The room was dark, shards of light from the moon outside leaking through the shaded windows and onto the floor. The alarm clock on the bedside table pulsed a light green, not making a single sound as it slowly ticked off the seconds. Then the minutes. Then the hours.
Octavia stared at the clock, unable to sleep for reasons she couldn't figure out. Maybe it was because of the war. It wasn't easy knowing pretty much the next day everything'd be completely different.
"It's impolite to stare." The clock said, which almost made Octavia jump out of her sheets.
"Bucking hell-" she cursed, flipping onto her back and staring at the ceiling. "Does the bucking ceiling have an AI as well?"
"Nope." The alarm clock replied.
"Can you shut up and not say a thing to me ever again? I don't like the idea of a talking alarm clock. Absolutely ridiculous." Octavia covered her eyes with an arm across her face, still sweating from the scare she got earlier.
"I find that highly offensive, and possibly racist. But okay- muting." The alarm clock said, and fell silent.
Octavia laid there for a moment, looking into the darkness of her closed eyelids. "Oh great. Now I feel bad." She said a minute later.
The alarm clock beeped an agreement.
"I'm sorry." Octavia opened her eyes, casting the clock a sideways glance. "Forgive me? Stay muted though."
The alarm clock beeped again.
Octavia sighed, flipping over and giving it her back.
Then she heard talking outside. She couldn't make out the other voice, but the clear and articulate voice of the HQ's AI travelled through without a problem.
"Yes, she is awake." AL said, her voice dim since it had to travel through the door. "Just earlier she made an offensive comment to her alarm clock."
Octavia growled at that.
"And she is listening to this conversation now, judging from her reaction to my earlier statement." AL said, and then there was a soft knock on her door.
"Come in." Octavia said, sitting up and cringing with the effort. The treatment for her foreign matter poisoning did slow down the effects, but it was only temporary medication and occasionally side effects would still show. Until there is enough time(about a month), proper treatment cannot begin since stopping medication in the middle would render all the previous work useless.
"Hey." Rainbow walked in as AL opened the door, in her pajamas. "I heard you pissed off your alarm clock." She said. There was no doubt she was wide awake, but she used such a soft voice it sounded dreamy.
"It annoyed me though." Octavia stretched, making space on the bed next to her. The alarm clock beeped in defiance. Rainbow sat down next to her, slumping back into a spare pillow. "What's up?" Octavia asked, even though she already knew.
"The bloody presentation is tomorrow morning, and I still got nothing." Rainbow sighed.
"Really? Nothing?" Octavia raised an eyebrow. "After everything? You've got nothing?"
"It's BECAUSE after everything. I don't know what to say." Rainbow rubbed her forehead frustratedly. "I don't know where to start, where to end, or anything; really."
"Ssshh, don't worry." Octavia said. "I don't see why you're so worried."
"Are you kidding me?" Rainbow shot her a look that wasn't exactly friendly.
"When do we ever plan?" Octavia asked.
"Never." Rainbow replied with the obvious answer.
"And how does it turn out every time?"
"Perfectly." She muttered.
"Exactly." Octavia said, relaxing and lying down.
"Yeah- no, that didn't help." Rainbow said flatly, looking down at her hunting partner.
"Just say what you really think of the whole situation. Say what you really think of the science faction. Say what you really think of Val. Of the massacres. Of the centuries of war. Of the countless futures lost to oblivion." Octavia said.
Rainbow didn't reply to that, and only stared down at her stomach.
"You've been through a lot of pain, Rainbow." Octavia said. "And from what I've heard, pretty much everyone has. Don't think of them as an audience- because they aren't anymore. Not after everything that happened."
"We're all friends." Rainbow finished in a hushed voice, slowly realizing what this was really about. Realizing why the ponies needed motivation. Why it was so powerful.
It was her motivation that drove her this far. That kept her alive. That kept everything going.
"We're all friends..." She repeated, narrowing her eyes.
"We're all united." Octavia nodded.
Then Rainbow seemed to wake from her thoughts, her speech unfolding in her head. It wasn't something that needed script, or needed to be memorized. It was something that came from the heart. Something that had feeling in it, and not just something she decided to say- something she had to say, because she felt obliged to do so.
She almost jumped on the bed, and reached over and pulled Octavia into a suffocating hug.
"THANK YOU!" She cheered, letting go and jumping out of the bed.
"Where are you going?" Octavia asked, half asleep.
"Off to make history!" Rainbow cried, her voice fading off into the hallway as she left.
Octavia watched for a moment, until AL closed the door.
"That was interesting." She yawned, lying down. For some reason, she felt much sleepier now... Something seemed to have been settled, a problem solved- and that was always easier on the mind.
*
The next morning started off a lot slower than usual, since everything was set up and waiting for the moment for it to all kick off.
"You sure you're ready?" Octavia asked, fully equipped for battle- yet she looked exactly the same. Thanks to the inner pockets.
"Wouldn't be here if I weren't." Rainbow grinned.
Everyone in the team had been issued the standard set of equipment and weapons, and they were all set and fully armed.
"Well, here's your moment to shine." Octavia returned the grin, sunlight shining into the room from the huge floor-to-ceiling glass windows lined up on the north side of the CMC tower.
They were in Scootaloo's room, as it was the highest room on the tower with a balcony. The balcony itself had been set up for the presentations, for the final words before war. A single microphone was set up on the hoof rails, a spell preventing the high winds from getting onto platform. Applebloom was speaking her part right now, the 'Public Service Announcement' part of things.
Then she finished it, turned back and made a swift gesture for the nervous pegasus pony.
Rainbow looked to Octavia, who gave her a reassuring nod.
"Right behind ya sister." She said, and Rainbow nodded a reply.
With her head held high and the team behind her, Rainbow Dash took the final steps to the balcony and stopped before the microphone.
She could see images of herself on the huge screens strung up on the buildings all around Haven, broadcasting every bit of the announcements live to every nook and cranny of the city.
She reached out and tapped the microphone, making sure it was working properly as her heart beat against her chest.
In front of her had to be a crowd of tens of thousands, all pouring onto mane street. They stood watching, chatting amongst themselves- but the moment Rainbow tapped the microphone they all fell silent, listening intently from hundreds of meters down below the tower.
"Fillies and gentle colts, brothers and sisters- a time of great change is upon us. As you all know, we cannot live under the suppression of the Science Faction any longer than we already have. We can run, we can hide, but we will run out of breath; and we will be found. Until our enemies are no longer can we truly stop to catch our breaths, to emerge from the darkness where we have hidden. I know... That Haven cannot count as darkness. In all its glory and privilege, it is still just like its name- a haven. A hiding place. Somewhere to avoid the apocalypse- not to resolve it. But today is the day when we question how long we have left in this prosperity- and we don't have very long. I understand that many of you probably don't even want to go and leave this place we call home. But why do we call Haven home? Why don't we call the wasteland out there home? Why don't we call the Barricade home? Why don't we call anyplace else home?" Rainbow paused, sweeping the audience with her eyes. "Because we are a family, brothers and sisters bound together by our common goals and dreams... That maybe one day, we won't have to hide. That maybe one day we won't have to constantly live under the fear of being discovered. Of being dragged off into slavery- or death. But despite all the tyranny and vile that has been thrown at us, look at where we stand! In a city where its technological as well as magical advances compete against those of our enemies! And yet, all our potential is being wasted on hiding. We are stronger than we ever were. We didn't stand a chance in the past centuries, but we do now. We can fight now, then why wouldn't we? Stand up to defend Haven! Stand up to defend our home!" Rainbow hammered the railings with a hoof. "Stand up and defend what is precious!"
There was some dim cheering in the crowds below now. It was a start.
"If you're going to argue that we aren't strong enough, I beg your pardon! The fall of the Barricade!" Rainbow pointed up at the sky. "Is it still there? We took it down! We took it down- and most of us even lived through it!" She turned on her side and pointed at Magnum, Neon, Rig, Asty, Blinkie and Inkie- part of the team who was now standing behind her. "The Barricade had always been the most dreaded and powerful part of the Science Faction- and we wiped it clean from the skies without even needing an army! But now- our army has never been this strong. Never have we ever had the chance to get proper equipment and weapons for a fight. Now- we have better stuff than them. We have better fighters than them. We ARE BETTER than THEM. Only now have we been rewarded with a descent chance to fight- so, after centuries of waiting in hiding- brothers and sisters, will you take this chance!?" Rainbow's voice boomed across the city through speakers built into the screens which were reflecting her every move. "Take it! Brothers and sisters! We have waited too long! Take it and fight! Do not misunderstand my point, fellow citizens. What are we fighting for? Land? Our freedom? Money? We're fighting for everything- because that's what they took away from us. That's what the science faction took from us! They took away everything- everything here, they find it, and they'll rip it away from our hooves the moment they do. We created something, but what we had we don't anymore. Whether we're fighting for revenge over what we've lost, fighting to protect what little we have left, or fighting to gain back what they've taken from us; we fight as a whole. And not just us ponies!" Rainbow said, and a bit of cheering came from the other races mixed in the crowds. "The science faction didn't just oppress magic. They chose to put everything else, as long as it isn't themselves, under their own power. And that means all of us! All of us as the species that make up Equestria! From the big dragons on land to the fish in the sea- not one life form was spared from their terror! And that's what I mean when I say we fight as a whole- equines, dragons, griffons, cockatrices, phoenixes- and the billions of others out there, living just like we are, hiding in the shadows- TODAY IS WHEN WE ALL RISE!! LET US PUT OUR DIFFERENCES ASIDE! BECAUSE THIS, IS NOT SCIENCE VERSUS MAGIC ANYMORE! IT NO LONGER HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH THAT- IT'S ABOUT TWO SIDES, ONE SIDE CONTROLLING ITS CITIZENS WITH FEAR WHILE THE OTHER FIGHTS FOR FREEDOM AND ITS VERY OWN SURVIVAL!" The cheering from the crowd was growing louder and louder now. "Brothers and sisters, which side would you choose? Will we let them take whatever they want from us? Will we let them enslave us and kill us afterwards just like they did to our countless families and friends?"
The answer was definite as the crowd yelled back the defiant two letters- a sign that motivation was finally on its way.
"NO! WE WON'T!! WE WILL STAND AND STOP THEIR RULE!" Rainbow screamed, the crowd screaming back at her. She stood there, waiting for the crowds to calm down. Slowly it did, coming back to her attention. She took in a deep breath and sighed, looking down at her hooves. But then she looked back up again, ready to continue and as defiant against Val and her forces as ever. "I... I had a group of friends. Some of you may have heard of them- they have saved Equestria countless- COUNTLESS- times. The Elements of Harmony- Discord, Nightmare Moon, Changelings and parasprite invasions- we've all been through a lot together. But this was one thing we didn't see coming. For years the only things we thought that would ever pose a threat to us were those mysterious foreign species- never have we been terrorized by our species before. From within our own ranks the science faction rose, attacking where we least expected it. Of the six elements of harmony, I'm the only one left."
Octavia saw Silver slowly walk back into the house from the corner of her eye, her head lowered- but pretended not to notice. Let her go.
"All other five of my friends- the ponies I've actually spent the better half of my life with, and the other half protecting- gone in an instant. I'm sure many of you are aware that we were brought into this reality through a change in time. I can understand the many of you that look back to that other reality, thinking of times when things could be happy. When everyday there'd be a smile on your face and nothing could discourage you. Remembering our past, thinking of how things could've been. I can understand all of you, who have lost loved ones in the blink of an eye. It has happened far too many times already, and is still going. But let's not let our pasts slow us down- I'm not saying leave them behind and forget about them, but use them as our guide. Use our pasts as a goal, whether it's to get something back or to get revenge on those that have done this to us. Let our pasts be our motivation for fighting this war." She paused, looking down at the crowd, her eyes slightly watery. "You may think you're alone. I have done this too- but trust me, you'll never be. I've lost countless friends, and so have many of us here. But they will never tear us apart- because you know what, despite all the losses... We have gains." She once again gestured to the team behind her. "Many of these ponies here I didn't even know a week ago. Now it seems we'll all have to rely on each other's shoulders. And that is the same with every one of you out there! Whether you're an equine, a dragon or a griffon- anything- Equestria is here for you! WE are here for you! WE are here for each other! This war will end- one way or the other! And we'll make sure we take as many of them with us as we can! WE ARE EQUESTRIA!!! WE WILL NO LONGER HIDE OR SIMPLY DEFEND- IT'S TIME FOR US TO RISE! TO FIGHT FOR ALL THAT WAS OURS!!! FOR HOME!! FOR OUR FRIENDS!! FOR OUR FAMILIES!!! FOR THE WORLD THAT WE HAVE SHARED AND INHABITED FOR THOUSANDS OF GENERATIONS- LET US PUT OUR DIFFERENCES ASIDE- FOR EQUESTRIA!!!"
By now the crowd was roaring mad, weapons raised high up into the air as Haven's army- only a fraction of the huge number of magic faction forces out there in the wastelands- prepared for war.
There was loud screeching as a small band of griffons circled over head, cheering on the army.
All around the world, magic faction ponies- armies and civilians- the final announcements were heard as the live feed was broadcasted via magic channels to every corner of the globe. Even underground, the troops under science's control stood up as the feeds were broadcasted to them through optical spells.
Let the war begin.
*
"Empress!" The loud yelling of a messenger suddenly interrupted Val's conversation with Blithy. Annoyed, she frowned.
The double doors to her thrown room suddenly burst open, the messenger running in.
"Empr-" he started.
Val flicked her hand out, sending a bullet through his head using the guns embedded in her palm.
"Arseholes. Told them not to just barge in and knock first. These guys have no manners whatsoever." She muttered, standing up and stretching. "So, HEX- what was the message he was meant to bring me?"
"Filing through possibilities." HEX said. "One relevant result found. It would seem that someone has sneaked magic orb displays into various underground facilities. A live broadcast just ended, and there's a lot of activity going on with the slaves."
"Ah, looks like dear old Rainbow Dash made her move." Val laughed.
"How do you know it's Rainbow Dash?" Blithy frowned. "Could be anyone."
"Oh, you don't have to know how I know." Val grinned, yawning. "Alright. Time to attack Haven then, I guess."
"But you don't know where it is." Blithy said through gritted teeth.
"Somewhere in the Arctic North, very close to the Crystal Empire- I don't have the precise co-ordinates." Val said, and that shut Blithy up. She waved a hand and conjured up a screen. "Eclipse."
"Yes Empress Valkyrie." Eclipse appeared on the screen, the background behind her yet indistinguishable- but it was definitely snowy.
"You may attack Haven. Kill all the Wardens- and if you find Rainbow Dash, hehe... As much as I would love to kill her myself, rip her limbs and wings off one by one then make sure she bleeds to death." Val smirked. "And do record it while you do so."
"Acknowledged." Eclipse said, and the screen went blank.