“So why do you think we’ve been called to this meeting?”
Fancy Pants looked over his wife Fleur. Both of them had been appointed to the Interim Council along with the four other major nobles that were left in Canterlot.
“I’m not quite sure my dear, but if the Governor himself is calling us it must be quite serious.”
“Indeed it is.” The two turned to see Blueblood striding down the corridor, accompanied by Upper Crust and her husband Jet Set.
“So do you know why they called us here Blueblood?” Fancypants asked. Blueblood smiled at him arrogantly.
“Of course Fancypants. As Interim Council leader I am privy to all of the secret knowledge that our illustrious new lords possess.
“So then dear boy, what is the purpose of all this?” Blueblood’s smile instantly wavered a bit as it was obvious that he was full of it.
“Of course I know, but I . . . I can’t share it with you as of yet. I am sure that his Governorship will want to tell you in person.”
“Yes I’m sure,” remarked Jet Set, his nose turned up in the air.
“Quite,” agreed Upper Crust. Eventually they entered the room of the palace that served as the council chambers. It had once been a side meeting room that Princess Celestia had used when she wanted to meet in private with foreign dignitaries. When the humans had taken over and formed the council they had given it this room so they could hold meetings in relative privacy from the human government. The room was even guarded by hoof-picked pony soldiers. Though all of this didn’t matter much when one considered that human soldiers always stood watch at the ends of the hallways whenever the Council was in session; and they weren’t facing outwards.
When they entered, they saw that the privileges they had taken for granted were already being taken away. Governor Helmholtz sat in the chair normally occupied by Blueblood and was flanked by two members of the Blessed armed with massive two-handed greatswords. The unicorns could all feel the biting cold that the Blessed seemed to generate constantly.
“Councilors,” said Helmholtz evenly. “Thank you for your prompt responses to the summons. Please take a seat, we have much to discuss.” The five unicorns all nodded and took seats around the oaken table placed in the center of the room. Helmholtz sat back, his eyes sweeping over the assembled unicorns and his expression giving nothing away as to his thoughts.
“I’m not sure if any of you have heard, but two of my soldiers were killed last night . . . by magic.” The unicorns started as they heard this and realized just how precarious their situations were. Humans being killed by ponies would have been bad enough, but by unicorns?! It was a miracle that they were still alive. Helmholtz continued after a few second of silence.
“We have shown inordinate mercy in allowing this city to remain as free as it is. We have allowed you to govern yourselves and let many liberties stand that in any other occupied city would be unthinkable. And we are repaid with assassinations in the streets. I hope you realize the seriousness of this situation.” The unicorns were sweating openly now.
“Of course we do my lord,” started Fancypants. “We will of course begin an investigation immediately to find those responsible and . . .”
“That isn’t good enough.” Helmholtz narrowed his eyes at Fancypants. “An ordinary investigation will not do. I want the culprits found and made of an example of. You will find these unicorns and all of their conspirators and turn them over to us so that we can punish them under Imperial Law. Do you understand?” This wasn’t good. The humans had given the Interim Council full power to govern the pony population of Canterlot in return for their allegiance. If humans were going to begin punishing ponies in accordance with human law . . . the council was in serious trouble.
“Of course,” Blueblood said quickly. “As soon as the peasant brutes that did this are caught we will give them to you without delay.”
“Good,” said Helmholtz evenly. “Then you are dismissed.”
----
“Sister we can’t possibly give them that!” Celestia winced as Luna began to shout. She hadn’t quite reached the levels of the royal Canterlot voice, but at this rate it was only a matter of time.
“Luna we don’t have much choice in the matter. The humans are hammering us hard, and we have heard nothing from Appleoosa in days. We can’t afford to turn away help from any source.” Luna continued to pace across the room angrily. After the ambassador had given them the Griffon’s offer, the two sisters had left to find a room in which to speak privately about the possibility of the alliance.
“Accepting help is one things sister, but buying at the cost of our lands and subjects is another entirely!” The griffon’s offer had been immediate and total military support, but in return they wanted the princesses to give them the lands east of Manehatten. It would give the Griffons extensive new lands and reduce Equestria by a fair amount. There were also fairly large gem and ore deposits in the East and losing them would seriously damage the Equestrian economy. It would also cost the homes of all the ponies in those lands that would either have to live in Griffon territory or leave their homes. The decision would be a costly one either way: On the one hoof they could lose extensive and gem-rich lands as well as cause the displacement of thousands of citizens, but on the other hoof they would be denied the extensive military support of the Griffons who were far more militarized and in a better place to launch a counter attack than the Equestrians were. Either way, Equestria would lose and Griffonia stood to break even or gain.
“Luna we don’t have a choice,” Celestia said firmly. “The lands we would be selling are in the possession of the enemy already. If we refuse the Griffon’s offer than it is doubtful that we could ever retake them and if we accept the offer than we would only lose that which we have already lost. It is the bitterest of bargains, but it is one that must be made. We can insure that our subjects will be moved into other Equestrian lands, but if we don’t make this sacrifice than we may very well lose everything.”
Luna was still furious and it showed. Her muscles were tensed and her pacing had almost worn groves into the floor. Raw magic was radiating from her horn and her eyes were beginning to glow white. However her sister’s words cut through the red haze in her mind. Regardless of her feelings, she was a princess of Equestria and because of this she had responsibilities beyond the pale of normal citizens. She had to decide what was best for the whole of Equestria regardless of her own personal feelings on the matter. Shoulders slumped in defeat; she turned to face her sister.
“Very well sister. We will accept your judgment in this matter, but we still believe that this bargain will come back to haunt us when all of this is said and done.” Celestia sighed in relief, glad that they were in agreement, but her heart still ached that she had to give away the homes of thousands of ponies.
“I know sister, I know. Now let us go: we still have to inform the ambassador of our decision in this matter.” The two sisters left the room and walked back towards the smiling ambassador with determined sets to their faces.
----
The gathered ponies milled about in the darkened tunnels. There were a few dozen in total, with a relatively even mix of earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi. The muted conversations ranged the emotional gamut from worried, to excited, to fearful. Despite the sheer number of ponies talking, any observer could quite easily tell what each and every conversation was about: the murder of the two human guards. Some were happy that they had begun to strike back against the invaders, but others were worried that the murders would only bring greater censure down upon them all. Regardless of what side they were on however, all conversation ceased as a small group of cloaked ponies took their places at the head of the crowd.
These ponies all wore masks, and the only thing that could be discerned about them was what race of pony they were. There were six in total with two earth ponies, three pegasi, and one unicorn. It was one of the pegasi who stepped forward to address the crowd.
“Attention everypony,” they said. “There is an important matter that needs to be addressed tonight. Namely, who killed those humans and perhaps more importantly why?!” There was some uncomfortable shuffling from the crowd before a small group of ponies were brought forth. The masked pegasi looked down at them.
“Why did you kill those humans? Your orders were clear: capture them. They would have been far more useful to us alive.” The unicorns in the group looked uneasily at each other before responding.
“We were intending to capture them, but how were we supposed to know that magic practically melted them. We thought they were resistant to magic, so we just bombarded them with it.” The masked pony shook their head.
“Regardless, your actions have caused serious repercussions. Our sources in the nobility tell us that the humans are demanding a full-scale ponyhunt for the killers and have convinced the Interim Council to allow punishment under human law.” There were gasps of shock and horror at this pronouncement. A city-wide ponyhunt was bad enough, but there not a single pony that fully understood the extent of the humans’ laws. If they were undercutting the authority of the Council to punish the killers of their guards than whatever punishment they had in mind must be truly horrifying.
“You’re . . . you’re going to protect us right?” The killers in question and their friends were trembling like leaves in a strong wind. The masked ponies looked to each other for a moment before turning back towards the terrified ponies.
“Yes. While you will answer for your failure to do what we asked of you, we will not give up any of our own to these bastards.” The small group of ponies sighed in relief, the tension leaving their bodies like a flood.
“I believe that that is all for tonight,” the masked pony said. “You should all return to your homes before the curfew starts. Long live Equestria!”
“Long live Equestria!” The crowd answered, before breaking up as ponies began to find their own ways home.
----
Trottingham was in chaos. The news had been slow to arrive, but when it did it came in force. Hordes of refugees from the east and north had flocked to the city, all of them bearing horrifying tales of creatures that had invaded Equestria. According to them Manehatten, Canterlot, and the Eastern Territories had already fallen to these monsters. After that, the city streets had become clogged with citizens going to stores and buying up as many supplies as they could before fleeing the city to escape from the monsters. The city police had tried to bring some order back to the chaos, but it was a difficult prospect.
Eventually the tide of incoming refugees and fleeing citizens had been staunched, but now without serious cost. Emergency supplies for those remaining within the city were in dangerously short supply, and many of the merchants had fled further south after their wares had been sold out. Already there were ponies brining more and more complaints to the mayor. If something was not done soon there might very well be riots in the streets. Thankfully, some of the refugees had been policeponies in their communities and were willing to help out here.
The mayor sighed as she looked over the latest complaints from the citizens of Trottingham.
“Another day, another pony with problems,” she muttered to herself. It would be better if she could delegate some of these complaints, but much of her staff had left during the mass exodus and she had not yet replaced them. She was just getting through the last few pages of the stack, when one of the few ponies left on her staff burst through the door.
“Mayor, we have a big problem. You have to come quick!” The mayor got out of her seat and followed the pony through the darkened halls of City Hall. When she emerged into the sunshine, she could see smoke rising from a building a few blocks away.
“What’s going on here?” She yelled out. The aide looked back at her as he led her towards the fire.
“A group of refugees and citizens got into an argument over how to split emergency supplies. The citizens think they deserve a first crack at any supplies made available while the refugees feel that it should be first come first serve. Tensions are boiling over all over the city and the two groups got into a fight. The policeponies are trying to break it up, but fights like these are flaring up everywhere. It’s like trying to put out a wildfire with a bucket of water.” The mayor just shook her head as she struggled to keep up with the aide.
What had happened to the world? Just days before, ponies had been the same as always and everypony had lived in harmony to some degree with their neighbors. Now? Now ponies were at each other’s throats over food and water and there were horror stories of monstrous invaders rampaging through the land. It was like the end of the world had come at last.
When the two ponies finally arrived, they were stunned at how much the fight had escalated. What had been only a few ponies had ballooned to dozens, all of them fighting over the crates of supplies situated in the center of the square. Unicorns threw magic in every direction, causing bright flashes of light to add to the disorienting effect of the sound and smoke in the square. Others had grabbed whatever makeshift weapons they could reach or just wading into their opponents with nothing but their bare hooves. In isolated pockets throughout the fight, policeponies could be seen trying to restore order and failing miserably. The mayor found a wooden box and leapt on top of it, getting ready for her attempt at curbing the shocking display of violence. She took a deep breath, but just before she could let out a shout she heard something strange carrying into the square on the wind. It was faint, but steadily getting louder and louder as time went on.
We are the chosen of Magnus.
We carry His name on our shoulders as our fathers did before us.
Through the mists of time He speaks to us,
Tells us of the evil of the usurpers,
Of the reasons for exodus,
And the rights of the traveler.
This land is our destiny and our right! Enlightenment is our gift.
Magnus foretold us of this Eden with a promise of deliverance.
We shall defend her till our deaths.
The fighting had died out as the haunting chant carried to every pony in the square. The citizens of Trottingham and the Mayor were confused, but the refugees had all paled and their eyes had shrunken to pinpricks.
“The monsters!”
“They’ve come for us all!”
“Everypony for themselves!”
Within a second, the refugees were bolting in every direction their screams filling the air in a deafening crescendo of noise.
----
Today was turning out to be a good day after all. The Emperor was at the head of the crusader forces and from all appearances the city in front of them was doing everything in its power to hand them a victory. Smoke and fire could be seen coming from within the city and the faint sounds of screams could be heard emanating from within. Holding up a hand, the Emperor brought his army to a halt. He could hear his officers relaying the order to halt down the line as thousands of soldiers came to a halt just outside the city of Trottingham.
“Crusaders! Today represents the next phase of our crusade! When the South is ours we can finally begin our march against the daemon-queens themselves! Gunnery crews begin full bombardment!”
Hundreds of voices were raised in assent as the gunnery crews loaded and aimed their cannons towards the city. The crews looked to their officers who nodded sharply and the bombardment began. Hundreds of shells flew towards the city as mortar officers followed up the heavy bombardment with quicklime rounds. Within moments, concussive explosions echoed throughout the city as choking clouds of quicklime seeped into every corner of the city’s streets and alleyways. The faint screams now turned into a thundering chorus of the damned that almost equaled the sounds of the massive cannonade. The bombardment continued for two hours before the cease fire order was relayed down the ranks. Another hour or so passed as the humans waited impatiently for the quicklime to dissipate.
When the hour passed, the human war machine began to move. Infantry charged into the city with mortar crews not far behind. Riflemen and heavily armored swordsmen searched through every street and alley, every house and cellar. They found little to no military, but large numbers of civilians that had escaped the cannonades and quicklime. The city of Trottingham now became very similar to the city of Canterlot in one key respect: while humanity had transformed much of the city into a smoking wreck, the numbers left behind were relatively unharmed on one condition. They were to renounce the daemon-queens and serve humanity. If they did than an Interim Council would be established and they could govern their own under the beneficent hand of mankind. If not . . . well, there were more than enough soldiers to force a decision should it come to that.
The mayor had quickly agreed to their demands in order to spare the city and its inhabitants any further harm. Despite the occupation being relatively easy to affect, there were undoubtedly many ponies who had fled southward to Stalliongrad, or simply into the wilderness. However this did not change the import of this victory: With another city under their command, humanity was one step closer to bringing the war directly to the daemon-queens. Victory parades and the ceremonial destruction of anything glorifying the daemon-queens were conducted and humanity began to rebuild the city into a city they would be proud to incorporate into their empire. All the while, the Emperor plotted how best to move on and take the last free Equestrian city in the south: Stalliongrad.
----
The defenders stood watch over the walls of the walls of New Vona, a port town near the Eastern Mountains. Overall it was a relatively easy job. The pony population had long since been pacified and the relatively large concentration of human troops occupying the town and the naval ships in the harbor kept any thoughts of resistance from their minds. Nothing had changed in the past few weeks, but something was different today. The banks of fog and clouds hanging over the mountains seemed to be thicker today than any other day and the air was thick with ozone, presaging a thunderstorm.
The guards had been on alert all day as they knew that the ponies controlled the weather and the sudden storm had aroused no shortage of suspicion. Everything was fine until midday. Not long after the sun had risen the highest in the sky, they came. The clouds had been slowly drifting over from the mountains until they had come to rest just over the edge of town. A moment passed and soon all hell broke loose. From the thick clouds suddenly echoed massive claps of thunder and bolts of lightning blasted down and impacted randomly throughout the town. Humans and ponies alike were killed by either the bolts impacting them or in the fires caused by the bolts’ impacts.
Fire spread out from the impact points as the bolts continued to fly from the clouds. Humans ran in every direction, desperately trying to regroup and mount some sort of defense. Suddenly, a great screech rose up from above the cloud layer as suddenly hundreds of feathered forms dived down through the spent clouds towards the town. Griffon warriors swooped down and crashed into the human forces with swords and axes held aloft in their talons. They had already established a foothold in the town before the human soldiers were able to rally.
Riflemen rushed forward and took positions behind hastily thrown together barricades before taking shots at the incoming griffons. Griffon warriors fell from the sky as the rifles blew holes in their unarmored bodies. The looks of shock and awe on the faces of the griffons gave renewed heart to the human forces as they launched a counterattack against the hasty invaders. The griffons were pushed back bit by bit as the riflemen continued to fire and mortar crews arrived to reinforce them. Blood and bodies littered the streets as the humans repelled the griffons. Two lines of riflemen gave chase to the griffons, but were cut down as more lightning bolts rained down from the skies. The rest of the human forces moved back within the boundaries of the town.
----
General Steel Talon looked on in shock and anger at the broken remnants of his initial invasion force. The humans had been scattered from the lightning bombardment and his forces had rushed in to finish off their isolated forces, but instead of the relatively easy battle he had been expecting his forces had been driven off by the human’s strange weapons.
“I can’t believe this,” he said angrily. “It appears that we have underestimated our new foe. Aide!” In a flash, his aide rushed into the tent.
“What is it general?”
“Take a letter to high command. Tell them the first attack has failed and that we need more troops.”
“How many sir?”
“All of them.”