Aftermath of a Fallen Star

by Rated Ponystar

Change Is Coming (Fancy Pants)

Let it not be said that a noblepony’s life is an easy one. In fact, it is the most stressful job in the world. Many would think we live fine and comfortable lives, living in our expensive houses, holding our big fancy parties, and wearing our finest clothes out in public. That is our most popular perception by the public, and I must admit it is not without its justification. To tell the truth; only lesser nobles have easy lives. For the ambitious and influential ones, such as myself, life is one of danger and cunning.

We call it The Game. A silly name I know, but that is what the life a noblepony is like, a game of life, chance, and sometimes death. We all pretend to smile and greet each other, laugh at our stupid jokes, and even call each other friends. In truth, we are trying to destroy each other for prestige. Who has the better lands? Who has the better business and has more success? Who gains more favor with the royal family? Everypony who is anypony in the noble lifestyle knows of The Game, from the servants and spies to the gardeners and guards. Even Princess Celestia knows of it, but nopony would ever touch her or anything associated with her with ill intentions unless they wanted to commit political suicide.

Poor Blueblood. I knew that Amadeus has never taught his son much, but not one thing about The Game? I dare even say he never even liked his son, even less now thanks to his assassination plot. The Bluebloods would never recover. They were finished, and I was glad. While I was the most “important” pony in Canterlot, the most powerful noble has always been the head of the Bluebloods. They were always the best players in The Game, and Amadeus Blueblood was no exception. The stallion was ruthless, cruel, and calculating. Whatever he wanted he could buy. Whatever he couldn’t buy he threatened. And whatever he couldn’t threaten... mysteriously was never seen again.

Besides royalty, every noble feared him, even I would have thought twice before crossing him. He was a natural speaker with good charisma, knowing well where to give a promise or spread a lie. Even the princesses, who always kept a close eye on his actions, couldn’t always spot him from spreading his influence over the economy, government and even military.

But with Amadeus’ son and his associates having killed Princess Twilight eight months ago, the princess's justice dropped upon him like a hammer to a nail. Stripping every bit of power he and his family had possessed over the hundreds of year. Now I was the most powerful noble, but that wasn’t necessarily a good thing. For one, it meant I had to be three times as careful with my life than before. And two, I would never count Amadeus out of The Game until he was six feet under. Despite his allies abandoning him one by one as well as his entire wealth disappeared before his very eyes, Amadeus never once looked worried. It made me believe he had a backup plan and soon enough I was proven right.  He and his entire family sailed to the recently discovered Kingdom of Unicornia across the Western Sea.

It made me frown as I read the reports from my desk in my business room, mostly because of the origins of Unicornia and it’s citizens. Long ago, just a bit after Equestria was founded, there were members of each tribe who still refused to co-exist with the opposite tribes, claiming it was a betrayal of all they stood for in their mad beliefs of racial superiority. Each tribe decided to form their own nation where they reigned supreme.

The pegasi formed a grand cloud city called Cloundshelm that was always under military rule. From time to time, the pegasi of Cloudshelm would attack Equestria for supplies or cause destruction among villages because they saw anything that couldn't fly to be inferior. The worst was when they kidnapped pegasi foals, claiming they deserved to be raised by those who hadn’t sacrificed their pride. Eventually it became too much and we went to war, the first time all three tribes worked together against a common enemy. It last for three years but Cloudshelm surrendered and was annexed into Equestria territory and changed to Cloudsdale.

The earth ponies would travel the Eastern Sea and found themselves in a desert when their ships could go no further. It seemed impossible that they could grow anything in such a barren area, but they found special fruit trees that only grew in the sand and nowhere else. Soon they created a settlement, eventually expanding, and adapted to the environment, growing taller and thinner than their descendants. A monarchy was created over time but has changed through multiple wars and rebellions. When Equestria finally made contact again with their earth pony brethren, who called themselves horses to distinguished themselves, the nation of Saddle Arabia didn’t want to join with Equestria. But they saw how powerful Equestria was and knew they would not want it as an enemy. So a treaty was formed and trade agreements were made. There is sometime still tension between us as it is still outlawed to manipulate the weather there as well cast magic unregistered.

Nopony knew what had happened to the unicorns when they took the mysterious Western Sea. It was filled with storms and sea monsters. Most thought they had perished until they were discovered only a year and half ago. It too was a monarchy, but the royal family has never changed once. It’s also part of the bloodline of Princess Platinum via her younger sister, who refused to join her older sibling, thinking she had betrayed their race’s ideals. They had found a continent all for themselves and created various colonies while interacting peacefully with another race known as the flutter ponies. However, the unicorns claimed that the flutter ponies broke their friendship with them and they had no choice but to take over their lands and expand. Eventually, the remaining lands were taken over and they put the flutter ponies in a new settlement.

Yet nopony from Equestria has been able to enter this settlement to talk to them. It’s well known that the Unicornians are still racist, and refuse to talk to anypony in negotiations for a trade deal who isn’t a unicorn. Amadeus would find home with these bigots, there is no doubt, and he would try to grow power there to make up for the power he lost.

We had never seen eye to eye. He hated the fact I was from a lower born noble family that soon rose higher above my status. When I came to own everything after my parents death, the other nobles thought they could manipulate me. A few weeks later they were being manipulated, and working, for me.

The difference between me and those nobles was I played to make Equestria a better place. That’s why I had to watch myself when supporting Princess Twilight Sparkle, who I had total faith in. Most of the nobles feared her changing the status quo, one of the few unspoken rules of The Game. I, and those who agreed with me, publicly supported her because I believe she would succeed in the end. It was the second biggest risk I ever took in my life; the first was taking Fleur as my lover, but more on that later.

Her assassination, however, worked in my favor. Like I said before, another unspoken rule was not to touch Princess Celestia. Just because she didn’t play The Game like us, didn’t mean she couldn’t participate and destroy us, which would hardly take any effort on her part. At the trial she outright called all the nobles worms. We all knew that she would keep a close eye on all of us after that, making sure that every dirty deed they did would either be stopped or exposed in order to ruin them. I can already count twenty families who are now ruined thanks to her attempts to weed out the corrupt in her court.

I, of course, helped drop a few names anonymously. I wasn’t the only one doing it. Everypony was exposing everypony at this point. Family alliances, friendships, even marriage was no longer important: survival of their power was. It disgusted me, but that was The Game for you.

With Celestia on the warpath to see her deceased student’s dream of Equestria come true, I knew that I would reap the rewards having been supportive from the very start. Of course, that didn’t mean I wasn’t about to get involved in some way. Such as it was that day.

“Excuse me, Lord Fancy Pants?” said the mare on my intercom. A new invention by Flim Flam Incorporated, who were only getting more famous as technology was starting to get funded more to integrate with average pony life. Another idea of Princess Twilight Sparkle’s.

“Yes, Grace?” I asked back.

“Lord Hex is here to see you.”

“Send him in,” I said with a sigh. I could already tell what this was about.

Lord Hex arrived, his blond hair was not combed and sleek with jell like he usually had it. In fact, it looked like he had been tearing it out with his magic for some time. He took off his purple robe and tossed it onto the nearby coat hanger before sitting down on the cushion in front of me. I poured us both a drink of scotch which he took in one gulp before glaring at me. Normally, Lord Hex and I were on civil terms but it seemed that such a connection was now more strained than it once had been.

“I suppose you already know why I’m here,” said Lord Hex as he leaned forward, his dirty and sweaty hooves on my mahogany desk. Tsk.

“I do,” I said finishing my drink and pouring another. “And I suppose you’re here to dissuade me am I correct?”

“Damn it, Fancy!” he shouted, pounding his hoof on my desk. “I would think as a fellow unicorn you would be siding with me on this! Your parents, may they rest in peace, were always firm investors in my companies and you were as well! So why are you now making yourself an investor for Flim Flam Incorporated?!”

“Well, their inventions have been a success and it’s a good business deal. I invest in their company and get a good discount for the gadgets they come up with for my own needs. I say that’s a good deal,” I answered, sipping my drink. “Besides, other nobles are joining in so why not myself?”

“Yes, earth nobles and pegasus ones, I can understand, but if you, a unicorn noble do this, don’t you know what it will mean?!” shouted Lord Hex as his hair becomes more frazzled.

I was tempted to roll my eyes. I knew what he meant, but I feigned ignorance. I had to play this very carefully. Lord Hex was not as rich as me but his family had great influence thanks to their involvement with more than half of the magical development research institutes in Canterlot. In addition, they were descendants of another of Princess Celestia’s former students. Everything involving magic from research to spells had his families influence in some way.  

“Please enlighten me,” I said calmly.

“You know as much as I do that these... technologies that those two brothers and others ponies have been creating have been taking over the market by storm. Combining magic and technology! Unthinkable! Pure magical items are getting less popular these days. Magical schools have just gotten a huge lack of students, the lowest we’ve seen this year. And where are they going? To colleges where they can learn metalwork and science and machinery! And worst of all, I’m losing sales! We’re losing our souls as Equestrians! And this is all Princess Celestia’s fault!” shouted Hex, shouting up a storm.

“I don’t see the problem. Princess Celestia just said she found technology to be quite useful. It’s already been helping in the fields of science, medical, and military. Why would she lie about something that has been helping her ponies?”

Hex rolled his eyes. “Come on, Fancy. Anything Princess Celestia says is gospel, especially since nopony wants to be on her bad side since the death of Princess Twilight. You’ve seen what happens when they do...” Yes and I took pleasure in watching it. “And the only reason she’s doing this is because one of Princess Twilight’s goals was to get Equestria more “modernized” and open us up to using those devil machines.” He took another big gulp of liquor. “Equestria has been mostly pure magic with very little technology for nearly a thousand years. Why should we change now?!”

“Maybe because we are one of the slowest developing nations?” I asked. “The thing about magic is that only one third of the population can use it. Technology is faster to learn, faster to develop, and all three races can work it without problem. The griffins alone have been able to keep up with us the past hundred years thanks to their dependence on it. We’ve been using steam power when they just entered technology. We have movies, but they have this invention called TV which is the same thing but in their homes. They have medical scans that can pick up problems in ones body that magic can’t find. Pretty soon, we’ll be in last place. Don’t you think it’s time to catch up?”

“At what cost!” shouted Lord Hex. “Equestria was founded by magic, raised by magic, and can only live with magic. Her soul is at stake!”

“No, it’s only your pride,” I said, rudely I might add but I was done wasting my time with him. He stared at me with wide eyes as I took another sip and continued. “Hex I know you never approved of Twilight’s reformations, even if you never went public about them. You still were part of the side that favored tradition and wanted nothing to change. And now you look around you and see change happening, regardless of what you and those brave enough to still hold on to their argument can see. You’re not just upset you’re losing money or that Equestria is moving on, you’re upset because your side lost when Twilight died. All of Equestria is looking to reform itself and you have no choice but to follow, kicking and screaming like a foal having a temper tantrum because he didn’t get his way.”

“You dare...” he growled but I leaned forward and growled louder, forcing him to back down.

“I. Do. Dare.” I snarled and sat back down. “I’ve been waiting for a chance to see this happen for too long. I control The Game at the moment because I was the one who came up on top after Twilight’s death. Believe me, I wish it hadn’t happened, but I will do what I can to not only help this nation like a true noble should, but I will see to it that every last one of you who hinders this either follows or gets left in the dust.”

The two of us stared at each other, but I’m more relaxed then he is. He can’t do anything to me and he knows it. He even tries I will destroy him and his world. “I’ll still remain an investor for your companies, Lord Hex. However, I will be also one for Flim and Flam too. I choose who I give my money to based on what I think is best for me and Equestria. Not for the sake of some pride.”

“Without pride, we are nothing,” muttered Hex.

“And with pride we fall into early ruin,” I countered.

Hex got up and left. Didn’t bother saying goodbye, not that I cared. It was just another name I’d have to cross off the party lists. Such a thing hardly bothered me.

The door opened again and my spirited brightened as I saw my lover, Fleur, stroll in with that smile that I love so much. All the jewels, gold, and titles in the world were nothing compared to that smile. She didn’t say anything. She just closed the door and kissed me as I rubbed her neck. “Is there a reason why you are here this early?”

“I just thought I’d give you the good news,” she whispered in my ear before biting it a bit. I gasped and soon I was but clay for her to fold and work with. “Princess Celestia is going to go forward with the Mixed Racial Law tomorrow.”

My eyes widened. “You mean...”

Fleur smiled and soon she changed into her real form; the changeling form I grew to love the moment I saw her pleading for help on my summer home years ago, near death and starving. The changeling who fooled the world into thinking she was a top pony model when she was actually something else in disguise, using her talents to make herself the perfect body. The mare who I loved and protected all my life.

She smiled, tears in her eyes. “Soon, my love, I will have to hide no more. And we can get married at long last.”

I kissed her. Knowing that soon the love of my life for ten years will be mine forever more. Change was coming to Equestria. And I was going to enjoy it.