Civil War of Harmony

by SC_Orion

Chapter 28

Princess Luna

The major city in the Orange River Valley, Oreville, was nothing grand. It was a small city with a population of barely ten thousand ponies, predominantly earth ponies who made a living farming oranges or mining metals in the nearby mountains. Since the city had such a small population, there weren't many tall structures which offered a decent view of the whole city, but the town hall fulfilled the role I needed it to. My sister's sun shown brightly down on the balcony, and although the day felt warm and happy, I imagined my sister was anything but.

That thought only served to make the day feel that much more special, although it would pale in comparison to when I stood victorious over Canterlot.

I glanced around. The four soldiers standing with me were all adorned with dark blue armor, two pegasi and two unicorns. Their stoic expressions betrayed no emotion, although it couldn't hide their pride from me. Of course, we were still waiting on a few arrivals. I glared at the clock. They were late, which meant that my address was late. They would not keep me waiting unless it was important, which caused me slight concern.

I huffed and turned to my faithful commander. "Captain Night Wing, please go see what is taking General Gale so long." The captain swiftly saluted, then set off to locate the missing general. I watched the batpony walk off, then turned back to look out the balcony door. Already I could hear some commotion coming from the assembled crowd, however, it wasn't loud. It was more of occasional shouts, and upon closer scrutiny, I realized they were orders being given.

It was... a little disappointing. I had been expecting a more jubilant crowd awaiting my address, however, it seemed they were waiting with baited breath. 'Now, if only General Gale would return to us with haste...' The pegasus deserved his spot in the spotlight, considering that he was instrumental in the victory which secured my claim on this region.

Rushed hoofsteps grew in volume, coming from outside the room. I turned around, expecting to see the captain returning with the general. I was disappointed to see a light tan, pegasus mare with blue eyes and a vibrant blue mane that had red streaks in it standing there. Her eyes darted about hastily, looking between each of the three soldiers with me, and she appeared to be avoiding looking at me. "Mayor," I acknowledged. The mare winced and stepped back. Truly it was a disappointment that administrative officials had become so soft, the mare before me looked like she would bolt into the sky if a newborn kitten so much as mewed at her.

"Pr-Princess," she acknowledged, falling into a bow. It was a respectful bow, one which took me by surprise. She went through all of the motions, even so much as touching the wooden floor with her muzzle and looking down at the floor.

"Rise," I commanded. The pegasus slowly looked up at me and slowly stood up, her legs wobbling. I found myself wondering how such a pony could ever have been elected into a political office such as mayor, she couldn't even speak without stuttering. She reminded me of Fluttershy. 'I should see how Twilight is doing... maybe she's finally stopped blocking me out now.'

"Y-you wanted t-to see m-me?" the mare asked. She was yet a further disappointment than I thought possible, she couldn't even speak without stuttering. How the mare had managed to get elected eluded me, perhaps she had strong family ties or friends in high places.

I nodded. "Yes, we wished you to stand with us during our address." Something happened that I did not believe could happen, the mare's eyes widened even further. With the prospect that the mare was incapable of even standing beside me when I was making a public address in mind, I found myself wondering if I needed to have her replaced.

"O-oh... Y-yes, Princess," she said quickly, once more bowing fully to the floor.

I suppressed a sigh and turned back around. 'If the town had resisted any, I would leave a military commander in place of a mayor, but they capitulated without any resistance after my sister's forces withdrew. I wouldn't punish her for now considering that they did not put up a fight, she did not deserve it even if she was ineffective.'

Once more, the stillness coming from outside was distracting. Even the orders were growing silent, although they should have been silent minutes ago, but it seemed they were ready now, which meant I was left waiting on General Gale. I glanced around the white-painted walls, then found a mirror. I walked over to it and stood in front of it, scrutinizing my reflection. My coat was as pristine as always, and dark armor was as fitting as always. One thing which had become apparent, however, was that it wasn't as comfortable as I originally had thought. I extended my left wing and glanced over it, then folded it back to my side and extended my right wing. A dull ache reminded me of the injury I had sustained. It was an uncomfortable ache, but I did not need any medicine to fix it. Already it had healed, the ache was simply a reminder that would go away in a few days, if not sooner.

Of course, the pain serving as a reminder reminded me of the battle. We both suffered high casualties, although my sister's casualties were far greater than my own. The news that followed came as an even greater shock, the Crystal Empire had defected, dethroned Cadance and Shining Armor, and sworn allegiance to Twilight. In light of that, it made sense why General Hoof and General Breaker routed, their reinforcements turned into an entire enemy army before they could react. Neither of them had been in a position to fight when that happened. The Crystal Empire army was rapidly returning to the Crystal Empire, and my sister for her part seemed content to stay out of their way, which was wise on her part considering that most of her forces were dedicated to defending strategic cities, the front against me, and containing Twilight.

Any of the soldiers she had sent after General Sapphire's army would have failed. And now my sister was left with an even bigger problem. She had an enemy on three fronts, to the north, the Crystal Empire sided with Twilight, to the south, Twilight, and to the west, me.

Of course, that was another problem. Up until now, I had not engaged Twilight's forces in battle, but if I continued to push further into my sister's territory, I would eventually come into contact with Twilight's forces. That would complicate things. Twilight had a small military force, but it was growing, and recruitment had not been progressing well for me. I frowned at the memory. My success should have spurred on more enlistments, but the increase was far less than expected. It would take months to recover from the losses I suffered in this battle, I would have to target population centers rather than strategic resources in order to continue to have the ponypower to fight the war unless I wanted to expend vast quantities of resources to hire and outfit gryphon mercenaries. I wanted to keep that option in reserve since mercenaries could just as easily be bribed to turn on me.

So much had changed in such a short period of time, it was almost staggering. In one swift move, the balance of power had tipped. Twilight already had an elite force of pegasi at her disposal, although limited in numbers. She defeated a force twice the size of her army, and then the Crystal Empire defected to her, which gave her enough soldiers to match both me and my sister. I would have to keep a close eye on Twilight. Even though her forces were effectively divided in two by my sister, both groups had the means to sustain themselves, which opened up the opportunity for Twilight to make a pincer attack which could devastate my sister, or myself if I overextended.

The sound of hoofsteps broke my musings. I looked up from the floor and turned around. Captain Night Wing walked into the room with General Gale in tow. The general didn't look very pleased. "General, how nice of you to finally join us. What took so long?"

"Princess," he acknowledged, falling into a short, courteous bow. It was a much quicker and shallower bow than the mayor. "My apologies, I was going over reports and lost track of time."

I scrutinized his expression. "Anything of interest to report?" I inquired.

He shook his head. "No, princess."

"Very well," I replied. I looked over everypony, then turned around and faced the balcony. Captain Night Wing walked back to his position and looked at me expectantly. I nodded at him. He stood up a little straighter and the four soldiers turned in sync and then the front two soldiers headed out onto the balcony. I glanced back at the mayor. "Stand beside me, to my left," I said. The pegasus swallowed and walked over to me, slowing as she approached. She kept her distance from me, far enough away that if I extended my wing, I could not touch her. I looked at her sternly. She audibly gulped and moved closer. I pursed my lips, realizing that she was just afraid. "There is nothing to be afraid of," I coaxed.

"Y-yes, Princess Luna," she said quickly. She wasn't convinced.

I shook the thought aside and started forward. After a step, General Gale and the mayor fell in sync, both staying slightly behind me, knowing their place. In retrospect, I should have gone over it with the mayor, but she should have been expecting it. As I stepped out onto the balcony, the sun beamed down on my armor. Dark colors were not the best choice to wear during the day when the sun was overhead, but they were my colors. I was born with the same dark, midnight blue coat I wore now, and it had always served to make days a little warmer than I preferred.

I glanced around as the four soldiers took up their positions, then I made my way over to the railing, smiling at the prospect of what I would see. My smile wavered as I neared the railing and saw the crowd assembled. It was far... sparser than I had imagined, with the bulk of the crowd being the soldiers assembled for the parade which would pass through the town. The jubilant cheers of celebration I had expected also were nonexistent, and most ponies wore neutral expressions as if they didn't care. A few clearly did care, their expressions hardened with barely contained anger. 'They're not... happy?'

It was disappointing, but it would not stop me. They were used to being under my sister's rule, in time they would grow accustomed to me and my rule, and they would be happy to receive an address from me. I glanced at the mayor. Her nervousness was as plain as day was bright. I shook the thought aside and readied my voice.

---

General Spitfire

Everything felt like a mess. I was a general, a military officer, not an accountant or secretary, although some of my roles did overlap with that. I took the sunglasses off of my head and set them on my desk, then brought my hooves up to my temples and massaged them. Sparkler, Amythest, and Mayor Mare were invaluable when it came to helping me. I had no idea where I'd be if it wasn't for them. If this is what Twilight had to deal with on a daily basis, I felt sorry for her, even though she was still unconscious and nearly got herself killed.

That part made me a little less sorry for her, she brought it on herself. Of course, there were other issues involved, such as a critical flaw in her armor. I exhaled heavily and laid my hooves back down on my desk. And what was worse was that I didn't have the authority to do everything that I needed to do in Twilight's absence, and I couldn't get that authority without letting it be known that Twilight was unconscious, which would be sure to cause panic and more problems, so I was stuck using my limited authority as a general to run an entire country.

It probably didn't help that the Crystal Empire had pledged fealty to Twilight while she was unconscious and unable to take care of that. There was only so long I could prevent them from finding out about Twilight being unconscious. I just hoped that she woke up before that happened. I had no idea what would happen if word got out.

And on top of that, Twilight's friends, the other three bearers of the Elements of Harmony... They had forced my hoof the second I tried to keep them from finding out about her. The left me with no choice but to tell them, otherwise, everything could have fallen apart. the one good thing to come out of that was that once they knew what had happened, they all easily agreed to keep silent about it. I still wasn't sure that I could trust Pinkie Pie... but she seemed to realize the situation.

'Why couldn't you have just done your job, Dash...' I sighed heavily. I had always told the brash, arrogant pegasus that one day she was going to screw up if she didn't get her act in line, but of course, she didn't listen. She was just lucky that Twilight was still alive and that I didn't have any authority over her except indirect authority. It also didn't help that she was close to Twilight, which meant I couldn't really do anything about her without risking Twilight's ire. On the other hoof, maybe what happened was a good thing. Although she was clearly upset about what happened, she seemed to be starting to realize just how serious this was.

There was a knock at the door. It was the last thing I needed. I picked my sunglasses up and put them back over my eyes. "Enter," said. The crystalline door moved inward and swung open. Fleetfoot walked in instead of somepony carrying more documents, much to my relief. I sighed in relief and took my sunglasses off again. "Fleetfoot," I acknowledged.

"Everything going okay, Spitfire?" she asked. She smiled and turned to her left, then unfurled her wing, revealing a bottle with a light brownish liquid. I raised an eyebrow at her. "I heard that you shouted some grunts out, so I thought you could use this." She walked over to my desk and set the bottle down.

I eyed the bottle wryly, then reached over to it and turned it so that the label was facing me. "Well isn't that nice," I said sarcastically.

Fleetfoot sat down in the chair opposite of me and deposited two shot glasses on the desk, then she pushed one over to me with her wing and took the bottle in her other wing, then she twisted the cap off and poured a little of the liquid into both glasses. "It may not be the most expensive, but that doesn't mean it's not good," Fleetfoot said.

"I'm working," I replied sternly. "Princess Twilight wouldn't approve, and it would be setting the wrong example."

Fleetfoot shrugged and downed her glass in one go. "Right, just don't forget that it's already nine," she said as she stood up.

I did a double take and looked at the clock. The day was already over, and I felt like I hadn't even gotten started on what I needed to get done. I groaned as Fleetfoot shut the door, then turned back to the glass and bottle. I shook my head and then leaned my head against a hoof.

---

Rainbow Dash

Looking around, I couldn't believe that everypony was having a good time. How could they be having a good time when Twilight had almost died. The same princess that each of them supported, each of them loved, and the same one that I almost got killed. She was still unconscious because of me, and everyone around us was blissfully unaware of it.

I guess I could understand it since they didn't know, but it still felt wrong. They all were happy and having fun, unlike us. We were the ones out there fighting to protect them and fighting for Twilight, the same princess who was lying alone in a hospital room recovering from nearly dying while fighting to protect us all.

I guess that Twilight was kind of lucky, though, even though she was unconscious, she was still alive. Storm and Lightning didn't get off as lucky. We had to have looked so out of place, the four of us sitting by ourselves at the bar table. I tore my gaze away from the small glass I grasped in my hooves and looked over at Ace. His eyes were heavy despite his efforts to hide it. Soarin's gaze was directed down at his drink, and his coat looked a little grayer than normal. There were even bags under his eyes, although it was to be expected, considering he had been the team leader. He knew how I felt, or at least he had the best idea of what I felt. Lightning and Storm's deaths were under his watch, although there wasn't anything he could have done about it, unlike me.

Twilight's blood was literally on my hooves. She may have still been alive, but just barely. She was so weak and she nearly died because of me. Even just thinking about it brought back the memories of that day. It felt so, so cold, and the dim orange lights were oppressive. The music which vibrated the air felt like an affront to Twilight, she wouldn't have appreciated the music.

It was hard to breathe. I tore my gaze away from Soarin and lifted the glass to my lips. Ice clinked against the glass as I tilted it up, though the sound was heavily drowned out by voices and music coming from all around me. The cool yet fiery liquid burned my tongue, then rolled down my throat as I swallowed. My hooves shook as I put the glass back down. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

There had been so, so much blood, all of it belonging to Twilight. She nearly died from her injuries, from blood loss. General Hoof targeted her neck, a soft, vulnerable spot on anypony. It wasn't right. If Twilight hadn't been an alicorn, if Princess Celestia had not ascended her all those years ago, Twilight would have died, and her death would have been squarely on my hooves. Her body had been so, so cold, it was anathema to her. I missed how carefree we used to be, back when she first came to Ponyville. She had changed a lot since then, all of us had, but she was still herself. It wasn't right that she almost died.

Something pressed against my shoulder. I immediately hated it. Whatever it was, it was going to pay for that. I opened my eyes and turned my head, only to find Ace's hoof on my shoulder. The hatred vanished, rolling away to be replaced by a dull emptiness deep inside my chest. I followed the hoof back to its owner. Ace's eyes were no longer glazed over, but I could still see the pain in them. They were all close, and I was just an outsider before going with Twilight and them, but they still cared, they were my friends. I swallowed and licked my lips. I searched for a smile, but nothing was forthcoming.

Soarin's gaze glanced over to us. He sat up straighter. His mouth moved, he was saying something, but it was drowned out by other sounds. A few seconds later, another round of drinks were placed in front of us.

"To Storm and Lightning," Soarin said and lifted his glass up.

Ace watched me for a few seconds, then picked up his glass. "To friendship," he said in a heavy accent. Soarin's lips twitched into a smile and he nodded.

Jagged Wing said nothing, his cold gaze was focused on the glass. For several seconds, he sat there unmoving, looking like a statue, cold and unalive. Eventually, he picked up the glass and lifted it up in one swift motion. The swiftness caught me off guard, and I nearly flinched at it, but I kept myself in check. His mouth moved, he said something, but once again, I couldn't hear what. Soarin's smile wavered and ended up a little cooler than before. It was hard to look at, and I didn't want to look at it.

I tore my gaze away from them and stared into the new glass in front of me. I tentatively picked it up. I wanted to say something, but I didn't know what to say. Nothing felt right. I closed my eyes and threw my head back, letting the liquid roll into my mouth and over my tongue before swallowing it. It burned all the way down my throat, but it dulled the pain of thinking about Twilight. Even that felt wrong. Twilight was my friend, and here I was, trying not to think about her! 'I should have tried harder, I should have fought him off. Twilight shouldn't be stuck in that hospital.' I should have prevented that from happening in the first place.

Even though I carried her back and saved her life, it didn't feel like it. She shouldn't have needed me to carry her back. I was supposed to protect her, but I didn't. She had nearly died because I wasn't watching her, she had nearly died because I froze up, because he would have killed me if I tried to save her. I should have fought him off, but I didn't, and so it was my fault Twilight almost died. She was alone right now because of me. It wasn't right, she was the Princess of Friendship. I turned to my left and slid off the barstool.

"Rainbow," Ace called. I paused and looked at him. he slid off his barstool and walked over to me, then put his hoof on my shoulder. I looked at his hoof, then back at him. "Do not be so hard on self. You did your best. We all knew it was risky. Twilight is still alive, you did job."

I snorted. "Yeah, right." I brushed off his hoof with my wing. "She almost died because of me."

"No," Ace said firmly. "She almost died to unicorn spell, then General Hoof took opportunity. You're not responsible for the state she in. You couldn't have stopped it."

"If I had been faster or stronger I could have!" I retorted.

"We were surrounded and outnumbered. There wasn't anything any of us could do," Ace countered.

I looked away from him and looked at the floor. The floor was so much better than him, it was interesting, it wasn't going to try to make me feel better, it wasn't going to condemn me. "I still feel responsible for it," I said in a low voice.

Ace's hoof returned to my shoulder. "You did what you could. You saved her life. You flew her back in time. None of us could have done that. She is alive because of you. Do not forget that."

I swallowed and looked up at him. I forced a weak smile. "Thanks..." I replied. I looked away from him again. It looked like the crowd was starting to thin out. I had no idea what time it was, but it felt like we had been in there forever. Time had passed so quickly, yet it had droned on. It had been droning on ever since Twilight was injured. "I-I'm going to go check on Twilight," I said.

Ace pulled his hoof away from me. "It won't change anything."

"I feel like I should be there," I replied.

Ace said nothing for a few seconds. "Then go. Be with friend," he finally said. I glanced back at him, he was smiling. "She appreciate company if she wake up."

I nodded and started walking toward the door. It seemed like everypony made an effort to get out of my way, or maybe it was just my imagination, but nopony tried to stop me from leaving, which I appreciated.

---

The two guards tensed up as I approached. It was clever, in a way. Both of them were sitting on a bench beside the door to Twilight's room, neither of them drew attention to themselves, they weren't in uniform, and unless you looked closely or knew who they were, you wouldn't know them to be Wonderbolts stationed to protect Twilight. As I neared, both of them relaxed when they realized who I was. They both looked at me, and I subtly nodded at them, not that it was really needed. The hallway was deserted, they probably drew more attention just from being there since they looked out of place.

I walked passed them and glanced around until I was certain it was safe, then I cautiously slid into the room and shut the door. The silent stillness that greeted me was familiar, it was the same as every other time. The only thing breaking the silence was the constant, rhythmic beeping of the heart rate monitor.

Her heartbeat was stronger than it was yesterday, that much was clear to me. Or at least it seemed stronger. Maybe it was just my imagination or maybe I was just hoping it was stronger. They didn't know when she was going to wake up. Her injuries were mostly healed, but she still seemed to be unconscious even though she should be awake. Everypony was worried about it, and so was I. The doctors said she should be awake, and yet she was still unconscious.

I took a deep breath, then walked on inside. Despite the darkness, as Twilight's bed came into view I could easily make out the alicorn shaped pony lying under the blankets. Her hooves were above the sheets and lying beside her. An IV line was attached to her right hoof. She was so still and quiet, but she looked better and stronger than before. They had mentioned that she seemed to be growing, and quickly. I walked across the room, then pulled a chair over to the side of the bed and hopped into it.

Even though she was recovering, she still looked weak. She was barely moving, the only movement coming from the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. Hoofsteps grew in volume coming from the hallway. I turned away from Twilight and glared at the door, readying myself for the event of somepony coming inside. The hootsteps continued to grow in volume. My breathing quickened and grew shallow. I flexed my wings in preparation to tackle anypony coming through the door if whoever it was shouldn't be here. The hoofsteps started to die down as whoever it was walked on passed. I let out a sigh of relief and closed my eyes. Only a few ponies knew Twilight was in here, it was almost impossible that somepony would try to hurt Twilight while she was in her current state.

It still weighed heavily on my mind. I turned back to Twilight and opened my eyes. "It's my duty to protect you," I said in a hushed voice, even though the door was closed, I didn't want any chance of the words leaving the room, nor did I want to disturb Twilight. "I'm not going to let anypony hurt you, I promise. I put you here, but I won't let that happen again."

I searched Twilight's face for any signs of life or emotion, there was nothing. It hurt worse than getting stabbed did. "Twilight, you picked me to protect you, maybe you made a mistake... but I'm not going to let you down again!" I swallowed. "Once was... already too much."

I took a deep breath. "You've saved me twice now, and I... I... all I did was fly you back after you were hurt." My voice sounded pathetic, more like it was coming from Fluttershy, but it was unmistakably my own. Something hot rolled down my cheek, leaving a coldness in its place. I swallowed and tilted my head, then lifted a hoof to my cheek and wiped it away.

---

Princess Celestia

Equestria was built on friendship and peace, although we had experienced many times of trouble during the early years of our existence. Before Equestria, the three races of ponies were divided, and before that, they were at each other's throats. Once they came to see that working together was beneficial, the warfare ceased, but untold thousands had already lost their lives, and it had set us back so, so far. Equinity had fought and struggled to survive. We succeeded, but there was a price to it. The horror of war was nothing like what average ponies pictured, it was far, far worse.

I took a deep breath and slowly raised my hoof to my head. Thinking about back then, about how horrible it had been, even with the threat now posed by Twilight and the Crystal Empire, it was nothing compared to what it had been. Innocent ponies, fathers, mothers, foals, everypony was an equal opportunity target for the violence. But such was war, and as such war will forever remain. "How did this happen?" I asked, lowering my hoof from my head. I looked up and across the oak table.

Princess Cadance, my adopted niece, met my gaze. Her expression was cold, but behind that, I could see pain, fear, and worry. To her right, her husband, Twilight's brother, Shining Armor sat looking at me. His mane was disheveled, though not inappropriately so, and his eyes looked heavy and sagged. His eyes and coat didn't hold the same regal shine they once held and looking over at Cadance, I saw the same sight. A deposed princess and prince, removed from power and their empire, then sent back to me. It hurt them.

Cadance shifted her weight uncomfortably. "Celestia... the crystal ponies know that it wasn't me or Shiny that saved them. It was Spike and Twilight..." she spoke in a slow, heavy voice, then trailed off. What she said weighed heavily on her mind, and I hoped that it didn't affect either of them too much, although judging by their looks, it did. Even without the Crystal Empire, I needed them both, perhaps now even more without their Empire's help. "We only held King Sombra out, it was Twilight who found the Crystal Heart, and Spike who they view as their savior."

I nodded. I remembered seeing how the crystal ponies would light up at the sight of the young dragon, or perk up at the sound of his name. They adored him. He was their savior. But yet, the crystal ponies were loyal equines. Before King Sombra took power, the crystal ponies were fiercely loyal to the Empire and their princess. After King Sombra took over, things were hard for them, though their loyalty never wavered. They weren't loyal to King Sombra, and the only reason he maintained power was through terror. They were more afraid of him than of what would happen if they obeyed him.

I still couldn't believe it. 'The crystal ponies are so loyal...' The fact that they overthrew Cadance and Shining Armor perplexed me to no end. Even if the crystal ponies didn't want to be involved in this war, they should have fought it for Cadance. They loved her, I knew that for a fact. The Crystal Empire was easily one of the happiest places in the world, although this war had had a noticeable effect on it.

And then, of course, there was the problem that the Crystal Empire's defection caused me. Equestria's northern border was, for the most part, undefended. Especially along the border with the Crystal Empire, and I didn't have the forces to spare. Fighting a three-way war with Equestria in the shape it was in was a difficult prospect. It wasn't impossible, but I needed every advantage I could take.

Unfortunately, getting those advantages into play was going to take time. Looking toward to the future, I knew that I was going to mourn the deficit this war would bring. The mere thought of it hit home in my gut. Ponies would suffer no matter what happened now, and my best chance to restore peace and harmony was to use every advantage I could, although some weapons were best left unused. There was a difference between effective and cruel.

The only good news I had in regards to the Crystal Empire was that both it and Twilight's southern forces had not made any troop movements that indicated an imminent assault. That gave me time. Unfortunately, the defeat at the Orange River Valley also was hitting hard.

"Princess?"

I blinked. Somehow, my gaze had drifted down to the table. I shook my head and looked back up. "My apologies. I was lost in thought," I apologized. It didn't seem to alleviate Shining Armor's concern.

"Without the Crystal Empire, I don't see how you can win this war..." Cadance mused in a voice that sounded off. I couldn't quite place it.

"It will be difficult, but with your help, we can pull this off," I spoke with conviction. If both of them were low in spirits, I could understand it, they had just been evicted from their empire, from their home, and from the ponies that they loved. I would help that as much as I could. "Cadance, I know you're not that strong, and I know you're not a fighter, but your presence in a battle would at the very least tilt the odds in our favor. Luna would be more likely to use a conservative battle plan if you were there." Cadance clenched her jaw. She didn't like the idea. I couldn't blame her. War was terrible, and she was the Princess of Love. War was anathema to her, although it was also anathema to Twilight, and yet Twilight was responsible for the deaths of thousands.

I turned to Shining Armor. "Twilight will be more reluctant to engage in battle if you're there. This will help us contain her, although it does leave the northern border open to attack. In a few months time, we will have the proper equipment to defend the north, but it could be half a year or longer before we regain enough strength to push back on any front. We need to contain Twilight, however."

"No."

I looked at him blankly. He had said 'no.' For a few seconds, I watched him, going over what he had said, trying to convince myself that I had misunderstood him, or that I didn't catch all that he said. The expression on his face spoke a different story. His look was just a few degrees above ice and his glare would have given any seasoned officer reason to delay an order. I sat there, unable to respond or comprehend it.

"I'm not going to fight my sister," he added. "And-"

"I'm fighting my sister," I said preemptively. I was calm and collected, though I did chastise him, I didn't attack him. I spoke in a way not to draw his ire. He said nothing and looked at me attentively. "If Luna wins, Equestria-"

"We know," Cadance said, a hint of impatience in her voice, though a soft sadness was also noticeable.

"Twilight, on the other hoof-"

"She doesn't have the experience!" I countered. "She's so young! Especially compared to my sister and myself." I paused and took a short breath, then shook my head. "Shining, I know you love your sister. I love her too, but she isn't ready for this."

"Didn't you ascend her to be your successor?" Cadance asked.

I nodded in response. I couldn't deny that. "Yes, I ascended her..." I answered. "It... has always been my intent that she succeed me, but she is far too young."

"You ascended me when I was just a foal," Cadance replied. "You waited longer with Twilight. Maybe you should have waited longer than what you did."

"Ascending her was my best option. Not only did it give us another alicorn to protect Equestria, but it also gave me an opportunity to further her studies. Both of you proved yourselves," I said calmly.

Cadance said nothing in reply.

"We're still not fighting Twilight," Shining said firmly.

I silently sighed and looked over at him. It pained me to see it written on his face, loyalty to family. It was a trait I was familiar with. Perhaps one I had failed, thinking back over the past few thousand years. I could still respect it in him, but it left me in a bad position. "I need you, Shining Armor." I needed to convince him to hold off Twilight. It was a difficult prospect, made even more difficult by how accomplished Twilight was. It left me with very little room to maneuver. "This war will change her, Shining. The sooner she surrenders or returns to me, the better it will be for everypony. It will shorten the war and save lives. And, if we can contain her we can deal with Luna. After Luna is defeated, Twilight may yet come to see reason and return without a fight, which means that by keeping her contained, lives will be spared." His resolved wavered, though still remained strong.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Cadance glance at Shining Armor and bite her lip. A second later, she looked back at me. "Maybe it would be better if I took command of the forces containing Twilight and Shiny helped with Luna," she suggested.

It wasn't a completely unreasonable suggestion, but it wouldn't work. "No. I need you on Luna's front. Your presence will give her pause. You may not be able to fight her head on, but she will be more weary with you being there." It was almost unnoticeable, but Cadance slumped back a little in defeat.

I swallowed. It wasn't a good sign, although it was to be expected with recent events. I would need to keep an eye on it, if their morale fell too much, it would not be a good thing. I shook my head. 'We're getting off topic,' I reminded myself. "How did this happen?" I asked again.

Cadance took a deep breath, then sat up a little straighter, as if the question renewed her strength. "They weren't given a choice in who they wanted to rule over them... You appointed us without giving them a choice. They... probably would have accepted us if you had asked them, but you didn't. Nopony asked them who they wanted to side with in this war, Celestia..." she trailed off, looking down at her hooves on the table. "They don't... hate us... They hate you," she said looking up at me. I sighed heavily. "I told you that this would happen."

I shook my head, thinking back to the conversation. I was surprised by how much it stung. "So you did," I admitted. "But it doesn't change the fact that we cannot allow my sister," I paused and looked at Shining Armor with a slight glare, "or your sister, to win."

"Why can't you just compromise with them?" Cadance asked.

I shook my head slowly. "Luna's demands are unreasonable. She..." I trail off, feeling a pain of guilt in my chest, near my heart, "she's a thousand years displaced... Equestria grew different and more peaceful during her absence..." I trail off. "And Twilight will not help me. She told me so before she left..." The memory still hurt to think about. Not only did I lose my sister, but I lost one of my best friends. I shook the pain away. "We need to buy time to rebuild our forces and rearm. Despite... Luna's... eagerness with military involvement, she doesn't know all of the more modern developments we have."

Shining Armor sat up a little straighter, he knew exactly what I was talking about, and Cadance had some idea. "And how are we supposed to hold off three armies at once?" Cadance asked.

I grimaced at her take on the situation. It wasn't quite accurate, but she never had been military minded. That wasn't entirely her fault, though I suppose. "I'm going to bring winter in early," I answered.

Cadance's mouth opened slightly. After a couple of seconds, she closed it and shook her head. "Celestia, you can't just-"

"I need to buy time," I replied. "It will only be a couple weeks, maybe a month earlier at most. The cold conditions will make it harder to wage an offensive war."

Shining Armor audibly sighed. "Look, Celestia, you don't have the pegasi, nor the resources, to fully bring in winter. Only Twilight does right now. Yes, you can reposition the sun further away from Equis, which will lead to lower temperatures, but the effects won't happen overnight, and they won't drastically alter the war- especially without the pegasi and resources to bring in the full effects of winter. Winter was already coming, and everypony was gearing up for it anyway. Yes, you may catch Twilight and Luna a bit off-guard, but it's not going to cause any drastic alterations to their plans." He shook his head, disgruntled. "And, worse case scenario, it backfires or makes the public even more unhappy with you."

'Even more unhappy?' I frowned at the prospect. Sure, ponies were less happy recently, but a war would do that to anypony. I had ruled Equestria for thousands of years, and a thousand on my own. I knew the ponies of Equestria, and they knew me. The thought that they were unhappy because of my actions was absolutely absurd. I shook the thought off.

"And that's not even considering that the crystal ponies are experienced with winter warfare..." Cadance added, grimacing.

"Our forces are spread thin..." I said. "Which is why I need your help. Shining Armor, your sister will be less inclined to attack any force under your command, meaning that we can free up soldiers to help with Luna and the Crystal Empire. If I can't convince you with this, then at least think about what would happen if it turned into a battle between Twilight and Luna for control of Equestria." They both glanced at each other, eyes subtly widening, and lips held more firmly into a straight, neutral line. "My sister would easily crush Twilight, even if Twilight had my forces under her command. Twilight would not have the will to fight against her, and Luna would inevitable win. Equestria would lose."

Shining Armor sighed discontentedly. "Fine. I'll take command of the forces you're using to contain Twilight, but I am not leading them into battle against her, and I am not fighting her. She's my little sister, it's my job to protect her."

"You will be protecting her by keeping her contained and out of the way..." I trailed off, pondering the decision. "I... will accept that," I said cautiously. I had the feeling that I would need to keep both of them close at hoof, although I could still see that both of them knew Luna winning would be disastrous. Neither of them wanted Twilight to have to fight Luna, and nor did I. I wanted Twilight by my side, but not in combat.

Author's Note:

Progress! I'm sorry this chapter is late, but it's late for a good reason! I managed to finish another long story of mine (which was taking up a lot of time to work on) and I gave more thought to the future of this story. Updates should speed up soonish since I'm only working on two stories right now, and the other story is almost complete.

If you feel that this chapter is somewhat incoherent, do not be alarmed. This is both by intention and necessary because of the past few chapters. The next chapter or two will also likely be "all over the place."

I had trouble writing Luna's part. It's been so long since I've really messed with her and her supporting cast that I've forgotten about them.

When in doubt, write a bar scene! The original idea for this chapter called for three bar scenes. They're a great way to contribute to a story. This chapter only has one. The next chapter may have one or two.

Rainbow Dash... I don't really have a lot to say about her... at least in this story... Outwardly brave/brash, et cetera, yet at the same time, she can be broken down and made weak and vulnerable. She's been through quite a bit so far, and the story isn't over yet. She's already having some problems...

I have nothing I can think of to say about the Celestia scene.

Special thanks to my prereader Skydrake! Without you, I have no idea where this story would be! I'm not even sure I'd still be working on it, or if I was, it would be much further behind.

Special thanks to everyone who is still reading this story and putting up with my sheer incompetence and slow update schedule! Rest assured, unless something happens to prevent me from finishing this story, I will finish this story!

Every comment and like means a great deal to me and motivates me, it shows me that this isn't just a big waste of time that I will never get reimbursed for, but that you, the readers, enjoy it and think it's worth reading. I really appreciate it.

Comments

[Korusso]

Welp I feel like Celestia's being a big b**ch in this chapter right now.
Also, when is Twilight going to wake up?
Without her, seems harder to develop the story.

[tuntematon]

In my opinion Twilight's gonna have to form a alliance with Luna or Celestia if either put a lot of pressure on her.

[KeyChain]

He said nothing and looked at my attentively. "If Luna wins, Equestria-"

I think you mean "me".

[SC_Orion]

7997580
Thanks!

[Pontiac56]

I honestly suspect that once Shining Armour sees how good a leader Twilight is, he and Cadance will defect. At the moment they have loyalty to Celestia and not Luna, but they love Twilight. The only reason they haven't sided with her is because they think she is too young and ineffective to lead.

With the last battle, I think some cracks have already started to form

[ponybornhuman]

My guess is Twilight in a coma or something since she hasn't woken up yet.

[darkszero]

Celestia is completely blind to the option she is the cause of the war. It's impressive!

[Admiral Q Ponyform]

8620131
Yeah her blindness is staggering and proves that both Twilight AND Luna are right in her unfitness. I am waiting for Cadance and Shiny to learn that Twilight was nearly killed by Hoof.

[Admiral Q Ponyform]

7996763
I say Luna, Luna has not attacked her and shiws her respect.

[link4]

so sad tia doesn't see the blatantly obvious reasons why ponies would be unhappy with her, or why things are so bad. also, every time she talks about 'equestria losing' she speaks as if there is no equestria without HER specifically being in charge. >.>

[link4]

8620131
everyone is aware of it. Luna, twilight, shining and Cadance even. this chapter implies ponies are unhappy with her, could they also know she is responsible? im disappointed in cadance and shining at the end here. tia makes it absolutely blatant she is using them as tools for emotional manipulation of twilight. and they still obey her like mindless drones. bending knee to her way too easily