Chapter 36
Twilight Sparkle
For whatever reason, I always found it a bit off-putting to see chairs, tables, and desks, and other distinctly not-cloud materials standing on clouds, regardless of whether it was in Rainbow's cloudhouse or a conference room in Cloudsdale. But, sure enough, as if taunting me, a long conference table, along with ten chairs, occupied the room, sitting in the middle directly on the cloud floor.
It irked me ever so slightly. Of course, pegasi could do that so easily... And of course, I was too busy to study it liked I wanted to.
Actually, the floor was probably cloudcrete. That would explain why it wasn't so fluffy and why my hooves actually made sound when I walked on it. Right. Well, that was one question answered.
I took in a deep breath, then exhaled and looked around the room. At the moment, I was alone in the room, standing near the windows. Standing guard outside of the room, there were two pegasi guards who had come with me from Ponyville. Spitfire was insistent about me taking guards with me during my trip, if not to protect me, then because she said it would be, at the very least, a good show for the ponies I'd be talking to. It would show them that I was serious and that I meant business.
I was a princess, after all. But perhaps not their princess. At least not yet. That would change before these meetings ended.
It wouldn't really be that hard, either. Or at least I hoped it wouldn't be that hard. I would be meeting with several executives today. And not all of them at the same time, like I had wanted. No, I had to meet with them individually. Well, I suppose I didn't have to. I could have ordered them to meet with me all at once. They probably would have done it. If they didn't, I could have had my guards round them up, but I felt like that sent the wrong message, to say nothing of how dubious that was from a morality standpoint.
So no, I was meeting with them individually. It was fine, really. It meant that I had a better chance of befriending them and conveying my goals on a more personal level so that they'd want to follow me, rather than Celestia. It really was a good opportunity.
I took a deep breath, then calmly exhaled and fluffed my wings. I suppose if the meetings didn't go well, I could declare something like martial law. Which, in all honesty, wouldn't be a bad idea, but it would send the wrong message. And it could cause other problems down the road for me. I could lose the loyalty of the ponies following me, and then it would be all over.
So these meetings were necessary. Although it was tedious. I had to reschedule the important briefing in order to have the day in Cloudsdale for these meetings. And I was busy. But this would be worth it.
I looked out the window. Looking out, I could see fluffy clouds stretching on almost as far as I could see. Houses built out of painted cloudcrete lined streets and open airways for flying. The houses were so different from the houses in Ponyville- it was almost a night and day difference. The architecture reminded me of Canterlot, but it was different. It had its own pegasus twist to it. There were lots of cloud pillars in some of the more extravagent homes, something that wasn't really present in Canterlot, save for the castle.
Cloudsdale really was a beautiful city. It may not have been Canterlot, but it was still a masterpiece. The pegasi really put their best into the city. And they were trusting me to protect them and their city.
Not that I expected to have to protect Cloudsdale. Neither Princess Luna nor Princess Celestia really had the capability to attack Cloudsdale. Except for if they did it personally, which was extremely unlikely. Although I suppose Celestia may have been able to use unicorns, it was still very unlikely. And neither of them would actually attack the city. That would risk too many innocent lives.
I frowned as my mind drifted back to my plans for attacking Canterlot. I would have to do something to ensure that as few ponies as possible were hurt. Maybe Celestia would just surrender if I reached Canterlot. It was nice to hope for, but it was an unlikely outcome. She wouldn't just give up. After all, she had banished Nightmare Moon and led Equestria on her own for a thousand years.
My musings were broken as the door quietly opened. And that was to say only the most attentive of ponies would have noticed it. It made me wonder if my sense of hearing had been slightly altered by my growth spurt, but perhaps it was just how quiet the room was. I continued to face the window, looking out over Cloudsdale as the door closed.
"Princess Twilight Sparkle," a pony greeted me. His voice was soft and unassuming, gentle and friendly, but aged.
I nodded in response, then turned in a calculated manner to face him. His wings were well groomed, but he showed signs of his age, and he looked on par with Director Tap in terms of age. His mane and tail were silvery, whether natural or from age or dye, I couldn't tell, and both were brushed straight, almost like my mane, but his bangs were brushed to one side, and his mane and tail both had waves in them, like a sheet of cloud. His eyes almost looked young like a colt's, but behind the facade, I could see intelligence and curiosity. His coat was a faded grayish blue, and he wore a red tie around his neck.
He fell into a formal bow before slowly rising back up. "It is an honor to finally meet you in person," he said.
I smiled at him and walked towards the table. "Cumulus, right?" I asked.
He nodded calmly. "Yes, Princess." He looked out of the window, then inclined his head, "What do you think of the view?"
I slowed to a stop and glanced back out the window. I hesitated a moment before answering, "Cloudsdale is beautiful."
He chuckled mirthfully. "Ah, yes... yes it is. You know, I've been to Canterlot, and the Crystal City. So I know Cloudsdale really isn't that grand, but still, it's home."
I nodded. I could understand that sentiment, and to an extent, I could relate to it. I sort of felt that way about Ponyville. I looked back at him.
He turned his head back to face me, then he walked towards me. He carried himself with a sense of humble confidence, he wasn't like the Canterlot nobility, but he was sure of himself. He paused, then pulled out a chair near the end of the table, but on the side. "Sit?" he asked. "Unless you'd prefer to stand. I can hardly do that so much anymore," he chuckled.
I walked over to the chair at the head of the table, then pulled it back and sat down. He was to my immediate right. "I expected you to sit at the other end," I admitted.
He waved his forehoof dismissively. "It's just the two of us. You're the Princess of Friendship. I figure that you'd prefer something more personal and informal."
"Oh, well, thank you," I replied.
"There should be some tea and coffee on the way," he added.
I nodded. "I wouldn't mind some tea," I stated.
A few seconds passed in what felt like an awkward silence before he spoke again, "I must admit, I'm a bit surprised to be having this meeting," he confided.
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
He bobbed his head. "Considering what I had heard, a major magic event happening in the middle of Celestia's forces during a battle, and then nopony hears from you or sees you for weeks?" he asked. I shifted my weight and fidgeted my wings. "Can you see my reluctance to follow your lead?" I hesitantly nodded. He immediately smiled again and said, "But that shouldn't matter now. You're here, in pony, so I know you're still alive."
I smiled in relief. "Thank-"
"However," he cut me off. It was a bit annoying, and it surprised me, considering that I was an alicorn princess. "Princess Celestia has traditionally guided the seasons since she does move the sun. And she has attempted to bring in Winter early. Granted, she can't do it without us, but she can make it easier or harder on us. We would normally follow her lead. But as you're aware, recent... hostilities and the heavy use of the weather industry's capabilities have hampered our ability to do that. However, that is mostly a moot point, isn't it?"
He looked like he was about to continue, but there was a knock on the door. A moment later, a young pegasus mare flew in. She caught sight of me, and I could see the telltale signs of nervousness, her wings bristled in her flight and she looked tense. The tray she carried in her hooves wobbled slightly, but she managed to set it down on the table without spilling the tea pitcher and teacups. Another young pegasus mare followed behind her. The second pegasus brought a pot of coffee and two coffee mugs. They set them down, and Cumulus went ahead and poured himself a cup of coffee.
I waited for a for him to finish, then I lit my horn and used my magic to calmly levitate the teapot up and pour myself a cup of tea. While I held both with my magic, I subtly fluffed my wings. I wasn't just a pegasus or a unicorn after all. I was an alicorn, and perhaps that would help reassure him. I couldn't tell if it had any effect on him or not by the time I filled my cup.
I set the pitcher back down, then took a small sip of the tea. It was warm and halfway decent, but I couldn't tell if I liked it or not. It tasted of cinnamon and raspberry. I thought it was an interesting, if strange, combination.
"So, Princess, why should we follow you? No disrespect intended, but what you've done is treason," Cumulus stated.
I frowned a bit and set my tea down. Perhaps I needed to revise my judgment on him. I wasn't sure if he really was all that nice anymore. "Which answer do you want?" I asked.
That made him frown. He almost looked disappointed. "Princess," he started, slowly shaking his head. "Princess Celestia ruled Equestria on her own for hundreds of years before you were even born. I can't even trace my genealogy back that far... Equestria has prospered under her rule. Why should you rule Equestria?"
It was my turn to frown. "Celestia was a good ruler, yes... but you can't say she's perfect. She's made a lot of mistakes-"
"And you haven't?" He punctuated his question by taking a drink of coffee.
I waited for him to finish drinking. "I never said I was perfect. I'm anything but perfect. However, this whole civil war is Celestia's fault."
"I don't disagree," he replied. "And I think most ponies would agree with you on that. The general news of what I've heard is that everypony wants you to win. Sure, in Cloudsdale maybe that doesn't mean anything, other than the majority of pegasi are loyal to you. But I've seen the polls from Canterlot, and Fillydelphia, and Vanhoover. The ponies love you and yearn for you to lead them," he said thoughtfully. "But with that said," he continued, "You're not exactly most likely to win. So why should we continue to delay Winter? Why should we follow your lead, and why should you rule Equestria?" he asked simply.
I took a deep breath, then reluctantly nodded. I still needed to address so many things, and his comment only served to remind me of that. I sighed. "Equestria is in the middle of a civil war. Sure, Winter won't drastically alter much. Well, actually, I suppose it could help me since I have so many pegasi and weather resources. I could use that to my advantage," I noted. I paused and blinked, ruffling my wings, realizing that I started thinking out loud. He ignored it and took another drink of his coffee. "Right, well. It would make everypony miserable. The last thing anypony wants is Winter right now."
He nodded in agreement. "But there are schedules we need to keep in order to ensure Equestrian weather remains stable-"
"Schedules which Celestia has broken," I interjected. I smiled at my slight victory.
It made him pause. He reluctantly nodded in agreement. "So she has," he agreed. "And she normally doesn't..." he trailed off. His eyes slipped to the side and he gazed out the window, seeming to be lost in thought.
I waited patiently. Eventually, he looked back at me. "I'm not asking you to cancel Winter, just stick with the normal schedule."
"What if Celestia ends Winter before schedule?" he asked. "It is a delicate balance," he offered, "Our weather magic can only go so far if the seasons are wrong."
I fluffed my wings apprehensively. "I... will take care of that," I stated.
He pondered my words for a few seconds before nodding tentatively. "I... suppose. But the question still remains; Why should you rule Equestria? You have neither the experience, nor the wisdom, nor the power of either Princess Celestia or Princess Luna. You're asking us all to give up the assurance that we have of Princess Celestia protecting Equestria for, no offense, Princess, but somepony who's barely a foal compared to her."
"Yes, Princess Celestia ruled Equestria on her own for one thousand years," I agreed. "But that doesn't mean she should continue to rule Equestria on her own. When I was just her student, when Luna came back, I thought that they were ruling together in harmony. After I became an alicorn, I don't know if I started to see past it, of if that's when their strife started, or perhaps resumed, but they weren't ruling in harmony," I stated. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves, getting worked up wouldn't help me make my case any. I gracefully levitate my teacup up to my lips, then closed my eyes and took another small drink of tea. In a way, the way I acted reminded me so much of Celestia, but then again, it was to be expected. Celestia had been my mentor and was nearly a mother figure to me.
I gently set the teacup down with hardly a clink as it touched the platter, then I opened my eyes and watched him. He regarded me with a passive curiosity, a genuine desire to hear more of my view on the subject. So, I continued, "When I learned of Nightmare Moon's impending return, I told her about it. Of course, she knew, but at the time she told me that I shouldn't worry about it, and then had me oversee preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration. She practically lied to me. Yes, that celebration is where I met my friends, and because of that, we stopped Nightmare Moon and saved Princess Luna, but what if it had gone wrong? She hinged everything on me, and my friends. She had no backup plans, either."
He nodded sympathetically, and I thought I was getting through to him. He took a casual drink of his coffee. When he finished, he looked me in the eye. "But, you have to consider that she had one thousand years to prepare for that day. Unless she told you so, I would assume she had backup plans. And even then, it wasn't like she was betting on some random pony to stop her sister. She was using you, and your future friends. You were her student, and as you've pointed out, she taught you. It wasn't exactly a risky bet. If anypony could have stopped Nightmare Moon, it would be you. Nightmare Moon had no idea who you were. She had no reason to think of you as anything more than some peasant, cowering before her in fear. While she would have attacked Princess Celestia with all of her might as soon as she had the opportunity."
I clenched my jaw. He actually had a halfway decent argument there. "Maybe so," I relented. "But that's just the beginning. One example," I stated. I nodded to myself, then took a deep breath. "Well, maybe not even the beginning. If you really want the beginning, let's go back in time those one thousand years you keep bringing up. Celestia and Luna ruled Equestria together. Sure, Luna became corrupted because of jealousy, but," I paused to tilt my head to the side and look up at the ceiling, putting on a musing expression, "I wonder, who is truly to blame for that?" I asked. "Yes, Luna made the choice, but she wouldn't have chosen as such if Celestia had been there for her. I wasn't there, and neither of them have ever been too thrilled to talk about that with me, but you cannot ignore the fact that Celestia did something that risked not just Equestria, but the entire world. Had she paid more attention to her sister- her younger sister- Nightmare Moon could have been avoided, and Luna wouldn't have been imprisoned for one thousand years of her life, which, I might add, is the same one thousand years of her life that Celestia ruled alone."
In a way, I felt like I was being cruel towards both Luna and Celestia by bringing up their family history, but it was important for this conversation.
He, in response, frowned more than he had any time during our previous time spent together. "You make it sound as if Celestia purposefully drove her sister away so she could have Equestria to herself," he said in a low tone.
For some reason, I suddenly felt cold. "No! That's not what I'm saying. Celestia wouldn't..." I trailed off and closed my eyes, taking a moment to compose myself. I took another drink of my tea, then put it down on the platter. The clink was louder than last time. "Celestia wouldn't do that. I don't think she did it on purpose, if anything, it was negligence," I stated.
It alleviated his frown for the most part.
"Both of them have made mistakes. But let's move back to more modern history. After my friends and I were together and bore the Elements of Harmony. Which example do you want? My friends and I were sent to stop a dragon on our own, something that the military would be better suited for."
He shrugged. "Are you certain the military would have been better suited for taking care of that? After all, the Equestrian military wasn't exactly in the best shape to deal with something like that," he said dismissively.
"And whose fault is that?" I asked.
He was silent for a moment. "As the Princess of Friendship, I would have thought-"
I sighed and nodded. "I'm not the biggest fan of war, or using force, but I recognize that it is necessary. As much as I would love to, we can't just live in harmony with everyone on the planet. We can try our best, but there are times when we need the Royal Guard. Celestia, nor Luna, nor Cadance, nor I, nor the rest of my friends, can be everywhere at once. Not everyone agrees with our ways. Take the Griffins, for example," I offered.
He visibly grimaced. "I suppose you make a fair point."
This was actually a good opportunity for my next part. "And my next example... The Changeling invasion of Canterlot," I said flatly.
He shifted his weight uncomfortably.
"Right under Celestia's nose, Princess Cadance was ponynapped. Right under her nose, my brother, then Captain of the Guard, one of the most powerful defensive magic casters in Equestria, was brainwashed. Right under her nose, Canterlot was invaded. Successfully, I might add." I ground my teeth together. It wasn't healthy, but I was an alicorn. I needed to vent somehow. "Do I even need to bring up her lackluster performance against Queen Chrysalis? She could have been killed. Equestria would have been conquered, ponykind would have been enslaved, and then the Changelings would have taken over the world. And, let's not forget, Luna was nowhere to be seen."
I looked him in the eyes and watched him. He maintained a calm appearance, and something about it felt condemning. I was getting worked up over this, while he was calm. It was disheartening that a businesspony was able to handle the pressure more than I could. I sat back in my chair and waited, forcing myself to calm down.
For a few minutes, we sat in awkward silence, and it was my fault. But, it didn't look like I had convinced him yet. With the way things were going, I thought that it was going to be unlikely that I would succeed. I sighed softly and shook my head. "Celestia and Luna were both acting like foals before this civil war started," I stated. "There was a reason why I went off on my own. Luna is too emotional to rule. If you need proof of that, look no farther than what happened one thousand years ago. I know she learned from that and I know it won't happen again, but she wouldn't bring Equestria the same peace and prosperity Celestia has. Celestia was acting like a foal too..." I trailed off, grimacing. I couldn't look him in the eye as I thought back to how Celestia acted. It hurt to think about it. "Celestia also ignored our advice. And Luna ignored me to an extent too," I offered. "We're supposed to be co-rulers, equals. More or less. They're both set in their ways. Celestia didn't think I should rule, since I didn't have the experience. She doubted me, and she probably still does, and that hurts... Luna was at least willing to listen to me and take my advice and reason. Celestia... she could reason, but most of the time, she forced us to relent. At the very least, she violated the spirit of our rule, to rule in harmony."
I looked back up at him and met his eyes. "I don't want either of them dead. I don't want revenge on them, either. I want nothing more than for things to go back to how I thought they were back when I was a unicorn; when I thought that they ruled together in harmony. I want them to be good rulers; I want us to rule Equestria together, but I don't see how that can happen without Equestria suffering. I have a duty as not just a princess, but an alicorn, to protect everypony and prevent them from suffering."
I could have continued, but I felt like I had made my case. It felt like a good stopping point, too. Sure, I could have brought up even more reasons than what I had, but it was a good argument.
Ever so slowy, he started to nod, and his lips pulled up into an approving smile. I felt relieved to see it, but I still held my breath. Until he said something, there was still a chance that it had all been for naught. "You have my support." I smiled and let out the breath I had been holding. He continued to nod, but his lips pulled down into a frown. "Celestia hasn't taken much interest in us lately. And of course, Cloudsdale is in your domain, so technically you are my Princess," he added. "Although to be fair, I only wanted to confirm that you were still alive."
My lips involuntarily pulled into a grimace. "I assure you, rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated."
He snickered and smiled at that. I couldn't help but smile too. My smile wasn't quite as joyful as his. After all, I was the one who did almost die, not him. He nodded. "You have my support," he said again, "and I wish to apologize. I was a bit harsher than I had intended; you already had my support before. I was just skeptical because of said rumors," he stated. He paused to take another drink of coffee, then looked at me seriously. "But... this isn't a mistake, is it?" he asked.
"What do you mean? I won't let you down, I'll-"
Yet again, he interrupted me, "Princess, once again, no offense, but you do have limited resources compared to Celestia and even Luna. And that's not likely even your biggest concern, is it? I'm not a politician or some grand strategist. I'm a business stallion. But I do know a good deal and a bad deal when I see one, and I don't fully know what to make of this. I see a lot of potential in your rule, but your rule isn't set in stone. You could lose, and that would be a very bad deal for you."
I fluffed my wings apprehensively. "I... know," I admitted. I struggled to keep my mind from betraying me and running through a hundred or more possible outcomes. I had committed treason. Celestia could have me executed. "If... you're worried about me losing and there being reprecussions for... you, or everypony else..." I trailed off. I nibbled on my lips, then took another drink of my tea. "I'll... make sure that nopony else gets... in trouble... for what I'm responsible for. It's... my duty to protect you all," I said. I thought I did a good job of hiding my nervousness there.
I had to protect everypony. Even if I lost, I had to. It was the least I could do, at least try to have Celestia or Luna have mercy on them...
I frowned a bit and took a deep breath. 'I'm being silly,' I told myself. I was overreacting and overthinking it. I knew I was. All of my friends would have been right there beside me, rolling their eyes. But I was still nervous and worried. I knew without a doubt that Celestia would have mercy on them, even Luna would, yet I was still worried about that. And for whatever reason, I was worried that Celestia would have me executed for treason. She wouldn't do that. The clause existed, but to my extensive knowledge, Celestia had never invoked in. At least not once in the past thousand years. Luna may have invoked it prior to her banishment. I would need to check.
And it wasn't just political or social reasons that she wouldn't do that. Yes, it would be a nightmare for her from a political standpoint, and ruling Equestria would probably be impossible if she executed the most popular princess, but more importantly, I was her former student, and her friend. The only pony she had found in thousands of years who was worthy of ascending to become an alicorn princess. Cadance didn't count.
Or at least I hoped I was still her friend. I knew I was still Luna's friend, but-
"Princess, are you alright?" Cumulus asked.
I looked at him and winced. "Ah, yes. Sorry. I was just... overthinking things," I answered at length.
He nodded. "Yes, well... I imagine you have a lot on your plate. If there's nothing else you want to discuss personally, we can consider this matter closed."
I nodded. "Alright. Thank you for your time," I replied.
Much to my surprise, today had actually gone really well. My meeting with Cumulus had been not quite par for the course, but it served as a good summary of every meeting I had with the executives today. All of them had gone off mostly without a hitch, and Cumulus' skepticism wasn't as widespread as I expected. I never had to go into the same detailed explanation with anypony else.
They had initial skepticism when we first met, but I had been able to convince them to not follow Celestia. In a way, I was surprised just how easy it had been to convince them. They were all reasonable ponies, which made sense because of their positions.
And, of course, as an added benefit, I had a few new allies to help me. Sort of. To be more accurate, they'd back me up as much as they could, which would help, but they wouldn't sacrifice their companies for me. One of the executives even brought up offering special discounts on bulk purchases of cloudcrete and discounts on military-grade cloudcrete. That would probably come in useful for constructing Cloudforts.
And so, I was in a rather good mood, despite it having taken most of my day. Because I was happy, there was a little skip in my step as I pranced through the hallways of my castle. Sure, maybe it was unprincesslike, and sure, maybe all of the guards were staring at me, wondering if I had gone crazy, but it was nice to take a break and just enjoy it.
My four hooves clicked against the crystal in rapid succession as I pranced along the hallways. It had been a long time since I had last pranced... I was sure it was before the whole civil war had started. Maybe even before I had ascended. That felt like it had been so long ago. So much had changed; I was such a different pony now.
I heard the clicking of my hooves fall out of sync. I realized I had slowed down, and a quick check of myself revealed that my smile had faded. I missed the old days, back when I was so relatively carefree. Sure, I had worried over every single detail, but in comparison to being a princess in the middle of a civil war? Oh, how spoiled I was back then...
I stopped and slowly lifted my left forehoof up to my neck and rubbed my coat. Beneath my fur, I could still feel the scars. Permanent, always to be there, never going to fade away, never in a thousand years. It was small, and nopony could notice, but it was still there, a reminder that I had almost been killed. I shivered as the memory of the feeling flashed through my mind. The pain made me squeamish as I thought about it, and so I pressed at my neck harder and rubbed more intensely, fighting the memory away with physical contact to remind myself that I wasn't being stabbed.
Eventually, the memory faded. I set my forehoof back down on the floor, but I still felt the scars on my neck. 'And those are just physical scars... what sort of mental scarring do I have?' I mused. Before the thought could spiral out of control, I took it under control and crushed it. I was not about to let myself have a breakdown over something I had so recently come to terms with and overcome.
I took a deep breath and shook my head. Rather than trying to prance along again, I fell into a steady trot, with my hooves rhythmically clicking against the crystal underneath my hooves. The guards seemed to relax as I walked normally again.
But still, I wouldn't go back to the days before I had ascended, and I couldn't even if I did want to. I had made my choices, and now tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of ponies were counting on me. Their lives were in my hooves, and I couldn't fail them. I took in a deep breath and held my head high. I strode through the hallways regally. I needed to be a figure for ponies to look up to, but I still needed to maintain my equinity.
I pushed my musings aside as I approached the door to the briefing room. Thoughts of the old days and anxiety were replaced by ponderings of strategy and the decisions I was faced with. The needs of my ponies, the necessity of leading them and protecting them, and figuring out how to deal with Celestia and Luna.
By the time I strode through the door, I almost felt like a different pony. Everypony stood from their hooves and saluted me as I strode into the room. As I walked towards my seat at the head of the table, I gave a cursory glance around the room and nodded. "Alright, everypony," I started before I reached my chair, "what do we know?"
The ponies remained standing as I continued to walk towards my chair, but Spitfire nodded at Soarin. Soarin took a deep breath, then looked around before looking at me, waiting for my approval. I inclined my head at him as I took my seat. "Right. With the addition of the Crystal Empire and consolidation of our forces in Southern Equestria, we now have approximately eighty-thousand combined forces, including the Wonderbolts and Wonderbolt Reserve, and the Buffalo."
I smiled a bit. 'So the Buffalo finally figured things out...' I mused.
Soarin continued, "Our forces are disproportionally balanced, however. The bulk of our combined forces are in the Crystal Empire, and they're Crystal Ponies. In comparison, the rest of our forces are in Southern Equestria, where we are, and they're pegasi and earth ponies, along with buffalo. However, Princess Celestia's forces are also disproportionately balanced, with a major reliance on unicorns, in addition to the bulk of her forces being tied up with Princess Luna's front. There are only isolated pockets of Celestia's forces in the north, however, there is a rather large contingent of her forces nearby, which seem to be an attempt at containing us.
"And, of course, they're lead by Prince Shining Armor," Soarin finished, grimacing as he looked at me.
I held back a sigh and nodded. "Yes," I acknowledged. "My brother."
"Princess-"
I lifted a hoof to preempt General Spitfire. "I already have a plan for dealing with them once we're ready to launch the attack. I will teleport directly into the camp and attempt to force their surrender without fighting. If that fails, well, there's always Plan B."
The ponies looked around at each other, slowly turning their heads as if wondering if anypony knew what Plan B was. I tried my best to hide my smirk, I really did, but it still slipped out. "As in blow everything up," I specified.
There was a general mutter of "Right..." and some soft, exasperated sighs.
"Princess, that's-"
I looked at Spitfire. "Yes, it's dangerous," I cut her off. She scowled at me. "And yes, I will be going alone. And that's final, General." She didn't like it, but she kept her objections to herself. I smiled and looked around the table. "To further elaborate on my plan, I will try to negotiate to force their surrender. My unexpected arrival should catch them off guard, and if we're lucky, they will listen before attacking me."
"If they don't?" Soarin asked.
I shrugged and lit my horn. "I doubt they could recover if I started blowing up their equipment, even without killing anypony. Should that fail, there's always the option of taking Prince Shining Armor captive and force them to surrender, or, of course, I could simply start slinging spells and demonstrate my capabilities."
I frowned. That sounded ever so slightly immoral and callous. "I will try to minimize casualties, but if it's a choice between my ponies or them, I'm choosing my ponies," I acknowledged.
My staff nodded slowly in agreement.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Spitfire asked cautiously.
I pursed my lips. "At the very least, they should have some idea of what happened to General Hoof. And most likely, they don't know I'm not willing to try that again," I replied.
Spitfire nodded, her brow creased as she thought it over.
"You'll at least be wearing armor, right?" Captain Light asked.
I looked at him and nodded. "Yes, I'm going to work on my own armor tonight and when I have time so I can improve it and weave some more enchantments into it." He seemed appeased by my answer. Spitfire held her peace, which was good for her since I would have been a little bit upset if she brought that topic up. Again.
"Right, well, General Fleetfoot?" Spitfire called.
Fleetfoot nodded. "As Princess Twilight is aware, we're making a great deal of progress on the advanced weapon systems we're developing, but it'll be a couple of months before we can deploy them and use them. However, we'll still have the Cloudforts ready in time for them to be outfitted with the weapon systems as soon as they're ready."
"Right, well, that leads to another point," Spitfire started. "Canterlot. The city's a fortress, taking it won't be easy. Even our liberal estimates of when we're ready to assault Canterlot will have been more than enough time for Celestia to entrench the city to the point that pegasi attacking would be suicide, and getting ground forces up to Canterlot won't be practical."
I smiled. "I was already planning to employ Cloudforts in the assault on Canterlot," I stated. "Most likely as the spearhead, as it were. But they'd need the weapons so that they can shut down enemy artillery positions so that the pegasi can get in."
Spitfire nodded. "And... what about you and Celestia?" she asked hesitantly.
Right, the elephant in the room. "I'm still working on how to deal with her, but I plan to join the frontal assault on Canterlot. I want to keep casualties to a minimum... so I'll do my best to disable any defensive positions I can and attempt to draw Celestia out so I can end the fight before too many ponies get hurt or die," I explained.
"Princess, that's risky," Soarin stated. "You're risking your life and your chances of ruling Equestria on that."
I nodded in agreement. "It has to be done," I replied. I leaned forward. "What's the alternative? Making more ponies fight and die?"
"Waiting for us to establish a beachhead in the city," Spitfire countered. "We can get you to the castle, and from there, you can find Celestia and... do whatever it is you're planning to do."
I took a deep breath and leaned back. "Right... I guess I've got time to think about that," I mused. I nodded to myself. "Well, how are preparations for the invasion going?"
"Quite well," Spitfire answered with a nod. "Things should be ready on schedule, provided nothing unexpected happens."
"Good," I stated. "Now... what else do we need to discuss?"
"The plan of attack," Spitfire stated. "We're going to coordinate with the Crystal Empire's forces to sweep down the eastern coast of Equestria, taking strategically important cities and ports, cutting Celestia off from access to trade and vital resources for her war machine. This will draw a lot of attention," she stated. "She will have no choice but to react. Your plan more or less hinges on her being unable to fight you personally, and if she does, then you're out of time and you need to have a plan to deal with her."
I winced but nodded. She had a point. I was counting on Luna's presence keeping her from coming for me. And while that may have been likely, the fact that Cadance had sided with her meant that she could stay in Canterlot, rather than fight Luna, although if Luna wanted to, she could wipe the floor with Cadance without breaking a sweat.
I couldn't help but frown. It was almost absurd. If Celestia or Luna truly wanted to, they could have simply wiped entire cities off of the map, let alone armies. It would have been easy for them, yet they both held back. It made me wonder if there was some unspoken agreement between them, perhaps spurred on by past experiences with war, or Nightmare Moon. I felt a cold chill run down my spine, and I shivered.
Or, perhaps there was an alternative I didn't realize. Maybe they weren't as powerful as they claimed to be, or perhaps they weren't as powerful as I thought they were. Or maybe their power was tied up with the sun and moon, or maybe they just didn't want to be responsible for destruction on that scale.
I took a deep breath, then quietly exhaled. "I'll prioritize figuring out how to deal with them, then," I answered.
Spitfire nodded but didn't look too convinced. "There's also always the chance that she won't engage us, or you, directly, but she could send her forces after us. That could slow us down, and what's worse is that we might overextend and get cut off," she noted.
I grimaced. That was a distinct risk, even if I thought the odds were low. "It could happen, but I would be able to get us through their lines," I replied.
Spitfire nodded. "Yes, but the biggest risk might not be that, so much as the risk that Luna will seize the opportunity and reach Canterlot first. That would cause all sorts of problems. Specifically, if Luna forces Celestia to surrender to her and then claims all of Celestia's forces."
I nodded. I had already been over this and considered a lot of possible outcomes, and most of them didn't bode too well. Of course, if Luna won, then there was always the chance that I could take her up on her offer... at the very least, I would theoretically save lives from dying in the civil war. Although there was the whole problem of leaving Luna as Equestria's ruler, with me as probably not her equal, despite her claims, which would be bad in the long run. I could always backstab her, and she probably wouldn't expect it, but if I failed, things probably wouldn't go too well for me. And if I succeeded, well, I would have betrayed Luna, and honestly, I would feel terrible about that, even if it was to protect Equestria.
Why did everything have to be so hard? I held in a sigh as the briefing continued.
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Yes, this is quite solid chapter. Good work.
Twilight before you fully decide talk with Luna. Note in this whole war she has not done anything hostile to you and unlike Celestia, respects your position. You could be well making a similar mistake as Celestia.
Actually, my biggest worry would be Luna advancing too quickly and Celestia able to prove a major offset, as it would more likely prolong the war than end it quickly. As Celestia forces get a morale boost and advance to take back land and push her forces out.
How well the attack on canterlot goes basically depends on how well cloudcrete stands up to unicorn magic.
If it holds well then the pegasi can get the height advantage and have good, moveable, cover seriously bolstering their odds of success.
But if it crumbles then the pegasi have no cover and will be shot down, and pushing up a mountain where your enemy will always have the high ground, and force you down narrow paths and choke points will really increase casualties.
Alright i've finally caught up and i have a few things to point out.
Your use of time is a little confusing. In some scenes it seems like only hours have passed and it's been weeks or months. It improved in later chapters but it's been fairly glaring.
The rest of the mane six aside from Rainbow have been absent to the point of not even being in the story. With all that is going on particularly since they should be in the castle and have their own thrones feels odd.
And seriously. Where is Spike?
The story is full of good ideas and i am curious as to where it is going. Personally i liked the idea that there are only crystal earth ponies because of something Sombra did, it takes care of a loophole i noticed before.
9080721
I've grown a lot as an author while writing this story, so I've improved significantly (or at least I hope I have!) since I started, and that would probably be why the early chapters are confusing. I had trouble forcing myself to reread this story because of that...
The rest of the main six really aren't that important in this story. I'm not really sure why, to be honest, they've just not played important roles. As for Spike? He's still around, but just not in focus or anything. Twilight's busy. That probably sounds weak, and I agree, but it's another one of the story's flaws.
If I could rewrite the whole story, there's a lot I would change and improve upon. Sadly, I don't really have that kind of time or patience. I am, however, trying to write the story better now.
9080736
I understand that. Writing large stories tends to demand a rewrite if it's one of your first, but there's always the drive to continue instead of going back. I've got that issue myself.
any idea when we can expect an update and new chapter?
9461408
Probably not for a while. It depends on how my other stories go; I'm wanting to finish them before devoting myself to finishing this one. Right now I imagine that it'll probably be towards the end of the year.
9755026
Hell yeah!
New chapter when? Plz new chapter. Is very good. Needz moar.
10072284
I'm afraid it'll probably be a while. I do plan to come back to this, however.
I knew that this story hasn't been updated in two years, but went on anyway. Gotta say, really enjoyed this story over the course of the week I have been reading this story. It had its ups and its downs, but overall, one of the best fics I read in a long time. I do hope you can get back into finishing this story off so we can all get some closure, but I fully underatand if you don't. Other than that, bravo sir on a well made fic!
10370525
It’s kind of up in the air. I’m not sure I’d say I want to come back to this and finish it, but leaving it unfinished bugs me. It’s probably going to be a while before I get around to finishing it. I thought I’d try working on this back before July, but that didn’t happen.
10370844
Whatever happens, I shall await in anticipation
I await your return to this 5 years later. By far one of the best books
11631850
Five years, huh...
11631996
well- it said 2018. I am new to this site so it could be less time. I hope you're having a good day!
11632319
It’s probably right. And thanks for the good wishes.
I am back again to give this a re-read. I hope to see possible updates in the future but irl stuff is obviously what comes first.
If you need help with any ideas or anything for future chapters or anything I am just a message away! I'd love to see/help see this story completed someday, but only on your terms.
Have a fantastic night!
I have returned once more! I shall give feedback upon my re-read