Years had passed since the Apple Family last visited the beach. This time of year, the Equestrian shoreline was frigid and barren. On this day in particular, a large congregation had gathered all up and down the coast. Salvator migrated his troops, along with the Apples, to welcome the arrival of the missing half of the army. Numerous crates of food and drink sat waiting for the approaching soldiers. Applejack watched a small crab scuttling about, irked over his territory being disturbed. Big Mac sat by himself drawing lines in the sand, and Granny was off somewhere up the coast with Applebloom. AJ hadn't talked to her grandmother much since she'd learned the truth about her parents. In fact, they hadn't talked at all. Even Big Mac had been quieter than usual, which was no easy feat.
King Salvator paced energetically along the icy water's edge. His gaze remained ever transfixed on the horizon. The soldiers filled the beach, sitting and chatting excitedly about their comrades long-awaited landing. Far in the distance, seven black monoliths hovered over the water. As they gradually approached, their impressive size became much more apparent. Each vessel was heavily fortified, equipped with reinforced titanium and what could only have been artillery cannons. They certainly didn't look easy to sink to Applejack. The sea ponies must have fought desperately for their victory.
Salvator raised his hooves and let out a roar. “This is it, men! Finally! Our party is just gettin' started!”
All over the beach, the soldiers stood and cheered. Many days of boredom had passed in order for this moment to arrive.
“Let's make some room here! Clear some space!” shouted Salvator. He waved his hooves around crazily, directing the crowds this way and that. “When they get off those boats, they're gonna be hungry as hell! Start gettin' the food ready!”
A group of stallions broke open the crates and handed out the food. The troops formed a makeshift line reaching from the rations supply down to the shore. The gargantuan ships loomed just offshore. Droves upon droves of soldiers piled into dinghies and lowered themselves into the water. Salvator continued to shout and wave crazily as the dinghies made it to shore.
“Welcome to Equestria, men! So glad you could make it!” He let out a hearty guffaw. “The best part is, we got food and plenty of beer! Make yourselves comfortable!”
The tired troops happily accepted all the rations they could get. The smiles on their faces clearly reflected their relief.
“Gather 'round, everypony! It's time for briefing!” yelled Salvator.
The infantrymen saluted their king and stopped talking over him.
“Today is the day we turn it all around! Today is the day we turn the tides on Equestria! This great land gave us our life, and now we're gonna show it how thankful we are! Who's with me?”
The crowd roared and whooped wildly. Salvator sure knew how to whip the troops into a frenzy.
“Our fair Princess Celestia knows we're here!” he continued. “She knows our intentions! So many years have passed since we proclaimed our independence, our aim, and our mission. Now we finally complete it! We take our revenge for the centuries of strife! We take our revenge for our fallen comrades! Our hearts go out to all of our brothers and sisters that have been lost. Sickness, war, everything Celestia has sent at us! Our fallen brethren are still alive within us! They will rest in peace knowing their lives weren't lost in vain!”
Again the masses exploded in applause and cheers. A thousand plus voices rang out into the Equestrian sky, crying for justice.
“I failed to kill Celestia!” shouted Salvator. “Whaddya say we march right on up to her castle and finish the job?”
Applejack was mesmerized by the king's ability to wholeheartedly captivate his troops. She'd never seen such a raw form of charisma before. His movement was almost erratic. He kicked up sand and used his whole body when he talked.
“I stand here before ya today not just as your leader, but as your comrade and fellow Halcyonite! I will follow you brave men until the bitter end! Join me today! Join me on this day and fight for your country! Fight for your freedom! Join me and end the oppression! Down with Equestria!”
A deafening chant began on the beach. Each soldier raised his hoof into the air and screamed with patriotism. “Down with Equestria! Down with Equestria! Down with Equestria!”
AJ looked around. Even her brother was awestruck at the powerful scene. He hadn't witnessed something of this caliber either. Life on the farm rarely bloomed into a call to arms. As the chant continued without falter, a muscular stallion approached King Salvator. He said something that made the gray earth pony smile devilishly.
“Listen here, men! It appears we have a secret prisoner of war! Go ahead, bring him out, then!”
The muscled stallion hopped on a dinghy and rowed his way back towards the ship. He lurched something out of the water and hefted it into the boat. Upon docking once more, he lifted his cargo and carried it to Salvator. Applejack gasped and grew wide-eyed. Salvator lifted the thing above his head and laughed insanely. The thing in his hoof was a creature – one that Applejack had only ever heard of. A sea pony.
“Lookie here! We caught ourselves a little fishy!” exclaimed the king gleefully. The poor thing's eyes were shut tightly. Its chest heaved as it choked and sputtered violently.
“What's the matter, can't seem to breathe?” mocked Salvator. “It appears we have a problem! This little fishy can't seem to breathe on land! Maybe it didn't know ponies can't breathe underwater! Maybe it just wanted to invite us for a swim! Well lads, what should we do with this little fishy? Eh?”
The responses from the soldiers disgusted AJ. Their lewd answers all meshed together into a buzz of voices.
Fry it up! Let it suffocate! Stuff its gills full of sand!
“Those are all tantalizing options!” Salvator shouted. “Somepony find me a spear! We'll flay this little fishy into shape!”
The troops cheered. Someone handed Salvator a spear, then quickly rejoined the crowd. The king set the sea pony down onto the sand and picked up the spear. He smiled wickedly under his mustache. “We return thee to the dust from whence ya came!” He looked up to the sky. “Are ya watching, Celestia? This one's for you!”
He hurled the spear straight through the sea pony's body in a calculated motion. The creature squealed out a raspy cry and quickly died. Its blood steamed as it rushed onto the sand. Salvator lifted the spear up and held it over his head. The creature slid down the shaft, dripping blood onto the Salvator's arm. “Vindication!” he screamed. “The first of many!” With that, he turned around and forcefully heaved the spear into the ocean. A small patch of red bloomed in the waters, marking the sea pony's final resting place.“Now I'm good and ready!” he screeched after turning back. “Take heart, men! Let's form up and march to Canterlot! We'll see if we can't give Princess Celestia a similar fate! We'll fight our way in and set up base!”
Applejack made her way to her brother. “Big Mac!”
He glanced over his shoulder.
“Big Mac, I'm going back to the castle. There's no way to stop Salvator now, and the others won't survive if his troops conquer all of Canterlot. I can't just sit here and do nothin'.”
“Why now?” asked Big Mac.
AJ tried to explain her reasoning. “Salvator ain't gonna wait for me this time! If I don't rescue my friends now, there's no telling what'll happen to 'em. I know Celestia wasn't too happy the last time they got out. We can't take any more chances.”
Mac eyed her. “Cadance's shield is still up.”
“I know that!” AJ snapped. “I'll just have to find a way. I'll dig my way under if that's what it takes.”
“No way of talkin' ya out of this, is there?” Mac asked, knowing the answer full well.
“No. Not when the lives of my friends are in danger,” said AJ firmly.
“Fine. Can I help?”
“Actually, yeah,” said AJ. “Get Granny and Applebloom. From the sound of it, Salvator's done with the farm. You'd be doin' me a great favor by takin' the others back home and lockin' up tight. That way I'd at least know y'all are safe.”
“Oh sis,” said Big Mac with a sigh. “Always micromanagin'.”
Applejack smiled. “I guess you're right. Now get goin' and don't worry about me. I'll be safe. I just hope I can get to the castle before it all comes crashin' down.”
Big Mac got up. “Good luck. I believe in ya.”
AJ tipped her hat and hugged her brother before splitting off and heading in the direction of Canterlot. She looked back from the rocky path away from the beach. The soldiers were already brushing the sand off their weapons and getting ready to move. She broke out into a gallop in an effort to put as much distance between her and Salvator as possible. If he could murder such a helpless sea pony without any sort of hesitation, he certainly wouldn't care about the lives of four civilians – even if he'd met them before.
She ran as far as her legs would carry her. She wasn't even halfway through Ponyville when her lungs burned and her hooves quivered from exertion. Beyond the town, the snaking path up the mountainside daunted her even further. She slowed to a canter. The regal city was still over a mile away. She sat and rested against the cool rock of the mountain. Canterlot called to her. Breaking through to a new threshold of energy, she was on her way again in less than a minute.
The outskirts of the city were safe enough to pass through, given the general emptiness. The citizens had long since been evacuated. She wound through the skeletons of destroyed buildings from the first day's blitzkrieg. Block after block of silent structures passed her by. She kept to the streets, not knowing what kind of eyes might be watching her at any given moment. Quiet persisted and the castle slowly drew closer. Out of nowhere, she heard hoofsteps heading her way. She quickly ducked down out of sight and took refuge behind a shattered concrete pillar. Two royal guards marched right by, failing to take notice of her. They didn't look too happy to be patrolling the abandoned city out in the cold. The moment they were out of earshot, AJ crept out from her hiding place and resumed her search and rescue mission.
From a safe distance, she scoped out the perimeter of the castle. It was swarming with royal guards. Apparently Celestia was more worried about herself than finding Salvator. AJ swore and tried to scrounge up a plan. The front of the castle would be too obvious. The drawbridge would be the first place the guards would think to protect. Around each side wouldn't be options either. Even if she could pierce the shield, the embankments were too well-fortified to scale. That only left the rear – the gardens. The shield's circumference stretched all around the castle, but she specifically remembered the first time she and her brother had broken the others out. The two unicorns she was with had a device to tear the shield. If her memory served her, they forgot to pick it back up on the way out. The climb up to that spot was quite the ordeal, but she figured it was her only shot. It was time to pay the gardens another visit.
---
There still hadn't been any word of Shining Armor's whereabouts. Cadance rubbed her belly and gazed out her window. Hopefully the Crystal Empire would be fine until her return. It was also only a matter of days before the kingdom had its first heir. Cadance tried to stifle the growing fear over her missing husband. She got up and wandered the halls of the castle. She thought maybe Celestia would finally give her a straight answer if she asked about Shining Armor. Last night she'd suddenly woke in a cold sweat, and now she couldn't help feeling like something sinister was transpiring right under her nose.
A royal guard happened to walk by. “Good afternoon, Princess Cadance. Are you well?”
“Oh yes, thank you,” she responded. “I do have a question though. Do you know where Celestia is?”
“Last time I saw her, she was down in her study. She's writing letters for the last several days.”
“Interesting,” said Cadance. “Thank you.”
The guard bowed and continued on his way. Cadance charted her course for the study. She considered the abnormality of Celestia's continuing inaction. The invaders were lurking on their doorstep, Luna and Twilight were gone off to the north somewhere, and still Celestia did nothing.
Is she just plotting her tactics extraordinarily carefully?
She descended a staircase to the first floor of the castle. Guards were packed in everywhere. As she walked, she inadvertently picked up fragments of their banter. Then, she heard something that made her stop cold. She couldn't believe what she had just heard.
Have you seen the Captain anywhere? No, he's in reconstructive surgery. Apparently had a nasty accident. Celestia said it was her fault.
Cadance gawked in terror and confusion. Luckily the guards didn't take notice. They shrugged to themselves.
That really sucks. Hope he's alright. Do you think Cadance knows? Probably. She was probably the first to know.
She felt a hurricane of emotions. If she wasn't in a semi public place, she would have screamed. The rage of an army surged through her as she stomped toward the study. Celestia was going to explain herself. Her steam train pace continued until she flew past the library doors. Something inside caught her attention. Risking a moment to take a peek, she turned and peered for a moment. The sulking bodies of three mares sat inside. Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash all sat in slumped positions throughout the library. For a brief moment Cadance forgot about her rage and entered the library.
“Hey you three!”
The ponies looked up at her with tired, bloodshot eyes. They'd been crying. A lot.
“What's wrong?” exclaimed Cadance worriedly. She knelt down beside Rarity. “Are you alright, my dear? Where are Twilight, Applejack and Fluttershy?”
The white unicorn sniffled and tried to speak. Her voice was nothing more than a hoarse squeak. Cadance immediately knew something had gone horribly wrong. “What is it? You can tell me.”
“Applejack is on her farm and we don't know where Twilight is,” Dash murmured.
Instinctively, Cadance reached for her belly and gulped. “Where is Fluttershy?”
Rarity bade her to come closer. She whimpered and whispered something in the princess' ear.
Cadance felt her blood run cold. Her heart dropped like a stone. “What...?”
Again, Rarity whispered the secret.
Cadance broke out into a cold sweat. “A-are you absolutely sure? That's an extremely serious accusation...”
Rarity nodded and cried to herself. Cadance looked around to the other two ponies. They too had started to sob.
“We need to get out of here,” she said fearfully. “We need to leave right now.” She breathed heavily, still sweating.
Easy Cadance. Control your breathing.
She ran to the library doors and looked around. “Here's the plan, we're all going to make it to Applejack's farm. I don't have long before the baby gets here, but if what you said is true, we can't stay here. Come on, get up!”
The three ponies struggled to stand. They simply didn't have the willpower.
“Hey, come on! We -”
“Princess Cadance!”
She whipped around to pinpoint the voice. An exhausted orange earth pony trotted up to meet her. She knelt down, unable to keep herself up.
“Applejack!” cried Cadance.
“I-” she panted. “I came to rescue my friends. Are they still here?”
“Yes, but...”
“But what?” Applejack looked at her. “If there's somethin' I need to know, tell me now.”
“Did you run all the way up here?”
“As much as I could, yeah.”
Cadance carefully chose her words. “Something tragic has happened. I'd rather tell you in a safer location. Is it alright if we take refuge at your farm for a few days?”
AJ fanned herself with her hat. “Oh yeah. That was my plan too. Is everypony alright?”
Cadance sat down. “I'm not going to lie to you. No. Not everypony is alright. Now really isn't the time to talk. I'm going to get your friends and we're going to come to your farm until all of this is over.”
“Wait,” said AJ, coming to a realization, “doesn't that mean you'll drop the shield around the castle?”
“Yes, but it's what needs to be done. I -” She was having trouble articulating. “Look, we just can't be here right now. Not around Celestia. If what Rarity told me is true, none of us are safe. Not even me.”
Her words weren't soothing anyone's anxiety. Applejack leaned against the wall and rubbed her forehead. “Is there anything I can do to help ya? Ya don't look much better than I feel.”
Cadance got up again. “Actually, yes. I need you to scout ahead and make sure the path is clear. I can't take much more stress at this point. Tell me, how did you get into the castle?”
“There's a device out near the back of the gardens that I used to tear a hole in the shield. It's just big enough to squeeze through.”
“Then that's the route we'll take. I'll keep my magic flowing to the castle for as long as possible until I get too far out of range. Once that happens, I expect things here are going to head south very quickly. Can you meet up with us at the city limits?”
“Okay. Sounds like a plan.”
“Good. Listen, it's critically important that we put as much distance as possible between us and my Aunt. I don't want my baby to be born in a war-torn city full of hatred and needless violence. As soon as its born and I'm strong enough to walk, I'm coming back here to find my husband.”
“You don't know where he is?” AJ asked with concern.
Cadance looked down. “I overheard a guard just a minute ago. Shining is here, but apparently he's in surgery. Apparently...Celestia caused him an accident...”
AJ gasped a little bit. “Shoot! I hope he'll be okay!”
“He should. I know him - he's strong. Whatever happened, he'll push through. Enough talk now, we need to get away from Celestia before she... she...” she couldn't bring herself to finish.
“What? What's going on?” Applejack pressed. “I'm just as deep in this mess as you are. Tell me!”
“Soon,” said Cadance. “Go. Make sure our path is safe. I'll be right on your heels with the others.”
Applejack didn't like being ignored, but she understood the pressure Cadance was under. “Alright,” she agreed. “I'm gone. Be safe, Princess. I'll see ya back at Sweet Apple Acres.”
The dependable earth pony tipped her hat and vaulted down the hall back toward the gardens.
---
The rip in the shield had begun to waver dangerously on the verge of collapsing. Applejack tapped the little metallic device prying the rift open.
Hang in there, little fella. Just a few more minutes.
She left the rim of the shield and climbed down the rocky face of the mountainside. How Cadance was planning on making the same trip was a mystery to her. Maybe Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash could offer her their assistance. Before she got any further, she spotted three forms down below making their way out of a side door to the castle. They used their magic to temporarily dissipate the shield. Two of the forms were unicorn guards. The third looked to be a large cart-like vehicle. It reminded her of a traveling food stand or some sort of caravan. She got back to descending. The rocks offered no mercy as she made an effort to quickly reach the base.
An arctic wind blew past as her hooves touched the cool stone of the streets. She crouched down and studied the unicorns in the distance. They hitched themselves into the object and strenuously hefted it away from the castle. AJ followed them in the shadows. She shivered in the freezing wind and huddled close to the castle's shield. The cart wasn't a food stand at all, rather a large chariot with a glassed in display. She quickened her pace, making it her priority to identify contents of the wagon. The closer she came, the more mysterious it was. Her focus was so tightly wrapped around the cart that she failed to notice a large chunk of stone that had been thrown into the street from some unknown blast. She jammed her hoof into it and fell forward, taking nasty scrapes. She cried out in pain and stifled a scream. She bit her lip and looked at her front hoof. It was definitely bleeding.
“You there! Citizen!” one of the unicorns called out. He unhitched himself and galloped over to the injured mare. “Are you alright? Do you need medical assistance?”
“I'm fine.” AJ claimed. She winced and rubbed her hoof.
“Why haven't you been evacuated? What are you doing in the city?”
She struggled to conjure up an excuse through the pain. “Uh, I was away on a business trip. I came home and the whole town was blown up and deserted.
“Okay,” said the guard. “You need to evacuate immediately. Come with me and I will escort you to a safe location.”
She pretended to comply. “Ya don't have to tell me twice.”
They marched quickly toward the glass cart where the other guard was.
“What's in there?” Applejack asked.
“None of your concern. Official business,” was his uninterested reply.
AJ veered off course and trotted toward the chariot. She thought maybe it had something to do with whatever Cadance was talking about.
The guard shouted and tried to grab her. She ducked under his reach and sprinted to the chariot. The second guard unhitched himself and grabbed AJ by the shoulders. She reacted quickly by jabbing him in the gut.
“You're under arrest!” screamed the first guard. He lunged at AJ. “Stop right there!”
She walloped her attacker in jaw and knocked him down. There was no time to deal with guards. “Fine! Y'all wanna fight?” she seethed. “Let's go!”
It wasn't much of a fight. The guards weren't trained for unarmed close combat. AJ beat both of them out cold with minor damage sustained. She dragged their unconscious bodies behind a deserted building and made her way back to the glass chariot. She opened the side window and peered inside.