The Empire

by Mediocre Morsov

Chapter 3

Big Macintosh sighed as he bucked another apple tree. It had been two days since Applejack and Apple Bloom had disappeared, and he was having a hard time accepting that. Ever since their parents had left them, he had been tasked with watching over his younger sisters and protecting them from all the myriad dangers in Equestria. Although it seemed Applejack did most of the protecting, being a bearer of the Element of Honesty, and all. Still, wasn't protecting one's sisters the job of every dutiful brother?

Where were they, anyway? Last he heard, the two of them had joined Luna, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie on a meeting with Celestia and the other girls. He didn't really understand why those mares were arguing, and he didn't really care; he just hoped they could have worked things out between them and things would have gone back to normal. Fluttershy had stopped by and told him how badly everything had went. Celestia had tried to arrest Luna and her supporters, Applejack was in prison, and Apple Bloom was with Luna in Appleoosa.

He kicked another tree and nearly broke it with his anger. He exhaled sharply. It could be worse. At least he knew Applejack was safe, even if it was in a prison cell, and he knew Apple Bloom was with family. Fluttershy had been a most receptive companion, too, listening to his complaints and worries without judging him. He didn't talk much, and he trusted Fluttershy to be silent with what little he had shared. One thing was certain: he was glad neither of his sisters had been in Ponyville when the riots began. Now they were over and Celestia's Royal Guard had returned to Canterlot.

In the distance he saw one of Apple Bloom's friends - a pegasus filly he remembered was named Scootaloo - and Spike, the only dragon in all of Ponyville. He was surprised at their arrival; surely they knew that Apple Bloom wasn't here, so why would they show up?

"If y'all are lookin' fer Apple Bloom, she ain't here." Big Mac announced once the two youths were within earshot.

"Actually, that's why we came." Scootaloo said, "Do you know where Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle are?"

"Normally, I'd say 'nope' an' send ya on yer way," Big Mac began, warily, "but seein' as how it's you, Scootaloo, I'll tell you. She's in Appleoosa."

"Of course!" Spike said, "That would make sense."

"Thanks Big Mac!" Scootaloo beamed before turning around.

"Wait." the stallion said, "Why do you two wanna know where Apple Bloom is?"

"We figure she's with Sweetie Belle," Spike explained, "so we're going to try to bring Sweetie back, so Rarity quits freaking out."

"Could you bring Apple bloom back, too?" Big Mac asked, "The farm just ain't the same with only Granny an' I livin' here."

"Sure thing." Spike gave a reassuring smile. The youths were about to leave again when Big Mac stopped them again. "Yes?"

"You two be careful." he said, "And make sure Twilight an' your parents know where you two are headin'."

"Sure." Scootaloo didn't lie very well, but Big Mac left it at that.

And so the two youths left Sweet Apple Acres behind and made preparations for travel to Appleoosa.

*-*

"This is a disaster." Luna said after eyeing the reports from Ponyville, "Ponies dying, and now two of my closest supporters in a Canterlot prison."

"Ponies dyin'?" Apple Bloom's voice was so quiet, Luna almost missed it. She turned towards her student in surprise.

"Apple Bloom?" she asked, "Whatever are you doing here?"

"It's been awhile since we talked, outside a' the meetin's, Ah mean." the filly traced a pattern in the floorboards with her hoof, "Is it true? Ponies are dyin' out there?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so." Luna sighed, "Less than a dozen, but a tragedy all the same."

"Ah didn't think anypony would die over this." the filly seemed aghast, "It's just like the Reign a' Terror."

"I wouldn't go quite that far, yet." the Premier managed a laugh, "Perhaps my sister isn't aware of the damage done, quite yet. Perhaps it was beyond her control."

"If there's one thing Ah learned about Celestia, it's that nothin' seems to be beyond her control." Apple Bloom seathed and Luna was startled by the unbridled hatred in her tone. Then the filly calmed down and gave her mentor an apologetic look, "Sorry, Miz Luna. Ah know she's your sister an' all."

"It's quite alright." Luna smiled, "Tia certainly hasn't done herself much good trying to earn her ponies' trust."

"Maybe yer right about it bein' a misunderstandin', though." Apple Bloom offered, "Maybe she had no idea her guards would take it so far."

"I can only hope." Luna sighed, "Still, my ponies are braying for blood. They want revenge for the killing, and the capture of two of our most famous supporters."

"We can't send ponies out ta..." the filly stumbled over the words, "...kill an' die fer this. It ain't right."

"I couldn't agree more, however..." the Premier eyed outside through her window. Braeburn was forming a mob from the pioneers outside, "I'm afraid your cousin is taking matters into his own hand. He's forming a posse to infiltrate Canterlot and break out the prisoners."

"Ah shoulda never gotten him so riled up." Apple Bloom groaned, "If Ah had known this'd lead ta killin'..."

Luna stayed silent on the subject and closed the curtains of her window. There was something... endearing about ponies willing to die for her. It stirred something in her chest and made her more than a little giddy. Was this how Celestia always felt, held up on her pedestal above all others? She shook her head slowly. Her ponies were dying; she shouldn't be getting happy over this!

She should be getting angry.

*-*

"And that's not the worst of it," Diamond Tiara let out one of a hundred "ughs" as she continued her story, "The streets were so filthy, you just wouldn't believe it! Mud everywhere! I'm just glad this silly "republic" fad is almost over."

Snips' eye twitched as he listened the filly drone on and on. He had half a mind to mess up the mane he was currently working between his hooves. He should have never mentioned he was a mane stylist; of course Diamond Tiara would come to him, asking for a demonstration (on Silver Spoon, first, naturally), and of course she would spend the time griping about her oh so troublesome day. He hadn't even known there was a salon in one of her father's factories. Who put a salon in a factory, anyway? He eyed Snails enviously. His friend was having a nice conversation with Silver Spoon, and - did she just laugh at one of Snails' jokes?

"That little..." Snips grumbled under his breath.

He finished with his snipping and arranging of Diamond's purple locks and placed her namesake upon her head. He watched as she weighed the manecut in the mirror and had to fight the urge to roll his eyes. He blinked when she gave a genuine smile and turned to him.

"You're actually really good at this, Snips." Diamond Tiara giggled - actually giggled! - at him.

"Ooh, we should show them," Silver looked around the empty salon before leaning in, whispering conspiratorally, "the Thing."

"I don't know if I want to show the Thing to these two losers, good stylists and listeners they may be." Diamond held her head up high. Still, was that a playful smirk on her lips?

"What's the Thing?" Snips asked, vaguely feeling like he had just sprung a trap.

"Oh no, Di is right." Silver waved a hoof, dismissively, "The Thing is too cool for you two."

"We're cool!" Snails protested.

"Yeah!" Snips added.

Both fillies exchanged coy leers and sly grins before turning and leaving the two colts behind. Startled and slow to recover, Snips and Snails followed the girls out, calling after them. After awhile, they grew silent as they were led deeper and deeper into the factory. Strange vehicles stood in various states of assembly to either side of the catwalks they were crossing. Both of the colts were taken by the sheer size of the factory's bowels, and distantly entranced by the vehicles beneath them. They were boxy, ugly things, rugged and plain, and yet the colts couldn't keep their eyes off of them. What were the telescope-looking things on top? Why didn't they have wheels?

"Here we are!" Diamond announced at last.

Snips and Snails looked at the assembly line beneath them where ponies in welding goggles and cloth masks worked away. Different shaped pieces of metal were formed, heated, reformed and shaped again down the various lines. It took the colts a moment to realize the metal was being turned into armor for ponies, but very different from the armor they'd come to recognize from Celestia's Royal Guard and history books.

"It's so... sleek." Snips noticed, "It doesn't look anything like the armor Celestia's soldiers wear."

"That's because this is new, high-end stuff." Diamond announced proudly, "Princess Celestia, after the debacle with her sister a few days ago, decided her Royal Guard could use some new hardware."

"Hardware?" Snails asked.

"Materiel, specifically." Silver pushed her glasses back in place, "Mr. Rich explained that, a long, long time ago, some ponies designed newer and newer weapons, but they never built them or used them."

"Something about peace and utopia and the like." Diamond said the words as if they were a bad thing.

"How'd your dad get the designs for this stuff if they were never even built or used?" Snips asked.

"I really don't know." Diamond confessed, "Hard as it may be to believe, he doesn't tell me everything."

"Ah man, that stuff looks so cool!" Snails was almost drooling over the armor.

"Not as cool as those... things back there." Snips said, "They looked like carriages. What were they?"

"We're not really sure." Silver shrugged.

"They have something called engines in them." Diamond explained, "Daddy says engines can pull carriages all by themselves."

"Carriages pulling themselves?" Snails laughed, "Like trains?"

"Exactly," Silver beamed, "but more compact."

"What were the telescope-looking things on top?" Snips asked.

"I asked Mr. Rich the same thing, but he told us we shouldn't concern ourselves with that." Silver said.

"Man, these are even cooler than those camera-things Apple Bloom made." Snails said, absent-mindedly.

"Apple Bloom's camera-things?" Diamond quirked an eyebrow, "What camera-things?"

"Twilight showed her how to make them." Snips explained, "They're really neat."

"You can take somepony and "broadcast" them to all these screens across Equestria." Snails said, "But your dad's armor and horseless carriages are way cooler."

"These cameras sound useful." Diamond said, "Daddy could use them, I'm sure."

"Do you guys know how to make them?" Silver asked.

"No," Snips said turning to his new friends, "but we know which book they're in."

The colts didn't even notice the two separate styles of armor and vehicles, one emblazoned with a shining sun, the other with a crescent moon.

*-*

"Premier Luna hasn't sanctioned this." one of the pioneer ponies said, anxiety plainly written on her face.

"She'll forgive us once Applejack an' Pinkie Pie are safely back in Republic territory." Braeburn said in a disinterested tone, hat shifted forward.

"She doesn't approve." a stallion said, just as anxious as the first, "Braeburn, ponies are gonna get hurt if we just waltz into Canterlot an' break 'em out."

"Exactly why we'll be goin' in under the cover a' night." the cowpony gave a grin, "We are the Lunar Republic, after all. Night raids should be our signature, wouldn't you agree?"

"Signature?" the first pony asked, "You act almost as if we're gonna make this common practice."

"Ah didn't sign up for fightin', Braeburn." the second pony scowled.

"Go home an' hide under yer covers, then." Braeburn turned on the second pony, "Ah got a posse a' half a dozen buffalo raiders an' twenty ponies ready ta go get mah cousin outta jail, so you can just stay here an' bake pies fer all Ah care!"

"Easy, Brae." the first pony got between the arguing stallions, "We're just breakin' in an' breakin' out, right? Nopony's gonna get hurt doin' that."

"Exactly." Braeburn nodded, "So ya'll comin' or not? We could always use a few extra hooves."

The two pioneer ponies exchanged nervous glances before nodding in agreement. They followed Braeburn to the crowd of ponies and buffalos waiting beside a train. They were loading the train with supplies for the trip, since it would take awhile to reach Canterlot from Appleoosa and back again. The engineers wiped soot from their brows and prepared the coal car, warming up the engine. At the approach of their leader, they stopped what they were doing to look at him.

"Mah friends," Braeburn pushed his hat back so the ponies around him could see his eyes in the light of the full moon, "That tyrant Celestia's been in power too long, an' all we wanted was the right ta vote fer our own leaders. Now she's started killin' and kidnappin' ponies just fer believin' an' supportin' the Republic!"

The crowd erupted in boos and hisses. Braeburn let this go on for awhile longer before raising a hoof and stilling the crowd.

"Ah'd say we should go into Canterlot an' take her down, but circumstances won't allow it." he said, "So we'll settle fer breakin' their prison open an't savin' Applejack an' Pinkie Pie! Who's with me?"

The crowd's boos and hisses became whoops and cheers as ponies finished their packing and jumped. Two of the ponies even danced a jig together and somepony had started playing the fiddle. Braeburn nodded to the melody as the ponies boarded the train and was about to follow them before he felt a tugging at his vest. He turned and saw his young cousin, Apple Bloom, staring at him with pleading eyes.

"Ya'll ain't really goin' ta invade Canterlot, are ya?" she asked.

"Shoot, Apple Bloom, Ah thought you'd be happy we were goin' ta rescue Applejack." Braeburn furrowed his brow, "What's the matter?"

"Ah don't want anypony else ta get hurt over this republic thing." Apple Bloom confessed.

"Sometimes ponies get hurt standin' up fer what they believe, sugar cube." Braeburn mussed the filly's mane with a hoof, "Don't worry; we'll all come back, with Applejack, an' everythin' will be fine."

As Braeburn left his cousin behind, Apple Bloom looked up towards the balcony of Appleoosa's town hall where Luna stood, watching. 'Why ain't she doin' anythin'? Why ain't she stoppin' them?!' was all Apple Bloom could think about the situation. Braeburn had stopped just short of boarding the train and looked back at the Premier of the Lunar Republic, expectantly. Almost imperceivably, she gave a slight nod of approval, and the pioneer pony caught the gesture.

With a wide grin he boarded the train and was greeted with cheers and fiddle music.

"Remember the plan, everypony." he said, "We should reach Ponyville right before dusk. We kill the lights an' the noise, an' ride straight into Canterlot by nightfall. We sneak into the prison, bust out mah cousin an' her friend, an' were outta there before dawn! Understood?"

A chorus of "Aye aye!" and affirmatives bounced around the train cars.

"Alright then," Braeburn closed the door to the train car, "Let's ride!"

Author's Note:

Let's see how many random characters I can get involved in the plot before I confuse myself and butcher this thing...