//------------------------------// // Chapter Four: The Visitor // Story: The Fall // by Writer12577 //------------------------------// The warm summer sun was setting, causing several tones of orange and red paint the horizon and turn it into a piece of art no living being alone could create, even if one would have all the time in the world. But for most of the ponies this was just a sign to get in their cozy little homes and into the warm beds that would keep them safe through the long and scary night. But a group of six ponies and a single baby dragon was heading away from the small town, clear plans of how to spend the warm summer night without just lying under the layers of blankets all alone. The small group was heading towards the small hill that was just outside the town. It was well known for its incredible view over the city and towards the sunset and had gained a mighty reputation amongst the couples of Ponyville. But the main objective of the group was not to just stare into each other’s eyes for hours, occasionally letting out a small sigh just to let the other one know how much you cared about him or her. The main objective was to have fun. Twilight had gathered a good load of books into the small cart Spike was pulling, Rainbow and Applejack were running up the hill, having a little race of their own, Rarity was having a wonderful little chat with Fluttershy and Pinkie was just bouncing up and down, happily as always, a huge basket filled to the top with goodies hanging from her mouth. The night was going to be perfect. When the others finally reached the top of the hill, they could see Rainbow and Applejack lying on the ground, panting heavily and occasionally arguing about who won the little uphill run. But when Twilight placed the red-white checkered cloth to the soft green grass, possible disagreements between the seven friends were forgiven and everyone would just enjoy the night filled with great food and the best of company. And when the basket was fully devoured, they’d just sit down and admire the night sky, letting their thoughts run free and their emotions take them over. ----»«---- Rainbow woke up to the bright beams of the morning sun coming right through the now-open hole in the wall known as a window. It was early and resisting the urge to go back to sleep was overwhelming. But something was going on outside. There were a number of small things giving that out. First off, the birds were all quiet. Not a single smallest chirp could be heard. Secondly, the trees near the main road were gone. They had been easily visible last evening and now they were all gone. And thirdly, a huge amount of pure noise was taking the town square over. Rainbow slowly got up from the cold marble floor and walked over to the window, eager to see what her not-so-friendly neighborhood Rebels were up to. When she got to the window, she immediately felt a slight sting in her chest. The leader was there, riding his fancy golden chariot amongst the regular ranks. All part of the propaganda. The regular ranks were excited as ever, of course. Their leader, their god, was sitting in his chariot in the very same town they had so bravely conquered, making sure not to save any of the poor and innocent residents of the peace-loving community that had occupied the town. ‘Criminal scum’ Rainbow thought to herself. The power behind that stallion was based on lies, propaganda and the support of the paramilitary forces led by a couple of the embittered officers of the Royal Guard. But that didn’t make him a fair leader. Whoever said a word against him or his forces would be executed. Rainbow had been there to witness that. And there he was, lazily waving his hoof at the crowd of over-excited privates trying their best to touch their god, hoping to achieve such powers as he had. If Rainbow would have had a chance, the dictator would already be lying in a bloody puddle in his fancy little chariot. But the distance was too big even for her faithful pistol, she was not too much into straight kamikaze knife-attacks, and she certainly was not strong enough to throw the grenade-like thing that long. So she was doomed to just watch as the worst criminal of the whole world just rode past the window. The stallion in the chariots was responsible of the murders of the Princesses Celestia, Luna and Cadence, plus the captain of the guard Shining Armor. Even harming a Princess was worth of twenty years in the dungeons and killing another pony was automatically a death sentence. If justice would ever happen, that guy surely would be deep in his own shit. The serious-looking stallion that was walking on the right of the chariots was the leader of the Rebellion army, simply called Matt. He looked like a private with the almost non-existent muscles and a small and weak-looking body, but the reality was completely different. He had gained his position by fighting. He had one of the first to sign up when the Rebellion was formed up. He had fought in every single bigger battle that the Rebellion had won. He had always been in the frontline, taking down stallion after stallion, never even slightly changing his expression. Or that’s what the tale told. But Rainbow wasn’t so completely convinced about the almighty power of the stallion. She had never seen him anywhere, save for the one single poster an unlucky Rebel had nailed into her door. On the left of the chariot was a mare that was wearing a deep dark suit that covered her whole body, including the face. One would have thought that she was some kind of an agent or an extra-special soldier. But yet again Rainbow knew better. She was a slave. A war slave. She was forced to walk with the dictator and do whatever he said until he’d either release her from the duty or kill her. And all of this because she happened to be a mare. Suddenly the chariot stopped. It had reached the center of the town square and soldiers were packing closer to see what had happened. All of a sudden the door of the chariot swung open and a chubby, hickish stallion with a stalk of hay in his mouth stepped out. The crowd began to cheer immediately. Rainbow felt a sudden urge to just run over there and shoot the sick little bastard. He wasn’t so tough now when he was out of his bulletproof chariot. But the crowd was blocking the way effectively. If someone would try to murder any of the higher officers of the group, the regular ranks would block the bullets or grenades and the “more important” members of the party would be safe. Yet another example of the way how the Rebellion took a good care of their soldiers. The stallion was known as Rob. Nobody knew his real name. The Rebels were forced to change their names when they joined the army. A stallion named Blue Flower would become Matt. A mare named Bright Skies would become Jessica. The names were blank, telling nothing about the owner. Rob was about to start a little speech. Rainbow still felt the urge to sabotage his plans somehow, but refused to listen to it and pushed it far back into her mind. Rainbow perked her ears up and listened as closely as she could as the stallion started his speech. “Dear Rebellion comrades. I have come a long way to visit your temporary camp, just to congratulate you of the successful battles of the last two weeks. You have made a great job and the lead of the Rebellion appreciates your hard work. "Therefore, we give you every right to loot this town. You can also do whatever you want if you happen to find a live enemy or a live civilian. If they are not part of the almighty Rebellion, they belong to the Rebel who finds them. "Also, if you for some reason want, you can burn the houses down. If it’s not useful for the Rebellion, it can go. "Stay strong and keep fighting for a better future, dear comrades!” The crowd exploded into a wave of furious cheers and stomping. Rob was standing on the temporary stage, absorbing every single cheer sent by his “comrades”, a look of enjoyment on his face. He loved to be in the center of the attention. And all of a sudden a strong, deep voice could be heard. “You’ll never win you sick motherbucker! Death to Rebellion!” An explosion shook the ground. A huge cloud of black smoke appeared out of nowhere and a series of terrifying screams could be heard. A minor attack against the Rebellion had been committed. The cloud was slowly starting to vanish, allowing a somewhat clear view of the now burnt ground. Rainbow could even see chunks of flesh and a couple of charred bones from her observation spot. Soon enough some of the Rebels found the courage to go and investigate the small hole the bomb had left behind. A circle of curious Rebels surrounded the spot, leaving Rob without any attention. He tolerated that for a good five seconds, coughed slightly and began speaking yet again. “Yet another spineless Princess-lover tried to murder me. How rude of them. But they should know that I have been chosen. I’m immortal. I can’t be destroyed. No living thing can take me down, no material in the world can harm me. That’s why we, the Rebels are the winners. Once we clear every single Princess-loving sissy from our beloved kingdom, we shall rule forever!” The crowd cheered yet again. The big fat hick had done it again. He had managed to recover from an attempt of murder in mere seconds and had managed to cherish his “comrades” even more, making the Royal Army look like a bunch of sissies. Plus, he had managed to make Rainbow hate him on a completely new level. Rainbow turned her gaze away from the cheering crowd around the “politician” and let out a small sigh. The Royal Army had lost yet another loyal soldier on an unsuccessful suicide bombardment. Why were they still doing it? Haven’t they noticed that suicide bombing led nowhere? It would just show them in a bad light, decreasing the chances of actually achieving something bigger. Yet still they were sending innocent stallions and mares into the field with a belt full of sticky, hoping for the best. And the stallions and mares wouldn’t protest. It was for a good purpose. They’d be remembered as heroes among the Royal Army soldiers. And sometimes a single stallion or mare would just go and grab something that could be used to cause some havoc and just go out to the streets and start firing, throwing or just swinging with a knife. These were acts of desperate ponies. They wanted a way out, but they didn’t want a coward’s way out. Rainbow turned lifted her head up and glared at the blank wall in front of her. Her past was haunting her mind. Her mind was begging for relief. But she, by herself, wanted to perform at least a single act of bravery in her life. She’d help the Royal Army. If she’d die helping, she’d be able to finally rest. She began walking towards the door. Breakfast was waiting for her, luring her towards the kitchen, making her hooves do all the work for her. And when her hooves were doing the walking, her mind could roam free. ‘The war is an insane thing where insane and power-hungry ponies utilize regular, peace loving ponies as weapons again the ones who you don’t like.’ ‘And for some strange reason the peace-loving ponies do it. They leave everything behind. They just listen to the orders their leader gives them and go to the field. ‘Why? Nopony knows. One might be seeking an adventure. One wants a relief. One is looking for something to rob. One is just doing it because the leader told so.’ ‘Whatever the reason, a pony that enters the field will slowly turn into a wreck. It may be physical. You may get wounded on the field. It may affect you for the rest of your life. ‘Or it may be mental. The acts you did on the field will haunt you for the rest of your life, slowly driving you insane. You will live your life in constant pain that has no relief. ‘Either way, a war does horrible things to ponies everywhere in the world, no matter who you are, how old you are or what’s your sex. Even if you didn’t participate. ‘A war is a horrible thing. And everyone who joins such horrible thing will slowly become insane.’ Rainbow stepped into the now brightly lit kitchen and let the sight of a table full of food take over her eyes and mind, causing a slight rise in the amount of saliva in her mouth. ‘Good thing that I already am.’