“WHAT DO YOU mean this is all we have!” Vladimir roared. The room fell silent; George and Iris shrank slightly at the grey pony’s enraged voice. Reik remained resolute. “We got this far with just two and once we acquire-” Vladimir interrupted. “Once the evacuation is complete, and it probably is, the entire royal guard will be back for our heads!” Reik advanced on Vladimir, undeterred by his friends boiling rage. “The symbol of royal might will be a crater at midnight, no pony knows of our presence, and with this.” Reik gathered the small black talisman and presented it to his grey comrade. “With this tool of immeasurable power, we cannot fail, we will not fail." Iris and George's expression brightened slightly at the bold statement. Vladimir remained unmoved. "Inspiring words comrade, but words will not protect me from an axe to the back of the neck." Reik stuck the talisman into one of his dark pockets. He was tired of his friend’s negativity, they had already passed the point of no return, and now that the farmer and inventor had joined them, two more lives would be ruined if they stopped now. But he could not voice these thoughts; they would only lower the devotion that currently balanced on the edge of a knife. "Ah, so words will do no good, is that it?" The black pony said as he made his way to the nearest window. "Well in that case, action seems the only logical motivator, wouldn't you agree." He gently nudged the shades aside, checking the outside world for any signs of unnatural disturbance. He giggled at his own paranoia when his vision revealed only the empty, snow covered forest. Behind him, Vladimir groaned. "Well I suppose we're in too deep to quit anyway, but before we continue on this suicidal trek you call a revolution, I want to hear your full plan and in detail this time." The other occupants of the room nodded in silent agreement. Reik turned from the windowsill and walked towards the table, withdrawing several papers from the deep pockets of his coat, the papers seemed to multiply as he dug them out of the pits. "Well my friends, here is operation last contingency." In a short, fluid motion, Reik cast the assortment papers on the table. The papers spilled across the wooden table, some went over the edge and slowly drifted to the floor. Reik grinned as the three other ponies gawked at the pile of papers resting on the table. There was a long silence before anypony spoke.
"All this is for the operation?" George mumbled, lifting a single scroll, inspecting it with a child like curiosity. Reik, eager to recite his well rehearsed plan spoke. "No my friend, a few are examinations of Celestia's regime, others are blueprints for the post revolution Equestria, and these." Reik gathered what seemed to the others as random papers from random locations. "Are the plan itself, from start to finish, but seeing as we've already escaped Canterlot, we won't need these." The black pony discarded several of the papers in front of him casually and organized the few that remained. "Now, in summary, at this point in the revolution, I planned to enter Ponyville, while its inhabitants slept, and capture the elements of harmony, and- “Vladimir cut in abruptly. "And how exactly will we do that, and what purpose will that be." Reik, happy to deploy his canned answer at the expected question, spoke immediately. "The talisman, although powerful, is nothing compared to the elements, and combined with the talisman, we will be nigh unstoppable.” Vladimir nodded reluctantly. “But how exactly will we capture the elements?” Reik’s mental process stopped at his friend’s question. He never really got to that step; he assumed that the talisman would somehow work on its own. Actually thinking about the subject directly, Reik realized how many holes there really were in his ‘master plan’. Iris spoke suddenly, stepping between the two revolutionaries.
“It works telepathically.” Both Reik and Vladimir stared at the red pony in confusion. “Tele-whaticly?” questioned Vladimir. Iris spoke clearly, proud to express her own cache of knowledge as well. “When you told me about the talismans power, I held it to your head and imagined curing your hearing, and with that it was done.” Iris addressed Vladimir directly. Reik interjected immediately, eager to get to an opposite topic. “There you have it, and while Ponyville falls into disarray, we can capture all the elements.” Vladimir chimed in quickly; the grey pony must have thought this one would hit the hammer on the head. “Do we even know who holds the elements?” Reik had seen this argument repeated a thousand times and felt an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. One of them would make a point, the other would make a counter argument, thinking it would utterly crush the others point. Yet the other would have a prepared defense against his opponents point and the process would repeat all over again. If Celestia knew how truly predicable we were, we’d both be rotting in a cell about now, Reik thought. Papers rustled as the black pony fished out a single, small scroll out of the disorderly pile covering the table. He tossed it to Vladimir, smiling wickedly as he did so. “Names, addresses, friends, and everything on the holders of the elements of harmony.” A cruel grin spread across Vladimir’s features as he scanned the parchment. “Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight Sparkle.” Vladimir gave the paper to Iris who extended a monocle attachment from her goggles and proceeded to look over the paper closely with George edging beside her. “Now my memory may be a little fuzzy.” Said Vladimir, his tone was devious. “But I think I saw a fairly large apple farm through the trees right before our flyer crashed.
THE DOOR SLAMMED loudly behind Reik and Vladimir as they exited Iris’s dwelling. The wind lashed at the pair as they made their way off her property and into the forest. The biting winds and falling snow slowly lessened as the forest swallowed them. Against George and Iris’s wishes, Reik insisted that he and Vladimir travel alone. He urged that the other two remain together and draw plans for agricultural machinery. Or at least that’s the meaningless task he thought he had charged them with. As they ventured through the forest Reik observed his surroundings with a newfound sense of curiosity, as opposed to his caution and suspicion. Moonlight reflected of patches of white snow, illuminating junctions and sections of the forest, creating a majestic vision. Reik made a mental note to revisit this place in the future; it would be a lovely place to philosophize about his troubles. The forest grew quiet, as did the black pony’s comrade. It was not an honest silence. Reik could tell some doubt remained behind his friends tongue. It unnerved Reik to see his friend in such a state.
*You always where such a boring and dull pony, Reik.*
**You’ve been unusually quiet since this whole thing began, you must have at least one theory on how I’m going to screw this all up in the end?**
*My friend, are you saying that you have started to lack faith in my most excellent ability to describe the flaws that you knowingly and unknowingly allow to fill your life? Or better yet, have you begun to doubt me doubting you?*
The conversation was all in his head. Reik never talked to himself, to him that was a habit of the troubled or insane. But it was in times of loneliness, when he would spend hours on end contemplating his own philosophical conundrums that he would speak with Franz. Imaginary friend wasn't the most politically correct to Reik. Franz wasn't created, he simply manifested from the loneliness, inadequacy, and stress that came with his secluded lifestyle. Even in Canterlot, the two held numerous debates. Although the habit seemed childish to Reik, Franz was always there to question his every move.
*I mean honestly my socialistic friend, have I ever let you have even an ounce of self-confidence without first and foremost trying to demolish, degrade, or demote in some fashion?*
**Off the top of my head, nope, can’t name a single time you Discord wannabe.**
*I find that both ignorant and offensive, we’ve been over this twenty three and a dozen times.*
**Oh this should be good.**
*It will, Discord not only holds no respect for but he also actively rages directly or indirectly, conflict with order or civilization and his actions result in the harm and, or repression of the masses, I on the other hoof, hold great distaste for the nation, or state, and seeing as I am but a figment of your dull imagination can take no actions against the state or nation but if I could a supreme physical form my actions would result in the ultimate freedom and liberation for the masses, am I going too fast for you?*
**Oh don’t worry, I’m still following.**
*Well in simple terms Discord is the embodiment of chaos, while I represent anarchy, we are from completely different schools of thought.*
**Whatever helps you sleep at night.**
*You know very well I don’t sleep, oh, and your friends talking.*
“Reik, are you okay?” Vladimir had stopped walking and stared blankly at the black pony. The air was frigid and their breath turned to fog in front of them. Reik stopped walking and looked back at his friend calmly.
“Sorry comrade, I was just thinking.” The pair continued walking through the dark forest. Vladimir regained his pace and continued alongside Reik. To his relief the grey pony spoke his long contained thoughts.
“I’m troubled Reik, I could use some of your… wisdom” There was a short pause before he said wisdom. Reik could tell what lay behind his friend’s deceitfully calm expression.
“Speak your mind comrade; I will do my best to answer them.” Vladimir took no pause to blurt out his curiosity. “Do you really think that all of this will end the perfect world we envision?” Reik was both relieved and troubled to finally have the controversial question finally come to light. “That is a big question Vladimir; try to break it down for me, could you?” Reik’s tone was unlike what Vladimir had heard in the past. It was kind and tolerant; it was the kind of tone a teacher would use to correct a student, or a mother to kindly scold her child. Vladimir thought for several seconds, breaking the question down in to more manageable conundrums. Vladimir spoke, his tone, although harsh and strong, curious and full of doubt. “This revolution is motivated by a wish to better the conditions for the average worker right?” Reik nodded. Vladimir continued hastily, the ambient sounds of the wilderness died away as they spoke. “But it is not motivated by a hatred for princess Celestia, right.” The black pony took several long seconds before confirming his friends question with a reluctant nod. “Ok, but if that is so, then why are we sneaking around like rats and not rallying the workers, and why destroy Canterlot, why?” Reik took slightly longer to answer this time, this topic had troubled him. Troubled him to the point where he had repressed and suppressed the topic and now that it was in the open, he was strained to properly handle it.
“I tried to rally the ponies Vladimir, I tried, but they did not listen, but that is only in their nature, when you see crime in the street, when I lived in the castle and we were pestered at every corner by guards, when you see an injustice in general, can you think of words to stop these acts my friend, the masses do not listen to words alone, they must be shown action.”
*Reik, I’d expect such ignorance from Celestia, but you, you of all ponies in this land must understand the power and potential of words. Remember all those days you spent speakin-*
**Shut up.**
Vladimir brought Reik out of his internal conflict with another question. “Well then what’s the deal with Celestia, If we do not hate her, then why is she the target of all your negativity, isn’t it her class that we seek to abolish?” The black pony suddenly felt a massive weight fall upon his shoulders, he doesn’t hate Celestia, that was not the cause for his great revolution, but, if that is the truth then-
*Then why do you curse her name every day, you blame her for your outcast, you blame her for your misery, her destruction is the motiva-*
**Shut up, shut up, shut up!**
“An enemy must have a face comrade; you can’t wage a war with a concept.” Vladimir fell silent, Reik knew it was not out of reason; he had not answered his question, at least not precisely. Vladimir remained silent for several long minutes before speaking.
“What if they want to leave?” Reik, slightly surprised by the question, took a short pause before responding. “What do you mean?” Vladimir sighed heavily. “What if, after we lay out the rules and structure for our society, how will we make sure they follow them, and what if they try to escape?” Reik once again felt a surge of pressure at inquiry. “Anypony that does not follow the rules of society will be punished, how, I do not know at this time, and as for escape attempts.” Reik swallowed hard. “I suppose we could use the talisman's magic to create a wall or barrier of some sorts.”
*You're mad, do you even know what you’re fighting for anym-*
“So we’re terrorists?” Vladimir blurted out, his tone and expression hinted his immediate regret at the remark. Reik responded quickly. “No, we do not terrorize the masses, radicals would be more correct.” Vladimir nodded and spoke again. “But is that much of an improvement?” Before Reik could respond the ground shook gently, like a mother would rock the cradle of her offspring. Reik and Vladimir stood silently, in both a state of awe and horror. The gentle hum of thunder reached the forest. Vladimir looked to Reik who looked back with an expression of both glee and terror. The shaking continued for several minutes. After the shaking stopped and the ground lay still, the air, like everything else in the forest, hung frozen in the revolutionaries’ lungs. Reik, with a shaking hoof, raised his watch into the light. After wiping away snow and dirt the clock face shined against the moon light. Twelve o’clock, midnight. Reik broke into a run, a run inspired by both euphoria and dread at the ticking clock. Vladimir quickly followed, no further words where shared between the two ponies. The crooked, scattered, and black trees son turned into organized and groomed apple trees.