//------------------------------// // Chapter 38 // Story: Rise of an Empire, Fall of Another // by Kyuubi325 //------------------------------// Equestria Canterlot Royal Castle 05:01 AM It was just before dawn as Celestia ran the brush though her prismatic mane just staring into the mirror. Though her millennia of life she had learned how to wear a mask, but in these precious few private moments she could feel it crack. The aged alicorn placed the pearl laden brush back down on the rich cherry wood table. Centuries of planning.... gently nudging the right ponies together..... approving and denying new townships... all just so she could ensure the board was set to see her sister again. Yet it seemed it was all for naught, perhaps the universe desired karma beyond a thousand years trapped in the moons rays. “Have I not ruled fairly over my nation?...... Have I not stayed true to your teachings?..... even when everypony had forgotten you?.....as your temples crumbled to dust, spread to the four winds...” the alicorn looked as if her wings weighed one ton each. The burden of ruling showed on her despite her near agelessness. “Faust.... please....... please.... my sisters body wasn’t found in the rubble....... please...... give me sign..... is she?...” she closes her magenta eyes pulling her forelegs onto the vanity table clasping her hooves together in quiet meditation. No pony was there to tell how long she rested at her vanity mirror in silent prayer. But she eventually looked up her eyes opening a tear leaking from one of them “.... thank you.....” she whispered so softly even she could barely hear the words pass her lips. Sitting alone in the bed chamber she waited a few moments before continuing to do her mane. Equestria Ponyville Barnyard Bargains Roof 05:06 AM Filthy rested on the roof clutching a rather ordinate shotgun in his hooves, a number of hired muscle sat around him. All of them sheltering behind the stores large standing sign. Suits didn’t hide the fact the gryphons and stallions were killers for hire. Suits just advertised they were professionals at it. In the darkness the Ponyville militia waited, to any outsider the town looked as quiet and peaceful as any hamlet before the sun rose. But it was largely empty of civilians many had been moved out of town into the crumbling castle in the Everfree, the underground storehouses in the ruined Carrot Homestead, some sheltered with distant relatives several towns over, those unlucky or stubborn enough simply sheltered in their basements. During these quiet moments the only things Filthy could hear was his own heart beat. Only occasionally broken by the sound of the mortar being adjusted, the veteran they hired just didn’t seem satisfied. They couldn’t use the mortars before the attack, they were ace in the hole after all, they couldn’t risk the Pegasi finding out about them. Thus splitting up their forces denying them juicy group targets. But that also meant the training with them was limited, while the manuals were helpful and the use of the sky shrapnel rounds was fairly strait forward he was concerned about accuracy. “I hope your ready to use that little pony....” he zebra spoke though the darkness. “If this is too work you can’t just rely on your money..... you must kill, or you will be killed.” The seriousness of the tone cut though the amber brown stallions ears like a knife. “Will you pull the trigger when the time comes?..... or will you add a new coat of red paint to your store?” Filthy paused closing his eyes and swallowed. Though no pony could see him do so. Equestria Cloudsdale Condemned Cloudsdale Weather Co Factory 05:08 AM Numerous pegasi moved along the factory’s floor, walking past the disused wooden vats and stained agitators. Even with the dim torches above on the rusted catwalks Union watched them all. Crude assembly lines were made across the floors where Molotov cocktails were binging mixed, weapons looked over and cleaned, a few pegasi even were making crude explosives, emptying the powder from bullets into pipe or cans. Dawn was near and they were running out of time luckily they were only doing last minute preparations. Behind him he heard the familiar weak hoof falls of his son Labor. “D-.... I mean Union please.... it’s not too late we can still stop this.... I want independence as much as you do. But this?! This isn’t was Equestria is about! If we do this what makes you think Celestia will even let us get away with this?! I’m not the most progressive stallion but even I know her views on slavery! I can’t say I’m against hierarchy but slaves are too fa-“ before the stallion could continue the sound of a hoof making contact with bone. A resounding crack echoed though the dilapidated factory. The sound of his son collapsing down against the wrought iron cat walk didn’t faze the other stallion. He just stared down at the quivering mess of feathers before raising his hoof again and slamming it against his wing. Another sickening crack was heard. “I knew you would be a disappointment to me... can’t take a punch, couldn’t hold your own in a fight, always crying to your whorse mother when you got a bruise.” He pressed his hoof against the now broken wing letting his much larger size be noticed by his son, who could only wince and quiver in pain. “Mommy ain’t here to protect you boy, yet you never seem to learn your lesson. Perhaps I should stop holding back and remind you the old Pegastopolis traditions that handled such weakness.....” After hearing that, he world became nothing but pain. Equestria Ponyville Sweet Apple Acres 5:13 AM Big Mac watched over the fruit groves, the from his hill perch letting out a deep sign as he felt the wind blow through his mane. The sun hasn’t come up just yet but he could see the hills in the distance start to glow the sun moments away from rising. Sap green eyes gazed across his land, to the untrained eye the groves seemed empty, but years of Produce Rustlers had trained his eyes. The slight shifting of the trees, slight color oddities in the blur of foliage, even the gentle glints of weapons didn’t escape his eye. Hundreds of his kin sheltered among the trees as-well as across Ponyville, all waiting for dawn. Just has he pulled his eyes away from the groves he saw them in the distance at least a thousand pairs of wings fluttering the sun rising behind them. The shadowed appearance of the figures charging at his home reminding him of the fruit bats that ravished his fields years ago. He smiled at the apt comparison before steeling his resolve. He closed his eyes and took a breath. “Forgive me Pear and Bright..... I do this for all our kin..... for a brighter future for all us earth ponies.” Equestria Ponyville Ruins of the Carrot Farmstead 5:19 am Carrot Top watched as the numerous Cloudsdale Separatists/Tribalists flew towards her home town. She raised a hoof signaling Gizmo to prepare the signal. He started to crank the field phone before raising the phone to his ear hearing a buzz signaling it was live. She took a deep breath steeling herself she needed to wait until they reached the middle of the kill zone. She then exhales looking back at Gizmo. “Fire....” The lanky stallion yelled into the phone. “Open fire the Pegasi are in the kill zone!” Across Ponyville even as far as Sweet Apple Acres ponies had heard the call dropping the shells down the barrels of numerous mortars. Flashes were seen across town everywhere from the roofs of shops to the orchards. It was at that moment they all held their breath, they had set the charges to go off within the kill zone. But they hadn’t tested them in fear of tipping off the pegasi. For a moment Carrot and Gizmo assumed the worst and they had missed... then the lower half of the formation was engulfed in explosions. Countless pegasi fell from the sky in bloody chunks, while others fell screaming in agony while they fell into the meadow below. Wings and limbs blown to bits from the shrapnel, whether they were lucky to survive or not would be any pony’s guess. They hadn’t missed, but just less then a half of their forces had been hit. The survivors broke away from formation, so they wouldn’t get another juicy target like that again. “Well..... at least we didn’t miss, it would have been better if it was closer to the center of their formation... but things rarely go to plan.” Carrot said while lifting up her BAR with little visibly struggle despite its considerable size. “Gizmo get your pea shooter I think it’s time to go hunting.” The sincerity of her smile made the stallion a bit uncomfortable but he grabbed his Marlin 1894 loading a round into the chamber. Equestria Ponyville Northern Skies 5:17 AM “What the buck was that?!?” Union bellowed but the powerful ringing in his ears made it unlikely that he could hear an answer if one was offered. “Split up! Break formation!” He screamed though it seemed other pegasi were having the same issue. While they followed his orders it was questionable if they actually heard it or were doing it in their own. “Make those mud pounders pay ten fold for every pegasi they kill!” He screamed while he started to dive the look of absolute hatred covering his face. The pegasi descended onto town opening fire with their assortment of hunting rifles and shotguns. Which was met in kind by the locals armaments, soon enough fire fights were breaking out across Ponyville, with sporadic gun fire raking the buildings. The fight wasn’t over, and would like continue for hours, but the locals were determined to keep their home. Equestria Canterlot HMS Progress Super Dreadnought Airship Emperors Private Cabin 5:25 AM The ringing of a pearl and gold accented phone filled the private quarters of the Theo. Clawed fingers reached out clumsily from a solitary lump in the center of an ordinate bed feeling around the oak nightstand before finally grasping the rattling phone. The young emperor sat up in the center of his mattress rubbing his face with his free hand before holding the phone to his ear. “Yes?.......” He asked waiting for a response as he blinked the sleep from his eyes. “I apologize for waking you at such an early hour your highness but we have news. The acoustics officer was picking up gun fire coming from the direction of the Ponyville settlement.” The slightly static encrusted voice responded. The Emperors eyes widened in worry. “Are we under attack?!” “N-no! We originally thought it was some sort of celebration, if we were truly under attack wouldn’t have woken you from your slumber, the HMS Progress has more then enough firepower to erase just an annoyance...” The sound of the dog swallowing nervously on the other end of the line could be heard. “But when we moved our visual scopes to investigate.... we found what looks to be a small civil war going on. Partially between pegasi and earth pony locals.....” “I..... see.... I don’t remember the princess mentioning any such civil war happening during our talks.... this could be a new development..... keep the scIowa trained on the conflict and collect as much information as we can. We might just be able to use this to our advantage during negotiations....”