//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: The Battle of Ponyville // Story: Brother Against Sister // by CartsBeforeHorses //------------------------------// February, seven years after Twilight Sparkle’s princess coronation A thousand hoofbeats thundered in unison on a dirt road. The unicorn army marched down the mountains, past the city limits of Canterlot, and into the foothills below. Their stomping scattered dust all around, which the wind gusts blew away. As the army walked, unicorns living in nearby houses ran out to the road to cheer them on. Mares held up children in their magic so they could get a better view. Stallions waved their hats in the air. The soldiers kept their stony gazes despite the fanfare, staring straight ahead and levitating their assault rifles in front of them with their magic. The barrels and bayonets of their guns glinted in the morning sun. The soldiers wore forest green camouflage slacks and wooly hats to shield their ears from the cold. Tan saddlebags sat on their backs, packed with ammunition, canteens, and rations. The army approached the fence on the border between the Second Kingdom and Equestria. It was a tall, steel fence with rusty barbed wire atop it. The road met a double gate, where a single border station sat: a small, white hut surrounded by bushes, with a single observation window. Atop the station, the red and white flag of the Second Kingdom flew alongside the sky blue flag of Equestria. An earth stallion stood inside. The pony gazed outside, and his eyes widened as he saw the approaching army. He grabbed his gun and rushed out the door, standing in the middle of the road. “Halt! You are entering Equestrian territory!” the border guard yelled, pointing his gun towards the army. The army continued, undeterred, as they closed in on the fence. The guard quaked in his horseshoes, his gun trembling. “Don’t approach any further, or I’ll shoot!” A charcoal grey-coated unicorn officer at the front of the battalion turned around and barked, “Halt!” The troops came to a standstill. The border guard still stood as the moments passed. The general pointed his hoof at two soldiers at the front of the line. One of the soldiers raised his own rifle, and he opened fire on the border guard. There was a single loud bang and a shout as the guard fell to the ground, crying out. The other soldier walked over to the station and tore down the Equestrian flag with his magic, leaving only the Second Kingdom’s. The shooter’s horn lit up as he tossed the body out of the road and threw it into the bushes to the side. A third unicorn swung open the gates. “Forward march!” the general barked. The battalion continued along the path, crossing the border into Equestria. The town of Ponyville wasn’t so small anymore. In the years since Princess Twilight’s coronation, it has blossomed into a mid-sized town with several thousand residents. New concrete office complexes had been built near downtown. Construction crews were busy putting in yet another subdivision near the outskirts, full of brick ranchers with shingled roofs and white picket fences. A second Rich’s Barnyard Bargains had gone up on the south end, across the river. But much in Ponyville remained the same. Most of the roads were still dirt or grass, with only a few of them paved. Many of the familiar downtown landmarks hadn’t changed at all. Sugarcube Corner, Carousel Boutique, and the town hall were as bustling as they always had been. Winter Wrap-Up, which would be in a few weeks, would still be done without magic, and everypony in town would still pitch in. That morning, Princess Twilight Sparkle and Spike stood in the lobby of the new town library. Twilight levitated two packed saddlebags towards the door, then turned to her assistant. “Spike, take a letter,” she said. Spike retrieved a quill and parchment as Twilight dictated, “Dear Princess Luna. I’ve just finished up my vacation to Ponyville. I had a great time catching up with my friends and relaxing. I will be returning to the Manehattan Palace later this evening to continue with my royal duties. Sincerely, Twilight Sparkle.” Spike finished jotting down the letter. “Done!” he announced, as he breathed green fire on it. “Good,” said Twilight. “Now, let’s return to Manehattan. We have a five hour long trip ahead of us.” Spike frowned. “Aw, come on, Twilight! Can’t we stay in Ponyville a bit longer? We’ve only been here a few days, and I haven’t even gotten to catch up with Zecora yet!” She shook her head. “Sorry, Spike, but duty calls.” Twilight loaded the saddlebags on her back as she and Spike walked out the front door. As they stepped outside, loud bangs echoed off in the distance. Spike’s ears shot up as he glanced around. “What was that?” Twilight’s pupils dilated. She paused for a moment, and then the sound repeated. “It sounds like gunfire,” she said. “Stay in the library and lock the door. I’ll be right back.” After Twilight put her bags back inside the library, she took off straight up into the air. When she was high enough to have a good view of Ponyville and all of its suburbs, her heart skipped a beat. The Second Kingdom battalion was fast approaching on the road to Ponyville. Their red and white flag fluttered in the breeze, clear even from a distance. The first few columns had already made their way into the town, fanning out in all directions. Twilight dropped back to the ground. Ponies frantically ran around in the streets as sirens blared. Police carts and paddy wagons rushed down the road. Officers poured out, parking the vehicles as makeshift barricades on the street about ten meters away from Twilight, as they fanned out into the streets. A policemare shouted through a megaphone, “Everypony get indoors!” Another police officer approached Twilight. He was a portly stallion, and had a chief’s shield on his uniform. “Princess Twilight!” the chief said, removing his cap and giving a quick bow. “These soldiers have come into town and shot every police officer they’ve seen! I’ve lost five of my guys already. We’re trying to hold them off on the edge of town, but we’re just police; we aren’t equipped to fight an army. Most of my officers just carry pepper spray and batons on patrol. I’ve ordered them all back to the station to get their guns, but we’re just police, not the army.” Yet more gunshots rang out. Twilight glanced north up the street. A white flash erupted, and three unicorn soldiers teleported into the road. They aimed their rifles at the police and sprayed the vehicles with bullets, their machine guns rattling as bullet casings clinked to the pavement below. The policemare with the megaphone dropped it, and got out a hoofgun from a holster around her waist. She ducked for cover behind the paddy wagon, leaning over the side and firing shots off at the unicorns. One of them fell to the ground, crying out in pain as he thumped to the ground. The fallen unicorn’s comrade reached into a saddlebag and pulled something out. “Grenade!” the policemare shouted. Twilight Sparkle extended a forcefield around herself and the chief, just as the grenade exploded next to the barricade, knocking the police vehicles back and setting them ablaze as they crashed into the ground. Thick, black smoke poured from the destroyed vehicles as the policemare outside the forcefield fell. Twilight lowered the forcefield and sent a surge of purple magical energy towards the two remaining soldiers, scoring direct hits. They dropped to the ground, their clothes and fur going up in flames, acrid smoke pouring out as they rolled around in panic, trying to douse the fire. Twilight turned to the chief. “Hold the invaders off the best you can. I’m going to get reinforcements at once!” “Yes, Princess,” said the chief. Twilight returned to the library, teleporting across the room to where Spike sat, next to a window, catching his attention with the flash. He jolted up. “Who are those ponies out in the street?” he asked, his eyes widening. “Do you know what’s going on?” “Yes, take another letter!” Spike obliged and got out a quill and parchment. “Dear Princess… Wait, never mind, just skip the greeting. The Second Kingdom has invaded Equestria, and they’re in Ponyville! Send reinforcements!” Spike madly scribbled the note, breathed fire on the parchment, and sent it. He asked, “They broke the peace treaty? Seriously?” Twilight nodded. “Yes, and they’ll overrun the entire town in a matter of hours, maybe sooner. We have to go to Cloudsdale and get some pegasi to help us. Air superiority is the only way Ponyville can last until General Spitfire comes with reinforcements. Come on, let’s go get Rainbow Dash and the others! Hurry!” Twilight grabbed Spike with her magic, placed him on her back, and flew off into the air. The sun had just reached its apex in the sky when Pinkie Pie rushed out the front door of Sugarcube Corner. “Bye guys national emergency I gotta meet with Twilight and stuff see ya later!” she shouted, running down the street in a pink blur. The police had erected barricades and piled sandbags all around downtown Ponyville, and Sugarcube Corner was still behind the police lines, but the unicorn troops were quickly advancing. Mr. Carrot Cake turned to his wife, his eyes narrowed. “I’ve got to go help defend the town.” He reached under the counter behind the cash register to retrieve a hidden shotgun. With the increase in size of Ponyville over the years, there had been an increase in crime, and he kept the gun as a deterrent to thieves. “Absolutely not!” Mrs. Cup Cake cried, putting her hoof against the gun. “Don’t be a fool, dearie. They’re a trained army, not some robbers. You’ll be killed! What about the kids?” She pointed to nine-year-old twins, who sat in the living room, crouched under a table. “What’s going on? Mommy? Daddy?” asked Pumpkin. “I wanna go help, too!” Pound shouted, eyeing his father’s shotgun. “We’re going to hide in the storm cellar. Come on, kids, let’s go,” said Mrs. Cake, walking over to them as she ushered them out the back door. “You too, Carrot,” she said, looking back at her husband and motioning for him to follow. He sighed, but obliged, running over to them. “Get some food; we might be staying down there a while,” she said. Mr. Cake grabbed a box full of fresh pastries from the kitchen. The Cakes rushed outside and over to the cellar door, while shots and explosions rang out in the distance. The army was getting closer. Mrs. Cake reached into her apron and got out the key, nervously fumbling with it as she unlocked the padlock on the cellar door. The family piled in, and Mrs. Cake closed the door behind them. The cellar was dark, cramped, and musty. The floor was dirt, and the ceiling was just barely tall enough for Mr. and Mrs. Cake to stand up without bumping their heads. Cardboard boxes, sacks of flour, crates of fruit, and old junk sat piled up around the sides of the walls. Mr. Cake set his pastries and shotgun down on the ground, and then rummaged through an old box, feeling around with his hooves until he found what he was looking for. He pulled out a small candlestick and a box of matches, and lit the candle, setting it on the floor. Then, he put his shotgun away, stashing it behind a barrel. The family gathered around the candle, huddled together as the cellar was rocked by repeated explosions from the battle above. Shots rang out in the distance as the battle raged. A few minutes passed without anypony speaking. Finally, Mrs. Cake spoke. “Oh, I hope that Pinkie Pie is okay! She just ran off with her friends to go and do who-knows-what.” “Maybe she’s off to see Princess Luna,” said Pumpkin. “I’m sure that Pinkie is fine,” said Mr. Cake. “She can take care of herself, and she has a way of getting out of bad situations. I’m just worried that the bakery will blow up, or catch on fire and collapse on top of us!” He nervously eyed the ceiling, which shook lightly from a distant explosion. The light from the candle on the floor flickered. “I mean, if one of us were to stay up there and keep an eye on things…” “I’ll do it!” said Pound. He got up and headed towards the cellar door. Mrs. Cake frowned, putting her hoof on his tail to stop him. “No you will not, Pound! I’m not having my little boy get shot. Sit back down.” “Come on, Mom,” he urged. “No! You’re just like your father, rushing off to do whatever you want without a single care for what might happen,” she said, sighing. “We’re all staying put here until things settle down.” About an hour passed, with the Cake family sitting in tense silence, listening to the gunfire and explosions above, until Pumpkin Cake spoke. “Why would they do this?” she asked. “We were at peace with the Second Kingdom, before.” Mr. Cake shrugged. “Your mother and I don’t really follow politics, Pumpkin. I couldn’t even tell you who’s running for mayor this year.” “Maybe they just did it because King Blueblood wanted to start a war. Sometimes, ponies do crazy things just because,” said Mrs. Cake. Pumpkin shook her head. “But why? There has to be a good reason.” After a brief silence, Mrs. Cake said, “I don’t know, dearie.” Another hour passed. The explosions and gunfire died down somewhat, and they became more distant. “Maybe they were driven off,” said Mr. Cake. “Or they’ve taken the whole town,” said Mrs. Cake. “I’m hungry,” said Pound. Pumpkin said, “Me too. Daddy, you brought pies, right?” Mr. Cake stood up from the dirt floor and walked over to where he had put the food, and grabbed four pies, bringing them back. They still smelled fresh and delicious. “Here you go,” he said. He pointed to each one. “There’s apple, cherry, blueberry, and peach, so pick which one you want. They might be a little lukewarm by now, though.” The Cakes each took a pie. “I hope the Greenfields are okay. I think I saw their house was on fire,” said Mrs. Cake. Mr. Cake shook his head. He spoke between mouthfuls of pie, “Let’s not talk about that. There’s no use worrying; there’s nothing we can do right now. Let’s all just eat.” The twins were both busily devouring their pies. Mrs. Cake glanced down at her blueberry pie, which she had taken only three bites of. She pushed the pie away from herself. “I’m not really all that hungry right now,” she said. Their conversation was interrupted by a banging at the cellar door. Mrs. Cake turned to her husband. “I wonder if that’s Pinkie, and if she’s come back?” A gruff, masculine voice yelled, “Open up!” “I don’t think it’s Pinkie,” said Pumpkin. Pound chuckled. “Maybe she’s just changing her voice and playing a prank.” Suddenly, something slammed against the door. A second later, it repeated. A few moments later, the wood splintered as a sliver of bright sunlight broke through. The Cakes winced, their eyes still used to the darkness. “Hooves where I can see them! If you have a weapon, drop it on the ground!” Mr. Cake put his hooves in the air. “And you’d better not have any guns hidden in there, either, or we’ll shoot you!” Mr. Cake remained silent, not moving. The room lit up even more as three unicorn ponies entered, illuminating the room with their horns. They levitated assault rifles in front of them, pointing them towards the Cakes. “Well, what do we have here?” a blue-coated mare spoke. Though the twins were too young to know this mare, Mr. and Mrs. Cake recognized her. Trixie Lulamoon looked at Pumpkin Cake and asked, “Tell me, young filly. Are these your parents?” “Mm-hmm,” Pumpkin mumbled, quivering and quaking as Trixie towered over her. “A unicorn with earth pony parents? We’ve hit the jackpot; she’s the twentieth one in this town so far! Take her.” Pumpkin felt herself rise off the ground as one of the soldiers enveloped her in a field of magic. “Aah!” she screamed. “What are you doing?” Mrs. Cake demanded, standing up from the floor. “Leave my sister alone!” yelled Pound Cake, and he flew up in the air. He began to charge towards the soldier, who pointed his gun towards Pound, but Mr. Cake bit on his tail, restraining him. Trixie laughed and said, “And a pegasus brother? How preciously repulsive. Be thankful I’m in a good mood and don’t have you shot for your insolence, colt.” She and the two unicorn stallions exited the cellar with Pumpkin, slamming the trapdoor shut behind them.