//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: The Calm Before the Storm // Story: Equestria Under Siege // by Willfire //------------------------------// Chapter 5 The Calm Before the Storm Twilight looked out the bedroom window of the spare bedroom of the Main House of Sweet Apple Acres as the sun fell below the horizon. The room was Spartan at best with a bed, chair and desk with a lamp on it. {Why are you here Twilight?} She thought to herself. {Why are you in this uniform? Do you even deserve to be here?} She turned and walked over to the small chair and picked up her jacket to stare at the 1st Sergeant bars on the shoulder. {Is the fact I’m a Dragon Rider even gives me the right for this rank? I have no combat experience, no true leadership experience, nothing. Buck it, I didn’t even reach my new squad before I was forced to run away like a coward! I wonder if they are going to call us AWOL or MIA? IF they even list us at all.} She dropped the jacket back on to the chair and looked over to the bed where a set of pajama, courtesy of one of Applejack’s cousins, lay for her. “Do I even know what I’m doing?” Twilight asked out loud. “Of course you do silly.” A voice called out causing Twilight to jump with a squeal of panic. Twilight turned and saw Pinkie Pie climbing into her window. “Pinkie! What in the name of Celestia are you doing here?!” Twilight hissed as Pinkie fell into the room with a thud. “Well it seems there was this huge cloud of doom hovering over the farm so I came to see who needed cheering up and found you being Ms. Grumpy Pants. So I’m here to cheer you up silly.” Pinkie told her as she picked herself up and dusted herself off. “Pinkie…I don’t think you can help me with this.” “You mean the fact you feel like you are nowhere near ready for the front as in no desire or want to join the war effort except because of one dear to you.” Pinkie sat down on the bed and continued. “How you feel like you got nothing to offer anyone, even yourself. And how you feel like you were given something that you do not deserve as in your Rank.” Twilight’s jaw dropped as Pinkie spoke. She stepped forward and pushed Twilight’s jaw closed. Twilight could only stand there for a few minutes, her eyes unfocused and her jaw slack again, as her brain tried to process what just happened. As she stood there Pinkie stood up and wondered around the room looking around slowly, patiently waiting for Twilight to snap out of it, a small smirk on her face as she walked. Finally, after a few minutes, Twilight blinked and shook her head to clear it. “Pinkie, how did you do that?” Twilight asked. “Oh, you know…” Pinkie looked at her the smirk turning into a full blown grin. Twilight hung her head then looked at her. “Ok, so you want to tell me about those problems I got and maybe cheer me up in the process?” Twilight asked. She pulled out the chair and sat in it looking at Pinkie. “Twilight, all I can really say is you need to trust yourself. You would not have gotten what you got if you didn’t deserve it and you wouldn’t even be here unless you needed to be here. Somehow you got here, somehow you are in this position to do the most good. We just got to get Spike better and get back to Canterlot for reassignment. Once we get back they can get us to new places in the front and do what we can to win this war. We just got to believe in ourselves and do what we know to do.” Pinkie told her sagely. “And that is the most sane thing I ever heard you say yet.” Twilight looked away from Pinkie a moment as she thought about what was said. “Thanks Pinkie…” She turned back to face Pinkie and found her missing. “What the hay?” After a few minutes of standing around dumb stuck Twilight shook her head and turned off the lamp. As she changed into her pajamas a thought struck her. {Tomorrow was going to be a long day.} ******************* The sun rose slowing into the sky causing a shaft of light to hit Twilight between the eyes. With a grunt she flipped over away from the light and tried to go back to sleep when she felt a presence in the room. Cracking a bleary eye she was met with a coverall clad body. “Time to get up Twilight.” A voice called out. It sounded familiar to her, somehow. “Ah said, time to get up.” Twilight closed her eye and pulled the covers over her head moaning about needing five more minutes or hours and all night study hours. Applejack looked down at Twilight as she tried to hide from her and the morning light and rolled her eye as a wicked smile crossed her face. Applejack reached down and grabbed the mattress and gave a heave flipping Twilight to the ground on the other side of the bed with a startled yelp. After a moment Twilight sat up and glared at Applejack who was doing everything but laughing straight into her face. “That’s not funny Applejack, why did you dump me into the floor?” Twilight pushed to her feet. “On the farm we wake up at dawn. Come on sugercube, we got chores to do ‘fore breakfast.” Applejack said. She turned and walked to the closet and pulled out a white work shirt and overalls that matched hers and tossed it on the bed. “Here, put those on and we can hit the orchard. Ah be back in a few.” With that Applejack walked out of the door. Twilight glared at the outfit hard enough to set it on fire, but it stubbornly refused to do so. Instead it laid there mocking her. Glancing out the window she saw a few members of the Apple family she met yesterday already out in the fields working. With a resigned sigh Twilight removed her pajamas and pulled on the work clothes. After a moment she walked out and down stairs to find Applejack starting to head up to get her. “Morning Twilight, sleep well?” She asked with a smile. “Aj, if I told you to buck off would you take the hint?” Twilight asked. Applejack looked Twilight over from her bed head mane to the fact her shoes were on the wrong feet to her tail swishing in agitation. “Not really, but Ah think you need a cup of coffee. Come on girl, coffee then you can fix yourself up.” Applejack said as she guided Twilight to the kitchen. Inside Twilight saw Granny Smith tinkering around making breakfast for the many farm hands and family. “Morning Granny, getting Twi here a pick me up then heading out.” “Fair enough. Make sure she works.” Granny Smith said not looking up from the stove she worked over. “And I’m doing what?” Twilight asked. “Apple Bucking. Going help harvest the apples.” Applejack told her with a grin as she handed her a cup of black coffee. “Drink up and get your shoes right Twilight.” Twilight did as she was asked taking a sip of her coffee feeling the warmth flow through her bringing alertness with her. With alertness came the distinct feeling that something was wrong with her feet. Then something Applejack said came to mind and she looked down at her feet seeing her shoes were on the wrong feet. With an embarrassed laugh her horn lit up and with a flash her shoes switched back to the right foot. After a moment, and a mane brush from Apple Bloom as she ran out of the house, Twilight felt awake enough to try to tackle the day before her. As the two of them walked out to the fields Twilight looked around at the orchard. “Well as you know. We are in the middle of apple bucking season so we can always use help in getting them down. So that’s what we are going to do.” Applejack told her. “See the others have already started, well except for Rainbow Dash.” Applejack looked up at a cloud floating over the orchard. “RAINBOW DASH! WHAT IN TARNATION ARE YOU DOING?” Applejack yelled, cupping her hands around her mouth. Twilight looked up to see a Rainbow colored tail hanging over the edge of the cloud and giggled slightly. “I think Rainbow has the right idea.” Twilight said. “Though if I can’t get out of this, no way Rainbow is going to get out of this.” Twilight’s horn lit up as a purple aura appeared around Rainbow’s tail and started to pull her off the cloud. As Rainbow slid off the cloud she suddenly flapped her wings trying to get away. “Let go, I’m not going down there. Let me go!” Rainbow yelled as she struggled to get away as she was slowly dragged towards the ground. Twilight idly noticed she was wearing the same outfit as she was. Finally Rainbow was standing on the ground glaring at Applejack and Twilight. “What in the world is going on I told you I’m not going to work on this farm. And where is my uniform?” “Now calm down sugercube. You are just helping out for a bit while Granny gets your uniform washed up. Quil blood stains if you leave it too long and you were in a prolonged battle in the skies around Cloudsdale.” “Yeah and I got more awesome things to do than spend the day kicking trees Aj!” Rainbow glared at Applejack. Her tail, what was NOT held in Twilight’s telekinetic grip, was flicking in anger. “That’s just it RD, Ah WANT you to fly.” Rainbow Dash blinked. “We never had a Winged one on the farm, and defiantly not one of your caliber. What Ah want you to do is fly through trees on the south field and knock the apples out of the trees to the buckets. Ah’m sure someone like you could do it quickly…” Applejack’s eyes narrowed slightly at Rainbow. “Unless you think you can’t. Ah’m heading to the south field to watch if you can’t do it. Me, the twins along with Scoots and Sweetie will be down there setting buckets.” “Whoa, whoa, whoa you think someone of my level of awesome can’t do something so easy as that?” Rainbow Dash said as she started to hover in Applejack’s face, Twilight let go long ago. Rainbow missed the small smirk that crossed Applejack’s face. “Then let’s get down there and find out if you are all buck or all talk.” Applejack told her as behind her the twins started for the south field along with Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo on their scooter. “Then I’ll meet you there.” Rainbow said as she took to the sky heading for the south fields with a Rainbow contrail following behind her before fading. Applejack turned to follow waving for Twilight to follow when a sharp whistle got her attention. Turning towards the main house Applejack saw Granny Smith standing on the porch, in her hand was a Stetson hat. “You forgot this when you left you whippersnapper, this time don’t forget it.” With a flick of her wrist Smith threw the hat at Applejack who caught it. “Your mother left that to you, now keep it with you.” Applejack held the hat in her hand and glanced it over. After a moment she slowly put it on her head, straightened the brim then looked up at Granny. “Ah won’t.” With that she turned on a smart heel and found Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy and Apple Bloom looking at her, each with a smile on their faces. “Apple Bloom, you took over the farm while Ah was gone, keep it up. Ah see Ah left the farm in good hands and Ah’m mighty proud of you. Ma and Pa would be proud of you too, same as Big Mac and the rest of the Apples. Ah swear to you sis, Ah will return one day with Big Mac in tow.” “Ah know and the farm will still be here when ya do.” “Good, but for today.” She looked at the other mares there. “Let’s get to work. Follow me ya’ll.” ************************* As lunch rolled around the southern field laid clear of apples. Rainbow Dash, laying on her back with her head on Fluttershy’s lap and breathing hard, looked around at her handy work. “Told you I got what it takes…” She called out to Applejack who was sitting on the grass nearby leaning against a tree with her leg hooked over her knee grinning at her as she thumbed her hat higher on her brow. “Yeah, sugercube, you did. Nice work, and you too Fluttershy for getting up there too.” “Thank you, it was the least I could do, I’m not as strong as you are.” Fluttershy said from where she sat next to Rainbow Dash stroking her mane. “Still good though. You too girls, thanks for the help today.” Applejack told them all. Twilight, Rarity and Sweetie Bell, the three putting the last of the baskets onto the back of the wagon with their magic, waved at her. Pinkie Pie and Scootaloo were unloading a small cart of food that another member of the Apple Family dropped off for them. As they set up lunch under the trees Scootaloo grabbed herself, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy a plate and joined them in the shade of the trees. “What’s up squirt?” Rainbow asked as she sat up and took the plate. “I…I just wanted to say you were so cool zipping from tree to tree knocking those apples to the ground like that.” Scootaloo said excitedly. “Hehe, yeah that I am, Cool and all.” Rainbow Dash told her with a smile. “I’ve been watching you too. You are pretty cool yourself with that scooter.” She put one hand to her chin as she thought about something. “You live here in Ponyville right?” “Yeah, with my mom on the other end of town.” Scootaloo told her. “Well, this war won’t last forever and when it ends Fluttershy and I are going to need a place to settle and since she likes the ground so much maybe we can do it here in Ponyville. I see great potential in you, the potential to be as awesome as me. I figure I can show you how to be awesome and maybe teach you to fly.” Rainbow left it hanging in the air. After a moment Scootaloo’s eyes grew wide as she grinned, her tiny wings buzzing in excitement. “Really? I can’t wait to show you the tricks I learned… and flying!” Scootaloo gave a little squee of excitement and gave Rainbow a hug. “Oh thank you, thank you!” She broke the hug then leaned back with a grin. “You need to finish this war and soon.” Then she jumped up and ran away, her wings buzzing again as she called for Sweetie Bell. “That was very kind of you Rainbow.” Pinkie Pie said from nowhere causing Fluttershy to jump slightly but she quickly recovered. “No, Rainbow just saw a folk who needed a pick me up and gave it.” Fluttershy told Pinkie as she sat down next to them. Pinkie saw Fluttershy’s hand drift towards Rainbow’s how took it protectively. “She’s very brave like that.” “Nah, the kid has some true potential and spunk I got to give her that. She reminds me of me when I was younger.” Rainbow looked at the two mares next to her. “It’s one thing for Winged Folk to willingly choose not to fly. It’s another to be unable to from birth. I want to give her that chance.” Pinkie giggled at her. “Aww Dashie, no matter what anyone says you have a big heart.” Pinkie told her as she started to bounce in place very softly as she looked at Fluttershy. “But what did she mean by you like the ground?” Pinkie asked as the other girls joined them under the tree. “Well,” Fluttershy, surprisingly spoke up first. “It has to do with my Cutie Mark. I can speak to animals.” “Wait, what?” Applejack asked from near by taking a bite from an apple fritter. Fluttershy only smiled and looked into the tree above them. “Isn’t that right Mr Bluejay?” She asked. Suddenly a blue jay flew down and landed on her outstretched hand and chirped at her. “Oh I know your nest was there, that’s why I did this tree. Rainbow, bless her, is fast and strong but she wouldn’t have noticed you there.” “Hey…” Rainbow said in a half whine as the other girls giggled. Fluttershy looked up at her. “But it’s true. Don’t worry, I still love you.” Her hand patted Rainbow’s gently then she looked back at the blue jay. “I saw a few choice selections about three trees back. Go take a look and see if you can find something for your mate.” With a happy chirp the blue jay flew off towards where Fluttershy told him to look. “That my darling Fluttershy was just amazing. Though I must admit it’s sweet to see you holding Rainbow’s hand like that.” Rarity told her as she and Twilight joined them followed so after by Applejack. Fluttershy meeped and pulled her hand away, hiding behind her mane with a blush that threatened to take over her whole face while Rainbow laughed. “Should have figured you would have noticed it Rarity. Nearly a year in Reaper Squad and not a single one figured it out.” Rainbow Dash said with a grin as small blush appeared on her cheeks. “We’ve known each other since flight camp. It was there where we both got our cutie marks. A bunch of colts were picking on Fluttershy since she was a ‘weak flyer’.” Rainbow air quoted the words weak flyer. “I challenged them to a race in her honor. It was during that race where I found my thrill of speed and racing by doing a Sonic Rainboom.” She lifted the side of her shirt to show off her cutie mark. A prismatic lightning bolt from a cloud. “What I didn’t know at that time was ‘Shy here was knocked off the clouds and to the ground below.” Rainbow said with a grimace as she lowered her shirt. “I landed on a cloud of butterflies, they saved me. As I saw the wonders of the ground a loud explosion scared all the animals around me. I was able to reassure them and found they could understand me. That’s where I got this.” She hitched up her shirt to show the three pink butterflies on her side. “Whoa, wait a minute. What is a Sonic Rainboom?” Applejack asked. “There was a single documented event where a young Winged Folk filly, flying at the speed of sound made a Sonic Boom, but the natural magic of the Winged Folk infused with the Sonic Boom with a Rainbow…” Twilight started then suddenly stopped her pupils shrinking to pin pricks. “About fifteen…years…ago…the same…day I hatched….Spike…” Her brain shut down, the only response was a ‘file not found’ error. “Darling, you ok?” Rarity asked, but she too had a trouble look on her face. She looked to the others and noted that each of them were a mix of stunned and or shocked. Except for Pinkie Pie who was now literally bouncing on her tail. “Sonic…Rainboom…” Twilight finally got her brain to process the facts before her. “Rainbow, you may have helped me get MY cutie mark!” “What?” Rainbow deadpanned. She wasn’t connecting the dots. “My test to get into Celestia’s School for Gifted Horned Folk! My entrance exam was hatching a Dragon’s Egg! I would have never done it if a loud colorful explosion hadn’t ripped across the sky scaring me into a flare up!” Twilight pulled her shirt up slightly to show the purple star on her side. “An explosion caused me to find a rock full of gems and made me realize my future as a Fashionista.” Rarity said, a hand coming to her mouth in shock as the other showing the three blue gems on her side. “Ah recon it was the rainbow Ah saw guiding me home to the farm.” Applejack shook her head, stunned. She too showed off the three apples she had. “And the Sonic Rainboom brought a smile to my face and helped me throw my first party! Oh I’m so excited.” Pinkie told them. She flipped in place to place her head on the ground and turned enough to show her three balloon cutie mark as her shirt fell down, held mostly in place by the overalls. “We were friends before we even knew it! Oh this is good enough to throw a party for!” With a quick twist of her body she fell back into a sitting position with a giggle that was almost maddening. “Hold your horses there sugarcube we are in no position to do anything like that. Though Ah’m sure the entire town would enjoy such a party.” Applejack told her. Then her eyes soften a little. “Though we need to take care of the Quil. Hay, let’s worry about one thing at a time.” She looked up at the sun. “Thanks to you girls we are ahead for the day. Let’s get back to the house and get ready to go to Canterlot. Ah’m sure Granny is done with the laundry.” The group stood up, dusted off and started back for the main house. Applejack grabbed the cart and started to pull it along like it weighed a feather as Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell rode beside her in the scooter and wagon. Despite the distance it didn’t take them long to reach the house and the nearby apple cellar to store the bucked apples nor did it take long for the seven of them to bring the apples down either. Soon the group found themselves in the main house and staring at five piles of neatly folded uniforms sitting on the table as Granny puttered around the kitchen after lunch. “There you go dearies, all cleaned and ready to go.” Granny said without turning around. “Thanks Granny.” Applejack said as she picked up her uniform. Each of the group picked up their uniformed and dispersed to put them on. ********************** “And Ah want to say thanks ya’ll for all your hard work everyone.” Apple Bloom said as she stood on the porch and looked over the rest of the Apple Family who collected around as their chores were finished for the day. “Ya’ll should be proud, Ah know I am, that we help the people of Equestria eat for one more day. We Apples…” She cut herself off when the porch door opened behind her. She turned around and stepped aside. From the door stepped Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy in full uniform. “Looking sharp sis.” Applejack smiled at Apple Bloom. Apple Bloom glanced between the six of them. Twilight wore her fatigue cap while the rest wore a helmet, including Applejack. Her smile fell as the six of them stepped forward. “Hey Applejack you heading back out?” One of the family called out. No one noticed Apple Bloom slip back into the house as they called for good luck to Applejack and her friends on the front porch. She raced up the stairs towards Applejack’s old room, the one place Applejack would feel would be safe enough. Opening the door her eyes darted around the room and found what she was looking for. Snatching the object she found off the bedpost she raced back down the stairs to the porch as the group climbed into the Jeep. “APPLEJACK!” She called and threw out her arm. Applejack turned and with reflexes born of training and experience Applejack’s hand shot up and caught what was thrown at her, her Stetson. For the second time that day she stared at it, tracing along the rim of the hat a moment. Then she pulled off her helmet and tossed it into the back seat and pulled on her hat. After a second of adjusting her hat she climbed into the Jeep as Pinkie Pie fired up the engine. With shouts of good byes and good lucks the jeep took off for Ponyville, their first stop the Ponyville Hospital. *********************** Miles away from Ponyviille at the front lines a breastwork of sandbags allowed for the soldiers to fire at on coming enemy Quil but giving them plenty of cover to protect them with heavy weapons placed at points for optimum fire coverage. Behind the line were the permanent tents and buildings of a fire base of the Equestrian army. The sort of stronghold designed to give the public, those not directly fighting in the war, a sense of security. At least it would have had it not been completely destroyed. A small advanced platoon of Equestrian Soldiers moved in slowly from the north, the fire base’s failure to check in sent red flags all the way up to Celestia. The platoon couldn’t help but to pale at the carnage before them. Bodies impaled or cut in two by Quil, the tents and weapon emplacements trampled and destroyed. As they poked through the ruins looking for survivors there was a flurry of wings outside the base. The commanding officer of the platoon looked up and snapped to an instant attention as twenty uniformed winged folk landed wearing golden body armor, rifles up, eyes scanning the surrounding area for signs of the enemy. A moment later Celestia landed, her uniform was sharp and crisp underneath the golden armor with General bars on her shoulder. In her hand was a long golden spear, the Solar Lance. “Sergeant Iron Shot, report!” She yelled with the full fury of the Canterlot voice at a blue horned folk stallion causing him to wince but he didn’t truly flinch. “General, from what we can tell it was an overwhelming force of Quil. So far no survivors, but the scary thing is that there doesn’t seem to be signs of any return fire.” Iron Shot told her. “What do you mean?” Celestia asked. “Look around ma’am, do you see any shell casings? Not one weapon was fired in response. You can see where they tried to run but something tells me they didn’t get very far.” Iron Shot looked to the wasteland. “There’s no cover at all for the Quil, and these bodies are fresh…too fresh. There is no way they should have been surprised for a massacre of this fashion, unless…” He walked over to the barricade, most of it knocked aside like ten pins and looked out his horn glowing slightly. “There is magic in the wasteland!” Celestia ran over to where he stood and felt with her senses. Despite the damage to her horn she could still sense the magical auras around her. There was magic in the air alright, quickly draining due to the Quil effects to the land but it was there. Her senses danced through the weave of the mana trying to figure out what it was before it faded patterns and weaves danced in her mind’s eye slowly forming a shape, the purpose of the spell she felt before her. As the last of the mana faded away the spell gave up its final secret…teleportation. Celestia’s eyes grew wide as she gasped. “Sergeant! Get someone on the horn to Ponyville they are about to be attacked, once you inform them of the danger get your troops on the move to the north inform Fire Base 77 to prepare for a breach of their defenses to the south and start to redeploy as needed! Lieutenant Morning Dew contact Captain Armor and tell him to change course to Fire Base 77 to aid with the shoring of their defenses and join him there. Contact General Luna and inform her to prepare for the worst, Canterlot may be under siege shortly. The rest of the Royal Guard with me!” Celestia shouted. Her wings flared and with a powerful jump she took to the air followed by nineteen of the Royal Guard. As she turned towards Ponyville her guard formed a V formation behind her matching her speed as she flew forward with powerful flaps of her wings. {The Quil used magic! But how? Or did they finally steal enough from Equestria to risk using a little? It doesn’t matter now. If Ponyville falls the blow to the morale of the troops may be too much to handle. Ponyville MUST NOT FALL!} It was still nearly thirty minutes to Ponyville by the air and as she flew she feared the worst: for her, for Equestria, for her little folk and for Twilight. It’s been two days and no report on where she was or if she was even alive. But now wasn’t the time to ponder such thoughts, now it was time to fight for the survival of Equestria and her little folk. Her ethereal mane started to flow with fury of a gale force winds, the soft hues darkened and began to streak with red. The Royal Guard behind her quickly noticed and tightened up. When their Princess got into battle mode, they responded the same way. They knew she was preparing herself for a tough battle and they did the same. They flew towards the battle ahead, towards their fate and death followed in their wake.