//------------------------------// // Chapter 9 // Story: MLP A New Generation 3: The Rise of Armored Hoof // by TwiShine45 //------------------------------// Sunny took a step back, both out of respect for Izzy’s words and out of sheer shock that her friend’s voice was so clear. Despite the fact that it was simply a manifestation of her own conscience, it was as if Izzy was right there talking to her. Sunny shook her head to try and clear the cobwebs and lowered her hackles. She certainly didn’t want to take the throne of Equestria amidst a dubious fog of controversy and violence. It was time for friendship to rule, and it was time for her to show Sprout that she was the bigger pony. Difficulties aside, he’d done nothing to physically provoke a fight. All he’d said were words…words that both stung and rang true in Sunny’s mind. “Alright, Sprout,” she said, “you win.” “…what?” He asked. “You win, I said,” she growled. “You’re right. My attacking you would only support your causes of hate and enmity. I don’t go for that kind of thing. I deal in friendship and love, Sprout, and I have to treat all of my new subjects the same.” “Subjects?” Sprout scoffed. “I’m not your subject.” “Yes, you are, Sprout,” Sunny said, reasserting her new royal position. “No, I’m not…not yet, anyway,” Sprout said. “Until a crown is on your head, I don’t answer to you. Now, are you gonna prove that you aren’t a coward?” Sunny forced herself to remain calm. “Call me a coward if you want, Sprout. I don’t care. But, the fact is that the princesses of old bequeathed their throne upon me, and in two moons, I will take that throne for myself. But, that is not important. Right now, we have bigger things to attend to.” With those words, she left Sprout stewing in his envy and jealousy and leapt up on a nearby stage. He was suddenly very determined to take the throne for himself, no matter what. Whether by hook or by crook, he would rule Equestria. His pride had been shattered when Hitch unceremoniously fired him after the “Emperor Sprout” incident. Now, he saw an opportunity to regain what he’d lost. All he had to do was bide his time. The perfect moment would come presently, and when it did, he would be the one to spill Sunny’s blood. I will rule this wretched, putrid land…Emperor Sprout will rise again…and there’s nothing her, or her friends can do about it. “My friends!” Sunny shouted as she gathered the population to her. “Hear me now! War has been declared upon our home!” She stopped as the ponies all looked at her with dread and fear. Earth pony, unicorn, and pegasi alike were all embroiled in a sudden soup of horror. She saw mothers instinctively hide their foals. Certain ponies shrank towards the back of the crowd, wanting desperately to get away from this horrible news. Sunny wished with all her heart that she didn’t have to give this report, but she knew that Scarlet Wing’s threat of violence was all too real. They had the pony power and the evil spirit to offer themselves up as sacrifices to their dead leader. It was Sunny’s job to rally everypony else to stop them. “Yes, friends, as you may have guessed, the wicked group Scarlet Wing has declared war on our town. Their leader, a turncoat named Meadow Bloom, is possibly the most hateful pony in all Equestria. She turned herself against the ideals of friendship and helped bring a scourge upon this land. It was her predecessor, Luster Dawn, who secretly orchestrated our mistrust and unhappiness in the first place. Now, it is Meadow who threatens our happy way of life. We must rise up and defend our home! I’m calling on all able-bodied ponies to join the cause! We must fight for the future of Maretime Bay…and, indeed, of all Equestria!” Sunny finished her speech with the expectation of raucous applause. While she did garner a lot, there were some in the crowd who eyed her suspiciously. The rumors of her allegedly criminal lineage had made the rounds, and she could see that some in the crowd didn’t trust her. Aggravation of allergic reaction to the original Distrust Dust would be disastrous. If Scarlet Wing were to ever get ahold of this kind of information, they could use it to turn everypony against both her…and against each other. Maretime Bay hung in the balance, and Sunny didn’t know if she’d convinced everypony to fight for it. Oh, Twilight… she silently begged, …please help me! Back in the forest, Armored Hoof prepared to pack their things. It had been decided amongst the group that they should head for Maretime Bay and attempt to revive their music career. Crystal Scales had been very eager for their decision and she leapt for joy when their vote came back positive. This meant that she could go with them and, quite possibly, find new friends as well. Each one was excited about the prospects of a revival, but there were also doubters. Mane Halen was the prominent one. “I don’t know if we can do this,” he said to Quarter when they got on the train in the EPUP village. “To be honest, neither do I,” Quarter responded. “We’re so…out of shape,” Mane said, “I mean, we haven’t played a concert in well over a millennium. I know we’ve been practicing a lot, but that doesn’t mean we can pull a full show together. We’re not even known by the history books anymore! How are we gonna be able to do anything notable if nopony comes to see us?” Quarter smirked. “Well, we’ll just do what we did back when we first started the band.” Mane rolled his eyes. He knew full well what his best friend meant, but he didn’t want to accept it. The thought of playing in dirty, grungy nightclubs and pony’s basements rubbed him raw. Yes, he knew that this was where ponies got their start, but they’d already done that. He was used to playing Canterlot Stadium in front of 100,000 ponies, not…Mane Event Nightclub in lower Manehattan to 250 at best. “Don’t worry, my friend,” Quarter said. “We’ll just start at the bottom again…and soon enough, we’ll be on top of the charts.”