Retribution
500 years...a long time...even by the standards of Alicorns. And Brighter Tomorrow was no Alicorn.
He didn't remember a sky that wasn't dominated by a rainbow colored energy shield that protected himself and his subjects from the fury of the Reckoning, but he did remember his role to play.
Brighter Tomorrow was the Mayor of Cloudsdale. Subservient only to the General Manager of the Rainbow Factory, it was Bright's sworn duty to lead the Pegasai of Cloudsdale and the lesser Ponies beneath them into the future.
The Reckoning was ending. Within a few days, the world Cloudsdale left behind would be inhabitable once again, and Brighter Tomorrow would ensure that everypony played their part in the new world.
As Bright looked down upon Shade's End, a rainbow snaked across the sky. A symbol of Cloudsdale's continued growth, and continued sacrifices to the Rainbow Factory.
Bright never really bought in to the idea that the Reckoning needed to happen in order to repay some blood debt to a place built around the slaughter of Failures. But the last time a Mayor pitched the idea that they stopped pretending this was anything more than a hostile takeover, Bright got the job...he never learned what truly happened to his predecessor, but he didn't really care.
The production of rainbows would be the only weather manipulation conducted by the Factory, hence the name change from Weather Factory, and it served its purpose well. The Flight Test that determined one's right to live or die was updated every hundred years in order to further evolve the Cloudsdale Pegasai, and ensure that there was a steady supply of Failures to be devoured by the Pegasus Device.
A ridiculous superstition in Bright's eyes, but it didn't matter. Oh, it had mattered when he had taken his flight test. He had several plans of escape in case they were needed, but he had passed flying colors. More specifically, the colors of the rainbow that shined over his head as he stood beside the other graduates.
The memory of past successes brought a nostalgic smile to the mayor's face, though it disappeared when he heard his office door opening behind him.
He turned to face the mare that had entered his office, Director Dry Storm. "Can I help you ma'am?"
"Tomorrow." The tan mare said with a stoic expression. Bright's eyes widened. "Tomorrow...until the storm passes!?"
Storm nodded. "Looks like the readers got it wrong again. Oh well, at least it won't be longer."
"Well that's good for you! but I'm going to spend all day preparing a speech and ceremony that I was told I would have more time to prepare." Bright shouted.
"Not my problem. Tomorrow. Be ready." And with that, the Director turned and walked out.
...Well, ready or not, here we come Equestria.
The next day was a day unlike any that anypony alive had ever seen. The harsh whether was gone! And a pleasant sun melted the surrounding snow. Everypony knew that the ground beneath was long dead, but that would change...everything would change.
"Fillies and gentlecoalts!" Began Brighter Tomorrow. "Today is the day we have waited for for so long! Today is the today that the Reckoning comes to an end and we retake our lost world for the Flock! The Earth Ponies and Unicorns will play their part and be rewarded! And we will prosper together under Celestia's sun better than ever before!"
The assembled Pegasai cheered while the Unicorns and Earth Ponies silently reassured the doubters amongst them that their lives would be better...though never as great as that of a Pegasus.
"And now, for the first time in 500 years, let us see the natural color of the world!" And Bright's signal, the Chaos Generators that kept their shield running were deactivated. Bright turned from the crowd the shield fall and see Equestria's true beauty.
It was an ugly world. Bland and colorless. Small mounds of melting snow dotted a flooded muddy landscape with skeletal trees and the frozen and charred skeletons of creatures large and small that were left at the mercy of the Reckoning.
Bright would take the first step into the new world, symbolizing his role as the one would lead them back to Equestria.
He took his step...and the world changed.
A great explosion erupted from the earth twenty feet from Shade's End, and from it emerged Vengeance Incarnate.
The Royal Sisters were creatures of myth in this age, yet everypony knew their description well. Celestia: the true ruler of Equestria whose mane shined with the rising sun. And Luna: the forgiven Usuper whose treachery first spawned the necessity of the Rainbow Factory and started the Butterfly Effect that led to the Reckoning itself. Everypony was taught at foalhood that forgiving Luna had been a mistake, and that it was for this mistake that the Pegasai lost their faith in Celestia.
That monster, seen as the reason for all strife to befall Cloudsdale and every horrible action the Flock had to commit, had emerged from the Earth at the head of an army of Ponies.
The Princess was scarred into the image of a monster. One of her wings was cut in half, forcing her to fly through magic, and her body was covered with scars. But none of this was more monstrous than the hateful look she shot down at the assembled crowd before her.
Before Brighter Tomorrow could regain his senses, there was another explosion. This was not the sound of something emerging violently from the earth, but rather a machine being ruined beyond repair.
Another scarred monster, appearing as some form of Alicorn shaped bug, had just destroyed the Chaos Generator, ensuring that they couldn't reactivate the force field.
Luna landed on Bright's podium with authority, finally bringing him back to reality. "H-HELP! HEEEEELLLPP!!!"
The assembled Pegasai, warriors all, hurled themselves at the vengeful Alicorn. Only to be blasted away by a row of Unicorns behind her.
"...500 years..." Luna hissed as she stared down at Brighter Tomorrow. "500 years since I watched my sister die...500 years since everything she built for Ponykind fell down around me...for 500 years I waited...for 500 years I wached the dreams of Cloudsdale and Shade's End for the faintest sign of regret...and the closest I could see...was a sniveling worm who just wanted to rule over others without pretending it was right."
She lowered her muzzle and stared Bright dead in the eye. "You will rule nothing."
As the invading force fought deeper into Shade's End, with the bug monster and Pegasus outsiders moving to assault Cloudsdale, Luna's words echoed in Brighter Tomorrow's mind as he passed out in shock.
As Queen Chrysalis led an assault on Cloudsdale, Righteous Fury, a red and black Pegasus whose Cutie Mark was a Hero's Sword drenched in blood, led a group of Pegasai and Unicorns who knew the Flight Spell into the Rainbow Factory itself.
The Unicorns flew above the Pegasai and ceased their flight to put all of their power into blasting apart the dark clouds that made up the Factory.
Righteous and the other Pegasai dive bombed in with a vendetta. Upon landing within the dark halls, Righteous came face to face with a mare wearing a security uniform and a stallion wearing a scientist uniform.
Before either Pegasus could react Righteous flung him at the guard pony. She tried to pull out a stun baton, but Righteous was too fast. He bowled the mare over and bit into her wing. With a pull of his head, he ripped it clean.
The crimson Pegasus spat the appendage out and stared down at the screaming mare beneath him. "You don't even deserve those wings you bear." He sneered before rearing up and stomping on her head once, twice, thrice. On the fourth stomp, he crushed her skull.
With the most immediate threat neutralized, Righteous Fury surveyed his surroundings. The other Pegasai and Unicorns with him had killed another guard that had been behind him when he engaged the first one he saw, but it seemed that the scientist had slipped away. A Pegasus was trying to break down a locked door, probably where the scientist ran, but they didn't have time for that.
"Leave him." Ordered Righteous as he and the others formed up and galloped through the halls of the Rainbow Factory.
They came to an Elevator door locked behind a retinal scan. "Shifting Winds, you're up."
"Got it." Replied the Pegasus mare before transforming into the mirror image of the Factory Director as Princess Luna had described her.
This was possible for one of many unforgivable crimes committed by the Flock: the extinction of the Changelings.
Chrysalis was one of merely 3 Changelings to survive the Reckoning. The other two being a pair of brothers named Thorax and Pharynx.
When Luna escorted the three to Canterlot Mountain to take refuge in the Catacombs, Chrysalis bred with both brothers in a futile attempt to save her species.
After the small group of cousins/half siblings were born, a few found love amongst Ponies. 500 years later, the only Changeling trait left in their descendants is their shapeshifting abilities. Some take the form of Changelings as Chrysalis described them, but they were all born as Ponies, making Chrysalis the last of her kind.
Shifting Winds fooled the retinal scan, and the strike team loaded up into the elevator. The Unicorns keeping their shields ready for when the door opened while a few Pegasai opened the emergency hatch and climbed atop the elevator so the entire team wouldn't be wiped out in a worst case scenario, but Righteous Fury remained at the front.
As soon the doors opened, Righteous exploded from the elevator and into the nearest Pegasus, bowling her over.
Upon realizing he was standing over another scientist and that there was nopony else, Righteous held off killing her...for now.
"Where are they?" The crimson colored Pegasus snarled, the dark spots around his ruby eyes giving him the presence of a demon in Summer Shower's view.
"...W..wuh" the frightened mare stuttered as the terrifying stallion's allies surrounded her in a practiced formation to watch for anypony else that could stumble upon them.
The stallion stomped a hoof into Summer's ribs. "WHERE ARE THEY!?"
Summer screamed in pain as she felt something break. "I DON-I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU WAAANT!!!"
This only made the stallion apply greater pressure to the broken rib. "YOUR POWER SOURCE FILTH!! THE BLAND COLORED PEGASAI THAT YOU FEED TO THIS FUCKING FACTORY!!!"
Summer cried out more, but at last the red and black stallion let up, allowing her to process the information. Summer pointed a trembling hoof down a hall on their right. "Th-that way...the Failures are kept ove-"
The stallion stomped on her neck, eliciting another scream before she couldn't breath, and lowered his muzzle to her ear. "Call them Failures again Traitor. I dare you."
He grabbed her mane in his teeth and pulled her up before shoving her forward. "Move it!" He barked as his cohorts closed in around them.
Summer Shower did what she was told. She still didn't know what was happening. The furthest that she could guess was she was at the mercy of some lunatic who wanted to rule the new world. It didn't matter, all she had to do was play along until a security force came to subdue them. There were cameras all over the place, they were surely already on the way.
They came to their destination. Gale Force was currently overseeing the death of a tan filly, her flesh being devoured by the acid as her soul was by the Factory.
"WATCH OUT!!" Summer shouted to Gale Force, but it was too late. The demonic stallion shot forward and kicked off the vat of acid with enough force to shatter it, pouring its contents onto Gale Force.
The silver stallion screamed in agony as the acid dissolved him and he collapsed next to what was left of the Failure he had subjected to the same fate.
Summer stared at the corpse, mouth agape, and started to weep. One of the Unicorns sneered in disgust at this. "Suck it up buttercup, he got what he deserved, and if you don't cooperate, you'll be next Traitor."
Traitor, that was twice they called her that. Why? How was she the Traitor when these murderers were trying to use Failures to bolster their numbers. She received her answer when she heard the cell doors open.
The red and black stallion stood before the group of black, grey, white, and brown Pegasai that had failed their flight tests...and he looked upon them with pity and compassion. "It's over, you're free."
All of Summer's assumptions shattered, it wasn't unheard of for lesser Pegasai to exploit escaped Failures, as rare as escapes were, but nopony ever...ever saw Failures as something to pity.
And even the Failures knew that, as evident by their mistrust. "Who are you?" Asked the eldest among them.
"I am Righteous Fury of the Lunar Retribution Force. 500 years ago, Princess Luna survived the Reckoning and saved as many lives as she could. We are the descendants of the Ponies who escaped into the Canterlot Catacombs and spent half a millennia underground...waiting for the Reckoning to end. Waiting...for revenge." The red and black Pegasus stallion declared.
The demonic stallion called Righteous Fury waved his hoof over his head to gesture towards the entire area. "Princess Luna and the rest of our forces are liberating Shade's End and conquering Cloudsdale as we speak. We outnumber them 3 to 1 and have spent 500 years preparing for this fight. Princess Luna has seen your dreams and hid from your sight only to ensure the Traitors were caught completely off guard. The fight is already over. All that is left...is to win."
Summer couldn't comprehend what she had heard. Princess Luna was just a myth, nopony could've survived the Reckoning. But Righteous Fury had just tore away the very foundation of modern Equestrian faith.
Traitors That word. The hatred in the eyes of everypony watching her. These Ponies were raised by Luna to believe Cloudsdale Pegasai were evil!
"...Lies..." All eyes turned to Summer. Each aflame with hatred. "...Lies...LIES!! LUNA IS A MONSTER!! IT'S HER FAULT THAT THESE HORRORS ARE NECESSARY!! SHE'S THE TRAITOR!!!"
Summer had stared right into Righteous Fury's eyes as she screamed. The stallion stared back in shock...shock that quickly turned to rage. "You insolent BITCH!!"
Righteous lunged at the desperate mare and beat the life out of her, Summer cried out as each blow fell, but was drowned out by the encouragement of the Failures and the other Ponies.
"HOW DARE YOU!? HOW! DARE! YOU!? YOU WHO BETRAYED EQUESTRIA!? YOU WHO MURDER FOALS RITUALLY!? HHHOOOOOOOWW DAAAAAARE YYYOOOOOOOOUUUU!!!!!?" Righteous screamed as kept pummeling the mare beneath him. Letting up only to hear some form of explanation.
Summer spat blood and teeth from her ruined jaw. "...L-Luna's betrayal...is what started all this...she is the reason...we created the Pegasus Device. And now...it demands blood...from all it has served. We all owe the Factory."
Righteous spat on the mare. "You think it was the Pegasus Device that drives the Factory Workers insane? No. It's the souls of those you've murdered. Not a single soul gets through, remember? They want out...they want revenge...and we're here to give it to them."
Summer was certain Righteous would finish her off, but he turned to look at some pony behind him. "She's all yours. We'll scout ahead and make sure you have an easy way out."
Righteous and his followers left Summer to her fate as the Failures surrounded her, one in particular had a more hateful scowl than the others. "Do you remember me Factory Worker? You were chatting with Gale Force while he killed my sister. You shouted at me to stop screaming so you could talk, said it was our fault for not being able to pass that flight test."
"...you...you're...Failures.." Summer muttered, the surrealness of her situation keeping her from thinking straight.
The Failure stomped on her broken rib. "Our flight test was harder than yours. I had almost passed, and my sister was too stupid to let me die alone. You really think you're better than us? Well now you're the Failure, and you're going to die like one."
The Failure gestured towards the open cages, and the others helped him drag Summer Shower into one and close it.
"When this revolution is over, I'm going to have a talk with Luna about keeping a Pegasus Device running just for you." The Failure spat on her, and then the group turned and left.
Summer laid there crying into herself for the longest time. She could hear the klaxons and explosions as the Failures and their saviors fought all across the Factory and beyond. But she didn't know what to do.
She didn't move...until she realized somepony was standing over her.
She yelped and backpedaled away from the green mare, expecting another beating. But the mare just stared at her. Summer stared back, wondering who the mare was and how she gotten here without making a sound.
It only more confusing when Summer realized that another Pegasus had materialized in the cage, a stallion with bright blue fur, a yellow mane and tail, and a manic look in his eye...and grievous injuries that nopony should've been standing with, let alone smiling.
Summer didn't realize what was happening until she saw the third Pony, one that she recognized: Gale Force.
Not a single soul gets through, remember? Righteous' words came to the forefront of Summer's mind as the cell was suddenly filled with adult Pegasai with varying injuries and expressions. And when Summer looked outside the cell, it was surrounded by foals of a similar nature.
The battle was going well, Luna had successfully crushed the few Pegasai that dared resist her in Shade's End and convinced the majority of the Unicorns and Earth Ponies to join her cause. There were some who were too frightened by the possibility of the Pegasai punishing them and fled. Luna did not blame them, they had been enslaved to these tyrants for 500 years and if she had tried to console their ancestors in their dreams, the Pegasai may have learned of her survival.
It didn't matter, a few civilians choosing to flee rather than take up arms didn't injure Luna's chances. Besides, she and her forces were only securing Shade's End in the event Chrysalis and Righteous Fury's forces needed to retreat.
Unfortunately, Luna wasn't done fighting just yet. As she had expected, the Pegasai had determined that if she were killed, her followers would lose morale. It wouldn't work, Righteous would lead them on, but they didn't know that.
Luna shuddered in disgust when she recognized the Uniform of the Pegasus strike force descending from the Meganimbus. The Wonderbolts hac regained their retired position as elite warriors. Luna couldn't help but question if they even did stunts anymore.
The flight of twenty Wonderbolts by a tan mare didn't Luna recognized from scouting the Dream Realm, Dry Storm: Director of the Rainbow Factory.
The irrate Pegasus was wearing a necklace that reminded Luna of the Elements of Harmony. She remembered how Cloud Cover had discovered that the Pegasai were making one-time use medallions with spells in them...it was too optimistic to think were still one-time use after 500 years.
The medallion glowed and fired a blast at the Alicorn, Luna spun in midair to dodge it and returned fire. The Wonderbolts tried to overrun her with numbers, but multiple blasts from the ground below sent four of the twenty crashing down and the others dodging the laserfire of the Unicorns below.
Chaos erupted, and Luna and Dry Storm dueled in the center of it all. Blast for blast, they attacked and countered one another as if each mare were fighting a reflection of herself.
Their symmetry was destroyed when a Wonderbolt managed to tackle Luna and bite into her wing. Breaking it with a twist of his head.
Luna broke away and blasted the offending Pegasus as she righted herself. Thankful that she could only fly through magic for the first time since her injuries.
The distraction was enough however. Dry Storm had repositioned above Luna and shot a blast at her before the Alicorn could discern her location.
Luna crashed to the earth with enough force to form a small crater. She tried to return to the fray, but her legs failed her.
Dry Storm landed in the crater, standing over Luna like a Manticore over a lamb, with her medallion ready to blast a hole in the Lunar Princess.
"My defeat means nothing Traitor. The descendants of those you left to die will not rest until they've taken their revenge." Luna hissed through gritted teeth.
Dry Storm screamed in outrage as she fired on Luna. She then leapt from the crater to find a Unicorn waiting for her, but she overwhelmed his magic blast with her own. An Earth Pony charged her, but gripped him with telekinesis and broke his neck.
With a half second of peace, Dry Storm surveyed the battlefield. The Wonderbolts were outnumbered and being overwhelmed, but with Luna defeated, at least the Shade's End traitors would lose hope and dessert the battle.
Dry Storm turned to retrieve Luna's corpse...only to the Alicorn standing over her.
Luna's hoof smashed into Dry Storm's medallion and rendered it useless, then she lifted the shocked Pegasus in her telekinesis till their muzzles touched. "...H...How..." breathed Dry Storm.
"In good time my little Pony, now order your followers to surrender...or die." Luna demanded.
"...No...no you CAN'T!! HOW DARE YOU!? YOU'RE THE REASON WE'VE BECOME THIS!! YOU'RE THE REASON THE RECKONING HAD TO HAPPEN!! YOU BETRAYED EQUESTRIA!! AND WE DID WHAT WE HAD TO IN ORDER TO CALM THE POPULATION!!" Dry Storm screamed in outrage.
"SPARE ME YOUR LIES! MY SISTER WOULD NEVER HAVE ORDERED YOU TO SLAY INNOCENT FOALS!!!" Luna retorted.
Dry Storm paused for the briefest moment, and then laughed as though Luna had just told a joke. "Oh yes, I remember the tale...two weeks after the first batch of Failures were fed to the first Pegasus Device, Celestia came to my ancestors with suggestions for more humane methods than exile to deal with Failures. Families were forced to give up successful young foals for adoption by Unicorns and Earth Ponies who couldn't have foals in order to cover up what we had done. They tried to stop after that, but the Pegasus Device...it was haunted...it hungered...and it's hunger grew...into the Reckoning."
The mad Pegasus stopped laughing and stared into Luna's eyes. "All this happened...because you dared to demand more than your birthright."
Luna matched the mad mare's hateful stare. "You think their hunger grew? The souls you bound to the Rainbow Factory did not hunger for more souls. Your ancestors assumed that because they were killing Factory workers. It never occurred to them, or you, that they sought revenge against their killers. They don't want Equestria. They want The Rainbow Factory."
Dry Storm's eyes widened. The thought had never crossed her mind. Hers, or any others. "...How...how could you possibly know that...YOU'RE JUST GUESSING!!"
"Because they...are we." As Luna spoke, her scars opened, and her coat became transparent, and she was suddenly one of many Ponies ruined beyond recognition. Some were crushed, others twisted, others burned or frozen or drowned, all that they had in common is that they had been killed in the Reckoning.
Dry Storm had nothing to say in her defense. The sins of the Flock had come home to roost, and she would inherit them.
40 Minutes Later
The last semblance of resistance was gone. Everypony in all of Equestria had gathered in Shade's End with the captured Pegasai of Cloudsdale in the middle of the great gathering of just over a thousand Ponies.
Brighter Tomorrow was among the survivors, staring at the podium that he had stood upon earlier this day. In his place stood Luna, flanked by numerous Unicorns and Pegasai. "Fillies and gentlecoalts, all of you gathered here have 500 years of grueling hardship. The Pegasai of Cloudsdale have suffered the weight of their ancestors sins and the endless desire to outrun them, the Unicorns and Earth Ponies of Shade's End have suffered 500 years of slavery after the great act of treachery known as the Reckoning, and the descendants of the Reckoning's survivors have known nothing but the darkness of a life underground and 500 years of anger and hatred. Many Pegasai born amongst my followers have suffered mistrust from their fellow Ponies for fear that they identified with the Flock. But by the advice of my own Captain." Luna gestures one of the assembled Pegasai, a black and red stallion staring hatefully at the Ponies of Cloudsdale. "The Flock shall be assimilated into a single body of Ponies known as the Herd."
Murmurs broke out as Luna closed her eyes and took a breath. "Regrettably, the Pegasai of Cloudsdale will have to suffer harsher treatments than I would prefer. For the next five generations, foals born from the Pegasai of Cloudsdale will be raised by foster parents to ensure the Flock mentality is erased from the Pegasai forever."
The murmurs turned into shouts of fear and anger. A few Pegasai tried to escape or attack Luna, but her so called 'champion' and a few others beat them into submission and flew low over the crowd as if daring somepony else to give them a reason to hurt more Pegasai.
Luna looked upon those writhing in pain without the hatred of the red stallion, but also without pity or regret. "Additionally, in order to cement this permanent joining of the three tribes. Cloudsdale will be destroyed."
Yet more tried to assault the Princess. Some tried to take a hostage or two among the Shade's End Ponies, but it was no use. In the end, all anypony could do was watch as Luna and the Unicorns beside her lit their horns and blasted the Meganimbus.
Summer screamed again as the world began to tremble. The ghosts had done naught but stare at her, but something else had decided to put her out of her misery.
Beams of light carved through the cloud floors of the Factory, but the cage that was built to hold Pegasus Failures was made of enchanted steel that wouldn't fall through the clouds...so long as the cages were on the clouds.
Summer plummeted. And beside her, the cages, Pegasus Devices, and all other metal or wooden materials within the Factory, within Cloudsdale, fell from the sky to the ground below.
Summer saw Pegasai taking flight. She pondered the thought that they might rescue her, but the slight hope died when she realized they were led by Righteous Fury.
Summer watched them pass her by without a single glance, obliterating the smaller clouds that were being shaved off the Meganimbus as a group of Unicorns led by the Traitor herself obliterated Cloudsdale completely.
The ground was fast approaching, Summer hadn't the will to fight back, or the wit to think of a way out. She closed her eyes, praying for forgiveness, and then a chill forced her eyes open where she stared into the eyes of an orange and purple mare.
Summer screamed and flew up, primal instinct forgetting the cage that trapped her, the cage she slammed into at full force and slowed just enough that when it hit the ground a half second after, it retained its integrity.
Summer Shower survived, but was not uninjured. She fell into unconsciousness...unaware that she would never fly again.
Dry Storm turned away from the horror playing out before her. She knew what would follow. Internment camps, Education programs, an end to the flock.
So Luna planned, but Dry Storm had her own plans. If she could find enough sympathizers in the surviving Pegasai, they could a way to escape and rebuild. It would be a long war, it would be a hard war, but the flock would survive.
Dry Storm noticed somepony watching her. A cyan Pegasus with a peculiar rainbow colored mane, such a thing only occurred in one of 2 million Pegasai.
We were wrong. The mare mouthed without speaking. Dry Storm scowled at the coward. There was one that wouldn't be any help. As she thought this, the mournful cries of the Pegasai and cheers of the dissenters became alert screams as Ponies to move out the way.
Dry Storm looked to the sky to see, impossibly, unfathomably, one of the Factory's Pegasus Devices was falling away from Cloudsdale...right onto Dry Storm.
The former Factory Director spread her wings to move out the way, but it was too late. The spinning machine's opening landed right on Dry Storm's head before the rest of the machine fell in front her.
The impact broke the Director's neck and activated the device. Dry Storm was devoured, her blood and Spectre drooling from unconnected ports.
5 Years Later
Luna looked down upon New Canterlot with pride. Though it would be ages before there were enough Ponies in the world again to repopulate Equestria, the capital of the new world was finished and flourishing.
Of course, it was likely that other races would take Equestria first. Several Dragons had survived by hibernating within mountains just like the Herd had, and the Hyppogriffs were nerely unscathed as they fled back to Seaquestria during the Reckoning and were now resurfacing.
Of course...other races were not so lucky. The Griffins and Yaks were completely wiped out, and the Kirin survived by becoming Niriks when their loved ones died around them. Their children and descendants were born as Niriks, and didn't know how to be anything else. It was possible they could be tought...but that was a task for her successor.
As she thought of it, the doors of her private chambers opened. "You asked to see me your Highness?"
Luna stepped away from the balcony and turned to face Righteous Fury and his servant, a former Factory worker named Summer Shower. Luna took a brief to regard the light blue Pegasus.
Her wings were horribly mangled and strapped to her body so they wouldn't drag on the floor, and she looked upon Luna with disappointment. Her re-education had taught her that there had been another way to endure the Reckoning, but like most Pegasai, the belief that Luna was solely responsible for the state of the world was all but permanent.
Luna looked upon Summer with sadness for only a second before returning her gaze to Righteous. "Yes, I requested your presence...it's time."
Righteous Fury's eyes shrank to pin pricks. "Y-your majesty..." He looked down at his hooves for a moment. When his gaze returned to Luna, he was on the verge of tears. "Thank you. For everything...I'll make sure the Herd lives on...I'll make sure they remember what you've tought us."
Summer was confused...until Luna started to bleed.
Luna's ruined form became transparent, and she was suddenly surrounded by numerous other ruined Ponies. "...Y-you...your a ghost?" Summer mumbled.
"The survivors of the Reckoning needed me, I couldn't be dead. Not yet, not while they needed me. But they don't need me anymore...I can rest now." Luna smiled as one of the other ghosts walked to stand beside her...a Pony that Righteous and Summer both knew and respected.
Celestia embraced her and the two spoke to each other in voices that couldn't be heard as they and the other ghosts walked away through the walls and off the balcony...all but one.
A Pegasus mare with lavender coat and a teal mane and tail approached Righteous Fury. ...thank you.
With that simple message, the mare faded away. "...W-who was that?" Summer asked, she didn't know why that was the question she asked, but it was the only who left her mouth.
Righteous looked at her as if pondering whether or not she was worth answering. "...several years before the Reckoning, a pair of Failures managed to escape the Rainbow Factory. Years later, one of them escaped the Reckoning. Her name was Cloud Cover...and she's my ancestor."
"...I...I remember. They barely mentioned her, but they couldn't cover it up completely. That they had forced to stop for a long time...until the Reckoning." Summer stated.
"The stories Cloud Cover told the survivors shook them to their core, but we remember them. And we remember what the Traitors would prefer to leave forgotten. You told me once that you survived the Retribution because of an orange and purple Pegasus mare. Ask any storyteller from the Herd about Absentia, they'll have a clearer retelling than I will."
15 Years Later
20 years have passed since the Retribution. The first generation of Pegasai raised outside the flock has reached adulthood, and a few small villages have been established outside of New Canterlot.
In the absence of an Alicorn, a new leadership was established. Three rulers from each race would govern Equestria together until a new Alicorn emerged.
Righteous Fury was naturally to represent the Pegasai, but he has absent for ten years since a group of surviving nonponies had learned of the Flock's involvement in the Reckoning and decided that everypony should pay for their crimes.
As Righteous continued to fight, the Unicorn and Earth Pony representatives would send him messages through his personal servant...though neither of them were comfortable associating with a Factory worker.
But far from the borders of New Canterlot, or the front lines of the war fought by Righteous Fury, the Ponies inhabiting Shade's End cared little for such politics.
"S-SUNNY!? WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Izzy shouted in concern when she saw just who her Earth Pony friend was walking up to.
"I'm saying hi to our new neighbors." Sunny replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Bu-but their Pegasai!!" Izzy shouted.
"So was Righteous Fury." Sunny retorted.
"But those two are descendants of Cloudsdale Pegasai!! Their bad news!!" Izzy pleaded with her friend to turn around, but Sunny was having none of it.
"Hello there!!" Sunny shouted at the two Pegasai as she got close enough. When they turned towards the other two Ponies, Izzy yelped and ducked behind Sunny while still following in the very likely event that Sunny needed help.
"Hi, I'm Sunny Starscout. And this here is Izzy Moonbow." Sunny gestured behind her where Izzy slowly peaked out from behind Sunny flank and waved a shaky hoof. "...H-hi.."
The two seemed friendly enough. "Nice to meet you! I'm Pipp Petals. And this is my big Sister Zipp Storm. We just moved from New Canterlot. We were hoping to see the memorials they built for the heros of the Retribution."
"Oh wonderful! It's right over this way, I'll show you." Sunny trotted happily beside Pipp while Zipp fell back with Izzy. "...Not very trusting of Pegasai are you?"
Izzy visibly jolted when she realized Zipp was talking to her. This got a laugh out the Pegasus. "Hehehe, yeah I get it. We learned all about what the Flock did to Shade's End all those years ago...and what they could've done to stop the Reckoning. But you won't have to worry about me much longer. In two more weeks, I'm shipping off to go fight with Righteous Fury." Zipp stated proudly.
"Oh, really? A friend of ours is out there. Hitch Trailblazer, I heard he saved Queen Chrysalis from a Dragon last month." Izzy stated.
"Woah! I'll have to grill him for all the details when I see him." Zipp proclaimed. And thus, a new generation put aside the grudges of the old and signaled the rebirth of the Magic of Friendship.