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// What would've been. (Consider 18 the last chapter, this is merely all that I had planned for the future, plot-wise) 
// Story: Longma 
// by JeckParadox 
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	She finished her history book, though it did have some trouble being accepted nation-wide. After all, it wasn't as pretty a history as everypony expected. Discord was an excellent source of information, as were the princesses and her bodyguards.
As the weeks passed by Twilight became accustomed to the changes in her life. After all, she had spent her early childhood in a tiny apartment, her mother an author, her father a merchant who occasionally had to travel out of town, and a brother in a nearby pre-military academy. Then she spent the rest of her life til' adulthood as the protege of the Princess, having tests sprung on her, learning the magical arts, as well as anything else Celestia sprung on her. Then had come three years of living in a little hamlet next to a monstrous forest, running the little-used town library, hanging with her friends, and occasionally saving the nation and/or the world.
Those were significant lifestyle changes, and the newest one was really only a mix of the three. She once again had several other ponies living in close quarters with her, just as military-minded as Shiny was, she was living in a castle, under the supervision of princesses, and she was supposedly going to help save a nation. 
Nothing too big. Just more friends along for the ride. 
The biggest change happened after that, and once again Twilight had to move, after a final celebration with her friends and good-bye party on Nightmare Night. While the change wasn't too bad, the distance was something of an inconvenience. Moving into the far North, away from her best friends, was difficult, but promises to write and meet up at least weekly were made, and kept. It helps, of course, when one is an all-powerful alicorn with teleportation abilities and a sect of dark-magic wielding Shadhavar willing to open up a link to her castle-covered tree-library.
It wasn't too bad. The worst part was the culture shock. The eternal devotion, the deference, the immediate obedience, were shocking. It filled Twilight with a kind of dread, to be given so much power. She had never had the temptation to misuse her political power before, but the Longma would literally let her get away with anything she wanted, no whim was too unimportant. Twilight made a vow to herself that she would never misuse the power the Longma put in her.
Each of the pony races were expected to live in harmony, and as such, they followed the elements: the Longma, with their blood-bonds and devotion to the Night Empress, represented Loyalty. The Shadhavar, with their ancient tongues and mind-based enchantments, were Honesty. The Earth Ponies, who brought food from the ground for all the other races along with themselves, were Generosity. The Crystal Ponies, with their joy-powered defenses, represented the element of Laughter. The Pegasus, who used the rain and clouds to control the weather to protect the other ponies, and to aid the Earth Ponies in their farming, were Kindness. And the Unicorns, whose ancestral task was to keep the Sun and Moon spinning, and hold back all the other forces wishing to take the world, were the element of Magic.
Equestria, or rather, the Pony races, were finally as they should be, united in full. But conflicts came up with time, and Twilight couldn't just push them away. The root of the problem, of course, was that the Longma were warriors, and Equestria was the most peaceful nation on Earth. Her warlords (why she even had warlords were beyond her, but oh well) were constantly trying to advise her to "give a show of strength" this or "give them a warning they won't forget here" that, or, the one that irritated her the most, "assert your authority as the Empress over the sun-hag and the crystalline traitors". 
Her new subjects were loyal to a fault, but they were itching for a war, while her main priority was preventing one. The Longma had come from a time when Solar Equestria was waging war on them. Thousands of her people cried out for blood to be avenged on the descendants of the ones who spilled it. Twilight had to forbid looking into the family records of Equestrians in order to curb the demands for revenge and duels. And with all their hatred of the Equestrians, that hatred was nothing to that they had for the Crystal Empire, as Sombra had demonstrated in the weeks before. The way it was "supposed" to be was with Equestria divided neatly in two; the Crystal, Shadhavar, and Longma under the alicorn of night, and the Earth, Pegasus, and Unicorns under the alicorn of day. But the Crystal Empire had broken off and formed their own nation, with their own alicorn, and the Night Empire ponies demanded that the Crystal Ponies return. 
It was fortunate Cadance was so understanding. Over the course of several years, she and her sister-in-law managed to create a compromise between the three "lunar" races. Just as Luna and Celestia ruled over Solar Equestria as partners, Cadance and Twilight would together rule Lunar Equestria, and for a time, her subjects were appeased, no longer out for blood. 
It would be the work of a lifetime, but Twilight and Cadance together began amending the laws of the Night Empire, and reintegrating them with modern Equestria. But the Longma were still restless and battle-hungry. Having an enemy they were not allowed to attack, the Crystal Empire and Celestia, seemed to sate their need for war, in some strange way, but now that they had no enemies, that they had made peace, even forgiven, the solar and crystal ponies, they had no target for their rage. It almost rose to a boiling point, when out of the blue Sombra returned, raising an army of windigoes, both the cold spirits of hatred, and ice-magic influenced Shadhavar like himself. He and his army conquered solar Equestria in days, but was driven out by the Longma, Crystal, and loyal Shadhavar ponies. He drew back to the West, forming his own nation, taking defectors and monsters in from all over the world, to create his own military. The Night Empire had its enemy. 
One day in the early morning, Sombra appeared before Twilight in secret, drawing a deep bow. 





"Well, my Mistress?"
Twilight was prepared to strike him, hold him back long enough to be put in chains and locked in somewhere worse than the Moon, but he was holding himself completely vulnerable. "...What are you doing here Sombra?"
"I have done my best to interpret your wishes," he began, "but I fear I may have angered you in my initiative." 
"What are you talking about?"
"The Night Empire is the tool which Equestria uses to slam down its enemies. But in order for it to exist, Equestria requires enemies. In my meditations on the Moon, I realized finally, that that was the secret. The true cause of the war, rather than the Sun-Hag's aggravation. The Night Empire needed a war, and Equestria had no enemies. At least none that could stand the rage of an Alicorn or the Elements of Harmony... now though, you have me. Your MONSTER, my Empress. I am immune the Elements of Harmony, or close enough, I cannot be destroyed by them. I am immortal, like you! I am a monster that will return again and again from any prison you send me to! I will save the Empire!" He laughed maniacally. "It's the perfect way to serve you, my Empress, I realize that now."
"Wh-and terrorize Equestria?!" Twilight narrowed her eyes. "I order you to stop, to surrender, and to disband your armies!"
Sombra shook his head sadly. "My dear Empress, I know of your burden, believe me, I do." he said evilly. "But do not worry, your servant knows what you truly want-"
"For you to stop killing ponies!" She growled. 
"You are glad that my new 'Windigo Empire' exists. You're deeply thankful for a constant, common enemy. You are most welcome my Empress, I have divined your needs, and I will meet them for the rest of eternity! I will protect Equestria, as you wish, by doing what I do best."
"Sombra." Twilight growled, charging a blast of magic that would hopefully knock him out with the first hit. 
"BWAHAHAHAAHA!" He flew into the night, in the form of a black, shapeless smoke, that flew faster than the best of the Pegasi, content in his role for the future. 
Empress Nightmare Twilight Sparkle protected Equestria from Sombra's threat, and ruled over the Longma fairly for thousands of years. 

The End.