January 1, 1007
Canterlot, Principality of Equestria
? ‘s POV
Silence.
It seems that other than the crackling of the fire in the hearth, only silence filled the stateroom.
Outside, I can see fireworks erupting in celebration as all of Equestria herald the beginning of the new year.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
I turned to the only other occupant.
“Of course, the populace are as enthusiastic as ever” I replied simply.
Turning back to the window, I continued “Do you know what else is beautiful, Your Grace? The peace, so simple…yet so priceless. It is unfortunate that it is growing ever likely that it will not last for long”
Princess Celestia Ad Astra; Co-Princess Regnant of The Principality of Equestria along with her sister, Princess Luna Ad Astra; Scion of the Sun and bucking many more, turned her head in curiosity “Why do you think so, Noble Bright?”
“...I believe you already know, Your Highness”
Princess Celestia had her head down, her face obscured by her billowing mane. We stayed silent for a minute.
“I must reiterate the importance of paying attention to the developments in the northwest…and reconsider our stance for the delicate ‘situation’ in the northeast” I explain.
“Severyana shall be brought back to the fold eventually” Celestia stated -perhaps too much so- confidently “If anything can be discerned from its unruly secessionist government, it is the infighting among its ranks. Soon, the ponies there shall realize the follies of their actions and will return home as it always should have been”
“As for Olenia, it is no problem that the deer themselves cannot manage; and when the time is right and Velvet receives the inevitable support she needs… well, enough has been said”.
“When Equestria, the Crystal Empire, and Olenia present a united front for all the world to see, championing the values of Harmony, Chrysalis shall soon understand that she poses little threat to us”.
I shook my head “Your Highness, I shall be honest here. You know as well as I do that the situation is not that simple, and history has proven that not everything goes according to plan. Take the recent events that has rocked this nation for example; The chaotic return of Princess Luna as Nightmare Moon before she was purified by the Elements of Harmony, Discord’s escape from his prison, the attempted Changeling takeover of Canterlot, Lord Tirek’s rampage, the Storm King’s attempted invasion, all in just seven years” I delivered a verbal jab that might as well have been an uppercut to her face.
“These threats were narrowly defeated thanks to Princess Twilight and her friends, but how long can we rely on six mares to defend a nation of fifty million? I mean no offense to our noble heroes, but our dependence on them is a critical weakness”.
The Sun Princess -she who had lived since time immemorial- slowly and almost imperceptibly sagged, her haunches drooping as tears began to drop unto the marble floor.
“My government has made great strides in improving the general condition of the nation, bureaucracy has been streamlined, industrial output has skyrocketed, our newly founded army and air force grows everyday, naval vessels are produced in a rate never seen before and our outreach programs have transformed the lives of millions…all done in a timeframe unprecedented in our long and respected history.”
I turned to her again.
“But do you know what hurts the most when I hear of these glowing reports, Princess? About how my reforms have helped change Equestria for the better? I fear that all of this may not be enough to stop the incoming storm.”
Why was I laying this heap of shit upon the most powerful individual in the world, you may ask? It’s simple, really.
Because while my reforms have made massive progress in the modernization, expansion, and development of agriculture and industry; the establishment of solid social welfare programs to safeguard and improve the citizen’s lives; research and development that ensures Equestria remains at the very top of the technological hierarchy; and most notably military mobilization, Equestria’s position is not yet secure enough for my liking.
A millennia of peace and general stability has made ponykind complacent, pacifistic, stagnant, and dare I say it…weak. Princess Celestia’s reign as the sole monarch for the vast majority of Equestria’s history is notably filled with nothing but general tranquility and harmony. For many generations, ponies lived lives no different from that of their direct predecessors; progress was slow, and ponies were simply content with their peaceful lives.
This all changed when Jam Wutt invented the steam engine in the 9th century, heralding the Industrial Revolution, which only accelerated further when Cuty Stuffy’s prototype steam locomotive design was revised and distributed throughout Equestria.
Adamant Smith’s book the “Prosperity of Countries” addressed concepts like the division of labor and the free market that revolutionized economic theory and helped replace mercantilism in favor of free-trade economic theory that guides Equestrian economic policy to this day.
This was a time of rapid industrialisation and development, major cities grew quickly and new settlements were founded all across the country.
The ponies of Equestria prospered, but unfortunately this prosperity was not distributed as evenly as Celestia would have hoped. The average pony struggling to keep up with the rapid changes as it is, this was also the era in which the modern social classes were established.
You do not have to guess which particular group possessed the largest share of wealth in the nation.
Equestria propelled itself to the forefront of industry and technology, becoming a utopia that other nations could only dream of. Even to this day and age where Equestria is no longer as dominant as it was in the middle of the 10th century, we remain as the wealthiest and most developed country in the world.
Decades passed, other nations industrialized and followed Equestria’s hoofsteps. While Equestria focused on the civilian aspects of industry, the others diverged by developing weapons; guns and artillery evolved rapidly, but our nation fell behind in this particular department.
And that is the problem I am trying to emphasize. While the Principality has grown prosperous, it has not taken proper measures to defend itself in an ever changing world. It can be said that Equestria has its hind legs stuck in the past because of its ancient system finding itself becoming increasingly unsuitable in the modern world.
Because of these certain developments, Equestria can no longer continue living beneath a shroud of blissful ignorance, nor can it stymie its military any longer than it already has.
The era of millennial peace is over, and Equestria will not be ready for it without unprecedented measures.
Princess Celestia has to understand how serious our predicament is, and if dressing her down (not literally!) is what it takes, then I will do so without hesitation.
The Co-Ruler of Ponykind is silently weeping, her tears dripping on the expensive carpet.
“Can we fix this? Can I fix it?” She whispers tearfully
“Not alone, Your Highness” I made that clear quite some time ago, when we first met.
“Equestria needs to mobilize its population and resources in an efficient and quick manner; we can do this by assuming more…direct control over industry, agriculture, the economy, everything. The entire population must be ready for war, a conflict so devastating and total that the losing side will forever cease to be a threat to the winner through physical, mental, and spiritual means.”
Princess Celestia stared at me in horrified silence, but she could also tell in frightened realization that everything I told her was true; one way or another, she and I along with the other princesses will have to drag ponykind to its destiny kicking and screaming.
She eventually responds after a couple minutes of staring “But are my little ponies ready for such an unprecedented change? I fear the chaos that your proposals would bring”
I stared directly into her eyes, my expression grim yet resolute.
“Ponykind is stronger than you may think, Princess. I can prove it to you.”
But first, how did we get here at this point? Well, sit tight, because I’m about to regale you with my life story!
March 5, 981
Baltimare, Principality of Equestria
Noble Bright‘s POV
‘Well, this isn’t the worst thing I’ve ever experienced’ I dryly mused as I looked around the hospital room, doctors and nurses attending to my new feeble body.
Much has happened since I pierced through the fetal membrane that served as my prison for 11 months in that dark place that is my mother’s stomach.
Speaking of said mare, she was nuzzling my infant self as soon as she had me in her hooves, her soft cooing echoing in the sterile room that would have soothed any normal foal.
As it was, I was only bemused with the situation.