“What?!” All the mares present exclaimed simultaneously.
Spike hung his head in defeat. “I’m sorry. We’ve never seen anything like it before. It seems to be Discord-style magic, but its strength is phenomenal. The amount of magic put into casting that spell is probably more than five Princess Celestias could possibly hope to generate. Backup spells, counter spells, anti-intrusion guards, magic re-weaving procedure… it’s far too difficult to disable without causing permanent mental and physical damage to everypony present, and even then it might not work.”
Tears had already begun flowing down Rainbow’s face, a rare sight indeed. Twilight somehow found the strength to speak up. “Is it bad? If the magic isn’t affecting her too much, then maybe we could leave her as it is.”
Spike shook his head. “It is far worse than ‘bad’. Not only does she tell lies and nothing else, she also seems to want to sabotage our entire operation. We caught her in the middle of sneaking out of the base with our list of members on hoof.”
“Applejack telling lies? Now I know Discord is behind this.” Rainbow growled, anger saturating the tone of her voice.
“Unlikely.” Spike began. “The Elements of Harmony should have kept Discord frozen in stone for at least eight centuries, if not a millennium. Besides, there is one pony who has the potential to cast spells like these, the knowledge about Discord’s magic which is stored in a certain capital city’s archives, and has thousands of powerful unicorns at her beck and call to power her spells.”
“Me.” Twilight said.
“Yes. Princess Twilight has everything she needs to perform such heinous deeds.”
Ever the impatient and impolite pony, Rainbow decided to interrupt. “Can we just cut to the chase and get to Applejack already?”
The baby dragon snorted. “Must you be so rude? Fine, I’ll lead the way.”
The group of mares quietly followed Spike, not daring to speak lest they disturb the silence that seemed almost sacred at the moment. On the way, they passed many ponies, a mixture of fear, disgust, and hate present in their expressions. Pinkie’s heart nearly broke when she caught sight of numerous familiar faces from Ponyville, nestled among the ranks of those who looked at her with great apprehension. She tried to make herself inconspicuous, which was rather difficult, considering there was nothing to hide behind. She had no choice but to weather the stares.
Twilight could practically feel the tension in the air, every single pony present ready to draw their weapons at the slightest provocation. She made a mental note not to do anything suspicious.
Although it felt like an eternity, it probably wasn’t even ten minutes before they reached a stairwell that Rainbow recognised instantly.
“I hoped I’d never come back down here again.” Rainbow groaned.
Spike was about to respond, but a voice floated up from the prison cells below. “Ah’m tellin’ you, ah’m innocent! Ah didn’t do nothin’!”
The baby dragon had reached the edge of the stairwell by then, and gestured to the rest to follow. Twilight took one step forward, then suddenly stopped and lifted a hoof to her chin, seemingly deep in thought.
“Spike,” The purple mare started, “could you tell me why you were trying to save Applejack?”
“Wait, I didn’t tell you that yet, did I?” Spike asked. All the ponies shook their heads, even Pinkie, who chose not to respond in the usual energetic way she always did.
“Well, you see, the reason why we managed to find someplace to build our secret base under in order to keep it concealed is because Granny Smith and Big Macintosh volunteered Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack knew nothing about it, though. The fewer ponies knew about this, the less likely it would be for us to be discovered. Of course, we couldn’t possibly let a benefactor perish needlessly.” Spike turned his head towards the stairwell. “When we heard that Applejack was about to be executed, we sent Ditzy to Canterlot in order to save her.”
“Just one mare?” Twilight asked. “Surely you could have done better than that.”
“Maybe, but the more ponies we sent in, the more likely it would be that somepony would be killed or captured in the conflict. Dispatching fewer personnel would reduce the risk of conflict. We intended a swift and flawless rescue mission, simply swoop in and liberate the captive before anypony else knew what had happened. However, a delay occurred at the front gates, and Ditzy arrived late- but not too late.”
Twilight was impressed. Spike seemed to be able to think and strategize like a true commander now. “But why Ditzy, of all the ponies you could have sent?”
“Don’t belittle her. It may not look like it, but Ditzy Doo is one of our best fighters. She gave it her all while training. When Dinky was forcibly recruited into the unicorn battle squads, Ditzy didn’t like it one bit.” Spike’s head drooped noticeably. “And Dinky was subsequently killed while suppressing an uprising.”
The bookish mare’s mouth curved downwards into a grimace. “I’m so sorry.”
“No, I’m the one who should be sorry.” Spike shook his head. “I already apologised to her a thousand times. She doesn’t really blame me, but I feel the pain in my heart all the same.”
“Why should Ditzy be angry at you? You didn’t do anything.”
“No, I did everything.” Spike admitted, though the context of the confession remained to be seen.
“What did you do?” Twilight asked.
Spike paused for a few moments before continuing. “I incited the rebellion.”
“What?!”
“Yes.” Spike’s voice was filled with remorse. “I was trying to start the rebellion in Manehattan, which was - and still is - a very large city. It houses dozens of factories which literally kept the entire nation stable. If the resistance could capture those factories, it would be a great boon to the war effort, not to mention give everypony a clear signal about our strength. Twili- I mean, Princess Twilight, couldn’t ignore such a direct threat to Equestria. So, she sent her personal unicorn battle squads to suppress the uprising.”
“That was six years ago. I was still relatively naïve back then, so one factor I didn’t include in to my calculations was… the number of casualties.” The baby dragon shuddered. “It was terrible. Hundreds upon hundreds of dead bodies… Dinky was lying under an archway, bleeding rapidly from her head. I could tell somepony dropped something heavy on her. After seeing Dinky lying there like that, having died a needless death, I swore never to do anything that may harm any living creature ever again.”
“And yet you are here, leading an underground rebellion.” Twilight observed.
“Well, that one’s a really long story. You see-” Spike finally noticed the extremely impatient glare Rainbow Dash was sending his way.
“I’ll tell you that later.” The baby dragon ended abruptly, proceeding down the stairwell.
****
Pinkamena navigated her way through the dark forest, taking care to avoid anything that seemed even remotely dangerous. The single battalion of seemingly harmless ponies followed her hoofsteps exactly, their eyes darting about constantly in search of danger.
The pink mare had tried using a scrying mirror to locate the fugitives, but as she had expected, they had managed to cloak themselves in an anti-scrying field. Thankfully, the scrying itself was just to be sure, as she already knew the general direction in which the imposters were fleeing, courtesy of a gem-finding spell the Princess’ unicorns had performed. She was following that line, and the first town along that line was Ponyville.
Finally locating a distant source of light, a rarity in this dense forest, she began to move faster. The rest of the Terror Guard noticed this and accelerated accordingly. Trained for stealth and lethal precision, the group barely made any noises that could potentially give away their position.
As Pinkamena had expected, the source of light was the exit from the dangerous Everfree Forest. The dirt path they were following continued on for a few more metres before evolving into a cobblestone road which split into two paths; one to a small cottage at the edge of the woods, and the other straight to the tight-knit community that was Ponyville. The pink mare followed the latter path, proceeding straight towards her target- and the future location of a bloody massacre.
They’re not going to come out for no reason. Pinkamena mused. So I’ll give them a reason.
Let’s see how they react when I force their hoof.
****
Rainbow got her wish. The mares were hastily ushered down into the chamber by Spike. Two guards defending the area immediately lifted their pikes to allow the general to enter.
A ghastly sight greeted the seven upon their entry.
Applejack was chained to the wall with heavy metal restraints that chafed at her coat. The bloody gashes on her torso, however, were clearly not the doing of the chains. The cause of the deep wounds was an azure-blue unicorn, who held a whip with spikes covering its every surface in her telekinetic grip. The whip lashed out again, creating another deep wound in Applejack’s flesh.
“Does that hurt?” Trixie sneered.
“No.” Applejack responded wearily, though the sweat accumulating on her face and the clenching of her teeth revealed that she was doing her best not to scream.
“Come on!” Applejack’s torturer exclaimed. “Just tell me all of your secrets, and then you won’t have to endure this anymore!”
“Ah won’t!” Applejack gritted her teeth as the whip landed on her coat once more.
“GET WAY FROM HER!” Trixie turned her head to see two sky-blue hooves rushing to meet her face. Within moments, her head hit the wall at the other side of the chamber. The attacker continued to rain blow after blow on her, while she curled up into a ball to reduce the pain. The whip, released from her weak grip, dropped to the floor. Thankfully, her aching body was given relief from the pounding her unexpected assailant was giving her when she heard Spike’s shout.
“Rainbow, that’s enough!” Spike thundered. “She’s only doing her job!”
Rainbow looked up, incredulous. “She’s doing her job?!” Flapping her wings rapidly, she dashed to Spike’s side. “You give ponies jobs like these?!” Just as the guards at the entrance began to charge towards Rainbow, a hoof, far too fast to avoid, struck Spike on the side of his head, sending the dragon crashing to the floor.
“Spike!” The remaining five mares gasped.
By now, the two guards from the entrance managed to restrain the prismatic-maned pegasus, spears aimed at her throat. “Sir, are you alright?”
The general stood up slowly, shaking his head twice to clear the pounding in his mind. “I’m okay. Release her.”
The guardsponies looked at each other uncertainly. “Are you sure, sir?”
“Yes, I’m sure. Do it now.”
Still unsure, but unable to ignore a direct command from their leader, the ponies released the pegasus. Rainbow decided to show her appreciation by crossing the room with great speed and bucking Spike forcefully in the chest. The dragon flew across the chamber and his head connected with the wall. The rainbow-maned pegasus didn’t stop there, however. She dashed towards Spike and let loose a barrage of punches aimed at the general.
“This… is… for… Applejack!” Rainbow shouted as her blows began to dent the extremely durable dragon scales that were Spike’s natural protection. The guards’ immediate and rapid advance to rescue their leader was stopped by his order.
“Stay back!” Spike ordered. “Don’t come near!”
The guards were once again uncertain of their next course of action. They hovered around the area hesitantly, trying to decide what to do. Twilight and her friends, still shell-shocked, didn’t move a muscle. Even though all of Twilight’s instincts were screaming at her to help Spike, she was too shaken by the spectacle to obey them. Even Applejack, still chained to the wall, remained silent.
Eventually, thought, Rainbow’s blows became less and less powerful as her fatigue increased. It wasn’t long before she had dropped to the floor, breathing heavily.
Finally, Spike, now covered in terrible bruises and with his right arm hanging at an awkward angle, stood up confidently, albeit shakily, and gave his soldiers an order. “Go and fetch the medics.” The guards, relieved to have a command they could carry out without any hesitation, sped off to call the base’s medical team.
Twilight managed to open her mouth to speak. “Spike, why did you let Rainbow do that?”
The dragon exhaled despondently. “I’ve been trying for many, many years to practice what I preach to my commanders.” Taking a deep breath, he recited, “A good leader is never a master of his people, but rather a servant to them.” He glanced at Rainbow and smiled. “My temporary injury is worthwhile if it keeps her on our side.” He tapped the pegasus’ head. “Still feeling angry?”
“Not… anymore…” Rainbow managed.
“Good… that means I’ve done my job.” Having said his piece, Spike closed his eyes.
And crumpled to the ground soundlessly.
****
Atop a nearby hill, Pinkamena gazed upon her new target with impassive eyes.
“I trust you all know what to do?” She spoke softly without turning her head.
A chorus of affirmatives echoed behind her.
“Excellent.” Her stare never leaving Ponyville, she gave one last command. “Go.”
The sound of shuffling hooves behind her signalled the departure of the Guard. Pinkamena remained where she was, watching intently as flames rose in Ponyville, devouring buildings and ponies alike. The screams of the dying rose into the atmosphere, drowning out all other sounds.
Her face remained stoic, but her heart had broken into a thousand pieces.
****
It was always such a joy to see what bringing Equestria under the rule of one reliable leader had done for the nation.
Princess Twilight rested on the pillow, surveying the prosperous empire she ruled, from the balcony of Canterlot Castle.
Cities, filled with ponies; happy ponies who lived their lives peacefully and without fear of sudden incursions by supernaturally powerful beings, as had been almost the norm during Celestia’s reign. Now, everything was tranquil, without any sign of conflict or-
Wait a minute. Was that a fire?
The Princess leaned forward to identify the source of the flames.
The village of Ponyville was being burnt to the ground.
The screams of the ponies echoed out across the valley, reaching even the Princess’ ears. However, she saw something her ears could never have told her.
Atop a hill near the burning village, a tiny, almost imperceptible pink dot could be seen on top of the mound of earth.
The Princess’ eyes widened in shock. What have I done?
****
Twilight stood stalwartly, alone, keeping a watchful eye over the dragon who had once been her number one assistant. The rest of her friends had gone to Rainbow Dash; after all, they had never been as close to Spike as Twilight had been. Even thought this wasn’t the Spike Twilight was used to, he was Spike nonetheless; and so Twilight had to stay with him. Fortunately, even against the sky-blue pegasus’ assault, Spike had emerged alive, and thankfully in a stable state.
She kept herself occupied by reliving the times Spike had spent with her. The countless times he had done something silly, or the occasions when he had snapped her out of insanity. Remembering the time when Spike had helped her recover after she had accidentally brought chaos throughout all of Ponyville with her Want-it-Need-it spell brought a faint smile to her face.
It wasn’t to last, however. A knock at the door snapped her out of her reverie. Twilight’s horn shone brightly, twisting the doorknob with her magic. The door swung open, revealing a grey pegasus mare with misaligned eyes.
“Ditzy?” Twilight spoke softly.
Instead of an angry expression, like the one on her face when she had met Twilight at the entrance, Ditzy’s face revealed only concern. “Spike okay?” She asked sadly.
Twilight nodded. “He’s okay. Just asleep.”
The grey pegasus visibly relaxed. “Sorry. We need him at conference now.”
“I’m afraid he’s sleeping.” Twilight gestured towards the slumbering general.
“Now.” Ditzy insisted.
Twilight shook her head. “He needs this sleep if he wants to heal.”
“But…” The pegasus sighed and hung her head. “Ponyville burning.”
“W- What?!” Twilight gasped. “How?”
“Don’t know.” Ditzy kept staring at the floor. “Never mind, I’ll leave now. Hopefully, we can still beat them, even if no Spike.”
When the door clicked shut, revealing the pegasus’ departure, Twilight buried her face in her hooves.
Rainbow Dash, what have you done?
****
“What we can do? We should be discussing about what we must do!” A white unicorn with a electric blue mane shouted. A musical note rested on her flank.
“Calm down, Vinyl.” A mint-green unicorn spoke. “We can’t just rush into this without considering the consequences involved. Do you know the possible repercussions if we rush in to save Ponyville with no proper plan?”
“I agree with Lyra, this might be a ruse.” Zecora said. “Indeed, if it is, we have much to lose.”
“So what, we’re just going to let ponies die?” Vinyl retorted.
“More will perish if we just send our forces in. They might even discover our secret base!” A blue pony with a mane like toothpaste responded angrily.
“You too, Colgate?” Vinyl said incredulously. “Is everypony against me here?”
“Actually, I agree with Vinyl.” An earth pony with a spiky brown mane said. “We can always make a new secret base. Lives are irreplaceable.”
“Thanks, Doctor.” Vinyl sighed, relieved. “How many more ponies are going to die while we sit here and argue?”
“Probably less than what would be lost if we do something in haste.” Zecora replied. “Let us not let the lives of our troops go to waste.”
“Do you realise the nature of the soldiers attacking Ponyville?” Lyra asked. “They are the Terror Guard, the most well-trained soldiers and assassins in all of Equestria! Pinkamena might even be there, leading them!”
“That’s great news!” Vinyl argued. “If we can capture the Princess’ right hand, it will be a great morale booster to the troops, and a detriment to Twilight’s forces!”
“If we can capture her.” Lyra emphasized. “This is the single deadliest and most powerful regiment of troops in all of Equestria! You’re insane if you think our meagre battalion of poorly-trained forces can defeat them!”
“No matter how well trained they are, there will be a way to defeat them! We have the element of surprise on our side!” Vinyl said.
“Don’t you think that there is a reason that they are attacking Ponyville?” Colgate responded. “Even Princess Twilight won’t senselessly massacre an entire town. No, they’re trying to draw us out, and if we go ahead with your plan, Vinyl, we’ll be falling right into their trap!”
“Actually, how about this.” the Doctor said calmly. “We can use our sewer system route to attack from unexpected angles while keeping the true location of our base secret, and at the same time, we can withdraw the personnel in the base to another location in case it is compromised.”
“But what if we manage to defeat the Terror Guard?” Lyra asked.
“Didn’t you just say that we couldn’t win?!” Vinyl shouted angrily.
“If we can’t win, then why are we sending our troops there in the first place?!” Lyra screamed.
“I didn’t say we couldn’t win. You said that we couldn’t win!”
“And rightfully so! If- No, when we lose, they can infiltrate the base through our sewer route!”
“That’s why we won’t lose!”
“Saying that won’t make the likelihood of victory better!”
“All of you, stop shouting.” Zecora said. It was soft, but everypony immediately stopped bickering and turned to listen. “And you,” the zebra told Vinyl, “stop pouting.” The unicorn’s face returned to its neutral expression.
“Now, what we need is an excellent plan.” Zecora waved her hoof. “All may speak, regardless of age or clan. If a solution we do not find, we will indeed be in a bind.”
The silence that followed was deafening, and eventually all the faces in the room became grim.
****
Any time now. Pinkamena thought, ignoring her pain as the fires raged on. If they don’t show up, all of Equestria will lose faith in the compassion of the resistance.
And if they do, I will be waiting for them.
****
“Quick!” Princess Twilight shouted to the royal guards trailing her. “If we move faster, we should still be able to save a few ponies!”
“Yes, your highness!” The soldiers responded, immediately picking up the pace.
“Shining Armour?” The Princess called out.
“Present, Tw- Princess.” The captain of the royal guards responded.
“Run ahead and prepare a pegasus chariot for all of us immediately.” Twilight ordered.
“Yes, Princess.” Shining Armour galloped ahead speedily, at a pace Twilight could not hope to match.
Directing her gaze at the burning village, Princess Twilight sighed. Even with the pegasus chariot that would shorten a three-day journey to about an hour, she was afraid that she would be too late.
I probably already am.
****
“Anypony?” Zecora asked. “Anypony?”
All of the ponies in the room were silent.
“In that case, our course of action is clear.” The zebra said. “We cannot do anything but to stay here.”
“Is that our only course of action?” The Doctor asked quietly.
“The odds that we can defeat the Guard are extremely slim.” Zecora responded. “Even with surprise, I suspect they can destroy us on a whim. In any case, when ponies hear of this destruction, they should doubt the government and its corruption.”
“So… they die.” Vinyl said, downcast.
“Yes.” Zecora nodded sadly. “We have no other choice in the matter. Between your plan and mine, I suggest we choose the latter.”
“But-” The white unicorn tried to argue.
Zecora interrupted. “Out there would be our soldiers’ blood and gore. Would you like to win the battle but lose the war?”
Vinyl hung her head. “…No.”
“If we stay here, many lives will be lost. But if we attack, greater will be the cost.” Zecora said.
“Let us take a vote. Just keep in mind, we are on the same boat.” she finished.
“All in favour of fighting the Guard.” Nopony raised their hooves. Vinyl looked like she wanted to raise hers, but she thought better of it.
“All who want to stay, though it is hard.” At first, nopony moved. Then, slowly and reluctantly, everypony rose their hooves one by one, sealing Ponyville’s fate.
“It’s settled then. Our actions we cannot praise, but we will stay in the base.”
The unspoken words hovered in the air. And let Ponyville die.
****
At last, nothing stood where the little village once had. Pinkamena watched as the Guard marched back in formation, showing no sign of fatigue.
“Well?” The pink mare asked.
“All of them are dead.” The leading guard responded. “All the buildings have been burnt down as well.”
Pinkamena gazed at the pile of ashes that used to be Ponyville. “Excellent. Any casualties?”
“None. Everypony has been accounted for.”
“Good. Have you brought my… friend here?”
“Already done.”
“Well then, did you send for the newspony yet?”
“Yes ma’am.” The guard saluted. “One of the best. Equestria Daily sent their most experienced reporter. I had one of my guards stall for time until we were done.”
Pinkamena turned her head just in time to see one of the terror guards approach with a brown-coated unicorn with a black mane in tow. “That is good news.”
The moment the newspony caught sight of the ashes that had been Ponyville, he gasped loudly and rushed to the top of the hill. “What happened?”
“Well, you see, I’m afraid that this is the doing of the resistance who is trying to overthrow the Princess.” Pinkamena spoke sadly.
As he continued to interview the pink mare, the reporter took images of the destroyed village. “Why would they do such a thing?”
“I have located their base, which is in the vicinity of Ponyville. I suspect that, when their attacker returned from the assault on Canterlot Castle a few days ago, somepony witnessed it. I received a report about a pony wearing a cloak matching that of the attacker passing through Ponyville. I think that the resistance realised this after a while, and they sent somepony to burn down the town in order to protect their secret, although they were a too late. All this is just speculation, of course. Though it seems to be the most likely theory.” Pinkamena accompanied her explanation with the appropriate hoof gestures.
“But how can you be so certain of the resistance’s involvement?” The reporter asked, having put away his camera and begun scribbling furiously at a pad floating before him.
“The moment I saw the fire, I managed to get here quickly, since I had already made preparations to attack the rebels’ base.” Pinkamena responded. “We were still too late, however, and everypony perished. Save one.” The pink mare beckoned to one of the Guard. The soldier nodded and left. He returned soon after, escorting an ash- and dust-coated butter-yellow pegasus mare with a pink mane. She was trembling violently.
“I- I- It w-was t-t-terrible…” The pegasus shivered, though clearly not from cold.
“She saw a pony wearing the same cloak the attacker had worn. Before she could stop the pony, however, the mysterious equine set a nearby building on fire and retreated.” The pink mare explained. “Is that right?”
The yellow pegasus nodded. “N-Not only t-that, I s-saw the same pony k-k-killing everypony else who t-tried to e-escape.” Upon finishing the sentence, the trembling pegasus curled up into a tight ball, shuddering terribly.
“The only reason she escaped was because she was on the outskirts of town at that moment.” Pinkamena said. “She lives in a cottage outside of town.”
“I see.” The reporter continued to scribble down notes. “I feel sincerely sorry for you. I believe you once lived in Ponyville as well, am I correct?”
The pink mare nodded sadly. “Yes, I used to live there, in a bakery called Sugarcube Corner.” She sniffled a little bit, allowing a few tears to fall out of her eyes, before raising her head to look straight at the reporter. “I didn’t want the destruction of my home to be in vain. I wanted everypony to know that the rebels can’t be trusted.” Her eyes narrowed. “That all they bring is misery.”
“It is clear now that their base is not in Ponyville.” Pinkamena continued. “Therefore, their base must be at or near establishments in the vicinity. Take Sweet Apple Acres, for example. I will be sending a team there shortly to investigate.”
“I see.” The reporter said. “Well, if that’s all, then I will-”
The sound of a pegasus chariot landing stopped him in his tracks. Both he and Pinkamena, along with the rest of the Terror Guard, turned their heads towards the royal chariot that had just landed on the hill. The door opened, revealing a contingent of royal guards, escorting-
“Princess Twilight!” Without another word, Pinkamena, along with the troops of the Terror Guard, dropped to their knees in respect. The reporter did so as well, though his bow was much deeper. The yellow pegasus who had curled up into a ball shakily transformed her posture into an unsteady kneel.
“Pinkamena.” Twilight’s voice, though at normal volume, carried much authority and power.
“Yes, your highness.” The pink mare responded, eyes never leaving the ground.
Twilight had noticed the reporter already, and took care not to divulge any possible secrets. “Why did I see Ponyville on fire, and why is there a reporter here?”
“I brought him here, to report on the massacre the resistance deemed fit to execute.”
The Princess turned to the reporter. “Is this true?”
“Yes, your majesty.” The reporter replied.
“If I may,” Pinkamena began.
“Speak.” Princess Twilight commanded.
“I humbly request your permission to organise a search party to scour the area for the resistance.” The pink mare said.
“You may.” Twilight replied. “The day after tomorrow.”
Pinkamena faltered. “But, your majesty, if we move out tomorrow, the odds of capturing the rebels would be much higher than if we gave them one day to retreat.”
“No. I too refuse to let this tragedy go unpunished, but I will organise a day of mourning tomorrow for the ponies who lost their lives here.”
“But- your highness-” Pinkamena protested.
“There will be a day of mourning, and it will be tomorrow. No armies may take action on a day of mourning. Have I made myself clear?”
The pink mare’s head dipped lower. “Crystal clear, Princess.”
“Good.” Twilight turned towards the reporter. “Add the day of mourning to your story.”
The newspony blinked dumbly for a few seconds before responding. “I will, your majesty.”
“Excellent. Leave us, please. I must discuss important battle plans with my lieutenant.”
Bowing once, the reporter retreated down the hill, heading back to his home town. Twilight turned to the yellow pegasus. “You too, Fluttershy. You may head back to your abode.”
“Alright.” Fluttershy said. She turned to leave, though not before directing a gaze at Pinkamena.
“You did very well.” The pink earth pony assured.
Giving her a small grin, Fluttershy spread her wings and flew off in the direction of her cottage.
Twilight turned her head. “Shining Armour, tell the contingent to await my command at the foot of the hill.”
The captain saluted. “At once, Princess.” With a single command, the battalion had rotated and marched in a measured cadence towards the bottom of the hill, accompanied by the two pegasi previously pulling the chariot.
Pinkamena gave an order to the Terror Guard as well. “Follow the royal guards, and do not return until I say so.” The guards nodded curtly and left the peak of the hill.
Soon, the only two ponies left atop the hill were Twilight and Pinkamena.
After a few minutes of silence, Twilight decided to begin the (likely unpleasant) conversation. “You did it, didn’t you?” she accused.
“Yes, I did.” Pinkamena responded coolly without hesitation.
Twilight tried her best to keep her voice level, although she could feel a few hairs sticking out from her normally well-kept mane. “You killed hundreds of ponies. Innocent ponies.”
“Correct, Princess.”
“What made you think that what you did was a good idea?”
“You said ‘at all costs’, your majesty.”
The Princess’ right eye began to twitch. “When I said ‘at all costs’, I did not truly mean you could do anything you wanted.”
“Princess, you and I both know that the longer the rebellion lives, the more lives will be lost in battles, be it civilian or military.” Still in her kneeling position, Pinkamena looked up at her Princess. “The hundreds of lives lost today could save thousands of lives in the future.”
“Regardless, massacring so many civilians is inexcusable.”
“Would you rather thousands- maybe even hundreds of thousands- of ponies die as victims of a bloody war, your highness?” Pinkamena asked.
Before Twilight could respond, the pink mare continued. “This one act has given us that much more of an edge. Sometimes, a small sacrifice is needed for the greater good.”
“The sacrifice is not yours to make.” Twilight growled.
“If it were up to the victims, the sacrifice would never be made.” Pinkamena retorted. “Do you recall the Manehattan Uprising?”
“All too well.” The Princess’ rock-hard resolve was beginning to crack. What if her lieutenant was right?
“That day, many ponies died because of the so-called righteous rebellion.” Pinkamena spat out the word righteous as if it was filth. “I even remembered the exact figure. Fifty-six thousand, four hundred-”
“-and twenty-three.” Twilight breathed. “How could I forget? My parents were among them.”
“And my sisters as well.” Pinkamena responded, embittered. “That was the day the resistance reared its ugly head.”
“What is your point?” The Princess asked.
“If the rebellion hadn’t tried to attack in its infant stages, we might be facing a large, professional army instead of the small raids being carried out by their forces.” Pinkamena explained. “Because of the fifty-six thousand casualties at Manehattan, we are now very well-prepared for whatever they try to throw at us. Because of them, Equestria is not under another Celestia-esque rule. Instead of a conflict with the magnitude of the recent Celestial War, we face an opposition too tiny to cause massive damage to us.”
“That sacrifice has bought us an edge over the rebellion. By no means was it free; but it was definitely worth it. This sacrifice has done the same. It was very, very difficult to burn my hometown to the ground, but hopefully I’ve managed to turn the opinion of the general public against the resistance. They will be far less likely to harbour any fugitives in the future, and soon the rebels will have nowhere else to hide.”
Twilight was silent for a while before responding. “Alright, you’re off the hook. But if you intend to do something like this again, you will consult me first and ask my permission.”
“Of course, your highness.” Pinkamena remained quiet for a few seconds before continuing. “In that case, can I lead the terror guard for the search tomorrow?”
Twilight took some time to consider the request. “You may, but in secret. But why not today?”
“Their forces will be on alert after the fire, and they possibly have many ambushes set up.” Pinkamena replied. “After they see the news tomorrow, they would be more concerned about leaving as opposed to organising ambushes. When that happens, I will be the one setting ambushes.”
“Clever.” Princess Twilight turned back towards the pegasus chariot. “I have to take my leave now.”
“As do I, Princess.” Pinkamena said. “My forces will be setting up camp here. We have a long day in front of us tomorrow.”
“As do I.” Twilight’s lips curved up into a tiny smile. “Many sacrifices await me tomorrow.”
“All for the greater good, your majesty.” The pink mare responded. “I have a date with danger tomorrow.”
“Mine is with boredom.” The Princess’ smile grew a little wider. “I wish you luck with yours.”
“And yours, too.” Pinkamena began to grin as well. “We wouldn’t want to keep them waiting, would we?”
“I would, though I’m afraid I can’t.” She rolled her eyes. “Aristocrats.”
“The best sedative.” Pinkamena agreed.
Trotting over to the chariot, she gave the pink mare one last glance. “Farewell… Pinkie.”
The pink mare smiled, a true one this time. “See you later, Twilight.”
A few minutes later, the battalion was boarding the chariot, and the pegasi were once again wearing the harnesses that enabled them to pull the vehicle. Last of all, the Princess boarded the chariot.
As she lifted off the ground, Twilight couldn’t help but wonder where the old days had gone.
****
“It’s over.” Ditzy reported as she flew through the entrance.
“How bad?” Lyra asked. The other commanders waited with baited breath, praying for the best.
“All gone. Every building, everypony… gone.” Ditzy’s eyes brimmed with tears. A series of gasps echoed throughout the room.
“I did not imagine it would be this bad.” Zecora whispered. “This is worse than I thought they’d have dared.”
“At least this will bring a lot of anger from the citizens of Equestria.” Lyra said.
“Maybe more ponies will join us.” Colgate suggested optimistically.
“That’s if Pinkamena doesn’t attack first.” Vinyl said glumly. “After Ponyville, her next target would probably be here.”
“Don’t worry.” The Doctor assured. “We set up so many traps here that I lost count of the actual number. If she attacks, our odds of defeating her will dramatically rise.”
“We should be safe, at least for tonight.” Lyra assured Vinyl.
“I’m not so sure…” The white unicorn sighed. “For all you know, something really, really bad could be happening even as we speak.”
“You worry too much.” Lyra said. “Even if that were true, it’s not like we can do anything about it.”
“But a very, very long list,” Zecora said, “of problems still exist.”
“For example?” Colgate asked.
“For example, our extremely easy food supply is all but gone. Destroyed is the town that once stood practically at our front lawn.”
“Well, there’s that…” Colgate admitted.
“The general, our greatest swordsmaster, is too injured to fight. He will have to rest, day and night.”
“Well, there’s that too.” Colgate said.
“Enough.” Lyra told Zecora. “We don’t need to add stress to despair.”
The zebra grumbled a little, but stayed silent.
“Besides,” Lyra said, “after what’s happened, what else could possibly go wrong?”
****
“Lyra! Lyra, we’re in trouble!” A voice called from outside the mint-green unicorn’s bedroom.
“Ugh…” Lyra reluctantly rose from her bed and opened the door, revealing a distraught zebra with a copy of the Equestria Daily in her mouth.
Now the unicorn was worried. Zecora often thought about problems, but she hardly ever panicked. The zebra that stood before her was nothing like the calm, collected Zecora she had spent hours in meetings with. She was so terrified that she forgot to rhyme.
“What is it?” Lyra asked anxiously.
“Look!” Zecora waved the newspaper in front of her. Lyra grasped it with her telekinesis and spread it out in front of her eyes to read it. The moment her mind registered the headlines, however, her eyes widened in shock.
Resistance Burns Ponyville to the Ground
Princess personally visits the scene, declares day of mourning
Lyra continued to read the newspaper in disbelief. “How can this be? How did they manage to pin this on us?”
“Courtesy of the unnamed witness.” Zecora growled.
“That means we’re in big trouble. Everypony must hate us now.” Lyra hung her head in defeat.
“That’s not all. Read the last bit.”
Lyra’s eyes focused on the bottom of the page. “They’re coming to Sweet Apple Acres tomorrow?!”
“I’m afraid so.” Zecora said grimly. “And with the general still incapacitated, moving base is not going to be easy.”
Lyra buried her face in her hooves. “Why does it seem that the whole world is against us?”
“There is no time to despair. We must get going immediately.” Zecora said. “Everypony must be far away from Sweet Apple Acres by nightfall.”
“I wish I could be a good strategist, and not just skilled at in-battle tactics. If the general were here, he would know just what to do.” Lyra sighed.
“We can always wake him up and ask him what to do.” Zecora told her. “He is quite the expert at anticipating the enemy’s actions.”
“Yeah.” The mint-green mare wiped her eyes which she hadn’t noticed were damp. “He will know what to do.”
Just as Lyra finished speaking, the door swung open, revealing a very dishevelled Twilight Sparkle, eyes red and puffy from crying. Her mouth opened to deliver a fateful message.
“Spike is in a coma.”
****
“Are you done setting up the traps here?” Pinkamena asked the guard.
“Almost.” The pony replied. “We just need to finish digging the pitfall traps, and then this area will be secured.”
“Good.” Pinkamena surveyed the field of Terror Guards hard at work, constructing and disguising the various traps. “Unless they enter the Everfree Forest, which would be suicidal in itself, they will have to pass through here.” She turned towards the ominous forest. “Are our forces guarding the path?”
“They are. With such a narrow space for battle, our few forces there will be able to hold them off until the rest of us reach their rear and attack them.”
“Excellent. Prepare everypony for the ambush.”
“Yes, ma’am.” The soldier snapped a salute and hurried off to rejoin the rest of the Guard.
Today, I will see the fruit of my sacrifices and my plans. The nation will finally be stable.
Today, the rebellion dies.
****
“Impossible.” Lyra breathed. “He can’t be. Not now!”
“What’s happening now?” Twilight asked, her expression becoming even more worried than before.
“Princess Twilight is sending her most experienced contingent to attack us tomorrow.” Zecora explained.
The librarian’s irises shrank in fear. “No, no, no, no! How could this happen to us while Spike is in such a precarious state!”
“We can’t panic.” Zecora said. “We have to act now. Alert the entire base. I want us moving out within the next few hours.” Twilight nodded and rushed off.
“This is not good. Not good at all.” Lyra shook her head.
Zecora glanced at her. “That is possibly the biggest understatement I have ever heard.”
****
The quiet, calm base had become a bustling hub of activity as everypony brought all the items they decided could be carried with them. The expensive equipment was loaded onto horse-drawn carriages, and ponies hooked themselves up to the harnesses.
Zecora, saddlebags resting on her back, gazed at the scene of activity from a high balcony, while Vinyl discussed possible escape routes with Colgate.
“There are two routes we can take; one, we can travel towards Ponyville, then head for Apploosa, or we can go through the Everfree Forest and then turn towards Apploosa.” Vinyl explained. “I think the choice is quite obvious.”
“I agree. We should go into the Everfree Forest.” Colgate said.
“Yes. We should- wait, WHAT?!” Vinyl exclaimed. Upon seeing the blue mare burst into laughter, the white unicorn frowned.
“This is no time for jokes.” Vinyl said with her most serious voice. However, the hint of a smile was present on her face.
“Actually, I agree with Colgate.” Zecora said. Colgate stopped laughing quite quickly, and Vinyl’s mouth hung wide open.
“You’re joking, right?” Vinyl asked.
“Joking I am not. On Ponyville’s path, we are easily caught.” Zecora produced a map of the area from her saddlebag. Pointing a hoof at Ponyville’s location on the map, she said, “On mourning days, armies cannot actively attack. However, a strong force we still lack. Our enemies, commanded by the crown, might still be camped out near the town.” Her hoof moved towards the Everfree Forest. “The forest, however, they would not camp there. Since they cannot attack, the forest should be safe for any stallion and mare. My knowledge of the forest’s monsters is great, it would be a much safer route, at any rate.”
After a few seconds, Vinyl glanced at Colgate with an incredulous look. “She’s right.”
“We shall take the Everfree route, then.” Colgate decided. “I shall alert the other commanders.” Standing up, she quickly departed through the door at the back of the balcony.
Zecora sighed and shook her head. I can’t help but feel that we are trotting straight into a trap.
****
“It’s because of me, isn’t it? Spike can’t help with any of this because of me.” Rainbow groaned. “Stupid, stupid, stupid!”
“Cheer up, Dashie!” Pinkie Pie told her friend. “Just because Spike is injured a teensy little bit doesn’t mean that anything is much worse! Besides, he’s just sleeping for a while! He’ll turn out okay! Just you wait!”
“Besides, everything is still going fine even though Spike isn’t here.” Rarity assured the prismatic-maned pegasus.
“But I was the one who hurt him!” Rainbow cried. “I shouldn’t have done any of that!”
“We all have our moments, Rainbow.” Fluttershy comforted her friend softly. “Everypony has done something they regret.”
“Well…” Rainbow sniffled.
“It’ll turn out alright.” Rarity said. “We just have to switch base, is all. Even if you hadn’t injured Spike, it wouldn’t have changed the fact that Sweet Apple Acres is going to be attacked tomorrow.”
“He forgave you, anyway.” Twilight said frostily. “I don’t know why, but he did.”
“See, darling? Everything is going to be fine.” Rarity said, ignoring the librarian’s tone of voice.
Rainbow was blissfully unaware of Twilight’s dissatisfaction. “I suppose there’s no point crying over spilt milk. What’s done is done. I might as well move on.”
“That’s the spirit, Dashie!” Pinkie cheered. “I know just what will turn that frown upside down!”
“What’s that?” Rainbow asked curiously.
“A SONG!”
Everypony who had heard Pinkie’s proclamation groaned in despair.
“I know! I’ll sing the song I first sang after I met Twilight!” Taking a deep breath, she began to sing: “When I was just a little filly and the sun was going down…”
****
“They’re heading towards the Everfree Forest, ma’am.” One of the Terror Guards reported.
“Really? I didn’t think they would do that.” Pinkamena’s eyes were closed, seemingly deep in thought. “Send the Guard to their rear stealthily. Engage when they encounter our forces in the forest.”
“As you wish.” The guard turned his head and issued a series of commands to the rest of the contingent, while Pinkamena brooded silently.
The pink mare, despite her outwardly calm expression, had flames of fury and vengeance burning within her.
Just a few more minutes, then I will have my vengeance. The rebellion will fall, along with its leader.
Today, you will die, Spike.
To be continued in Repercussions: Chapter 6: Deathmatch!