//------------------------------// // Chapter 10: Crippling the Equestrian Empire // Story: Equestria Wars Episode XVI: The Crystal Princess // by sonicdash123 //------------------------------// Charming Thunder flew his TIE Advanced to a nearest training outpost in Equestrian territory to see some new troops train to become stormtroopers. He landed his vessel at a nearest landing pad guarded by AT-STs for his arrival. Inside the outpost hall, stormtoopers stood in line formation and salutes as the doors open to see Charming Thunder enter being escorted by two elite troopers. He walked through the line to an elevator as the two troopers followed him in. The elevator doors closed and it took him up to the security wing of the outpost. The doors then opened and he entered the security room where he got a good view of some ponies training. He was impressed with the progress and smiled. An alarm suddenly sounded as Charming Thunder looked up from the window to see five vessels of the Eternal Fleet. He was shocked to see them and turned to a communication's officer as a terminal beeped. "Sir, we are receiving a transmission from the leading Eternal Fleet Ship," he said. "Patch it through," Charming Thunder ordered and when the transmission came to life, he sees Rainbow Dash smirking at him. "Rainbow?" Charming Thunder was shocked and surprised to see Rainbow siding with the Eternal Empire. "You joined the Eternal Empire!?" "Indeed. I am also benefiting from it, too. It's time to settle the score." "Score? What score?" "For betraying me." "How did I betray you? I haven't done anything to you, Rainbow." "Yes, not to Rainbow." Rainbow grinned. "But me, Charming?" Charming Thunder puts the pieces together and gasped. "Danny..." "Yes!" the possessed Rainbow Dash shouted. "You betrayed me! What do you think would have happened, Charming, if you rid of the Changelings? You reformed them, yes, but you also attempted to rid of the Changelings! Changelings are born of the Dark Side, when you reformed them, you turned them to the light! Do you even have an idea what you have done!?" "I did something good." Rainbow slammed her foot down. "You ruined balance, you idiot! It was bad enough that the Light Side had grown, but balance will still strain! But you had to go and shatter the balance thanks to you AND Starlight! Without balance, chaos will be ensure and I don't mean Discord's chaos! So I'm doing the one thing that will bring balance to order!" "And what are you going to do?" Charming Thunder feared what Danny's answer was going to be. "Why, I'm going to weaken the light side and return balance. How? Simple; cripple the source of the light side!" Rainbow turned her head. "Initiate Operation: Equestrian Crippling! Activate at my command!" "What are you doing, Danny!?" "Simple, I'm going to settle the score while at the same time, weakening the light side. Meta and Chrysalis needed a source of love and they weren't getting any benefits from their treaty to Equestria and there were no ponies welcoming Changelings, despite the treaty welcoming them. Then, all of a sudden, Thorax takes over the Reformed Changelings and essentially robbing Chrysalis and Meta of their subjects!" Charming began to grow more fearful, he had honestly never expected Danny of all ponies to react so bad of the new situation "You had left Meta and Chrysalis with no resources and expelled them from their own kind! So in retribution, I'm going to get rid of YOUR resources and leave Equestria open for invasion and let you watch helplessly as your subjects are being 'taken away' from you!" "That's going against everything you did for Equestria back in the Lunar Wars, Danny! You helped me build the Equestrian Empire." "What I built was suppose to be a balance in order, no advantages or disadvantages against each side of the force! I didn't build this, you did! Back when I was still alive, I followed you because I believed you'd end the cycle of war. I thought that you would have the will and strength to proceed and assault against Mephiles and his empire after my demise! My hopes were shattered when you went into self-exile then decided to do some other things instead of taking the fight to Mephiles! You didn't fulfill my wish, you chose to be a wimp and ignored me like I was a pawn that was destined to die!" "D-Danny..." Charming Thunder realized that he had, indeed, not fulfilled his brother's dying wish and chose to ignore it. The cold, hard truth was hitting him very hard. "You let the Equestrian Empire outgrew you! Now it's rotting from the inside and you've become a symbol of oppression." Rainbow looked away. "So much for your dreams of peace." Charming Thunder tried to reason with Danny. "Then let's find a solution together. I want peace as much as you, Danny." "I believed that, once." "If you topple the Empire, millions will die!" "If that's the cost of peace and balance, then so be it. This is goodbye, Charming." "Stop this, Danny! We can still find peace, but we have to work together!" Rainbow shook her head before looking somewhere else. "Activate Operation: Equestrian Crippling, now!" The transmission ended as the entire place began to shake from being bombarded from above. "Evacuate the outpost!!!" The officers nodded and sounded the alarm as he rushed out of the room to help the others evacuate. He arrived at the training grounds as the bombardment continued to rain from above" Get to the shuttles now!!!" Everyone nodded and did what he said and made a run for it. Charming Thunder ran through the halls of the outpost as a structure collapsed blocking his path. He used his magic to destroy the debris and proceeded on to his ship. Once he was on board his TIE Advanced, he took off as the evacuation shuttles and TIE Fighters followed behind him. The Eternal Fleet didn't even bother pursuing them and continued their bombardment. --------------------- At Canterlot, the princesses along with Charming Thunder and Starlight see a hologram image of every factory, shipyard, and outpost being bombarded by the Eternal Fleet. "I can't believe Danny is doing this to us," Charming Thunder said. "What if he's right? It is my fault for reforming the changelings." "It's not your fault, Charming," Starlight reassured. "It's mine. I'm the one who reformed them." "That may be true, but I am the one who violated the treaty with them. Now we are open to attack thanks to Danny." "I just can't believe that Rainbow sided with the Eternal Empire," Luna said. "It will take months to rebuild all of this," Cadence said. "Maybe years!!!" "Let's not panic," Celestia said. "We can fix this." "Even if Danny returns, who knows what he will do next," Charming Thunder said. "All I want is peace with him when Mephiles is defeated." "We will defeat Mephiles, brother," Cadence said. "That's a promise even if Danny returns. He is either with us or against us."