Time for more lore! · 3:19am Oct 16th, 2015
The Magic Energy Musket. An invention of the Republic midway into its existence, the ramshackle energy weapon proved to be cheep and powerful. Only capable of firing one shot before needing a recharge, the musket boast the lack of any need for ammunition. It is the most common gun among the republic, often seen modified with home made parts, and commonly the most well kept peace of equipment used by Republic solders.
- Valley Island, and the Republic.
The third most populated island, and second biggest, the valley island economy was mainly based on agriculture and tourism. The island was also seen as a potentially friendly place for business to move in, and was the home of a fairly high class wonderbolts training camp.
In wartime, industry boomed. With the dwindling tourism most ponies jumped at the opportunity for work, and Ironshod answered the call. Other company’s soon followed, setting up small factories, and mostly focusing on helping the war effort. The island also became home to one of the few MoA hubs, the Wonderbolt camp being converted to a data collection facility for the ministry.
After the end of the war, the surviving population had retreated to the metro system. The metro system under the Valley Island was overbuilt to say the least, it being the place were the two companies that built the metro started butting heads. This allowed for metro to hold far more ponies than expected, making it the Island with the highest population overnight.
Among the survivors was the islands governor, who quickly reestablished order most of the island, recruiting police ponies and military ponies to help maintain order. The governor’s main plan to keep things calm until Luna came to save them. A wait that lasted ten years, after of which the governor stepped down, letting a new leader to control.
With most ponies having given up on ever being rescued, the new governor was voted in on the promise of the formation of a new society, and having all the islands being brought under one umbrella. With most of the stations agreeing to the idea, the Republic was formed. Mainly just a collection of station delegating one what food and water goes where, the political mindset of the republic was always swinging back and forth between aggressive action, and peaceful negotiation. Often butting heads with the other islands, it was not uncommon for small burst of violence to erupt, only to die down as fast as it flared up.
The Trade Union was created by the republic as part of the islands economic branch. Made up of the surviving companies, and merchants who traveled between islands, they proved far better at negotiations and would later bring the Pineapple Island under the republics control. With the success of the Trade Union came the suspicion of corruption, the working class ponies distrustful of the wartime companies. Not that there distrust was unfounded, as the Trade Union would take what opportunity they could to line their pockets with bits, or spending bits to get other politicians to look the other way.
Though the republic’s territory never expanded passed the Pineapple Island, the other major groups were brought together to form a peace console do to the republics influence. This console is also what nearly ripped the republic apart from the inside. When negotiations between Solaris and Orthrus broke down, and later lead to the end of Solaris, the republic opened its doors to the refugees that soon flooded out of the big island.
This new population came with a mindset that distrusted the upper-class to a near zealot level. Combined with the preexisting distrust for the Trade Union, a new political movement was formed, called the Social Group. Focusing on the faire and equal treatment of all ponies, the SG was at the forefront in any fight for pony’s rights. This earned them respect among the Republic, of which they used to shout down political opponents. As representatives of Equality, they quickly pushed out many politicians, replacing them with their own. The biggest opposition was that of the Trade Union, who took a firm stance on a merit based society, over forced equality. The butting of heads would reach a nerve violent levels, as the two political groups clashed.
This came to its horrifying conclusion when the TU won the presidency by a hairs berth, and the SG accused them of rigging the election. Though adamantly defending themselves, the TU was known for passing many bits around during the election, of which went into a few officials pockets. Feeling slighted, the SG political leader turned violent, and struck out at the new president. This inspired the rest of the SG to take up arms, aiming their wrath at the TU. Within days, the entire island was engulfed in fighting, with a battle cry of “Equality or Death” leading the SG.
By the time the fires died down, the Social Group stood victorious, and the president, and supporters were executed. The Trade Union managed to avoid being wiped out by fleeing to Pineapple Island, but the other political parties were not so lucky, being forcefully absorbed into the SG, or simply disappearing to never be seen again.
It would be many years before the Valley Island reopened its tunnels, and many years after that until ponies felt it was safe enough to migrate to the island. Many of the stations had been reconstructed to fit the new equal ideology, with somewhat smaller, but more uniform housing. Though not visibly appealing, the remodeled stations could now hold far more ponies in them, and at an inexpensive cost. This became an attractive offer to many ponies in the metro, though the ideology of the SG was a huge turn off, many simply bit the bullet and pretended to sing along with the SG.
Boasting the biggest army in the metro, the Republic may not have the tech that Orthrus has, but if they were ever to go to war, Orthrus would find themselves on the losing end of the fight.
