Chapter 44
Equestria
Stonehoof (21 miles from the Zebrica border/ 9 miles from Earth Pony Boarder)
Outskirts
2:07 AM
The SS Paranormal Division hurriedly prepared the various equipment set up in the hidden outpost. Aiming different cameras and listening devices at the small decrepit pony village. Being careful to avoid using unnecessary light that could bring attention to their base. While the hounds worked, an aged Shepherd watched the faint glow of the town slowly flicked off through binoculars, letting out a puff of cigarette smoke.
"Is the equipment ready, Untersturmführer Weber?" The old general glanced at the nervous-looking Schnauzer.
"Yes, field marshal Rommel, we are completing the final tests now..." The Schnauzer replied.
"Excellent... is the record set?" He raised an eyebrow, tossing his cigarette to the side.
"Yes... we have it resting on the turntable as we speak..." The schnauzer swallowed.
"You seem troubled, Untersturmführer Weber, speak your mind." He lit another cigarette and inhaled deeply.
"We can't be doing this, can we?... this isn't a test village of dragon cultists... these... are foreign civilians who haven't done anything to us. I-it's... not right!" He clutched his fists.
"No... no, it's not..." The field marshal exhaled, shaking his head. "But the refusal to follow orders has consequences none of us wish to face."
The wire-haired dog lowered his head. "We could go to the emperor... he's still in the region... perhaps we could..."
"Get protection for ourselves.... but leave our families in peril... for all his power the emperor is not all-seeing. Meanwhile... Totenkopf has ears everywhere... dogs go missing every day... a few more wouldn't be out of the ordinary..." He stared at the younger mutt with pity. "I doubt we would get more than a few miles from this place before then executed us... then where would your mother be?"
Weber just clenched his fists, biting his lip. "What about the radio?..."
"No doubt being watched... the Doctor doesn't leave any weaknesses as exposed as they appear. They merely act as a test to see who's loyal..." He rested his arm on his shoulder. "Careful what you speak; even your friends could be his ears."
Weber lowered his head. "There's no stopping this, is there?..."
"No... no, there's not..." He stared back at the small dilapidated village.
After a few moments, a nameless grunt approached, saluting the field marshal. "The equipment stands ready; it only requires your activation."
The old dog nodded his head, leaving the young lieutenant to watch the village in the distance. When the field marshal flipped the switch, nothing seemed to happen for a few moments. The untersturmführer was almost able to let out a sigh of relief... only for the fires and screaming to start.
"Mien Gott..." That was all he could say while his fellow soldiers watched rocks around the settlement burst into green flames. Animalistic roars could be heard as flaming quadruped creatures took shape. The terrified screams of the locals echoed through the night... until only the faint crackle of burning wood could be heard. One figure seemed to attempt to flee by air... only for one of the flaming beasts to drag them back like a hungry animal.
——————————————————————
Equestria
Ponyville
School House
7:10AM
Appleboom trotted up to the familiar schoolhouse with her big sister. She couldn't help but bite her lip as they made their way through town. While the adults tried to hide it, she knows something was wrong. Sugar cube-corner having a small fire wasn't out of the ordinary, but almost every building on Main Street? As they continued down the road, she saw more than a few ponies weeping before the ashes of their homes. Her sister's hoof squeezing her shoulder to try and reassure her.
"Now Applebloom ah expect you to be on your best behavior, just cause things are a bit messy right now is no excuse to get lazy with your learning." Applejack patted her back gently as they approached the schoolhouse, one of the few places seemingly untouched by the disaster.
Other foals were keeping close to their parents up until they reached the grounds. She could already see the familiar faces of her friends nearby. Looking up at her sister, who gave her a reassuring nod before dashing off. Nearly bowling over her friends, who quickly pulled her into a smothering hug.
"Ah, missed you, girls!" She squealed while they squeezed her tighter.
"We missed you too!" They nuzzled close before the three fillies finally let each other go.
"Do you girls know what happened?" Applebloom finally asked after catching her breath.
"Nuh-uh. I heard some shouting outside the Boutique before Rarity dragged me to the storm cellar!" Sweetie responded.
"Carrot showed up at my house and put me on the first carriage train to my aunts." Scootaloo huffed, looking annoyed.
"Huh... maybe some of the other-"She was cut off by the school houses ringing the bell.
"Applebloom, Sweetie, Scootaloo! You're late for class!" Miss Cheerilee peaked out the door with a disapproving frown.
"Yes, Miss Cheerilee!" The three fillies said in unison, scampering inside to their desks.
It seemed the schoolhouse was untouched, but upon closer inspection, it appeared they had a few new paintings on the walls. As Cheerilee began roll-call, she noticed one more peculiarity near the teacher's desk. A few holes and splintered wood could just be seen on the lower right corner, nearly out of sight from a hastily moved chair.
"Now, class, let's continue with our multiplication tables. I hope your all ready for a pop quiz!" She hummed as she began to pass out papers while the foals groaned in response.
——————————————————————
Equestria
Canterlot
Celestia's Private Chambers
8:57 AM
The two princesses sat in silence, enjoying the aroma and taste of their tea. After a few sips, Celestia set down her cup, staring at the purple mare. A serious look in her eyes as she exhaled slowly. "You've scarcely touched your tea... what happened in Ponyville?..."
"Jonathan Apple..." A deep frown covered her face, slowly pushing the cup away from herself.
"...I see..." Celestia didn't outwardly display emotion, setting her own cup down on the table.
"Is that all you have to say?..." Twilight met her gaze.
"No... I trust you have questions?..." The older Princess swallowed, pouring herself another cup.
"You're not even going to try and deny it?" The purple pony raised an eyebrow.
"I knew it was only a matter of time." She looked out at the balcony staring out at Canterlot. "Though I hoped the past would stay buried..."
"He was killed by a noble, and you covered it up." Nearly letting her stoney facade break.
"Yes... I did..." Celestia stared back at the Princess. "For peace..."
"Peace on a lie..." Twilight countered.
"Peace is peace..." She tilted her head like a mother inspecting her child. "It was not a decision I took likely."
"Why did you make the choice in the first place? Why not just put that noble on trial? It could have placated the protesters and been the right thing to do."
"Yes... it might have, but the world is never so simple." She shook her head. "I needed her vote more than I needed justice. Serving judgment would have only placated the protesters in the short term; dealing with the dispute took precedent."
"Canterhorn Valley..." Twilight hummed in recognition. "The specifics are vague on how you handled it..."
"Indeed... Baroness Goldhorn saw the construction of the canals as a threat to her established cart industry. Thus was against the scheme naturally, along with her allies who stood to lose with decreased dependence on enchanted cart transport. I was able to piggyback a bill to lower the land tax increase by 58 percent by offering my blessing." She exhaled.
"You couldn't have just charged her after the vote?" Twilight pressed further.
"No... the vote only passed by the slimmest of margins... aggravating an ally, however corrupt, wasn't an option. By the time her power waned, she was far too old to charge, and too much time had passed. The nobility's aims changed, and new challenges emerged."
"You can't even say you're sorry?" Twilights mask began to crack.
"I don't lie unless it's necessary... I weighed the life of one against the many would have died in riots and unrest from the ongoing Canterhorn scheme." Celestia said tiredly. "I'm not sorry for choosing the option that prevented more death in the long run."
"But it did cause death... back then... and now..." Twilight rubbed her temple. "From the looks of it, ponies in the revolting areas have felt a growing disconnect with Canterlot... and, by extension us."
"What did you see in Ponyville?..." Celestia cut to the point.
"They see no reason to rejoin. In their own words, what could we offer them they don't already have?" She said blankly, looking at Ponyville in the distance. "They are heavily armed, somewhat organized, and have popular support. The Apple Family has a lot of weight in Eastern Equestria."
"It seemed my plan was too slow to prevent this...." The white Princess mumbled.
"Plan?.... what plan could have stopped any of this?!" Twilight looked incredulously at her.
"With the introduction of the Diamond Dogs to the south of us, the nobility's stranglehold on the country was considerably weakened. I was buying stock in companies down south to get significant holdings to help with modernization." She looked over at Twilight. "Who do you think approached foreign banks to sell to earth ponies, crowding out the predatory Equestrian ones? Or why the industrialization and trade had started in Earth pony majority townships?"
"Even the firearms?" Twilight raised an eyebrow.
"I had hoped they would help further destabilize the power base of Canterlot and Cloudsdale, pushing them to renegotiate terms with their clients... it seemed it worked too well..." She hummed, tapping her chin in deep thought
"Is that all you have to say?... ponies have died! I saw them carting pegasi corpses like logs!" Twilight struggled to keep her voice down.
"What happened is a tragedy the likes I have not seen since Sombras rein..." She stepped towards the railing overlooking the city. "I make no choice without weighing the lives in the balance..."
"You didn't even try to stop the slaughter!" Twilight stood up from her seat.
"As much as it pains me, those deaths are just a rebalancing of the scales... Did you ever wonder why so few Earth Ponies pursued even the most basic of irrigation techniques?" Celestia glanced back down over the balcony.
"I never thought about it... I just assumed there was some kind of tradition against it..."
"Your right in a few respects... Pegasi cloud cities were wholly dependent on farming irrigation contracts. Maintaining stable weather in the townships isn't nearly enough to cover the costs of their maintenance." Celestia just gazed down at her student. "Pegasi are very proud of their cities; an Earth Pony farmer who doesn't pay is a threat to that. I've never been able to prove it... but I know the Weather Corp Union is behind the intimidation and disappearances of innovators."
Twilight looked increasingly horrified as she started to run the rough numbers in her head. "But why did you let them get so powerful in the first place?..."
"It was a compromise; before the Weather Corp was founded, they primarily funded their cities through pillaging earth pony townships. Attempts to have them move to more sustainable land-based settlements were seen as insults to their heritage." She exhaled tiredly. "At the time, weather control was in its infancy, but its utility in farming was just starting to be known."
"So you gave them a new way to pillage... not with a sword or spear, but with a contract and pen." Twilights bitterness just started to bleed through.
"Compare an empty coin purse and a bit of hunger to a slaughter, then see what you decide is the lesser of two evils." She sounded more hurt than angry. "I didn't have the political clout back than to force them to stop. It was through careful negotiations that Cloudsdale Weather Corp and its subsidiaries would be founded."
"It's a bitter choice either way..." Twilight swallowed down some venom. "And it ended up ruining them in the end..."
"I'm not omnipotent... by the time I had heard the rumors, the skirmish had already gotten out of hand. Neither can I predict how the economics of my Kingdom will play out in the long run. Now all I can do is find a solution to bring them back." She shook her tiredly.
Twilight shorted but held her tongue. "I doubt they will come peacefully; they are better armed than us at the moment. From the looks of it, a lot of banned weapons found their way to Ponyville, as well as the other townships."
"I figured as much, thankfully I have already begun modernization of our forces. The issue is keeping the nobility from doing anything rash... until we're ready." She leaned against the railing.
"Ready?" Twilight looked confused.
"Indeed, right now, they enjoy support here because ponies don't see any alternatives, especially considering their current stranglehold. The rebellion is an outcrop of the lack of alternatives. My hope is to offer a second alternative... the liquidation of the noble class through economic change."
"You would leave the noble family's in economic ruin?"
Celestia shrugged. "They are the ones resisting modernization the most; they are leading themselves to ruin. I'm only giving them a path to follow."
"But.... what if they don't?" Twilight stepped over to her mentor.
"Twilight... their enchantment monopoly is a point of pride as much as it was a cash cow. Some might give up on it, but only when they've lost too much... others will go down with the burning ship." Celestia said dismissively.
"What about the money they get from Taxation?" Twilight countered
"I've been drafting a bill that will piggyback on their doomed stimulus to the Enchanters." Celestia seemed to smile just a bit from pride.
"They wouldn't notice?" Twilight tilted her head to the side.
"Even if they did, I doubt they would have time to read it in detail. I ensured the language was complicated, with the businesses at the brink of bankruptcy, they see the stimulus as a lifeline." She looked back down the sprawling city below them.
"Meanwhile, it's really just you circling the noose around their neck... what about Blueblood and Fancy?... won't this cause issues?" Twilight was uneasy, having grown closer to the two ponies during their time down south.
"They will be fine... Blueblood tells me he's looking at upgrading his family's dilapidated fleet, and Fancy will remain the head of the Equestrian Mint. I doubt they will notice..."
"That's a dangerous assumption..." Twilight shook her head again. "But it doesn't deal with the issue we currently face... Modernization will take time... and the rebellion will only grow stronger. Posters and newspaper stories only go so far... especially if it seems like they have a point."
"Indeed... did you see anything that could be used to our advantage during your time there?" Celestia looked down at her student.
"No... if anything, the victory against Cloudsdale has invigorated them further. They managed to do some damage to Ponyville, but the local militia has been helping with reconstruction. No doubt further winning support."
"We are stuck at an impasse... we can't fight them on equal footing with our current armaments, but letting them continue only makes them stronger..." Celestia shook her head
"You'll have to step lightly..." Twilight sent a sideways glance to her mentor. "Word will spread down south, theirs no telling how they will respond to this..."
"Especially with the Crystal Empire..." Celestia's eyes briefly widened, realizing what she said... and mainly who she had told it to.
"... What about the Crystal Empire?..." Twilights eyes narrowed.
——————————————————————
Equestria
Canterhorn Mountain
Celestial Summer Estate
12:13 PM
Shining Armor sat at the table clutching a teacup between his hooves, staring at the swirling leaves in the liquid. He scarcely noticed his wife approaching until she sat down in front of him, pouring herself a cup. For a few moments, the couple sat in silence, unsure what to say to the other. Before he could even open his mouth, his wife beat him to the draw.
"Is this it then?...." She held her head low, staring at the table, while her husband seemed to think of a response.
"Is what it?..." He swallowed nervously.
"Are we to just spend our days hiding in this place? Pretending we have some kind of future?" She mumbled, resting her head on the table, a distant look on her face.
"Cadence..." He reached out and grasped her limp hoof. "It will be ok..."
"Ok? Our Kingdom ousted us, slaughtered countless Equestrian migrants, and disemboweled our daughter!!!" She shot up, ripping her hoof away from her husband. "And you think everything is going to be ok?!"
Shining already was chewing himself out mentally for his poor choice of words. "We can get through this... love conquers everything... w-we don't need the Empire..."
"Do we need a daughter?" She stared into his eyes.
"I... Cadence...." His lip quivered, unsure what to say.
"Ever since we lost Flurry.... I've just felt... so empty... I-I can't eat! I-I can't sleep! I can barely wash or make my way through the halls!" She slammed her face back down against the table.
It was at this point Shining took in his wife's appearance in detail. His head breaking seeing her shabby coat, ruined mane, even her purple sapphire eyes had lost their luster. "I... know..." He sniffed, struggling to maintain the facade.
"I-I.... losing the empire is one thing... b-but our daughter?.... w-what... h-how are we supposed to get past this?!" She looked at him, almost pleading for him to tell her what to do.
"I... I don't know... I just don't know...." He looked back down at the table as an emptiness started to grow inside of him. "W-we could.... try ag-"He was cut off by a hoof slap.
Cadence just stared at her hoof for a moment as if she couldn't believe what she just did. "I-I....." She shook, struggling to form words, before her look of shock transformed into anger. "G-get out..... Now you bucking gelding!" She screamed in his face.
Shining just stared, the corners of his eyes getting misty as he stood up from the table, avoiding her gaze. "I-I didn't mean...."
"Our daughter isn't some helmet you can replace after losing!" She stood up from the table, pushing it away violently.
"I-I didn't mean it like that!? I-I just... I just.... what do you want me to say?!" He couldn't hold back his own tears.
"Get out!" She blasted one of the walls with her magic, causing her husband to flee.
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this is fun, but man is that doctor guy gonna make some enemies
I'm so happy to see this update.
Ooh dear
... Celestia sure is in for it now for her reliance on slooowly proceeding plans. Yes they can work, but unlike her, others affected by them don't have the 'luxury of time' to wait for results
. And now Twi also gets to finally hear about the "red day" of the Empire
... And Shining and Cadance are not doing fine, for obvious reasons...
Pretty seriously bad slip-up in the choice of words from Shining there too... Hard times can cause that, leading even harder times ahead...
Keep up the good work, and stay safe!
10832195
I am inclined to agree with you about Celestia. She is like a chess player who thinks five moves ahead, but fails or doesn’t even adapt her style to account for the move that just happened. Now, her failure to adjust to the here and now is going to bite her.
Also, Shining you couldn’t have said the most stupid thing at the worst of times. If that little tidbit at the end is anything to go by, I can only guess their marriage May crash and burn eventually. Also, Cadance, sweetie, you attempted to try and wipe out the Crystal Empire’s very cultural through means of book burnings, of course someone, especially nationalists, were going to take offense and no stand for you to be on the throne!
10832367
10832195
Shining and Cadence suffer from “Fairytale Marriage” syndrome, while a marriage without conflict seems wonderful… when your suddenly beset with these kinds of situations that upset the dynamic… you have no reference for how to deal with the sudden change. Shining doesn’t know how to console her because he never had too! He’s trying his best, but he’s clueless where to start. Cadence also never had to face any kind of extreme emotional trauma thanks to her sheltered background… so now it’s hard to know where they go from here. As for how she handled the Crystal Empire… let’s just say she’s putting the pieces together… but it’s not helping her mental state.
Haven't seen a new update in a long while. This chapter is a logical continuation from the last one.
10832409
Considering Cadance’s “fairytale marriage” is setting foot on thin ice, lost her only child, and having failed in her position as princess, all having occurred at once, does not bode will for her mental health either.
If I had to hazard a guess, from context clues and personal inference, the pretty pink pony is going to shatter into a million pieces.
Let’s just hope Twilight can play damage control, or will want to put Cadence to torch for daring to commit the blasphemous act of burning books
.
Lest the writer chooses to, I don’t see anything good coming out of this situation, especially for Cadance.
10832159
Eventually maybe. But at the moment it's more likely the Earth ponies will think what happened to be retaliation from Celetia/the nobility and blame Canterlot.
Meanwhile I still find Celestia to be the majority at fault for how bad things have gotten. Always playing the long game is fine and dandy when you're an immortal, and if it had only been Equestria on the board she might have managed to pull it off, but Equestria's been a house of cards for a while, and outside forces have finally made a strong enough breeze to bring it down. Plus there a reason I consider "For the greater good," to be a dirty phrase. Celestia's actions have held Equestria together at the cost of her common people, and they're tired of waiting for her to ever so slowly fix things. Again, long term plans are great if you'll be around to see them through, but are kinda hollow for those who won't, maybe for generations.
I wonder if hearing about what happened in the Crystal Empire will finally be the breaking point for Twilight's faith in Celestia, or if Celestia will just use what supposedly happened to Flurry to twist her into staying on her side?
10832511
For the greater good isnt a bad phrase, the problem is that Celestias "greater good" was only benefiting the noble houses. there was very little benefit for the common pony and when you start to really look at Celestias actions the unification wasn't a unification so much as "Well the earth ponies dont have a way to defend themselves so fuck em I guess."
but now they do and its become a "Well shit, did not expect that." moment
10832634
10832511
“ The world isn't harmonious, Twilight. Also, trust me, this may start nice, but it's not headed anywhere good. Harmonious now means no war, world peace, everyone being happy. But what happens when keeping the elderly or sick foals alive causes conflict? What happens when harmony isn’t possible with such a large world population? I've been around a long time. This world is stupid and messy and chaotic...and it needs to stay that way.”
-Discord (Probably)
10832634
The reason I hate "For the greater good," is that most of the time people using it are just trying to justify (maybe even to themselves) doing horrible crap to gain/maintain their own personal power. Even with those that might actually believe it, it usually means what they're doing is probably going to trample over a bunch of people.
Tl:Dr, I've found that almost anyone using the phrase is actually a massive hypocrite.
10832367
That and what real claim to the throne does she even have? Both in fanfic and in the show? Like what real claim to the throne does she have other then reasons.
Celestia: "I'm surprised this is happening."
The humans reading this: "I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner."
10843889
Seems rather easy to invade them given how Incompetent the leadership is the zebra s could take I've half of Equestria before the nobles or Celestia would even notice.
Reaction to what happened between Shining Armor and Cadence.
When next chapter
so reading the story so far.
this is where it all began with the whole problems of equestria building up.
to the very massive fuck up of Celestia facing the humans [ if I'm wrong please due coreect me I just passed chapter 20 trying to piece the story along . ]
When next update man?
11047714
I believe the humans you thinking of are the diamonds dogs with the tech