//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: The U.N.L.R. // Story: Juggernaut // by Captain Flea609 //------------------------------// Journal Entry #596 The waiting is almost over I can sense it, but I must not get ambitious for the death of Princess Celestia was just a small step. I am most proud of my team of assassins that managed to pull it off even though they hardly ran into any complications. I am grateful to have Shroud as one of my valuable assets. She has been anxious for this moment for a long time and now that she's finally been let loose I have to say, raising and training her was one of the best decisions I have ever made. The news of the Princess's death is sure to have spread a great deal by now and her laughably pathetic Elements of Harmony are now useless. Not even Celestia's sister Luna could restore their power as if they would be useful against me in the first place. The only thing now that could potentially pose as a problem is Luna herself. She's not as naive and gullible like her sister and she is without a doubt going to take her throne, but I know that Alicorn and she probably knows me just as well. From what I heard from my spies her new governmental system that she would put together was no laughing matter. It was strict and radical. Just outside the boundaries of a dictatorship, but she was mainly focused on her armed forces which is what worries me because it makes me wonder if she knows I was the pony behind her sister's death, but we have not seen each other for years. It's a shame that I will eventually have to kill the Alicorn I loved for so long, but for the good of Equestria my Enlightenment must spread no matter what. Once I have found what I've been searching for sixteen years all my worries of Luna defeating me will come to an end, but in order to do that I have to find the very pony that betrayed me and made me lose my precious creation. I must find my own son. Only he knows where the Juggernaut or more importantly "who" the Juggernaut is. ************************* One week Later "......and so we give our sorrow for my dear sister as she descends into her peaceful grave and ascends into the afterlife." Luna's voice boomed from the wide concrete platform she stood on as her sisters coffin was lowered into it's resting place behind Luna. As it lowered the sun began to go down from behind the platform making the large coffin look like a silhouette against the orange sun. Every pony around Rainbow Dash was crying except for her. Yep, she still couldn't cry over it and although she hated herself for admitting this, she didn't care anymore. The least she could do was look sad. She and her five friends sat in the first row. Even though there were no chairs, they just sat on the concrete and not one of the thousands of ponies that attended this funeral ever complained about it. Luna lowered her head for a moment of silence as the sun went down. All Rainbow Dash could hear were the slight sniffles and whimpers of ponies crying. She sat between Twilight and Applejack whose eyes were flooding with tears and the troubled cyan pegasus wished for the hundredth time she could cry, but that was never gonna come. She just hoped her friends wouldn't take notice. The sun went down and as it did The Princess of the Night, finally spoke. "I am sure you all want to know just how my sister was killed." She sighed and faced her people with an honest look. "I'm not going to make this dramatic so I'll just say it. My sister was assassinated." A wave of murmurs, gasps, and surprised looks swept over the crowd. Rainbow Dash still showed no expression and she could have swore she saw Princess Luna shoot a glare at her, but out of all the ponies she sat beside she wasn't sure if she looking directly at her. Luna held up a hoof to silence the crowd. "It is unclear who committed this terrible crime, but we have our assumptions." She assured everypony. Wait what did she mean by we? "What we know for sure is that there is a threat that has been bestowed upon us and with this we begin a New Era! A new chapter in Equestrian history! I have devised a new governmental system that will guarantee the safety of our nation! Rainbow Dash didn't like the change in her tone. She couldn't really make out what she didn't like about it. The only thing she could think of was that it sounded too assuring. The moon began to rise behind Luna. "My newly selected executives and I present The United National Lunar Republic!" Banners rolled down the sides of the platform. It had a curious design to it. The banner itself was midnight blue with a white crescent moon in the center, a golden star above it, silver wings on both sides of the moon, and below read the acronym UNLR. Rainbow didn't like it. It's almost as if she was prepared for this to happen. It irritated her a bit, but then again almost everything irritated her now. "With this new system my executives and I, whose identities shall be hidden, have started from scratch and created a brilliant plan to defend against this new threat." Rainbow nearly fell asleep as she went into what seemed like an hour long explanation of her UNLR. Why did she have to make so complicated. She preferred Princess Celestia's government, even though it wasn't really a government. It was more of a peaceful and fair monarchy. It was simple and that why Rainbow Dash proffered it. At least Luna didn't change the laws.....that much. Rainbow never really favored Princess Luna. She always gave off this feeling that she envied her sister. It was what got the extremely tired and bored Rainbow headed pegasus's attention when Luna spoke of one detail that got her attention. "I know some of you may not like this, but there will be at least one UNLR military outpost in each town. There will be a draft to prepare against this threat in case it strikes again." Oh my god really? I thought this was a republic not a dictatorship. Rainbow Dash had always wanted to join Celestia's Royal Guard, but now she didn't want join her Royal Guard if that's even what it was called now. This didn't seem like a funeral anymore and she felt as if Luna completely forgot about her sister in the span of minutes. She wasn't surprised. After her hour long lecture of the UNLR everypony was finally dismissed to carry out their lives. Everyone still looked sad and Rainbow Dash envied that she wasn't sad although she faked the look, but it didn't look very convincing. "so, what do we do now?" Pinkie Pie was the first to speak as everypony was beginning to leave. Rainbow Dash couldn't believe she hadn't noticed that Pinkie Pie's hair was straightened. For a second Rainbow didn't recognize her. She didn't have her usual perky attitude either. For some reason everypony looked at Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow Dash?" spoke Twilight. "You ok?" Rainbow Dash looked at her friends they looked concerned. "Yeah I'm fine I just want some time alone." "But you've been alone in your house almost all week just tell us if something is wrong." Fluttershy pleaded. Now she felt even more irked. She didn't feel like hanging her friends she just wanted to be alone. Was that so much to ask for. "I said I'm fine dammit now leave me alone!" She didn't know why she raised her voice, but it caused Fluttershy and everypony else to back off. They looked even more concerned than before and a little bit intimidated. "well ah'right then that's 'all ya' had to say. No need to get pissy." Said Applejack. With out even saying anything Rainbow Dash took off into the sky. Unsure of where she was going, but she didn't care she wanted to be alone. ********************** Princess Luna returned to her Castle. In the castle's convention hall waited all three of her executives. One of which she knew Captain Shining Armor and the other two she hadn't known before. A griffon named Artimus and a grey stallion named Sharp Intellect. They bowed slightly as she entered. "Greeting your highness." Welcomed Artimus. "We have just now dispersed our messengers across Equestria with the draft letters." Shining Armor reported. "Good." Luna was pleased. "Have devised the new training program?" "Yes your highness." Shining Armor slid a manila folder across across the table. Luna caught it in her magical grasp. She began to skim over it. She was beginning to like what she was reading, but when she got to the new uniform and armor it instantly caught her attention. It was an expertly done sketch of a guard wearing some kind of digital dark blue, grey and black camouflage fatigues with some kind of armored chest plate made and it wore helmet with the same camo design with some type of dark tinted goggles. "Very interesting uniform design Armor." "Thank you maim." He smiled at her compliment "Your highness if you don't mind we have something that we want to address to you." Spoke Artimus. Sharp Intellect cleared his throat and began,"We have found out through further reports on the investigation of your sister's assassination that it was not one pony that assassinated her, but it a group of assassins. Highly trained and highly experienced from the looks of it." "They certainly knew what the hell they were doing too." Shining Armor added. "With this we have created an idea for our own group of Elite assassins so that when we know the people who assassinated your sister we can give them a taste of their own medicine. Check page 89 in the folder please." Artimus explained. Luna magically flipped to the desired page. The page was stamped Top Secret. Project Moonlight was the name. Of course Luna instantly like it. She skimmed over the details of the project and a big smirk showed on her face. It wasn't just brilliant, it was full proof. The project revolved around the idea of selecting seven of the most talented Pegasi to under go the Brutal, but necessary training she read. She just had one question. "Who will these seven Pegasi be?" "Oh that's easy your highness, the Wonder bolts of course." Artimus answered. "Yes, but the're only six Wonder bolts who would be the seventh?" Sharp Intellect fixated his glasses,"That's also an easy answer your highness. Your sister's element of Loyalty?" ********************