Smoky Skies
Stormtrooper’s swarmed Eclipse. They were taking heavy casualties. The sky was full of fighters, and bombers. Stormtrooper bodies piled up. Then Twilight jumped from a balcony, and sliced down several stormtroopers.
Palpatine and Vader where in the New Canterlot castle, New Canterlot which was now under Empire control, New Canterlot, wasn’t going to be attacked anytime soon. Palpatine sat there overlooking a holographic reputation of the Eclipse battle. The hologram table was large, about 100 feet wide and 100 feet long.
Aramis sat there, there was supposed to be a swimming contest on the ocean side of Eclipse. Aramis’s Platoon was under fire, a stormtrooper screamed “Sir, I don’t it’s safe to swim.” Aramis stood up and said “If I say this beach is safe to swim at, then it’s safe to swim at!” Aramis walked up to a dead Scoutrooper body, and then kneeled down and got a comm link and screamed into the comm link “Foxtrot squad, I need a full airstrike here now!” Then Foxtrot lead responded “10-4, we are coming in full throttle, we are coming in full throttle.” Aramis stood there and pointed at the TIE G/Ts. Then several bombs were dropped, causing white smoke to fly into the air.
Aramis walked through the smoke and knelt down to several new Stormtroopers and said loudly over the roar of battle “Do you smell that?” Aramis said louder “DO YOU SMELL THAT?” A Stormtrooper then said “Yes, sir I do.” Aramis then responded “White Phosphorous son. Nothing else in the galaxy smells like that. I like the smell of white Phosphorous in the morning. That smell, that Phosphorous smell. It smells like, victory, success, and progress.” Aramis got up and walked to the swimming competition.
Twilight sat there, Vedette entered her office. After Twilight rescued Vedette, the two of them became close. Vedette placed a book on her desk and said “We have the Empire forced into the outskirts of the city.” Twilight nodded and said “Good work Vedette, go report to Celestia.”
Vedette then got up and put a wrapped box on Twilight’s desk and said “Here’s a present, for you.” Twilight got up and gave him a friendly hug and said “Thank you.” Then the office shook, a TIE bomber hit over head. Then rubble collapsed down, Vedette jumped onto Twilight to shield her from the rubble.
Shining Armor entered the room with several rescue teams; they pulled Twilight out, and Vedette out. Twilight got out and looked around. A TIE bomber cockpit was in the ceiling, the seat was ejected. Shining Armor looked around and said “Ok, that was close. Twi, where sending you and the High Ranking Generals into bunkers deep under the city, you will be safe from Imperial attacks.” Twilight nodded, she understood.
Equestrian Alliance soldiers had the upper hand; they were better prepared and better armed. They could easily fight off the Empire. As bodies piled up, so did the amount of despair and sadness.
The bunker was comfortable, to Twilight’s surprise; it had a library, and a large bed. Twilight settled in, she could feel the shaking from the bombs. Twilight thought about the horrors overhead. Vedette entered the room and asked “Tell me a bit more about Star Swirl The Bearded’s Clopmunist Manifesto.”
Sombra had a Citadel on New Equestria. It was large, and heavily protected. Shadow Soldiers surrounded it. Sombra stood there, watching his army, it had grown. The time was growing near.
In Equinox, a city that was near Eclipse. Equinox was occupied by the Empire. Mass protests were being staged, against the Empire. Riot Control Stormtroopers where standing there with a shields, and force pikes. They then said over and speaker “Curfew is in effect; go back to your houses.” The majority did that, but a minority stayed. Then the riot police repeated the order. The minority didn’t leave; they then chanted “Even Babies!” The Riot Police charged up there force pikes, and got their shields ready. They then prepared.
The riot police took a step, and then did a war cry. They then charged, across the city square, they attacked. They beat down several ponies. The ponies fought back, and struck down several. They fought; Ponies stole weapons and fought back, then riots started.
The ponies in Equinox, where rising up. Stormtroopers stood there fighting off the rioters, and then an X-Wing flew overhead. A Stormtrooper then reported the sighting of the X-Wing. Then a rebel transport landed, Rebel Alliance soldiers walked off, and got ready for battle.
The Empire was pushed out of Eclipse by the Equestrian Alliance and the Rebel Alliance. Eclipse was in ruins, about 40% of the downtown area was razed, a rather large area considering the down town area is about 1,000 square miles (or 100x100 miles) Twilight walked through the ruins, the area she was in was the only safe area. The rest of the razed areas where engulfed in chaos, looting and riots.
In New Canterlot, the Empire received its newest soldiers. A elite Militia from Courscant, and Anaxes. They were known as the Black Jackets. They wore pitch black trench coats, and there hair style was a buzz cut. They had ballistic helmets on, and had jackboots. They marched in a goose step manner. They boarded Imperial Transports and headed to Equinox.
The Rebel Alliance and the Equestrian Alliance where in Equinox. Most of them were resting, and getting refreshments. It was getting dark. There was going to be a storm tonight, so there would be no bombing raids. The Mandalorians where known to be to the south, but they lost contact in the south west. Eclipse was to the east, it was secured by the Equestrian Alliance.
The Black Jackets crept through the field, fires from burning tanks and vehicles lit there path, the fires reflected on some of their gas mask lenses. There was a storm where they were heading. They walked pass mass graves of stormtroopers, and the occasional dead pony, or Rebel soldier. They encountered an enemy camp, and entered. They walked close to the ground, and then they opened a tent, and shot its occupants. They did the same for all the tents, even the medical tent.
The Black Jackets gathered up the nurses and the wounded and brought them to a river. They then lined them up and executed them one by one; their bodies fell into the river and flowed away. The Black Jackets packed up and detonated the camp’s communication bunker.
The next morning Vedette and Shining Armor were investigating the camp’s failure to respond. It was strange, there was evidence of E-11 magazines, but this was different these weren’t stormtroopers, the foot prints were in single file line. Vedette stood there, talking with soldiers, when then he said “Hush I hear something.” Vedette walked towards the water side, and saw the body of a female the age of 10 and she was a Pegasi, clearly a refugee. She was beaten to death by the butt of a gun. Vedette looked at the mutilated remains, and said “These aren’t Stormtroopers they actually have respect to living things; these things aren’t human nor pony.”
The Black Jackets trekked towards Eclipse, they were to infiltrate the ruined city and cause chaos by killing the princesses, and bombing targets. They succeeded, and now they were left with their first mission, cause chaos, and discord.
The hospitals of Eclipse are a medical marvel, a mix of magic and Bacta, and where robotics meet magic. The hospitals were filled to the max, they could take care of ponies so well it was rumored if you broke your back, your recover time would be a day.
A Transport hover vehicle drove out in front, a Black Jacket who was wearing the uniform of a Rebel got out. He parked the vehicle in the garage, he got out. As he walked towards the road way, he pulled out a detonator, and pressed it. The vehicle exploded, collapsing the parking garage.
The hospital didn’t collapse, but it did shake the area. They could only afford one bombing, but they now had to destroy the morale.
Cadence was planning to make a speech to the soldiers defending the city of Eclipse. She had her area set up. The soldiers of the Equestrian Alliance stood there listening as she talked about how much longer the war would go, and plans for reconstruction. In a building nearby, a Black Jacket set up in the building, he was using a slug sniper rifle, with a silencer.
Cadence kept talking, then when she finished, she concluded with “Peace in the Equestrian Alliance.” The Black Jacket pulled the trigger; the bullet flew downwards and hit Cadence in her chest. Cadence fell to the ground unconscious; her fur was stained with blood. The guards ran to her aid. Cadence was bleeding out, she was picked up and rushed to the hospital.
Then panic took over, ponies were screaming. Guards secured the area, as they attempted to find the snipers. Then a Black Jacket emerged on a balcony, in a different uniform it was black, and had red arm bands, pitch black was the uniforms color, he had a dark military belt, and had jackboots on. He walked along and then rest on the balcony.
A spotlight shined on him, as he walked around, then several others came out they pointed down at the stunned Equestrian Alliance soldiers. They stood there, and then one came out he had black slicked back hair and stood there, and then got a gun out and then turned around, the Black Jackets guarded him. As he entered the building someone screamed “It’s the Empire!” Chaos then quickly broke out. Rebel Alliance soldiers ran towards the building, they knew who these uniformed men where.
On near the coast of New Canterlot, an Equestrian Alliance naval force floated at sea. They were loading up landing boats, and were getting ready for the liberation of the continent that New Canterlot was on. Shining Armor was on one of those boats, he worried for both his unborn child and Cadence after the attempt on her life failed. In the back ground explosions rocked the boat. It was just before dawn on miserable morning. Shining slowly got his armor and weapons ready. He quietly and sadly got prepared; he knew that he would mostly likely die. He then looked at the lamp and then prayed. He opened up a family album, and looked through. He wrote a letter to Cadence and Twilight. He sat quietly as soon as he finished. Then someone knocked on the door and said “Sir H-Hour has come.” Shining got up and got on his armor. And opened the door and said to the messenger “Let’s go.”