A flurry of rain pattered down in the slums. The streets had been deserted, the only light on being a small oil lamp sitting on the barrel next to the guard of the door to the rebel's factory compound. In the bowels of the compound all of the white hot rage present in the city had been condensed into one room.
"These tactics must STOP Steel," White Blizzard drew in a breath through his teeth, much like many of the newcomers to the compound he still hadn't become accustomed to it's dust filled air and musty scent, "It allows the Equestrian Press to paint us as murderers."
"What do we care about what some ink-stained Equestrians think, we have their authorities on their knees," Steel continued, his fury for his superior officer beginning to show, "If we continue like this we will sure-"
"This bars the way to our republic, do you want that Steel, or do you want to continue a game of cat and mouse with their authorities forever," White Blizzard interrupted, always favouring establishing the free country rather than fighting for it.
"How else would we fight, have you got any bright ideas, sir?" Steel's last word hung in the air long after he spat it out at his commander.
"If we ever want international recognition we must conduct ourselves and fight, like a real and legitimate army," White Blizzard said, refusing to be moved from his position that if the world saw the revolution, they would hurry to join it.
"Like we did in Hearth's Warming, the undying spirit of revolutionary failure!" screamed Steel Defiance as he flung the pen he had so nervously been clicking through almost the length of the conversation down onto the oaken table.
"This will have invisible consequences Steel, Equestrians always remember," on his last remark White Blizzard only drew out a folder from his desk and began scanning through it, only after thirty seconds of unbearable silence did he finally look up, "you may take your leave Steel."
His last dismissive remark affected Steel more than any amount of shouting, bargaining or pleading ever could. Steel slowly took his leave, making sure to never forget this day, the day the entire revolution was destroyed just so the Equestrians would stop calling them names. When Steel left his superior commander's office he moved into the the base's barracks, Emerald Impact saw him and broke away from his game of Appaloosa hold'em.
"Did you tell him?" Emerald asked referring to the destruction of the Equestrian Navy's ship.
"No, and I don't think he will even be able to look me in the eye after he finds out," Steel said leaning against his bunk.
"What do you mean?" Emerald asked, slightly concerned.
"He doesn't want to use the tactics that work, he now instead wants to stage a second Hearth's Warming," Steel said with sadness in his voice, knowing that a second Rising on that scale would leave both the revolution and the revolutionaries in the grave.
"By Tartarus, we need to at least-" The wailing raid siren burst to life, cutting off Emerald Impact, as the base burst into a hive of activity with almost every rebel making his way towards the armoury.
The first detachment from the new unit had left Canterlot last night. The group was comprised of over five-hundred veteran stallions and mares, needing no training, only having to be told their target and be outfitted with weapons and uniforms. Flash Sentry had gone along with the small battalion to test their strengths and weaknesses, if he could produce a positive report to Shining Armour within a week he would authorise the deployment of more of the special units.
The unit itself had extremely advanced equipment, even by Equestrian standards. Whilst their brand-new rifles and unlimited funding would already make most commanders green with envy, they also had machines straight out of the laboratories of Cloudsdale-automobiles.
While the automobiles were slow and clunky they would still prove to be invaluable in the narrow streets of the Crystal City, they could fit as many ponies as a cart and keep pace with a slow-moving train.
The new unit had come to be known as the Auxiliaries, this was largely in part to the fact that they had been comprised of recruits drawn from all over the Equestrian Empire. However the unit's official name, The Northern Emergency Combat Division, was too much of a mouthful leading grunts and officers to use their new nickname.
Despite the clear lack of uniforms High-Command somehow manage to scrounge up enough berets for the unit. The berets were a dark navy, the badge on them proudly showing the unit's insignia-a shattered red crystal. Flash Sentry was still unsure as to the effectiveness of the newly created unit. He was always terrified of the prospects of war changing without him being aware, using ancient tactics to combat modern warfare rarely worked in his favour.
When the unit arrived in the Crystal Empire they wasted no time in preparing their first actions against the rebels, taking up camp in a barracks located only a few minutes walk from the palace, their first action would be raids across multiple targets suspected to be vital to the rebels, the primary target being a small factory believed to have a large basement that the rebels had been using as a headquarters, the secondary targets consisting of a range of arms depots and public meeting places.
When the convoys of automobiles set off in the dead of night Flash Sentry decided to stay with the largest and most important group, the group attacking the rebel headquarters.
Shattered Dawn pace down the dark and lonely alleyway. He had always found comfort in going to the Strong Stallion Inn, whether it was the nostalgia or the alcohol that numbed his pain he could never tell. The wind howled through the abandoned streets, the only lights coming from inside the small tavern on the corner.
As he drew closer to the tavern he could pick up a faint droning sound from the far distance, however that was enough to pique his interest. He cautiously moved down the streets until two faint lights came into view. Knowing well what Equestrian unicorn magic was capable of he hid himself in a small entrance alcove to the derelict butcher's shop behind him.
The faint droning sound grew to a roar as they flew past him, massive metal beasts with lights fastened to the front of their gaping maws. He could see in the darkness, Equestrian soldiers sitting in the back of these automated-carts, the olive green armour painting was shining even in the darkness, it's spotless state indicated that these new war machines must be brand new.
"Sweet Sombra," Shattered whispered, straightening his flat cap and flicking up the collar of his overcoat he sped into the multiple alleys and back streets to warn his fellow revolutionaries.
After an exhausting dash back to the base, Shattered Dawn only arrived in time to see a large explosion fill the night sky, with large plumes of fire consuming nearby buildings, all of this was accompanied with sporadic bursts of rifle fire and heavy machine guns howling in the darkness of the night.
As the Equestrian soldiers piled out of their vehicles, Shattered Dawn got a better view of their uniforms. They weren't wearing the traditional Equestrian battle dress but rather a mixed assortment of uniforms, leading Shattered Dawn to even more confusion in the heat of battle.
Slowly drawing his revolver he stalked over to the skirmish upon seeing the results he was almost immediately disheartened. The entrance to the basement had already been pried open and Equestrian soldiers were making their way down amidst the constant cacophony of war. The bodies of the exterior guards were strewn across the factory's broken floor, many of the bodies being torn to shreds by hails of machine-gun fire.
Unbeknownst to Shattered Dawn a group of the new soldiers had surrounded him, eventually the leader of the group spoke, as Shattered took aim through the sights of his revolver.
"Drop the gun, dog and turn around!" he issued, his rifle aimed directly at Shattered Dawn.
"Who the buck are you, I'm innocent," Shattered lied through his teeth, only noticing in the last possible moment the amount of rebels making a counter-attack from one of the many streets leading to the now burning factory. He flung himself to the ground mere moments before the firefight erupted, the squad of Equestrians being taken completely unaware from the rebel's storm.
Shattered Dawn picked himself off of his feet and sprinted further into the factory, throwing himself down the entrance into the basement. Once inside he made his way past piles of Equestrian and Crystal Pony corpses strewn across the basement's floor. Finally he arrived at a desolate group of rebels being led by White Blizzard.
"Shattered Dawn, is that you?" White Blizzard questioned, coughing over the smoke filling the smouldering basement.
"Yes sir, any sign of my brother?" he asked, wasting no time in making sure his family was safe.
"He made it out over the top with a small group of stallions, we are blocked off completely now, so unless you have any bright ideas I suggest you pick up a rifle and send as many Equestrians as you can down to tartarus with you!" his leader spoke stoically not wavering in the face of defeat, prepared to make sure that for the Equestrians this was a pyrrhic victory at best.
"Sir, th-there's a manhole under my bunk," Shattered Dawn coughed through the increasingly heavy layer of smoke, realising that he just might be a hero after all.
"Well let's not tally, lead the way soldier," He said a reassuring smile across his face, despite the fact his coughing still hadn't subsided, he led the way as all battlefield leaders should. His addressing of Shattered Dawn as a soldier being visibly noted by Shattered.
Last night's raid had been an undoubted victory. They had destroyed almost all rebel strongholds, however the reports told a different story. While it was true they had smashed the rebels possibly irreparably they had only lost twenty-three men, almost all of them in the assault on the rebel's headquarters.
Over one-hundred rebels were killed with almost no wounded or prisoners, however they never did just give up without a fight. Yet one tally still towered over all others-the number of civilians dead, conservative estimates had put the number around four-hundred. The number the newspapers would use yet Flash Sentry knew better, he knew that there could have been almost nine-hundred dead civilians, many of them being claimed by the fire that immolated some of the most densely populated areas of the slums.
However the rebels had dispersed to the surrounding hills and countryside, fleeing with their tails between their legs had done much to restore the broken Equestrian morale. Shining Armour was preparing to sign the agreement allowing the auxiliaries to deploy in full force to the North effectively severing the head of the already weakened traitors.
"Sir are you ready?" his assistant asked him, she was a strange young mare from Ponyville named Lyra.
"Yes, that'll be all Lyra," he said, rechecking his uniform, his blazer's many medals and buttons were all polished and arrayed perfectly, his boots shone so bright one could see their reflection in them and his peaked cap proudly bore the new unit's insignia, the red morning sun rising over the Crystal Mountains.
The large crystal doors swung open and he marched into the large throne room, the ornately garnished carpet flanked by pillars holding up the structure of the immense Crystal Spire. At the end of the vast chamber sat two thrones, the one fitted for an alicorn being empty whilst Shining Armour sat with a quill in his magical aura prepared to sign the sheet that lay before him.
Flash Sentry moved to his commander-in-chief, seeing his quill hover over the parchment sent shockwaves of adrenaline to pump through him, if his unit succeeded in pacifying the remains of the rebellion his promotion and ensuing paycheck would be incalculable.
"Sir, in your own time," Flash Sentry said victoriously, his pride washing over him.
"You better be right Flash, I don't want to have to deal with anymore damage to the Empire, am I understood," he said in a stern voice as he brought the quill down and signed his name along the bottom of the document.
"Of course sir, we will handle all situations with the utmost care," Flash said rolling the document up and keeping it underneath his arm as he gleefully made his way out of the throne room.