Although Vance’s involvement is pivotal to the NLR war effort, it’s not the sole turning point. Other characters’ involvements were key to how the war played out on both sides of the conflict. Although there were many specialist groups, such as the Mustangs, Alacrans, and Nightingales (among a multitude of others), there were three in particular whose actions had a great impact on the events in Canterlot. This is the story of the exploits of Rainbow’s Raiders, the Sentinels, and the Solar Empire’s Vespers during the Siege of Canterlot.
Strings of Fate: Rainbow’s Raiders, the Sentinels, and the Vespers
Rainbow’s Raiders
From high above Canterlot, Rainbow Dash, Raspberry, Spitfire, Clementine, and Silver Streak were planning how they were going to swoop in through the fierce battling taking place between the aerial forces of both Vance and Trotton against Canterlot’s elite Solar Guard pegasi and their anti-air crossbow fortifications on the ground. The NLR certainly had the numbers, but the crossbows were taking their toll since the NLR’s ground forces were unable to break through to attack them from where they’re most vulnerable. It was the middle of the 2nd day of the siege, the moon fully blotting out the sun, save for a halo-esque ring of light surrounding it. The Raiders had orders to capture Twilight Sparkle, who had been organizing the Imperial defenses from the start, greatly boosting their effectiveness and giving Vance one heck of a headache.
“What’s our target?” Spitfire asked.
“We need to break through the enemy line and capture their commander.” Dash explained.
“And that would be…” Raspberry interjected.
“…” Dash paused. “Colonel Twilight Sparkle…” she finally said with grievance.
“Oh…” Raspberry responded awkwardly, fiddling with a gold and tanzanite ring suspended on a silver chain.
The Raiders were all aware of Twilight’s friendship with Rainbow before the war. Even during the Rebellion, they remained close, but when the war broke out, Twilight made her position known and sided with the Solar Empire. She still held on to hope that it was Princess Celestia ruling in actuality. Whether she merely wanted this to be true or genuinely believed it is anypony’s guess. Despite this unfortunate news, they still had their orders and were relieved their goal was to capture her and not something worse. The unfortunate part about the giant aerial battle taking place was that no time was ideal. For most of the day, the Imperial pegasi, despite their dwindling numbers, were putting up a staunch resistance. At night, unicorns on the ground would harass any air units with blinding lights and crossbow fire. The Raiders had decided that their best chance was to bolt right through the Imperial lines with their unmatched speed in broad daylight. After amassing the willpower, Dash took the lead, closely followed by the rest of the Raiders. Unfortunately, there was no time to assist the NLR or Secessionist pegasi. The Raiders couldn’t afford any delay. Aside from a couple close calls of nearly colliding with other pegasi, they made it through without difficulty. Now through the Imperial air defenses, the Raiders essentially had free reign of the ground. The turf battles were taking place a ways away. Twilight was doing a VERY good job at keeping their lines stable.
“Vance, we broke through the defenses. What now?” Dash radioed to Vance.
“On a plateau at the opposite end of the city from where I’m at you should see a giant white tower. This is the Ivory Tower, and it’s the nexus for all Imperial communication in Equestria. Twilight has to be there. Storm the tower and extract Twilight. If she can’t be convinced to switch sides…” Vance said, implying drastic measures.
“Understood… sir. Rainbow out.”
~
In surprisingly un-Rainbow-like fashion, the Raiders cautiously made their way to Ivory Tower, taking care to evade enemy patrols. While this proved especially tough for Dash, she thought the best way to get Twilight on her side was to refrain from combat, painful as it was to watch an under-equipped and certainly inferior opponent walk by with their bodily functions still fully intact. This war had taken enough of her friends already. It wasn’t all that difficult getting to the tower. Most security had gone towards the front lines or to a tower post, both of which were continuously occupied during the day. Reaching the Ivory Tower, Dash busted in, surprising Twilight.
“Rainbow Dash? What’re you doing here?” Twilight asked, despite knowing the answer.
“Twilight, for the love of Celestia, please surrender.” Dash asked, her voice breaking once.
“So you can overthrow Celestia and plunge all of Equestria into chaos? Never!” Twilight said, entrenched.
“Look out your window, it’s already happened! If Celestia were still able to rule, you think she’d just sit by and let this go on?” Clementine pressed.
“Twilight, you’ve got to admit this just isn’t her. She’s not this cruel, not this despotic!” Spitfire boldly declared.
Twilight began cringing and backing up. She knew they were speaking the truth.
“Well you’re not proving Princess Luna’s fit to rule either! Under her direction you tore up half the country!” Twilight shot back.
“It’s the Solar Empire that uses Scorched Earth, not us. Just look at Colonel Elegant's record!” Silver protested.
“Come on, Twilight. You know Princess Luna’s not a traitor, and neither are we!” Raspberry pleaded.
“But what about your alliance with the Secessionists? Would loyal Equestrians align themselves with Trotton and his band of deserters?” Twilight stubbornly pressed.
“Trotton knew only those who deserved to rule Equestria would be able to defeat him. You of all ponies should know his record is too impressive for anyone to conquer him casually.” Clementine said.
“Come on, Twilight. You gotta see we’re the good guys here.” Dash pleaded.
Twilight thought about it, then glanced out her gigantic window. Canterlot was ablaze, yet weaponizing the very sun itself was of Imperial doing, not Lunar. It was the Empire that did all this damage. She finally opened her eyes to what the Solar Empire was doing to Equestria.
*sigh* “Ok. I’ll go.” Twilight surrendered.
“Good.” Dash said, barely able to contain her relief.
“You should find General Vance. He wanted you captured, so your best bets are with him.” Clementine advised.
“I will. And Dash?” Twilight said on the verge of happy tears. "Thanks."
As the Raiders turned to exit, their mission accomplished, a squad of several Solar Guards, unicorn and pegasi, broke through the door, blocking their exit.
“Twilight, teleport out of here! We’ll handle these chumps.” Dash said.
Twilight heeded them, disappearing in a flash of light. The Raiders prepared to charge their ferocious foe. They’d certainly taken on Solar Guards before, but each battle was always a risk. These were, after all, the best troops the Imps could deploy.
“Bring it on!” Dash taunted. “CHAAAARGE!!!”
With a multitude of war cries, the Raiders dived right into the Solar Guards, forcing them back outside and around the Ivory Tower with their rapid and furious attack. With the sun quickly setting, the advantage was steadily shifting to the unicorn Guards.
“Take out those unicorns!” Dash ordered.
Immediately the unfortunate unicorns were beset by a flurry of angry pegasi, and despite the attempted assistance of their own pegasi allies, were quickly eliminated. The demoralized pegasi opposition quickly followed suit. The Raiders had convinced Twilight to defect, severing Imperial Command, captured the Ivory Tower, a major communication hub, and taken out more of the vicious Solar Guard. It was a resounding success. Despite sustaining no casualties, all the Raiders were injured to some extent in their scuffle. With night upon them, they reported their success to Vance, barricaded the entrance to the Ivory Tower, and spent the night mending their wounds, doing their best to ignore the panicking sounds of the collapsing Imperial defense lines over the radio.
~
The following morning, the Raiders awoke after a surprisingly decent night of rest. Exiting the tower, they saw that, despite all the smoke emanating from the city’s center, Canterlot was still in a decent shape. The fighting had died down, as it usually did in the early hours of the day, so Dash took this opportunity to recon their immediate area. Clementine took this opportunity to talk to Spitfire, whom he had begun to develop a bit of a crush on.
“So, *ahem* you served in the military before?” Clementine asked, knowing the answer.
“You didn’t get out much, did ya kid?” Spitfire replied, slightly annoyed. “Alright, I’ll bite. What did you do before this?”
“Equestrian marines. We were the best of the best before the war put a schism right through our ranks and I hooked up with Trotton.” Clementine said. “You’d have done well in the marines. You got the gung-ho for it!”
“You really think so?” Spitfire replied, amused.
“Sure! You would’ve been a super marine, Spitfire!”
Dash returned to break up the two.
“Break it up, lovebirds; we’ve got a job to do. Vance wants us to take out as many guard towers as we can on our way back to command. Let's get to work so we can get a hot meal." Dash declared.
For the next hour or so, the Raiders took to mopping up the still-dreary crossbows of the Imperial banner. Rainbow let the string of minor victories go to her head, and after dispatching an oblivious crossbow, she ordered the Raiders with her to relax a bit, having cleared a swathe towards the Imperial defensive line, soon to collapse. Post after post was destroyed, as the Raiders hollowed out the Imperial defensive shell to ease the pressure on Trotton’s armada.
“Crossbows sufficiently owned! Take that, Imperial scum!” Silver proclaimed, shaking a hoof in the air.
Spitfire noticed a few blips away.
“We’ll never submit to your dominion!” Silver continued.
“Guys?” Spitfire said.
“Luna shall be placed in her rightful spot as Princess of Equestria!”
The blips now had wings and shiny gold armor. Everypony but Silver Streak had noticed.
“Incoming!” Spitfire exclaimed.
“With liberty and muffins for- AAAAAHHH!!!” Silver said as one of the few remaining Solar Guard pegasi speared him in midair.
The very last of the Solar Guards in Canterlot had made a suicide run, hoping to break the NLR advance long enough so their armies could come home and crush the rebels. The two factions fought ferociously for a furlough. As time dragged on, the Solar Guards were dwindling in number, although they did manage to break Silver Streak’s leg, knock out Raspberry, and kill Clementine. With the last Solar Guard, battered and bruised, barely managing to stay aloft, Dash bolted for him, close to breaking the sound barrier, and speared him into the base of an empty tower, collapsing the structure on top of them. Picking Dash out of a pile of rubble, the Raiders gathered around celebrate their domination of Canterlot’s sky.
“Alright, so the skies are clear of those wannabes. That gives us free reign of the air!” Dash exclaimed with pride, flying up in a twirl to embrace her sky.
Before they could all begin to celebrate, off to the distance and explosion tore through the merriment.
The Sentinels
With her fervent loyalty to the Rebels during the Uprising and having shown bravery and leadership by clearing the path for a number of injured allies to escape, Applejack was the obvious choice to lead the Sentinels. The mere presence of their power armor was enough to keep Republic morale together even under the most brutal of sieges and bleakest of battles. Such experimental technology meant the Empire had no time to analyze it for weaknesses and deploy a countermeasure. As the siege was about to begin, Vance had personally requested that the Sentinels lead the charge of the Republic’s regulars into the initial breach of Canterlot’s outer wall.
“All right, y’all. Vance himself asked us ta lead the charge.” Applejack said. “A lotta ponies are lookin’ ta us ta keep their fightin’ spirit strong, so let’s do our best for ‘em!”
With unison ‘Ura!’ from the rest of the Sentinels, Applejack took up position at the front of the army. While waiting for the order, Vance flew in.
“Are the Sentinels ready?” Vance asked.
“Ready as we’ll ever be, sir.” Applejack said confidently.
“Good. Before I give the order, we’re going to try to take out that Pyth-forsaken superweapon of theirs. I need you to keep our forces focused when that time comes. If our plan works, it’ll be one hay of a show.” Vance said. “Dash! Are the Raiders ready?”
Vance continued with his checkups while Applejack returned to her soldiers. Despite the emotionless helmets, their nervousness was palpable. Sugarbeet, Celtic Cross, and Hammer Strike hazily went through the paces, drifting through Vance’s interesting speech and the final assemblage of the armies. The commotion and noise began flowing right through them. The hour was at hoof and the pressure was on them.
“Celt… Celtic? CHAPLAIN!” Applejack yelled at Celtic Cross, snapping him out of his trance. “We got a long battle ahead of us. Ya sure ya got the spirit fer it?”
“Yeah… yeah. I think so. Don’t worry, Cap, I won’t let you down!”
Celtic spaced out, mulling over what was about to happen, as AJ moved on down the line. Hammer Strike was mumbling to himself. AJ stopped, gave him a concerned look, and hugged him. She at last came to Sugarbeet.
“Ready to go, ma’am?” he said dryly.
*chuckles* “Ain’t nothin’ gonna shake you up, eh?”
“Scared as sheol, ma’am.”
“Talked to the Chap?”
“Almost non-stop, ma’am. Invaluable help, but even crusaders know fear.”
“We got yer back.”
“Thanks… ma’am.”
The Sentinels lined up at the tip of the spear, watching as the pegasi armada was eagerly pecking away at the city. Small explosions dotted Canterlot’s lovely façade, and then the horns blared. The Sentinels charged forth, the shriek of cannon sending artillery shells of varying constitution slamming into the entrance, scattering bits of wall and Imperial into the sky. Applejack set upon a terrified Solar Guard, and the siege had begun.
~
The next two days were a tornado of devastation. The Sentinels could only watch as the once pristine streets and hanging gardens and vibrant markets were withered to husks sheltering terrified citizens and misshaped piles of granite and marble. Monuments dedicated to the progress of ponydom were scattered and smashed. Nearly 1,000 years of history and culture, corrupted. The Sentinels had been called upon almost non-stop to crack open fortifications, route counterattacks, and to rescue trapped thralls. The NLR’s unicorns were just as busy recharging their suit power as the Sentinels were channeling it into their power weapons. No Imperial was safe when the Sentinels were in the area.
“Easy does it, there.” Applejack said, pulling Hammer Strike out of a pile of rubble.
*cough* “Wow. Didn’t think they’d rig their own barracks.” Hammer Strike said, getting back on his feet.
“The forge is clear, ma’am. I’ve radioed a scavenger team to come clear out the armory.” Sugarbeet reported.
“Yee-haw! Now we got their own weapons goin’ against ‘em!” AJ rejoiced.
~
Celtic removed his helmet to vent all the pent-up heat while the Sentinels holed up in a coffee shop. He pulled a chain out from underneath his armor, looking at the small engraved golden ring hanging on the end of it.
"Somethin' on your mind, Chap?" Sugarbeet asked, still wearing his helmet.
"... Yeah." he replied after a bit.
"You worried about her?" Sugarbeet continued.
"How can I not be? She can handle herself in a fight, but... still." he said, worry slowly filling his eyes.
"Don't worry. Silver will take an arrow to make sure she doesn't, and you know that. And for what it's worth... *looks away* I'm envious you have somepony to be worrying about, even in these... circumstances." Sugarbeet said, a small cringe in his voice.
Celtic gave a half-hearted chuckle at that. Sugarbeet's words didn't help as much as he would’ve liked them to, but he still appreciated the efforts of one of his oldest hometown friends. Celtic glared out the window, through the mild cloud of dust dancing in and out of it. Even with all the advantages they wielded, he still couldn't help but worry for his wife. It's what drove Celtic on in his darker times. He needed it.
~
The Sentinels stormed further down the street, crushing any opposition that the Republic’s crossbows didn’t strike down first. The weakened Imperial line collapsed quickly, with the few survivors kicking up dirt to fall back to a safer zone. Applejack could’ve sworn she saw a couple of unicorn mares that lived in Ponyville among those fleeing, but didn’t have much time to ponder on it, as a couple of Imps had tried to barricade themselves in a home, as if that would have spared them. It was the 3rd day, and much to their relief, the primary defensive line the Imperials had built had collapsed, making for easy pickings as the NLR marched ever closer to the palace to put an end to the war.
“Well that oughta teach those Imps about messin’ with the Sentinels!” Applejack said with relief. “Gather ‘round, team! We gotta find Vance!”
With the squad regrouped, they rushed towards Vance’s last known position. Without warning, a massive explosion came right from where they were heading.
The Vespers
The siege had already been going into its 2nd night, and the Vespers were busy with the Rebels pouring into the gaping wound their blitz had opened up. The Vespers were a commando team of unicorn mares for the Solar Empire made for infiltration and sabotage, particularly with fire and blinding flashes of light to cope with their lack of martial prowess. Initially formed by conscripts acquired by the Inquisition, they were nonetheless useful troops of the Solar Empire. Over the course of the siege, the Vespers were partly responsible for the rapid depletion of NLR supplies being stockpiled within Canterlot. While falling back to await new orders from Command over the loss of a member, the Vespers had been seeking temporary shelter to tend to their wounds.
“No matter what we do, the Rebels always have something to replace it!” lamented Lyra.
“Worry about it later! MOVE!” Colgate urged.
Rebel troopers were hot on their tail, mostly earth ponies. Normally that wouldn’t concern them too much, but the tales of the ferocity of the Sentinels had stricken a vast portion of the Imperial forces with a newfound fear of earth ponies and their durability. And these Sentinels were hot on their tails.
“We’ve got to lose them! Break right!” Colgate shouted to her two companions.
Following her advice, the trio of unicorns ran down an alleyway, and quickly sought shelter in a decrepit old building. The team recuperated in the abandoned structure for quite some time. Lyra, sitting back in an awkward position, took a moment to glance at a photo of her best friend, Bon Bon. Lyra had willingly allowed herself to be conscripted to spare Bon Bon the horrors of war. Then again, the Imperial recruiters, the Inquisition, were never known to honor their deals before. She sighed heavily, suddenly realizing her efforts may have been for nothing.
“Something bothering you?” Colgate asked.
“It’s my friend. She’s the reason I joined the army in the first place. We’ve been best friends for Celestia knows how long now. We’ve shared a house for most of that time, and when the Imperial Inquisitors came through Ponyville for the Empire’s conscription, I volunteered myself to go to spare Bon Bon. One of us would have to go anyways, those were the rules.” Lyra explained. “Maybe its best we got some time apart for a while. Things had been getting… weird, to say the least.”
“How so?” Colgate pressed.
“Well recently I’ve been thinking about looking for a coltfriend. Mare’s got to at some point, right? But whenever the subject comes up, Bon Bon gets this nasty look on her face. I don’t get it. You think she’d be happy for me and help me out, but no.” Lyra said.
“Bon Bon don’t want you looking for a coltfriend, sister.” Colgate muttered to herself.
“Huh?” Lyra said.
“Hm? Oh, nothing.” Colgate shrugged off.
Looking out at the war-torn city, Gumdrop saw the sun was abandoning them, not that it had been any help to them today in the first place.
“It’s getting late. Looks like we’re spending the night here. Secure all entrances and cover up any windows.” Colgate ordered.
After securing their safehouse, Lyra brought out her signature lyre. If the sounds from outside were any indication, nopony would be getting much rest tonight. Over the next several hours, the three of them just sat there in silence, save for Lyra’s calming music. An occasional crossbow bolt found a resting place lodged in the walls of their temporary shelter, along with the sound of metal clashing on metal and the cackle of somepony’s spell being fired off. Eventually they all managed to find sleep despite the raging war outside. The siege had entered its 3rd day.
~
Lyra awoke to find Colgate thinking out loud to herself again. Colgate had that habit whenever she thought nopony was within earshot, talking to herself in a more secluded area. Lyra stretched and yawned, alerting Colgate to her consciousness.
“You’re awake? Good. We need to get moving soon. The NLR is overrunning the surface. We need to get down into the steamwerks and plan our next step from there.” Colgate explained.
Lyra vaguely remembered the steamwerks. They’re an ancient system of pipes that gives all of Canterlot steam power. Their existence is heavily downplayed and isn’t common knowledge, because Celestia knew the nobility relies on the power the steamwerks provides, despite their lack of knowledge of their existence. Whoever controls the steamwerks, controls the noble houses, and by extension, a vast portion of Equestria’s resources. Only specialized engineers can maintain it, and the lack of security to give a sense of unimportance has made it a popular home for Canterlot’s ‘undesirables.’ Lyra prodded Gumdrop awake, indicating their urgent need to leave. The trio cleared out as soon as they could and made their way below Canterlot’s desolated streets.
~
“Guh. This place gives me the creeps…” Gumdrop said.
“This is the Undercity. A lot of the poor live here. They must’ve been scared off by the siege.” Colgate said.
“They actually live in these conditions?” Lyra asked, disgusted by the filth.
“Appearances are often deceiving. Canterlot looks and sounds like a utopia, but if you really check into what keeps it running, you’ll be mortified. See these old pipes? This is the very blood of the city. Without it, no power, no nobles, no Canterlot. Hard to think the glamorous paradise of Canterlot runs on… this.” Colgate explained.
“Not even the Rebels know about this?” Gumdrop inquired.
“Their higher-ups probably do, but these pipes are fragile, and only specially trained crews can keep them running. If the NLR attacked them, they might become damaged beyond repair, making this city nearly worthless to anypony.” Colgate continued.
A figure enveloped in shadow watched them silently from above.
“So how do you think we’re gonna push the Rebels out of the city?” Gumdrop asked.
“We burned up a good chunk of their supplies, yet they’re still gaining ground. How long does it take to get reinforcements here?” Lyra said, annoyed.
“I’ve been trying to contact Colonel Twilight, but comms have been severed. I hope nothing bad has happened to her. As for the reinforcements, they’ve got to get organized before they try to sandvich the NLR forces. If they just trickle in slowly, they’re not much more than fodder.” Colgate said.
“All this waiting is really gonna stretch our abilities to the limit.” Lyra complained. “We can’t hold out forever.”
Suddenly, the figure watching from above was on the move.
“Wait. Did you hear that?” Lyra said.
There was a distinct clanging on the pipes. It could have just been the centuries-old machinery, but it sounded too distinct to be the groans of the pipes.
“Everypony stay close and keep moving. I’m getting the feeling we’re not alone…” Colgate said.
As the three tried to move forward, suddenly without warning a figure wrapped in black clothing dropped right in front of them. The trio backed up quickly in fear, as this mysterious shrouded figure looked up towards them, a pair of purple glasses looking right into their very souls, paralyzing them with terror.
“RUUUN!!!!!” Gumdrop exclaimed, immediately bolting in the opposite direction.
“Gumdrop, wait! You’ll get lost in the tunnels!” Colgate shouted after her, trying to keep pace alongside Lyra.
Lyra looked behind them as they were chasing after Gumdrop. This cloaked figure, whoever they were, merely stood there, watching them flee. The two of them chased after Gumdrop for a short while, until Gumdrop slipped and fell down a chute, leading to the very bowels of Canterlot itself.
~
Gumdrop quickly tried to pick herself up, coughing from the noxious materials her face had just been introduced to.
“You okay, Gumdrop? Anything we can do to help?” Lyra called down to her.
*coughing* “Yeah, can you two get down here? Like, NOW?!” Gumdrop pleaded.
“Well we’re not taking the express route, if that’s what you’re asking, but we’ll look for a way down! Just hold on!” Colgate said.
The two rushed off, leaving Gumdrop on her own. As silence befell the area, she began to calm down. Just as she started to relax, the cloaked figure dropped from above, drawing a finely-crafted katana. In the grip of panic, Gumdrop backed up against a wall, having completely abandoned all her magical abilities.
“STAY BACK!” Gumdrop shouted in desperation.
Her plea fell on deaf ears. The assassin, sword in hoof, marched inexorably towards her. When there were only a few meters separating the two, the assassin sprinted quickly towards Gumdrop.
“No. Nono this can’t be happening!” Gumdrop thought to herself.
The life rushed out of her as cold steel had found its target.
“No! This is… too soon… wha? You promised…” she muttered as a haze of orange blurred her vision.
Gumdrop collapsed onto the ancient bricks beneath her as her assassin disappeared into the vast open spaces above. Lyra, having finally made it to the bottom level with Colgate, rushed over to the unmoving body of her former squad mate while sobbing hard. She held Gumdrop up, hoping to catch a glimpse of life still in her.
“Can’t you do anything to help her?” Lyra pleaded to Colgate.
“Darn it, I’m a dentist, not a doctor!” exclaimed Colgate from the stairs they had just jumped down. “That, and I’m pretty sure she’s flatlined by now anyways.”
“Don’t say that!” Lyra said, tears streaming down her face, knowing it were true.
Suddenly, she saw the assassin appear on some pipes a ways up. The ninja leapt down, appearing to be gunning for Lyra next. Harnessing her rage, Lyra blasted a powerful light right at the mysterious assailant. Despite the impressive display of power, the light was ineffective against the ninja’s reflective glasses. It landed right in front of Lyra, causing her to stumble back in surprise. As the cloaked figure approached, Lyra shut her eyes in preparation.
“Arrêt!” ordered Colgate.
Surprisingly enough, the ninja heeded her command, sheathing its katana and falling onto its front legs. Lyra looked on in shock.
“Wha-? But how did… You’re… WHAT?!” Lyra exclaimed in confusion.
*sigh* “Alright, I suppose trying to conceal it is worthless at this point. My real name is Minuette, and I’m a spy for the New Lunar Republic. My family came here from Prance long ago when I was just born. A while ago, I looked into the situation in Prance and saw it was a disaster, pretty much like what’s happening here now. I met some members of the Resistance, helped them move some supplies, then came home on their payroll as a spy. Then SHE rooted me out.” Colgate said, pointing at the ninja pony.
The ninja pulled off her glasses, revealing a set of piercing red eyes. She pulled back her mask, shook her blue and cyan hair, and revealed herself as, surprisingly enough, Vinyl Scratch, better known as DJ Pon-3.
“What can I say? I’m good at rooting out spies. Runs in the family!” Vinyl said mirthfully, adding a wink at the end.
“Yeah, yeah.” Minuette said, rolling her eyes. “Anyways, Vinyl here discovered I was sending intel back to the Prench Resistance. She relayed an order to me directly from Princess Luna herself to discuss my future. At first, I thought I was just going to be executed, but then Luna offered to make me one of her spies as well! Luckily for me, Luna was sympathetic to the Resistance’s plight. I’ve been working for her ever since.”
“But wait, then why are you in the Vespers?” Lyra asked while getting to her hooves.
“Both Luna and I saw it as an opportunity to get a mole planted deep in the Imperial military. Luckily, I’ve never come to the point where I’ve needed to actually kill an NLR soldier directly.” Minuette explained, relieved.
“So then why let… HER attack us? She killed Gumdrop!” Lyra shouted.
“The Webwork determined that the Vespers were too dangerous, given our impressive record, and Gumdrop was almost assuredly devoted to the Imperial cause. And now with our cover blown…” Minuette said, gesturing towards Vinyl, “… we’ve got to get out of here and back to the Funnel to plan our next step.”
“We gotta go soon, too. No telling how long we have until Imp Command tries to contact 1 of you and figure out something’s gone wrong.” Vinyl noted.
“So that leaves the matter of you.” Minuette said, pointing at Lyra. “You’ve got two choices, join the Webwork and keep your muzzle shut about what happened here, or take the express exit.” she finished, pointing towards a garbage chute leading to a steep drop down to certain death.
“Not much of a choice there.” Lyra grumbled.
“Lyra, I can sense good in you. You joined the Vespers willingly to protect your best friend. Do you even agree with what the Solar Empire is doing?” Minuette asked.
Lyra pondered this for a moment. She realized that the whole point of her joining the Imperials was to protect Bon Bon. In truth, she hated the Empire and its oppression. She missed Celestia’s rule, even if she was autocratic. This whole ‘Solar Empire’ thing had never sat right with her anyway.
“Alright, I’m in. I’ll join you.” Lyra said. “BUT… only on the condition that the Imperials are pushed out of Ponyville. I want to ensure Bon Bon’s safe.”
“We can do that.” Vinyl confided with a smile towards Minuette.
“Alright, with this mess out of the way…” Minuette said, pressing her hoof to her ear. “Weaver, this is Recluse. I’m here with Wolf. We’re in the steamwerks under Canterlot. The Vespers are now officially terminated. We’ve managed to get the sole survivor to defect. I can vouch for her combat prowess. She has potential.”
“Excellent work, Recluse. Bring your initiate back to the Funnel. Widow has another job for Wolf. Rendezvous with Angler for extraction.” Weaver replied.
Lyra and Minuette proceeded to escape from the Canterlot warzone. Minuette’s knowledge of the Undercity allowed them to turn the maze of sewers and grimy access tunnels into an escape far behind NLR lines, and subsequent safety. As they were nearing their exit, they felt an explosion send shockwaves all throughout Canterlot.
==========
Bonus points to:
Keystroke and Silver Streak: for being my pre-reader
Sword Flash: for letting me use (and slightly tweak) his OC, Hammer Strike
Raspberry Rhapsody: for letting me use her OC’s name and physical characteristics
Silver Streak (again): for letting me use his OC
Celtic Cross: for letting me use his OC’s name and physical characteristics
Author’s notes:
Hello, everypony! Dissoriented here with a few post-script items to add:
The 7th in the Strings of Fate series, this delves into the exploits of Rainbow’s Raiders and the Sentinels during the Canterlot siege, as well as bringing in a fresh new perspective from the Solar Empire’s side of the conflict through the Vespers. I had initially intended to leave the Vespers as just a background name, but fell in love with the idea of bringing in an opposing view of the war and the NLR, as well as exploiting some information regarding a toothpaste-named unicorn and a cameo for a DJ.
Your cliffhanging, faceless writer,
Dissoriented
Disclaimer:
“My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic” and its derivatives are the intellectual property of Hasbro©. I do not, nor claim to, have the rights to any and all intellectual property this story uses and is partly based on. Vinyl Scratch has orders to have a little… “chat” with anypony who tries to take what’s not theirs.