Twilight Daylight: The Cold War

by thedarktome

Chapter 08 - Traitor For Good

Celestia couldn't help but worry. No matter what anypony told her, there was an army coming. IHT knew they weren't just going to pass on innocent Zebras to bloodthirsty angry Pegasi with advanced weaponry. There were innocent children involved in this. What would Queen Arcadia do to them? There was no way to tell and no way to predict. Her motives have become shallow and difficult to predict. She was a wild card. All they could do now was be ready. And there lied the problem.

How would they ever be able to face a military that could wipe out an entire country overnight? Zebrica was a small country, but they littered it with flying bombs. Thirty of them. Then left the land to burn to ashes.

Even now Celestia could see the smoke traveling over Canterlot's air through her office's stained glass windows. A black and gray reminder to what was coming in thirteen days. How would they fight them?

The work on Celestia's desk seemed less than minor now. She brushed it to the side and sighed with the weight of the world. Even she knew they were going up against powerful forces. Including Twilight.

She has grown in magic in ways Celestia never knew were possible. Her power was immeasurable. Unpredictable. Completely inconceivable. So much that she knew they would never stand a chance. Twilight had everything they didn't. The mind of a soldier, the thoughts of a mad-scientist, and the magical strength of a thousand Discord and Maheera Darks. They already had it out fifteen years ago when she first abandoned Equestria in favor of a new life.

Celestia had a feeling she was going easy on them because love was in her heart. She wasn't nearly as angry as she was now. All they were doing were trying to forcefully retrieve a weapon. But now...

King Shimmering Madun, Princess Fresh Veola Dawn, and Princess First Light were dead. And they were keeping her from the ponies who murdered them.

But weren't the Marrials enough? Wasn't the destruction of their land enough? Wasn't taking the lives of innocent Zebras enough? Unfortunately, no. Twilight wanted them all dead. Something they couldn't allow. If the Pserateps prompted an investigation by questioning, then they would allow them passage. But no.

Now, they were in a Cold War because the Pserateps were angry. They were furious and no doubt preparing for a war this very moment. Undiscovered weapons loaded aboard fresh new Aquatas, Narmeelah's Legends ready to fly in at Queen Arcadia's order. Oh Faust, Odega could burn their world to ashes with a simple flap of her wings if Queen Twilight tells her to.

The only good side to this war was that with IHT's combined numbers, they would be able to have a fair fight if need be. But all of their technology were ancient compared to the Pserateps'. For Faust's sake, they managed to cease their magic for a few hours. That was in no doubt a weapon and Twilight couldn't tell her otherwise. There is literally no other reason to have it except to disarm any magic user.

Celestia sighed and rubbed her head to cease the incoming headache. They needed a miracle to get out of this mess. But what could they possibly do?

Somepony knocking on her door interrupted her mental journey into frustration and thrusted her back into reality. She sighed and ordered, "Enter!"

The door pushed open and in walked Flurry Heart. Well "walk" was more of a jog. She was a common face in Canterlot because according to her, "It was more fun to be in." But right now, Celestia could tell that she wasn't here for fun. Her face was serious and her crown was on wrong, which let Celestia know she was in a hurry.

Flurry zipped up to Celestia's desk and said urgently, "I found something. Well it was more like she found me."

Well this was off to a terrific start. Celestia sighed through her nose and requested, "Could you be more clear please, Flurry?" She used her magic to fix Flurry's crown to the correct placement. There, much better.

Flurry used her own to close the doors to Celestia's study to cement their conversation in secrecy. Then turned back and whispered excitedly, "I have a contact. A pony who's willing to help us."

Boy if everything was just that simple. Celestia rubbed her horn and whispered, "Flurry I highly doubt anypony could help—"

"It's a Pseratep."

Celestia stopped talking and looked back up to Flurry with widened eyes. Her soul turned cold, goosebumps crawled over her skin.

"...a Pseratep?" She repeated. Before Flurry could answer Celestia shot up and shouted, "How is that possibly a good thing?! Flurry, where are they?!"

Oh jeez. Flurry backed up when Celestia bounced over the desk and eagerly made haste for the doors. "Crystal Empire. But Aunt Celestia—"

Celestia immediately teleported both herself and Flurry all the way from Canterlot to The Crystal Empire in the blink of an eye. More specifically to the throne room where Cadance was sitting. She may not be as strong as Queen Arcadia, but when prompted she could pull a cow out of her mane if need be.

The Crystal floors reflected her Throne's glinting light. The throne itself held Flurry's mother in all her majesty. Sitting and waiting for something interesting to happen while her Crystal Guards stood stoic at the foot of her throne's corners.

Her eyes sparkled with interest the moment Celestia and Flurry popped into view. Celestia had that look. The one where something bad was going on. Cadance straightened up and asked, "What is it?"

Flurry quickly bounced in front of Celestia and answered, "I got us some help!"

"There is a Pseratep in Equestria!" Celestia interrupted. "A Pseratep is among us. Which means there may be more gathering intelligence for Psera about the Zebras."

Okay now that was more understandable. And not good at all. Cadance jumped down from her throne in alarm and yelled, "What?! Where are they?! Flurry!"

Flurry faced her two elders with folded ears and replied, "Look, she can help us—"

Cadance stopped her by shouting, "Whether she can help us or not we must be notified of a Pseratep or anymore of them on this land! If Queen Arcadia learns of any of this, we may not even have a day to be prepared for an invasion. Soldiers could be on their way right now! Flurry, where is this Pseratep?"

Shining Armor burst into the room when he heard the shouting wearing his Royal Guard outfit and quickly rushed towards the Princesses. "Whoa, hold on!" He ordered. Then slid to a stop next to Celestia. "What is going on, what's with all the shouting?"

Great, not dad too! Before Flurry could say anything, Cadance answered, "There's a Pseratep in Equestria! And Flurry's seen her!"

Shining gasped and immediately turned in Flurry. "What?! Flurry, where is she?!"

"I don't know, okay?!" She cried. "She caught me and Sounds on the way back to The Crystal Empire yesterday evening and—"

Shining gasped and repeated, "Yesterday?! You saw her yesterday and didn't say anything?! She could be anywhere now! I need to scramble the Guard, we need to find this Pseratep now!"

Well this is perfect. Flurry mentally cursed and stomped a hoof. These ponies just won't listen to her. She hopped in front of Celestia before she could leave and shouted, "We need all the help we can get! If we don't get any outside help, we're all going to lose!"

"The child speaks true." That voice. That same ancient tone. The Princesses turned around and looked up to the ceiling to face the speaker. The speaker flipped down and quickly flapped her long green wings to land gracefully on her hooves in front of Cadance's throne. Her green feathers slid over the carpet to gather behind her. Her cool blue eyes burned into all of their hearts. And her smile an omen of untold future events.

A Pseratep! How'd they get in the castle?! Celestia gasped and quickly surrounded her in a golden sphere of magic. Cadance and Shining aimed at her with the Guards. Surrounding her while Flurry was pushed protectively behind her father by her mother.

This pony barely reacted. She barely even moved. Only staring back with chilling eyes. Celestia smoldered and asked, "Who are you? Why are you here?"

She sighed and answered in that smooth older voice, "Let's get straight to the point, Princess. There's a war coming. A war you want no part in. But you just can't let these innocent Zebras become victim to Queen Arcadia's rage. You are old, and with age comes wisdom. Experience. You have seen this exact same thing happen on a much lower scale through multiple ponies. But this time, even you know that Faust will be the only one who can save you from this."

Cadance growled and repeated Celestia's earlier question through grit teeth, "Why are you here?"

"All of you ponies in this room..." She waved a hoof around to the Guards, Princesses, and Prince Consort aiming horns and spears at her. "Know that going up against Queen Twilight 'Arcadia Nova' Sparkle, Saviour of Psera would be suicide. You know she is smart. She is strong. She became a mage of Magic here in her own homeland and expanded what she knew over there in Psera. In my own homeland. She has achieved so much in the relatively short time she has lived on Equus compared to each and every one of you on this entire continent. Beating her would be like an ant trying to fight a dog. Speed alone would barely hurt her. And now she is angry. At you."

All noise ceased to exist in the room. Only her words rang through their minds. She directed her eyes to the unmoving form of Princess Celestia and declared, "You are scared, Princess. The pony that you yourself taught is now stronger than both you, your sister, your niece, even a Giant ancient Draconequus. The student has surpassed the teacher."

Shining growled, "You didn't answer our question."

"The child has already answered it for me." She moved her eyes down to Flurry and repeated, "You need all the help you can get. Because if Queen Arcadia does come here, then it means she has become impatient. It means she is tired, and it means she is no longer taking no for an answer. It means that your time. Has. Run. Out.

"She will not hesitate to level this entire country. She will fire every last single mass destructive weapon she has on Canterlot's mountain if she even suspects you are hiding those Zebras. She will force her way into homes and trash them just to find a clue. At her power in both magic and influence... There will be nothing you can do about it. You know this, Princess Celestia. I can see it in your eyes."

Celestia hummed and squinted at her. At the calm nature of this Pseratep. She knew she was getting to them. And may Faust help her... Celestia could see all of that happening.

She growled under her breath while they continued. "You're afraid that I'm a spy. That I am reporting to my Queen and to anymore Pserateps on Equestria. But I assure you that I am the only one here. And do you want to know why?" She smoldered and answered darkly, "Because when Psera's king and the Princess—Psera's first ever Alicorn-Pseratep—were murdered by Zebras... Every last single Pseratep in Equestria and beyond flew right back to Psera, and signed up to be recruited. Except me."

The shield around her slowly dissipated. The soldiers aiming at her lowered their weapons at Celestia's motion. But not for a second did their eyes leave her. Especially when she decided to walk forward and continue talking.

"Even now, Psera is training a new age of soldiers. The Arcadian Elite Royal Guard is being called back into action. Military exercises are being practiced day in and day out. Aqua Guard Task Forces are being trained underwater for hours straight. New heights are being reached.

"And the Queen?" She stopped directly at Celestia's hooves and stared up into her quivering faded purple eye. "She mourns in aggression and frustration. Shaking and screaming while the sword her husband gifted her slashes through sandbags painted as Stripes. She creates new weapons until she is tired. Then awakens after a nap and makes more.

"She practices her magic as if she were a God and raises the land while managing her country with pride. She goes through her archives of weapons deemed too destructive and sends them back to Congress to possibly be approved while maintaining an unmoving structure of legislative control. You've already seen one class of her weaponry in action. The Marrials. You don't know much about them, so I'll tell you this. Just so you know what you're dealing with."

She rose up on her rear hooves with spread wings for balance to get closer and whispered, "The Marrials... Must be remotely activated before they explode. If they're not, then they just simply crash into dirt. And the pony who armed them... Was Queen Arcadia herself."

Shining instantly denied with a stomp of his hoof, "That's a lie! There's no way my sister would do that!"

"Oh but it's true." This pony walked around Celestia to Shining, Cadance, and Flurry Heart. "She told you she approved the attack. But she didn't tell you she actually set off the weapons that killed all of those Zebras.

"I am over five thousand years old. I was there during the first Gold Wars and was there during the construction and innovation of weaponry. We had weapons similar to The Marrials, but not as destructive. It's strictly forbidden for anyone but the ruling Royal of Psera to arm the weapons as a symbol that they will do whatever it takes to protect us. Queen Molten Ice armed the weapons the first time. Now Queen Twilight Arcadia Nova Sparkle did the second time.

"She is the only one allowed to arm those weapons, which are activated away from Psera to avoid any damage. She personally saw to their destruction. Then went to bed immediately after. Her goal was to wipe them out. But unfortunately, there are survivors in hiding. You know where they are and you're not talking."

She turned back to the Princesses and summarized, "If you do not turn over the Zebras or tell her where they are, those Marrials will be turned on you. If they're in this country but she doesn't know where they are, then she will start searching randomly. Her Aquatas will approach your shores and her soldiers will turn your skies dark while they rain down over this country. Then move on to the rest."

Cadance denied with a shake of her head, "She wouldn't do that. Her life is here. Her memories, her family—"

"—was slaughtered in Psera by the same ponies you are protecting. Right now, none of you are family." She smoldered at Cadance. "You are her enemies. She lost her daughter, and you won't turn over the ponies who committed the crime. She lost her husband, and you defend the monsters who attacked. She watched her subjects die, and you deny her justice. You have the power to give her all of that and refuse when she needs it most.

"You are not her friends, you are her traitors. And that goes for anyone who follows you. If you don't even give her a clue as to where they are, she will fight you. She might not kill you, but she will make it so you stay out of her way. Anything goes in a war. And if you're not going to say anything, then you may as well prepare yourself for her arrival because she is coming."

She turned around and walked back towards the throne. With their eyes burning into her back. "NOW! Let's talk your defense. You have no Navy, barely an air team, and no special combat programs. Psera has nearly two hundred Aquatas, over a million soldiers, weapons that could melt an entire town to coal, and a Queen who's so powerful that she can take your life hundreds of miles away with magic remotely. She fights with her hooves and is trained with a sword."

She turned around to shoot that sneaky smirk. "But there are ways. Queen Arcadia may be the brightest pony in the world, but she sometimes overlooks the most basic of things. Psera has a term we use to get over obstacles using only the things we have. We call them Hacks. We learn about the problem and our enemy. And use household items and strategies to get around them. And your country compared to Psera? It's filled with household items. Queen Arcadia may be the mage of Magic and creator of legendary spells, but you are the land of magic. Filled with Legendary creatures of your own who will fight. Discord is the God of Chaos, lest you forget. Maheera may be before him, but you still have a chance with him.

"Lord Tirek is strong enough with little magic. If he gets some real magic in him, he will be a large beast. The Dragons spew fire and move fast, The Changelings can get behind enemy lines. And let's not forget the Elements of Harmony."

Celestia didn't even know Luna was here until a blue hoof pointed out of her peripheral vision. "How do you know about the Elements of Harmony?"

"I've been here for many years. I've been here before you two were even born. I've seen, witnessed, and heard it all. You have nothing I don't know. But you need all the help you can get. And I can show you the way."

She was willing to help them. To betray her own kind. Celestia and Luna looked at each other through less intense eyes when Shining sternly asked, "Why are you so willing to help us? Why are you not pledging to your Queen?"

Looks like her work here was nearly done. She started her walk around towards the entrance under their gazes and answered, "Psera and I have a really complicated relationship. Queen Arcadia has something that belongs to me. And I intend on getting it back. What other way is there than to side with her enemy? I'll be happy to help you. As long as—"

Luna turned around and interrupted, "—we help you? Forget it."

"Nope." She looked over her shoulder and grinned. "As long as you trust me. I can handle my own just fine. I do not need you, and I never will. But you do need me. You all know that without the help from someone like me, a pony who has seen and been through their wars, you stand no chance against Psera's military. Unlike your past enemies... Psera aims to kill. To blow up. To affect your entire life. All of your lands are places of peace. But let me be clear."

She turned around to face them with her whole body and said, "Her Highness will move an entire continent for her family and for her country. I have seen her in action and what she is willing to do. And she will play dirty to get her way. She may even give you multiple chances to do what she says.

"But you all know that you will have to fight The Queen, pin her down, disable her magic, knock her out, and hurt her before she even thinks about standing down. Queen Arcadia is the strongest Queen Psera has ever had, and the strongest pony alive. Her mind is made up. She will not move. And there is nothing you can do to change her mind. You already have her answer. And she is ready to take what she needs. And you're clearly unprepared for her arrival."

Cadance turned around and asked, "Who are you?"

She opened the doors to look out at all the soldiers staring inside drenching her form in anger. Then looked over her shoulder and smiled. That same smile that burned a hole in their hearts. "I have gone by many names throughout my long life on Equus. There is none permanent. So I will give you a simple one. A sound that has resigned in all of them. My name is Mimi. When your mind is made up, come find me in Las Pegasus. At the old facility. I'll be watching the Aquatas arrive."

Then Mimi turned around and walked out the doors. They could have stopped her. They could have told her to stay. But her words rolled over and over in Celestia's mind again and again. Twilight would fight for her family and country. And she won't drop her weapon. Not even if she was dead.

And she's coming to fight them.

---

Once again rain poured over Psera's military city-state. A cold rushing storm that would make anyone shiver after being outside for more than two minutes. Pserateps were grounded and inside. Lights, newspapers, and litter were the only things blowing across the streets.

But the temperature wasn't enough to stop Twilight. The rain met her naked hooves, long wings, and glowing mane when she jumped out the portal in front of the Private Mausoleum hosting the lives of her family. The fire in front of Dawn's tomb reflected off her eyes and danced through the tears in them. As usual, The Elite Guard had taken their places around the mausoleum instead of in it to allow their great Queen privacy in this storm. She could carry her own umbrella. Which she happily did.

She stopped in between both Dawn and Madun's Mausoleums, and sat down on the wet concrete. Under the thunder and lightning as a mother and widow. She sighed with the weight of the world and greeted, "Hello, babies. We've launched The Marrials and managed to repay our debt to the Zebras. My goal was to wipe them all out so that there would be no more fatal surprises. Unfortunately... There are survivors. And our friends in the East are keeping them from us."

Lightning once again rumbled across the sky. Lightning that didn't deter the Queen. "But I was honestly expecting them too. Equestria, Mount Aris, Saddle Arabia... They have always seen the good in ponies rather than the bad. As have I, but I admit I was naive. That I was too weak to understand the emotions and feelings of eternal loss. They never stare at what happened, they only stare at what they could do. Their potential. Unaware that they could still do more harm than good. The attacks on Psera are clear examples of my logic. One time was not enough. They had to go again.

"When you both died... Half of me went with you. I fear I've become cold. Heartless. Soulless. Angry. But I watched you both be killed by a country who kills for fun. You were innocent. You didn't deserve it. None of those citizens deserve it. I have the right to be cold, angry, heartless and soulless now."

More thunder and lightning rolled above when she growled with deep and angry eyes, "I swear... I swear upon your graves... I will at least take half of what is left of them. And I will ensure our home's safety. Then they will all come to learn that I can be just as cruel as they were. I love you both. Rest now."

Queen Twilight 'Arcadia Nova' Sparkle turned around and walked away from her family's Mausoleum with anger and hate in her every step. They weren't going to keep those Zebras away from her. She would pry them from their dead grip if she had to. They disrespected her country, killed her citizens, and spat on her name. And IHT had the nerve to protect them. Narmeelah forbid if they were to get in her way. She would go all out to get to them. She'll tear that country apart with her own hooves if it came down to it.

It could all be avoided if they hoofed over those Zebras. But even she knew that the rest of the world has changed. They no longer thought about themselves. Now they thought about each other. In a way, she was proud. It was her vision for everyone to care about each other.

But Psera was the bad guy, despite being attacked first. The Zebras asked for this war, not them. Yet they are the enemy. They'd tell her that Zebrica is innocent and that she should stop her quest for revenge.

Not even over her dead body.

Comments

[Meowofy]

Oh gosh... It’s getting intense!

Hmm... Mimi? Is it Narmeelah or something??? Can’t wait to read the next chap!

[Gboyd]

......This is getting so complicated! I don't know which side to choose! I'll have to go with neutral now, and see where this goes. But I will say one thing. Twilight, this is for you. And yes, I am addressing you that because I am talking to you. Not a queen, not a mother, not a wife, not a princess, but a pony. A pony, just like the rest of us.

A wise person once told me, "In this crazy, complicated, kaleidoscope of drawn pathways that we call life, there are two sides. There are two sides in everything, no matter what universe or timeline you're from. Past, future, dark, light, day, night; you get the idea. You create a thought, an idea, a conscious decision formed from desire. You make that choice, that decision, and there's consequences. But you have the control to decide what those consequences may bring."

Take a coin, and place it on the surface in front of you. It doesn't matter which side you see. That coin, a thin piece of of an alloy of metals does nothing more than maybe provide you with a piece of candy, at the very least. Other than that, not much. But there's two things that a coin does have. Two sides. Just like everything else in this world, that circular piece of metal has two sides. "But what in the world does this have to do with what I'm going through? you might ask. "I've lost my child, my husband, and my good consciousness because of ruthless murderers who didn't give a flying feather about what they did to me!" I know. But if you can come away from this speech knowing one thing, it's this:

The hardest and greatest lesson one can learn, be they a leader or a child, to simply ask the question, 'Why?' Every being that lives and breaths has a motive behind their choices. Our friends, our enemies, and the ones we know the most. And that's one of the hardest lessons for a leader to act upon. Think about it. Every enemy you've defeated, every traitor you've turned friend, not once, did you ask them why they did what they did. Tirek, Chrysiasis, Luna, Discord, Starlight, Sunset, Trixie... Maybe they had good intentions behind their actions. It might have been twisted, but maybe still good. Maybe they made those choices because it was all they knew.

Now look at that coin again. On one side, you have Psera, a broken country with a strong desire of obliterate every last Zebra in existence. And they have the absolute power and right to do so. But on the other side, we have several smaller, weaker countries. Countries who are huddling in fear because they know the longer they wait, the longer they are prolonging their demise at the hooves a country that just wants justice.

But let me ask, is it truly justice? I'm not trying to mess with your brain; I simply want you to shove aside all those emotions swirling around in your heart, clear your mind, and think. One simple question, that if you know the correct answer, might prevent you from doing something you'll regret. Is it truly justice?

Before you answer that, look below my name. That is you, Twilight. Holding out your hoof to someone, offering them something they would never be able to gain in million years. A gift. The girls gave it to you. You gave it back. it was exchanged all throughout a equestria. It was given to Discord. To Luna. To Sunset. Its a gift you've been able to give everycreature freely and without shame for most of your life. A gift that includes loyalty, honesty, kindness, forgiveness, understanding, generosity, and a light heart. The same gift you took a title after. The same gift Psera gave you. Have you forgotten what it is?

So, two questions. Are you wanting justice by hanging these countries over the fire? Have you forgotten what that gift is? There are two sides to everything. A balance. So, before you make a choice, view both sides, and think.

PS: To anyone who read this, thanks! I don't where it all came from--i just got inspired by markelsmith, so thank him too. Also, Narmeelah, I want you to have the same words of wisdom. Four simple words. Think. Before. You. Do. That is my only warning.

[Wakijima]

10513093
Wow amazing you kinda changed my view on this story, thanks.

[Emkozul]

10513093
To continue on this being's words I would like to tell a story. A story of a being who ended a War by breaking his promise.
The promise was "Never Cruel nor Cowardly. In the light not the dark. We are The Doctor forever more."

He regretted what he did. Ending the war he was in I mean. All it took was a Button. A Big Red Button. It was called The Moment. And it Burned his people and his Enemies. Locking them away in a Pocket Dimension where the war continued and relapsed over and over again.

Point is Your Majesty, don't fall for the same Trap every leader falls for. You are smarter than this, Think before you make a mistake that you will regret later. Yes they murdered your Husband. You have every right to be angry. But you may want to look into your country's history Before you go after the Zebras. Learn about the Prophecy you were told about. Find Out WHY they were afraid. And then END the being they were afraid of instead. Cause she is the one at Fault here, not them.