Today was an unusual day. It was a bit cloudy, but there were no pegasi skirmishing with griffins, no distant explosions. All was quiet, except for the murmuring of disgruntled nobles and the distant marching of soldiers as they patrolled the borders. Celestia decided that it was a good day.
“B-but, Your Highness!”
“No buts. The army has to be fed, and if that means the nobility have less resources to squander, so be it.”
The war with the griffins had gone on long enough. The common folk and the elite alike have suffered too much. Morale is at an all time low, and that’s not even mentioning the economy.
If you were still alive, Blueblood, the ponies would have demanded your life for starting this war.
“I’m afraid we simply don’t have enough space anymore. Refugees have been flocking to Canterlot since the Siege of Mane-”
“But Princess! We have nowhere else to go! We’ve heard the stories. If we stay out of the city, we’ll just become more food for the Diamond Dogs!”
“... Go to Baltimare. From what I’ve been told, it still has space for refugees. Do not worry about your protection. I will send a platoon of pegasi to watch over you.”
Celestia watched as the stallion reluctantly left the throne room. She sighed, letting her facade of calmness drop a little. The guards stationed at her sides chose to say nothing, putting their concern in the back of their minds.
Celestia shook her head, “Tell everypony that Day Court is over. If they have any urgent matters to discuss, direct them to Sturdy Heart.” She got up from her throne. If there was any trace of weariness on her face before, it was gone now.
As Celestia trotted into a nearby hallway, she heard the clamoring of the crowds outside as they were told they couldn’t see their Princess anymore for today.
Sturdy Heart, for your sake, I hope you live up to your name.
A cacophony of explosions forced Twilight Sparkle to keep to cover. She gritted her teeth and looked at the opposition. The gazes of a hundred furious zebras met her own. Noticing a firebomb being lobbed at her, her horn lit up and the firebomb immolated the zebras who were too slow to run away. Twilight teleported behind a nearby statue of Celestia, before replacing the filter of her gas mask.
The Zebras have betrayed us!
Around her, the remnants of the Canterlot Royal Guard clashed with the remnants of the once numerous Striped Horde. Gas mask filters, glass shards, and bodies littered the battlefield. She galloped away from the fight, heading for the castle. The streets of the Equestrian Capitol were scarred by explosions and drenched in the blood of both sides, making it hard to travel on, but Twilight remained undeterred.
The Princess must be taken to safety! As long as she stands, Equestria will not fall!
An earsplitting shriek caught her attention and she turned her head to see a zebra warrior rushing towards her. She had just enough time to raise a force field in front of her before the zebra reached her.
The zebra launched himself to the side with reflexes that would have given the Wonderbolts a run for their money and thrust his spear around the barrier. Twilight bit back a scream as the spear cut into her shoulder and promptly blasted away her assailant with a bolt of magic.
I don’t have time for this! The Princess might be in danger!
She looked at the castle, a few hundred meters away. She moved her right hoof forward, only to grimace at the pain. She stood on her other hooves, evaluating her options. Finally, she sighed and focused on remembering the castle layout.
I really don’t want to use up so much of my magic, but I have to. Damn stripes.
Her background thoughts died away as more energy was poured into her spell. In a flash, Twilight disappeared from the battlefield.
Celestia stood motionlessly in the throne room. There were no guards with her; she had sent them out to protect Canterlot. She can take care of herself.
But thou can’t take care of others. An eerily familiar voice hissed in her head.
Celestia stared at the plaque that hung over her sister’s throne, her expression unreadable.
No, it seems I cannot. She thought sadly.
Tears ran down her face as she recalled the day Luna had fallen in battle. Ambushed and outnumbered twenty-to-one by Diamond Dogs and griffins alike, she managed to send a message to a nearby outpost, ordering reinforcements to go to her location. With reinforcements coming, she held out as long as she could with her retinue.
Then the minotaurs came, armed with those thrice-damned weapons! At first glance, they looked like metal tubes with a wooden handles, harmless compared to the enchanted armaments of Equestria and the hulking potion-fueled monstrosities that were the Zebrican berserkers. After they charged into the fray, the battle quickly met its conclusion.
She creased an eyebrow. Never again would she judge an object by its looks.
“So the mighty Sun Princess weeps in her castle as her subjects bleed out in the streets?” An accented voice echoed through the throne room.
Celestia half-heartedly turned around, already knowing who spoke. She locked eyes with a tall zebra covered in the war paint. A pair of goggles dangled from his neck, taunting her with their presence. Idly, she wondered which Wonderbolt had fallen underneath the legendary warlord, Zael.
“Zael…” she said coldly.
A group of berserkers stood at the entrance with Zael at the head. Inwardly, she cursed herself for not having heard them trot up to her.
An equally frigid response was given, “Not asking me about my foals, my wife, or my tribe, Celestia? I must wonder why.”
Celestia’s face kept its stoic expression, “This is not a time for sarcasm, Zael.”
There was a moment’s silence before Zael spoke again, his voice betraying his facade of calmness, “Why did you do it? Was the war really going so badly that you had to create an epidemic?! Did you not think that your precious precautions could have failed?!” His eyebrows furrowed and his mouth curled as he gave up any pretense of peaceful intentions.
Celestia remained silent. In truth, she had considered that possibility, but she was more focused on getting revenge for Luna’s death. As Zael spoke, Celestia found her eyes drifting away to glance at her sister’s throne.
Zael noticed, “We have all suffered, Sun Princess. You don’t get any special treatment in that regard.” His voice was filled with sadness and anger. Celestia felt a hint of guilt when she looked back into his eyes.
“And while this is not going to bring back the dead, you must pay back the world with your life.” The berserkers took the cue and charged, screaming battle cries in their native tongue.
Celestia watched as they rapidly made their way across the room. Slowly, her horn lit up. Just as Zael lowered his head to charge into her, she released a wave of fire. Zael grimaced as the flames licked away at the protective runes in his warpaint but he didn’t falter. He crashed into Celestia and she stumbled backwards. As the primal urge to destroy slowly took over his senses, Zael dimly noted the screams of two unlucky berserkers whose runes had melted away, their bodies burning away moments afterward.
Celestia didn’t waste any time, quickly teleporting away. Zael and his remaining berserkers roared and charged again. The melted remains of the two thrones crashed into one unlucky berserker as Celestia teleported further away. If the berserkers cared about it, they didn’t show it.
Celestia sighed as she prepared another attack. If they wanted to take down an alicorn, then they should have brought more zebras. Her horn lit up once more.
A bright purple flash interrupted the next futile charge.
“Princess!” A voice muffled by a gas mask came from nearby.
Twilight stood right in front of the spot where her throne used to be. Celestia widened her eyes a little before blasting the berserkers with controlled bursts of magic instead of just obliterating them with an explosion.
The shots were absorbed by the runes, which chipped every time they were hit. Zael and the surviving berserkers crashed into Celestia and rained down blows, completely ignoring the purple unicorn who was now blasting her own beams of magic into their hides to little effect.
A golden flash later and Celestia was at Twilight’s side. Another one, and they were both in the gardens. Ruined sculptures and burnt hedges surrounded them as they both panted lightly, Celestia from the damage she took from the berserkers and Twilight from the exhaustion she suffered from using so much magic in a short amount of time.
“Twilight, are you alright?”
Twilight leant on the pedestal that used to support Discord’s weight, trying in vain to control her breathing, “Of-of course I am Princess! The more important question is, are you?”
Even in the darkest hour that Canterlot had experienced since the death of Captain Shining Armor, Celestia couldn’t keep herself from smiling gently at her student’s concern. “I will be alright.”
Seeing Twilight’s spear wound, Celestia cast a healing spell. “H-hey! Don’t waste your energy on me! I c-can handle it!” Twilight protested weakly.
Celestia’s stern gaze shut her up. Now free from any more complaints, she poured more power into the spell until all that was left was an ugly scar.
Twilight experimentally added more weight on her injured limb and stood straight when it was clear there wasn’t anymore pain, “Princess, you need to get to safety. While there aren’t many zebras left, the berserkers are a very real threat!”
Celestia shook her head, “Don’t worry about me, Twilight. I’ve been around for thousands of years. I can handle myself.”
Twilight ignored the Celestia’s informality, “But that didn’t stop Luna from getting killed!” As soon as the words left her mouth, she knew she had said the wrong thing.
Celestia’s face grew darker. Twilight felt her mentor’s aura of friendliness disappear and looked down at her hooves with her ears flat against her head. “Princess…”
Without another word, Celestia horn lit up and she teleported Twilight to the makeshift infirmary that was put up after the Plague started hitting major settlements.
Celestia flew up in the air and watched the ruins that used to be her city be used as a battleground. Explosions rang out every now and then, usually joined with a scream. Celestia hardened her heart and swooped towards a large group of zebra infantry, ignoring the voice in her head shouting that all this violence was pointless and that there is a peaceful solution to this.
A young blue pegasus colt raised his hoof in the air, “Can you tell us the story about the Mare in the Moon again?”
Twilight smiled and shook her head, “I’m afraid I have to go now. Maybe you can ask Sturdy Heart when he comes by later.”
“Awwww…” All the foals groaned as Twilight left the room. A smile was on her face as she trotted down the hallway. Not even the news about the latest casualty of the Plague could stop the foals bringing a smile to her. Before she left the building, she grabbed her gas mask and put it on.
It was another cloudy day. At least it wasn’t raining. It was always a pain to cast a magical barrier just to walk outside. Still, she knew better than to complain. Any pegasi who went into the clouds never came back down alive. The Plague present there was just as strong as it had been so long ago.
A muffled sigh came as she inspected the magical barrier surrounding the nursery. She was there for only a few hours and it was this weak already? She must be losing her touch. She touched her horn to the barrier and charged it up, ignoring the small pain growing in the back of her head.
The barrier regained its purple luster and shone just a bit more brightly than before. Twilight moved to rub her head, but groaned as her hoof touched the artificial surface of the gas mask.
“Still not used to the masks, Twilight?” A muffled voice said behind her.
Twilight whirled around, horn glowing, before seeing the familiar form of Sturdy Heart. She chuckled as her horn’s glow faded away, “After living in Pre-war Equestria, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to them.”
Sturdy Heart walked up to her, “I don’t think I ever will too.” He looked up into the sky, his expression hidden under his gas mask, “Do you think that she’ll ever come back?”
Twilight remained silent. Princess Celestia had disappeared ever since she drove out the zebras attacking Canterlot after the Second Wave of the Plague. She just flew up into the sky and never came back. The search parties that were sent out never found anything.
Sensing that he might have struck a nerve, Sturdy nodded awkwardly before entering the nursery. Twilight was motionless for a few seconds before walking away.
Is Celestia coming back? Of course she would! She would never abandon us!
Twilight walked through the ruins of Canterlot, still deep in thought.
But she hasn’t come back yet… could she be- no, impossible. The Plague doesn’t affect alicorns or dragons.
Immediately, her thoughts turned to Spike. She had sent him to his kind, who were the only ones left not involved in the war. Every other species had chosen a side. They had to once the war escalated.
Pushing away ugly thoughts of war to the back of her head, Twilight entered her destination, the only undestroyed barracks in Canterlot. Tucked away in the back of Canterlot, this particular barracks housed the unruliest and most aggressive guardsponies in the garrison. Now it was the place where the leaders of the Loyalists talked about strategy and logistics.
Twilight pushed open the door and trotted straight into a heated discussion between Captain Spitfire and Commander Cupcake.
“The Zealous Ones are a far greater threat than the Liberated will ever be! The Liberated are all talk and no fight, while the Zealous raid us all the time! I say we attack Zebel!”
Commander Cupcake slammed his hooves on the wooden table that occupied the middle of the space as if to enunciate his words. Angry blue eyes stared at the equally angry Wonderbolt.
Spitfire’s anger was slightly more restrained. She held the stare as she spoke, not looking away, “The Liberated may be weak now, but they gain in power every day. They may just be talking, but they’re making ponies lose faith in Celestia and join them. Not to mention that their words aren’t helping morale at all. I say we attack their main base of operations in Whitetail.”
They descended into silence and continued staring, daring the other to back down. The corner of Twilight’s eye twitched.
A purple glow enveloped the ears of both ponies and yanked hard. Wincing, they turned to glare at her. Twilight glared right back.
“This is not the time to be acting like foals.” Cupcake shifted uneasily, his glare losing to the sheer sternness of her voice. “This is not the time to be talking about war either. We’ve only just recovered from the endless raids and food shortages.” This time, it was Spitfire’s turn to look uneasy.
“We have to help ourselves first before we start fighting others. The Zealous have bombs aplenty, but I was there when they attacked Canterlot. They couldn’t do much to the walls. It was the Liberated that broke those walls, and that was only because we attacked them first. So the first priority we have is to repair those walls and remind the ponies why we were loyal to Celestia in the first place.” Twilight’s voice left no room for argument.
Spitfire nodded before quickly cantering out of the room, leaving Cupcake to quickly stammer out an affirmative before following her out.
Twilight shook her head as she sorted through a few files in the old cabinet at the corner of the room. Violence begets more violence. Why can’t everypony realize that?
Iron Shield stood stock still, staring out the window. The empty lands in front of him could be filled with marauding zebras or traitors at any moment.
“So, anything you want to tell me about your own life?”
Iron didn’t even look the other way. That way could be infested with changelings for all he cared.
“Aw c’mon. I just told you my life story! Are you really just going to stand there the entire day?” The Manehattanite accent from the green-coated pegasus beside him grated on the former guard’s ears.
Despite his rising annoyance, he kept silent and stared resolutely at the green fields. The trader hmphed in frustration. “Fine, if you’re going to be that way, I won’t give you a discount for these apples.”
Iron’s eyes darted to the trader’s wagon. Apples? But all the apple orchards in Equestria had been infected by the Plague. Either this trader was a complete idiot, or…
“You don’t happen to come from Ponyville, do you?” As he spoke, Iron tensed his grip on the spear between his hooves.
The trader smiled obliviously through his mask, “I do actually. You did listen to me awhile ago right? Let me tell you, those Liberated ponies aren’t as bad as most Loyalists think.”
“Oh really? Which side are you on?” Iron kept talking.
The trader snorted, “I’m on my side. Personally, I don’t understand why there are sides at all. Us ponies got to stick together. Those zebras are a threat, and we’re making it worse by splitting up.”
Iron relaxed imperceptibly. Not a traitor after all. Just a neutral.
“Actually, why are the zebras still fighting us anyways? The Plague was a good thirty years ago. Sure, a buncha zebras died, but a lot of us croaked too… Hey, aren’t those?” The trader took out a pair of binoculars from beside his seat and peered through.
Iron squinted at the place the trader was looking at. Just what is he looking at?
The trader gulped loudly before setting down his binoculars, “Zebras!”
“What?! Gimme that.” Iron grabbed the binoculars and took a look. Behind some foliage, he saw a glimpse of black and white. A gas mask peeked out and noticed that Iron was looking straight at it. It stared at him for a second before before letting loose a shrill cry. Several other zebras charged out of their hiding places and rushed towards the two ponies.
The trader spread his wings, “I’ll be going nowthanksforthecompanybye!” He took off, leaving behind his wagon and Iron Shield. Iron gritted his teeth and wished terrible things upon the pegasus.
Iron Shield watched as the zebras made their way towards him. He narrowed his eyes and took a stance. He was a former Royal Guard. His entire life was dedicated to protecting ponykind from any who wish to harm it. These savages won’t stand a cha- what was that? One of the dots that used to be a zebras in the distance was far larger than the rest. Iron quickly pulled up the binoculars.
The zebra was a hulking mass of muscle covered in runes. It let loose an almost maniacal laugh when it saw Iron’s reaction.
By the time the zebras arrived at the wagon, all that was left was a few green feathers and an old spear lying on the ground.
In the Plague-infested land of Equestria, there is only conflict. On one side stand the Loyalists, those who faithfully follow the ways laid down by Princess Celestia and await her return. Magic and Loyalty stand with them.
On the other side are the Liberated, those who claim that Celestia has abandoned them and promote the idea of ponies for ponies. They have thrown away the system of nobles and of wealth, saying that it was these things that started the war in the first place. Honesty and Laughter are among them.
In between the two sides are those who simply wish to survive. They struggle without the sheer magical strength of the Loyalists and the numbers of the Liberated. Kindness and Generosity are part of these ponies.
Endangering the tense peace between the sides are those who seek to destroy them. The vengeful remnants of the griffins, the Diamond Dogs, the minotaurs and the zebras form warbands to wreak havoc upon the Equestrians. The largest of these warbands is the Zealous Ones. The last of the Striped Horde, their only goal is the death of all ponies.
Above them all lie the watchful eyes of dragons. Too strong to succumb to the Plague, yet too selfish to help out the surface, they hide away in their caves and guard their hoard.
Every now and then, reports of a white alicorn flying through the air pop up. They also report that the Plague present in the area becomes just a bit less potent than it was before. Minotaurs tell each other stories of gun stockpiles somehow melting for some unknown reason after a sighting has been reported.
Many things have changed since the Plague, and many things are still the same. Most have adjusted to their new lives and remember to keep stocked up on filters. The few who don’t end up having their names written on a memorial.
The present looks bleak, but the ones who are left hope for a brighter tomorrow. In these dark times, anything can happen. And if all hope is lost, well, at least they gave it their best.