were dangerous, never content with what they had, always wanting more... but Kvasir had realized that what he had started and created was almost as cruel and destructive as the two corrupted once-heroes. Applejack had been poisoned by her own devotion to the light, ready to slaughter anyone and anything that was between her and Luna, and likely more-than-willing to sacrifice entire armies and herself just to kill the former Valkyrie. And what if she was successful? Left without a target of revenge, Applejack didn't seem to realize things could never go back to the way they were: instead, he thought it was all too clear what would happen. She would begin purging the darkness, ridding the world of all 'evil' she saw... and in all likelihood, end up destroying everything she had sought to save when she realized darkness lurked in the heart of every pony.
Kvasir soon discovered he had also been evicted from the luxurious apartment he'd been staying in by several grinning soldiers. They weren't scared of him anymore: to them, he had no more status now that New Equestria was gone and Applejack had taken control. He spent the day miserable, wandering from place-to-place before he ended up at what he called the Caretaker's Center and everypony else called the babysitting house.
The old, converted boutique looked abandoned: foals were either kept safe at home, while older children and teenagers were put to work around the village. He shoved his way inside, and was surprised to find Apple Bloom and Sleipnir sitting quietly and talking. They both looked just as surprised to see him, the not-filly looking scared for a moment before Sleipnir gently touched her back and reassured quietly: “'Tis alright, do not fear. The god has mended his ways.”
Kvasir had smiled faintly, nodding slowly and hesitantly making his way inside as he'd explained how he'd been thrown out and had... nowhere to go. Apple Bloom only looked at him silently, but Sleipnir had nodded, then simply strode to the back and kicked the warped door off its hinges to open the way to the long-abandoned home.
The three had explored what lay beyond almost as if they were walking into a tomb: everything was layered with dust, long-forgotten and abandoned. Not long after Rarity and Spike had left, all the useable supplies in the home had been taken, and with nothing to loot no one had ever bothered to break in or explore once the doors had been sealed. There was still some furniture in the bedroom, however, and Sleipnir had smiled as Kvasir had awkwardly mumbled a little, but then sighed and nodded: squatting here would be better than living on the streets, after all.
A week after he had moved into Rarity's old home, Sleipnir came to see him with a letter and a request that surprised him. He had been invited to Luna's coronation, and he wanted the god to go with him... and hesitantly, after Sleipnir reassured him several times over he wouldn't be maimed, injured, or killed, he had agreed. They had left the village not long after, careful to avoid attracting the attention of Applejack: she had Ponyville on what was almost a dictatorial lockdown, constantly giving the soldiers more powers and leaning heavily on civilians and laborers, wanting everypony as dedicated to the cause as she was. She punished those who dared to even imply they couldn't win against Luna or that it might be better to surrender, branding them as traitors and imprisoning those who spoke out against what Applejack called the 'Children of Equestria.'
Kvasir was surprised when they reached Enstasis and they were greeted by Luna and Scrivener themselves... more surprised at the honest praise Sleipnir gave his sister and the embrace he shared with both. Somehow, the earth pony loved his family even knowing what they had become, that he had to fight them; somehow, he celebrated the victories of even his worst enemies, without hate in his heart, and Kvasir was stunned speechless by it. To many, it would seem ridiculous perhaps, mock-worthy and even stupid... but to actually see it, even the god could only be humbled by the sense of honor and integrity that Sleipnir had.
And he was just as stunned when Luna and Scrivener bowed their heads to him and welcomed him cordially, and when he had bowed back and given an awkward 'congratulations,' they had both smiled. He had passed inside without any trouble beside Sleipnir, although he nervously kept to the titanic stallion's side and tried to make himself small: Enstasis, the den of the enemy, made him wary for a variety of reasons, and not the least of which was his fear of what Luna and Scrivener were capable of.
Celestia greeted him as calmly as her sister had when they came across her, although she too had gladly, tightly traded a hug with Sleipnir. Twilight Shadow was a little less welcoming to them both, but thankfully it was Sleipnir who received the particularly-baleful look, but he'd only blown her a raspberry in return before she led them to the grand hall were the ceremony would shortly be taking place.
There were precious few others here who had formerly supported New Equestria, but plenty of Luna's loyal followers: Baron Saltwater looked particularly pleased, for instance, and Caprice was puttering around, babbling eagerly about how she always supported Luna ever since she was Mayor of North Neigh to anyone who would listen. Greater Nightmares calmly strode through the room attending to the needs of the guests as pony servants carried trays loaded with drinks back and forth, and the Moon Blessed sat calmly near the front of the room on either side of a stone stage that looked like some immense, low altar, a tapestry sewed with the design of a black winged unicorn standing in front of the ivory moon hanging on the wall behind this.
Conversation ceased when the sound of melodious singing rose, and all attention was drawn to the double doors as two seaweed-maned Kelpies entered, tilting their heads back and forth as they sang in ominous but beautiful harmony. Scrivener and Luna strode calmly in, followed by Celestia and Twilight Shadow, their heads bowed respectfully as the new King and Queen made their way to the stone stage.
There had been little in the way of speeches, Luna greeting her new subjects with triumph and pride in her eyes. She had talked of their victory, promised glory to her loyal subjects, merciful compassion and a second chance for those who had fought against her, and swift justice to those who would still try and destroy the new era of peace she intended to bring. And then Luna had sat back and rose her head proudly as Celestia had strode onto the stage, carrying a black, tall crown that had an outer wreath of silver thorns, four tall ivory spires at each corner of the dark metal coronet.
Then Twilight Shadow had brought another crown of black platinum onto the stage as Scrivener Blooms had stepped forwards, bowing his head so she could place it upon his skull: it was both majestic and barbaric, something about it skull-like and three sets of horns that twisted up from either side of the headpiece that were made of polished ivory. He smiled when it was placed upon his head, and he did not even need to speak as he rose his gaze proudly, surveying the audience with terrible, cold confidence, making it clear in the single gesture that he was now their King.
The crowd applauded them, Sleipnir along with the others, and Kvasir forced himself to stomp his hooves as well despite how scared the sight of the two made him, the crowns gleaming on their heads. They had conquered the nation, destroyed all that would dare oppose them with one exception... but as Kvasir gazed upon the two, he knew their claim of victory, their claim of this kingdom, was anything but premature or arrogant. And just as he knew they had won, he knew that Ponyville had already lost, and anything Applejack did would not just be suicidal and reckless... at best she would destroy herself, and at worse she would push the new King and Queen into showing just what they were willing to do now that all the power of Equestria was tightly gripped within their claws.