Being the ruler of Equestria, Princess Celestia was expected to protect all of her subjects which wasn’t a bother at the beginning of time. A thousand years ago, the ponies weren’t as dominating as it is today.
In ancient times, there were other kingdoms inside and outside of Equestria so it wasn’t as if Celestia or Luna—before she was banished—had a lot to do. They only did the basics like founding Equestria and building a better home when the three tribes were still fighting.
They succeeded in their endeavours and because of that, they became popular with their subjects across the land. Even kingdoms that wanted nothing to do with the ponies were surprised by what the Alicorn sisters achieved and were still trying to accomplish.
However, when the ponies started to favour Celestia, that is when everything went wrong. The rainbow-flowing-maned alicorn noticed how her sister started to distance herself from everypony and subject that was their friends and allies.
Celestia asked multiple times what was wrong, but her sister would simply shrug and walk away, telling her that it was nothing and to leave her alone.
The oldest alicorn wished she never listened to that pleading of being alone. Maybe then, she wouldn’t have to banish her sister for a thousand years.
Nonetheless, the battle between the sisters commenced and Celestia remembers the fear she felt that horrible day. She would never tell Luna this, but, Nightmare Moon could have won.
Nightmare Moon was far stronger than Celestia could have ever imagined and that scared her. If Celestia never used the Elements of Harmony to banish her sister, then she fears what Equestria would have been like today.
Celestia took a sip from her thirteenth cup of tea with five sugars that day while ignoring the kitchen staff that run around the kitchen, preparing an exquisite lunch like always.
To keep herself occupied, Celestia founded her school which was known as; Celestia’s School For Gifted Unicorns. She had seen many promising students there over the years. The two most promising students she ever had were Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle.
Sunset Shimmer had been a bright student that took her studies seriously and didn’t stop until she finished an assignment which she always passed with flying colours.
However, one day, Celestia visited a mirror inside her castle which had been entrusted to her by her former mentor Starswirl the Bearded. He told her it was a portal that led to another world and to always guard it. Celestia hadn’t noticed Sunset until she was almost touching the mirror, but she managed to persuade the unicorn to not touch it or mention it.
However, Sunset Shimmer was naturally curious which Celestia would never blame the young mare for, but her persistence irked her. She was told to guard the mirror and never show or mention it to any pony or creature, so when Sunset started asking questions about it, she felt as though she failed her mentor. Like she betrayed him and his legacy like she failed as his former student.
So, one day she told Sunset that she needed to make friends and not go to the library until she was given permission. However, this proved to have been the second biggest mistake Celestia ever did in her life.
Sunset defied her and went to the library anyways. One of her guards had seen her and informed Celestia. The old alicorn had been furious and banished her from her castle and told the mare she wasn’t her student any longer.
The tears the mare had shed…
Celestia regretted it every day.
Sunset had run through the mirror and hadn’t been seen or heard from since. Celestia went to the mirror every night in the hope that her former student would return. She never did. And probably never will.
Her second student, Twilight Sparkle had been her biggest success.
Twilight had been highly similar to Sunset, she was very smart, powerful magically, and was a major bookworm. However, the dark, greedy thoughts that plagued Sunset’s mind didn’t seem to transfer to Twilight.
Her devotion made Celestia blush at the countless times the lilac-coated mare had bowed so deep the princess feared she would hurt her snout.
When Celestia was preparing for her sisters’ return, she received a letter from Twilight, warning her about ‘the mare on the moon,’ and that they needed to up their defences. In response, Celestia had told Twilight she was needed in Ponyville and to not believe in old tales.
However, Celestia couldn’t help but feel scared that day as well. How angry was her sister going to be? How much carnage would she spread throughout Equestria simply because the ponies didn’t remember her? Sure, Twilight and Celestia knew, but the latter… well it would have been weird if she didn’t and Twilight read an old fillies’ tale.
Twilight and her friends managed to defeat the dreaded Nightmare Moon and Celestia was forever thankful that she was reunited with her sister.
The fact that the lilac-coated mare completed all the assignments that she had prepared for Sunset was a surprise. While Sunset may have been somewhat introverted, she could be extroverted whenever she pleases and did have an easier time communicating with everypony. Twilight on the other hoof, was far deep in her introverted ways that Celestia had feared she would lose another student.
But she didn’t.
Instead, Twilight learned so many different friendship lessons and defeated multiple villains all the while becoming famous throughout the land for her magic and the friendship she spreads throughout Equestria.
Her students’ latest accomplishment was the return of the Crystal Empire. Celestia giggled into her hoof. Or rather, it was Spike’s accomplishment, but Twilight did pass with flying colours of the test Celestia had given the mare.
However, there was one thing Twilight did that made Celestia doubtful of Twilight.
Gabby Gums.
That name came from the foal-free press that worked as a simple school paper, nothing exciting but the rumours and hurtful gossip did get to everypony in the town of Ponyville, the town her student and other Element Bearers reside.
She was disappointed in Twilight for her behavior but she was even more upset with the older siblings of three of the Crusaders’ as the three fillies called themselves. Scootaloo looked up to Rainbow Dash and wanted to be just like her, but because she was embarrassed by one secret she dropped rainwater on the three.
Applejack had refused to speak to Applebloom after Gabby Gums's identity was revealed. The filly’s older brother, Big Mac had told them to go away.
Ultimately, they did.
Rarity, well, Celestia would admit, that the marshmallow-coated mare didn’t do a lot of harm, but she didn’t do anything either.
When Princess Celestia found out what the town did and received contact from a friend of hers in Badlands that the three fillies were there, she was both furious and disappointed while fearful for the lives of the three fillies.
A few months ago, she received word from one of her guards that Miss Sweetie Belle had been found in Manehattan and attacked one of them when they saw her conceal herself in a cloak.
The filly was sent back to Ponyville with the threat that the other Crusaders would avenge her and that the royal guards wouldn’t stand a chance against the Crusader army.
One of the chefs came out with a dish that would have made Celestia’s mouth water. It was an omelette filled with hay and cucumber, her favourite. For drinks, she had her tea which was loaded with sugar, a habit she formed when she lost contact with Ponyville and her sister.
When they lost contact with Ponyville, her sister, Luna, had been worried sick but there was also something in her eye that told Celestia that the younger alicorn knew what was going on but wanted to confirm a suspicion.
The mare left Canterlot and made her way to Ponyville but had not contacted any of them.
That is when Celestia saw something that should have been seen as a complete and utter joke. She had sent royal guards towards the town but had been shocked when they saw massive walls that surrounded the small town.
Celestia opened a file beside her that was dark yellow and looked at the photos taken.
The walls were tall and grey and were covered in symbols that Celestia had only seen a few times throughout her life. One of them was the hammer and sickle which represent a politics called communism—if she remembered correctly—and two swords that were crossed.
As it turned out, Ponyville was under a dictatorship that was led by ‘Supreme Leaders Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom,’
There was a statue near their entrance to their country where it had the words: Peace Through Tyranny!
She didn’t know whether to laugh or be fearful of how three fillies managed to build an army for themselves that no doubt take their orders seriously.
Celestia chewed her omelette. The stress did her no favours, making the food tasteless.
Because of what happened a year ago, she feared for the Element Bearers. She was sure that Twilight was okay because the lilac-coated mare was an alicorn and no doubt wouldn’t be hurt, but seeing the mare grow up from the filly she once was, the princess couldn’t help but worry.
‘She’s probably fine,’ the alicorn reasoned after dowing her tea and pouring another one and adding several cubes of sugar. ‘She’s a princess now, the fillies wouldn’t dare do anything to a princess,’
Suddenly, the double doors slammed open and in walked the captain of the royal guards, Prince Shining Armour, the brother of Princess Twilight.
“Princess Celestia, I apologise for interrupting your breakfast!” He spoke with a bow.
Celestia raised a brow. “Prince Shining, It’s my breakfast,”
The captain didn’t look embarrassed in the slightest. When the princess looked at his face, she saw he had bags under his eyes that were almost coal-black. Lack of sleep. She did a once-over at him but couldn’t see anything else.
“Anyways, I have more information about Ponyville,” Shining spoke as if everything was normal in the world. He handed Celestia another dark yellow file with multiple photos inside and text from the guards of what they witnessed.
“It seems like the Crusaders have a strong army,” Shining noted with a blank stare.
“How strong?” Celestia asked while looking over the photos that showed Ponyville… or was it? The town looked nothing like the small town she had come to know, the same town that the Apple family founded. This version of Ponyville was high in technology. They had skyscrapers similar to Manehattan but they looked so… advanced, like whatever the Crusaders used wasn’t normal stone and metal.
“How did you come across these photos?” Celestia asked with narrowed eyes at her captain.
The white-coated unicorn didn’t look fazed. “We had a pegasus fly overhead and snap a few photos. It was done during the night because the guards would have spotted us otherwise.”
Celestia nodded and looked at a photo where there was a banner of Scootaloo with a military uniform and hat. Scootaloo Is The Way For World Peace!
“Interesting… is it possible to bribe the soldiers?” Celestia looked at the captain who hadn’t slept for who-knows-how-long.
Shining faltered under Celestia’s gaze. “I don’t think so, there are rumours that it's possible but I don’t think it's true. They likely accept bribes, but they don’t do anything they’ve promised.”
The dining hall was filled with silence as the Princess of the Sun looked through the photos and files. There were a lot of things she would need to observe and read. ‘At least I have an excuse to ditch the nobles,’ she thought.
“Interesting find,” she spoke with no emotion. She looked at her captain with shallow eyes that made the captain gulp. “Would you be so kind as to deliver this to my room where I can observe and read through everything?”
Shining bowed and took the files and walked out of the dining hall, leaving the princess alone with her thoughts.
Her appetite was gone.
‘I’m sorry my little ponies,’ Celestia thought. ‘Miss Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Applebloom… I have no choice…’ Celestia closed her eyes. ‘I have to invade Ponyville,’