//------------------------------// // Chapter 37 // Story: Rise of an Empire, Fall of Another // by Kyuubi325 //------------------------------// Britannia London London Nautica Wind tunnel 3 12:17pm Walter and his brother Reimar Horton watched through the thick tempered glass as the model of the He 178 started to sway from the powerful simulated winds. Both leaned forward, observing how the metal frame seemed to be holding up well. The fan continued to blow stronger and stronger, causing the metal to vibrate. The two German Spitz looked uneasy at the airframe, which looked to be threatening to buckle under the strain. "No...come on, hold..." Walter whispered, but sadly his plea went unanswered. The metal frame started to break apart, scraps flying into the back of the tunnel. Reimar reached out and started to turn the dial back on the console. "The welds were faulty?" he said in a questioning tone, looking over at his brother. He shook his head. "No... they weren't strong enough." He began to think. "Bolts would cause too much drag...perhaps rivets?" He looked over at his younger brother, who was pulling out a note pad from his black wool jacket. "At this rate will we meet the deadline? Or should we start writing up our resumés? This would move more smoothly with Ernst Heinkel. His experience would have been invaluable.." Walter sighed while rubbing his neck, going over his notes in an attempt to find another idea. "We both know what happened to that old Schnauzer... pity he was killed by his pride and joy. We sure they finally got the bugs ironed out down in R&D? All the improvements on the airframe means little of the engine explodes." Reimar said while appearing to be in deep thought about something. "We should request usage of the new steel-aluminum alloy. Its heavier, but it my be the only option at this point. The standard alloys just can't handle the force." "They say they found a new titanium alloy that handles the intense heat better. Luckily we just need to make sure it flies. The fuel requirements are something that comes after the demonstration." Walter said, while talking a few more notes before sliding the pad back into his jacket. "At least we don't have to worry about the Fuhrer... remember those old deadlines brother? He was too desperate. Ever since the incident at the Exhibition he seemed to have become more unhinged." Reimar said while his brother nodded his head sadly. "To think we voted for him." "Nationalism and militarism are popular platforms, it didn't help that he was an excellent speaker and had written a popular book." Walter said while they turned, passing out of the small simple observation room out into the hallway taking a few turns passing by a number of portraits and photographs of aviation pioneers. "Agreed, he did make a number or promises, some did seem a little... unhinged, and his obsession with the emperor is concerning. Pushing his allies to rush production of potentially game changing technology, then getting livid when it doesn't work was strange as well." Reimar said as they entered a large room, where a number of Britannia's finest aerospace engineers were hard at work at their desks. Some were running complex calculations by hand, others painstakingly sketching designs. "Despite his tendencies, he did allow us to pursue our dream. Before him no one else would have taken a chance on two mutts with no formal training in engineering." "Agreed. The fact he encouraged families put aside the money they would normally use to buy meat on Sunday to help the needy is also a point in his favor." Walter said as they approached their shared office, indicated by a bronze plaque with their names side by side. "Or having a nationalized factory to produce the Volkswagen, and having the military begin construction on the autobahn. Remember when cars were only for the rich?" They both shared a chuckle as they sat down at their shared oak wood desk looking down at the schematic for their prototype. "Makes one wonder what's the next thing to reach the civilian market...the microwave emitters?" "Don't be ridiculous, what possible use could the civilian market have for magnetrons besides air traffic control?" Britannia Province of Germany Kehlsteinhaus Ballroom 1:13pm The fuhrer watched the festivities from a high perch. He had hired a band, imported only the best food from from across the empire, even had the latest in scientific curiosities brought in. But once again he had been ignored. The emperor saw fit to pass his invitation to his advisers and underlings. In the past it would be an honor to have any of the court in ones home but... after all he had done... this was an insult! His years in the Bavarian army and work as the governor of Germany should have been enough to be graced with the presence of the emperor. The Mountain Hound was awoken from his thoughts by Totenkopf clearing his throat. "Oh! Totenkopf my old friend how is your research going? I've heard great things about your little pupil." The Bavarian Hound smiled softly, while the old German Shepherd gave a crooked grin. "Oh, she's doing fine. The tests have been going well. Her innate connection, or the hive mind as we are calling it, is very effective. Subject 23 thinks he's a normal pony kidnapped from Equestria but get my little June-bug to focus and we have a vicious terror weapon." He chuckles softly while the Bavarian nodded his head. "Indeed we need more innovations. But I believe that there's only one way for us to get the glory we seek... war. Tensions are growing in the west as our products have upset a number of industries. Perhaps it is the Emperor's plan? Or maybe he's simply trying to fight our purpose, we are soldiers...heir to something the Equestrians can only dream of! We have earned our right to enact Manifest Destiny, but the Emperor insists on trade and peace. I fear that he has lost his way... or perhaps he's playing a long game." He leaned on the railing while taking a few breaths to recover from his rant. "Mein Fuhrer I assure you, a war is coming, whether the Emperor wants to admit it or not we can not deny what we are. I have allies in London who have news... he has returned." Totenkopf leaned forward to whisper into the hounds ear while his face paled. "N-no.. it's been over 40 years since his last sighting. He couldn't possibly still be alive after all this time, not with his failing health. He only had one success in his mad experiments." the Fuhrer was uncharacteristically unnerved, his hands tightly gripping the iron railing. "He's very much alive. You know, even with his notes I have only been able to theorize how he did it... if he has returned he must have a reason. After all, the last time he appeared he gave us the key to turning the tide of the war." Totenkopf pulled out a cigarette much to the Fuhrers annoyance; after all, he had spent considerable funds to warn of the dangers of those unpleasant sticks of tobacco. "Even now we know he has connections across the Empire. He could be right next to the Emperor and he might not even realize it... fascinating, isn't it? The mad ramblings of a Airedale Terrier dragged us out of the dark ages. One has to wonder where did his ideas come from? We have advanced so rapidly that one has to wonder if it's natural." "You're over thinking it, nature has obviously chosen us as the apex. We moved rapidly because we were forced to and now we will continue to advance at a pace no other race can hope to match." The Fuhrer looked at him as if he was mad, while Totenkopf just gave him an even look. "800 years ago we barely managed to stage a coup using nothing more then crude Stone picks and axes. Now we are developing jet and rocket technology. Rushing from Stone Age to Iron Age, then the Industrial Age. As if something is ramming us forward... we can barely keep up with ourselves as it is." Totenkopf just seemed to look over the crowd as they enjoyed the demonstration of a Television, it was a promising medium that would change the entertainment industry. "One has to wonder what we will become. I have spent my life cutting and dissecting to find that out. And yet still there's something I'm missing, an outside element. I want your permission to reinstate the paranormal division. Fringe science it may be, but it's likely our best chance in figuring out the good doctor's plan." The fuhrer seemed to think a bit while the audience clapped, watching a telecast of the land ship Bismarck doing a live artillery drill about 20 miles away. "Do it, but keep it quiet. If word gets out I don't want to be associated with such a thing. Run it out of Castle Wulfenstien if you must." "Thank you mien Fuhrer." Totenkopf gave a twisted grin. Equestria Tall Tale Copper Works 5:03pm Copper Pate, a rusty red unicorn, was looking over his blueprints, exhaustion marring his features. Canterlot was offering investment and contracts to help modernize their military. While the nobility had stone walled the progress of fazing out spears, Celestia was able to convince them them more mechanized weapons would be necessary. So Copper had sold much of his old enchantment tools to get funds and space; with enchantment grade gems so rare now it was all only gathering dust. He was currently looking over some blue prints trying to design a simple lightly armored vehicle. He didn't have a automobile to work with as they had yet to make their way north. Instead he was attempting to construct a 6 cylinder engine using easy to source parts. Anything else was irrelevant until he had a solid engine after all. He had bought a few irrigation engines from the local shop and promptly took them apart. It was harder then he thought, however, welding them together and getting the engine to function. He was having some issues with getting the cylinders to fire at the right times. He rested at his work bench while he levitated a pen, twirling it lazily as he tried to think. Sighing, he pushed away from the table. Getting up from the rolling chair he decided he needed some fresh air, so he opened the the large sliding door that closed off his shop from the outside world. He squeezed past and promptly shut it. Tall Tale was a small town in a forested area from which one could just see Canterlot mountain, though sadly not Canterlot. The town was populated largely by earth ponies and Unicorns. The story was they were left behind by Princess Platinum and Chancellor Puddinghead during the great migration from the north. It was founded by Tall Tale, a bard renowned for his stories of bravery. Since then the town had always been a small, thriving hamlet with a limited but profitable timber industry. Making his way down the dirt road he decided to head to the river, passing by a combination of a farmer's market and flea market. Seing no inspiration there he shook his head and continued on his way, passing by thatch roofed and clay walled homes. Soon reaching the end of the town he trotted over to the sawmill sitting on the bank on the opposite side. He stopped for a moment to watch the waterwheel slowly turn, powering the saw. It was all open to the air so he could watch the ponies lifting logs and slowly pushing them through the blades. As he watched the wheel turn he let his mind wander a bit. He started to imagine a wheel slowly turning then started to imagine adding copper contacts onto it. His eyes widened; he could drop the difficult to adjust camshaft and instead use electrical contacts to fire the pistons! "That's it! I've got it! I've got it!" He jumped up and down like an excited colt before realizing the saw mill ponies were watching him in confusion. Blushing, he quickly ran off. He knew he had plenty of work to do. Equestria Canterlot Canterlot Castle Celestia's private chambers 6:45pm Celestia paced in her room as she waited for Cadence to exit the bath chambers. She had been in their for a few hours, Shining occasionally exiting to pace and then renter. Finally Cadence had stepped out of the bath chambers into her bed room. She seemed broken; no anger, no sadness, just an emptiness that left Celestia feeling unnerved. Shining seemed to not so much look at her but through her, the captain looking worse for wear then he did after the Canterlot Wedding. Shining Armor looked over at his wife and got ready to speak only to have Cadence beat him to the punch. "You were wrong. "He said evenly, with a hint of malice. Celestia swallowed. "W-what?" "You... were...wrong... they didn't need or want me. I followed the same model you used in Equestria, and look what happened! My baby is gone!" She screamed into the White princesses face. "They starved us out for nearly a year! We were cut off from Equestria! T-the things I s-saw... t-the guards turning on each other... t-the Equestrian immigrants were slaughtered w-with... firearms! The burning became a massacre!" Cadence just panted after her rant before she started to cry with Shining Armor pulled her close letting her cry into his mane. "H-how... w-we banned any Britannian imports into the Crystal empire. They couldn't have gotten their hooves on those weapons!" Celestia's stunned outburst seemed to get Shining's attention. "Britannians?" They had been out of the loop for awhile; they only had some idea that changes were happening down south in Zebrica. "T-they are... an Eastern empire that opened up trade with the zebras." Celestia replied. Shining's eyes widened. "The warlords have access to weapons like this??" He asked in panic. "No. They were overthrown... now they have a unified parliament. They have since opened up trade with us and act as a middle mare between us and Britannia..." she reached out to try and comfort her niece only for Shining to give her an even glare. "Then one of them must have armed the rebels... not that it matters." he looked downwards. "My sweet baby filly is gone. I've failed once again to protect my family." "W-we can salvage this. W-we will load up the Crystal Express with our finest and retake-" she was cut off as Cadence raised her hoof. "The rails were destroyed. We were given a harsh choice... squeeze the remaining guards onto the train, or be starved out and thrown on the ice without the protection of the insulated cabs. The only way to reach the Crystal Empire at this point would be by sea and a long 200 mile trek through blizzards and what ever else hides in the wastes. I-iv lost them and the Heart... they see me as a tyrant, no better or worse then Sombra. In their own words I'm... a false idol. They accused me of cultural genocide! I-I didn't know... I-I didn't realize. Shining tried to warn me... b-but I didn't listen. N-now I have no daughter, no country...nothing." she sounded so defeated it was breaking Celestia's heart. No doubt the nobility will use this against her, everything seemed to be splitting at the seams around her. "I will talk with the Emperor about it perhaps he can shed some light on this. Until then, you two are welcome to use my Summer Estate South west of here." She reached out to try and pull them into a hug, but she stopped when she saw the look from both of them. She left them to grieve. Equestria Ponyville Barnyard bargains Store room 7:23pm Fancy sat at the table with the rest of the ponies in the operation, all looking rather worried. The lighting in the room wasn't exactly ideal, the dim bulb only seeming to complement the dark news they had all just received. "Cloudsdale is coming... we need to prepare; there's nothing else we can do at this point. With the Royal guard disbanded in all but name we have to rely on our own hooves to defend our town." Filthy said solemnly. Carrot nodded her head. "I have already started to lay a number of tunnels and hidden ambush points. I have also placed the new mortars all over town with my ponies nearby ready to fire at a moments notice." She said slowly leaning back. The newly reunited Flower Trio smiled a sinister grin in unison. "Our addicts are ready and waiting to go. We even got a few Pegasi willing to work for us. Hehe, spice seems to be particularly addictive to them. They will cause a ruckus back on Cloudsdale just for a day's supply!" Big Mac looked over at them and his eyes shined a moment realizing what they had in mind. "Meaning two things will happen. The burning of their home will cause them to split their forces or badly damage the city leaving them with some angry locals. Clever... and here I thought you three we just burn outs." He chuckled. "Sweet Apple Acres has shut down their stills and set up a number of lures. They will follow the smoke and find themselves in a kill zone. I've had to call on some of my kin but they all got a bone to pick with Cloudsdale. So far I have over 100 of my fellow Apples hiding in the trees." "So is there anything else we can do to prepare? I want no chances taken with these Feather Brains. Ponyville will not become a slave town for those Cloudpounders!" Filthy took a moment to recompose himself. "I have also hired some exotic help from down south. They will wait in the hiding near the Barnyard bargains. Vets from Zebrica don't come cheap but they are battle ready at a moments notice. I think it would be best to split them up and send them to each of our holdings to act as a... second pair of eyes. They may see things we do not, after all." They all nodded in agreement. "I say we toast this occasion with a Sweet Apple Specialty!" Big Mac pulls out a large bottle. "This is the Legendary Sweet Apple Whiskey only 12 bottle remain from the unification before Celestia took control. I plan to save the rest for an even prouder occasion." He smiled while they all looked at each other. "Like what?" Carrot asked curious while leaning forward on the table. "Do tell, Big Mac. What do you have in mind?" Fancy asked, the Flower Trio cocking an eyebrow. "Tell me, do you all have aspirations besides just being drug pettlers? Or do you want something that your descendants can be proud of?" He started to dig into his bag and pulled out a book labeled Platos Republic. "I think it's time earth ponies get a say in governance again, do you all agree?" He asked while the entire table was in complete shock, it was one thing to break the law; it was another thing to secede from Equestria all together. They all seemed to enter deep thought before Carrot opened her mouth. "We can't do it alone." she said. Big Mac grinned. "I'm not the only Apple that's tired of the Royals sticking their noses where they don't belong, and I'm far from the only bootlegger in the family." "It's well known the Apple family has a lot of sway with earth pony townships; we get more towns on our side and we might just be able to pull it off. But that's not the question are we willing to create a Cartel state?" he looked around the room and from the faces he got his answer. "Very well. First things first, we wait for the attack..." Zebrica Dragons Teeth mountains (near Saddle Arabian boarder) UZS Lions Wrath (refurbished Britannian airship) 9:00pm Captain Abayomi was holding his binoculars to his eyes as he looked over in the distance. The thick clouds made navigating the mountains treacherous, but it hid their approach to the Sultan's lands. They knew he'd been trying to find passage once again through the mountains. They luckily didn't have the luxury of flying, meaning they were stuck trying to navigate using old maps and caravan myths. He could already see the mountain pass in the distance that would be the final passage. They had around 3 aircraft in the belly of the airship, they would harass the army encampments. At least until the bombers were flown into Dragons Maw Airbase on the other side of the mountain range; then, the bombing campaign could begin. "Do we have anything on the acoustics?" He asked the young zebra, who looked up at him and shook her head. "No sir, the way ahead is clear for us." she looked at him before looking back down and closing her eyes to focus on her work. "Communications officer, tell the fighters to prepare for launch. I don't want them to know about the airship near their border until we have bomber support. I want a big reveal." Captain he may be, but he wasn't above a little theatrics. While airships weren't as fast or effective when It came to surprise attacks they did seem to have a definite effect on moral. Seeing such a large shadow above you while you scampered away on the ground would do that after all. As he looked out into the clouds he could see the valley and just a small hint of the Nile River; he licked his lips in anticipation. Officially they were here to prevent the Saddle Arabians from attacking Zebrica; unofficially they were here to deliver the final blow to an empire that had been on steady decline for over 1000 years... and lay claim to the fertile river of course. War often made borders a bit blurry. "The first fighter is ready sir. This will likely be the first time we have done this in a war scenario... are you sure we are ready? This is a long jump from training exercises." a young zebra with a beret on his head asked as he looked up from the communications counsel. "We are nearly above the border and it would take too much time to get the ship up to speed. A drop launch is our only option. Tell them to commence the drop." "Aye captain." he sent the message to the launch bay. Zebrica Dragons Teeth mountains (near the Saddle Arabian border) UZS Lions Wrath (refurbished Britannian airship) Fighter bay 9:12pm Rashidi rested in the seat of his SE5a fighter. To say the young pilot was on edge would be an understatement. He tightened his leather flight helmet and checked his radio, controls, and his emergency kit. The trapeze operator nodded his head as pulled a lever slowly starting to lower his plane out of the belly of the airship. The engine began to spin up, taking a few moments as he started to push the throttleopen. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes as the sound of the trapeze unlatching filled his ears, sounding out even with the noisy engine. He suddenly felt the sensation of falling as he opened his eyes and tilted the aircraft downwards watching the speedometer. He started to heard his own heart beat in his ears as he saw the jagged rocks below rapidly approaching before pulling up with all his might. It seemed for a moment as if time had slowed down for him as the nose started to angle upwards and his felt his stomach going from his throat to his legs as the aircraft started to rapidly climb. Seeing that he was airborne under his own power he switched on his radio. "This is Night Raven reporting in, launch was successful. Will wait for remainder of struck force before moving on to mission, over?" he waited to get a response, worried that his radio had malfunctioned. "We have second launch underway Night Raven. Congratulations." The static filled voice of the captain on the radio filled his ears. Saddle Arabia Dragons Tail Pass War camp 9:45 pm Omar was a newly trained warrior of the Sultan's army; he had joined up as soon as he heard his father talking about the possibility of war with Zebrica. Promises of larger meals also appealed to him. Food was scarce; the sultan said it was because of the Zebra's witchcraft but that didn't make sense to him. Most Saddle Arabians had never even seen a zebra before since the mountains that cut off the peninsula from the continent and sea travel weren't exactly ideal for equines mentally. Never mind that unlike their trade routes with Equestria and the Gryphons to the north they couldn't sail near the coast due to prevailing storms and reefs. Even the great sultan after returning on his ship always seemed uneasy and would almost hurry to get onto land. There were also rumors the zebra had metal ships, meaning the Sultan's navy was at a disadvantage; but how could a ship be made of metal? It would sink, wouldn't it? It was best to trust the Sultan's generals. He was sure they knew what they were doing. He started to make his way across the sandy desert valley camp, passing by a number of colorful tents, his eyes centered on the large one in the center. They would be having Kousa and Burglur Pilaf, it would likely be the final meal before they were to pack up and attempt to find passage in the mountains. The smells were already making his mouth water before he heard a strange sound, it was like a buzz combined with a roar. He began to look around, confused by the strange noise. Turning his head upwards, the sandy white stallion saw three shapes flying in the sky in the distance. There was no doubt the sound was coming from them. Birds perhaps...but what sort of bird made that kind of sound? They started to dive and the sound only became louder as they rapidly approached the camp at a steep angle. "T-that's no bird! Sound the alar-" he didn't even get a chance to shout out the warning when he saw they were controlled by zebra. Objects detached from the aircraft, some landing in tents, others in the middle of camp before unleashing powerful explosions that consumed all that was nearby in a powerful blaze of fire. Screams were heard all across the camp as warriors attempted to pull survivors from the flames only for the strange craft to start to open up with firelances, the bright flashes of the weapons firing easily seen on the dark night sky as they started to strafe the camp. Bits of metal and hot lead rained down on them as Warriors attempted to get themselves organized in defensive positions, a brave but futile effort as it only made targeting easier for the zebra. Omar ducked under a cart as one of the aircraft flew overhead, narrowly missing him with it's strange powerful weapons that threw up sand into the air. He could only watch In fear as countless stallions were gunned down, some being throw up into the air from the explosions before being shot to bloody chunks their body twisting and turning from the countless impacts. The powerful smell of smoke filled his nose. He began looking for a way out, but soon he saw the aircraft were leaving, already disappearing into the night. Taking his chance to scramble out from under the wagon he started to gallop as fast as he could back to Nayjan. It was the closest town to the camp, the sultan would need to know about this tragedy! As he galloped he stopped at the top of a sand dune and looked back at the camp. It looked like one massive fire in the distance. "Am I the only one w-who survived? T-they have to know!" Quickly turning around he galloped as if his life depended on it. And from the looks of things it very may well. Saddle Arabia 10 miles from the mountain pass. Zebra guerrilla Air squadron 9:45pm "This is Night Raven, reporting in to Lion's Wrath. Please respond, over." The zebra called in as he flew over the desert watching it giveaway too stony hills and barren cliffs. The sound of the engine and wind filled his ears even with the radio headset built into his leather helmet. He could just hear the gentle hiss of the radio static before he got a response. "This is Lion's Wrath, responding to Night Raven. Was your mission a success? Was the message delivered? Over."The Zebra gave a toothy grin, one which would go unseen by the operator on the other end, and replied. "It was close, but from the looks of it there was at least one survivor who managed to run off into the desert. I have a feeling that the Sultan will soon be very livid." He took a moment to look up from his 12 o'clock to gaze at the full moon just above him as he flew. While at first he was skeptical about becoming a pilot the feeling of the wind on his face and being able to look down on the world seem to fill his heart with a sort of feeling that he had never had before. If all it took to keep them in the pilot seat with a few dead Saddle Arabians then that was the price he was willing to pay. "Excellent. Report back to the Lion's wrath for refueling and maintenance. We have special rations to celebrate this success, over." The voice responding on the radio brought him back to reality and he was only able to let out a soft sight as he started to pull back on the throttle. "Understood. I'm going to pull back on speed, I think my engine overtaxed so it may take a bit longer to return to base. Over" he bit his lip hoping that the captain would buy his excuse if only to give him a few more minutes of flight to enjoy. "Very well. We will run some maintenance on your engine when you return. Over." The zebra pilot couldn't help but let out a small cheer to himself as he decided to take the scenic route, radioing in to his fellow pilots that they would be flying for just a little bit longer. It seemed he was not in the minority when it came to loving their job.