//------------------------------// // An Apple Divided, Part 2 // Story: A Reflection of sorts // by thetaleweaver //------------------------------// Chapter 2 When Ursas Attack! -------------------------------------------------- 850 Years since Luna's Disappearance -------------------------------------------------- The news of the attack had stopped the fighting, but had sent the rioters into a frenzy, each frantically seeking a place to hide. Edgar, unsure of what do, almost gave in to the compulses that commanded him to join the chaos. Right as it felt as though his nerves were going to break, a voice rang out from behind him. "Edgar, over here!" beckoned the voice which Edgar recognized as belonging to Ms. Stratos. He jumped up on to the stage and ran over to the mayoral candidates to make sure that they were still unharmed. After seeing that they were shaken but uninjured, he breathed a sigh of relief. "It's amazing how bad this day has gotten, isn't it?" commented Edgar, chuckling slightly. "I fail to see the humor in any of this, young man!" bellowed the third candidate, a gray unicorn stallion with a white mane. "True, this situation is rather bleak, isn't it?" "For now, yes. I hope you have a plan for evacuation, constable". A slight frown formed on Edgar's face as the elder unicorn spoke these words. "To be perfectly honest, I've got no ideas for evacuation". "Do you have any ideas at all, Edgar?" asked Stratos, worriedly. Edgar appeared to ponder this for a second, when suddenly a look of apprehension formed on his face. "Now that you mention it, Ms. Stratos, yes. It's a bit of a doozy, but it can be pulled off if I can get some help" replied Edgar. "Please, call me Nimba from now on. Also, please enlighten us to your plan". "We remove the Ursa Minor from town!" boomed Edgar, radiating a sort of confidence that the other ponies couldn't entirely comprehend. "If anybody needs me, I'll be curled up inside an emergency shelter" stated the younger Blackmoor. "I thought that if a few words could throw most of the city into a panic, a few more could rally them together to defend the town, no?" asked Edgar, the air of confidence he exerted slowly fading.The four other ponies looked at each other, and after a mimute had passed, the elder Blackmoor spoke up. "If you think that your words can captivate the populace into working together, we'll back you up. Just choose them carefully, I've seen what happens when you say the wrong thing at the wrong time..." said Blackmoor, nervously. "Please, be careful Edgar. I'd hate to lose a friend before I get to know them better" requested Nimba, also clearly showing her anxiety towards the current situation. "I intend to be car-" stated Edgar, before cutting himself off. "Wait, you already consider me a friend?" he asked, blushing slightly. "At the risk of sounding rude, we should probably take action quickly, don't you think?" interjected the elder Blackmoor. Regaining his focus, Edgar nodded his head and trotted over to the podium. The candidates followed behind him, and Blackmoor cleared his throat as he mounted the podium briefly. "Fillies and Gentlecolts, I wish to request your attention once more, if you please!" he bellowed. Surely enough, some of the previously panicking ponies stopped to look at the stage. Other ponies soon stopped to look, wondering what had caught the eyes of those others who chose to look. "I would like to give an opportunity for a new friend of mine a chance to speak to you. Please give as warm a welcome as possible to a Mr. Edgar Brickmason!" he proclaimed, motioning for Edgar to take the stage. He did so, and cleared his throat before opening his mouth to speak. "Citizens of Manehattan, today we find ourselves faced with a crisis. As I speak, an Ursa Minor is tearing down structures and ending innocent lives. My comrades in the city guard are there as we speak attempting to get rid of the beast, but they will not be able to do it by themselves, this much I am sure of" said Edgar, loudly and clearly. "Who cares about them? They chose to sacrifice themselves, so why should we join them?" asked a voice from the crowd. "They are citizens like the rest of us. They could have chosen to panic like you folks did, but instead they chose to fight for the city they love. I want to join them, but one unicorn won't make a difference in this. Your town needs you, citizens of Manehattan. For the sake of your homes and loved ones, can't you fight together instead of amongst each other?" "I don't think all of us can help. After all, some of us are quite limited in what we can do, sir" called out another voice from the crowd. "Everyone can help in their own ways. Even the earth ponies in the crowd can help". "Enlighten us, then. What can they do for us in this situation?" asked another voice from below the stage. "They have their own special skills that they can contribute, I assure all of you. I could ramble on about how each of the races can help us out in this scenario, but that would waste too much time. I must beg of you, Unicorns, Pegasi, and Earth ponies of Manehattan, lend your hooves to this city so that it may remain standing for years to come!" pleaded Edgar. Save for the sound of crashes in the distance, a sort of silence had befallen the city. Fearing his efforts may have failed, he dismounted the podium and prepared to jump off of the stage. Suddenly, the sound of a pair of hooves clapping together sounded through the air. Soon, this sound was joined by the sound of two more hooves, and another pair after that. Within a single minute, the crowd had began to cheer on Edgar for his speech. Even the mayoral candidates joined in the clapping of hooves, which put a smile on Edgar's face. He re-mounted the stage, his confidence raised higher than ever before. "Alright, here's my plan. I need some pegasi to go out of town and scout out the den of this Ursa, the rest of you stay here for the rest of the plan". Four pegasi rose from the crowd and flew off in search of an Ursa's den. Meanwhile, in the northern district of Manehattan, Valorous and his men were attempting to slay the beast, but to little avail. Many of the guards had been injured, and others had even fled for their lives. Only the captain and two other guards stood to ward off the Ursa Minor. "Men, stand your ground! Do not give this monster the satisfaction of unnerving us!" roared Valorous, hoping to save the morale of his troops. The Ursa swung its claws at the ponies, scattering them around. Valorous, annoyed, tosses a brick at the Ursa, hoping to take its attention from the injured guards in front of it. The beast slashed at him with tremendous force. Valorous jumped back, expecting to land on his hooves. He fell over instead, and saw to his horror that the creature had severed his right foreleg. Overwhelmed with pain and the fear that this will be his end, Valorous resigned himself to becoming another live lost. Suddenly, however, the sound of music echoed from behind him. This music was soft and gentle, like a lullaby. He looked to see a group of the town's musician's gathered together, playing their instruments. The ursa, hearing this music, seemed to be calmed by this soft serenade. A group of pegasi appeared from behind them, and proceeded to slowly fly in a circle above the ursa's head. This, combined with the music and being worn out from its rampage, caused the creature to fall asleep. "It's wonderful, isn't it captain?" asked Edgar, concerned. "Brickmason? What are you doing?" "Taking care of the problem, sir. We're almost done here". He motioned to a group of earth ponies behind him, who then proceeded to gather up the wounded guards and drag them away from the sleeping ursa. A group of unicorns then walked up and used their magic to lift the sleeping creature into the air. One of the pegasi that left earlier returned, and led the group to the den that had been found outside of the city. Within an hour, they had returned to town. By this time, the sun was setting, so everyone went home for the night. The next day, Edgar was greeted at his door by one of his fellow guard. He was told that he was requested to act as a guard at the city library today as ponies came in to cast their ballots for the election. He left home, and headed for the library, wondering why the rookie would be specifically requested for an assignment. As he approached the library, he noticed Nimba sitting by the entrance. Their eyes met, and they cantered over to each other. "Good morning, Edgar. Thank you for accepting this assignment on such short notice" she said, giving off a mildly sorrowful vibe. "To be honest, I have no problem with the abruptness of this news. My only question is why I've been chosen when there are more capable guards in the force". "There is a reason, I assure you. The voting has already commenced, so please take your position" she said, insistently. He nodded his head, and walked inside. The voters all turned around to see who had entered. Cheering sounded through the library, much to his surprise. Edgar took a seat at the designated spot, and kept his eyes peeled for any sort of unfavorable activity. Much to his pleasure, no fighting broke out. After what seemed like hours, the last voter cast their vote, and the tallying began. Soon, an earth pony rallied the attention of the voters, and Edgar turned his attention to the front of the building, picking up a glass and pitcher of water close by. "Fillies and Gentlecolts, the results of our mayoral election are in! The winner of the election is..." announced the pony, before opening an envelope he had been presented with. He read the card, and a look of confusion spread across his face. "Edgar... Brickmason?!" he announced, his feeling of confusion clearly reflected by his voice. Edgar, shocked from hearing this, choked on the water he was swallowing and began coughing loudly. The crowd began to cheer as Edgar walked over to the announcer. "What is the meaning of this?" he asked while trying to collect himself after choking. "This is who the people voted for. Am I to assume that you are him?" "Yes he is, sir" announced Nimba, now appearing from behind Edgar. "I don't recall him being a candidate, could someone please explain this to me?" asked the stallion. "He saved the city from the Ursa minor that attacked yesterday. He showed the leadership skills it would take to run this city" stated Nimba, firmly. "W-wait! I don't know too much about politics. Why don't you do it, Nimba?" suggested Edgar, nervously. "I can help you with being mayor, Edgar. As your assistant, and partner. What do you say to that?" proposed Nimba, warmly. Nimba moved in closer as Edgar began to blush. "Is this even right? Should this be allowed?" asked Edgar, nervously. "I'm sure the other citizens wouldn't complain at all" said Nimba. She then turned to the crowd that had gathered in the library."Isn't that right, ponies of Manehattan?!" Cheers and the sound of hooves clapping sounded throughout the room, and Edgar walked out in front of the two other ponies beside him. "Ponies of Manehattan, I thank you for your help yesterday. I know that I'm not the best stallion for the job. However, if you feel that this will be a good way for me to return the favor for your help, then I accept this opportunity as your mayor!" bellowed Edgar, much to the pleasure of the crowd. Later that day, in the hospital, one of the guards was visiting Captain Valorous in the hospital. He told Valorous of the results of the mayoral elections. The captain took this news seemingly well, and dismissed the guard after he finished explaining what had happened. "Thank you for the report, guard. Please bring me more news when you can" requested Valorous, a smile on his face. The guard left the room, and said smile twisted itself into a frown. "Just you wait, Brickmason, your punishment shall come someday. I guarantee you that much" he then remarked in an angry growl.