Hierarchy WIP

"Listen to me Ponies loud and clear"
>All the courts were assembled
>Every news organization was around
>You enacted the emergency powers, because this was an emergency
"It has come to my attention, that there is a disturbing amount of mistreatment. That you are all being used and silenced"
>You point a hand up
"By your very own government. There has been a huge lack of consent. Therefore I will enact a set of rules which will bring respect between pony, neighbor, and township."
"First, respect the fucking NAP"
“Second, fuck off”
>>Four Years Later<<
>"Anon!"
"Sup, Sunny D"
>"What has happened in my absence!?"
"Oh, well, I thought that me ruling over bunch of ponies wouldn't be fair to the ponies, so from now on they rule themselves autonomously"
>"You mean like city states?"
"If they want to"
>"Oh, dear"
"Yeah, ponies love having more bits now, since we don't have taxes"
>The luster in Celestia's hair fades a bit
"So, yeah, the ponies from town to town have a couple different rules now, but it should be relatively peaceful."
>"Manehattan is burning down"
"It's a friendship fire, they've been at that for a while, ever since Discord bought the town."
>"Please, no"
"Why don't you come in? I'll have my servants make you tea."
>"You employ servants now?"
"Employ? Pfft, yeah right. Cutie Mark Crusaders!"
>From the villa behind you, three foals peek there head out
>"Yes master?"
"Get the tea ready, we're having a guest over"
>"Right away"
>They all say in unison
"Oh, and Scootaloo"
>She stops to linger
"Wear something provocative. I’m feeling frisky"
>Her eyes light up and she speeds away with a skip in her step
>"R-right away master"
"Alright Celestia, shall we?"
>Celestia takes a look back to the diamond dog carcasses hung from the large willow at the entrance of your estate
>"If it means hearing what happened here, I suppose I have no choice"
"Please, if there's anything you have here. It's a choice."

>You sat there
>Trying to smile politely and be interested in the tea
>However no amount of training or self-discipline can keep your mind off of the uniforms the fillies wore
>They went about their tasks as maids slowly and seductively
>Scootaloo in particular was raising her hips high as she wiped a sponge against the wood floors behind you
>Be Celestia
>in front of you sits, awkwardly leaning forward, your successor, who is now in the same uncomfortable situation as you but only for the absolute opposite reason
>”So, um, huh, I uh, Celestia…”
>His eyes finally break from the room service to meet your calculated gaze
>”I, uh, so, recently with, uh,”
>His head quickly breaks eye contact to steal a glance before returning to face you in the blink of an eye, “The changes I, uh, implemented,”
He loosens his tie and tugs at his collar, “um, the cit-citizens, they uh,”
>His breathing becomes heavy as an unhinged smile tugs upwards from the left corner of his face
>Sweetie Belle is washing the coffee table… with her tongue… very slowly…
>“They like the changes and uh, and uh, they um, make the de- uh”
>He takes out a handkerchief lightly pats his forehead

>”The, the, the cit- citiz- cities, yeah, cities um, they are… -autonomous! And uh…”
>”’Scuse me, mahster, ah just need to fluff these cushions” AppleBloom says before she kneads the chair between Anon’s legs
>She gently presses her face against Anon’s crotch, with her hot breath heating hit zipper
>”As, I was uh, sa-sa-saying, I uh…”
>His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy
>”um”
>There's vomit on his sweater already, mom's spaghetti
>”uh”
>He's nervous, but on the surface he looks calm and ready
>“I, uh”
>To drop bombs, but he keeps on forgetting
>…
>”GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE!”
>He bursts out of his seat
>He marches up right, faster than rainbow dash, scooping up each of the CMC before marching upstairs
>The fillies squealing in delight as they were carried off
>What in your name is even going on anymore

“This delightful tea, Ms. Rarity. Thank you for sharing it with me”
>”Oh, please, the pleasure is all mine.”
>After your quick eviction from Anon’s abode, you took to finding how the Elements of Harmony have performed in your absence
>However, each element was missing from Ponyville except Rarity
>You smile as warmly as you could
“So Rarity, I have several questions.”
>”Oh of course, your highness. Ask away,” She said as she sipped hot water from her tea glass from her side of the room
“Well for starters, your boutique is missing more furniture and decorations than before”
>The place was almost stripped down to floor boards and dry wall
>”Oh, it’s just time to redecorate from the bottom up. If you really want to redecorate, you should make furniture the determining factor in how to rearrange the room. There’s no need for small adjustments like moving a picture frame or two. I needed a bigger move to make the mood functional for all-night all-day.”
>Sure enough the curtains were draped over the windows making it rather dark inside the abode.
“And, you’re looking a bit thinner”
>”Why thank you, your highness, I have been dieting recently to watch my weight.”
“And the giant heart shaped bed in the living room”
>”For emergency naps”
“And the cocaine on the coffee table”
>”For creative bursts when I’m working on my art”
“Despite there not being any mannequins or dresses for that matter to be seen.”
>”I sell them so quickly”
“And the sign at the front of the boutique that says ”Rarity, Escort for Hire””
>”I-I have taken to, uh, guard work.”
“And there also is a pamphlet that lists prices for your services”
>You levitate the flier you grabbed outside
>”…”
“’5 bits for a suck’? ’15 bits for a fuck?’”

>Rarity’s face devoid of emotion welling it all up
>But ten seconds later she bursted into tears
>”It’s true-ue-ue-ue~! Princess, I’m a crack whore now! Wahh ah ah ah ahh~!”
>She drops herself back and wails around as you forced to watch this
>You come over to her and pet her mane
“There, there my little pony. It’s okay. Just tell me what happened”
>After a minute of patting she finally sobered up
>Rarity sniffled
>”Well, after, after Anon broke up Equestria, everypony was going their own separate way. Canterlot was in disarray and Manehattan was quickly being wrapped up in Discord’s plans. Equestria fell apart so quickly we were quickly overwhelmed.”
>What? How? How could he have done that
>”We had to do something fast to save all of Equestria, so the Elements split up to all the cities to get Equestria back together again, but everypony’s so infatuated with ruling themselves it became so difficult to work it out.”
>She looked down
>”I was supposed to stay here and make sure Ponyville was fine, but Anon, he… he…”
>You rub her back gently and pull her closer to you
>”He got everypony into this little anarchy. Every city is doing their own thing, but Ponyville, he just, got everypony to play into his scheme of a self-serving community. And I couldn’t do anything to stop him. And the Cutie Mark Crusaders, they wouldn’t stop having accidents on their little escapades.”
>Oh no, you can see where this is going
>”They just kept breaking things or getting into trouble, and I would be charged to pay for it. Mayor Mare couldn’t wave it off under the Foals Will Be Foals Act, so I had to keep paying for the expenses out of pocket… and… and…”

>She started crying into your chest now
>Well this is tough
>”I stayed behind to watch the kids and Ponyville and I fai-ai-ai-ailed!”
“There there, Rarity I will do my best to return things to normal and get the foals
>”I am worst pony!”
>She is tugging into your fur burying her face in the tufts of your chest
“Well…” you pause to think of anything to say, “Let’s, just save the Equestria.”
>Rarity pulls herself out and sniffles a bit
>”Okay. I’m sorry Princess.”
“It’s fine. Let me just announce myself to the ponies and I’ll restore harmony.”

“Ponies of Ponyville, hear me!”
>You left Rarity to clean herself up, while you were to quickly restore order.
>With their Princess back to show them back to harmony, ponies should be quick to return to normalcy, despite any trauma that Anon caused
>You shiver at the thought of the CMC’s fate
>Now you are in the Ponyville Square in the center of town, where most ponies are gathering to see the return of their princess
“I have returned to Equestria to bring back harmony.”
>The crowd starts to mutter among themselves
>That is not a good sign
“We will return to united Equestria. I hereby revoke Anon’s decree for separated state bodies and a reformation of our nation, united!”
>you pause in wait for the cheer and applause, but you are left in silence
>You look and the crowd were having conflicted feelings it’d seem
“Is there anypony opposed to this?”
>You open it up to the crowd and then one pony raised their hoof for you to call on them
>”Does this mean we have to start paying taxing again?”
>There’s an echo of agreement
>Huh
“Yyyyyesssss…”
>You lull on slowly
>This was not going to be as easy as you’d hope
>”Well, then can we not? I’d rather hold onto my bits”
>There’s another round of eager agreement
“Well, I know it’s hard to see the good you do with giving your bits forward, but know that those bits are used for the common good of all Equestria. To help good ponies when they’re down.”
>Another pony mare raised their hoof
>”Well if it’s all the same, I’d like to give my bits freely to other ponies myself, in person.”
>Another hoof raised up
>”I’m always willing to help another pony, but I don’t need anypony to tell me what I have to do to be a good pony”
>Well this is turning out worse than poorly
>It’d be easy to shame these ponies for being greedy, but this… this will take some time to convince them

>On a small scale, they are absolutely right and there is nothing wrong with this
>But this goes beyond one town
>There are small villages scattered across equestrian in dire need of financial support to keep them afloat
>And if you can’t get everypony to pitch in, you can’t get anypony to pitch in
“Everypony, I understand. You are good, shining examples of good moral pony fiber, without any laws to say so.”
>You cringe to think of Anon and the CMC
>Rarity and her home
>What else could be going on here?
“However, there are ponies further away from Ponyville that need help too.”
>”Well if they can’t live there, then I guess they’ll have to move closer won’t they? Then that’ll solve itself”
>Yeah, you’ve hit a wall
>Gonna play the “P” card
“Well, as Princess of Equestria, for a thousand years, I’ve guided Equestria through hardships and struggles, but always kept Ponies in harmony.”
>”Then why don’t you trust us after guiding us for so long”
>Screw it, you’ve lost
>Looks like you’re going to have to play the waiting game
>Wait for Ponyville to fall apart and then come in at the right second to scoop it all up
“Very well then, but if anypony should ever need me, I’ll come rushing to your aid.”
>”You too Princess”
>”You can count on us”
>There’s cheering and applause coming from everypony as they all start celebrating their official, Princess approved autonomy.
>Though you walk with steady composure and smile, you are absolutely 200% nuclear in both rage and panic

>You walk past the spontaneously celebrating crowd who have in a split second brought out kegs of applecider and are collectively pitching in to buy the lot for the collective of Ponyville over to Mayor Mare who is smiling from her seat at the edge of the festivity
“Mayor”
>”Princess.”
“How are you holding up?”
>”I’m… I’m doing okay. I’m no longer the mayor, but I am the Ponyville Fire Department accountant.”
>You raise an eyebrow
>”It’s subscription based. Nobody has to pay anything, however”
“-Your fire might not be put out. Cute.”
>”I know, Anon’s idea.”
>You lower your head closer to the Mayor mare and lower your voice
“What else is going on here?”
>”Specifically?”
“I’ve already met Anon and his… staff, as well as Rarity.”
>”Oh, that… well, nothing’s wrong in the town if ponies agree willingly that nothing wrong. IF all ponies consent, who’s the victim? So that opens the doors for, say, gambling, late night partying, some questionable substances being circulated.”
>You pinch the bridge of your snout
>Oh dear
“No tragedies yet, I do hope.”
>”Anon, wanted everything to be based on consent, so that’s all we have to go on. Ponyville has such a peaceful past that it’s been a peaceful present so far.”
“How long will that last”
>”Depends on how much the moonshine pours through the town. We used to cap the limit to cider season, but… ponies might realize too late that too much of a good thing-“
“Tell me when I need to be here. I have to track down the other elements in the meantime”
>”As you wish Princess.”
“Thank you.”

>Mayor politely nodded to you
“One more things.”
>”Absolutely princess.”
“Where are all the Elements gone?”
>”Ahh, well Fluttershy is in Manehatten, or Mad Hatten as they say now.”
>Oh this is not going to be fun
>”Rainbow Dash left for Cloudsdale, or as it’s now called, New Pegastopolis, which is now moved from mid-western Equestria to the northern borders by the Gryphons.”
>Yup, you’re sure that’s not a coincidence
>”Applejack is in Trottingham, which was going through some family rivalries last I heard.”
>The commercial distribution center of equestrian, where five of the biggest fruit producers reside
>Whatever could go wrong
>”Pinkie Pie is Las Pegas. I don’t even know what’s going on anymore. After their what, fifth revolution, I stopped keeping track of it.”
>You massage your temple
>”And Princess Twilight is in Canterlot, but I hear that hasn’t gone well for her personal state of mind. Too many ponies to deal with. Too much double crossing and two faces for the poor girl to handle. Annddd… I think she declared herself queen and rules with an iron hoof”
>Oh fuck
>This was going to be some friendship lesson for the history books.


>You remember back when he first came to Equestria almost a decade ago
>In one of Twilight's friendship lessons you remarked how quaint a figure like him was
>An alien from another world
>For a while he was a hot story for the papers and news
>But after having nothing to back him up, the story died down
>He wasn't a monster bent on destruction
>Nor was he an alicorn to save Equestria
>He was simply just a man
>And Twilight's friendship lesson at the end of the week?
>"Bridle Gossip 2: Electric Boogaloo"
>There was no fear of some interdimensional invasion, due to Anon's natural resistance to magic
>Nothing really phases him, and it took Twilight considerable effort to figure out how to get a translation spell on him
>After that nothing really stuck out about him
>Just a human stranded in a peaceful world
>So it came as a big surprise after he recurred in a headline
>He wrote a book
>The translation spell never covered over other languages that were written
>Cleverly, he worked around this by dictating his thoughts and having the transcribed on his behalf
>This got your attention
>The book itself wasn't much to get hung up over
>Just a story about a dog and the friendship had with a human hiking through the woods
>Then he released another book, just six months later
>"The Fall of the Masterpieces"
>In it he writes about the process of what he calls "automation" and the assembly line
>Factories were already being used for the past decade but nopony could have imagined how cut-throat anyone could push it
>Instead of treating three ponies who do the three steps of the work as three craftsponies, you pay them even less than one
>Factory owners and corporate CEO were in awe at the use of leveraging the low skill nature of the job and position of the ponies who would have to work there
>They saw what a draconic work schedule Anon theorized could be the most efficient way to bleed the bits dry out of every opportunity
>What he envisioned was a cut-throat consumer society and the transition it would take for Equestria to step into his realm
>In the book he laments the effect it would have on the workers and the market itself
>Cheaper goods flooding the market burying any competition who does not lower themselves to the same standard to keep up with the consumer demands
>And the workers, who already have a depressing postion of being cut off from utilizing their cutie mark in their work, would be receiving pay cuts and harder quotas
>And sure enough, his book made its way to eyes of upper management, and sure enough the price was being paid
>Middle management turned into taskmasters, where there used to be an ideal work place was now a dungeon
>And once the fire was lit, there was no putting it out
>On a graph Baltimare was doing great, however, the truth couldn't be more off
>Every corner was cut, every process was expedited
>The only time you could personally intervene was when rumors reached your ears that cutie marks were being removed and withheld during work hours
>Nothing in Anon's book ever went that far and when asked, he merely shrugged
>"I dunno. The fuck I know about magic?"
>You made a few laws but couldn't overstep your boundaries
>You outlawed cutie mark removal and had to leave the address to work hours and minimum pay to parliament
>The next book Anon made, 6 months after that, was "Of Revelry and Riot: The Musings on the Destructive Capabilities of the Average Pony"
>You banned it a week after its release. You knew this book was dangerous, but the publishing house lawyer fought in court to have it revoke, on the grounds that there is no provoking of violence and that nothing new was being taught. All abilities that Anon spoke about were those in the hooves already of ponies everywhere. They even spun it as a guide for parents to help foster their children from danger
>You knew you couldn't fight it for long and had to rescind your ban
>Anon made theories from pegasi long term cloud manipulation to unicorn bombs to Earth pony deforestation scenarios
>Reading it gave you nightmares on what world Anon was bringing to Equestria
>Wars have been fought before
>Many times over
>In some ways his theories were naive or over a thousand years too late
>An armchair general
>But in some ways, it was downright cruelty
>Even a few gryphons issued their disgust with his work
>"What is described in this abomination is not a war, but a meticulous manipulation of circumstances to issue a slaughter. Wars are not supposed to be fought like this"
>To which he replied
>"I suggest no war in any of my chapters, nor advocate for one. These are merely musings I've had while I day dream"
>The guard who read it, treated it as either a holy document to hold close and study to the letter or as a toxic snake ready to bite
>His fourth and last book filled you with dread before reading it, 8 months after
>Merely looking at his name on the headlines made you recoil
>However, it would be the biggest surprise you've seen yet, out of him
>"An Act of Kindness: The Musing on the Nature of a Pony from the Outside Looking in"
>Rather than being an instruction manual on how to enact cruelty onto others, this was a delightful surprise
>It can be said that the writing was not as tight as his earlier successes, but it is universally claimed as his best work
>It's an essay on ponies and what he saw in Equestria and a self-reflection
>You were glad
>You more than glad
>You were absolutely ecstatic to see the praise of harmony within the ponies
>You were glad to have him steered into the direction of friendship
>Albeit, he does remark the nature of ponies to be less than good during circumstance and the nature of paranoia in herd instincts, but nevertheless, with his blessing, friendship over all
>That struck a chord in you
>You had to meet this man
>You had to get to the bottom of this
>A Gala was prepped, and you were eager to see what he had in him

>The gala that year was primed for your meeting with Anon
>Everything was ready for Anon to make a splash and you could judge him on it
>What sort of Human he was?
>You made all the necessary invites of ponies to elicit (unknowingly) out of Anon
>The Elements of Harmony
>The Nobility
>The Tycoons
>The Celebrities
>That year was the largest handout of invites yet
>All ponies wearing their best
>The Elements were in swing
>Everypony was having a blast formally or informally, due to Pinkie's best efforts
>And then Anon showed up, or rather he slipped in
>Every time the front double doors open, there's a guard to announce the new guest and they would be greeted with an applause and the night would carry-on with everypony now cognizant of the new arrivals presence
>But Anon slipped by
>You couldn't work out when he emerged from the walls, but before he wasn't there and then he was, talking to Rarity by the banquet table
>Much to Rarity's chagrin, Anon shares the same taste in fashion as Rarity's father
>Palm tree T-shirt
>Straw hat
>Cargo pants
>And a fanny pack
>Apparently, in his own words, "Nothing says, 'ready to slay pussy', like palm trees"
>Two things can be learned from this exchange
>One, Anon cares nothing for tact in person, no matter how delicately verbose he is in prose
>Two, Anon cares nothing for privacy, as he spoke loud enough that everypony in the room could and did hear him, yet he was not so loud as to yell above anypony particularly
>You almost broke down laughing right there
>Here he was
>The creature you once thought of as the bane to the Equestrian Spirit
>And he acts like something between a nerd and frat-colt
>Socially, Anon was dangerous from then on
>Most ponies thought to stay safely away from him, but from how the room was positioned, if you weren't close to the shameless alien, you were closer to the clutches of the Pink Menace
>You smiled deviously to yourself
>There would be room to play safely here, My Little Ponies
>Those who chose to remain on Anon's half of the pitch made small touch-and-go greetings with him, which he replicated in kind
>How pleasant he was in these exchanges made you even more curious
>You appetite for more observation were almost reminiscent of how Twilight pores over a new subject, drooling at the idea of opening up something she wanted to learn, however you had to remain steadfast and composed
>Overseeing the event from above, chatting with Luna and Twilight with the occasional guest
>But you were so tempted to reach out for him
>You couldn't because you didn't want to make a scene that might upset his responces, but you needed to drill him
>Probe him with a thousand questions, just to get a glimpse at what this oddity sees
>Was he dangerous? was he peaceful?
>What more was in store?
>Somehow, Prince Blueblood and Fancy Pants would deliver you a response you desired so badly
>It was fitting these two would be bold enough to seriously converse with Anon
>Fancy Pants was a modern gentlestallion
>A proper pony who could think and reflect
>Open to all opinions, but would ultimately rely on his sensibilities towards kindness and friendship
>The model sophisticate
>Then there was Blueblood
>He had undergone quite the reform during the years
>Where once a spoiled brat stood, now stands a zealous, self-righteous authoritarian…
>It's progress
>He's at least put standards to himself on what a model, stoic noblepony should be
>The way he's growing, he will eventually become part of the ranks of the noble's parliament old-guard
>Though despite his growth he still had ego
>Ego enough to afford him the bravado to risk a confrontation with the strange alien
>The two were talking about Baltimare when he meandered into their conversation
>Blueblood furrowed his brow
>"I still see no reason to give away the factory to the simpletons on the streets"
>Fancy Pantsheld out a hoof
>"Prince Blueblood, you understand my meaning. Please don't try to distort my words."
>"I apologize, I do know what you're saying, but I'm telling you, despite your initial intentions, that's where it will lead"
>Besides the two was fashion model, Fluer-De-Lis, who was engoying the conversation alongside her husband, coughed politely to announce Anon's incoming presence
>Prince Blueblood braced himself with a smug, confident smile, while Fancy Pants wore a less genuine polite mask
>"Ah, Anonymous, just the pony, er human, jump into this debate"
>Fancy nods politely, "Anonymous"
>"Greetings. Gentle. Ponies"
>Anon stood up straight and then on his tippie-toes scanning the room till he found Fluer
>"And… Gentlemare"
>Fluer gave her own strained smile and performed a quick curtsy
>"It would be delightful," the prince said shifting his eyes to the stiff form of Fancy, "if we have the opinion of the writer who unleashed this little dilemma on Baltimare"
>"Of course, but I am not, a writer"
>This perked Fancy Pants up
>"Why do you say that? It's perfectly fine if you dictate to a transcriber. You're still the author to the books you've produced"
>"No, no" Anonymous waves off, "It's not that."
>He scratches his chin, "It's the fact that writers write with a purpose. To have an effect. I don't have ANY intentions when I go to my scribe. I'm just rambling and sending the leftovers to my editor"
>Fancy and Blueblood share a look, before the Prince shakes his head at Anon
>"We’ve read the interviews, Anonymous. You've stated for the record that you do maniacally revise your books maybe five times in a row."
>Anon chuckles, "Yeah, I've had a few quit on me after a while, but hey, sometimes I just need to clarify what I'm thinkin."
>"Right," Fancy Pants says dismissively
>The prince grins, "Still though, we'd like your opinion on the Baltimare issue"
>"Shoot"
>"Who," Blueblood asks in a sing-song voice, "should get the right to make rules on the factory floor"
>Fancy Pants says, "Personally, I believe that the ponies who work the assembly-line six days a week should have the most say. They do the work, they should be given the say on what goes on during that workload"
>"And while that is a well-meaning intention," Prince Blueblood waves a hoof, "it is ultimately misguided. We, noble," Fluer rolls her eyes, "and I do mean noble in both spirit and in blood, ponies are the most qualified to determine fairness. We have the highest baseline for education, so we can see the intricacies in the matter. We're impartially to the situation, except that we have a responsibility to all ponies. Nobility, and not politicians, are the perfect judges."
>Fancy Pants took off his monocle in his magic to clean it with a handkerchiefs to keep from shaking his head at the prince. "So Anon, what do you think?"
>This time Anons rubbing and dragging his hand over his chin while looking up for a second
>After he made up his mind, he looks down, "Entertain me for a second, where does the right to govern come from? You are asking about the 'right' to rule, yes?"
>This caught the two stallions off guard
>They looked at each other with shocked looks before they started chortling
>They giggled and laughed, while Anon remained unphased
>Fancy Pants tries to force down a smile and goes back to cleaning his monocle. "I'm sorry, Anonymous," he says biting his teeth down with a wide grin, "But I was, we were half expecting you to stomp up and down, demanding us to legalize slavery for factories"
>Anon grinned himself, "Now, let's not jump to conclusion."
>The stallions took a second to wipe their eyes and sober up before Blueblood asked Anon to continue
>"So, where does the power to control the factory come from? Where are does it originate"
>Blueblood shrugged, "Rank and Birthright"
>Anon gestured a hand to Fancy Pants, who took a second to look down and think before answer, "The ponies"
>Anon points at Fancy Pants, "Maybe, but," he looks over at Blueblood, "let's go down this avenue first. Where does rank come from?"
>Blueblood rolls his eyes and sneers, "Okay yes, 'the ponies', very well. But I stand by my answer. Birthright."
>"Okay, and where does the birthright come from?"
>Blue Blood sits back, folds his forelegs, and smiles proudly, "Celestia"
>You almost go into a coughing fit, while Luna tries not to snort
>Anon exhales and smile, "For the gryphons in the audience, please?"
>Blueblood looked back at you, a bit surprised, before he swallowed and thinks, "Give me a second"
>"Of course"
>It was a long second being took, and you were surprised at the road this conversation has taken
>If bits were being placed, you would have gone all-in on the 'jumping up and down demand slavery' bet too
>"Family…?" Blueblood says hesitantly, before jumping to his hooves, "No, leadership. 'Beings'~," he emphasizes in a sassy manner, "born and raised to be leaders by their parents who were, in turn, also great leaders."
>Anon crouches and points at Blueblood, "Fine answer," he says, his voice friendly, but it also give off a deep rumble. He moves himself until he's facing Fancy Pants, "And you thought it was 'Ponies'. What makes you say that?"
>Fancy smiles confidently, "Because all societies depend on cooperation. It means the ponies have to 'agree' the rules the 'leaders' give". The people ultimately choose who leads them."
>"What an excellent point"
>Blueblood sighs, "yes, yes, you've asked us your silly questions." He takes a deep breath, before demanding, "Now give us YOUR opinion."
>Anon gives a slanted, open mouth grin and plays with his eyebrow, moving them up and down repeated, "Well, then. If you're really gonna twist my arm about it, I'd say," a deep breath I and then he answers really quickly "No one."
>Blueblood gives an angry sneer, while Fancy and Fluer is genuinely lost
>Eavesdropping from across the room, even you recoil in shock
>"Excuse me-" Blueblood says, but Anon cuts him off
>"You're excused"
>Now the prince grinds his teeth, "Anonymous, you owe us an explanation. How can no one be in charge?"
>Fancy Pants puts a hoof on the Blueblood's shoulder to calm him down. He looks to the human, "Anonymous."
>"Well, the right to rule can, honestly, come from a lot of places, but who 'should' rule is wrong way to think of it. Ultimately who rules doesn't come from who the laws, the orders, the leadership are taken from, but," He waves his finger and stands up tall, "what you do when somepony disobeys you. You HAVE to force them to comply."
>A shiver pulses down your spine
>And you don't think you're the only one
>"This could mean firing the pony,"
>He takes a step forward.
>"Or suing the pony"
>Fancy and Fluer take a tentative step back, but by gall or shock, Blueblood doesn't move.
>"Or…"
>Anon is as tall as you
>Everypony is almost half your size
>"By force!"
>And then suddenly, the human grabs Blueblood by his horn and holds him off the ground eliciting a panicked cry "AHHHHH!!!!"
>Anon looks Blueblood straight into the eyes
>"Would you feel comforted if I were BOOORRRRNNN to punish you!?"
>"GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF ME!!"
>Blueblood screams and tries to make a spell
>"WHAT IF I WAS PRINCESS CELESTIA HERSELF!?" Anon smiles, "Feel better now, NOBLE SIR!?"
>Your nephew is a noble born Canterlot pony
>He knows how to defend himself
>But the way Anon gripped his unicorn horn, the magic is choked out before it can ever be let out
>He's powerless
>Utterly powerless
>You are frozen, witnessing this
>"WH-WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME!!!? WHAT HAPPENED TO MY MAGIC!!!?"
>With one hand around the horn, he puts another hand to clasp down Blueblood's muzzle
>Anon turns a crazy eye to Fancy Pants' tall stance, while Fleur hides behind him
>"And what about, YOU, Fancy Pants!? Do you feel comforted knowing that his life would be in the hands, no the HOOVES of the PEOPLE!?"
>You see Fancy Pants' face shiver and twitch around his muzzle until he whispers out, "no"
>Anon then heaves Blueblood up into the air and he crashes onto table
>Anon smiles and dusts his hands off
>"And that is why nopony, truly, deserves the right to rule," He smiles and looks to the side at Fancypants' gape, "It always seems to boil down to jungle law and brute strength at the end, no matter who it comes from."
>Idly Anon looks left and right and sees he's become the center of the gala
>Everypony has since stopped what they were doing, even Pinkie Pie was frozen in shock and awe
>He also noticed the guards made a perimeter around him with their spears out
>"FUCK YOUR JUNGLE LAW!!" Blueblood screams. He gets up onto his hooves before nearly falling and swaying to get his standing, "THIS ISN'T A FUCKING JUNGLE! THIS IS NO PLACE FOR YOUR BRUTE STRENGTH!"
>A guard comes by to give support to Prince Blueblood, but he pushes the guard back
>"Why I'm gonna, I'm gonna," He stutters to threaten Anon, who was holding an impassive demeanor with his arms falling dead to his side. Most ponies were able to notice the prince's magic stutter to come back in force
>Every unicorn had a true sense of dread and fear sink into their heart
>"FUCKING," he shuddered in incoherent rage, "FUCKING, AHHH"
>He took a glass of wine from a waiter's sampling tray in his magic and slammed into the floor
>"FUCKING SUE YOU! WE'RE CIVILIZED PONIES!! NOT SOME FUCKING JUNGLE TRIBE OR WHATEVER HELLHOLE YOU CAME FROM!!!"
>A guard tries to approach him, "Are you okay, sir?"
>"DO I LOOK OKAY!?"
>The guard held up a hoof, "C-can I help you, in any-?"
>"NO! WHAT I NEED, IS MY FUCKING LAWYER!"
>Another glass of wine struck the floor
>The guard swallowed, but before anypony could react, Prince Blueblood stomped off on his own, outside the castle in his wine-and-cake-stained suit
>It was surreal
>As you watched everything unfold, it was like you watching it from even further than just in the room
>it was as if you were in a movie theater in your own mind
>Unable to control the scene
>Anon for his part shrugged
>He took a step forward, which made all the guards jump back into a defensive position
>He shrugged again and moved forward till the tip of the spear touched his stomach
>You blinked
>And then he was past the guard, touching him on the snout
>"Boop"
>And then with his hands in his pockets, he walked off, shoulders back, further into the castle
>Everypony was silent in the room
>You
>The crowd
>The guard
>Fancy Pants and De Lis
>All were just trying to catchup
>Twilight leaned into Pinkie Pie
>"Pinkie, emergency party protocol five dash two apple four"
>Pinkie nodded
>"HEY EVERYPONY" she screamed, making everypony snap their heads to her, "LETS PARTY"
>Confetti, streamer, loud music, and disco lights rained from the ceiling and after a couple dry chuckles everypony started dancing to the rhythm
>Luna leans over to you and whispers, "Excellent choice, Tia. Should we expect him next year?"
>You don't know if you want to scream, cry, laugh, or collapse
>But regardless of how you feel
>You need to pursue

>>>>>
>You are now looking at Anon's retreat outside of Ponyville
>Just long walk away from the town, but not too far.
>The villa looks orderly, albeit the grass is a bit tall
>You summon your anger, your righteousness, your will to overpower Anon's ego
>You cannot risk getting mollified by his word plays
>With a bit of bravado in your step you push the door open letting a powerful gust blow open the doors…
>And Anon's simply petting Scootaloo while reading a picture book and sipping lemonade
"Anon, I…!"
>"Shhhhh…"
>He points down at the sleeping filly in his lap
>You whisper now
"Anon, I have come to stop you"
>He gives you a crooked look
>"Stop me?" he whispers, "From what?
"Keep Equestria apart," you answer under your breath
>"Okay, then," he shrugs, "do it"
>There's a pause
>The only thing going on between you and Anon now, is the slow rising and falling of the orange filly back as she nuzzles her face into Anon's chest
>Anon looks down and smiles
>Why does this always happen
>He always does this
>He always throws you off and does this, and you keep playing along
>No more
"Scootaloo"
>Scootaloo stirs
>Her ear flicks and she takes a deep breath
>Anon, picking up on your movement, nudges the filly softly
>"Wake up, cutie"
>She grumbles and yawns, before stretching
>All in Anon's lap
>Her eyes are half open when she looks up at you and then Anon
>"Huh?"
>Anon smiles, and scoops her up in his arms before setting her on the floor, hooves down, and nudges her along
>"Go upstairs, Scootaloo, I gotta take this one."
>"Awww"
>"Go on"
>The filly rubs her eyes, before her head falls and she walks off
>After she reaches the second story, you both wait, looking upstairs, for the sound of the bedroom door to close
>There's a small thud and you turn your attention to Anon
>His face has gone sour
>His fingers interlace
>Wearing his black blazer and red button down shirt with khakis
>"You need something from me?"
"You"
>You point a hoof at him
"You undid everything"
>he tosses his wrists up
>"Guilty as charged"
"And now, you're going to help me"
>He squints at you
>"What? Okay, why?"
"Because Equ-"
>"Nope. Gonna have to do better than that"
>You sneer and flare nostrils
>He wants you to play your trump card?
>You'll play your trump card
>He's more than deserved it
"Because." You say as calm and deliberate as possible, "if you don't help me, I remove the implant enchantment Twilight and the doctors gave you"
>Years ago, he spent around a million bits on an operation to implant a translation stone on his neck, close to his jaw
>It was going to allow him to no longer need Twilight to recast the translation spell every week to two weeks and give him complete autonomy
>But as much freedom as it gives him, you can also sever him from the world
>Despite having to go through his magic resistant skin to do it, you have the muscle it takes to do it
>Threatening his life will not stir this man
>But isolate him
>That is a fate he'd much rather die than take
>He's silent
>He's finally on the backfoot
>After all your dealings with him, now he's quiet
>You nearly allow yourself a smile, but you can't let emotions run high around this human
>You wait, until he finally answers
>"You do understand there is no, 'fix it' button, right? There's no dragons to slay, no princess to save, and no throne waiting for you. You cannot and will not turn back the clock."
>He leans forward in his seat
>"While you were gone, ponies have finally, finally gotten a taste of freedom."
>And he points
>"From you. And they won't give it back, and you won't take it."
"You sound so sure."
>"How do you like Ponyville?"
>You purse your lips
>He's right
>This matter is already complicated as it is
>And it's only going to get worse as you go
"So, you're telling me to sit out and watch it all burn"
>"Or you could be like me," He opens his arms out wide, "Settle down, be active citizen. Just, talkin to friends and makin shit work itself out."
>You look at him, dread oozing off your skin
>And he smirks
"I refuse to sit idly by while anypony is in harm's way"
>"Sorry, babe, but you're a little late for stopping harm's way."
>The fur on your spine bristles
>He leans out even further and whispers
>"Ponies have already died"
>You shake in absolute dread and hate filling you now
>"Sometimes by accident. Bad planning. Lack of organization. Natural phenomenon." he shrugs, "Super natural phenomenon"
>He exhales
>"But most of them are by the ponies. They could be friends, neighbors, family, strangers from around the block."
>He leans back in his chair and tugs his lips to the top right corner
>"Uhmmm, and uh, gryphons too. There are a lot gryphons who've killed. And died."
>You look at him straight in the eye
"You realize I can kill you. No amount of magic resistance can stop me"
>He pats his knee
>"Yup. I know. I just wanted you to not get any misconceptions about what you're doing."
>He throws up a hand
>"You wanna save lives, you wanna save Equestria, you wanna bring back harmony and save the day"
>Anon shakes his head
>"Ain't gonna happen. We're wayyyy beyond the point of no return. No rainbow blasts here. So,"
>He opens his hand to you
>"What do you want? What are trying to do here?"
>Your silent
>You need to think this through
>It is your intention to save ponies lives, but you understand what he's telling you. The death, the fear, the despair, the hate. All the things you've been sheltering Equestria from now through your leadership, has been unleashed, and there's no taking that taste of death from the public now. Not without years that you're not sure you're going to get.
"I want to help, everypony I can still help."
>"And if you have to kill somepony to do that?"
>You exhale
"It won't come to that"
>Anon claps his hands together, "Good, your just as useless as piss in the wind then."
>You rise up above him to your full height
"I will not hurt my subjects to save them."
>"I'm sure you won't and I'm sure you won't help patients in hospital wards too."
>You recoil
>"And you won't deliver to Cloudsdales, the endless medical supplies, food rations, and arms needed from Canterlot to survive either. What about the troops the need too?"
>You breathing becomes shaking
>"And you won't be able to shield every stone thrown by the Baltimare rioters killing bankers on wooden platforms on the fucking streets."
>You stand as still as you can
>"In the end, it all comes down to jungle law and brute force. If you do not have it in you to claim the right to power, you cannot rise to power."
>You continue to stare at him
>You stare him down for as long as you can bare it
>All until he sighs, "You want to take a tour of the paradise your subjects made in your absence? Go ahead, I'll help guide you on your way there. But if you want to do something about it, you're going to need to know the rules."
>You swallow and nod
"what rules? I thought you dissolved everything."
>"I left Equestria with seven guiding principles, to set the tone for everypony to figure out their own way out of this mess I left them in."
>Anon gets up and stretches
>"First, 'There is no law that exists outside what you and your local area agree upon, with the exception of these ones'."
>He smiles wide at the flat look you gave him
>After finally dropping the grin, he continues
>"It's to set ponies up to start thinking ahead and talking about what they think is right to be a rule. Their neighbors, their neighbor's neighbors. If there's a community, it's up to them to set a consensus of what they will allow in their town."
>Makes sense
>"Second, 'Every creature is born entitled to their rights to life, property, and the pursuit of Happiness. These rights however can be stripped or bought under circumstances dependent upon your community'."
>Your initial happiness is soured by his disclaimer
>"Third, 'All Societies are dependent upon cooperation based on trust, debt, or force. If there is nopony to abide or enforce, there is no government.' You tracking?"
>You nod
>Makes sense well enough
>"Fourth, 'Bits will always be the monetary currency throughout pony lands.' So far, everypony loves this rule. Probably the one thing that keeps all four corners of Equestria intact"
>Now this sounds like a real law
>But then again, law one, can supersede this
>"Fifth, 'Your right to own property is limited by your natural ability to stake property. Your rights and body are property'."
>He grins at you wildly
>"Oh, boy, you cannot imagine the look on the ponies' faces when they were  demanded land reform out of me and they got this."
>You roll your hoof
>"Sixth, 'Nothing is Truly True, but Everything is Permitted"
>You squint at him, but he shrugs it off
>"If I explain it, it'll lose all purpose. I was deliberately vague here."
"Brilliant?"
>"Isn't it?" he shoots back at you
>"And finally, and here's the doozy,"
>You brace yourself as hard as you can
>"Seventh, 'The reunion of a united nation state of Equestria must be a fully unanimous decision by all ponies with rights in Equestria over every aspect of its formation and continued existing system'."
>He walks over your paralysis state
>"Ain't it great? Now, when you make Equestria again, there will be not be a shred of doubt, who has the right to rule."
>Train rolled past the hills slowly climbing it’s way towards its destination: Canterlot
>The car bounced along at a constant pace, reassuring you of your progress, but it doesn’t do much more than that in the way of comfort
>The sleeping, in your refined opinion, was abysmal
>Anon somehow found a train was going towards Canterlot, but the leaving time was midnight
>That left you weary from your duties from afar and the mounting stress from last night
>That didn’t stop three happy fillies from running up and down the isles
>”Wow,” Scootaloo yelled, “when you look outside and run, it feels like we’re all Fili-Second!”
>The other fillies nod and cheer in agreement bringing a cacophony with them, as the continue down to the next semi empty-cart
>Side stepping the troublesome trio, the conductor smiles and approaches you
>His mutton chops and glasses did well to give him a respectable aged look, however you can see he’s not that old of a stallion, though mature
>”Princess Celestia, it’s a pleasure to have you onboard the Friendship Express”
>It was unfortunate to hear nearly every uniting factor of Equestria fell into pieces after Anon broke it apart, however if any government backed program could sustain itself without you, it would be the mail and the railway, who are managing to squeak by these years off of charging commission.
“No, thank you, for your continued service to Equestria”
>”Well, I’m flattered, but I only do a small part in things. We bring ponies and goods to and fro, but that’s about it, and if you look around, there isn’t much traffic anyways”
“The box carts might not be filled, but you keep the threads that connect Equestria alive. I appreciate it.”
>All Aboard, the conductor, blushes
>”Thank you, Princess. I get told this by my boss every now and then for a pep talk, but it means the world coming from you. Glad to have you back.”
>You smile and nod to him and he bows his head while moving around you
>This was reassuring
>It seems despite the unintentional neglect, ponies seem to still love you
>Perhaps Anon made himself too much of a solid figure in his campaign against your bureaucracy and demonized himself
>No matter the case, you still have a chance to make this all right
>You sigh and start heading towards the back of the train
>Only two or so occupants in each of the thirteen cars of the train
>As you the sound of the heavy, coal engine roar starts fading off, you start preparing yourself mentally
>The game you’re going to have to play keeping Anon close is going to be tough
>You don’t want to risk him trying to sabotage your efforts under your nose, but you also don’t want to leave him to his lonesome and scheme from the shadows
>You need to keep him on a leash, that’s an absolute
>But keeping him under hoof, is going to take vigilance and leverage, and you only have one
>Anon himself is surprisingly cooperative which more cause for worry
>His plans are anyponies guess
>He’s already stacked the board against you
>The seventh rule is hardest kick, you’ve ever been dealt
>A unanimous decision by everypony is near impossible
>Even with good intentions, trust, and optimism isn’t enough to get a room full of ponies to agree on anything
>And to string them together in the midst of a storm disasters striking nearly everytown
>This makes you almost wish for a nuclear Hearth’s Warming to force them together
>But no, unity is not the strength now, in everyponies eyes
>The biggest enemy, as it seems, is the ponies themselves, and they each are dealing with different windigoes
>And to make things worse, is that you kind of agree with the sentiment, that all ponies should approve of your rule
>How can you be a liberator and savoir, if you have to do it by force and subjugation
>Finally, you reach the cart just before the caboose in a passenger cart which was renovated to also hold cargo
>Split down the middle of the isle, a mound of packages and packed boxes stack the left side, while the right side had all the benches facing the isle instead of towards the locomotive
>Stamped and labelled on the wooden crates was the bold red print:
>Shipment Destination: Appleoosa
>Shipment Origin: Canterlot
>You find Anon, sitting in silence reading a little, blue book and a pencil in the other
“Good Morning”
>Anon slowly smiled, ”Isn’t it?”
>The sun rises over the horizon
>Anon booked you, the CMC, and himself a round trip
>You pause for a moment
“I thought you couldn’t read Equis?”
>He yawns, but doesn’t lift his gaze to look at you
>”I can’t”
“Then what do you find so interesting in there?”
>A picture book, perhaps?
>He smiles, and opens the book out for you to see
>”English”
>Sure enough, you can’t recognize any of those squiggly lines
>You’re actually caught off guard, but shrug it away
>Maybe it was fair to write down your own thoughts for the benefit of record keeping
>He brings it back and starts flipping through pages
>”This is going to be a loooong tour, Princess. And we have got to be ready every step of the way.”
>You take a seat besides him and wait for his elaboration
>”When I left Equestria to fend for itself, I didn’t exactly dust my hands and called it day. I want to be informed about world around me. Make sure it does close in.”
“How?”
>”Hmmm”
“Are you taking a lot of trips or merely reading the news?”
>”A little of both”
 “So”, you look off to the orange cascading landscape, “how is Twilight?”
>Anon exhales and gives a dry smile, “You already know don’t you? Like you knew there was only one way this would turn out if Twilight was in charge during a crisis.”
>You stay silent until Anon deflates his back against the seat
>”Canterlot was a mess. It ain’t easy maintaining a city of 300,000 ponies when you’re cut off from the rest of Equestria. She had to desperately keep the money, the bits, the ponies, the food coming and going. At first, she worked with a parliament of nobles to help. You know keep things as stable as possible.”
>Anon pauses, before snapping his book closed
>”And now she doesn’t.”
>You sigh
>You knew this could happen if Twilight were put in charge of the kingdom, much less a city
>She knows the values in trust and delegation, but if the stress mounds up high and the ponies…
>This deck was rigged against her to begin with
>And her friends scattered…
>you can’t judge her too poorly
>”And now she’s strong arming to get anything she wants done.”
>You look down
>You here Anon exhale and lean back
>”When you get there,”
>You look over to him
>”Make sure you go soft on her.”
“Color me surprised. You left Twilight and her friends in ruins and you’re trying to coach me on how to console her?”
>”Fuck you. You’re a big girl. Figure it out yourself. I’m helping you, but I’m not going to hold your hoof.”
>He smiles and then puts his book into his pocket before leaning his head, snickering
>You squint at him and then shove him out of your mind
>The train continues to roll towards Canterlot




>Canterlot Station was not just built to be an efficient and economical function of the city populace to travel freely between towns
>Despite it being a vital function to the blood flow of the city’s life, the denizens and the councilponies felt that aesthetics must come first
>No cost was paid structurally for the lavish entrance, however there was a large dip in the city coffers for years
>You remember fondly the way the governor at the time would excitedly tell you about enchanting feelings
>When you explained how everyday will soon turn the unique feeling into the background of a regular grind, he smiled
>”Princess, you must understand. This is not just about business, this is about an experience. Everypony who walks off that train should have the first impression of Canterlot be a magical moment of wonder and the reflection of Equestria’s capitol.”
>And what a monument it became
>The large arches built of marble
>Marble columns hold the mountain ceiling up, maybe twelve stories high
>An emerald blue lined every brick, and gold was shaped like grape vines as they climbed the marble columns
>Chrome light posts held large pearl gems and gave a soft glow in the cavern
>And to finish it off, the ceiling of this enormous station was painted a masterwork of a neoclassical fresco depicting Equestria’s triumphs from the original three tribes uniting, to depicting Equestria legends like Bronzehoof the Brave and Treasure Dives the Curious all with a symbol of the sun in the center being eclipsed by your image
>You were wrong when you suggested the awe would wear off
>It was lower, but never worn off
>The train has since been pulled into an underground tunnel that’s been carved into the mountain and the whole station was cut off from sunlight
>As you roll into the docking station, you notice a lot steel bars, metal fences, and high towers around, making the floor of the Grand Centerlot Station resemble some sort of makeshift prison
>Many Royal Guard were scattered around to cover any gap
>The train crew called out in surprise as they start scattering around in a frenzy
>you can hear them asking if there’s a problem, with a colorful variety of profanity thrown loosly
>The few ponies on board left when the doors opened up, though Anon asked that we deliberately stay put until everypony got off board first
>”Alright girls, you know what to do and where to meet me, right?”
>Anon stands tall infront of the CMC
>He wore a black suit and white button up shirt with a vice grip on his dark green briefcase
>”You can count on us” Sweetie Belle said with a voice cracked
>He pets Sweetie’s mane vigorously
>”Of course I can, just take care and stay safe”
>They give a salute, and he turns to you
>”Ready?”
“I hope so. How do you think they’ll react?”
>”To you or me?”
>You give him a look which he proactively countered with a smug smirk and tilted head
>After a second, he subdues himself to just a grin
>”Don’t worry, they still love you. Especially so~, now that you’re back.”
>You nod and try to keep your heart rate down
>Then All Aboard, the conductor, walks by
>”Princess, Anon, been a pleasure. We’re gonna get a quick top off and then we’re outta here.”
>He reaches out a hoof to Anon which he quickly takes to shake
>”Thanks-a-million Board. I owe you one”
>”Don’t worry, I won’t forget,” the conductor chuckles.
>He turns to you and kowtows to you
>”It’s wonderful to have you back, your majesty”
>You smile and bring your head lower
“Thank you All Aboard, I hope to meet you again”
>Anon flicks out his little book from his jacket
>”You just might, but that’ll be in a couple weeks from now. We got a busy schedule”
>”Then I wish you both good fortunes.”
>You nod to the stallion one more time before you and Anon made your way off the train
>When your hoof met marble, it almost felt as if your horseshoe made a loud echo in the silence that suddenly enwrapped you
>You looked and saw all activity in the station had stopped midstep
>Everypony had their eyes on you
>From behind the bars you could see clerks and engineers halt in their duties
>The guard from their posts were starting to tear up
>Then they acted
>Equine bodies rush and force themselves against steel bars and metal fences pressing to get as close as possible
>All of them screaming their love and affection for her
>Some crying while screaming with joy
>It was nearly jaw dropping
>Around twelve guards around you made a safety perimeter around you, while more than a few rushed to press against the other side of the metal bars to keep from ponies toppling it
>You feel silly now for worrying earlier
>”Who’s in charge here?”
>Anon snaps to one of the guards with alarm
>One of them sneers and waves with his head at a unicorn mare, with a white mane and brown coat wearing bronze armor, walking over to meet you and Anon
>The stallion answers, “Captain Suture”
>”Hey, look, you need to call your guards to stop that stallion trying to leave, lock this-”
>”YOU,” she pronounces with venom seeping past her lips, “are in no position to give orders. Not. Anymore. You gave that up. Years ago.”
>Anon, rolls his eyes, “Yeah, yeah, I don’t visit often,” He says while rolling his wrist, before pointing out to the station exits, “Now quickly, you need to shut-“
>the broad side of a spear slammed into the back of Anon’s knees with sickening smack, forcing him immediately onto his knees where his face was level with a dozen spears
>His hand still held his suitcase
>”FUCK!”
>Suture circles around Anon
>”Anonymous J Rape, you are under arrest, under the domain of Twilight Sparkle. You have been charged conspiracy, sedition, and activity against harmony. I would read you, your rights, but terrorists have no rights here.”
>And then stops just in front of his face
>The fenced crowd cheers and roars with excitement
>Anon exhales and smiles to you while shrugging
>”Nothing like returning home to lift your spirits, eh?”
>*Smack*
>The unicorn cracks the butt of the spear against Anon’s face
>Anon wreathes in pain holding a hand on his mouth while still holding his suitcase in the other
>She was moving to stand over him with cuffs in her magic
“Enough”
>The guards look shocked
>Especially the mare in charge
>”Princess?”
>You turn look around you and try to take it all in
>This volatility was shocking
>Horrendous
>Abominable
>Just witnessing it from your own ponies
>It felt like a nightmare
>Everything about this felt out of place
>You want to scold them
>Retell the lessons of harmony a million times over
>But Anon breaks your hazy reverie
>”Remember to smile”
>He mutters between breaths
>You stop and take a closer look at the guards
>You can see their statures a bit weaker
>Their faces a bit shallow
>Their sides a bit sunken
>They’re hungry
>They’re tired
>And angry
>All because of this human
>You’re right, but he’s right too, you need to not let your ponies down now. They need to be understood and given patience to heal, not to be punished
“Please, my little ponies,” you begin, “Anonymous is serving to help me bring back Equestria. He’s here at my behest. Please, show a little more patience and kindness for the time being.”
>The guards readjust themselves and straighten up
>The mare captain nods, “Yes, your majesty,” she waves her leg toward the a cubicle block at the end of the wall, “Let’s move along to processing”
>Anon gets up on a knee with spears no longer aimed at him and rubs his faces slowly before rolling his neck
>He licked his teeth before slowly pinching his front two teeth and with a lick pluck, removed them
>He pocketed the teeth, stood up straight, and walked to the Captain, all the while you waited behind him
>It’s rather surprising just how stiff and curt Anon’s movements are when he’s angry
>You walk poised behind the man and guards, but tried to take enough time to process everything
>You get to a white walled room closed off from the rest of the station that can only fit
>The captain walks to the exit and pulls a leaver, when all of the room transforms to a bright neon green, lines flashing everywhere
>And then it’s done
>A guard from the entrance yells over to the captain on the other end
>”All clear on my end”
>The Captain replies, “Confirmed. They’re clean.”
>You look questioningly at Anon who just says, “Changelings”
>You piece it together
>At a fragile time like this, it makes sense that Twilight is on the lookout for infiltrators who would take advantage of this time
>The captain signals you to exit and follow here through a maze steel bars lining high until we make it a marble kiosk
>A pink mare with a teal mane looks at you two from behind her desk and smile
>”Hello” She says in almost whispers, “My name’s Whisper Wind. I’m going to need to register you both in some files, so I’m going to need you to answer some questions okay?”
>You feel your insides roll to their side, just feeling like Anon’s going to make some lame comment on the clerk’s name, but he doesn’t
>He’s still angry and looks like he’s going to be for a while, before he can muster up the strength to fake pleasantries
>”Go”
>The mare swallows
>”Um, yes, well, I know your names, so let me fill those out. And um, next question is, how long are you staying.”
>”Four nights”
>”Okay, so September 9th?”
>”Yes”
>”Great, um, so, uh, what’s your purpose here?”
>”Business”
>”Can you give any details?”
>”We will personally deliver the details to Princess Twilight in person”
>The mare shrinks back, “of course, yes. Um, so uh. I think that will do it for now. And uh, there’s a fee of twenty bits for the both of you“
>You were shocked
>Typically you’d have to force ponies to make you pay
>She looks at you in a state between a whimper and smile
>”Sorry Princess, Twilight’s policy expressly forbids anypony from getting an exception.”
>Anon silently fishes out the bits and places it before her
>”You” he nods to the Captain
>She just glares in response
>”Celestia’s going to need an escort to the palace,” he says with bile dripping from his tone
>She stiffens up and looks to you
>”Of course, it would be an honor to escort you”
>”It should be,” Anon says, “Cause we’ve got a long walk ahead of us”
>You were dreading the atmosphere the two would bring
>She gathers up a group of guards into a line of formations around you
>You lean in to whisper to Anon,
“I’m sorry. Please don’t try to make this drag out until we get to the palace.”
>He sneers revealing the gap in the front of his mouth, ”Just wait”
>You take a deep breath and then brace yourself to the glaring lights of the midday sun peaking through the large, grand hall doors opening you up to the sun
>And to greet you was a large mass of civilians waiting at the bottom of the station’s marble stoop
>The crowd was unending
>They flooded in, to crowd the streets, shoulder to shoulder they cheered, yelled, and hollered
>Only this time, their sizable mass nearly floored you
>At the bottom of the flight of stairs, a line of guard have given up body blocking the crowd and have relied on magical shields to hold the torrent of ponies back
>Anon’s words crashed into the Captain’s side like a brick, ”Word spreads quickly, eh?”
>She swallowed hard
>Anon pointed at the crowd from behind her shoulder
>”Go on, make a path for the Princess.”
>You’d suggest flying, but excluding how rude that would be for all in the present company, you think of the devastating effect it would have on the ponies, to have you return and then for you to leave above their heads
>This will take a while
>Anon shakes his case once, before taking the first step forward, of what he had said would be a long walk ahead


>An hour in of slowly marching through the crowd that continues to wash in from all angles, the guards are being exhausted by the slow magical pushing against the weight of the crowd
>The magical dome they erected around you and your escorts makes slow progress to physically push past the waves of adoring ponies
>You’ve been slowly nodding, waving, and saying hello, which does nothing to pacify the crowd and might even encourage their efforts, however to not, would probably grieve them horribly
>You‘re here for the ponies and what they need is for you to show that
>As you pass into the main street Anon stops, “Excuse me, but I’ll stop here to take my leave.”
>The guards quickly snap their spears at Anon
>Captain Suture snaps, “Oh no you don’t. We’re taking you to see Princess Twilight directly.”
>He grabs the neck of the closest spear to slowly pull it down while lowering his head to be square with the Suture’s face
>”Your warrant’s void while I act on Celestia’s behalf,” He says as he kneads his grip on the spear, “and I don’t need to ‘impose’ on Celestia and Twilight’s reunion. I’m sure they will have a wonderful time without me for their little powwow. In the meantime, I need to go.”
>”Go where?”
>Anon eyes give off an intense stare as he gives off a horrible wide, smile with a large gap in the middle
>“To see a fucking dentist”

>He snaps off the head of the spear and stands up straight
>He tosses the spear head away and kneels to set his suitcase down gently beside him
>Then you notice the sewer grate below you and it quickly become
>You back away and let him pull the cover off and set it aside
>He grabs his suitcase
>”Princess?” The Captain looks at you
>You shook your head
>You disliked the idea of Anon separating on his own, but there is only so much control you have over him when he’s tense like this
>To force him to obey now would ruin the reins of whatever fragile relationship you two have right now
>Before he jumped in he looks once more at you to say
>”I’ll meet you in the palace”
>And with that he disappeared out of your grasp and into the sewers

>Finally, your march had come at an end
>What should have been a short stroll home, turned to an improvised parade, all the participants and onlookers cheering at the turn of their delights of your return
>After the hour had passed since Anon’s departure from your entourage, you finally made it to the palace gates
>You looked back to the crowd and wave
>And they explode into cheers, applause, hoof bumps from 3 strories high in the air, couples kiss, confetti falls
>It’d be impossible to cool them down it would seem, so you talked to a guard to act as crier and make an announcement to the crowd that you would make a public appearance tomorrow afternoon
>This would give you time to prepare and allow the city simmer in good spirits, as their expectations might be too high when you plan to leave in three days
>You walked through, the palace doors to be greeted by the head minister flanked by a pair of few guards
“Fancy Pants?” you greet with a smile
>The blue mustachioed gentlestallion smiled and bowed, “Princess, it’s wonderful to have you back”
“Excuse my surprise, but what are you doing here? I always remember you were adamant about keeping all four hooves off politics.”
>”There are times were circumstance trumps personal preferences. I always had reservations against campaigning for offices due to the sort of transformation many stallions undergo from such cycles. With all my mannerisms and prestige, I’ve only ever wanted to be armed with nothing, but good intentions at my disposal. Now, I have hardly any worry about an election; not when a certain princess takes the title and hoof delivers it to you without asking.”
”Do you mind telling me more, while we walk? I want to see Twilight as soon as possible too.”
>”Of course.”

>The stallion took the lead, showing you the way, as maids scrambled around, only stopping to bow to you. The cobblestone hallways had a wonderful way with absorbing the midday sun, breathing life to what would otherwise be a very cold abode. Guard were trotting by every other corner
“It’s a bit busy,”
>”Of course, we received word of your arrival hours ago. Since then, the other ministers are scrambling to prepare an audience with you.”
>You sigh
>You didn’t want to delay your reunion any longer, but if it might be important…
>Fancy Pants chuckles, “Of course, I did tell them to not plan on seeing you any sooner than tomorrow.”
>You face lights up, before you restrain yourself from flying to just giving a genuine smile
“Thank you, Fancy.”
>”No, thank you,” Fancy Pants continues, “Not just for returning to bring harmony to Equestria, but so that I can participate in giving Twilight a good surprise.”
“You knew about my presence, and didn’t report this to Twilight?”
>The stallion smiles while passing through a sunbeam from the stained-glass window, “Seldom is the chance to give a pleasant surprise these days. It’d be a shame to waste the opportunity to deliver unexpected good news.”
>You nod with him
>You two take a turn and head deeper into the back of the
>”Princess Twilight is currently meeting with Rainbow Dash in the back of the palace, in the auditorium”

>The auditorium was spacious, but you hardly used it during your rule. It was meant for large meeting with an array of ponies from all over, but those meetings were infrequent since, you’d rather have many small get-togethers with statesponies in more intimate settings. In lieu of an assembly line of reports, you’d like to spend getting to know your administrators, while also leaving little room to wiggle out of your inquisitions
>That’s why you had so many different arrangements of study rooms throughout the palace. To spend all of the utility of the space on Feng Shui and aesthetics; to create the best high ground for your politics, and a warm, loving place to soak in pleasantries and meaning
>But those were your renovations, during your reign
>The palace, itself, has predated by some time
>The halls you now walk down resemble their gothic roots, from an older era
>The ceilings were raised even higher, with support beams across the top,
>The hallways were narrower, and the stone was rougher
>When you finally approached the large, ornate, chestnut oak doors of the auditorium, two guards were posted outside

>The blonde mane, white Pegasus stallion knocked the black and purple bat pony guard over who was apparently asleep standing up
>She yelled in shock, before grumbling, only to spot you and Fancy Pants standing before her which made her squealed
>Then the thestral mare snapped at attention
>Fancy Pants does his best to suppress a grin with you and asks for Twilight
>The pegasus nods, “Princess Twilight’s here. Do you want me to announce you?”
>You shake your head
“There is no need, though I do appreciate the offer…”
>”Sky Light”
>”And I’m Midnight,” The thestral blurted out, before showing her fangs in a nervous smiling
>These are the times you loved being a princess
>Not the nights you enjoy fine wine
>Not the days you parade the town
>But these moments when it’s just light hearted fun
“It’s nice to meet you Sky Light,” she squeaks under pressure. You nod to his partner, “And you too, Midnight”
>He nods in return
>He opens the door and you enter
>There’s one more walkway before you can enter the auditorium, so when you hear the raised voices of your student and her friend you stop to listen

>”Please, Twi, I’m trying my heart out and you won’t give me, anything.”
>That was Rainbow Dash
>She sounds so… distressed
>”Rainbow Dash, I can’t. If it has anything to do with a war with non-equines, I. Can’t. Help. I’ve told you this before.”
>”It’s a construction project!” Dash starts stuttering, “T-th-there’s the water and it goes underground and, and it goes to Cloudsdale. Easy, non-fighting, non... We just need somepony as good as you to do some ground work so we can get this done.”
>”And it’s for powering a weather station. A weather station you’re using against the gryphons. If it was a simple irrigation system, that’d be fine. It’d be great, but diverting a river to fuel a weapon? I can’t use my powers for a war like this, period. I’d risk Judgement. I just can’t do it.”
>”Well, how bad is this ‘Judgement’?” Rainbow pleads, “We need you. We used to get through all of our problems, TOGETHER! Now I’m stuck all alone trying to save Equestria from the Gryphons, and when my friend is standing with all the firepower in Equestria, who could save the day in one swoop… she starts talking about some… laws, or whatever, that nopony's ever heard about before, that tells her to just, Let it all go!”

>“Rainbow Dash, you have to trust me on this. I cannot be directly involved. I can’t do it…” She whispers softly, “You do trust me, right?”
>A familiar, heart-shattering feeling flares up inside you
>Rainbow Dash exhales
>She says half-heartedly, “I don’t know”
>There’s a slight pause, before Rainbow Dash groans loudly, “Fuck. okay, yeah, I trust you. I do. It’s just…” she pauses. “It’s just. I hate having my friends leaving me hanging.”
>”Rainbow…”
>”Look, I get it. You win, okay? It just… it just sucks.”
>”…Nopony wins unless we all get through this together. And we’ll do it. Somehow, someway, you have to believe.”
>There’s a pregnant silence between Twilight, Rainbow Dash, you, and the walls.
>Twilight sighs before asking, ”Have you been getting any help from Rainbow Falls or Vanhoover?”
>”Sorta and no. Vanhoover’s completely flaked on us and we get some supplies from Rainbow Falls. Which is great, but we need horsepower. We need to… I don’t know. We need something.”
>You decide now to break your eavesdropping

>When you peek around the corner your eyes pick up the familiar shapes of Rainbow Dash and Twilight
>However, as your eyes adjust, the details start to sink in
>The scars that trail along rainbow Dash’s left side, while her right foreleg is covered with a black sleeve, which was very out of place on her gold and blue armor and red cape draped over her right side
>Gone was the toned athlete, here now stands a scarred, muscular warrior
>You immediately turn to Twilight, bracing for another dramatic change
>Your fears are alleviated though. She looks well and fine
>Well, not really well or fine
>She a bit taller, but a bit thinner too
>She has bag under her eyes and her posture sags
>on a table beside her, sat her tiara with the Element of Magic
>In contrast to Rainbow Dash’s uniform, Twilight has no adornments on her
>You take a few gentle steps towards them, before they turn to the sounds of your hoofsteps
>Rainbow Dash was locked in a static state of shock
>Twilight, however, gave no hesitation to jump over the table and gallop past the stage
>”Princess!”
>Her muzzle slams into your chest with all of her momentum, pushing you to sit down, and she wraps her forelegs around you
>Her tears soak your chest
>The mixed, raw emotions in her crying melts your heart
>So much wild delight and so much suppressed anguish all explode out of her
>Your wings stretch out to cradle her

>You notice how much she is hunching over to keep her head at chest level
>She’s growing so fast
>You’ve been gone for too long
>You slowly stroke the back of Twilight’s head as she sniffles
“Shhhhhhh,” you continue to stroke her mane, “Shhhhh”
>She melts into your embrace
>Her grip was released, but she still leaned on you for support
>In the corner of your eye you see Rainbow Dash slowly walking sideways towards you while looking away
>When she’s finally close enough you open your wings and look to her
>Theres a moment of hesitation before she accepts your invitation in earnest.
>Not as vigorously or desperate
>But, nevertheless, equally comforted
>When you left the Gates, you were scared they were growing away from you and harmony
>But despite everything, they’re still the ponies you know and love
>”It’s so,” Twilight sniffles, “good to see you”
>You look down and smile
“And it’s wonderful to see you too, Twilight.”

>Time slips away as you sit there holding the ponies close
>Slowly, you pull back from the hug and the two elements stand back up
>Now, within close proximity, you notice something wrong with Rainbow Dash’s sleeve
“Rainbow Dash, are you alright?”
>Rainbow breaks into a sweat, “I uh… it’s kind of a long story, so um, just don’t freak out”
>You tilt your head in confusion, until she twists the sleeve before you hear a mechanical pop
>And then a plastic prosthetic leg falls to the ground and the sleeve hiding it falls limp in the air
>You’re caught there speechless
>You’ve felt and seen the ravages of war, but you’ve hardly prepared your heart for it to happen once again
>In your mind, you’ve cemented the image of the Elements as untouchable in your masterwork era of peace and solitude
>But even if warnings professed the loss of your paradise, the words never touched you as hard as the do now
>Rainbow Dash tries to reassure you, “It’s fine really”
>You whisper real low, as if the words unconsciously escaped along a single breath
“How did this happen?”

>”Well, heh, uh, that’s going to take some explaining.”
>Twilight working hard to subdue the quivering and sneering in her lip
>You put a hoof on her shoulder and look back to Dash
>”You know about the Gryphons right?”
>You shake your head
“I haven’t been told any details yet. Only that there is some conflict with Gryphons”
>”Yeah, well, that ain’t wrong. That’s not all of it though.”
>You take a deep breath and nod to her to keep going
>”I’ll go over most of details later, but, uh,” Rainbow Dash lays down to try and reattach her prosthetic with one leg, “As soon as Equestria was left in a free for all, and everypony panicked, some gryphons sniffed out the opportunity to go free reign on the border.”
>Twilight looked at you, “Pirates”
>”Yup. A month into the Split and nopony there could stop them. They could kill, steal, kidnap, enslave” she took a deep breath, “rape”. A shiver goes down her spine. “All unchecked.”
>After reattaching it and knocking on it, she picked herself back up, “So when Cloudsdale heard about this, and I was there to try and get somethings in order, I couldn’t stand by. Neither could anypony in Cloudsdale who dares call themselves a ‘Pegasus’,” she said with vigor, “We rallied up, ready to stop them. While we were gearing up and I mailed the girls, telling them we were heading for war, and Twilight told me to first try and talk to the Duke of Clawbreak Reach first. He was supposed to be somebody important to gryphons, so maybe he could make the pirates stop.”
>That makes sense with how southern Gryphons are
>Those bandits are likely a combination of outlaws and gryphons that work directly under the wage of the duke
>With how aggressive Gryphons naturally are, the Southern districts of the Gryphon Kingdoms are usually kept on a loose leash and free to raid their neighbors every so often across several decades

>However, when you asked the dukes in the past, to recall their soldiers and they complied, and the change was immediate
>With one measly gift to the dukes, all attacks would cease immediately
>This is how it went for centuries
>Whether the gift was large some of bits or a set of ornate pottery to simple jewelry, any show of patronage would always keep gryphons out
>But in the past, when they slip out and wreak havoc they’ve never been malicious
>There were times where they didn’t lift a claw against ponies and simply harassed farmers
>But this was a war path they’re setting on
“How high were his demands?”
>”A thousand pony slaves! 333 Earth Ponies! 333 Unicorns! 333 Pegasi! AND AN ALICORN!”
>Twilight commentated softly, ”It was disgusting.”
>Rainbow Shook her hoof in the air, “The nerve of that feather brained bastard! I straight up told him to take back every word he said or I’d smash his beak off”
>How long has this mentality festered inside her? Of most ponies here?
>Justified or not, you need to route out the source of this ill effect on your ponies as soon as possible
>This, Anonymous, is why you need to make this tour
“And then?”
>Rainbow Dash pouted and looked away
>”He laughed”

>Twilight moved over to Rainbow Dash
>”Rainbow Dash made an official declaration of war between Gryphone Stone and Cloudsdale”
>So gone were the pirates and raiders, and in with the soldiers and marauders
>”and then they moved Cloudsdale 400 miles to situate themselves near the border,” Twilight explains
“That’s quite an accomplishment”
>”Yeah, we were a hundred percent invested into this war. But then we had to fight,” Rainbow Dash says before staring off into the distance
>You give her the moment
>She taps the floor a couple times
>”We were completely… not ready. Princess, we don’t know how to war”
>Your accomplishments turned detriments
>”We could fly faster, farther, better than any gryphon, any day of the week. But, all we could do was buck them if we got close. The first months were tartarus.”
>The weathered pony veteran slumped forward
>”We kept losing and losing. We came to save lives, but we kept running away. The royal guard stationed to Cloudsdale weren’t much help, since they couldn’t tell us how to fight.”
>You and Twilight stand beside Rainbow Dash
>She continues, “Everything we learned, we had to the hard way! And it always hurt so much.”
>She picks herself up and stomps a hoof down, “And when we do figure it all out, and we try to go on the offensive. Give the Gryphons a taste…”
>The words are choked in her mouth as she starts breaking down into tears
>Quickly, Twilight moves closer to wrap a wing around her friend
>She looks up at Celestia, “This happened to her during the first and last attack on Gryphon territory.”

>Remorse fills your soul
>If only…
>But you stop that train of thought
>No
>If only, isn’t good enough here
>You lie down next to Twilight and Rainbow Dash on the auditorium stage floor
>Rows of empty seats stand silent
>The lofty ceilings let the still air set around you
>And on the cold, cobblestone brick floor, you lay together, waiting for Rainbow Dash, no matter how long it'd take
>You couldn't be there for them when they needed you
>But you were here now

>You and Twilight took Rainbow Dash’s sleeping form to a guest room and leave her to rest
>The daily exhaustion and depression of the Gryphon’s campaign has sapped her old endurance
>When the Split first, she could easily make a day trip to and fro to check up on Twilight
>However, now she can’t push herself like that anymore without some frenzied adrenaline pumping through her
>That and she’s escorted by Cloudsdale Guards to slow her down
>Or New Pegastopolis Guards as they call themselves now
>Using an old, glorified war era to muster the state of mind for a new war era
>Now in a dining area, you sit with your former student
>”I hope you don’t mind, but there’s no menu to order from. I’ve made some mandates on food distribution, and me and my staff undergo the same constraints.”
>You nod approvingly
“Leading by example. I wouldn’t expect less from you, Twilight.”
>An array of colors shines through the stain glass windows
>The room resembles its old charm
>high ceilings
>Ornate windows depicting Twilight’s successes and many of the other successes of Harmony
>Long, oak table with a gold trimming
>You and Twilight sat across from the shorter width of the table to be close enough to talk casually
“But, you say you’re forcing a rationing?”
>Twilight forced a strained smile
>”Well, Canterlot is around 300,000 ponies dense, and after Anon killed all infrastructure that kept the city alive, being with it being the center of a united Equestria, there has been a bit rough transformation process leading Canterlot into a self-sufficient city to pay for sustenance, but we are making progress to the profit margin line… be it slow as it may.”
>That would explain much of the outrage the public has over Anon
>He’s the one forcing these conditions, while Ponyville is prospering from the lack of enforcement
“Twilight,”

>You sit up in your seat and lean forward
“Do you mind answering a question I have, because I think you, Twilight, my most brilliant student and a Princess herself, would be uniquely qualified to answer it?”
>Twilight reciprocated your posture and leaned in herself
>”Of course.”
“Why did everything fall apart?”
>You take a deep breath
“Anon made a few rules, his seven laws, and then everypony splintered off. Why did everypony separate ways instead of rebuild? Even now, your friends are in six separate locations that could influence the creation of a new pact to reunite Equestria. What’s stopping the reuniting of Equestria all these years.”
>Twilight Leaned back into her chair and looked up before she summoned her notes from a spell and levitated them over her right side and skimmed them
>”I’ve been working on what happened during Anon’s brief reign and how he orchestrated the Split for the past four years. Ever since I came to Canterlot and assumed the throne, I have been digging through logs to see what happened and why most cities wouldn’t respond, but not everything might have been on the books.”
>Twilight looked back at you
>”Anon had about a month and a half before he made the move to disband, and it’s really hard to tell what he did do and what he wasn’t responsible for, because the timing was incredible. Immediately, before any sort of conference could have happened, everypony had a catastrophe on their hooves too soon to realize.”
>Twilight produced a map of Equestria and pointed to various cities
https://imgur.com/KWmSKRo
>”Baltimare was reaching a boiling point. Angry ponies who have been taken advantage of for too long were starting to organize. Anon made orders to crack down, but didn’t give the extra Guard to sustain peace. When Anon left, the grudge stayed.”
“So without any authority I gave them…”
>”It wasn’t quick or easy, but the revolution came. Workers seizing the means of production. It was a messy affair. And now they’re starting a war with Fillydelpia.”
>You exhale
>Anon and his damnable books
>But that wasn’t solely Anon
>Anon didn’t own a darn thing, it was the managers who were in charge at the end
>Maybe you should have fought a bit harder
>Intervened, put pressure on them, anything really
>And yet you wanted to stick within your bounds and roles
>Not exert yourself on everywhere your eyes lay
>Let ponies sort out their problems without you twisting their leg
>There was always going to be a price either way
>But Anon let it spill out in violence

>”Fillydelphia was already a pseudo oligarchy between the Big Six that were producing more revenue than they were receiving, so if anything the tax break was a motivation to not come back under the fold. Instead they opted to just keep producing and exporting.”
>Fillydelphia was one of the exporting head quarters for the six big families dealing with food exports
>Railroads from northern farms rolled through Fillydelphia before anywhere else
>And the Big Six families had power
>The Apples
>The Pears
>The Grapes
>The Peaches
>And the Oranges
>The biggest names that controlled Fillydelphia and Baltimare
>Filly was a domestic HQ and Baltimare was the international trading center
>There was money there
>Lot’s of money
>This wouldn’t be the first power struggle
>Not by a long shot
>Violent outbreaks and gang wars have been fought periodically for centuries
>In the alleys
>In the warehouses
>The docks
>A lot of criminals were mixed in with the good-natured ponies who worked produce with their extended family
>”However, your absence there was plenty of inner fighting too, racing to get control before you came back. We thought Applejack would be best for the job. She has been trying to situate a peace. Her background as an Apple helps her make connections, but with her background as an Apple, it’s… difficult to make connections.”
“You and the girls chose correctly. If it were anypony else, I’m sure the families wouldn’t even glance your way”
>Twilight’s shoulders relaxed a bit and relieved graced her face”
>”Thank you, Princess.”
>You let her continue
>” And they are uniting, but it’s against Baltimare”
>Twilight flips through some more notes

>”Now, Manehattan was being stricken with the Saddle Arabian Flu, some days after the Split and the means to aid were shut, so while they festered and suffered, nopony came either out of fear or lack of means.”
“Did I hear you right? The Saddle Arabian Flu?”
>”Yes, it’s an old strain doctors had to look up in some medical history books.
>What a dreaded plague that was
>One day you look excellent
>The next your screaming and hollering for water and a change of bedding
>Horrible to watch your castle suffer from
>Certainly in the top 10 of worst weeks, when you had to nurse 90% of the maids and ministers back to health a few centuries back
>Borderline lethal
>”When Discord came to wreak havoc nopony could stop him, but he did, of course, the unexpected.”
“A deal”
>Twilight closed her eyes and nodded, “For the exorbitant price of buying out everypony in Manehattan as a slave and forced to reside in his city, he would cure and provide for them for the rest of their service.”
“And with times so desperate, they actually took it?”
>”Exactly. They didn’t see much choice since they already couldn’t depend on anypony else. And then Discord shut the city away with minimal contact. Fluttershy’s there to try and temper Discord, but Discord really wants everypony to play his games. Fluttershy can’t do much, but make sure Discord’s fair and the ponies don’t give up hope.”
>Discord as king of his own city
>This would be a hassle
>At the very least there shouldn’t be any death
>It’s not in his character to be cruel
>Mischievous
>Rude
>Antagonistic
>Annoying
>But not a murderer
>At least you could save Manehattan for last

>”Trottingham is… it’s bad. That’s all I know. The Yaks have been wild after Anon’s reign, last I heard. Now, getting ponies in and out of Trottingham is impossible with the barrier that Discord put up around Manehattan unintentionally cutting them off from the mainland. I don’t get enough news about what’s truly going on over there. Nopony does.”
“Don’t they have access to the sea?”
>”The Grasp of Manos”
>You facehoof
>Of course
>That blasted island colony of the minotaurs and the goat natives
>The inhabitants have done nothing wrong, but their island, geographically and magically create an impassible torrent in the ocean around them
>Only the age-perfected, bulky Minotaur designed ships can bear the front of the harsh waters and they aren’t too fond of going out more than usual either
>”The northern countryside was raided by Gryphons, making Vanhoover and Rainbow Falls into refugee hotspots for the many small villages being driven out. Many more remain to cultivate the fields, but under duress. Rainbow Falls is now giving some support to Cloudsdale, but the pegasi have been on the back hoof, and aren’t holding up well.”
“And they can’t consider surrender peace in such a position.”
>”They are trying something though.”
>Your ears perked, while Twilight’s fall

>”After their first defeat at Ironwing Fortress, when the retreated forces of Pegastopalis returned, the command was desperate.”
>Twilight leans back and pouts before letting it out, “They were already started to rely on his tactics. Now they called Anon directly”
>That made sense
>It made a lot of sense, in a horrible fashion
>”In the beginning, Cloudsdale wanted to fight like a pegasi. With spears diving into the fray and kicking and bucking. After being desperate they started using Anon’s tactics… weaponized weather.”
>A sacrilege among most species is to use a tool directly as a weapon
“I believe the proverb goes, “You can never use a guilty mallet to build an honest home,” right?”
>”Exactly, but after much deliberation, the Pegastopolis command believed that this was not a war of honor, but a war of justice.”
“How can they have justice without honor?”
>”I don’t exactly agree with their decision, but they did it anyways. They harnessed lightning against another being.”
>Your hooves press against the table, but you try to remain steady
“And?”
>”And… they could then repel the Gryphons at junctures”
>Lightning and weather manipulation was a species gift to the pegasi from the heavens
>It was meant to ensure good harvest, not merry destruction of your foes
>Commander Hurricane must be rolling in her grave
>And this… was a blow to you
>Further and further, you are realizing how much darkness and desperation Anon’s drawing out of your ponies
>”The haphazard lightning tosses didn’t completely even the odds. The entire war previously and since has been a testament to experience over ability. Gryphons, with their crossbow and flying galleons still strike just as hard and deadly as ever, but now… Pegastopolis was returning fire.”
“This was already a theory in his book. Why was Anon called?”

>”The war was costly. Money and lives. Gryphons called Anon’s theories, a… uh… what, ‘a meticulous manipulation of circumstances to issue a slaughter’? Well, with how badly they were being beat, a slaughtering of gryphons seemed like a win at that point. Invading wasn’t much an option anymore. The Duke and his territory was such a nightmare to siege. So… Anonymous… thought to use the Cloudsdale Weather Factory on them”
“To what ends”
>”It would seem, until the rocks and cliff all the way to the heart of Gryphonstone were washed away.”
>You thought for a second
>Just trying to grasp what sort of scope
“Like a constant rain?”
>”The goal is a constant hurricane, to decimate cities and villages alike”
“But what about the civilians? Not every gryphon is like the ones raiding and harassing the ponies.”
>Twilight could only sigh and shrug
>You sat back
>You were shivering
>Shaking in fury
>How close to the edge was Anon going to take Equestria
>How far would they follow
>You could hardly bottle up the wrath you wished to inflict upon Anon
>You should have seen the signs in Anon’s musings from his world perspective on this world
>But…
>But…
>You cannot
>Not now, not yet
>Maybe not at all
>Everypony has come to rely on you to hold them up
>It shouldn’t be surprising to see that when they get pushed without you…
>They fall
>Now, it’s a matter of making sure they don’t hit the bottom
>”And for the past two years they’ve been underway sending near consistent rain and storms, which only gets the Gryphons more serious about the war.”

>You fold a hoof on the other and hold them infront of your mouth
>”Princess?”
“Continue,” you say emotionlessly
>Now you were guarding your heart
>Bracing for the hits
>Twilight tentatively scrolled through more notes and redirected accordingly to the map
>“Vanhoover has been taken over by an Earth Pony extremist group.”
>You exhale from your nose
>” The Split happened and for a while when the threat of Gryphonstone was real and despite or perhaps because, they were an ethnocentric group they were involved. After they took over, they helped farmers and refugees, but when Cloudsdale moved in, they receded all help and now exile all non-earth ponies to Luna Bay and Crystal Empire and refuse anypony to the coal that’s in the Smokey Mountains. Which Las Pegasus tried to take by force, but failed to do.”
>Earth Pony extremists?
>How will you be able to bridge the divide in racial hate and species hate
>Is it xenophobia or something deeper
>Your going to need to see them
>Or how will they see you
>Earth Pony nationality doesn’t come up for centuries and it’s always different from the last
>Sometimes peaceful protests
>Sometimes a hate movement
>Sometimes a rebellion
>A sustained government has never happened before
>Unicorn and Pegasi pride were ever present in the daily attitudes of majority cities, mostly without prejudice, but Earth Ponies… it was always going to be difficult for when they rise
>You nod for Twilight to continue

>”The Crystal Empire is holding well, as expected. They’re accepting refugees sent their way, but they can’t lead any forces inland, since Vanhoover refuses to let them march anywhere close to the city-state territory, and Cadence and Shining won’t fight fellow ponies.”
>Expected, but good to hear
>A shame how minimal their role has been
>Twilight continues
>”Las Pegasus has been in uprising after uprising, when leadership in Las Pegasus has always shaky.”
>You scoff
>Even from Canterlot you could tell that big business and corporations had a very loose interpretation of friendship and magic
>A gambling city?
>Of course it’d be a den of disharmony
>But you tolerated it, because everypony went there to get it out of their system there and not spread it throughout their life
>Better for most ponies to make some far off shine to disharmony then build a shrine for it in their home
>What happens in Las Pegas
>City politicians were never really elected so much as appointed by money
>You’ve cleaned it up many times, and it always reverts to the same nature
>”Pinkie’s…she’s… not doing anything really helpful,” Twilight confessed, “She mediates for the gatherings, she plans for parties, she checks up on ponies, but she doesn’t take the reins and stop them.”
.Twilight flicked her hoof off the table

>”Dodge city is now a conquered piece to Las Pegas. It’s forced into trade with Las Pegas now and it’s new leadership, installed by the general consensus of Las Pegas is...”
>Twilight held her tongue on her side of her mouth
>You tilted your head
>”Tom the Rock. Residing governor”
“As a joke?”
>”If it’s a joke, Las Pegas is very into it.”
>You wave a hoof and shake your head
“Let’s move on”
>”You were in Ponyville?”
>You nodded
>”By the way, I haven’t heard from Rarity in a while. She’s always vague in her letters. How is she?”
>You hesitate
“Ummmmm… she’s fine”
>Twilight squints for a long second before shrugging
>”That’s nice. Hope she’s enjoying herself”
>You think better than to make awkward laughter and just nod
>There was a time for this later
>”Appaloosa, alongside Rainbow Falls, is one of the more quiet and peaceful places.”
>You relax a bit
>”And those were just the cities. Most small towns and villages are absorbed into most of these factions of the surrounding area.”
“I understand”
>Twilight wrapped up her notes and set them aside along with her map
>”And that is a brief synopsis of most of the problems. They get better and worse the closer you look at them. Mostly worse”
>You wince at how downtrodden Twilight says that
>”Everyponies dealing with their own set of life shattering problems and have no time, resources, or trust to spare in an Equestria without Celestia or Luna.”
“But what about Canterlot? Surely the city could have mended most of those fences. Some of the best minds and skilled soldiers reside here, in this very city.”
>”Great ponies. Yes? Skilled soldiers? Yes. However, we were set up for failure before we even knew it.”
>Twilight leaned in and tapped the table
>”We were deliberately sabotaged and robbed.”