//------------------------------// // Regeneration Part 11 // Story: Regeneration // by Rated Ponystar //------------------------------// “So, let me ask you a question about this brave new world of yours. When you've killed all the bad guys; and when it's all perfect and just and fair; and when you have finally got it exactly the way you want it, what are you going to do with the people like you?” -The Twelfth Doctor +}{+ "YOU WANT TO WHAT?!" Luna winced upon hearing her sister's "Royal Canterlot Voice," especially since she was beside her. Most ponies assumed that Luna had the bigger volume considering she used it more often, but Celestia had the bigger lungs between them.  And the scarier attitude when she was angry.  It took a lot to make Celestia upset, but this war and the problems it had been causing had made the Sun Princess angrier than Luna had ever seen her. Luna couldn't blame her sister since everything had gone wrong since Osaka. They had suffered defeat after defeat with their greatest weapon, the Conversion Potion, being reduced to little more than a nuisance to humanity ever since their newest enemy, The Doctor, created a cure for it. More and more Equestrians fled like cowards to the enemy side to save their hides as the going got rough. And then there was the aftermath of the use of the Crystal Cannon.  Princess Luna was not squeamish from seeing a significant loss of life in war, but the results of the cannon had made her sick to her stomach. She didn't like humanity. They were children who acted like brats and made messes that they refused to clean up, hurting not just themselves but the planet they lived on.  She had tried to keep an open mind, but that stopped after the assassination attempt on her life when she was touring Europe during their early days of visiting the human lands. They had no honor or care for their planet and were selfish.  Yet Luna regretted saying "yes" to the Crystal Cannon.  Researching human warfare, Luna learned that the makers of the Atom Bomb regretted what they had created after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and Luna couldn't help but compare her feelings to this. She had been reluctant to use the weapon since it was such a dishonorable method of warfare. It was a weapon initially constructed by that tyrant, King Sombra, which lowered her view of it even more. The aftermath, however, was what really made her regret her decision. She knew it would be destructive, but not that destructive. Millions of those lives just gone like that, including some of their ponies.  Yet that isn't the worst of it, Princess Luna thought as she closed her eyes in frustration. It's further divided us as a nation. Half of Equestria was now rebelling against them and demanding an end to the war. Entire regiments and divisions were going AWOL, with the largest being led by Corporal Valkyrie, who advocated surrender and overthrowing the whole Royal Family for their crimes against humanity, pony kind, and all other life back home. Apparently, the false rumor of them leaving their homeworld to die was spreading more and more, regardless of what they did.  The division was also among their nation's heroes. The Elements had all but ended their friendship with Twilight and made it clear they refuse to use their Elements in such a way ever again. Princess Luna may not have been an expert in friendship like Twilight was, but even she could see her bonds with her former friends being ripped apart over time by her actions. Her cold behavior, inability to talk about her issues, and the stress of her brother's death combined with the war had turned the mare that Luna thought of as one of her closest friends into a shadow of herself. It was bad enough that Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity had all ended their friendship with Twilight after Pinkie Pie's suicide, but when Spike, of all beings, abandoned her?  Luna knew things were bucked up.  The final break of their broken family came when a hysterical Cadence told them all that Flurry Heart had run away with Spike to the humans. Now Luna was fighting against her niece, which was the final straw. Flurry Heart and Spike declared themselves traitors and would side with their enemies to end the war once and for all.  "We must end the war, Sister," Princess Luna proclaimed again to Princess Celestia, who was staring at her in disbelief over the war room's map. After meeting with their remaining generals, Luna asked Princess Celestia and Twilight to stay behind in private to discuss something important.  "You want...to end the war...you want us to surrender?!" Princess Celestia shouted with fury, her right eye twitching, which made Luna even more determined to continue.  "Not surrender. Negotiate," Princess Luan corrected before sighing. "Sister, it's time to face reality. Half of the nation hates us and is rebelling. Our forces are too stretched to do anything to continue fighting the war. We're fighting our own ponies now, and I will not see Equestria further divided than she already is. We have never been this divided since before Equestria was made. If the wendigos were here, they'd be having a feast!" "They just need to be reined in!" Princess Celestia growled as she flared out her wings. "They need to realize that our true enemy is humanity!" "An enemy that is more united than us and refuses to back down even in the threat of annihilation," Princess Luna pointed out, and there was some admiration for that. She could find some approval for how humanity, even after all this, refused to give in and continued to fight. The warrior in her could respect that. "Sister, whatever task we hoped to accomplish in saving humanity is pointless at this point. Not when we're unable to save ourselves from our own self-destruction. We are fighting a war on two fronts, foreign and domestic, and it's clearly pointless. The war has lost favor, and our subjects are seeking us removed from our positions because we have clearly gone too far." "You wanted this war just as much as the rest of us, Luna," Twilight muttered darkly while hiding behind her long mane. Princess Luna couldn't help but wince at how Twilight looked. Her hair was long, and a mess which hid her bloodshot eye, her hooves unpolished, and her coat was ruff and dirty. She wasn't evening wearing her royal regalia and instead just walked around with an aura of solemn anger.  "I did," Princess Luna admitted, and she would never doubt that. "I believed in the cause we had. It was a just cause for the greater good of all, both human and Equestrian. But we need to be realistic. We have a divided army and a split populace. Our economy is on the brink, resources are scarce, chaos is rampant, and humanity is united against us in their hatred. Sister, Twilight, I'm sorry, but the war is lost. We need to negotiate a ceasefire or something before it's too late." "Negotiate? After what we did?" Princess Celestia hissed, shaking her head. "Don't be naive, Luna. After what we did with the Crystal Cannon, humanity will see us all dead. They have already launched nuclear weapons at us. We would all be dead if we didn't have the barrier." "Perhaps, but I'd rather take a chance to save what we can than lose it all," Princess Luna sighed as she felt the weight of a nearly four-year-long war come down upon her. "Sister. We have lost good friends and family. Our own niece has left us to join humanity, regardless of how her father died, and Cadence is in such a hysterical mess of guilt and shame she cannot rule anymore. The nobles there are this close to overthrowing her and leaving Equestria, and we'll lose the magical crystals we need for our army and our way of life. If there was any other option-" "There is," Princess Celestia muttered as she turned to Twilight. "We can use the Crystal Can-" "NO!" Princess Luna shouted in a fury, this time with her own Royal Canterlot Voice. "I have made it clear that I will never use that weapon again! Cadence will not do so, and we agreed that all four of us needed to agree to use it at all! Besides, the Elements of Harmony refuse to use their elements again! I will not let us force them into another traumatic moment so soon after our last use! Especially since it led to Pinkie Pie killing herself from the sure guilt of it!" She couldn't help but glare at Twilight in disgust. "And you, Twilight! I expected better of you! To even suggest that with my sister after what you lost?! Are you mad?!" "No! I'm bucking realistic!" Twilight shouted as she showed her eyes fully beyond her mane, and Luna nearly backed away from the sheer intensity in them. "It's no longer a war about saving humanity, Luna! They are beyond saving! It was a mistake to even try! It's a war for survival! Ours or theirs! Our hatred is too far to save any friendship or peace, especially when they are willing to go so far as to eradicate us! Even if we agreed to negotiations, what do you think will happen to us?! Will we be executed or jailed for life! Our way of life would be ruined! The ponies would be leaderless! And we might as well kiss Equestria goodbye!" "...Is this the speech of a Princess who worries about our subjects or a traumatized filly who cannot move on from her brother's death?" Luna stated harshly. She quickly summoned an energy shield to block Twilight's magical blast. "ENOUGH!" Celestia roared despite Twilight and Luna glaring at each other hatefully. "I will not have you two come to blows! Clearly, neither of you is mature enough and willing to focus on the bigger picture of what to do for our home! We will deal with this later!" "No, we will deal with this now!" Luna shouted as she stomped her hoof on the floor. "Celestia, I am-" "You will take our forces and recover the southern territories at once," Celestia ordered without once glancing at Luna and instead put her hooves on the war table and glared at it. "Once you have done this, you will return home, and we will discuss what to do next." "You want me to lead our forces against our own kind?" Luna asked in shock. "I want you to lead our forces and establish order once more for those under our protection," Celestia repeated with gritting teeth. "If these rebels continue to waste our time and resources, then we have no choice but to use violence against them. I am no longer playing games. I am tired of dealing with children who do not understand the bigger picture at stake. Let them hate me for what I do, but I will save them, even if they are kicking and screaming. I did so once and will do it as many times as needed for the greater good!" "...What are we fighting for, Tia?" Luna whispered as she closed her eyes and shook her head. Princess Celestia froze upon hearing her nickname from the gentle voice of her sister. "What is this war about anymore? Saving the humans? Destroying them? Protecting Equestria? Keeping our ponies safe? Ruling the world? Bringing Harmony to Chaos? Showing the light of friendship? Or is it just for our own pride?" Lowering his head, Luna bit her lip. "Celestia, I love you. You are my sister. But I want to know what this is all for, Celestia?" "It's for our survival," Celestia whispered, turning away. "It has always been about our survival from the very beginning. All for the greater good. It doesn't matter what happens. So long as we survive. So long as we survive, it is worth it." Upon hearing this, Luna's breath held. Her mind went through a dozen thoughts before slowly stopping at one. One thought that she always pushed away, but now she couldn't help but wonder. Looking at her sister, seeing her state, and hearing her talk about their survival and what she has always done for the greater good made Luna think about a particular speech from a certain green-coated traitor months ago. Luna had sworn that she would always trust her sister after her exile. She would never doubt her again and always believe in the best of her. But just this once...just this one time...she would doubt. "Celestia," Luna muttered, trembling slightly in her hooves, "if it has always been about our survival...why did we come here in the first place and not stay at home? Were we in danger? Is there something you are not telling us?" There was silence. "Cele-" "I GAVE YOU AN ORDER, LUNA! NOW GO!" "...As you wish," Luna whispered as she bowed and slowly left the room.  And just like that. The trust was forever shattered. +}{+ She didn’t cry.  Not until she was back in her chambers with her closest and loyal guards.  Celestia and Luna had fought before. It was expected when it came to sisters. The furthest it ever got was the night before Luna turned into Nightmare Moon and rebelled against her sister while lost in her darkness. Luna could remember that night clearly every single time she thought about it. How her soul was filled with anger, sorrow, and hatred. Hatred was at herself, her sister, and Equestria as a whole. No matter what she did or how hard she tried, Luna could never be better than Celestia. Even after returning after a thousand years, Celestia was always the better sister, and Luna accepted it.  Luna had close friends and family. She had her followers, her subjects, and those who admired her night even if they admired the day more. She had taken all of that and found the contentment in her life to find inner peace. Now it was all falling apart.  Her home, subjects, friendships, and even her family? It was all falling apart, and she didn’t know what to do. No, I know what to do, Luna thought as she rubbed her eyes while looking outside her balcony. I’m just afraid to do it. “Your Majesty?” She turned around and saw one of her loyal guards before her. “What are your orders regarding your sister’s orders?” Luna sighed and lowered her head. It all comes to this, doesn’t it? How did everything come to be like this? She could remember the days before they arrived here on Earth. They were happy, carefree, and peaceful. Was this their punishment? For leaving their duties on their homeworld to save a world they invaded? Were they really so weak to be divided like this? Did Luna make another mistake, or was she about to make another one?  Luna was tired. Of the war, the infighting, the madness.  It had to end.  “Tell our forces we will make for the southern territories, but we will not go to war with them,” Princess Luna whispered. “We will seek to ally with them.” Civil War.  The moment she went there to ally with them and join them to support ending the war, it would be a civil war. Again. Again she would be betraying her sister. But I am not betraying Equestria. I am trying to save her,  Luna thought as she looked up at the moon. You know. This moon of Earth. It’s not so bad.  But it wasn’t the one back home. It wasn’t her moon. And she feared she would never see her moon ever again. +}{+ "I shouldn't have yelled at her like that," Princess Celestia whispered as she slowly brought a cool bottle of wine towards her lips. "I don't know what came over me..." "It's just the stress," Twilight whispered as he comforted her mentor by patting her on the back with her wings. She also wasn't happy with how she snapped at Luna, but a part of her wasn't because of what Luna said involving her brother. "She'll come around eventually." "We don't have time," Princess Celestia groaned as she rubbed her head. Her nightmares were getting worse. It was like an omnibus doom was approaching and needed to be stopped before it was too late. "Much as I hate the concept of using the cannon despite the problems it has caused so far, you are right, Twilight. We have no choice. The humans cannot be saved. They must be destroyed until they are too weak to fight or there are not enough to mount a resistance." "So we will use the Harmony Cannon again?" Twilight asked. "Even without Cadence and Luna's say in it." Rubbing her forehead to ignore the strange whisper in her mind, no doubt from a lack of sleep, she nodded. "I'll take full responsibility for their anger. However, we must be sure to not target Geneva. I still want to save Flurry Heart and Spike. I want them to come back to us." "Understood, we'll pick somewhere in Asia this time. I believe Japan will be a good target, along with the other Asian nations around it like the two Koreas, China, and some of Indonesia," Twilight suggested. Princess Celestia didn't need to be a mind reader to know that Twilight wanted to mainly use it for revenge against Japan for her brother's death, but it didn't matter in the end. So long as it wasn't where Flurry Heart and Spike were, she didn't care. "Yes. That will suffice." "We still need to convince my friends to give up their Elements, or should we go with the alternative idea?" Twilight asked curiously. "... I'll make the order, but are you sure? They may never forgive you for this." "Like you said before," Twilight sighed deeply. "Let them hate me for what I do, but I will save them nonetheless, even if they are kicking and screaming." +}{+ Celestia, I hate hangovers. Rainbow Dash moaned and rubbed her head. Why didn’t I stop after six? I always need to go beyond.  Rainbow Dash kept her eyes closed as she let the throbbing in her head continue to pound her skull. She could feel a cold metal surface on her back and wondered where she ended up blacking out this time. Hopefully, it wasn’t as bad as when Dash woke up chained in an S&M club in Las Pegasus with Fluttershy when they went out to celebrate her twenty-first birthday. It had been really embarrassing trying to get out of that black latex suit, and she was sure Fluttershy would have a panic attack upon finding out she got a tattoo on her flank that read “Spank Master” with a heart on the cheek.  Chuckling, Rainbow Dash remembered how Fluttershy swore to never drink again after that day and to never have it brought up again. However, her chuckles soon turned to soft sighs. Fluttershy... Rainbow Dash missed her.  She always missed her.  Whenever Dash told ponies who mentioned Fluttershy that the pegasus was dead to her, the speedster would always feel her heart crushed upon muttering those words. Whenever Rainbow Dash flew near Fluttershy’s burned cottage, she sometimes paused and imagined the yellow feathered mare working on her garden nearby. It never was the same after Fluttershy defected. Everything just fell apart when she left. The six of them were supposed to be sisters forever, yet one friend had abandoned them, one killed herself, and the other? Buck, I don’t even want to think about Twilight. Not right now. Rainbow Dash sometimes wondered if she ever took her friendship with others for granted, especially Fluttershy. They never laughed at her dreams, always trusted her, and supported her every single step of the way to help her at the worst of times. They were more than friends to Rainbow. They were her family. And some family we turned out to be, Dash bitterly thought as she slowly got up but kept her eyes closed while rubbing her head. I should talk to Applejack or Rarity. I haven’t...I haven’t since the funeral. Maybe we can save whatever is left between the three of us and figure out what to do next. “R-Rainbow?” Dash’s eyes opened wide upon hearing Rarity’s voice nearby. However, her curiosity about why she was hearing her fashion-loving friend was soon forgotten upon seeing that she was in a stone room with nothing but a bed and toilet seat. Yelping, Rainbow Dash flipped out of the bed she was on and tried to fly out but hit her head on the ceiling, making her headache twice as bad. Moaning, she floated down and rubbed her forehead before glancing forward. Instead of a cell door, like she had been expecting, there was a magical green forcefield, and she pressed her hooves against it only to find it completely solid. Each attempt to kick it down only caused small ripples of energy to spread on the shield. Frustrated, Rainbow Dash kicked it again before shouting, “What’s the big idea?! Who’s behind this!” “Rainbow!” Remembering that she wasn’t alone, Rainbow Dash looked across the hallway of the black crystal dungeon she was in and saw Rarity in a similar cell across from her. “Rarity? You too?” “Yes, I’ve been awake for an hour, I think. Waiting for you and Applejack to get up,” She answered with a huff. “AJ is here too?!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “Not so loud! Mah ears are still ringin’!” Based on the direction of the farmer friend’s tone, Applejack appeared in the cell next to her on the right. “Alright, who in tarnation kidnapped us this time, and whose flank Ah gotta kick?” “Was it the humans or the Underground Railroad?” Rainbow Dash asked, looking around for any clues as to who their current jailors were. “First off, I think you can write off the humans since they don’t have access to magically shielded cells,” Rarity pointed out, rolling her eyes. “And second, you don’t need to bother guessing because I already know who took us. It was the ESS.  “The ESS?!” Both Applejack and Rainbow Dash shouted in confusion and surprise. “Why would they kidnap us?!” Rainbow Dash shouted in disbelief. “We’re the Elements of Harmony!”  “I don’t know, but I remember seeing one in my kitchen when I went to get a glass of water. I remember calling Valiant Wave for help, but he hit me with a spell, and then I got really tired before blacking out. Next thing I know, I woke up here,” Rarity explained while looking worried. “I haven’t seen him either. I hope he’s okay...” “Ah think Ah heard somepony in mah room at night, but Ah felt so tired. Ah just went back to sleep,” Applejack said while yawning.  “I guess we both got hit with a sleep spell,” Rarity theorized before turning to Rainbow Dash. “Dash? What about you?” “Uhhh, Spitfire and Soarin wanted to go drinking, and I know I took in many shots before...um, blacking out?” Rainbow Dash answered with a nervous chuckle. “Wow, either they knocked you out by slippin’ somethin’ into yer drink, or ya did the work for them, and all they needed to do was drag yer sorry drunken butt here,” Applejack chuckled. “Laugh it up, AJ. Laugh it up,” Dash grumbled before shaking her head. “Okay, so we all got targeted by the ESS, but does anypony know why?” “Because Princess Twilight ordered us to do it.” There was a sudden drop of silence so swift that Rainbow Dash could feel her heartbeat in her chest like a drum solo. Turning to the right, she watched a familiar pony from Ponyville walk over to them wearing a black trenchcoat and a crystal wrist shooter on her right leg. “B-Bon Bon?” “That’s Agent Sweetie Drops,” Their fellow Ponyville resident answered with such a cold glance that Rainbow Dash felt her spine shiver.  “You’re a member of the ESS?” Rarity asked in disbelief. “You have to be kidding me! You’re a candy maker!” “Former member of a monster hunting agency operating in Canterlot, actually. I retired after a mission with a Bugbear went wrong and laid low in Ponyville under a new name,” Agent Sweetie Drops sighed as she shook her head. “I tried to have a normal life, but after everything that happened with the war, I couldn’t stand by and let Equestria suffer under the hands of traitors and doubters. So I joined the ESS and became one of its agents.” “And Lyra never suspected?” Applejack asked. “That mare never did. I tried to forget about my past and focus on being the new me. My biggest mistake was not focusing enough on trying to stop Lyra when she started sympathizing with those monkeys. I should have snapped her neck the moment I learned she was going to go so far with her betrayal as she did,” Agent Sweetie Drops growled as she spat on the floor. “But enough about her. She’s not important. You need to understand that you are here because Princess Twilight and Princess Celestia have ordered you locked up.” “What?! What for?!” Rainbow Dash asked. “To use our Elements for the Harmony Cannon, right?” Applejack spat in disgust. “Figures. Twilight never could take no for an answer. Even from her friends.” Rainbow Dash almost shouted that Twilight wouldn’t do that before stopping herself. No...I can believe it... I just don’t want to believe it. Twilight was not the Twilight she knew, and Rainbow Dash knew it. She knew the alicorn was obsessed with destroying the Doctor and winning the war since Osaka. But there was always some hope in Rainbow Dash that a part of her old friend was still there, and she wouldn’t go this far. But here I am, a prisoner on orders by my so-called “friend” and the Princess I gave everything for. Buck damn it.  “What did you do with my Valiant?!” Rarity demanded, huffing her nose. “Your lover managed to get away, but it doesn’t matter. He’ll be hunted down soon enough and silenced,” Agent Sweetie Drops said, which made Rarity gasp in horror.  “You would kill an innocent pony just like that?! Why?!” Rainbow Dash shouted in disgust. “The mission required that nopony knew we kidnapped you. When it comes to missions like these, you need to tie up loose ends,” Agent Sweetie Drops said with a shrug. “He’s not a loose end! He’s the stallion I love!” Rarity screamed with tears in her eyes. “You so much as touch a single hair on his chest, and I’ll bucking kill you!” Agent Sweetie Drops ignored Rarity and walked forward until she was in front of all three of them. “Listen, Princess Twilight and Princess Celestia will be here to explain everything to you in person. All you have to do is behave and listen to them. We have orders to keep you safe and protected, but we aren’t spoiling you. So you’ll be fine if you don’t cause trouble.” “Bon Bon, listen to me!” Rainbow Dash shouted while pressing herself against the shield of her cell. “Twilight and Princess Celestia want to use our Elements to fire the Harmony Cannon and kill millions more humans! You can’t allow this to happen!” “I thought you were a soldier, Dash?” Agent Sweetie Drops snorted. “Why do you care about a bunch of humans?” “BECAUSE WE WERE WRONG!” Rainbow Dash didn’t even know she had said it until it came out of her mouth. Everypony stared at her as she finally said it. The one thing Rainbow had been dreading to admit deep down but had no choice but to finally face the music. She fell to her hunches and bitterly began to weep.  “We were wrong. Lyra was right. We’re the bad guys. We’re the Nightmare Moon, Chrysalis, and Tirek in all this. We screwed up, and we started a war of genocide. I didn’t see it until the Harmony Cannon; I don’t want to admit it, but I have to. Pinkie Pie saw the truth and couldn’t live with the guilt. Spike and Flurry Heart always saw the truth but stayed silent until they finally took action. Fluttershy and Discord took a stand when it was needed, and they’re acting like real heroes. Me? I can’t deny it anymore. I just can’t!  Rubbing her teary eyes, Rainbow Dash looked at Sweetie Drops eye to eye. “I don’t want to keep fighting anymore. I want this to stop. I want to go home. I want to go back! Back when we were real heroes! Back when I wasn’t a murderer! Back when we were the actual good guys instead of the monsters that I keep looking into the mirror every day! I want to...” Taking a deep breath, Rainbow Dash muttered, “I want to be worthy of Loyalty again.” “...Me too,” Rarity whispered as she lowered her head in shame. “I want to be Generosity instead of Genocide again.” “...Buck it, me three,” Applejack sighed and shook her head. “Ah don’t like humans, but Ah can finally understand what we did was wrong to them. Too late, mind ya, but better than never, Ah guess.” Agent Sweetie Drops glared at all three of them one by one. “So you all share these treasonous thoughts?” “Oh, buck...you know what? I’ll use the human term,” Rainbow Dash growled. “Fuck off, Agent Kiss-My-Flanks Drophead! If finally doing the right thing means being called a traitor, then get the fucking rope and hang me right now! Because fuck you! Fuck Celestia! AND FUCK TWILIGHT SPARKLE!” Rainbow Dash took a few more deep breaths before shaking her head. “Tell Twilight and Celestia I’ll die before I use my Element again. I’m done.” “Me too,” Rarity said. “Ditto,” AJ calmly agreed. Agent Sweetie Drops just huffed and shook her head. “You disappoint me, girls. You disappoint Equestria.” “This is not Equestria,” Applejack whispered, shaking her head. “This is not the Equestria we grew up in. This is Hell.” Agent Sweetie Drops said nothing. She walked away, and the girls heard a door close behind her. “So now what?” Rainbow Dash asked, leaning against the shield. Her little spiel against the prick of a mare felt nice, but they were still trapped. “Ah guess we hope somepony rescues us,” Applejack suggests. “And who is that going to be?” Rarity asked. “Ah don’t know. But at this point? Ah take anyone.” +}{+ Deep below the basement of Fort Obsidian, a blue box slowly came into materialization and landed safely behind a series of old crates that hadn’t been opened in years. The doors opened and The Doctor poked his head to make sure that things were in the clear. Taking out his Sonic Screwdriver, he activated it and scanned around before nodding and walked out. Following him were his companions and Spike who all stood before him ready to take part in their most important mission yet. “Everyone knows their objectives?” The Doctor asked as they all nodded in agreement. “Good. Now then. Tally-Ho.”