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Description
"I never expected it to come to this... none of us did. Some would say it's funny how fast life can change. How things we take for the norm can suddenly turn into what we least expect, or how those we admire can become those we despise. ...I would call it anything but funny.

There was nothing funny about how Princess Celestia destroyed Canterlot in less than five minutes, there was nothing funny about Discord revealing that he'd drugged her into believing that she was attacking Nightmare Moon and her 'guards', and there was certainly nothing funny about Luna's attempt to reason with her poisoned sister... an attempt that cost her dearly.

...The Princess of the Night hasn't been seen since that day.

After that day, something happened to Celestia. She began ruling over Equestria with an iron hoof, and even extended her reach to neighboring lands. Celestia declared the governments of those lands to be obsolete, and stated that she was to rule over the world in "absolute harmony". The Griffon Empire, warriors though its namesake may have been, was overwhelmed by the sun princess's regime. Chrysalis and her changelings were driven underground in the Badlands, and poor Princess Cadence and Shining Armor all but gave up their status as royalty to avoid directing Celestia's ire at the Crystal Empire. The newly-crowned Princess Twilight Sparkle stood at her mentor's side throughout; whether under her own volition or not, I don't know.

In less than a month, Celestia's "Solar Regime" was established, and has remained in power ever since.The Solar Guard's ranks have swollen to almost-unbelievable size, and they keep constant vigils over the cities Celestia controls. Those who speak out against the regime suddenly find themselves under scrutiny, characterized as 'heretics sowing the seeds of chaos'. In some extreme cases, they disappear, presumably incarcerated in the dungeons below Canterlot Castle. The remaining Elements of Harmony are divided - Pinkie Pie and Rarity have gone to Canterlot, while Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Fluttershy remain in Ponyville.

So where do I fit into all this? Celestia called me to Canterlot after she had established her regime. She wanted me to act as the commander of her air forces, but after seeing what she had done... there was no way I could accept. My oath to fight for harmony does not fall to loyalty to a specific princess, but to Equestria. This vision of Celestia's isn't "harmony"... it's a dictatorship, where fear has replaced freedom. And to protect the land... I had to resort to drastic measures. I stole the Alicorn Amulet from the Canterlot Castle Vault and convinced Rarity to sew me a costume. One that would not only protect my identity, but also instill fear in the enemies I would no doubt face. For somepony who represents the element of courage, it seems almost wrong for me to resort to using fear as a weapon, but... The regime acts with impunity, without consequence. It's time to change that.

So many questions run through my mind...

How will the Alicorn Amulet affect me? I have no idea. The risk of corruption is there, but it's a risk that must be taken.

Is Luna really dead? Doubt it; there was no evidence of her death at the scene where it allegedly occurred.

Am I a hero? No. A hero doesn't strike fear into the hearts of those he's trying to protect.

Am I any better than Celestia for doing what I'm about to do..?

I don't know what difference I will make against the regime, or even if I will make one at all. What I do know is that harmony must be restored.

The night is darkest just before the dawn. And that dawn is coming."

Musical accompaniment - www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cn1gqN…

Okay, now that you've read through that monologue, let me explain. XD This is an alternate-universe (Equestria-2, if you will) version of Skywarrior. The inspiration behind this picture was a comment my friend made to me once about the whole "Solar Empire" VS "New Lunar Republic" bit, and it got me to thinking. Based on what I've seen in the show, I think it would take something EXTREMELY drastic to cause Celestia to rule in an "imperial" fashion. After playing Injustice: Gods Among Us, and seeing how everyone's favorite Kryptonian got pushed over the edge by a tragic event... I deduced that such an event would be what would push Celestia over the edge, thus starting the whole "Solar Regime" VS "Lunar Insurgency" bit.

Now, about the whole "Alicorn Amulet on a non-magical pony" issue. I'm of the opinion that the amulet would enhance the wearer's physical strength if they happen to be non-magical. But since we've yet to see a non-magic character wield it in the show...

This is NOT canon. Just thought it'd be interesting to try my hoof at a "darker" MLP piece.

As always, comments are welcome and appreciated.

My Little Pony is (c) Hasbro, developed for TV by Lauren Faust.

Injustice: Gods Among Us is (c) Netherrealm Studios, DC Comics characters (c) DC Comics.

Base anatomy by .

Costume designed by me, based on: wac.450f.edgecastcdn.net/80450… .

Armor, cape, amulet, and eye resources found at .

Monologue inspired by the opening sequence of Injustice: Gods Among Us.

Description
"I never expected it to come to this... none of us did. Some would say it's funny how fast life can change. How things we take for the norm can suddenly turn into what we least expect, or how those we admire can become those we despise. ...I would call it anything but funny.

There was nothing funny about how Princess Celestia destroyed Canterlot in less than five minutes, there was nothing funny about Discord revealing that he'd drugged her into believing that she was attacking Nightmare Moon and her 'guards', and there was certainly nothing funny about Luna's attempt to reason with her poisoned sister... an attempt that cost her dearly.

...The Princess of the Night hasn't been seen since that day.

After that day, something happened to Celestia. She began ruling over Equestria with an iron hoof, and even extended her reach to neighboring lands. Celestia declared the governments of those lands to be obsolete, and stated that she was to rule over the world in "absolute harmony". The Griffon Empire, warriors though its namesake may have been, was overwhelmed by the sun princess's regime. Chrysalis and her changelings were driven underground in the Badlands, and poor Princess Cadence and Shining Armor all but gave up their status as royalty to avoid directing Celestia's ire at the Crystal Empire. The newly-crowned Princess Twilight Sparkle stood at her mentor's side throughout; whether under her own volition or not, I don't know.

In less than a month, Celestia's "Solar Regime" was established, and has remained in power ever since.The Solar Guard's ranks have swollen to almost-unbelievable size, and they keep constant vigils over the cities Celestia controls. Those who speak out against the regime suddenly find themselves under scrutiny, characterized as 'heretics sowing the seeds of chaos'. In some extreme cases, they disappear, presumably incarcerated in the dungeons below Canterlot Castle. The remaining Elements of Harmony are divided - Pinkie Pie and Rarity have gone to Canterlot, while Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Fluttershy remain in Ponyville.

So where do I fit into all this? Celestia called me to Canterlot after she had established her regime. She wanted me to act as the commander of her air forces, but after seeing what she had done... there was no way I could accept. My oath to fight for harmony does not fall to loyalty to a specific princess, but to Equestria. This vision of Celestia's isn't "harmony"... it's a dictatorship, where fear has replaced freedom. And to protect the land... I had to resort to drastic measures. I stole the Alicorn Amulet from the Canterlot Castle Vault and convinced Rarity to sew me a costume. One that would not only protect my identity, but also instill fear in the enemies I would no doubt face. For somepony who represents the element of courage, it seems almost wrong for me to resort to using fear as a weapon, but... The regime acts with impunity, without consequence. It's time to change that.

So many questions run through my mind...

How will the Alicorn Amulet affect me? I have no idea. The risk of corruption is there, but it's a risk that must be taken.

Is Luna really dead? Doubt it; there was no evidence of her death at the scene where it allegedly occurred.

Am I a hero? No. A hero doesn't strike fear into the hearts of those he's trying to protect.

Am I any better than Celestia for doing what I'm about to do..?

I don't know what difference I will make against the regime, or even if I will make one at all. What I do know is that harmony must be restored.

The night is darkest just before the dawn. And that dawn is coming."

Musical accompaniment - www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cn1gqN…

Okay, now that you've read through that monologue, let me explain. XD This is an alternate-universe (Equestria-2, if you will) version of Skywarrior. The inspiration behind this picture was a comment my friend made to me once about the whole "Solar Empire" VS "New Lunar Republic" bit, and it got me to thinking. Based on what I've seen in the show, I think it would take something EXTREMELY drastic to cause Celestia to rule in an "imperial" fashion. After playing Injustice: Gods Among Us, and seeing how everyone's favorite Kryptonian got pushed over the edge by a tragic event... I deduced that such an event would be what would push Celestia over the edge, thus starting the whole "Solar Regime" VS "Lunar Insurgency" bit.

Now, about the whole "Alicorn Amulet on a non-magical pony" issue. I'm of the opinion that the amulet would enhance the wearer's physical strength if they happen to be non-magical. But since we've yet to see a non-magic character wield it in the show...

This is NOT canon. Just thought it'd be interesting to try my hoof at a "darker" MLP piece.

As always, comments are welcome and appreciated.

My Little Pony is (c) Hasbro, developed for TV by Lauren Faust.

Injustice: Gods Among Us is (c) Netherrealm Studios, DC Comics characters (c) DC Comics.

Base anatomy by .

Costume designed by me, based on: wac.450f.edgecastcdn.net/80450… .

Armor, cape, amulet, and eye resources found at .

Monologue inspired by the opening sequence of Injustice: Gods Among Us.