Epilogue
With Cloudsdale secured, it seemed only reasonable to return to mine old home. The clan’s compound had suffered much during the war, repeatedly vandalized and desecrated by the rebels as punishment for my clan’s loyalty. Columns rent asunder, lascivious and blasphemous slogans scrawled upon the walls, and the statues of mine ancestors lay in ruins.
Gale strode to my side, grimacing at the sorry state of our former clanhold. “I suppose it should come as no surprise that the home of our ancestors was treated so poorly. If anything, I am shocked ‘twas allowed to stand at all. I thought the Avatar would have it destroyed outright.”
I shrugged. “I would think that those of our kin who joined the rebels still lived here for a time, and she hoped to win thee to her cause as well. I expect our compound was only destroyed once no Kickers remained to hold it.”
Gale scowled and wiped away a particularly unflattering suggestion regarding what would happen to myself, Celestia, and Sunbeam if the rebels captured us. “Most of the Kickers either eventually came to our side, or joined the other clans after Grandfather—” She grimaced, her eyes flicking to me. “After his passing.”
I closed my eyes and took a long breath. The home of mine ancestors disgraced, and mine own father would have to be struck from the clan’s roles and denied a burial with his kin. Perhaps once tempers had cooled and the wounds of war had healed, I could quietly pardon him and the others who had joined the rebel cause.
It did no good to dwell on such grim thoughts when we had far more important duties to focus our energies upon. “Have there been any problems with the occupation?”
“Nothing significant,” Gale assured me. “A few of the warriors too young to join Rightly’s last charge have been restive and some of the elderly are acting quite stubborn, but we have the forces needed to contain them.” Her eyes flicked down the clouds beneath us. “In all honesty, the ponies of the city seem more a danger to themselves than us. The number of suicides since we took the city is ... disturbing.”
That, unfortunately, came as no surprise. ‘Tween the downfall of Pegasopolis and the losses suffered by the rebels in the wars lasts weeks there was no shortage of cause for despair. “How many?”
Gale sighed heavily. “Dozens, last I heard. Rumor has it half the Gerousia has passed on since you took the city.”
The news also came as no surprise, though I would have preferred to avoid it. The occupation would have been far less painful if the Gerousia remained a viable institution to maintain order and grant us some sense of legitimacy, howe’er limited. Howe’er, they were all old ponies, and far too many of them now faced the prospect of burying their children and grandchildren. “I suppose 'twas inevitable. Do what we can to reduce the losses, I am tired of burying pegasi.”
“I will try,” Gale confirmed. We both knew ‘twould be no easy task; if the ponies of Pegasopolis were truly determined to end their own lives, there was little we could do to stop them. Gale could hardly afford to keep every single potentially suicidal pony in the city under constant guard. “I think we will have to occupy Cloudsdale for some time to maintain order. There is too little left of Pegasopolis to hope they might help us. Perhaps ‘tis for the best that the clans are to be undone, for there is little left of them now.”
I nodded glumly. ‘Twill make the occupation easier. I would have preferred to win them o’er to our cause, or at least persuade them to end this peacefully. At least now their power is broken, and we can be sure of peace in the future.”
Gale grimaced and shook her head. “Just because a rebellion stands little hope of succeeding does not mean they would ne’er attempt it. Rightly and Steel continued on e’en after ‘twas plain they could not hope to win.”
I grunted, staring up at the shattered statue of Hoplon Kicker, who had fought alongside Lyequinegus the Lawgiver. It seemed almost fitting to see that part of my legacy in ruins, given that we would undo much of their work. “We will need to occupy Cloudsdale for a time, aye. Hopefully they will accept everything that must change in time, and Equestria’s long nightmare can come at last to an end.”
“And what must they accept?” Gale queried, picking up the statue’s head and vainly trying to restore it to place. “They can only join our new army once they swear loyalty the Commander, and I doubt many of them will do that. They know no vocation other than war, and now we deny them that. Will we feed them and provide their other needs out of charity, or to prevent them from resorting to banditry?” She scoffed and ceased her efforts to restore the ruined statue. “Working directly with the unicorns and earth ponies has given me a new appreciation for money, and what it costs to run an army and feed so many mouths. They will not want to pay to keep the old clans fed, especially when the pegasi will not thank them for their charity.”
My daughter was correct. Warriors deprived of their craft and given no other task to occupy themselves would have little to do but seethe in resentment. Far better to keep them occupied than risk letting their hooves stand idle. “I expect we will find other gainful employment for the pegasi of Cloudsdale. We will still need weather regulation, and the thunderforges will have no shortage of things to produce. Perhaps some will reconcile themselves to Celestia in time, as we move past the war and return our forces to contending against monsters and external foes.”
“Mayhaps,” Gale allowed. “Those who wished to be warriors and protectors of ponykind might well accept that e’en if they do not wholly agree with Commander Celestia’s regime, she still rules o’er Equestria and defends its inhabitants. Though I wonder if these wounds can e’er truly be healed. I ... I know I did not love Celestia or her cause anywhere near so much as you do, but had you fallen in battle I would ne’er have accepted it. I know when the war was at its darkest, Sunbeam spoke of the possibility of fleeing the city and continuing the fight from the shadows. I certainly would have done so had you fallen.” She sighed heavily, looking our o’er the city. “If I could ne’er make peace with those who cut down mine own kin, how can I expect my enemies to do the same?”
I certainly ne’er would have forgiven the rebels had my daughter suffered a similar fate. I would like to believe that I would have gone as mad with vengeance as Bright had, but I had ne’er truly faced that test, and I prayed I never would. “We can only hope that time will heal this wound. I wish Rightly had seen reason. Or Steel. Or...” I trailed off with a melancholy sigh.
My daughter slumped heavily against a half-ruined wall. “As do I. Endless night...” She ran a hoof down her face. “The last few battles have been slaughters. This is nothing like the battles told by our elders. There was no glory or honor to be found in Rightly’s Last Charge. ‘Twas little better than murder. Why did he do it? Why insist upon death when he could have lived?”
“Because no Ephor of Pegasopolis has e’er submitted to a foreign conqueror.” The words had ne’er sounded more bitter than they did today. “I wonder if the bards will sing grand tales of how he chose to die a free pony rather than live as a slave.” A bitter twist pulled at my lips. “More fools they, if they see anything grand or romantic in such needless death. I saw no honor or glory on that field. Only good ponies cut down to preserve a single stallion’s pride. Had he survived the battle, I would have found the nearest tree and given him the same end Swift Blade met. He did not deserve a soldier’s death after that.”
“Mother...” Gale put a reassuring hoof on my shoulder. “Do not forget that you loved him once.”
“Perhaps I should not have,” I answered bitterly.
“The heart wants what it wants,” Gale answered. “E’en when all reason says that it should not want it. Let Rightly rest in peace, and do not let the love you once felt for him turn to bitter hate. It will only bring you more sorrow.”
I grunted and nodded mine agreement. Gale was right, and Celestia would doubtless say the same if I brought the matter to her. Likely e’en Sunbeam, though she would not word it so sweetly. Hatred was a poison that harmed the one who felt it far more than the target, and all the moreso when one hated a ghost.
My daughter’s gaze shifted back towards the city proper. “Nor do I think it entirely fitting to place all the blame ‘pon Rightly. How often did we all say that he aspired to fulfill every virtue expected of a soldier of Pegasopolis? That he always sought to act with justice and honor in mind? I am sure those who will wax nostalgic on the glories of the Old Pegasopolis we have torn down will hold him up as a paragon of their ideals, and speak of his last stand in hushed reverence.” She scoffed and turned her back on the city. “If the honor of Pegasopolis demands that he send the soldiers under his command to their deaths in a hopeless battle, then mayhaps the fault lies not with him, but Pegasopolan honor. There was a sickness in our society that drove it to war upon others, and Rightly was but a symptom. I only pray that what we have done this day will address it.”
“Aye, I hope that we have at least helped make a better future by tearing down the past.” A thought all the keener in my mind as I gazed upon the ruins of mine own destroyed home. “How do things stand with the earth ponies? I know the cities are with us, but I have heard many reports of conflicts ‘tween loyal and rebel militias in the countryside.”
Gale grimaced and nodded. “We will send patrols to address the matter, but I suspect ‘twill continue for some time. We will likely spend many years hunting down bandits who claim to be the last soldiers still fighting for the rebel cause.” She scuffed a hoof along the clouds, seemingly just for the pleasure of touching them once more. “What of the Earth Pony government? Are new elections to be held to legitimize Commander Celestia reclaiming rule o’er them, or would there be too much risk that she might lose?”
I sighed and shook my head. “We could hardly hold a fair election when we have occupation forces in several earth pony cities.” Not to mention that Sunbeam had already confided her own desires to put an end to elections for the leader of the earth ponies. I agreed with her on that point: at best they were farcical confirmations of Celestia’s rule, and at worst they risked sowing the seeds of a new war. Better that she ruled as queen o’er all three tribes of ponykind than allow the division ‘tween them to continue.
Gale’s gaze turned back to the city. “It almost feels like I am drifting out of a bad dream, or maybe a dream that became a nightmare. I thought there would be a grand homecoming when we won the war, but I do not know the ponies here. Not anymore. While we may share wings, they are not my comrades. I feel more kinship to the ponies I fought alongside, e’en though they were born without wings.” Her eyes lingered on the damage to our old home. “Should I bring our engineers up to begin restoring the Compound, Mother?”
I took a deep breath as I surveyed the damage. “No. This place is no longer our home.”
Gale’s shoulders slumped. “I thought as much. In all honesty, I doubt we would want to live in a city where every other inhabitant hates us. ‘Twould be akin to another siege.”
I sighed and nodded. “We took everything we could when we fled this place, and I think I knew e’en then that we would ne’er truly return. We have made a good home for ourselves in Canterlot. ‘Tis as thou sayest, we have found new comrades to replace those we lost. If we can name unicorns and earth ponies as our brothers and sisters on the battlefield, mayhaps the rest of Equestria can learn to do so in peace.” A thought crystallized in my mind. “This place ... it is no longer ours.”
I exited the compound, stepping to the boundary ‘tween it and Cloudsdale proper. Then, with a strike of my wings, I began parting the clouds joining our former clanhold to the city. Gale stepped out of the compound, watching in silence as I worked. Doubtless our engineers could have done the job far more quickly and cleanly, but it seemed wrong to ask any other to undertake this final grim task.
Once ‘twas done my daughter and I watched in silence as the clanhold our ancestors held for centuries slowly drifted away from the city. Cut away from the structure of Cloudsdale itself, the compound of mine ancestors slowly began to fall apart at the edges. ‘Twould likely be some time ere it vanished completely, but ‘twould fade away in time.
Gale let out a shuddering breath as she beheld our home’s end. “We have made our decisions, Mother. Now we must live with them.”
“We will.” I nodded. “I think we made the right choice, or at least the best choices that we saw available. All that is left now is to pray that history agrees with us, and hope that the future brings us better things.”
In the years after the war, Shadow Kicker would serve as Lady Protector of Equestria. She devoted much of her time to healing the wounds left behind by the Equestrian Civil War, also known as the Lunar Rebellion. In her later years, she also played a pivotal role in the Westmarch Liberation and the Morning Star Crisis. She lived a long and full life in the Canterlot Compound, eventually dying in her late nineties surrounded by friends and family.
Though it lies somewhat outside the scope of this account, I would be remiss not to address the mystery surrounding her son Ash Kicker, born nine months after the end of the war. Shadow never openly acknowledged a sire, leading to no shortage of wild rumor and speculation. The three most commonly named candidates are Sunbeam Sparkle, Celestia, and Rightly Doo. I think the last one rather unlikely from what we have seen, though it is always possible Shadow omitted such details from her memoirs. Sunbeam seems like the most likely sire given that Shadow acknowledged a relationship with her in this account, though I personally see enough careful omissions to suspect that it might actually be Celestia.
Gale Kicker would serve in her mother’s clan for many years, eventually wedding Dusk Cumulus née Charger. In time she would step outside her expected role as a military commander, entering politics and becoming the second Grand Vizier of the unified Equestrian government. She also aided Dusk in establishing House Cumulus among Equestria’s nobility in an attempt to preserving part of the Charger bloodline and heritage, even if the name itself died out.
Sunbeam Sparkle continued on as Grand Vizier and Archmagus of Canterlot until age forced her retirement. She remained lifelong friends with Shadow, and other accounts make it clear that they carried on a sporadic on-and-off affair in the years after the war, though nothing deeper ever seems to have come of it.
Midnight Sparkle would follow in her mother’s hoofsteps as an adult, becoming a magus and embarking on many adventures detailed in her own memoirs. One of the few surviving pieces of writing from Sunbeam Sparkle herself is a letter which states that the day she passed the mantle of Archmagus of Canterlot to her daughter was a far prouder moment than when she claimed it for herself.
Stalwart Kicker, who been in a coma since the battle in the Canterlot tunnels, returned to consciousness a few weeks after the war’s end and spent many more years in service to his clan and Equestria. His relationship with his daughter Astra would be troubled for many years by the death of Sierra, especially after his remarriage to a unicorn war widow. In his later years, he served as one of Midnight Sparkle’s mentors and companions.
Dawn Cumulus née Charger never fully recovered from the war, though she continued her work a chirurgeon despite her personal demons. She pioneered several medical techniques, most notably a new and far safer method to safely extract a dangerous foreign object from a pony’s stomach.
A small faction of the clans would chose exile over surrender, scattering to the winds in the years after the war. Most would survive as mercenaries, selling their combat skills to the highest bidder. The clan remnants would eventually launch a stillborn attempt to reclaim Equestria which ended with a crushing defeat at the Battle of Two Magnuses, but they would eventually enjoy a renaissance in Freeport after Torch Charger’s revolution brought the Council to power.
Celestia would ultimately dissolve the tribal governments and claim the new royal crown for the unified Equestrian state. She has continued to rule over her nation through times both good and ill, guiding her nation through the dark years of the war and its aftermath. While modern Equestria still has its flaws, I would like to think that she ensured that Shadow’s dream of a better world eventually became a reality.
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I'm both sad and happy this is done. There is so much to be said that this is the one story I've been coming back to the mlp fandom to read. Thanks for the ride! It's been a good couple of years.
Excellent job on an excellent story. Thank you for writing this
Oh, uh, wow. Didn't expect it'd be the epilogue and a Complete stamp when I saw the update.
"Her eyes flicked down the clouds beneath us"
"Her eyes flicked down to the clouds beneath us"?
"the rebels in the wars lasts weeks there"
"the rebels in the war's lasts weeks there"?
"can to reduce the losses, I am tired of"
"can to reduce the losses; I am tired of"?
"once they swear loyalty the Commander"
"once they swear loyalty to the Commander"?
"nobility in an attempt to preserving part of the Charger bloodline"
"nobility in an attempt to preserve part of the Charger bloodline"?
I'm a bit surprised there wasn't more detail on the exiling of the clans; I'd expected that to be a larger part of the ending. Still, perhaps there wasn't a good way to fit it in.
"And ... wow. That’s a wrap. I can’t believe we’ve actually finished this."
Aye, it's quite a thing! The first chapter went up the 19th of January, 2013, and being as it is the 31st of December, 2017, that's nearly five years. Congratulations. :)
"I had a ton of fun writing this, and I hope you all enjoyed reading it."
Well, I got some interesting speculation out of it, certainly! Probably not quite the sort of enjoyment most of the readership got, given I still view it as a story where the main villains achieve a crushing and enduring victory. But I think it was an enjoyable ride. :)
We've actually finished...
I don't know how to feel about this. I want to keep reading...
I still want to know about her ascension. Maybe something will be written on that? Someday? Haha.
I guess I pinned too many hopes on the final conclusion. You wrote the denouement you wanted, even if I feel like it's too short. Maybe I just liked the story too much and hate to see it end. Surreal that it's really over.
Omg its over....This is the first ever of your stories I started reading and now its over, of course I already read pretty much all of them, many of them in my favorites, awesome work
And so another epic comes to its conclusion.
This needs to become a book. And then made into a Netflix Original series.
I had only just recently discovered this, and I must admit, this opened my eyes to a different side of Post-Nightmare Moon that I've never seen before...
You've done an amazing job, and I hope to see more stories like this!
Oh man, so here we are at the end. I failed to comment on much of the latter portion of the story, so I'll do so now in an attempt at a summary.
Shipping success! Of sorts. Also, I do like the idea of that new House, and wonder if Dash is a distant member in the future. I can't recall if that has come up in another Winningverse story.
The final big battles were impressive, particularly the one Celestia directly participated in. I don't think there was ever an explanation for how we ended up with Doos living in Equestria with their clan name and doing stuff like serving in the military, but 900 years is enough time for plenty of stuff to happen.
All in all this has been a very interesting story, and a satisfying backstory for the Rebellion I can remember being curious about so long ago.
5 years and 540k words later, this story comes to a close. This was an epic read, and I'm proud to have it in my favorites. This was an amazing story, weird as it is that it's actually over now.
The rebellion is finally over, but at great cost. Time to pick up the remaining pieces and move on.
Man, it's been over four years and now this fic has finally reached in conclusion. What a ride and what an amazing story. Thanks, Chengar.
[aplauso]
Wow. Talk about coming in just under the wire. Although I have to say that I'm a bit dissatisfied with that ending. I wanted more details, more story, I just wanted this to continue on damn it!
In all seriousness though, great job. And it's refreshing that I can now officially give the story a thumbs up and a fav. Also still looking forward to what you do in this AU with Freeport, Midnight, or Cloud. Hopefully we still have a lot of fun times ahead.
Because doing exactly what the rebelling pegasi were accusing you of by shutting down the Earth pony's democracy while putting yourself as eternal leader sounds like a great idea to 'prevent another war'.
/s
I don't see how this wouldn't demolish her support amongst the earth ponies, and start the seeds of a new rebellion.
Especially when the last election was a close race.
In my opinion, this is making the same mistakes that got Celestia removed as Commander in the first place.
Wow this has ended but a much shorter last chapter then expected.
Though the confirms the Tia has become the very thing the rebels claim. She may have fought against this idea at first but their excuse for not redoing the Earth pony elections just proved the rebels point and one look there was an attempt to overthrow her anyway making the clan disbanding useless.
And so ends the five-year epic.
This has been my favourite MLP fic ever since I started reading it, and I don't see that changing any time soon.
I'd offer a salute, but I'm not in uniform yet, so I'll have to settle for a tip of the hat and some heartfelt thanks.
Thank you, Chengar Qordath. It's been an amazing ride.
8640860
Given that clan attempt seems to have met with resounding failure and was likely not nearly as painful for Equestria as this civil war, disbanding the clans clearly had an effect. As for the elections thing that is a bit more muddy but points are still raised here with the elections almost always resulting in Celestia winning and the fact that the elections where used as a casus belli for war I think its still justifiable. Remembering that the mess of the election before the civil war only led to civil war because of what happened with the pegasi, Celestia would likely have won it anyway if it hadn't been for the mess of some unicorns trying to rig it.
Little sad to see it end, but all good stories must end eventually. I am looking forward to rereading it again!
Edit: if print this one I will buy a copy
8640893
She proved the rebellion correct in their assumption of her. Let's look at the aftermath of this war. The Earth Pony Government Disbanded despite the fact half the Earth Ponies were loyal to Celestia. Wow what a repay their loyalty but stripping them of their voice. And note here they disband it not because it no longer exists but because it's just easier for Celestia to not have to earn her position.
The Clans, Disbanded because of What Bright became and the actions of Warlocks. The Rebel Cyclones show the many pegasi fought to clan loyalty over the overall cause. When Cyclone died the bulk of the Rebels kickers rejoined Shadow.
Unicornia come out relatively undamaged with only minor reforms and from what we can tell Cloudsdale and Manehattan are never used as a capital again, only Canterlot.
While I disagree with the clans starting the war their point was ultimately made. In truth Celestia may have won the war but in doing so she proved the rebels were right in the end. that she is a tyrant and they just didn't have the strength to get rid of her. I was initally pro Celestia but her actio0sn in the final days of the war but me smack in the middle.
Wow. So many thoughts after reading this wrapup that it's hard to figure out how to put them into words, but I'm going to try.
At first, I was in the boat of disagreeing with the decision to suspend the elections, but...I kinda came around to it not because it's a pleasant decision but because what other options do they have? It's pointed out in the story that they basically have to have martial law across large sections of the country at this point, including most of the major cities where elections would be held. If elections were held, there's no good outcome: either Celestia wins and the opposition just says it was all rigged, or someone else wins and the new government can't do anything anyway, because of martial law.
That, in turn, leads me to think back over the story and notice that it's kinda a litany of situations like this. Where characters are forced to choose the least-awful option, and that's kinda the point. Once open rebellion started and the weapons came out, nice, pleasant options generally tended to disappear from the table. "Happily ever after" was the first casualty of the war, and I feel like complaining that the story isn't ending on that sort of note is sorta missing that point.
And lastly...I can't help but nod in agreement with Gale. In fact, the whole concept of "martial honor" is the reason for the whole story existing in the first place. There's almost this sort of eerie parallel between the start of the rebellion and its end, where in both situations ponies bound by "martial honor" decide on the course of action that ends with so much death because somehow a catastrophic death toll is worse than not looking tough. Both cases actually were chances for a "happily ever after", relatively speaking at least. Except in both cases that had to get thrown away for "honor". I can't see how that's a worthwhile trade at all.
Man this was a good read.
8640987
Yah, I was a little uncomfortable with the earth pony elections being discontinued. As you said, though, they really weren't helping anything. In any case, Equestria really needed to consolidate itself. I don't think that three separate governments living under one political roof was ever a good idea. And with the destruction of the Pegasi government, there was really no point in having separate governments for the earth ponies or unicorns. Right now, the best thing to do is to eliminate the political separation between the three tribes and just have "Equestria" under one government.
And as for the story itself: this was awesome. I think this story was one the ones that I started on when I first came to this sight. This was truly an epic.
8640846
Yeah, no. You're ignoring two very important facts. First, the old system was corrupt and discriminatory, and is what really caused all the trouble. And second, that old system is now gone. Equestria has become a coalition where all three tribes, including earth ponies, have an equal voice.
*Everything* has changed. In the face of that, to insist that this is just the same-old-same-old is completely ridiculous.
8640957
The earth pony government was not disbanded, they just stopped having elections, I know that might not seem different from our current democratically minded selves but that is different from a new government. There simply was no Earth pony government left.
As for the Clans, well they made the point several times in the story, the mere fact that the Clans could rise in rebellion in the first place showed that they needed to be dissolved. They all fought for just their clans and that is the very problem itself, their loyalty was to their clans first not the overall Equestria. Bright and the Warlocks had nothing to do with the dissolution of the clans
And frankly you don't seem to recognize that treason carries a punishment, the Clans rebelled, so they are punished, that's how it works. The unicorns stayed loyal, so they are rewarded.
EDIT: And having read some other comments, I'd point out another argument, there aren't many other options, this is about picking the least worst options and trying to ensure this never happens again
8640987
Have to disagree on the pony elections. all they have to do is make some reforms to make it harder to rig the election. I just feel Celestia got lazy and Shadow to war weary to actually stand up.
Celestia took the Pegasi for granted and hurt her relationship with them While I believe she addressed most of their concerns she admitted she goofed. It wasn't Honor that cause the war. They felt Celestia had become a poor leader and they were right. The issue is Swift's influence on the Ephorate that led to the war. Hell Swift encouraged Apple Tree to not settle with Celestia.
Now she has no check on power.
8641046
yes it was. some might retain their positions but the voice the Earth Ponies had is now gone. Celestia has become a tyrant. She has no check on herself. She now has absolute power and that is bad no matter if the person in power is good or evil.
8641038
things can change but things can also be improved. Her actions with the clans and the elections just justified the whole rebel cause. Instead of improvign both she eliminated them thus showign the rebel leaders are right.
8641061
Interesting perspective, some might argue that a benevolent dictator is better than a democracy. But more to the point no, she is not a tyrant, she might be a dictator now but that's not a tyrant. And who says she has no checks on herself? You don't know how the new government is structured, it could very well have multiple checks on her power for all you know. She certainly had plenty of balances against her power in the unicorn kingdom.
And once again, this isn't about finding the "best" solution, this is about the least worst option from all the bad options they have left, and trying to ensure that a civil war like this never happens again. They can't just reinstate a new democracy, or hold elections, what with all the occupations and martial law. They don't have many options left.
I also note you didn't comment on the dissolution of the clans anymore.
Always a melancholic feeling to have something this long running end. What a ride!
Wow, I almost can’t believe it’s over. This was an amazing story, and I can’t wait to see more of your fantastic work. Really surprised about Gale becoming Grand Vizier. Then again, being a spy master probably made it a lot easier to fill that role... Hope to see more stories in this time period soon!
8641057
Ok. Look at what happened this way. Sure, half the Earth Ponies sided with Celestia, but by that same token half sided with the Rebellion, including the government established in their capital. Holding elections at this stage would more than likely just reignite the conflict. Any former Rebels would have no obligation to respect the election of any pro-Celestia officials since many cities were under occupation, and any anti-Celestia officials elected could easily use their positions to try and start another war, or at the very least be uncooperative in the rebuilding efforts. Asking a bunch of ponies who just went through a bloody civil war “who do you think should be the new government” is basically asking for trouble. As for disbanding the clans, like Gale said, a culture where one pony’s pride can lead thousands to their death because “honor demands it” is a danger to both itself and everyone around it. No one forced Rightly to make a suicide charge. No one made Steel decide to fight to the last before surrendering. Rightly openly states that he can’t be the first ephor to surrender to a foreign power, and he was willing to lead thousands to their deaths to insure he wasn’t. As for your claims that the rebel Pegasus are blameless in that they only fought out of loyalty to their clan heads, well that just seems to lend credence to the idea that they were not fit to continue to exist. That means that instead of a professional standing army protecting Equestria, it had dozens of small armies loyal only to their own personal leadership, and that can turn on both each other and Equestria as whole at any time if any given warlord takes issue with the actions of the government of any tribe. Celestia certainly hurt her relationship with the Pegasus through her actions, but despite making no attempt to seek retaliation against them, the ephorate began immediately preparing for war against her and did so the moment an excuse to presented itself without making any attempt to investigate. And they did so unanimously. Swift didn’t force or manipulate anyone into going to war, they seemed pretty set on going to war already, largely to protect their own legacies against Celestia returning to power after a few centuries. And by the end of the war, regardless of whether or not you believe the the government’s of the Rebels should have remained intact, the fact remains that they weren’t really in a position to be reinstated. The clans were shattered and the Earth Ponies government was wrecked pretty bad and their countryside was in flames. It’s pretty hard to have the luxury of democracy in the midst of a colossal national crisis. And since I’m certain you’ll make mention that deciding to dissolve the clans was unacceptable to the pegasai and inspired them to fight to the death, I’m going to point out that the Rebels weren’t exactly offering reasonable terms either. They wanted total independence for Pegasopolis, with all its military and government institutions intact, as well as independence for the Earth Ponies, despite, as you said, many supporting Celestia. And there weren’t a lot of ways to negotiate a new government for the Eart Ponies that could satisfy both sides. New elections would likely just infuriate the losing side and reignite the conflict, given that controversial elections were the catalyst for the beginning of the war. They could try establishing separate governments for the Loyalists and Rebels, but that creates a series of new problems, last me dividing an already divided people further, hosting new elections within these governments, dealing with the minority of ponies in both sides who support the other, and deciding if they both give to all of Equestria, or just the parts sympathetic to their side of the conflict. Furthermore, if an independent Pegasopolan state were to be allowed to exist, what happens to the Kickers? They technically committed treason against Pegasopolis, so would they, or at least their leadership, have to stand trial as part of the peace? Could they be pardoned? That would probably be perceived as an insult by some Loyalists, the idea that the he Rebels have the right to pass judgment or grant mercy to their own members. What about the warlocks? What would happy to them? As has been pointed out, they were only deemed warlocks under Celestias laws, and have done nothing but faithfully serve the Rebel cause. Would they be granted pardons in Rebel territory? That sounds rather dangerous to just let them run free. Should they all be deemed outlaws and hunted? That could really hurt the legitimacy of any Rebel government, declaring die-hard supporters criminals based on laws written up largely by their hated enemy and her supporters. Not to mention all the personal grudges held by multiple members of the leadership of both sides against members of the rival leadership. I really see a way a negotiated peace could work, at least in regards to that peace lasting for any meaningful length of time. Sure the current regime sacrifices some personal liberty, but at least this way conflict is contained to localized banditry instead of full scale war, and Equestria has largely prospered since. And at the very least, local democracy was preserved in municipal centers like cities and towns, so it’s not like all forms of representation are lost.
8641151
Well said indeed.
8640893
Yeah, the Battle of Two Magnuses was the only battle in the attempted Charger invasion, and was a crushing defeat. If not for the history/personalities involved and some major effects it would have down the line, it probably would’ve been written off as just a particularly large pirate raid.
8641234
I appreciate the support :)
8641296
Ok, now I want to see this.
8641316
It’s on my to-do list.
8641330
Looking forward to it :)
Hard to believe this is over. It's been an incredible journey throughout; thank you for taking us through it. One last thought:
In a twisted way, Celestia got exactly what she wanted out of this.
Wow, I finally decide to drop a review only to find out that the story is over. Most annoying.
I'll repeat what others have already said, this story is one hell of a read. I love long stories that work on an epic scale. Sure, the day to day activities can be interesting, but that's nothing compared to a major historical event.
One thing I found very annoying, yet at the same time enjoyable was the whole pegasus perspective on things. As someone who believes in unicorn supremacy, it was annoying to see pegasus society and beliefs displayed as being superior or just better than those of others'. However, unlike some stories where pegasi are presented as inherently better than other tribes, the supposed superiority in this story comes from perspective. After all, this is a story told by a pegasus, so it makes sense that pegasi would be described in a more positive light. If you think about it, a lot of problems in the story were caused by individuals being too proud to listen to others. If only they had swallowed their pride and tried to listen to others.
It was enjoyable to see that neither side was the good side or the bad side. Both sides had heroes and villains, though in this story, I'd say that villains are more pragmatic, rather than ponies who want to do evil things. Even warlocks had their reasons for doing things.
Many people like to blame Celestia and her lack of action as the main cause of the conflict, while I do see their point, I don't Celestia is the only one to blame. Yes, played an important part, but she was not the only one. As mentioned before, there was too much pride and arrogance on all sides in order to resolve the conflict in a civilized manner. Though, I do wonder whether or not it was possible to avoid the war even if everyone had cooperated. Considering the strength of tribal loyalties we've seen, it might be safe to say that war was inevitable. If not in Shadow's lifetime, then maybe in the next. As long as a pony's primary loyalty was to the tribe/clan, Equestria was not a country. Merely a coalition of allied tribes.
One thing I was sad to read about was the story of Nimbus and Radiant. I enjoy a nice love story, especially in war/action stories. It tells me that there's more to the world than just death and suffering. Nice things happen as well. I would have loved to read about them surviving the war and starting a family. Hell, I would be okay with Radiant dying and Nimbus raising their foal. Sadly, you decided to cut their story short. Unfortunate, so very unfortunate.
Now that the story is over, I find myself wanting for more. There is still plenty of material for other stories. The restoration of Equestria, for examplce. Sadly, it looks like this story will remain unexplored. At least for now.
Either way, this story was an amazing read and I enjoyed every second of it.
Well... it's over. I'm always sad to see the end of stories, but I'm not too sad to see this one go. It's very depressing, as it rightly should be. Time for something more light hearted I hope.
8641085
Half the earth ponies didn't support her, and the most of the remainder that did support her won't any longer when she proves the rebels right by dismantling their democracy and planting herself as monarch. In fact, she has legitimized the rebellion and it's cause.
With no support amongst the citizenship, the only way to force her rule over the earth ponies is going to be by force, especially when the mass protests and riots come out over the end of their democracy.
She is a tyrant.
Interim-government until the situation settles then hold a new election. At the very least it would keep Celestia's supporter base intact and still supporting her.
The earth ponies aren't going to rock the bed too much unless you make them rock the bed, add onto that their population is extremely war weary. The earth ponies are going to want peace and quiet. They aren't pegasi, they don't want to fight. So a new election candidate is going to have to promise that peace and quiet. Even if Celestia loses they're not going to end up with a radical elected, and she basically has infinite tries to get elected again.
She is doing the exact same thing that lost her the support of both the Pegasi government and it's citizens. She had lost touch so much with the other tribes that she'd forgotten that Pegasi do not see her the same way the unicorns see her, as a supreme ruler by blood, destiny and title.
The pegasi didn't see her as a Monarch. They saw her as a military Commander. Someone to lead them in defending Equestria. She proved to be a bad Commander, and was legally stripped of her position.
In the same way the pegasi don't, the earth ponies do not see her as a Monarch. They see her as a elected government official. They see her like Americans view Obama.
And if Obama got elected today with 80%+ of the votes (On the tail end of Trump) he would still lose nearly all of his support if he declared democracy over and he was now King. This isn't modern Equestria where most everyone sees her as a benevolent Monarch who has always been Monarch.
I completely disagree that this is the "least worst" option.
The best option would be to maintain and grow her support base amongst the earth ponies, by allowing elections to start up again once things cool off, wait a hundred years or so when this war is a distant memory, and then start dismantling the democracy.
The worst option would be to legitimize the rebellion and their cause, prove them correct, bulldoze your support base amongst the earth ponies into the ground, hold onto the tribe's leadership by force, and fan the flames of a second civil war right after the first.
8641416
"In a twisted way, Celestia got exactly what she wanted out of this."
Yep. Almost as if that was someone's plan all along...
(For those reading this who weren't aware, I have a, well, yes, conspiracy theory that Shadow and Sunbeam were working together since before this story opened, with different but intersecting motives that led them to provoke and orchestrate the war and its aftermath. The Avatar of Nightmare Moon was genuinely unexpected, but before she appeared and after she died, Shadow and Sunbeam were secretly guiding things with the goal of achieving pretty much what they did achieve: a united Equestria under a strong central government under Celestia.)
8641549
I think you’re missing the fact that the Rebels were the aggressors in this conflict. Celestia fully accepted her removal as Commander of Pegasopolis, but the Ephorate seemed determined to remove the possibility of her ever returning to power again. And the Rebel Earth Ponies seemed equally committed to seeing her removed. Not to mention their government was in shambles, and any interim government would have to be appointed by the victorious Loyalists, which would kill any claims to legitimacy it would have. They could try new elections, but they are just concluding a violent civil war that was set off by their last contested election. I’ve said before, asking a group of people who just finished killing each other over the question of who should be their leader who they think should be their leader is just asking for trouble. This is especially dangerous given that they really need the farmers to get back to harvesting before Equestria starves. I feel that it bears mentioning that I think that most people who advocate for the reinstatement of Earth Pony democracy are looking at our present day democratic institutions, and not looking at the in universe ones. It would be very difficult to convince the characters in this story of the virtues of national democracy when the only democracy they have as an example violently tore itself apart over a particularly controversial election. Given that the countryside was in flames by the end of the war, having a strong central authority to restore some semblance of order seems rather prudent.
I will sincerely miss seeing updates for this story. Few fanfics captured me like this one did. I would've never thought I'd be into a war focused story, let alone one this long, but you wrote it so well and had it be focused on the ponies involved and strategies rather than an all out gore fest, and that leaves so much more of an impact, imo. Thank you for creating such rich, varied characters, with real flaws and strengths, that have realistic thoughts and emotions. In short, thanks for being a great writer and writing a great story.
While Shadow grew to have respect for Sunbeam, I can't imagine that there was enough "love" there to work "zee magicks," as Photo Finish might say. Celestia and Shadow definitely had enough love... they got married in another timeline that branched off from a point after this one ended, for crying in the mud.
Ash Kicker...
8641085
My thoughts have not changed at all on that. but lets look at the clans before and during the war. The clans served well as the military arm of Equestria and took that role very seriously. And was content with Celestia's rule with one notable exception of Swift Blade. Where things go wrong was the Clipping and the Raiders.
Let's go with the Raiders first. For a considerable period towns on the coast facing the Gryphon Empire have been attacked by Gryphon bandits. and got bad enough to warrant the attention of an Ephor. After a time the ephor saw defending wasn't enough the raids were getting worse. She manage to find their camps and requested permission to take them out. No invasion of Gryphon territory just a strike to wipe out those camps. She was refused because of treaty (which was clearly not being enforced by the Gryphons) and that fact the raiders would return in time. (likely true but would not be that strong.) And thanks to that another town hit and this time unlike others ponies taken and found out to be food for the gyrphons. They were unable to save a colt and two mares from this fate. How many more would of have to die before Celestia would act? Her response to the Ephorate's actions were wrong. they did their job, she DIDN'T and her response to it soured her relationship with them.
The Clipping. And here's the most major screw up. Her haste on this was very stupid. The first known clipping in ages, one that shocked all of the Ephorate from it. I will easily say that the Ephorate should have done a bit more but Celestia went too fast( an actual change of pace for her.) The team she assembled on paper seemed good. but should have done a deeper vetting for two out of the three members of the team used the clipping to berate the entire pegasus culture. Even going so far as to accuse Rightly of killing is late wife and child. IF that unicorn mare hadn't been killed when she was I would hope she be punish for making such a claim with no evidence but sadly I fear she wouldn't have because how the unicorns viewed the pegasi. This insulting of their ways and that accusation hit hard and infuriated any pegasus. Even Shadow, Celestia's strongest support was unhappy. Celestia admits she screwed up here but she makes it worse by trying to continue it. She had used all her policitcal capital among the pegasi for that clipping investigation and it blew up in her face. She should have dropped it and perhaps she would not have been removed. She screwed up, she even admitted it and with the attitude among the pegasi as is was made it perfect for Swift to push is anti Celestia ideas. I do believe the bulk of the early anti Celestia came from him and after the clipping disaster the other Ephors were more open to it. thus making the war all the easier to start.
Now onto the Earth ponies. Celestia had enjoyed a good rule here, rarely challenged for it. But an issue came up with Danver and his friend Apple Tree sought to right it. At this point the best he could hope for was the issue being addressed. However after Sunbeams foal slaying came to light and the fact that Celestia kept her as a Grand Vizier hurt Celestia and strengthened Apple Tree. sadly fraud happened on both sides and even though Celestia came up with reasonable idea's that allowed him to try to deal with the issue he ran to fix he rejected them and very likely because of Swift Blade. fight ensued after his death and the clans intervenied and installed the Apple followers as a new government. One which did not have the support of at least half of the Earth Ponies, then add in Fair Deal's plans which likely alienated some of the Apple supporters for despite siding with Apple Tree they were being hit because they owned many farms. After Swifts moves the Apple government was pretty much gone. but on the Celestia side there was many mayors and likely some officials that got out of Manehattan in time. Then after all the suffering the loyalist Earth Ponies go through. what to they get for their service. The lost of their voice to the government. They lost their strongest way to get Celestia's attention. She now has no checks on her power and that is dangerous no matter who is in control. Even when there are four alicorns in total none of the others ever overrule her in anything. they might have issues but hers always ends up as the final word.
8641151
Both sides stated they would take a fair election. They just have to do their best to prevent fraud and Celestia did come up with a plan to solve the issue Apple Tree ran on. at the end both sides were tired of war and lost of the rebel Earth ponies were especially tired after their losses. And Swifts leadership. Hell his entire clan was killed by Earth Ponies and likely by those once their allies. The Earth Pony government was clearly salvagable.
As for the clans and the Kickers. simple, allows the clans to exist and for them to let the Kickers back in. there might be some resentment but most likely after the FULL details of the war that even the staunchest rebel clan would take a look at what happened and why. The fact of the matter is the Ephorate went to far, most of it was Swift Blade's insisitence. While I question the exclusion of Shadow from the meeting that discussion the removal of Celestia as Commander (No doubt that was also a Swift idea) They did legally remove her from her position and she didn't fight it, and saw where she erred and if tings had gone different could have regained the position in time. The Ephorate then decided to get involved with the Earth Pony elections (Again was pushed by Swift.) Things really went downhill when Swift brought the Warlocks in. Rightly wasn't thrilled with this and sent Swift away as punishment. After his capture, Steals Injuries, and Brights fatal blow noone was left to stop Swift quickly. Dusk tried but wasn't fast enough. So likely see all that transpired the clans would likely take a look at them selves and go from some reforms to prevent a similar turn of events. Celestia's disband of the clans gave them absolutely no reason to seek peace. Celestia was determine to destroy everything they are so why not fight. at least them they might have a chance. Celestia's terms were unreasonable just like Righty's terms earlier in the conflict. Celestia rejected them but you don't go blasting her for honor of refusing those terms. Yet Rightly has equal reason to reject hers. she gave them no out so better to try to go down fighting.
at the Start of this war Celestia had the moral high ground. She didn't challenge her removal, and after the fraud tried to work with Apple Tree for form a coalaliton government. The Pegasi made the first hostile move. and she held this moral high ground all the way till she disbanded the clans and refuse to reform the Earth Pony Government. Those two acts gave the rebellion all it's justification to exist. She own her own made their point. For look at what came out of the war. Celestia as an all powerful ruler with no checks on the power. Only advisors to assist her but not to keep her in check. and when the other alicorns appear she still has the final say. and minus mayor elections we see no trace of the Earth Pony government while the Unicornian one is little changed out of the three. Celestia became the tyrant they claimed her to be. I don't care how properous Equestria has been since she lost the arguemnt that started it.
8641423
I disagree, if Celestia had been more active in the government instead of seating at Canterlot the past century the resentment would have never been this powerful. even as is they were overall content with her rule. Only the clipping investigation and her response to the Gryphon raiders did she fully lose support of the Pegasi. While with the Eartrh Ponies her keeping Sunbeam on after her foal slaying became public did she lose support. So yes a good portion of the blame lies with Celestia, the rest with Swift
8641549
bingo. it's said that others don't see the full picture here.
8642097
The clan actions before the war are largely irrelevant, yes Celestia screwed up but THEY are the ones who started the war, their martial culture and values led them to seeing military conflict with Celestia as the only possible course of action. A few insults to honor does not excuse the wholesale bloodshed of this civil war. And especially after Dusk Chargers actions, the loyalty of any clans who DID surrender was highly suspect. Do you ever wonder why there aren't any more martial classes of people today like knights and samurai? It's because they are destabilizing effects and its the same with the clans. Having large numbers of trained soldiers whose first loyalties are to their own local lords/families/fellows is highly destabilizing, and as shown here, often leads to civil war. The disbandment of the clans is about first punishing them for treason, and seconds (and more importantly) making sure a civil war like this NEVER happens again.
As for the Earth ponies, the pre-war issues hare are again largely irrelevant, except for showcasing the need for the government to change in some way. And why do you keep saying there are no checks to Celestias power? You don't know that. All but the most tyrannical of dictators in our history had NO checks or balances on their powers, and Celestia doesn't strike me as the type to not create any balances against her own power. Their voice in government is not lost either, it IS diminished, but its not gone, they still have their own regional elections, and their local governments will definitely have a say in what Celestia does.
8641549
What riots? What protests? I feel like those would have been mentioned in the epilogue if they had happened. The ones who supported Celestia are VERY unlikely to stop supporting her because of this, seeing as many of them would have seen the elections as pointless anyway, and they wanted Celestia in charge to begin with. Again I feel like a mass loss of support among the Earth Ponies would have been mentioned in the epilogue if it happened, you're making A LOT of assumptions here with no real evidence to support them.
The Earth ponies who supported Celestia are also very likely to see the previous democratic government as one of the causes of the war, leading to even less care about the dismantlement of the democracy, ESPECIALLY in the wake of this very bloody civil war.
Said interim government would not be seen as legitimate by the former rebels, and given that many former rebels would have had their family members die to those who supported Celestia, said situation is not going to settle for a VERY long time.
Now that would be very logical and true, except that again, families have been decimated by this war, and democracies are driven by emotion, many WILL want peace and quiet, others will want revenge and there won't be very few of them. Simply look at France post Franco-Prussian war, that was a democracy which was thoroughly beaten which included the starvation and devastation of its capitol, and what did the people who wanted to be elected promise? They promised revenge Revanchism (literally revenge-ism), they promised another war "only this time they promised they would win", and that's not even touching the post WW1 Germany.
This of course disregards the very likely possibility of many former rebels simply refusing to participate in the elections and then refusing to acknowledge the new government. And if a former rebel running on a platform of revenge against the loyalists was elected? Well then the options would be to completely ignore the democracy and get rid of him, or run the very likely risk of another civil war.
This also isn't America, this is a society that has just come out a very bloody civil war and wants peace. Remember most Earth ponies didn't even care about the elections until Apple tree came along, and those who supported Celestia would have been those who saw the elections as still largely pointless, for them moving Celestia from always elected Chancellor into the position of Monarch wouldn't have been a very big deal. And those who would care about this are those who lost the war, and on a simple matter of stability they can't really be relied on to come back to the government because of the very real possibility of massive destabilization and possible second civil war that would occur.
The Romans too where very proud of their democratic institutions, but when Octavian came to power do you know what they did? They celebrated him, praised him, PROCLAIMED HIM A GOD. Because he promised, and brought, peace and stability to a society that had spent a great deal of time wracked by civil war and unrest. You can throw Ben Franklin quotes around as much as you like, but most people (or in this case, ponies) will choose stability and security over Freedom, especially a minor freedom like the right to vote and more especially in the wake of some major crisis like this civil war.
The two of you seem to want a return of the status quo from before the war, but that status quo is what led to this civil war, something that they are trying to avoid with this new government, frankly as soon as blood was shed there where only two ways this could go, wither the Equestrian nations became even more separate from each other (under Pegasopilan leadership), or they became more centralized under Celestia. The ones who wanted the former lost, so this is the result.
8642134
Again I think it’s wrong to lay virtually all of Pegasopolis’s faults at the hooves of Swift. Bright authorized his destroying the Earth Pony government before becoming the Avatar, and Steel and Rightly both chose to get nearly everyone under their command needlessly and pointlessly killed. This is especially grievous is Steel’s case, as most of his troops weren’t even pegasai. And the Blades were killed in a Loyalist city that had been captured by Loyalists , not by Rebels who defected out of frustration with the Rebel leaderships actions. As for the Earth Ponies, their federal government was exterminated, and no Rebels could be trusted to take leadership due to all the damage they could do with that authority. Maybe they won’t try to raise an army again, but they could, say, decide to keep that years harvest to themselves instead of sharing it Unicornia. Which means the unicorns would have two options: starve or invade. And then the remaining Pegasus would pick sides and we’re back at square one. As for the Kickers being returned to Pegasopolis, do you really think the other Pegasus would just forgive and forget what was to them treason and murder? Shadow didn’t just break away from the Pegasus, she sided her clan with their enemies and killed Pegasopolan soldiers for them. She was the worst sort of traitor in their eyes. And I feel this has been said before, but if the Rebel governments aren’t disbanded, then what consequences DO they face? Do the Loyalists appoint the new governments? That would be little better then outright disbanding them and not be seen as legitimate. That’s actually the only alternative I can think of. You’re idea seems to rely on a warrior culture with a deeply ingrained sense of pride and personal honor would willingly overhaul their entire culture to something almost unrecognizable after one bad defeat. Also, even if the Loyalists didn’t decide to disband the Rebel clans, I honestly doubt any negotiated peace could have been reached. The Rebel terms of peace were basically total victory for their cause, which was unacceptable to the Loyalists, and I can’t think of anything the Loyalists could ask for besides ask the Rebels promise not to invade again. But then, of course, you may argue that that would remove a check on Celestias authority, asking them not to wage war on her and her people. See what I’m getting at? The Pegasus tried to be a “check” on Celestias power, which was in this case a whole scale invasion of a nation she is the beloved ruler of. This makes them seem more like a danger then a source of protection from tyranny. What, anytime the pegasai suspect Celestia may have overstepped her authority at all they declare war? Again, that system seems extremely risky and dangerous. Not to mention the Pegasus could have their own civil war if some of the clans support Celestia, like what happened in this story. And surrender seems out of the question. Rightly seemed more upset about the idea that he would be the first Ephor to ever surrender than about his clan being destroyed, and I don’t see an old warrior like Steel surrendering. And if they don’t surrender, we get the last two battles of the war, which virtually destroys the clans almost in their entirety, with the only remains being the young, the old, the sick,wounded, and inferm, and some who are healthy and in their prime but lack either the necessary prestige and authority to take command or can’t be trusted to. Also, think about this. The Loyalists fought long and hard, and died in great numbers, because they believed in Celestia and wanted her to be in charge of their respective governments. They don’t really have an incentive to want to keep the Rebels around, since all they’ve done is invade their homes, kill their wives, sons, daughters and husbands, and try to unseat their beloved ruler. From the Loyalists perspective, the Rebels look like the tyrants they need to be protected from.