//------------------------------//
// Chapter 23: The Spoils of Victory – Thunderhide, Recovery, and a Post-War Equestria 
// Story: Equestria: A History Revealed 
// by Hoofry_Poneigher 
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	While the war was essentially won on the day when the eternal night was vanquished  by the morning sun, many continued issues, remnants of the war if you would, needed to be quickly laid to rest before the “healing” process could begin. You know the type of healing I’m talking about. Those quacks who “say” that this medication will help, but they’re secretly sneaking in nanomachines into your body to record everything you say and think, and kill you slowly from the inside out. And don’t go telling me that Equestrian medical science hasn’t advanced to that kind of point yet, and that you don’t even know what the hay a nanomachine is. You don’t know secrets like I do. That’s a fundamental truth.™

So anyways, Luna’s forces were pretty much defeated, Nightmare forces and monsters alike fleeing back to the darkest parts of Equestria, while the strongest of the Nightmare was banished alongside their princess to the moon. While Celestia had ways to keep the monster population in check (and she suspected that with the Nightmare leadership gone, the monsters would no longer pose any immediate problems for now), she still feared the power of the Nightmare. For while they were defeated and fleeing, they still held the greatest threat to the future of her regime, especially once their full capabilities were taken into consideration.

Celestia declared the war over of course, but she put her now excessively massive army, made up of earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi alike, to work, sending different squadrons to capture as many of the escaping Nightmare forces as they could.

Luna’s righthoof pony, Thunderhide, who was named the regent of the West during Luna’s rule at the castle and was essentially the ruler of the pegasi during the western occupation, was defeated and was imprisoned during the pegasi’s revolt after the Battle of Canterlot.[249] Interestingly enough, it seemed that while the pegasi, weakened by the continuous Nightmare presence in their cities, still had it pretty much better off compared to the rest of Equestria, with a greater food supply and resources in general.[250] In fact, many pegasi apologists blame Luna for her poor wager at the Battle of Canterlot, as the severe weakening of forces in the western cities, as well as the populace’s subsequent morale boost once seeing Celestia had won the battle spelt utter disaster for Thunderhide’s stint as ruler. But to them I say, “How dare you insult O glorious Luna!” It wasn’t her fault Celestia was a filthy cheater cheater pants. What adds insult to injury is the fact that she doesn’t even wear pants. That’s how filthy of a cheater she was.

But all could agree that Thunderhide was among one of the most complex players in the Equestrian Civil War. From what is known now, he did not exactly agree with Luna’s ideology, but rode off her coattails, seeing her regime as the best way to remove Celestia from power. For apparently he was one of the pegasi who was still angry about that whole “major losses in life during the Crystal War” and the “blatant disregard for the pegasi sacrifices made” or something, and blamed Celestia for the initiation and the poor conclusion of the war. Another one of those thinking ponies who actually could think before accepting Celestia’s victory propaganda as truth. Along with the whole supporting Luna thing, I’m starting to like this guy. Shame he wasn’t an earth pony though, I guess that means we could never truly be friends.

He originally joined Luna as he thought that Luna was the best way for him to make change in the nation’s structure for the betterment of his pegasi brethren, as he saw Celestia’s structure as corrupt and incapable of change; needing to be destroyed before Equestria could be reborn. In this manner, his ideals can be have said to have been along the lines of the radicalists who Luna won over to her side early on as well. The only difference seems to be that while Thunderhide “eventually realized he had traded one princess for an even worse one”[251] (you take that back you bastard. I would never insult our glorious moon princess like that), the radicalists were perfectly fine with it, and believed that as long as their own ideological ends were achieved, they could justify any of the means.

Nonetheless, it seemed that he had stuck with Luna, not out of loyalty, but because he believed perhaps he could change her. Even under some of Luna’s more (in historian’s words) “questionable” actions (eg. the Eternal Night), he tried to ensure the best for those who lived in the regions of Equestria where he ruled, perhaps under his own self-held honor, or as an apology to the populace for his own missteps.

Not including his rule in the west, he also aided Luna in constructing many of the preparatory war plans, probably once convincing himself that he could change Luna once Celestia was taken care of. This was a role he was far better at; he had one of the keenest military minds, along with strong battle experience, especially once taking his leadership role in the Crystal War into account. The only reason why he himself did not fight on the front lines and lead the Nightmare forces himself was his age; he was at least over eighty at the time of Luna’s rebellion.[252] But he still heavily contributed to the war effort, sending letters detailing strategy and battle plans to Princess Luna. While he did seem to slightly question the logistics of the plans for the Battle of Canterlot at first, he, along with the others, later agreed that with such numbers, it would be an assured victory.

Some military experts even go as far to say that if Luna did not hedge everything on the success of the Battle of Canterlot, and instead took a more traditional method in war, in accordance to Thunderhide’s early strategies of pragmatism, the war may have gone a very different path.[253] Of course, as I had previously stated, her reasoning behind the orchestration of the Battle of Canterlot was not without purpose, as a traditional war would not yield the fruit that Luna sought at this time. Canterlot was meant to end all hope in Equestria for good.

Thunderhide previously thought that he could change Luna once the war was won; he took some of her more crazed sensible actions as stress gained during her warring with her sister. He reasoned that once Celestia was defeated, he could approach a slow realpolitik strategy in convincing the princess towards a more balanced rule. But with the defeat in Canterlot, and Luna’s subsequent placement of “in” in “insanity”, he knew he placed his bets on the wrong horse.

In accordance to this, his handling of the “Revolt in the West” was jumbled and suffered from little strategy. In truth, even with the limited Nightmare forces in Cloudsdale in which he resided, he could have put down the revolution if he had properly militarized his troops as part of his original contingency plan. But realizing the will of his populace, and that any hopes at change in Equestria were dashed in Canterlot (very fitting), he allowed the revolt to succeed, and surrendered to the pegasi forces shortly after.[254]

Dang, I’m losing track here. I thought I cut all that backstory crap back in Chapter 21. Okay, anywho, with Luna’s banishment to the moon acting as her punishment, Thunderhide was forced into trial on account of his actions during the war. Yes, Luna’s defeat and sealing in the moon was all well and good (to Celestia only. I would never say that under any normal circumstance), but the public demanded justice. And Thunderhide, along with the rest of the captured radical extremists and mutinous generals, as the next in command, were an easy target.

Plans for Equestria’s reconstruction were currently still being worked on, and they were still taking into account the supplies and stocks for the rebuilding effort. Of course, Celestia put an emergency program into play to provide food and shelter for those who severely needed it (probably slipping in some primitive nanomachines in their food at this time, as evil takes no breaks) in the worst stricken parts of Equestria as a temporary countermeasure as the planning continued. But at this moment, most of Equestria was encapsulated by their “Trial at Fillydelphia”, towards the end of 1010.[255]

Historians say that the trial was interesting in that Celestia gave the defendants a chance to actually speak, in fact, even more than she gave her sister during her own trial. These ponies were facing war crimes and treason charges, and the fact that it wasn’t simply a show trial baffled historians, especially taking into account the gravity of their actions. But of course, these historians are all fools. It was a show trial. It’s always a show trial with Celestia. She’s one tricky fuck. And I’m sure many a stallion in Canterlot can vouch for that statement; she does have that rowdy unicorn blood in her after all.

Celestia “supposedly” gave them a chance to explain, something that some more of the monarchist historians (aka, the most morally reprehensible. Who would actively support Celestia? Ew.) found especially surprising, as these extremists had more than enough time to spout off their ideologies on the nation stage for all to hear. Apparently she wanted to “understand her enemies, and why they did the things they did. [Celestia] wanted to learn from her past mistakes, and listened to the problems of others more intently. She wanted to give the silent the chance to speak, but more importantly, give them a chance to be heard.”[256]

Revisionists considered it to be a misstep by Celestia, as this would cause later ideological struggles and radical thinking further down the line, but these monarchists say that such an action was simply “a testament to the graciousness of her highness; that she would give the chance to hear the words of such deplorable and terrible criminals in order to uphold the principles of justice and the fundamentals of good that Equestria represents.”[257] And to that I say, into the trash it goes. It, being a pronoun for your opinions and your books. I think the Canterlot library would actually thank me for it. You know, if they ever found it was me who stole ‘em. But they could always place a thank you letter or something in the newspaper. For as I said, it’s the thought that counts.

Some revisionist monarchists (an utterly ridiculous title, I know) even suspect Celestia’s allowance of these ponies to sprout their ideologies as part of her own plan. They believed that she was not so foolish to think that allowing them to speak would not lead to political problems in the long-run (in which I rebuke that one must never underestimate the stupidity of Celestia), but rather she endured it to punish herself for her foolishness, and allow Equestria to decide its own political future.[258] And to that I say, that’s the worst Choose Your Own Adventure book I’ve ever heard. But I suppose such a possibility wasn’t totally out of the question (in this case, it seems as though two wrongs do make a right after all), ‘cuz as the former unicorn whore she was, her having some sadomasochistic tendencies would not be completely out of the question.

Such a conclusion is of course, strongly criticized by revisionists and monarchists alike (what), citing that Celestia would never take such a political risk after returning stability to the intensely fragile nation.[259] So Celestia’s reasonings behind this remain another mystery of history.[260] Of course, traditionalist historians (jeez, another faction of history?) tend to lean towards the monarchist’s side of the whole “Celestia attempting to understand her enemies”.

I’m just fastballing all of these theories so you can see all the sorts of different beliefs historians hold, and the disagreements they have. For nothing is absolute in history. No matter who, what, or where, there will always be an alternate theory, another way of seeing things. That is what many say is one of the greatest principles of history; the sheer number of differing opinions that historians steadfastly hold.

And then that’s where I come in and throw all that crap out, because my beliefs are the only ones that are actually important. Celestia did so ‘cuz she’s the über dumb. Next!

Thunderhide became a clear scapegoat (scapegoat (n.) a being considered only slightly better than an actual goat.[261]) by the public, due to his role as the highest ranking member of Luna’s surviving rule, the Nightmare forces notwithstanding. When given the chance to speak, he had made “no apologies, for he knew exactly what he had entered once he took arms against Celestia”, but instead made his case for the “change that Equestria needed to undergo, in racial and ideological terms”.[262]



	“He knew he had no chance of public redemption, nor did he attempt to seek it. He likely knew of his fate; he was an old pony all the same. But in his last recorded words, he had attempted to make a lasting mark on the world, and in impassioned speech, made his beliefs clear for all of Equestria to see. To see why a pony as previously beloved as him would choose to take such drastic measures, and why the old Celestial system could not be upheld.”[263]



On a total sidenote, do any of you know where I could find a pegasus feather? Living in Canterlot, it’s pretty rare to see any pegasi around. I mean, there are a few who I see around Canterlot University. Heck, my professor technically is a pegasus himself. But, how do I say this lightly? He has the kind of face that makes me want to jab forks into my eyes before I approach him for a favor. Maybe I could slip something into his drink and snatch a feather from his wing then? I suppose that would be possible.

I also need a bright rainbow’s glow, whatever that is. Do you think Skittles® would do the trick? I mean, they’re already packed with “SUCH INTENSE FLAVOR” and have “THE TASTE OF THE RAINBOW IN EVERY PIECE”.[264]
 
Moving right along here, Thunderhide’s speech towards to the betterment of Equestrian society sparked something in many of his former pegasi supporters. Before, they considered him a hero, and to see the measures he took, the depths he would sink to, in order to accomplish the morals he steadfastly believed in, struck a chord in many. In fact, many pegasi historians cite this as the revival of pegasi nationalism, after its initial quelling in the Classical Era.[265] While the growth of the movement would be slow, its very existence was one of the many changes in post-war Equestria. For as Luna and Thunderhide had wanted, with their defeats, came a new age, in which the populace would no longer be so accepting of Celestia’s words, and began to think for themselves, especially with the many political opportunities that were laid before them in the trial. They would love their ruler still (ugh), but she could no longer brandish the control she had before.

It was this moment in which the trial was best known for, and it was for this moment in which the trial still holds significance in history today. As for the actual logistics of the trial itself, historians noted that Celestia was surprisingly lenient, much to the chagrin of some of her still more fanatic supporters, choosing instead to banish Luna’s little cabal under maximum lifetime house arrest for their crimes.[266] Despicable as always. What kind of sick monster are you Celestia? Why not just slit their throats too while you’re at it?

With such cruel punishment methods, Celestia truly welcomed in a new age, one where increased police brutality and the “might makes right” ideology rang true. Take some kinder lessons in punishment from your predecessors, like the Equinus Republic, or dare I say, the Griffon Kingdom. What can I say? If there’s one thing I can agree with those griffons about, it’s that beheadings bring nothing but joy. Cuz anything would be more merciful then to be forced to continue living while Celestia is still in power. In fact, as Celestia’s rule is essentially suffering within itself, why doesn’t everypony just die? No, I mean it. Literally just beat yourselves senseless with a waffle iron. It’s more merciful than this state of eternal suffering we call Celestial rule. You know, everypony except me. And Larry. Because we’re enlightened you see.

While Thunderhide too was sent to maximum house arrest, he died little more than a few weeks following the trial.[267] Some pegasi historians hypothesized he might have been assassinated, as his sudden death was extremely suspicious.[268] But most say that it was probably due to the stress of the past years, as Celestia would not have much to gain by killing him in such a manner once the damage was already done.[269] In fact, most postulate Thunderhide may have actually purposely set up his death to seem suspicious to ensure his martyrdom, and strengthen his cause among his supporters.[270]

But enough of all that. With all that political stuff over, Celestia only had to mop up the remains and consequences of such a taxing war.

On a military sense, the Equestrian army (still rather large in size, at least compared to the military-apartment classification system I hold) continued their missions against the Nightmare continued as usual, with more captures every day. Eventually, within a span of a few months, all the known surviving Nightmare forces were rounded up and locked away in Tartarus), bringing an end to the military remnants of the war.[271]

Thankfully, instead of choosing to wipe them out completely, Celestia placed a powerful sealing spell that would supposedly hold forever, to ensure their imprisonment (along with the imprisonment of all the other dark beasts there), and, as an added layer of protection, had an assortment of loyal “holy” beasts she had befriended (like a goddamn Cerberus. How anyone can say Celestia isn’t aligned with the dark is beyond me), guard the entrance to prevent further escape.[272]

With all that in check (at least for the moment), Celestia adjusted to life in her castle in Canterlot (which was somewhat damaged, but not to the extent as the rest of Canterlot. I wonder why.[273]), choosing to rule there from now on instead and abandon her previous castle, which would continue to stand in ruins to this day. Her reasons for this change in location was that not only was the castle too unstable and dangerous, and its rebuilding as a waste of resources, but also that the castle “held too many painful memories for her there”.[274]

Now focusing on the national-social-structural side of things, Celestia finally proposed her reconstruction plan, and allowed many of the tired recruits to finally return to their homes and assist with the reconstruction effort.



	“Celestia always would talk in such a strong, grandiose tone, with words such as ‘overcome’ and ‘rebuild’. I did not worry for Equestria; I knew that with our glorious majesty back on the throne where she belongs, Equestria would indeed pull through. I was more worried for our princess herself. She held a strong image for her citizens, to return as a beacon of strength that the nation needed at the moment. But I knew that Luna’s actions and banishment must have hit her especially hard. She would never cry in front of us again, but she would retire into her room once her duties were done and isolate herself, hours on end, for many a sleepless night.”[275]



SQUEEEEEEEEhem. Sorry about that. There’s just something of Celestia in pain that makes me feel all tingly inside. Getting back on track, Equestria began to rebuild, falling back to the tenants of the Three Point Plan of longs past. It was, of course, not as efficient as that plan was (which speaks loads of this plan’s inefficiency; as I said, the Three Point Plan sucked pretty hard, its success due to historical embellishment).

Historians say that this was because “while the citizens understood the importance of rebuilding, the war had hit them far harder than under Discord, perhaps on a psychological level. The reconstruction was completed indeed as expected, give or take a few extra years to return Equestria, and Canterlot in particular,[276] to its architectural glory, and reformulate the nation’s infrastructure. But while ponies everywhere rejoiced the end of the war, they had lost a certain innocence with its passing; the optimism that shaped the Classical Era laid scattered with the wreckage of the past.”[277]

And indeed it did. Equestria lost its innocence like a poor drunk earth pony, seduced by a slutty unicorn tramp. But that would imply it had innocence in the first place. No, it lost that a while back, once Celestia groped the living heck of it centuries ago when she first took power. Equestria now was more like a newlywed unicorn bride, maintaining to her husband that it was her first time in the honeymoon suite, when in truth she secretly lost her true innocence longgg ago. I’m glad I’m mature enough to move past such sultry temptations unlike those stupid unicorns.[278]

Anyways, all this analogical similes aside, Equestria indeed entered a new age. The Classical Era was long finished, and the Civil War that followed it was over too. Equestria: next stop, Conjunction Junction. I mean Millennial Stagnation Station.