Chapter 1. The Calm
My name is Cherry Bomb.
Nopony is allowed to call me Cherry.
It always has been and, until I die, always will be General Bomb, the only mare general in the army.
I am honored to be in command of some of the finest troops in the Solar Empire, and would not give up my post for anything in Equestria.
My personal Battalion of 314 soldiers took and occupied Stalliongrad years ago without so much as a single casualty, and rightfully I took the full credit I deserved for the victory. We have since held the population under an iron fist, allowing our Princess a steady flow of supplies and currency.
Today is the first day of fall, I only know this because it is marked on the calendar.
The temperature and length of the day remain in mid-summer's glory, as our Princess deserves.
With a yawn I stretch my wings and turn away from the hanging calendar, wincing as an unused muscle cries out for attention. I will have to go flying today, both to keep up appearances and to keep myself in condition.
With a push of a hoof I swing my door at the top of the Stalliongrad Castle East tower open, looking out on the early morning with a smirk, the night watch soldiers patrolling the streets below look like ants, little dots of color among the bleached white stone.
For a glorious moment I flare my wings and let the warm sunlight filter through the blood red feathers, my shock white mane flitting about in the wind, but I have duties.
With a flick my wings are folded and I turn back to my room.
And I almost faint as I run directly into a shining gold Alicorn.
My bows are not fast enough or deep enough, and my apologies fall on deaf ears as my solar princess strides past me to stand at the edge of the tower, looking out upon the city.
After a moment I fall silent, not having been punished yet. Flare strikes with a deadly rage when she chooses to act, and if I had not incited her anger, she would be unlikely to save the punishment for later.
"My Princess..." I say tentatively.
She deigns me worthy of an idle look over her gleaming shoulder.
"Yes, General?" Her voice is like a fire crackling, pure violent rage held in check by greed and years of waiting for what she wants.
A mare after my own heart.
"How may I serve you?" I bow again, this time properly.
Her smirk is a fiery echo of the one I had displayed when looking down on my soldiers, and for a moment I dared think myself similar to my goddess, in thought at least.
"I want you to explain something to me." She says as she turns back to her sun.
I am stunned, lost entirely as I have no clue what Flare could possibly need me to explain to her.
"What is it like to fear death?" She asks, a wild grin on her face as she stares into the burning heart of her own soul.
I remain silent for nearly a minute, unsure if I have understood her.
"I... whatever do you mean, princess?" I stammer, backing away with a bit of fear in my eyes.
"Like that." She rounds on me, fire from her mane flickering in the sudden dark as I back into my room.
"What is it like to fear that you may die?" She asks again.
I put my mind to the question, thinking frantically.
"It is cold." I finally say, standing my ground.
The immortal raises her eyebrow, stopping her approach. "Go on."
"The fear of death is a cold feeling, that the very warmth that keeps one alive may leave them, that all they have done would be for naught. Death steals away our achievements and worth and leaves us as Foals."
In my ramblings, I appear to have given her something to think on.
"As good an explanation as any I suppose, my faithful student." She says with another fierce smile.
And with a flash of scalding light and heat, she is gone.
I sit in the dark of my room for a moment, before kissing the ground she had stood upon, taking this as a blessing and resuming my day with renewed spirit.
My armor slips on and straps in place and within moments I am a shining gold, red, and silver sign of our Lord's power.
I step again into the light but this time I launch myself into the air with reckless abandon, soaring over the buildings of Stalliongrad victoriously, as though we had just taken the place a second time.
I finally land in front of the barracks, nodding to my commanders and soldiers as I watch over their drills.
The earth soldiers practice their kicks, carry and load weapons such as catapults and Ballistea designed to take down flying foes.
The Pegasi drill on flight codes and practice lifting and dropping fake bombs.
The Unicorns are practicing shielding, or the more advanced among them, Teleportation.
The shine of the multicolored shields reminds me that my personal guards are nowhere to be seen. They know all of these tricks so I approach the nearest captain and inquire where the other two, my hand picked elites, would be.
He snaps to attention so quickly he nearly falls over, but I keep a straight face.
"They are likely in the mess hall, as they keep a different meal schedule, General." He says quickly, staring at a point just to my right. They fear looking directly into my steel blue eyes for some reason.
I approach the mess hall, causing lower ranking soldiers to scatter like parasprites or bow before running.
"So this unicorn kid right? He is big on math and says that our Battalion has a number of soldiers equal to some other number, and this other number is called Pie! So he says, we should be called Cherry's Pie!"
I barely hear the beginning of the joke but by the end of it, I am standing directly behind my personal guard, Shining Armor.
His companion, a unicorn by the name of Sunspot,stares at me in abject horror as I glared down at Shining's head.
"Oh hah hah, like I'll fall for that one again." Shining says to his friend, rolling his eyes.
A pop of energy is his only reply as Sunspot vanished, and slowly Shining turned towards me.
"Oh. Hello." He said simply, not fearing me, not attempting to run.
"I'd kill you if you weren't so valuable." I growl.
He simply shrugged. "I suppose I am in for some sort of punishment now."
I can’t think of one that wouldn't kill him, so I don't reply.
"Come. I’ll find some sort of penance for you later." I say sharply, turning to leave.
He follows me, like a good guard, and we stride out into the sunlight, walking through the training grounds as the training is finished up, they now salute me as they should.
A moment later, Sunspot arrives as we exit the barracks quarter, panting in his full armor.
"Go watch my room for me." I tell him coldly, as I can almost feel shining rolling his eyes behind me.
"And while you’re there, scrub the stairs."
He flees, in part I am sure because he hardly considers this punishment.
Shining trots along behind me, far too happy for his own good. I would do something about that but I don’t have the time to punish him when I have just been visited by our Empress.
“Shining, do we have any executions scheduled today?” I ask idly, as though discussing the weather.
Stalliongrad was held not by diplomacy, but by military force. Any sort of resistance or uprising was put down with precision and deadly aim.
This put a damper on the white unicorn’s good mood.
“One.” He said it with great weight, as though it meant something besides another victory for our Empire. “A local songwriter, who was caught writing Pro-Lunar lyrics and performing during the night.”
I grin with the sort of reckless abandon that had won me battles. “I want to watch.”
The main courtyard was packed with ponies, who were required to attend. After all, what purpose does an execution serve but to light the fires of fear in the hearts of your subjects?
The subject of the gathering was a grey mare with a black mane and a stern look, as though she wasn’t shaking at the knees.
I approach her with a swagger, my enemy brought to me on a silver platter.
“So. Octavia, was it?” I ask.
She nods, scowling at me.
“Do you understand the charges brought against you?” I ask, its more of a chance to see them admit their crime to the crowd than anything else. I hardly forgive those who transgress against my Empress.
She clears her throat before answering, how quaint.
“I have been charged with writing and performing music which celebrates the night, and it’s rightful ruler, Luna.” She said in a composed and projecting voice, as though she were giving a speech.
“And you have been found guilty. May Celestia have mercy on your soul.” I raise a hoof, and the five unicorn guards in black hoods light their horns with a sickly glow.
“They will defeat you. They will reclaim the world in the name off all that is goo...”
My hoof falls before she can finish her proclamation, and the blast of energy lifts her body from the wooden stage for a moment, before she falls to a crumpled heap on the planks.
“Oops.” I say quietly, kicking her to make sure she is dead, before turning away and resuming my day.