//------------------------------// // Land of Rifle and Trench // Story: The New World | The Fall of the Crystal empire // by Escalator //------------------------------// Station 60 It's been about a day since Canter departed from Beastrop, and already he missed his wife, but upon waking up, Bradley was standing over him, and he was also met with a cold gust that swept over his skin, as he looked out the window he was surprised to find a winter wonderland only it's Summer, and in the Northern parts it's practically the opposite weather with snow, but in this Creator forsaken land, it's a arctic wasteland turned trench zone. "Not disturbing your sight seeing Lieutenant, but we're about to arrive soon," Bradley informed, as Canter got up and scratched his head. "Alright, I'll get my company presented," Canter insisted, as he got up and headed to his company's cart where he stood and shouted. "ATTENTION!" Immediately the men went silent and paused their game of cards just to hear what their commanding officer had to say. "Gentlemen! We're about to arrive at the designated area! So be sure to pack your equipment, because if you leave it here you are not going to see it again other than being on a damn sale at a local pawn shop in this god-forsaken area! I assume you all have your buddies or partners?" Canter assumed. "SIR YES SIR!" "Good to hear, carry on, I'll be back to let you all know that we have arrived," informed Canter as he left and cart and headed back to the private cart which was as usual packed with officers, only they were itching themselves to have that smoking session. "Good Grief..." Crystal City Upon inspecting the slaves and the troops for his Army Sombra chuckled at the misery he had caused on the entire population, it was then that one of his guards arrived with a message from Equestria which had the cursed seal of the twin sisters, something he spat on. On the letter it says. "-King Sombra. You are given 29 days to stand off and come quietly with the royal guards outside of the border, we can still help each other but if you are willing to wage a war against our allies you are severely mistakened, we will respond appropriately in kind if you choose this path, don't do this, heed this warning and surrender. -Ordered and Signed, Princess Celestia of Equestria." Sombra quickly crumpled the paper and looked at a slave. "Cease that slave, I wish to feed her something," he smiled, as they apprehended the crippled malnourished mare slave and placed her in front of him. "Hungry?" He smirked. "N-n-no! No, thank you I-I-I don't want t-to!" "Ahh now come on, I'm sure you'll love it," He insisted devilishly. "No, I don't want to!" Yelled the Slave. "Fine then, if that's what you wish, guards take her to the mines!" Ordered the tyrant as the guards grabbed the mare. "STOP!" Yelled a male voice, which the slaves separated away from in the crowd. "You dare postpone my judgment?" Sombra questioned. "That's my wife you're trying to send!" Yelled the stallion in a defiant tone, making the mind-controlled guards chuckle and the mare worried, shaking her head aggressively, he then smirked in pleasure and signaled his guards to cease him and bring right in front of his malicious presence. And after being presented he spoke. "If you wish not to have your wife sent to the mines, then... Eat. This. Message!" Sombra demanded. At first, the Stallion was hesitant but as he looked at his crippled malnourished wife who is suffering from hunger he swallowed his pride and approached the king. "Now... Eat it." In response to Sombra's demands, he snatched the paper off of Sombra's hooves and at it including the wrap, the seal, and the paper itself, after nearly choking to death who stood on his hoof in rebellion against the tyrant he and his wife was serving. "How does it taste?" Sombra asked. "Taste like bucking shit! Just like you are you bucking tyrant!!" Rebelled the Stallion, which Sombra took offense in a way that he did swiftly. "Well then, let me show you what I really taste like!" Sombra added, as he spawned his Scythe and slaughtered the Stallion in the neck. The mare looked in horror at what she saw as the death of her husband as his body fell lifelessly bloodied on the ground. Dead... "NO! NO NO NO NO! DEAR FAUST NO OH NO!" The mare cried in a shout as she tried to break free of the guards who shoved her back into the crowd of the enslaved, as Sombra stood furiously over the dead stallion and decreed. "ANYONE ELSE WISH TO INSULT MY NAME WILL BE IMMEDIATELY EXECUTED PERSONALLY BY ME, AND BECAUSE OF THIS MARE'S HUSBAND'S DEFIANCE! I SENTENCE YOU ALL TO DEATH! IN THE MINES!" Immediately the entire group was sent off to the mines, located in the underground tunnels with unstable crystals that would fall periodically and kill anyone below it in an instant. While the mare lost her husband, she didn't lose her spirit, nor her respect rather she gained it as other ponies grieve for the rebellion her husband showed, but while also mixed with hints of fury as decreed by the king of the monsters, they've been all sentenced to death. The American-Crystal border Being in a train cramped to the brink for a day takes a lot out of your stretch, especially when getting off of it, but on the bright side at least Canter was not on the Creator Forsakened trained. Although the train was late, so this complicated Bradley as he looked at his stopwatch. "Huh, and you think this passenger train was on time?" He said, as we both heard yelling and shouting towards the train by a man known to the Brookish as Sir Hatt of Tidmouth, standing beside him as he was yelling at the train and its engineers was General Patton. He turned towards Canter and Bradley and walked over to them lighting his cigar. "Are you two my reinforcements?" Patton asked, puffing his smoke. "Reinforcements?" Bradley asked, while Canter stood there quiet. "Yeah, reinforcements, what are you some sort of crazy bastard?" Patton slandered. "Not as much as yourself, you've seem to be choked out," Bradley replied, which the General gave Bradley the deadpan look before cracking up a laugh and a chuckled. "I like this one," Patton smiled, shaking hands with Bradley. "Welcome to Sunset Hills! Where a soldier can be whatever the hell they want, as long as they have the guts to kill a man, or for this instance, those damn son of a bitches we call harmless over there." "Thank you for the welcoming committee then," Bradley replied. "So! What might be your name, and what is your company?" Patton asked. "I am referred as Major General Omar Bradley, I was assigned to be your deputy Commander for this task force also, this would be infact the third army corps that you've requested to Field Marshal Grant." "I see, well then I will introduce myself on the way to the playground, alright folks follow me!" Patton insisted, as the troops that had now boarded off the train started to unload the vehicles that was apart of the transportation from their base. As vehicles such as trucks, and Jeeps were unloaded Patton, Bradley, and Canter were leading the men to the lands dubbed "The land of Rifle and Trench" or basically what your average trench warfare would look like. "So with introductions here, I am referred as Lt. General of this armor battalion, you can tell this because of the amount of tanks lying around this field here and there," Patton introduced, which placed Bradley into a surprise, while Patton looked at Canter with curiosity. "Now how about this man right here? Does he speak?" Patton asked. "He does, but before we boarded the train I've advised him to keep quiet and to let me do the talking," Bradley admitted. "What exactly am I to you people? I may be feared by my army but that's because they should rather than the enemy, but I wouldn't take it this far to silence them, otherwise we might as well call ourselves those Equestrian Imperials! Now tell me, what is his name?" Patton asked. "I can't really provide you his first but he is referred to as-" "You do realize that the bastards above you can't do a bitch about the names, just spit it out!" Patton demanded. "Canter..." Replied Canter. "Speak up?" Patton asked. "Didn't hear you the first time." "My name is Canter Yates." Patton was dumbfounded by the name but then. "Well aren't you a special one! Last I heard you've been sucking up to Uncle Sam and his army of political shit heads! But then again I appreciate you leaving that old bastard! I am patriotic, but I rather not to have a old crippling sack like him represent my patriotism!" Patton ranted. "Don't we all... Well now you know exactly why I left him in the first place, I'd rather be out here then to stay in his sight, besides what's the worst that could happen?" Canter said, which stoked Patton in place. "... Dammit Canter! Now I have to double my defenses!" Patton Scolded. "What?" Moskva In the alleyways of Moskva, the Rodiniks and other ethnic groups started setting up the great underground market, filled to the brim with exclusive weapons and magic viles, along with anything illegal in Imperial territory. A man was waiting in the alley when a individual approached him. He held out his knife and said. "Who goes there! Show yourself!" The individual raised his hands up and stepped into the sunlight. "Don't fret, it's me Kurt Ogalivich remember? The wine bottle has been dropped!" When the individual heard the code phrase he lowered his knife. "Apologies comrade, I was surely thought that you were one of those ponies!" Replied the dealer. "Do you got the goods?" Kurt asked. "Yes comrade Ogalivich," the dealer replied, opening the brief case and showing a beauty of a Golden Pistol, fully loaded, yet untouched. Kurt smiled and leaned close to the weapon before the case was slammed shut. "The dough, comrade," the dealer pressured. "Da, da, I almost forgot." Ogalivich opened his brief case revealing stacks and stacks of cash and bits, giving the Dealer a mouth watering joy. The two then simultaneously exchanged briefcases and tipped their hats to each other. "A pleasure doing business, but I like to ask, why a golden gun?" Asked the dealer. "That is a secret," replied Kurt, as he and the Dealer parted their ways into the darkness. Congress As the events sprialled into a full on fear the congressional session had been filled with filibustering, gaslighting, other types of definitions for insult on political opponents. "This has gone out of hand!" Said a Democratic-Republican Griffon. "If this self-proclaimed 'king' doesn't stand down by the 29th day mark we can't just stand idly by as the Equestrians invade the Crystal Empire! Something must be done about this aggression!" "Mr. Gordon of the Anti-Federalist party, do you have a rebuttal?" Asked House Speaker Jen. "OH I DEFINITELY HAVE A REBUTTAL! You are a insane man Mr. Wyvern Tarp! Here you are a Griffon representing your state and kind, but yet here you are playing the coward card and siding with the enemy! Which may I remind you that this is the same pony who is about to invade our country!" "He has not specified WHICH country! But if you coul-" A congress pony in the back of the chamers floor raised his hoof. "Mr. Frost Hill, assistant of Uncle Sam, do you wish to speak?" Asked the house speaker. "Indeed I do Mr. House Speaker, I just wanted to put in my opinions regarding this mess," the Bright Blue pony spoke, as he trotted to the center floor which divided the Democratic-Republican party with the Anti-Federalist party. "Gentlemen, Colts, and Dragons, I do express that this is a serious topic, the possibility of Equestria invading the Crystal Empire is something never thinkable in a life time, but I can see a point in both sides of this argument. Unfortunately one may be correct, but you need to consider that the mess we're in is as complicated as farming equipment!" The pony paused for a moment as the congressmen looked on continually. "The point is, this could be Ewquestria's excuse of gaining land in a attempt of reclaiming their North Humarican beach head above us as a new colony, on the other hand, we should perhaps plan out for a legitimate war from the north, and if we are Sombra's first target well..." The floor was filled with murmuring and silent protests as the party sides fell asleep and then being awakened by their fellow congressmen. Finally both parties decided enough was enough. "Mr. House Speaker this is getting too long and pointless! My party requests a recess!" Said Mr. Tarp the Griffon. "Agreed, this pony! Is yapping about useless friendship stuff again!" Mr. Gordon replied, as Frost Hill drooped his head down in despair. "Very well then, Congress may go into recess, 67 minutes and we will reconvene." And with the sound of the gavel the floor was dismissed temporarily as Frost Hill looked at a disturbed Uncle Sam who stood from the balcony sitting on his private chair as he saw only excuses and rebuttals with argument filled hate. Frost Hill is Uncle Sam's Representative at the time, he is a bright ice colored blue and well, dark blue mane, he is also a pegasi so it didn't surprise literally no one when he flew up to the balcony where Uncle Sam shook his head. "Tried my best sir, but-" "You did well Frost," Uncle Sam sighed. "Unfortunately I was fool to allow exceptions in this country." "Why not enforce it? George Washington had given you that right?" "Yeah, but then I would've been seen as a tyrant rather than a patriotic figure, besides the best thing to do is to watch this all burn into a mist of chaos and confusion, and then after start all over." "And then what sir?" Asked Frost. "Well, all I can say is Creator help us all after that happens, because after beauacracy comes nothing, other than a anarchic society, which lord forbid that happens, but if it does well... I think you know where that goes." "So what about this then?" Frost asked. "Well, sooner or later Congress will have to single handedly agree on something, it depends on how they will do it, but I hope soon that it doesn't come to what makes them without choice route." "Or what? Sir?" "Or many lives, will be lost..."