//------------------------------//
// And 
// Story: War & Peace: A Pony Tale 
// by LullabyFire 
//------------------------------//

Peace sat moping in the back of the chariot. Two white pegasus stallions clad in Celestia’s guard uniform pulled relentlessly at the front carrying the young princess to her destination. Well, not really...young...later.
The two stallions kept glancing at each other everytime the princess sighed or huffed. At last one bucked up the courage to speak. “Are you alright, Princess?”
“Harmonia curse this horn!” she piped up. “Don’t call me that!” Peace snapped. “I want no pony in Ponyville to know that I am a princess, got that?”
The stallion straightened himself. “I’m sorry, prin...I mean...miss,” he said continuing. 
Peace let out a sigh. “I’m the one who should be sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you.” A green glow started forming around the alicorn’s horn. Vanishing like darkness touched by candlelight, the horn faded into nothingness.
“It’s fine, madam,” he said chancing a glance back. She looked like a regular pegasus mare aside from her molten silver necklace with the large emerald gem in the center. 
“It’s just...GAH!” She said stomping her hoof on the chariot floor. “Sorry,” she said as her silver cheeks flushed a light crimson.
“Why are you frustrated, madam?” the other stallion questioned simply.
Peace took a few breaths and explained. “It’s my bucking brother. Celestia has told me to go retrieve him...after more than a millennia.
“You haven’t seen your brother in over a millennia?” the same stallion asked again in shock.
“If you were the absolute opposite of your sibling would you want to see him...ever?” She said practically grinding her teeth.
“I guess not...” and with that the ride remained silent aside from the constant beating of wings and the occasional huff from Peace.

~~~
<*>
~~~

The clatter of hooves on pavement alerted Peace of their arrival in the ever fated Ponyville.
Looking up finally Peace watched as the chariot stopped in front of a...large tree...with the sign indicating a library posted in front of the door.
Hopping down onto the cool pavement, Peace turned to the two stallions and nodded her head in a curt bow. They likewise did the same. They trotted off and took back to flight. Peace watched them as they became mere specks in the sky then disappeared altogether. 
Letting out a huff she turned to the library door. Nopony was around, so Peace quietly used her magic to creak the round knobbed door open. Taking a few tentative steps in she looked around. Yep, it was a library. She hear the door quietly click behind her.
That was when all hell broke loose. All at the same time Peace was tackled by a pink frizzy maned pony and surrounded by five others. The pink one jabbed on and on with questions Peace was unable to absorb.
A thought then came to her. Dang this pony is heavy. It was then that the pony started choking from the lack of breath.
One of the unicorns levitated the pink pony off the silver pegasus acting alicorn.
Peace let in a gasp of relief as she rolled onto her stomach and hacked on her own breathing. Gathering herself she lifted herself from the floor to look at the six young ponies in front of her.
A purple unicorn took a step forward in greeting. “Hello, my name is...”
“Twilight Sparkle,” Peace said before her. 
“Y...yes, and you are?”
“My name is Peace,” she said as she rose to her hooves.
“You sure about that?!” a cyan pegasus yelled coming eye to eye with the silver pony. “Peace is supposed to be a princess!”
“What do you expect,” she said with a shrug, “a crown?”
“Yes,” the white unicorn said simply, looking a little sad at the thought of not having one.
“Not jus’ that. Ain’t a princess suppose tuh have a horn? Be ‘n alicorn ‘n’ such?” the orange earth pony asked in her western drawl. 
Peace let out a sigh. “Fine,” she said as her horn began reappearing through her green magic. “Nopony else is to know that I’m a princess though...got it?”
“I Pinkie swear it,” the pink pony piped up. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” she said doing every motion with it.
Peace nodded with approval then looked at the other ponies. In chorus all of the other ponies said the same words and motions as the pink pony.
“So, Princess, what do yer want us to do?” The orange pony asked.
“Well, not call me Princess first off. Then I believe I know all of your names. You are Applejack, Element of Honesty,” Peace said nodding in the orange pony’s direction.
“Pleasure tuh meetcha, miss.”
Turning to the white unicorn she said, “You must be Rarity, Element of Generosity.”
“Y...yes your highness,” Rarity said bowing deeply.
“Oh, please, don’t do that,” Peace said clenching her eyes closed. “Just call me Peace, not anything referring to royalty.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, your high...Peace,” Rarity said wincing at the informality.
Peace nodded in thanks then turned to the half cowering yellow pegasus. “Fluttershy, Element of Kindness. Am I right?”
“Um...yes...” she said quietly cowering a little more
Turning she faced the pink frizzy maned pony. “You are the Element of Laughter, Pinkie Pie.”
Pinkie Pie just let out a peal of laughter to confirm Peace’s guess.
Turning back to the purple unicorn she said, “Twilight Sparkle, the Element of Magic, I presume.”
“It’s a pleasure, Peace,” she said nodding.
“And finally,” Peace said turning to face the rainbow maned pony, “the pony who most reminds me of a certain gray stallion I know, Rainbow Dash, Element of Loyalty.”
“Who do I remind you of?!” Rainbow said hovering off the ground in challenge.
“The Element is almost opposite of him though...” Peace said half to herself.
“Who is this stallion I remind you of?!” Rainbow said flying up to stare directly into Peace’s eyes.
“Somepony that we have to get.”
Twilight spoke up then. “You mean your brother?”
“Yes,” Peace said hanging her head in shame, “my brother, War.”

~~~
<*>
~~~

After explaining what they were to do, Peace asked them, “So...are you with me Elements of Harmony?”
AJ looked curiously at Peace. “So what do y’all need us fur?”
“Well...everytime War and I have seen each other...somepony has gotten hurt. Celestia thought having the Elements of Harmony with us we would...get along better...”
“W...we won’t be the ones getting hurt...would we?” Fluttershy asked her wings so tight against her body Peace wasn’t sure if they would open again in a week.
“I’ll be sure that it isn’t,” Peace said gently.
“How are we getting there?” Rarity asked as she styled her mane at a nearby mirror.
“By hoof through the Everfree forest.”
Rarity’s ears perked forward. “B...b...but...I just got a hooficure,” she said as she stared down at a hoof.
“The entire fate of Equestria rests in our hooves and you are worried about a hooficure?” Twilight said pacing.
“But of course; a lady shouldn’t have to dirty her hooves.”
“Well, sorry, Rarity,” Rainbow said with a snicker, “I don’t think anypony is going to carry you.” Sitting up straighter she said, “I’m in!”
AJ trotted up and sat next to Rainbow. “I’m in. Cain’t have this ’un takin’ all thur glory,” she said nudging her seated neighbor.
I’ll go,” Fluttershy said quietly. “I’ve always wanted to meet the animals in Afghanistallion.” She took a seat next to the other two who had accepted.
“If Princess Celestia sent you, I’ll go,” Twilight said looking over the scroll Celestia had sent ahead of Peace.
Pinkie Pie jumped up saying, “I’ll go! I’ll go! It’ll be a party! Ooh, what should I bring? Balloons, streamers, my party cannon...” nopony continued to listen to the pink pony’s ramblings.
All eyes, aside from the party planning pony, turned to Rarity who was still staring at her hooves.
She let out a sigh. Turning to them she said wincing, “I’ll go. The fate of Equestria rests in these hooves, hooficure or no hooficure.”
Peace let out a laugh, “Don’t worry, Rarity. I’ll get you an appointment for the most expensive salon in Canterlot once we get back.”
Rarity smiled and took a seat next to the others. 
Peace glanced between each of them. These were the Elements of Harmony, the ponies her mother had chosen to keep harmony in Equestria and help win over evils. Peace smiled at them all. Smiling she said, “Thank you all. We’ll start tomorrow. Be prepared for anything or anypony, but pack light.”
Everypony nodded and headed towards their respective homes to pack and sleep before their long journey. The only two left in the library were Peace and Twilight.
“Twilight,” Peace said turning away.
“Yes, Peace?”
“When we find War, I might need you to hold me down.”
Twilight stared confuzed. “Why?”
“Because...when it comes down to it...a fight always comes before any calm.”