The Awakening (First Blood)
By: Travis Kingsley
Location: Ponyville, Equestria
Time: 09:12 hours
A cloud of smoke rises on the horizon, but there is no pony to see it. The inhabitants of the city are gone. Many had fled into the Everfree Forest, some were locked in shelters underground, others still sat behind barricades, awaiting the doom that swiftly moves their way. Sugarcube Corner sat an otherwise cheerful sight if not for the gloom hung in the air. No ponies were there for sweets today. No bakers bustle to fill orders. It was vacated. On the counter sat a note, penned in sadness, paper stained with tears, ink dripping with spite:
Dear Princess Celestia
No-one,
I am writing this letter so that whoever finds it may know what happened here today. And more than that, I need to tell somepony, and this is the only way I know how. I just received word that Canterlot has fallen in a horrific attack from our former allies the Griffon Nation. Princess Celestia is dead, and Princess Luna has fled for her life. She came to me, Twilight Sparkle, Student of the Princess, for advice and aid. We are safe for the moment, but it is certain that the Griffons will not stop with Canterlot, and will soon advance throughout Equestria as well. We will fight.
I don’t know how long we can last against them if they took the royal city, for we are few in numbers, and even fewer in trained fighters. But fight we will. We will fight for our Princess. We will fight for Equestria. And we will not rest as long as there is one of us standing. I do not fear death. I do not fear pain. For the pain in my heart is already enough for several lifetimes. There will be blood...
Twilight Sparkle
Only a short time earlier Twilight had been sitting in her study, reading, when her door was thrown open. “Twilight Sparkle we must speak to you!... I must speak to you” shouted a frantic looking Princess Luna. “I hate to barge in on you so suddenly but this is of greatest importance!”
Twilight was visibly startled by the Princesses entrance, but nodded for her to continue, which Luna did without hesitation.
“There has been a devastating attack on Canterlot. Our former allies the Griffons have stabbed us in the back in a surprise attack leaving most of the city in ruin...”
“Where’s Celestia?..” Twilight shouted, breaking into Luna’s speech.
The Princess of the Night stopped, unable to speak any further. The single question she hoped Twilight would not ask, but feared would be the first, rang through her ears. She was choked silently by the very breathe that filled her lungs. Her gaze turned from Twilight to the floor as a single tear fell from her eyes. “...She...fell...” was all that Luna could say.
“NO!!!” Shouted Twilight, as the collapsed to the ground in a sudden outpouring of tears. Her legs failed as the cruel tendrils of emotion and gravity pulled her toward the floor. Every muscle and every vein in her body was screaming out in agony at what she had just learned. She had been brutally robbed. Her mentor, best friend, and sister had been stolen from her in an instant.
Luna bent down to console the broken unicorn. Her cheeks were moist with her own tears, sweat, and blood, but she comforted Twilight for a moment before saying “there will be time for mourning later young Twilight. For now, we must move quickly if we hope to live.”
Twilight did not move. She failed even to look up.
“Now child!” Luna shouted. “We must move now!” Finally the urgency in her voice prompted Twilight to move, following Luna even as Spike following somberly behind her.
“We need to see the one you call Pinkie. We need to see her immediately!” With that the two made it quickly down the street to Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie was busy baking when Luna burst through the door with the same force and manner as she had done at Twilight’s.
“Oh hey Princess Luna you’re just in time...” The dark Princess quickly cut her off.
“Pinkamina, we have a code black and we need to move now!” She shouted.
At these words Pinkie’s face changed. Twilight was caught completely off guard as the normally care free and happy-go-lucky Pinkie Pie she knew and loved completely vanished before her eyes.
“Right away Luna” she responded with haste in her voice and a stone cold resolution in her eyes. She moved toward her hall closet with deadly precision, reached inside, and pulled two of the coat-hooks inside. With that, the back wall of the closet pulled away revealing a staircase going underground.
“Follow me” was all Pinkie said as she disappeared into the dark staircase, and follow they did. She flipped a switch and a single light came on in the underground room at the end of the stairs.
“Princess Luna, please brief me on the situation” said Pinkie.
Luna cleared her throat and began “it was early in the morning, about 2am when they launched their attack. We had no warning, and were taken completely off guard. The griffons hit from the north west. They came with guns, claws, and bombs. They struck us from the air. Most of Canterlot was destroyed, and those who survived fled into the nearby forests. Princess Celestia is dead – as are most of the royal family. I’m the only one I know that is left, but I still hold out hope that there may be more of my kinsman that survived...”
With this statement Luna’s emotion got the better of her, and she began crying. Her stature was still strong and noble, but her face was distraught and now clearly showed the pain she felt inside. She had to be strong for her kingdom so she forced herself to be the leader they needed. She took a deep breath and continued “Their army was setting up base in Canterlot, and they were dispatching troops in this direction as I fled. They will be here soon.”
“Princess Luna, I need as many details on their forces as you can give me. I need numbers, weapons, ground forces, and vehicle counts. I need to know as much details as you can spare. Firstly, we need to get the town defenses up.” With that, she flipped a switch and another wall started moving.
The wall folded back and several florescent lights ignited to reveal a moderate armory. There were various guns, blades, and some light battle armor. Pinkie gestured for Twilight and Luna to get some armor, helmets, and some weapons as she moved frantically, but precisely gathering supplies for herself.
“You need to be ready if anything happens. We need both of you to help prepare to town and evacuate everypony. Luna will brief you on the plans...that means she’ll tell you what you need to do Twilight. Will you be ok?” Said Pinkie.
Twilight just sat there staring blankly forward in shock.
“I....I....I don’t know...” She said. “What the hay is going on...Where am I? Can somepony tell me what the buck is going on here?...” Twilight continued hollowly. Can you blame her? Her entire world had just been shaken to its core. Somepony she loved very much had fallen prey to a brutal sneak attack, and what she thought she knew about the friends she had, had just been shattered like glass being hurled against a stone. She started shaking, going into shock. She could feel herself loosing grip on reality and slowly she slipped into unconsciousness...
“Twilight? Twilight?!” Shouted Pinkie as her friend collapsed forward onto the table. Her cries echoed in Twilight's ears as the darkness embraced her, but she was unable answer, and barely able to comprehend. “What is going on? Celestia...” were the rough thoughts that slipped through her head as it hit the table.
“Pinkamina, it can’t be helped, there’s no time! We need to get everypony off the streets now, and the militia assembled. I’ll start the emergency plan, you round up the others in your squad.” Barked Princess Luna.
“Right away” said Pinkie, and she was off out the door.
A black vest adorned her body with a black helmet covering her head, combat goggles waited ready if needed, and daunting blades guarded the sides of her hooves and legs. A large black bag sat on her back, draping over her sides as well, loaded with enough supplies for several other ponies. She moved quickly toward the edge of town, Rarity’s was her destination and she meant to get there in moments. Luna was already out in the town, ordering citizens to take shelter and the militia to assemble. Time was against them, but if they worked fast they could be prepared when the assault undoubtedly would reach them.
“Rarity! Are you here!?” Shouted Pinkie as she approached the door to her shop.
“Yes Darling what do you...” she started to answer as she opened the door, but she was cut off by Pinkie.
“We have a code black, grab your gear and get moving! You know what to do” barked Pinkie. She was firm but not intentionally mean. Time was against everyone, Rarity knew this and her demeanor changed, much as Pinkie’s had when the words ‘code black’ had fallen on her ears...
“Yes Pinkie” Rarity answered without hesitation then questioned “what is the nature behind the code?”
“Sneak attack from the Griffons, unknown numbers, heavily armed, Canterlot has fallen and their force is headed here next.” Answered Pinkie as she produced two smaller (but still rather large) satchels from her bag and dropped them on the ground for Rarity. She was then off without another word, heading for Sweet Apple Acres and the team members that resided there.
Rarity levitated the bags into her house and quickly emptied the content from one: a black vest (similar to Pinkie’s, but specialized for unicorns) and a black helmet (also specialized for unicorns, with a shape for their horn, and a thin silver layer around the horn meant to amplify their magical abilities). Next was a black folded pouch and a hard case. The hard case contained an assault rifle (not like ours of course, but designed by ponies and for ponies), 6 clips of ammunition, and a small maintenance kit. Rarity levitated the rifle and slung it around her neck, ready at a moments notice, and loaded the clips into her vest along with the maintenance kit. The folded pouch was then opened, producing 6 simple blades, a worthy backup for a skilled unicorn. Rarity put the blades into the sides of the vest, grabbed the other bag, and quickly set course for the meadow, and Fluttershy.
She ran flat out for the distance to Fluttershy’s cottage and got there in just a few minutes. She couldn’t help but notice that she had broken a sweat while running, but as vain as she was she pushed the complaint out of her mind. She had a job to do, and was not going to let anypony else down. Even if she did have to get dirty...
“Fluttershy darling!” she said as she pushed through to door without knocking. I hate to barge in on you, but we have a code black.”
“A code....black?....Oh...oh my.” said Fluttershy. Clearly startled as she sat tending to an injured lark.
“I need you to find Rainbow Dash and get with her to Cloudsdale as soon as you can. We need to alert its citizens to the current situation and bring back air support as soon as possible. Have you got that?” Rarity said in her usual charming way. She new she could not be stern or panicked with Fluttershy, or it would just send the poor dear into shock. “you should stay in Cloudsdale until we know more.”
“Oh, ummm...okay” said Fluttershy “just let me finish up here and I’ll be on my way.”
“I’m sorry dear, but I don’t think you quite understand. You must move now.”
“But can’t I just...”
“No Fluttershy” Rarity said, sternness breaking through in her voice “go now.”
“I’m sorry...okay then. Thank you Rarity” said Fluttershy and she was off, flying toward Dash’s training arena. That was the most logical place for her to be this early, as she always practiced for a few hours in the morning.
With Fluttershy on her way to Rainbow Dash, and air support, Rarity turned flank and headed toward Sweet Apple Acres to rendezvous with Pinkie and the others.
“Pinkie Pie, I hope this ain’t what the hay it looks like!” Shouted Applejack as Pinkie was walking up the road to Sweet Apple Acres. “It looks like go-time for something.”
“We have a code black... Griffons” said Pinkie dropping her large bag on the ground. “Get Granny Smith and the fillies into the cellar and tell Big Macintosh to come see me for his gear, then you get back her for your gear as well.” (The Cutie Mark Crusaders had been sleeping over in their clubhouse.)
Applejack didn’t need to hear another word. She knew what code black meant just as the other ponies did, and quickly shouted for Big Macintosh as she took off toward the house. Pinkie was emptying the contents of the bag into piles and separating them for the ponies as Big Macintosh approached her. “You called?” He said in his slow, laid-back drawl.
“Yes, we have a code black. Get your gear and get ready to roll, we move out in 5 minutes and make for Sugarcube Corner” was Pinkie’s reply.
“Eeyup” was all Big Mac said as he started donning his gear in silence. Since he was built for hauling, the equipment he wore was the heavier weaponry. He wore the same black vest as the others, but his hoof blades were significantly larger than the other sets, to match his physique. Also, strapped to his vest on one side was an RPG with 4 more rounds on the other side.
Soon Applejack appeared with news that everyone was safely in the cellar, and started donning her own vest, helmet, and blades, all identical to Pinkie’s. Rarity arrived shortly before they were ready to go and briefed Pinkie Pie that Fluttershy had been sent off for Rainbow Dash and air support successfully. The team was assembled, and moved quickly to make it back to Ponyville in time.
Meanwhile, in the basement under Sugarcube Corner Twilight slowly regained consciousness. She woke up confused and dazed, slowly coming to grips with the reality that was going on all around her. Luna was outside, busy warning people to take shelter and hide. Twilight had been moved to the far end of the table, away from the door where common pony after pony poured into the armory and exited as soldiers. Twilight had heard rumors of a town militia, but never thought much of it until now when it all was sinking in just how real everything was. Her comfortable existence had been torn away like a scab, and now the fresh skin underneath was left exposed, to toughen. It was painful. Twilight’s mind was in agony, her very life torn raw, but she had no choice but to deal with it.
The chaos had finally died down, for now, as the final soldier shuffled out into the streets to ready themselves behind the make-shift ramparts and barricades. The earth ponies were armed with blades, and protected with light armor. The unicorns had the long-range weapons such as guns. While a few highly skilled unicorns were given multiple guns, and special blades likes Rarity had been. These few unicorns were the elite. Able to concentrate their magic on multiple objects at once. Making them especially great soldiers.
Twilight was left alone with her thoughts, as jumbled as they were. She defaulted to the only thing she knew best. She quickly found a pen, ink, and scroll in the room, and proceeded to write down her thoughts. She began “Dear Princess Celestia...” She paused a moment, something felt off, then it hit her. She began to cry. The tears fell down like raindrops as she crossed out her former mentors name. Her heart broken again as she struggled to find words, as she struggled to see the page and quill. “No-one, that will have to do” she thought and she began laying the days painful evens out orderly. Separating herself from them would help her organize her thoughts, she had learned this over her studies, and had used this trick to become excellent at organization. This time...just this once, there was no way to pull the events out like that. They were too close, too personal, and as she wrote she felt her sadness fade and quickly grew into anger, and into rage. Her final words or her letter were dripping with anger and vengeance; “there will be blood.”
She was just signing her name when the room shook, as if the very roots of the world were being violently attacked.
The griffons were here. The bombs were falling.
Spike woke up from where he was sleeping in the corner and started to move toward the door but Twilight stopped him. “No Spike, stay here where it’s safe” she instructed her friend and assistant. “We’ve lost enough today as it is, and I need you Spike, so please stay here.” She said, a tear forming in here eye.
Spike said nothing, but walked to Twilight and hugged her like there was nothing else to do. For there really was nothing else to do. Words? What did words mean in a dark time such as this. Friendship, a soft touch, those were what were real. Spike may still be young, but he is no fool.
They hugged like this through shock after shock, bomb after bomb, until the bombing ceased. “Spike stay here. Promise me” said Twilight.
“I promise” said Spike nodding somberly as Twilight exited the door. She wasn’t even sure why she did. Maybe she could help? Maybe it was her drive to learn, even of something as terrible as war. The sight that greeted her was not a pleasant one. much of the city lay in ruin and there were bodies of griffon and pony alike laying in the street. Some dead, some wounded and dying, other that may still live. She sat her note on the counter and looked out into the street, watching in horror as a griffon slay a pony with it talons, then in turn was dismembered by two earth ponies and their hoof-blades. Twilight weakened at the sight of the blood, her stomach and limbs growing uneasy. But still she stared on in fascinated horror at the death strewn before her hooves. She could do nothing but watch.
“The griffons are here!” Pinkie shouted as the shock wave reached her and her small squad. The bombs had begun falling when they were within a final sprint of the city.
“Take cover!” She screamed her orders, throwing herself to the side and into a wooded area. The rest of her team followed suit and they watched, cold and emotionless as the bombs fell. Rarity let out a muffled scream as her shop was hit, and one side shattered. It remained standing still. The others just watched, nothing could be done as the team of griffons high above the city continued emptying their payload of destruction. Suddenly one of the griffon fell as a streak of color blazed past. Rainbow Dash had arrived with her team from Cloudsdale. They outnumbered the griffons, were faster, and more agile. Griffon after griffon fell out of the sky as the Pegasi blazed past them in a slash and run assault. The bombers were virtually eliminated, and the few that survived were forced to land or flee.
“Now’s our chance! Go go go!” Shouted Pinkie. Her squad of friends following her into the city. Rarity’s gun was already in the air to be ready at a moments notice, the griffons she saw were many, and much of the town’s militia had fallen in the initial bombardment. The griffons were quickly overrunning those that remained, though they fought fiercely. Rarity leaped over a downed griffon and opened fire on four griffons that were about to shred two earth ponies. She aimed for the chest, and two of the four fell before they heard her battle cry. She quickly changed heading to the side as the two remaining squared up, intent on devouring this new foe. So intent that they forgot about the 2 earth ponies, who took this opportunity to slit their throats – one each from behind.
Rarity winced at the sight of the blood it brought, but she knew this was no time for vanity and moved on, a rogue warrior as her three companions, all earth ponies, formed a spearhead, driving through the griffon lines from the back, catching them unaware as they sliced and fired at pony after pony in the town’s militia. The griffons had not foreseen this much resistance and were planning on catching the ponies off guard.
Pinkie Pie lead the spearhead formation, with Applejack on one side, and Big Mac on the other. Big mac cleared out a grouping of 3 griffons with a single shot from his RPG, quickly reloading as Pinkie and AJ rounded a corner and caught a squad of 4 griffons from the side. The two closest fell as Pinkie and AJ slashed their throats in almost perfect unison. The next 2 turned and opened fire just as their fate was closing steps. Pinkie’s target missed her as she slashed first its gun-arm, then with her other hoof lay a follow-up strike into its chest, dropping it to the ground. Applejack’s target fell to another throat slash, firing as it fell and sending several bullets into Applejack’s hip and leg.
Applejack screamed in agony as the fire and lead tore through her flesh. She fell to the ground, plunging her blades into her foe as she did.
“Mac!” Pinkie screamed “Get her to cover!”
“Eeyup” was Mac’s response as he loaded another round into the RPG after firing his second shot at a fatefully doomed squadron passing by. “Come on AJ” he said calmly as he dragged her into an alley. He remained standing guard over her as Pinkie moved on alone.
It’s no secret that Pinkie seems very well to defy the laws of physics. She moved quickly and quietly through the alleys around the town, catching griffon after griffon from behind. Foe after foe fell to her blades. She had spent many years lurking through these alleys and streets, and was not about to let anyone lay waste to her city, nor to her friends.
She coolly navigated her way to Sugarcube Corner, emerging from an alley across the street from the front door. It was still standing, and relatively undamaged. She checked left, then right to make sure the path was clear, then quickly made a rush for the door. She had just reached it as her eyes locked with Twilight's through the glass, a look of horror and sheer terror on her friend’s face. Twilight tried to scream, but she couldn’t move, all she could do is watch as 2 teams of 4 griffon each rounded the corner behind Pinkie.
They opened fire, shattering the windows around Twilight and peppering the wood with bullet-holes. Pinkies eyes locked in Twilights as she felt the bullets burn through her flesh. The pain was immense, but not as immense as the pain she felt knowing that without her there, Twilight would be an easy target, and would fall next. The pain of failing a friend was intense. She collapsed onto the ground unable to move further. She lay there laboring for her breathe as her energy drained slowly into the dirt around her.
Twilight watched the whole thing in slow motion, unable to pull her eyes away from Pinkie’s face. Then the emotion hit her like an avalanche. Her eyes were torn from the sight of her friend as she collapsed onto the ground outside. Pinkie was gone... She felt herself losing it. All the pent up rage was overwhelming her. Her life was being torn apart and there was nothing she could do but watch. She felt helpless. Slowly that helplessness combined with the rage and grew into power. She lost control of her own actions and gave into the powerful anger that surged through her body. It felt like fire and lightning were surging through her very blood as she stepped out in the street. Her magic had been awakened.
The griffon squadrons had already passed by without seeing her, but upon hearing the door open, and the glass crumble they turned to face, and lay waste to another pony victim. This time the tables had been turned.
Twilight had lost control. She had given into the magic and the hatred that filled her body and soul. The ground trembled as she took her stance to face the griffon squads ahead of her, and the army behind them. Her eyes glowed white, purple ions surging through the air around her, ionizing it into and intense storm of lightning and raw magic energy. The griffons opened fire immediately, their confidence turned to terror. Their bullets flew wild, and the few that were true to their mark disintegrated as the entered the field of magic around her. The ground under her hooves started to crack, and she cried out in a scream of rage as the star that was her cutie mark was burned into the very rock she stood on.
Rocks rose into the air, rubble was sucked from the streets around her, all started circling her in a field of magic. She walked toward the squad that had felled her friend, gathering more and more material and energy into the field around her. She was closing in on them, they started to flee in their panic, but it was too late. She glanced right at them with her lidless white eyes, and at her will they were bombarded with pure magic, rock, and rubble. They fell, all eight, in one brief moment. In one glance they fell, some burning, others riddled with holes and dripping with blood, their flesh ripped apart for the crimes they had committed.
Twilight then shifted her gaze further ahead, on the army that was filling the streets . Their fate would be different though. The rage that poured through her veins had not been quelled by the avenging of her friend, but rather had intensified. Thoughts of Pinkie, Celestia, Canterlot, Ponyville, and Spike all flooded her mind as she charged head-on at the remaining ranks of the griffon army. They opened fire on her, but nothing could stop her. The griffons tried and tried again to fell her, but their bullets were not reaching their target. In fact, her magic was bending them, and they were sailing back into the griffon ranks.
Just as she reached them she let out a final cry. Loudly, she screamed letting out the entire day in one horrific, ear-splitting sound. She fell to her own magic and it took her completely. The purple sphere around here dug into the ground tearing up rocks and earth, the exploded in a massive burst of pure magic energy. The ground rippled away from her like water being struck by a boulder. It poured away in waves wrecking buildings, shredding trees, and scorching griffons. The few that survived scattered into the wind for their very lives. Twilight collapsed, darkness engulfing her as she fell from where she had been standing into the empty crater of glass she had opened beneath her own hooves.