> War & Peace: A Pony Tale
>  by LullabyFire
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Peace
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nothing would ever be the same. Her world, her fantasy, her life was falling apart. Everything was fine and dandy until she found...that.
Peace, seemingly an average pegasus pony, but hidden under the surface was something far deeper. We’ll get to that later.
It all started when Princess Celestia called Peace into Canterlot Castle’s throne room for an audience with her. There was nothing that she really had to do so after spending much time brushing her mane she got to the castle as soon as she could. The red carpet at the gated entrance only slightly hinted that she was expected. The gates creaked open allowing the pegasus through.
Once she got to the throne room Princess Celestia looked up from some scrolls and smiled at her. “Peace, how have you been, my dear?” she asked her. 
Everything surrounding her contained a purple hue causing her silver coat to stand out more than it usually did.
“I’m doing fine, Celestia,” Peace said simply.
She received many glares from the guards that surrounded the full grown pony princess. Each guard pony took a step forward ready to detain her with even the slightest nod from their mighty princess. 
“That is good, Peace. And you know that the ponies of Equestria refer to me as Princess, dear,” Princess Celestia said with-holding a laugh. 
“Oh, I’m sorry, Princess. Old habits die hard, I guess.”
“No harm done,” she said. Everypony in the room seemed to relax a bit more. “It seems like your horn hiding spell works wonderfully,” Celestia said not really changing the subject.
Everypony in the room stared wide eyed at the silver pegasus. They saw her wings easily enough, but the horn part caught them off guard. 
“Well, trying to blend in with the normal pony folk is hard to do as an alicorn. Of course I had to figure out some sort of spell to hide either my horn or wings,” she said studiously. A glow of green appeared seemingly out of nowhere as she removed the hiding spell leaving behind her silver horn that protruded out of the flowing white mane.
“I understand entirely, Princess Peace,” Celestia said sympathetically. “So, Peace, how is your mother fairing?”
“Oh,” she said her ears laying back slightly from embarrassment. “She hasn’t written in a while, but the last I heard she was doing alright.”
“That’s good. As a goddess it does make menial tasks like writing quite a chore.” Celestia said knowingly.
Yes, you heard it straight from the horse’s mouth, Peace’s mother was a goddess. Her mother was in fact the goddess Queen Harmonia, the creator of the Elements of Harmony and of all of the harmonious times that have occurred in Equestria.
Princess Celestia interrupted any thoughts of Harmonia by saying, “What about your brother?”
Peace visibly winced at the mention of the black maned alicorn.  “Haven’t heard from him in a while.”
“Well, I guess, for Equestria that is a good thing. Where is he do you think?”
Peace let out a huff and shivered at the thought of seeing the gray stallion again. “Hopefully lost somewhere in the Everfree forest never to be heard from again,” she said half joking.
“I hope not,” Celestia said walking towards a nearby window. 
“W...what do you mean, Celestia?”
“I mean, Princess Peace, that you must go find your brother, Prince War.”

~~~
<*>
~~~

“What?!” she yelled. Everypony in Equestria was sure to have either heard her or felt a slight disturbance of the peace of some kind. “You want me to bring War to Equestria?!”
“Yes,” Celestia said for the tenth time in two minutes.
This sensation being “new” to her she continued, “What?! You...”
“YES!” Celestia yelled stopping her mid-sentence. “I know what I’m doing, Peace.”
“Then what in Harmonia’s name are you doing?!” Equestria has lived in peace for over a millenia! Why do we need to resort to war?!”
“The changelings,” The white princess said simply.
“You handled them before!” She said huffing with exasperation.
“Yes,” she said turning to the silver pony, her pink and green mane falling into place over one eye. “But they are growing stronger every day. We need War to handle them in his currently emotionless state.”
“Emotionless! He always feels anger! How is that emotionless?!”
“He doesn’t feel love, that is the main thing we need of a warrior for this situation.”
“Princess Celestia, I know that War seems like the best option, but there has to be another way!”
“Well,” Celestia said shaking her head. “Unless you want your father to come back...”
“No! Discord can not be released!” Peace said speedily.
Yes, War and Peace are the son and daughter of Harmonia and Discord. Nopony knows why those two got together, but it is said that Harmonia wanted to change Discord for the better. They say that was what caused Discord to first wreck havoc on Equestria. That was when Harmonia created the Elements of Harmony, so Celestia and Luna could defeat him. War and Peace even lived unsure of the reality of the situation.
“No...Discord can not be released...” she said again, reality sinking in.
“...then our only options are War or be taken over.”
“Either way War wins,” Peace said sulking slightly. “He’d go against his own family to have some action.”
“So, Peace, what do you wish to do?”
Peace felt the anger inside of her starting to boil over and turn her silver coat into the dark gray like her brother. She took a few breaths to calm herself, her coat changing back to its natural silver color with each breath. “I...I’ll go get him,” she said huffing slightly.
“Good,” the princess said as she levitated a scroll to her face. “The last place he was heard from was at Afghanistallion. I’ll have the Elements of Harmony make the trip with you. They reside in Ponyville. I’ll tell Twilight to gather the other five at her library home.” After a quill ran swiftly across the scroll, Celestia rolled up the parchment. In a puff of green smoke it disappeared.
“Celestia, are you sure?” Peace asked hanging her head slightly.
“It’s our only option, Peace,” she said as she walked up to her and nuzzled the silver pony. “I’m sorry if it puts a slight damper on your life.”
“Hopefully peaceful times will remain afterwards.
Both alicorns stood there for a while remembering all the good times when they were mere fillies, Harmonia watching over them the entire time. Peace’s memories then led her to a corner where War always stared angrily with his blood red eyes at herself and Celestia.
Taking a step back, Peace smiled at the princess of the sun.
Both staring into the other’s eyes, they said together, “May Harmonia always watch over your life.”
Peace turned to leave the throne room when Celestia called out, “Princess Peace, may the sun light your path!”
Turning back Peace bowed and said, “Peace be with you and your people, Princess Celestia.”
With that she proceeded to leave, walking towards the chariot that would carry her to Ponyville and to the start of her journey.
> And
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Peace sat moping in the back of the chariot. Two white pegasus stallions clad in Celestia’s guard uniform pulled relentlessly at the front carrying the young princess to her destination. Well, not really...young...later.
The two stallions kept glancing at each other everytime the princess sighed or huffed. At last one bucked up the courage to speak. “Are you alright, Princess?”
“Harmonia curse this horn!” she piped up. “Don’t call me that!” Peace snapped. “I want no pony in Ponyville to know that I am a princess, got that?”
The stallion straightened himself. “I’m sorry, prin...I mean...miss,” he said continuing. 
Peace let out a sigh. “I’m the one who should be sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you.” A green glow started forming around the alicorn’s horn. Vanishing like darkness touched by candlelight, the horn faded into nothingness.
“It’s fine, madam,” he said chancing a glance back. She looked like a regular pegasus mare aside from her molten silver necklace with the large emerald gem in the center. 
“It’s just...GAH!” She said stomping her hoof on the chariot floor. “Sorry,” she said as her silver cheeks flushed a light crimson.
“Why are you frustrated, madam?” the other stallion questioned simply.
Peace took a few breaths and explained. “It’s my bucking brother. Celestia has told me to go retrieve him...after more than a millennia.
“You haven’t seen your brother in over a millennia?” the same stallion asked again in shock.
“If you were the absolute opposite of your sibling would you want to see him...ever?” She said practically grinding her teeth.
“I guess not...” and with that the ride remained silent aside from the constant beating of wings and the occasional huff from Peace.

~~~
<*>
~~~

The clatter of hooves on pavement alerted Peace of their arrival in the ever fated Ponyville.
Looking up finally Peace watched as the chariot stopped in front of a...large tree...with the sign indicating a library posted in front of the door.
Hopping down onto the cool pavement, Peace turned to the two stallions and nodded her head in a curt bow. They likewise did the same. They trotted off and took back to flight. Peace watched them as they became mere specks in the sky then disappeared altogether. 
Letting out a huff she turned to the library door. Nopony was around, so Peace quietly used her magic to creak the round knobbed door open. Taking a few tentative steps in she looked around. Yep, it was a library. She hear the door quietly click behind her.
That was when all hell broke loose. All at the same time Peace was tackled by a pink frizzy maned pony and surrounded by five others. The pink one jabbed on and on with questions Peace was unable to absorb.
A thought then came to her. Dang this pony is heavy. It was then that the pony started choking from the lack of breath.
One of the unicorns levitated the pink pony off the silver pegasus acting alicorn.
Peace let in a gasp of relief as she rolled onto her stomach and hacked on her own breathing. Gathering herself she lifted herself from the floor to look at the six young ponies in front of her.
A purple unicorn took a step forward in greeting. “Hello, my name is...”
“Twilight Sparkle,” Peace said before her. 
“Y...yes, and you are?”
“My name is Peace,” she said as she rose to her hooves.
“You sure about that?!” a cyan pegasus yelled coming eye to eye with the silver pony. “Peace is supposed to be a princess!”
“What do you expect,” she said with a shrug, “a crown?”
“Yes,” the white unicorn said simply, looking a little sad at the thought of not having one.
“Not jus’ that. Ain’t a princess suppose tuh have a horn? Be ‘n alicorn ‘n’ such?” the orange earth pony asked in her western drawl. 
Peace let out a sigh. “Fine,” she said as her horn began reappearing through her green magic. “Nopony else is to know that I’m a princess though...got it?”
“I Pinkie swear it,” the pink pony piped up. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” she said doing every motion with it.
Peace nodded with approval then looked at the other ponies. In chorus all of the other ponies said the same words and motions as the pink pony.
“So, Princess, what do yer want us to do?” The orange pony asked.
“Well, not call me Princess first off. Then I believe I know all of your names. You are Applejack, Element of Honesty,” Peace said nodding in the orange pony’s direction.
“Pleasure tuh meetcha, miss.”
Turning to the white unicorn she said, “You must be Rarity, Element of Generosity.”
“Y...yes your highness,” Rarity said bowing deeply.
“Oh, please, don’t do that,” Peace said clenching her eyes closed. “Just call me Peace, not anything referring to royalty.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, your high...Peace,” Rarity said wincing at the informality.
Peace nodded in thanks then turned to the half cowering yellow pegasus. “Fluttershy, Element of Kindness. Am I right?”
“Um...yes...” she said quietly cowering a little more
Turning she faced the pink frizzy maned pony. “You are the Element of Laughter, Pinkie Pie.”
Pinkie Pie just let out a peal of laughter to confirm Peace’s guess.
Turning back to the purple unicorn she said, “Twilight Sparkle, the Element of Magic, I presume.”
“It’s a pleasure, Peace,” she said nodding.
“And finally,” Peace said turning to face the rainbow maned pony, “the pony who most reminds me of a certain gray stallion I know, Rainbow Dash, Element of Loyalty.”
“Who do I remind you of?!” Rainbow said hovering off the ground in challenge.
“The Element is almost opposite of him though...” Peace said half to herself.
“Who is this stallion I remind you of?!” Rainbow said flying up to stare directly into Peace’s eyes.
“Somepony that we have to get.”
Twilight spoke up then. “You mean your brother?”
“Yes,” Peace said hanging her head in shame, “my brother, War.”

~~~
<*>
~~~

After explaining what they were to do, Peace asked them, “So...are you with me Elements of Harmony?”
AJ looked curiously at Peace. “So what do y’all need us fur?”
“Well...everytime War and I have seen each other...somepony has gotten hurt. Celestia thought having the Elements of Harmony with us we would...get along better...”
“W...we won’t be the ones getting hurt...would we?” Fluttershy asked her wings so tight against her body Peace wasn’t sure if they would open again in a week.
“I’ll be sure that it isn’t,” Peace said gently.
“How are we getting there?” Rarity asked as she styled her mane at a nearby mirror.
“By hoof through the Everfree forest.”
Rarity’s ears perked forward. “B...b...but...I just got a hooficure,” she said as she stared down at a hoof.
“The entire fate of Equestria rests in our hooves and you are worried about a hooficure?” Twilight said pacing.
“But of course; a lady shouldn’t have to dirty her hooves.”
“Well, sorry, Rarity,” Rainbow said with a snicker, “I don’t think anypony is going to carry you.” Sitting up straighter she said, “I’m in!”
AJ trotted up and sat next to Rainbow. “I’m in. Cain’t have this ’un takin’ all thur glory,” she said nudging her seated neighbor.
I’ll go,” Fluttershy said quietly. “I’ve always wanted to meet the animals in Afghanistallion.” She took a seat next to the other two who had accepted.
“If Princess Celestia sent you, I’ll go,” Twilight said looking over the scroll Celestia had sent ahead of Peace.
Pinkie Pie jumped up saying, “I’ll go! I’ll go! It’ll be a party! Ooh, what should I bring? Balloons, streamers, my party cannon...” nopony continued to listen to the pink pony’s ramblings.
All eyes, aside from the party planning pony, turned to Rarity who was still staring at her hooves.
She let out a sigh. Turning to them she said wincing, “I’ll go. The fate of Equestria rests in these hooves, hooficure or no hooficure.”
Peace let out a laugh, “Don’t worry, Rarity. I’ll get you an appointment for the most expensive salon in Canterlot once we get back.”
Rarity smiled and took a seat next to the others. 
Peace glanced between each of them. These were the Elements of Harmony, the ponies her mother had chosen to keep harmony in Equestria and help win over evils. Peace smiled at them all. Smiling she said, “Thank you all. We’ll start tomorrow. Be prepared for anything or anypony, but pack light.”
Everypony nodded and headed towards their respective homes to pack and sleep before their long journey. The only two left in the library were Peace and Twilight.
“Twilight,” Peace said turning away.
“Yes, Peace?”
“When we find War, I might need you to hold me down.”
Twilight stared confuzed. “Why?”
“Because...when it comes down to it...a fight always comes before any calm.”