//------------------------------// // 06 - The Cannons of Canterlot // Story: To Walk Again // by Cxcd //------------------------------// [The Crystal Empire, 3/20/2203, Celestia's Solo Reign] In the two months since I’ve been working for King Sombra, I only make Equestria better. Every day, I am producing something better and better. King Sombra seems only more accepting of my acquaintance. After all, my Magic-Dampening collars has been a huge hit, with next to no issues. They have already been issued state-wide. I look out from my workshop located on the top-floor of the royal castle. Everypony with a horn is also using a collar. Now was not the time to look back- now was the time to adapt- now was the time for the industrial revolution of Equestria. I can taste it in the air. Vividly, I can see it. Huge machines, wheels as large as homes, crunching over the poor ponies. I smile to myself, still looking down at the ponies below. They are so small, almost like ants. I need to start planning for my next big thing. I have created a variety of smaller inventions, including long-range communication. But I want to visualize my dream. I want to be the one at the helm. A surrogate god. I better get to work. From the top shelf, I grabbed a piece of parchment, about the size of a pony. I start doodling- wheels, platform, a seat, a wheel to steer the machine, and a large boiler. What would this become? I know I need a boiler for something- The idea keeps coming to my head. Steam. How can I use steam? I had so confidentially explained it to King Sombra at dinner, but that was borderline insane. I’ll keep it in the back of my mind, for now. Axles- they need something to rotate on. Bearings? What about the steering column? Yes, I have it. I could make all four wheels spin with this drive-shaft. Perfect. I don’t need anypony. I never will. I will do this by myself. Equestria will rue the day. They’ll see. They have to see. [Ponyville, 5/12/3210, Two Sister’s Reunion] Where is she? I had been laying on the uppermost balcony of the library, the floorboards pushing into my frail body. To any common-pony, I must look like I’m sunbathing. But in reality, I’m trying to get a particular mare’s attention. I need Rainbow Dash’s help. There she is! That rainbow shine is eye-catchingly distracting. Nopony else could have that kinda shine. She is doing her weather-patrol, dipping in and out of the clouds. The few spotty clouds on the horizon seem to listen to her, as they completely vanish from reality anytime she goes near. Alright, time to enact my plan. I had… found… a broken piece of mirror. I clamped my teeth onto the cold surface, being careful to not cut my tongue on the sharp edges. I pointed it upwards, towards the sky. Hopefully she didn’t mind too much, being bombarded with sunlight rays. The tricky part was lining it up with Rainbow Dash. I have no sense of reference, but I tilt my head back anyway, trying to get a hit- “Now, what do you think your doing?” Suddenly, Rainbow Dash was mere inches from my snout, staring me down with her piercing purple eyes. That was much, much easier than I thought it would be. “Sorry, sorry, sorry-” I kept repeating, diverting my eyes. “Yeah, you better be!” She seemed angry, and had the right to be. “I-I just need your help, that's all!” Rainbow receded from snout-distance. She looked a little surprised. “You need my help? I mean, of course! Who wouldn’t need the best flyer in Equestrias help?” She levitated a few feet off the ground, showing off her leg and wing muscles. I became acutely aware of how frail I looked in comparison to her. “I need you- to- uhm- I need you to… fly me to Applejack?” I said, tilting my head away from her gaze. “Augh-” She went limp, wings still propelling her in the air. “What do you need her help for?” “I need to create a prototype of a project I’m working on. I don’t know it’ll work until I try.” “This better not be another pony-ender project, lady. We all know you’ve done that too many times.” I could feel the air escape from my lungs, like an invisible vacuum was formed around my person. She doesn’t trust me. After all this time, I’ve been trying so-so hard to redeem myself. I didn’t mean to do it- or I did- I didn’t. I could only face the simple truth staring back at me. I’m a monster. How silly I was to think I could redeem myself. Perhaps it would be better if she was just dead. Perhaps it would be better if I was dead. Maybe Herb would still be here. Rainbow Dash doesn’t trust me. She never will. Nopony I know will trust me. There’s nowhere I could go if I wanted to. I slowly divert my eyes to the railing. It would be so easy. The burning sense takes over my brain. I could actually see Herb again. I could- “Are you alright? You look a little… pale.” [Canterlot, 4/10/2204, Celestia's Solo Reign] The grinding sound over-empowered my ears, even with the earmuffs on. I could feel it through the floorboards, the crunching of rocks. My dream was becoming realized, even if it took longer than I wanted it to. The once barren snowy wasteland was suddenly filled with these machines made from bronze. The snow acted as a natural barrier. If any civilization was waiting for an attack, their eyes would be on the sky, or the footpaths. But with this- the rules have been entirely rewritten. We could attack anywhere we wanted, from any side, and however fast we wanted. The ground, however, slowly shifted from snow to flat, grassy hills as we approached our final destination. On flat ground, the speed rivaled that of the fastest equestrian flyers in history. 50 Mph, 60 Mph, with every new iteration, that number only increased quicker and quicker. The ground behind was was being torn into nothing but mud as our pact of a dozen vehicles rode along the once-smooth hillsides. Even with the current iteration, I can see the problems. Maybe this bolt could change for a better one? A self-oiling system? These ideas danced around my head as I drove the front-line vehicle. Today was a special day. Not only had it been a little over a year after my internship had started with King Sombra, but today we were displaying out force. Those idiots in Canterlot had no idea we were coming. The mountain, which before took hours to traverse, even with Pegasus (who needed to rest every few minutes) the amount of time was shortened to thirty minutes. We were already almost there. The particularly sunny day was coming to an end, which was nothing to be scoffed at. Finally, after long months of winter, spring had broken, and today, the sunlight had nothing in between it and the ground. Ponies were bustling in their suits and dresses, wearing appropriate spring-wear for the mares. The royal captain was looking out over the city. This was their home. Their pride, joy, and love. He felt a sense of happiness swell inside his chest. He had spent so much time protecting it. “General Bash, Sir!” He heard the familiar sound of pegasus wings landing behind him. The voice was of a stallion, had to be one of his. “This had better be good,” General Bash turned around, facing the pegasus. “Report, sar-” He stopped in his tracks, looking the Stallion up and down. His armor was severely dented, and on his chest, a thin stream of blood was pouring outwards, staining the usually white coat. General Bash took a step back, looking at the poor stallion. His blue mane was dirtied, and his face covered in mud. What had happened out there? The General cleared his throat again. “Report, Sargent.” He said, significantly calmer than before. Yet, adrenaline was thumping through his veins as he started at the eyes of the stallion. In his eyes, he saw something more than discipline. He saw fear. “Huge machines, moving up the mountain currently. Our post was attacked. Many wounded, even more dead.” The stallion stopped himself for a moment, taking his breath. “These machines… Faster than you could-” He suddenly collapsed on the ground. Princess Celestia had been at her throne, enjoying a nice dinner. The hall seemed so much more dreadfully empty, especially after Luna’s banishment. It was a soft of loneliness Celestia had not experienced in a long, long time. The sunny day was coming to an end, and the faint light that still shone left pretty patterns of colors on the walls, shining through the stained-glass windows. Princess Celestia almost chocked on her dinner as she heard the door to the hall burst open. “Celestia! Princess! Oh, princess!” She recognized her immediately. It was a Mare from an outpost down the mountain. What Princess Celestia didn’t like was the fact she was covered in mud, having multiple wounds across the open areas of her body. Her armor was also severely dented, making the poor thing look like she’d aged a thousand years. “What’s wrong, my faithful guard.” She said with a calm voice. She had ignited her horn, calling the doctors to the throne-room. This pony needed help, and fast. “The- There's machines!” “Machines?” Princess Celestia repeated, looking down on the mare. Princess Celestia had stood up and walked to the quivering pony, placing a hoof on her shoulder. “Moving machines! They- They’re fast! ETA. Ten minutes fast!” The mare had exhaustively sputtered. The room reeked of tension as she looked at the mare below her. Suddenly, the mare had fallen on the ground, breathing hard. “Ten… minutes? Your outpost is hours away.” Princess Celestia said, not meaning to cast doubt onto her claims, but that was fast. Impossibly fast. “I’ll get the royal guard ready… Doctors are already on their way for you. Be still.” Princess Celestia left the hall, leaving the injured pony by herself. She could feel it in the ground, in the air, through the walls. Every second counted. She had already sent messages to every available outpost. Apparently, a few were already ready for the attack, due to the outpost coming back injured. Princess Celestia parked herself on a balcony, overlooking Canterlot. This was it- war was coming. It wasn’t going to be war- not yet, at least. We would fire into the sky to scare them. Get their nerves riled up. If they were at all expecting us, they might've been thinking of a huge army. Ponies expanse as far as the eye can see. But they were wrong. All it took was a dozen ponies driving a dozen machines. I watched the speedometer go from 30, 40, back to 30, 50. I didn’t want to crash the damn thing, so I was trying to be careful. I could eventually pick up more speed, as the road went from dirt to stone bricks, laid by those pompous pricks up in Canterlot. I could see behind me, just like with the grass, the stone bricks were also being chewed up by the immense weight and pressure of the vehicle. The day of reckoning has come. Who knows, I might even take one pony out. “Magic doesn't work on them.” “What do you mean?” “We need something else… like explosives!” “Are you thinking of cannons?” “Yes sir.” “But those are… barbaric, at best!” “Well, It’s either going out in glory, or fighting to see another day.” “Alright- I understand. Generated, dear, take a message. Tell our guard to position cannons on the walls. Get the cannons from the museum, tell them General Bash sent you personally. What’s our ETA?” “Eight minutes.” “Damn.” Just then, a guard ran up behind General Bash. “We have spotted them from the Guard Tower! ETA, 40 seconds!” The sound of the boiler increased in volume as we turned the cliff, the steam chugging amplified. I had to slow down slightly, but as I rounded the corner, the huge, spiraling golden towers dominated the setting sky. The white walls stretched far beyond any imagination. It was very, very pretty, especially with the lights illuminating it through the night. Too bad, in a few years, this will be nothing but a pile of smoldering rubble. My radio-communication sparkled to life. I clicked the button to listen to the pony on the other end. “There she is. How do we wanna play this, ponies?” The voice spoke. I clicked back to talk. “Let’s line up before the river, give them plenty of room to look at us.” “Sounds like a plan.” “Oh my sweet Celestia.” General Bash looked as the huge machines rolled around the corner. They looked like buildings on wheels. Brass covered the pilot, and the huge boiler sat squarely in between the two back wheels. On top of the cockpit, a large cannon was positioned, pointing directly at Canterlot. General Bash could hear ponies behind him, innocent civilians. They were gasping, taking photos, looking at the huge machines. Suddenly, for the first time in a long time, General Bash felt fear strike through his heart. He could only hope those cannons would arrive sooner. He heard something he could only describe as a metal door slamming. Then, from behind the machine in the center, a simple earth pony trotted from around the giant tire. She looked happy. Absolutely delighted. It sickened him. Her coat was a tan with a slight hint of yellow. Her mane was a ginger, and her eyes, a blue. Her cutie mark was two gears, and she wore silver goggles on top her mane. But she didn’t look like any of the other Crystal Empire ponies. She almost stood out against them. The other ones were sad, drained of life. But she looked happier than a princess. She stood in front of the machine, headlights casting a shadow down-range. She crossed her front hooves, and took a long glance at our defense. She was still smiling. Did this not… affect her? Shoot fear through her? Did she think this was amusing? “Sire! Cannons are coming up the stairs now!” Thank god. Hopefully this would end this stand-off. General Bash put his front-hooves over the castle wall, and spoke loudly. “By direct order of Princess Celestia, the Canterlot Royal Guard order you to stand down!” He said. The mare took a moment to think, before giggling to herself. Who was this psychopath? “Is that the best you got?” She spoke, her voice higher and more feminine than he expected. General Bash didn’t give her the satisfaction of responding. After a few short minutes, her smile faded. “Playing the silent-game, huh? Alright.” She trotted to the back again. Suddenly, all of the cannons on the top of the vehicles moved upwards. Temporarily aimed straight at the Royal Guards on the tower, which caused them to duck down. But the cannons kept going, until they were slightly shy of 90 degrees. The ground shook, and the eardrums of each pony rung out in horror. They cannons fired, but only straight-up as a warning shot. It was louder than any spell he had performed. These machines looked so… mechanical. He wondered if there was a trace of magic in the damn thing. No, that’s impossible. After the sound died out, the shaking calmed, General Bash spoke again. “What the hell do you want?” His voice, shaking more than he wanted to. The same tan pony came around from the front. “What the hell do I want? What do I want?” She said. This time, her face was contorted into anger. Just a few moments ago, she was happier than can be, now she looked angry. “I want everypony in that blasted capital DEAD!” She stomped her front-hooves onto the ground, leaving an impression. “All you… all you royals ever did was screw me over!” She stomped her hooves again, like a foal who wasn’t getting what she wanted. But there had been no negotiations. Why was she so angry? Was she truly a psychopath? “We can come to an arrangement-” “Bullshit we can!” She screamed. General Bush was taken aback. She wasn’t listening, but only getting more angry. Canterlot had done nothing to her yet, and she was fuming like a foal. She took a few moments, catching her breath, looking away from the main gate. Without further moments notice, she paced back to the machine, again. The cannon of the machine was lowered. This time, it stopped directly onto the Royal guards, positioned at the wall. A few slight yelps, and they dived out of the way. It didn’t fire… yet. “Unicorns, get ready!” General Bash yelled. They few trained Unicorn’s horns started to glow. “Aim!” He yelled, again. “Fire!” What seemed like hundreds of glowing bolts quickly descended across the field and over the river. A few missed their mark, leaving huge, different color explosions on the ground in front of the machines. The others that did hit, the entire machines were covered in colored fireballs. Suddenly, the machines that once were there, were nothing more than a cloud of smoke. General Bash let out a relieved sigh. The amount of grit their ponies showed, perseverance, was incredible. He reminded himself to take them for a drink later tonight. *WHEEEE- WHEE WHEE* That was, until a train-whistle blew, breaking the temporary moment of celebration. From out of the smoke, still radiating off of it, the machines rolled forward. All in a straight line, noticeably undamaged. The headlights shone across the ground, giving a ghostly, unpony-like sense of dread. “My turn.” He could hear it coming. The machine was reloading itself from the last fire. He could hear the cannonball clunk into the bottom of the tube. It was pointing directly at the wall, ready to take it out. Some more mechanical noises sounded. But unannounced to the monster-machines, a shorter pony, with a picture of an artifact, was doing the same thing, just across from the General. He had a cannon from the museum, where he worked. He went through the same motions, only faster. This was it. Pony v. Machines, and for the time being, Ponies had to come out on top. They had to. He worked his hooves, quickly, loading the gunpowder. He had always seen this thing sitting in a display-case. But he had never taken the time to fire it. Why would he? This was something earth-ponies used before harmony was discovered. Finally, he finished pushing the cannonball inwards, and dropped the stick. With god-like precision, he pointed the cannon at the brass machine, currently pointing towards one of Equestrias best generals. He couldn’t let this happen. With a strike of a match, the wick started descending. He knew he was cutting it close. One wrong move, and somepony dies. Well, somepony was going to die either way. He would prefer if the death was not one of his own. The wick kept approaching the interior of the cannon. Wait. Should he be standing behind the cannon?