//------------------------------// // Chapter X: The Final Chastisement // Story: The Conversion Bureau: Thus Saith The Lord // by Kamin 989 //------------------------------// A/N: There's a two part epilogue to cap this off, but this ends the main story. Chapter X: The Final Chastisement "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground. Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth." - Genesis 4:10-12 Equestria Luna's group was moving on one of the only undamaged roads to Ponyville, where she sensed the presence of her sister, faintly and weakly. The general mood in Equestria was now stubborn opposition to Celestia, and on the road they often met ponies willing to join what Luna was planning. However, the journey from Appleoosa to Ponyville seemed to have been massively shortened, the familiar landmarks on the way, now often damaged and shattered, passing by much quicker, as if space itself was being manipulated to shorten their travels. They reached Ponyville about ten minutes before midday, reaching a boulder on the slopes of a newborn mountain that Celestia now tried her best to stand proudly on. But now, she just looked worn out, looking like she could barely stand. Luna's heart burst out in pity for the alicorn, despite her actions against the humans and their dreadful consequences for all Equestria. The mages still loyal to her and the royal guards looked worn out as well, though not so much as the Princess. Luna wondered what tenacity they had to still stand by her side after what had happened. Luna's group of ponies, about a hundred and fifty strong, moved to Celestia. 'What are you here for, my Sister?' Celestia asked. 'You want to take my throne, my right?! I should have expected that when you and your cat's-paws sympathised with the filthy humans.' 'Cel-' Luna tried to say. The alicorn was totally deranged now, and she hoped she wouldn't get to hurt anyone else. 'You will never talk back to your Queen, human-loving wretch! KNEEL BEFORE THE QUEEN OF ALL EQUESTRIA!' A bolt of energy went from Celestia's horn, subdividing and hitting Luna and the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, but they stood firm, unbowed. 'Celestia,' Luna said through gritted teeth. 'I challenge you to a contest of magic, for leadership of Equest-' 'What are you thinking, Lun-' Celestia was cut short as a pillar of fire burst from a ledge above her. Several of her unicorn mages still loyal were blasted into salt by its appearance, and all eyes turned from her to it, a feeling of combined awe and fear striking all present. And there were things in that pillar of flame. Some saw wheels within wheels spinning around and within each other in an endless dance. Others saw the infinite cosmos, with its skeleton of dark matter filaments and galactic superclusters, its planets and stars in precarious orbits and its wildly dancing electrons in the structure of atoms, held firmly and unshakeably in the hollow of a single protective hand. Still others saw an endless explosion of light and fire and energy, making the Sun whose light the humans lived by look like a tiny spark. Many saw a mighty Figure veiled in incense, his throne guarded and borne aloft by four living creatures on a vast pyramid of jasper and carnelian, four and twenty elders obeisant before it. Out of the pillar of fire came a mighty, terrible Voice, each word a singular proclamation not heard but felt as it was graven into the universe. Celestia. You Have Tried To Exterminate The Humans, Who Are My Creatures And Children So Much As You And All Your Race. Before, I Was Willing To Let Them Learn At Their Own Pace, But Your Twisted Actions Forced Me To Save Them From You. All Your Power Can Be Held In The Tip Of My Fingernail, Yet You Dared Try And Usurp My Authority Over Them. So I Have Punished You, And Equestria, Because Its People, When They Saw Your Behaviour, Did Not Say, "No, I Will Not Allow This, And I Will Not Partake Of What You Have Done". I Have Sent The Woman I Crowned With Laurels To Give My Message, And Gave Her A Rod Of Iron To Let Equestria See How Empty Your Declarations Of Goodness And Power Are. So I Send Her Now To The Bottom Of This Mountain I Raised, To Execute My Final Punishment. This Was Your Choice Alone, Celestia. I Dearly Hope You Are Willing To Live With It. The swirling pillar of fire vanished as it collapsed in on itself. Celestia was clearly shaking. Then the woman went down to the ledge where it had been, in her black clothes. Twilight Sparkle knew that the humans had once dressed their executioners in black, and wondered what was going to happen. 'Celestia,' the woman said. 'I think Somebody has already stated His opinion of you pretty firmly, and nothing I have can add to that. But let me state the nature of your punishment. For one, you will lose all the shreds of power you have left. All your works will be destroyed and made vain. Finally, you will see, clearly and totally, the consequences of your actions. Now, let it be done.' She struck her staff on the ledge and several notable things happened. For one, Celestia transformed. Her cutie mark vanished, and she suddenly became a young human woman, falling down on the ground. The same thing happened to several newfoals, who became their old (and very confused) human selves. At the same time, Celestia saw the evil of what she had done and planned for the first time in her life. She saw the consequences, the storm, the locusts, the earthquake and the death of so many last night. She saw everything good about humanity, and everything evil and twisted about herself. Finally, she saw what humans thought of her - as a brainwashing, controlling, wicked monster. At first, she thought only of how they could have rejected her, her brain still trying to process the knowledge thrust into it. Instants later, this defence mechanism collapsed - she was now a filthy human, and her power, the magic that was the core of her self-worth, had gone, leaving a gnawing void. How could this be allowed to happen? The answer came unbidden. Her psyche, unable to handle the immense dissonance, collapsed totally. Finally, on her forehead a Mark appeared in letters weeping blood. It read 'CELESTIA', and all who looked at it would know at a glance who they were seeing, as it would always appear in their native writing system. 'Well, I guess I'm in charge now,' Luna said, dumbfounded. History would record it as the Equestrian Civil War, but in fact it had lasted just twelve minutes. ~*~ Washington D.C. The President knew nothing of what had happened. His only understanding was that at 12:02, the Barrier had suddenly collapsed in its entirety. He looked at the Vice President and spoke. 'Send in the troops,' he said. 'We need to find Celestia and make her pay.' ~*~ Equestria, Seven Days Later The tank lurched over the damaged road. The Equestrian landscape, which had enticed many recipients of the Conversion process, now looked like it had been involved in a particularly devastating nuclear apocalypse. Since the tank had entered Equestria, its crew had encountered little resistance. Some ponies had tried to attack them with magic or from the sky, but most simply threw themselves on the ground and begged for mercy. Eventually they reached the lowest slopes of a mountain, where Princess Luna and several others were. There was also a human woman in a black dress standing imperiously. The sergeant got out the tank and looked at the woman. In a flash it came - the blonde hair, the eyes, the face, it had to be- 'Hey!' The sergeant cried. 'La-' 'I prefer not to be called that,' the woman said. 'You have a beer? I could murder for a good drink right now.' 'Er, not with me, but-' 'No worries. You have a cell phone?' The sergeant produced his. 'Very well,' she said, punched in some numbers, and put it to her ear. 'Mom - you there? Yes, yes, it's your daughter. I'm fine, really, yes. I haven't been in contact for a while and I'm in Equestria...this is going to be hard to explain, isn't it?...' 'Anyway,' she said when the call was finished. 'Here's Celestia.' She pointed to a pink-haired woman whimpering and vacantly drooling on the ground, her modesty preserved by a black leather jacket. The sergeant looked at the mark on her forehead, and saw in an instant that the woman could not be lying. 'Now,' the sergeant said to Luna. 'Since Celestia can't do much of anything right now, can you please sign the instruments of surrender?'