My Little Pony: Warfare is Tragic

AN: There has been much speculation as to the possible presence of a recurring villain in the upcoming second season of FiM, which is now less than a week away. This story is my concept of what such a villain could possibly be, and how the story would play out with them. Rated for possibly frightening imagery and darker themes. Any and all commentary is most welcome!

Prologue: Old Wounds

-Cavalon, 1000 years ago-

Ashes swirled around Celestia's hooves as she strode though the empty boulevard towards the meeting ground, and the awaiting enemy commanders. All around, the dying embers of the previous nights inferno glowed; each a reminder of the heinous act whose burden she alone would carry, a symbol of the lives she had snuffed out to force this settlement. Her face did not betray the storm of emotion within her: she had to appear strong and resolute, or the suffering of so many would have been for naught. But even as she fought to block them, the screams of terror still echoed in her mind…

Run! She's coming this way!

Goddess, they're trapped!

Mommy! Please, get up!

A fallen helmet caught her eye: it was still glowing cherry red, flames dancing eerily along its ridges, sheltering a pile of ash that had presumably once been its wearer.

"They were so brave…", she whispered, "Reckless…" The images came rushing back to her of the Cavalonian soldiers she had annihilated the night before; ponies who stood no chance before the full power of the Sun itself, but fought on regardless. They would charge down open streets, they would ambush her, by themselves or in whole platoons, it didn't matter how, they would try to slow her down. None of them could possibly survive her wrath, but the soldiers were desperate for anything to buy the fleeing civilians a few more precious seconds. "…fearless."

If her escorts had heard their mistress' muttering, they didn't show it. The two guard captains marched wordlessly in perfect formation, their practiced pageantry utterly at odds with the enveloping miasma of desolation. Expertly timed hoof-falls echoed between the burnt husks of buildings lining the street, breaking the otherwise absolute stillness in a way that seemed almost officious and rude to the Princess.

The trio passed under a shattered archway as they reached the edge of the meeting ground: a town square of sorts for this district. Phantom winds stirred the omnipresent ash into a translucent fog, transforming the Cavalonian delegation into specters, barely at the edge of visibility. Had the horror of the situation not anchored her in the reality of what she had down, Celestia would've insisted this were a dream. Instead, reality had become a nightmare from which there would be no awakening, a nightmare of her own creation.

Now, she stood not ten paces from the victims of said nightmare. The three Cavalonians were a sorry sight, coated as they were in the soot of their homes, but stood defiant and proud. Silence filled the square, seemingly daring the assembled ponies to even twitch. A sudden cough from her right broke the quiet in an unutterably ignominious way, and a second was desperately choked down as Captain Bastion fought to avoid looking like a complete idiot. Rolling his eyes, Captain Grave stepped forth, doing his best to look intimidating to make up for his compatriot. Not an easy task considering he only came up to the Cavalonian commanders chins.

"Bow before Princess Celestia, ruler of all Equestria!", he barked. Celestia's opposite, a red-tinted old buck who was missing an ear, snorted derisively in response. Grave huffed, but simply continued in his pontificating; anything to get him out of this sordid affair as fast as possible. "As of this moment, the people of Cavalon are considered to have surrendered themselves to the mercy and judgment of Equestria and its ruler!"

"And what is our merciful judgment, then?" The Cavalonians voice was thick with contempt.

Celestia breathed deeply as she prepared her final crime against these people, "For offering your praise and worship to the traitorous Princess Luna, the people of Cavalon are herby banished to beyond the great mountains of the west. You are never to return to Equestria, or any of the lands that border it." She stared into his eyes, feeling his burning hatred for her lancing from them. "Do you accept the terms of surrender?"

In the distance, a beam weakened by the blaze collapsed, its fate echoing across the square in a haunting roar; as though voiced by some great beast in its dying breaths. A momentary eternity passed as the Cavalonian glared at her. Then his lips broke into a sneer, "We accept."

"You are to have this city entirely vacated by this time tomorrow. Anypony found still within the city will forfeit their life."

"Very gracious of you, your highness." With mockingly overstated deference, he bowed extremely low, his forehead nearly touching the ground, and stayed that way just long enough to dispel any possible shred of doubt as to his actual thoughts on the matter. His head snapped back up to level with the Princess', daring her to accuse him of disingenuousness.

Celestia merely nodded, "Then we are concluded. Go in peace, Commander."

"And you as well, Princess." The raw quantity of venom is his voice wished her anything but as the commander turned on his hoof and departed. In short order, the Cavalonians disappeared into the ashen fog; the only traces of their presence were their hoofprints, quickly washed away by the mournful sounding winds.

"Your majesty, we should be leaving too."

"You two can go. I wish to be alone for a while."

"As you wish m'lady." The air around her was whipped to life as the captains departed for Canterlot, no doubt eager to put this whole affair out of mind. For a few moments, Celestia was still, looking for all the world like an untouched version of the collapsed memorials that littered the square.

A single, choked sob wracked the Princess' form as her emotions finally overwhelmed her. How could all this have happened? Less than a week ago, she and her sister were enjoying lunch together in the grand halls of Canterlot, utterly carefree. Now, Luna was sealed within the moon, transformed by jealousy and bitterness into the monstrous Nightmare Moon, and the nation of Cavalon was being made to follow suit, a fate they would likely not survive.

The wind churned to life, echoing through the hollow shells of the buildings around her, the sound twisting into a cruel laugh, as though the world itself was mocking her situation. The Princess who had lost her sister and her benevolence in a single swoop, now the plaything of cruel fate. Her tears flowed freely onto the ash-coated ground, washing away a tiny river to reveal the alabaster stone beneath. She paused, almost transfixed by the tiny speck of white in the ocean of gray, as a thought came to her.

There is always hope, no matter how bleak things may be.

Newfound resolve filled her heart, and the despair that had clung to her for the past week washed away. She would from this, not wallow in it. She would ensure that these tragedies would never be repeated against another innocent soul, and, in time, perhaps even save her sister. The people of Cavalon could survive their exile, and she could repay them for what she had done. Not now, perhaps not in a hundred years, but someday, she would set things right again. She was, after all, immortal.

The Princess launched herself skyward and away from the ocean of her sorrow as she put her sins out of mind. She had much work to do, but she would find a way. Silently, she promised all those who had suffered that it would not be in vain.

As Celestia disappeared over the horizon, she hadn't noticed her shadow still stood in the square. The specter threw back its head, and another ethereal laugh drifted across the empty city, before evaporating into the mist to pursue the departing Cavalonains…

And with that, the story proper can begin. After all, a lot can happen in a millennium, but a lot can stay the same…