• Published 16th Nov 2012
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A Great Endeavor - Rune Soldier Dan



On July 3, 1943, Equestria declared war on the Axis Powers. These are the stories of those times.

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Chapter 16: Burdens

”Cast your eyes on the ocean,
Cast your sword to the sea…”



It was done without song or ceremony. Montgomery and Bradley received word that the formations lent to Celestia were being returned to their command. In the space of weeks, her once-potent army vanished from beneath her.

Only a tiny entourage came with her to the docks. Soarin, Blueblood, and Twilight Sparkle, all quiet throughout the train ride. There was much to digest. For Celestia as much as anyone.

At least things grew noisier when they reached Antwerp. Celestia loved the noise. Once more in public, her officers rallied to the tasks at hand. Soarin marched off with his list, searching for those members of “The Berlin Flyby” he hadn’t chewed out yet. Blueblood got ready to manage the withdrawal following a few words from Celestia. He doubted he was up to the job, she assured him he was.

She watched worriedly as he strolled out from the train car, exuding arrogance he no longer felt. A crate fell off a nearby stack, causing a loud crack as it hit the ground. The prince gave a start and dove to the side, looking fearfully to the air before realizing there was no danger. Shamefaced, he got up and hurried on, never noticing that a few Americans had leapt for cover as well.

Celestia released a sigh. She rather missed the old Blueblood, who had jumped at the chance to lead soldiers into battle.

The last member of the entourage, Twilight, looked after him with a grimace. She glanced to Celestia. “Will he be okay?”

Will any of us?

“He will live,” the princess responded, neither a yes or no. “He will have trials to endure, just as you will.”

The young protégé’s trials would be easier than others. After the events at Bastogne, Celestia quickly swept Twilight into her retinue as an aide-de-camp. It was good for everyone. Her intelligence and organizational skill were used to their fullest, and she was kept far from the battle lines.

Celestia knew she had been selfish, keeping Twilight by her side while others fought and died. She also knew that she wasn’t sorry at all.

The unicorn looked up at her. Celestia offered a gentle smile and inclined her head, stepping through the doorway.

“Come, Twilight. Let’s find your friends.”

Twilight smiled and began trotting alongside her. There was…a bit less spring in her step, Celestia noted. But it had been a long train ride.

There was no guarantee her friends would be near the dockyards, though it was a good a place to start looking. Most of the Equestrians were spending their time there, counting down the days with others of their kind. They had seen enough of Europe.

The pair made their way through the crowds easily enough, courtesy of Celestia’s rank.

Her heart melted as they bowed before her, somehow still in reverence after all she put them though. The Sun Princess smiled faintly, taking in all the faces. Her ponies.

How did they get so strong?

So many of them were victims of the Nazi Regime. They were easy to distinguish from the soldiers: Underweight, hooded eyes, shoulders slumped from the weight of murdered friends. They were alive, but they had nothing.

But they had something! Ponies sharing meals, money, blankets. They were coming Home, and no matter what, they would have a Home to come back to. Celestia would make sure of it. And if she somehow failed in this, the other ponies would make sure of it.

Of the rest, some were soldiers in name only. Coordinators, flight planners, and others who never laid eyes on the foe, but were crucial none the less. A stallion who was honestly a touch portly lounged by a stack of crates. Celestia’s lips twitched downwards, but then she looked again. He was rubbing the shoulder of another pony: A shaking three-legged pegasus in a British helmet, tears in his eyes, lips moving as he quietly told his story.

The fighters. Many ponies had entered combat roles, and it showed. Some with eye patches, ripped ears, and missing limbs. Some frowning in the midst of smiling company, thinking back to human friends they’d miss. Thinking back to friends who didn’t make it.

And some, quite certainly, thinking back to decisions gone wrong and wondering if they could have done better. Celestia knew the look of these ponies, the ones who weren’t too proud of themselves. It was a wistful, hesitant look.

She hid her own quite well.

But whether the scars were inside or outside, others could see them. Two ponies with those wistful looks met each other, exchanged photographs, and began to talk and laugh again. A pegasus mare with only one wing jokingly struck scandalous poses, drawing hoots and laughter from those around her. A royal guard kept his head drooped low, hiding his face even has he spoke to a white mare next to him.

Over there, an earth pony was holding a mirror with shaking hooves, staring with horror at a scar where an eye used to be. She ignored a young stallion as he talked and patted her shoulder, evidently trying to cheer her up. When words failed, he tried something else: he leaned in front of the mirror and kissed her, finally snapping her out of the shock.

Celestia heard a breathy little laugh, and realized it was her own. Strange that she sounded like that, almost as if-

Encased in a purple aura, a white handkerchief floated next to her face. Twilight was looking at her, smiling shyly.

Raising a hoof, Celestia dabbed at her eyes. Two sets of tears running down, breaking her calm illusion. She hadn’t even noticed.

“Thank you, I…” Celestia trailed off, accepting the tissue with her own magic. It seemed foolish to shed tears without knowing why. Should she lie, saying there was just ‘something in her eye?’

No, such posturing was never her way. “I don’t know what came over me.”

So much loss, but so much strength…

“How did you all get so strong?” She said the words softly. “Was it the war? Did it make you strong?”

Strange, to show such weakness in front of Twilight. But, Sun Princess or not, Celestia was just a pony.

Twilight released a slow breath. She looked up at her mentor, a knowing twinkle in her eye. “Not the war, no.”

She didn’t finish the thought verbally. Instead, she reached a hoof over and tapped Celestia’s chest.

Celestia smiled back at her, though the gesture brought out a few more tears.

Her head a little clearer, Celestia tilted it. “Wait…Rarity! She’s over there.”

Her eyes passing over so many ponies, the princess hadn’t made the connection. The downturned royal guard with his comforting friend…the mare was Rarity.

Twilight confirmed it with a gleeful shout. “Rarity!”

The princess remained still as her student dashed forward. Rarity waved, but remained by her guard’s side. Even as Twilight began excitedly talking, the white unicorn’s attention seemed more focused on the stallion.

A sigh came from Celestia as she watched the guardpony. Stern Glare had served in her own Palace Guard, and he was one of the best. It was why she hoof-chose him to be Rarity’s escort.

None of the other Elements were supposed to have seen battle.

Celestia grimaced. A lot of things were ‘supposed’ to be different.

After as few exchanged words, Rarity seemed to have had enough of his fascination with the ground. She placed her head under his chin, slowly easing him into the crook of her horn. She rubbed it sideways once in a comforting nuzzle before gently pushing his head upwards.

Twilight flinched. It was impossible not to.

Something had hit his face in the last days of the war. Like boiling oil had been flung between his eyes. From the once squarely-handsome nose to just under his mane, black burns and red boils had replaced the white fur. The chin and large patches on both sides were untouched, but the rest was unmistakably injured.

And unmistakably hideous.

Stern Glare gave a pained, panicked smile. He was pressing down against Rarity, trying to hide again.

The flinch – nothing but cruel instinct – was over. Twilight crossed the distance in a heartbeat and brought the two into a tight embrace. Rarity returned it readily. Stern Glare hesitantly followed suit.

Twilight looked back to Celestia, smiling. There was pride in her eyes, a ’Look, Princess, I did it!’ Celestia obligingly smiled back, but made no move to join them. She gave a wave, and Twilight nodded, understanding.

Princess Celestia turned away. She wanted to join them. She really did. But each of them would bear their own burdens back to Equestria, and she didn’t want to trouble them with her own.

The war was over. But there remained so much to do...



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(This part heavily references Trixie’s story, found HERE. Has it really been a year? Sheesh…)


As the guns fell quiet across the blasted Earth, Equestria found itself at a crossroads. Never before had they gone abroad in such numbers, or entered a human war. Human and pony mouths were asking the same question: ‘Where, now, does Equestria go?’

The ‘right’ answer was the subject of much debate, but the discussion would always boil down to the truth: ‘Wherever Celestia wills it.’ As went the Princess, so would go the nation. And, for better or worse, the world would be changed.

In the immediate postwar, Celestia found herself in an immensely complex situation. Many ponies had been liberated in the West, and these she would bring home without difficulty. But others now rested in Soviet refugee camps, freed by the Red Army in Poland and Germany. The fate of these refugees was a potential flashpoint – most were unicorns, and human governments were well aware of the power their horns could unlock.

Soviet-Equestrian relations were hardly the only crisis Celestia would be called upon to navigate. An army of American diplomats had descended on Canterlot, flooding royal offices with offers and requests. They wanted air and naval bases on Equestrian soil, as well as AA batteries, supply depots, and radar stations. America would pay for everything, with generous “discretionary funds” tacked on for cooperative Equestrian officials. The new President Truman even paid Canterlot a visit, making the case for a grand alliance between Equestria and “the other free countries of Europe and North America.” He was charming and intelligent during his tour, touting the security and economic perks Equestria would enjoy in such an arrangement.

Needless to say, accepting the offer would place Equestria firmly in America’s camp in the coming Cold War.

Elsewhere, a legal crisis emerged as war criminals were gathered in Nuremberg…with a dozen ponies among their number. Most were accused of collaboration to a greater or lesser degree. The controversy ballooned when Trixie Lulamoon was arrested by military police and brought to Nuremberg. To her dismay, Trixie found herself credited with the creation of warlocks. One by one, all the involved German scientists had testified along the same vein: If not for the magic lessons she naively gave, they never would have even conceived of imparting magic to humans.

To the perception of many, this made Trixie responsible for every death caused by warlocks. Her acts of heroism ignored, a virulent minority of lawyers began lobbying for her to stand at the gallows with Himmler and Goering. This, in turn, sparked an effort by ponies and sympathetic humans to remove Trixie from the vengeful court and have her tried in Equestria. Passions grew so hot over the matter that fistfights broke out in the streets of Nuremburg.



So it was, that as her ponies returned home to joyous crowds, Princess Celestia’s problems had just begun.



After a quick conference with her sister, Celestia signed a royal decree indicating that Equestria would judge their own criminals. When international officials resisted, she turned to her military colleagues for aid. Eisenhower readily came out in Trixie’s defense, noting in writing that, “If we make it a crime to have been fooled by Hitler…let’s be honest, I’d be obligated to arrest all Europe.” Other officers followed his lead, lending strength to Celestia’s claims.

Without fanfare, the court quietly acceded to Equestria’s terms. The ponies were extradited to their own land and duly judged by their peers. There, the defense was able to prove their case: The ponies who cooperated with the Nazis did so without knowledge of the regime’s atrocities. When they learned, they were forced to continue their work under threat of violence.

The verdicts were the same for each one. While the results were often tragic (particularly in Trixie’s case), none of the Equestrians were responsible for Germany’s crimes. They were all declared innocent and welcomed home, though Trixie swiftly booked passage on the next boat to America. When the ship left, she wore a disguise and spoke to no one.

Celestia’s next task would be less heartfelt, but infinitely more important: Navigating Equestria’s path in the looming Cold War. It was odd to approach such a critical issue with haste, but within a month Celestia had put her plan into action. Whether it was a foolhardy or ingenious one became the subject of unending future debate.

A meeting was quickly arranged between her and Stalin. Celestia brazenly flew to Moscow without escort, meeting him within the Kremlin. There, she informed him in no uncertain terms that America was courting alliance with Equestria. She bluntly noted that combating Communism was the goal of this alliance, but she had no intention of making the Soviet Union an enemy.

Unless, of course, the Soviet Union decided otherwise.

With that, Princess Celestia demanded the immediate deportation of every pony in Soviet jurisdiction to Equestria. No exceptions would be made. She assured that if this was done, the Americans would be refused. If it was not, their alliance would be embraced. Celestia declared she would remain in Moscow one night to await Stalin’s answer.

Wild speculation on Celestia’s thoughts would follow in years to come. Some would say she was bluffing, and had no intention of ever joining NATO. Others would speculate that her move was designed to catch Stalin off-guard, and prevent him from secreting away any unicorns.

One way or another, Stalin knew a good deal when he heard one. He saw little need for ‘warlock’ research: The Soviets had overcome Hitler without magic, and could do the same to the Westerners. More dangerous would be a lasting enmity with both the ageless ruler and her nation. Here was a chance for Stalin to placate a potential foe at no cost to himself.

Celestia didn’t even have to wait the night out: The deal was struck that evening. On learning of her sister’s success, Luna wasted no time in completing Equestria’s end of the bargain. With a chilly lack of grace that she would become infamous for, the Princess of the Night evicted the American lobbyists from Equestria.

On returning to Canterlot, Celestia gave the long-awaited announcement of her intention for Equestria’s future. On one hoof: Equestria would never again become blind to the world beyond its shores. Ambassadors would be exchanged, tourists would be exported and imported, and the royal offices would keep tabs on the human nations. The military would be maintained, never again to rely on half-trained guards and naïve unicorns.

But the second half of her proclamation was just as telling. Equestria would return to its state of neutrality, one that “…As before, shall be perpetual, unless we are called on to fight for our fellow ponies.” Restrictions on humans in Equestria would be loosened, but not removed. Offers of foreign alliance would fall on deaf ears so long as the Celestial Sisters ruled.

Celestia’s verdict proved popular among her people. With the war over, her ponies wanted little more than a return to normalcy. Maintaining a stiff, watchful neutrality seemed the best way to accomplish this.

A vocal minority disagreed, believing entry into NATO would do far more to deter foreign threats. Headed by Soarin (and prominently including the Element of Honesty), they proved a respectful, loyal opposition. Nothing ever came of their lobbying, though neither did their numbers much diminish over time.

Predictably, the reaction was far less favorable among the Western leaders. Responses were indignant, contemptuous, even pitying. Winston Churchill grumbled that “the White Ostrich has returned her head to the sand,” sparking a running joke of portraying Celestia as an ostrich in political cartoons.

An indignant Democratic senator proved harsher, declaring, “Princess Celestia has revealed the truth to us. Far from a friend to Liberty, she is an absolute dictator, interested only in the security of her kingdom. Her much-vaunted ethics is nothing but an illusion. She turned a blind eye to every mad atrocity throughout history. Only when Equestrians were endangered did she suddenly squawk of morals. Then, with the danger passed, she returned to her petty kingdom. And there she remains, giving not one thought to virtuous struggles beyond her borders.”

Princess Celestia never gave her critics a public response. During her rare interviews, she remained unendingly polite and unfailingly reserved. She spoke of her public stance only in the simplest terms: she was the ruler of Equestria, and, like all national rulers, acted in the interests of her own. A return to neutrality, courting ill-will with no one, was what she believed those best interests to be.

Only one more glimpse into her thoughts would be allowed, occurring in the late 1960’s. Her old friend General Bradley had lobbied her tirelessly for Equestrian support against North Vietnam. Both very adamant in their own viewpoints, their relationship was becoming strained to the point of breaking. One of their correspondences from this time – a terse return letter from Celestia – was accidentally published following the General’s death:



Brad,


I am still sick from the last war, and I cannot imagine how you are not.

World War II slew sixty-million people. Do you, does anyone, even know what sixty-million people looks like?

Do not write to me again on this matter until you count that number.


-Princess Celestia

Author's Note:

‘Now Trix’ at the bar is a friend of mine
A showmare, all for charity
Well, she’s quick with a grin
And she’s richer than sin
But there’s someplace that she’d rather be

She said, “Bill, I believe this is killing me”
As her smile fell away from its place
“I’d be on the first boat to Equestria,
But how can I show them my face?”’

-Excerpt from the Endeavor-universe version of Piano Man, by Billy Joel. (Go listen to Piano Man right now if you’ve never heard it)




Blarg, I’m sorry for all the exposition. As you maaaaay have noticed, adding notes on the setting and history has kind of been a big thing for me. As such, it feels right that I wrap things up for the “big” picture as well as the little ones.

I’m debating whether or not to do a “this is what happened to each character after the war” thing. It would let me flesh out the universe and add a bit more closure to the various stories. But I never much liked it when I see others do it, so I dunno. Maybe. Probably.

One way or another, we’re not quite done yet. Close, though.