16. Applebloom Wants You!
In the early hours of the morning, when Celestia was just beginning to place the sun above the horizon, a small automobile cruised down the Manehattan streets. On its way towards a very tall skyscraper, it followed a convoy of other vehicles carrying precious cargo.
Applebloom sat in the driver's seat while her two best friends got some well deserve sleep. The yellow mare could persist without it. On one occasion, she had gone nearly three days without any sort of rest. Pushing herself to the limit was a characteristic many of her acquaintances both admired and dreaded.
What if she pushed herself too far?
But quitting was an option Applebloom seldom chose, due in part to her headstrong stubbornness. The point of no return had not yet arrived for others, but it was gone a long time ago for that pony.
Within half an hour, Applebloom pulled up to the base of her building, rendezvousing as planned with the others who opted to stay and fight. Motioning to them, she began to take a box off one of the trucks. Soon, dozens of such wooden crates were stacked on the pavement. The ponies took a look inside each one to determine what was packed in it; the quick nature of their content's construction prevented the crates from being marked properly. Rifles were placed in one area, and ammunition in another.
After the unloading was finished, a few early-morning joggers ran up to Applebloom and her operation, utterly dumbfounded as to why all these crates were piled up along the curb.
Simply confused over this unusual sight, one of the joggers addressed the industrialist earnestly.
"Excuse me...miss? W...why are all these boxes here? You're blocking the sidewalk."
Applebloom giggled. "Go around it. We're gearin' up."
"For what?"
"An attack. Ya see, these crates are full to bustin' with rifles and bullets."
"Excuse me?" The earth-pony stallion asked, genuinely unsure if he heard her correctly.
"That's right. We’re gonna mount an all-out assault on the East End. We're gonna take back the city from the gangs. You interested?"
"Um...uh..." The pony nervously stuttered, afraid he would momentarily be impressed into serving in some rebel army. He did all that he thought he could and galloped off as fast as his legs would carry him.
Applebloom rolled her eyes. "That's just as well. Ah need to find some real ponies." She called out to the beginnings of her freedom fighters, motioning for them to congregate toward her. "Alright y'all! I'm sure we'll find some worthy soldiers somewhere out there! Now go and knock on every door and tell 'em to come here!"
One of her employees raised her hoof. "But Miss Applebloom! It's just barely sunrise. Everypony is probably still asleep."
"Ya mean sleepin' in! This is bigger than any of us. Just do it! Come on! We're burnin' daylight!" After stomping her hoof on the pavement, Applebloom rushed onwards to recruit anypony willing to fight for her cause. The rest followed suit.
A good hour was spent covering several city blocks, tediously knocking on doors and trying to entice tired ponies to answer Applebloom's call. Many agreed to check it out on the condition that they could shower and drink a cup of coffee. When they were ready, over a hundred ponies surrounded the entrance to Apple Tower.
The black-suited mare climbed on top of a box, mentally estimating the numbers. Nice turnout, she thought.
Meanwhile, in Applebloom's vehicle, her two friends were awoken by the sound of a hundred ponies talking with each other. It took a while for Scootaloo to realize her current position: Sweetie Belle had cuddled up next to her, and the pegasus had laid her foreleg around the white unicorn.
The curly-maned filly opened her eye and looked up at Scootaloo, then back down at the uniformed torso directly in front of her. A couple seconds later, the situation was finally made clear. Repelling from one another like the equal poles of two magnets, the pair each hit their head on the windows.
Rubbing the bump, Sweetie Belle awkwardly began to speak. "Uh...how did you sleep?"
"Good...good. You?"
"My back's a little stiff." Sweetie replied, rubbing her lumbar region.
"What's that noise?" Scootaloo asked, shifting her ear around to pinpoint the source of the sound.
Sweetie came towards the pegasus' window and looked at the large crowd gathering just outside. "Looks like Applebloom's got an army..."
"She's living on a prayer if she thinks we can turn this into an effective fighting force." Scootaloo opened the door and climbed out, followed by her unicorn friend. The duo ran over to their optimistic third member.
"Applebloom!" Sweetie cried. "You did it! You actually got together some ponies!"
The earth-pony looked down at the two, rubbing the back of her head. "Ehhh...not quite." Turning back to face the crowd, she cleared her throat. Taking a deep breath to calm herself down, Applebloom began to address the congregation.
"Attention! Quiet y'all! You all probably know why Ah've called you here!"
A gruff unicorn stallion in the group spoke up. "I sure do. We awll heard some country filly came out here askin' for our help fightin' dem thugs over on da Island. I came out here in the freezin' air, standin' in my robe in da snow just to see if dat mare had really lawst her mind!"
The pony's friend laughed and joined in. "Yeah! You're dat Apple...Blossom who runs my cousin's workplace. I heard youse was eccentric, but what makes you think you can take on dese ruthless gangbangers, hah?"
The businessmare adjusted her hat to appear more dignified. "Mah name is AppleBLOOM. And Ah believe, with all mah heart, that we can free Manehattan! This ain't somethin' y'all hear every day, but Ah'm in desperate need of ponies..." She paused, glancing around the crowd. "Ponies who are willin' to go into battle with me."
Immediately the mass of stallions and mares turned into a sea of whispers and conversations. What Applebloom could pick up let her know they understood she was asking them to go to their possible deaths. A shrewd salespony, the yellow mare knew she had to hook them now or risk losing them.
But unlike a sale, this was about something more important than money.
Before Applebloom could convince them, Sweetie Belle joined her friend up on the box. Noticing that many were about to leave, the unicorn summoned the power of her voice.
"Wait! Please, we need your help! Hear us out." The crowd stopped and listened.
"I'm not a soldier, or a Wonderbolt, or a factory worker. I'm certainly not some big name industrialist. I'm not strong or cunning are anything like that. I'm just a singer. I've never shot a gun before, or even so much as thrown a punch. I'm sure Applebloom really wants to tell me to just go back home. I have no business here. I'm sure many of you feel the same way."
A good portion of the crowd was nodding their heads. "But! I've decided to stay. Why? I don't know, to be honest. Maybe it's because I need to stand by my best friend...my sister-in-law. Maybe I've realized I shouldn't worry about myself so much when others are in danger...because right now over a million in the East End fear they might not see tomorrow..."
A few moments passed as the crowd digested Sweetie's words. Then, a mare started shouting.
"We know! I've got family there. The phone lines are dead. I haven't heard from them in days. I...I'm scared...of what they'll do if I cross them."
"Yeah!" Cried another mare. "You know about what happened to the police! They gunned 'em down...in cold blood."
"If we don't do something, though, they'll just keep picking at us because they know we won't fight back."
"It's a catch twenty-two!" The first mare said.
"Yes. There will be blood and suffering. Some of us will be hurt. Some of us even may die. But it's no different from the way things are now. It's only a matter of time before we're at their mercy. There's no point avoiding war...because it's already here." Sweetie Belle was now shaking, her speech causing her nerves to rack. "And...I'm terrified..."
Noticing her friend's energies starting to subside, Applebloom interjected in, fueled by Sweetie's passion. "That's why we have to fight now! Fight 'em here! Show them what it means to mess with Manehattan!"
About a minute passed while the ponies silently thought to themselves. Then, rousing cheers erupted from the audience, but the bulk still weren’t won over.
"Come on! This is y'all's city! This is your home! We can't live in fear! We can't let them bully us!" More joined in the clamor. "Do it! So years later you can tell your children that YOU fought to protect your city! To free your compatriots groanin' beneath the tyrant's hoof! To give the foals not yet born a safe place to live!" The shouts were now so loud Applebloom's ears began to hurt.
"Who's with us?" The very earth shook as the crowd stomped their hooves and rallied around Applebloom and Sweetie Belle's box.
Scootaloo flew up behind her friends. "Looks like we've got the makings of an army."
"Indeed. Ya think ya can whip 'em into shape?"
"I'll do my best, AB. But for that I’m gonna need a lot of leeway. How you setting up your command structure?"
Applebloom smiled. She was sure that Wonderbolt would come in handy. "Ah'll leave that to you."
Scootaloo nodded, and flew out over the crowd. Clearing her throat, she puffed out her chest, wearing the full dignity of her commission.
"Alright, everypony! I am Lieutenant Scootaloo, Equestrian Air Force, Wonderbolt." The crowd fell silent and looked up at her. "Applebloom may be your civilian commander, but I am responsible for turning this group of proud Manehattanites into an effective assault force. Do we have any veterans here?"
About twelve raised their hooves. They were mostly older and less suited for combat. "Good. You will be our company leaders. Now would my company leaders approach this...box, please?" The veterans obliged. "Everypony, split into equal sized groups for each of them. It doesn't have to be exact."
For five minutes each member of the crowd scrambled to find a company to be part of. When they were finished, one of the leaders addressed Scootaloo. "Excuse me, Lieutenant." He asked saluting. "Are you sure we're enough?"
"No. Which is why I want every group to go out and recruit more ponies! Do what you have to convince them. Come on! We've got a lot of rifles to distribute!"
Each unit broke off to different parts of the city. A hundred could cover much more ground in the same amount of time than the dozen or so earlier.
Scootaloo landed softly on the group, please with her work. Applebloom and Sweetie hopped of the crate, and joined their friend.
"Wow, Sweetie...I didn't know you had it in you." The orange pegasus said, referring to the unicorn's speech.
"Yeah." She replied, giggling a bit. "Me neither. How soon do you think you can train them?"
"It takes months to properly train a soldier. Most I can do is teach them to fire and follow orders. We only have one day." She turned to Applebloom. "It'll be sloppy."
"It's the only chance we got. If anypony can do it, it's you."
"I’ll do my best. What's the plan of attack, anyway?"
"We'll go over that with your sergeants once everything is done. Trust me."
"We've gotten this far, Applebloom." Sweetie Belle said smiling.
"Gettin' the weapons and army was the easy part. The actual fightin' is still ahead."
"Then we'd better get to work. First, I think I'm gonna teach you how to shoot, Sweetie." Scootaloo flew over to a crate and lifted off the top. Grabbing the first rifle, she tossed it at the white unicorn. She caught it with her magic, the barrel muzzle inches from her face.
"First rule...NEVER point the barrel at yourself." Scootaloo chastised, turning the gun around so it was pointing at the ground. Sweetie could only give a guilty grin.
Applebloom shook her head in a playful fashion before returning to her inventory. She pulled a large piece of paper from her jacket pocket and placed it on a box. Unfolding it revealed a map of the city. Producing a pen, the yellow mare began scribbling battle plans.
Without reliable intel or really any firm idea what she was doing, this proved a difficult and risky endeavor. But if there was anything Applebloom had going for her, it was a strong gut feeling.
After all, she hadn't gotten to her current position by playing it safe.
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By the time dawn had turned to late afternoon, Applebloom's army was ready. Over a thousand ponies were recruited by her original hundred. The company leaders all gathered around Scootaloo as she taught them everything she could about military discipline she could in the short amount of time. They in turn taught the recruits.
The ponies all learned to shoot a rifle and vigorously went through the drills, unloaded of course. By the time the sun was nearing the horizon, the average citizen-soldier could theoretically fire off a round every two seconds of so.
Jogs around the city blocks were made to warm up the ponies. Pegasi exercised their flight muscles and with Scootaloo's help broke their personal speed records multiple time. The training was grueling, but in the back of all their minds they knew it had to be done.
When Scootaloo thought everypony was ready for action, she came back down to the front of Apple Tower. Among the parked vehicles and stacks of opened crates, Applebloom stood still thinking through her plan. The orange pegasus hovered down, looking at her friend.
"Well...Scootaloo..." The yellow mare began, still looking at her map. "We're outta time."
"Perfect! 'Cause I think we're ready. I know it's not much Applebloom, but it's something."
The earth pony glanced up and smiled. "Get your officers over here. We'll go over the plan, and then move out as quickly as possible."
"You got it!" Scootaloo wasted no time and lifted off.
Within ten minutes, the summoned ponies all gathered around Applebloom's map. Sweetie Belle coming up to her side, the Commander waited for all to place their attention on her.
"Alright y'all! Ah think ya know what time it is. Here's the plan: there are twelve companies. Scootaloo gave you all designations, right?
A collective affirmative came from the officers. "Excellent. Groups one through three will approach from the northern bridge. Ten through twelve will go along the southern bridge. Scootaloo and Ah will lead the remainin' six across the largest bridge. We hit 'em fast and hard in the center." Her pen followed the lines she drew, clearly illustrating the operation.
"We tie 'em down in the middle, while the two outer battalions fight their way through and swing on down, surroundin' the gangs. Once we got them smashed against the rocks, we can push forward and take the city. Pick up any ammo and weapons y'all can! They got some real nice sub-machine guns Ah hear.
"And you're sure dis'll work?" One of the older stallions asked.
"If we fight hard enough. Whadya think?"
"It's all we gawt!" Another pony said. "Come on! We're wasting time!"
The group broke off and reported to their units. For the next hour or so, ammunition clips were distributed out to everypony with a rifle. Locked and loaded, the companies all advanced to their bridges. Some were in vehicles, but most had to walk in the cold snow and ice.
Before Applebloom would get into her position, she motioned to her friends. Following their friend, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle came to the large building directly behind Applebloom's tower. After turning on the huge number of lights, the trio made their way to a large object covered in a tarp.
"What's this, Applebloom? Why aren't we joining the others?" Sweetie Belle inquired.
"We got a different job than them, and we need the right equipment."
"Job? What job?"
"Ah need to have a word with the mayor, Scoots. While the tough fightin' is happenin', we'll slip past and head to the Capitol."
"How are we going to 'slip past' heavily armed gangs?"
"With this." Pulling off the tarp revealed a large metal vehicle, the likes of which Scootaloo and Sweetie had never seen.
A shining metallic automobile stood, bearing reinforced metal plates and snow tires, the latest headlights and suspension, as well as two large guns mounted atop its frame.
"This is the AI-AV 01/12. Ah like to call it the 'Thunder Runner'. It's entirely constructed out of high-carbon hardened steel, has bulletproof windows, advanced shock absorption, twin mounted belt-fed .50 caliber machine guns, AND even has heated seats."
"Whoa..." Scootaloo said, her jaw literally dropped.
"And it can go zero to sixty in less than a ten seconds. Maximum speed is about...one thirty-two miles per hour."
"Why do you have this, Applebloom?"
"The Army asked me to look into a heavy-duty assault vehicle, Sweetie. It's technically not done and this is only a prototype, but ah have my models built like the real thing. Let's try her out!"
The pegasus gleefully jumped into the armored automobile, much to Applebloom's delight. Their unicorn friend followed suit. Scootaloo however realized that the vehicle had not yet started.
"Um...it's not on. Somepony go crank it."
"No need! It's got this new gadget called the 'electric starter'. All you do is take this key...and turned it right here." Seconds later the engine was revving and the lights came on.
"That's pretty neat, but ponies will misplace the key. Eh...it'll never catch on."
Applebloom just laughed. She then took her semi-automatic rifle off from her back and placed a clip into its chamber. Closing the breech, she fastened the bayonet to the end and placed the rifle safely on the seat. Motioning for her friends to do the same, they each made sure their weapons were loaded and ready to fire.
Rolling down the window, Applebloom had one last thing to do. Reaching into her jacket pocket, she produced a clipped cigar and a matchbox. Placing the cigar in her mouth, she struck a match and lit up, puffing a couple times.
Sweetie Belle looked on with disdain. "Applebloom! Put that out!" The white unicorn tried to reach over to take it away but her hoof was swatted back.
"Don't y'all ever, ever touch mah cigar." Her tone wasn't disrespectful, but serious nonetheless. Next, she stuck out her foreleg. "Come on! You know you want to."
"We haven't done that in years!" Scootaloo objected.
"Do it!"
The pegaus rolled her eyes and laughed. "Fine!" Placing her hoof on Applebloom's, she gestured for Sweetie to do the same. Enthusiastically the unicorn obliged.
In one voice, the three uttered a derivative of a phrase they hadn't said for a long time. "CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS GANGBUSTERS!!!"
After their cheer, Scootaloo climbed up into the turret on top, while Sweetie Belle sat comfortably in the passenger’s seat, clutching her gun like the lifesaver it was. Blowing a cloud of smoke, Applebloom shifted the vehicle into gear and put the pedal to the metal, showing the true speed capabilities of her new toy.
The "soldiers" Scootaloo had trained were already on their way into position. Soon the three crusaders would join them, speeding along the streets of West Manehattan.
Armed and dangerous, Applebloom's army will have put the Fear of the Almighty into the gangs by the time they were done. And the Mayor would soon know what it was like to have the yellow industrialist as an enemy.