Massive banners with the five conquerors' faces still hung from nearly every building in the city, the fences and posts that had been built still littered the streets; but to the surprise of the ponies of the city of Mareiland, they woke up to a morning where none of the black armored guards patrolled the streets and none of Sombra's gargoyles darkened the sky.
At first, none of the ponies were sure what to do, so, in fear of retribution, they moved about their daily lives as if nothing had changed. They reported to their work stations and managed their shifts, but it wasn't long before all of them started to notice that no guards or even workers of the Five were within the buildings. The guard rooms were empty, the cameras that watched their every move were blank, and when one dared to leave, nothing happened. It was as if every one of the Five's forces had vanished.
The streets were in total chaos when the revelation was made by all. Ponies danced under busted fire hydrants, used magic freely as they tore down posters, and began to destroy all in their city that reminded them of the tyranny.
A young colt raced through the streets, singing with the other ponies with a smile on his face that had not been there in a long time. He bounded up the steps of an old house to find his grandpony sitting on the front porch, gazing out at the dancing and singing as if he couldn't believe what was going on.
"Grandpa!" the colt laughed as he leapt onto the stallion's lap, knocking the wind out of him while the colt bounced on his lap. "Have ya heard the news? Every guard and monster that used to be here is gone! It's like somepony chased them out!"
"Yeah...that's what it seems like," the elder said with concerned eyes before glancing down at his grandson. "But by somepony, surely you don't mean that human that showed up here a few days ago? What was his name again, Captain something?"
"Captain America! And of course it had to be him, who else could it be?" the colt asked with a loud laugh while he began to race around the elder. "He shows up out of nowhere, frees a camp filled with ponies, and goes on to beat one of the big Five! Who else would be able to drive out an army of evil in a single night?"
The foal then began to dance around once more, but the elder still wore a look of concern on his face that had only deepened. 'Even if this Captain was able to drive out the army, it would have been a commotion. There's no way that he could have done it so quietly, even if he could in a single night. But the guards are gone, so what does it mean?'
His thoughts were shattered when the singing ponies around him all fell deadly silent, all of the merriment and joy that had been in the city a moment ago turning into a cold chill. He glanced at the ponies who were standing still, before noticing a massive shadow that was blocking out the bright sun casting the entire city into shadows. Yet what he noticed was their gaze--each pony's gaze was up at the sky. He dared to lift his head, terrified of what he might see. And what he saw terrified him more than anything else in the world could.
A bloody red monstrosity of metal and magic, larger than the skyscrapers that reached towards the sky, was slowly making its way above the center of the city. Its triangular shape made it seem as if it was slicing through the air, while the tendrils of magic that streamed from behind it caused black clouds to follow behind the mechanical nightmare.
Then the screaming began--the screaming that came with realization of what was coming--for there wasn't a pony in those streets that didn't know what the machine was...and why they should be very afraid. Ponies screamed while they ran in circles, some trying to fly or teleport away. But red light began to emit from the ship, draining all of the ponies' magic in the city almost immediately.
The elder had to look away as pegasi began to fall from the skies, instead looking down at the foal who was gazing up at the metal destroyer. The foal then looked back to his grandfather, fear consuming the colt while tears began to well up in his eyes.
"Grandpa...what do we do?" he asked in a very scared whisper. The stallion glanced up at the massive monstrosity, knowing what was to come next. As if his thoughts activated the machine, a massive circle of energy began to form in the underbelly of the destroyer--energy that was of a black and malicious nature.
"Come here," was all the old stallion could say, taking the colt into his arms while the magic began to hum with an unholy power, drowning out the cries of all the other ponies around. The two ponies held each other tight as the ship erupted with magical power that hurtled itself straight into the center of the city, creating a vortex of magic that annihilated anything in its path.
Then, the magical vortex exploded into a force that consumed the whole city, drowning it in the magic of godly beings. The flash of light could be seen from all corners of Equestria, allowing everypony to see the power of the machine. And then, the flash of light ended. The magic was gone...and so to was the city.
And all that was left in its place was a ground stricken with black ash.
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//A\\
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'This can't be good,' was all the Captain could think to himself while he walked through the vine filled hallways of the Crusaders' base, barely meeting any ponies that had filled the halls the day before. But those he did meet had blank, emotionless eyes--eyes that looked almost identical to those he had seen in soldiers that were fighting a hopeless battle.
'But what could have caused this? The base was in near euphoria when I retired last night?' the Cap pondered as he headed for the command center, knowing that if there was a problem that the three leaders would inform him of what was going on. When the Captain approached the doors to the command center, he found two guards with crossbows standing outside with sickened expressions on their faces.
"What's the word guys, because something is clearly wrong?" Captain America asked the pair, but the two didn't register his words as they continued to stare off into the unknown with horrified expressions. Steve's face fell into a deep frown though he nodded to them before pushing open the door to the command center, immediately noticing that everypony inside wore the same expression as those outside.
Applebloom was sobbing softly into the shoulder of Scootaloo, who looked as if she was barely able to keep her own emotions in check. The other generals were either staring off into the unknown with disbelief or attended to their own tears, none of them daring to look at a floating sphere in the center of the room. And then there was Belle, who stared blankly down at the floor while her whole body shook with horror.
Only Scootaloo raised a head to acknowledge the fact that the Captain had walked into the room, where he stood silently while he waited for one of the ponies to inform him of what was going on. Not one of them did.
"What happened?" Cap's words seemed to snap most of the ponies out of their emotional states, yet the only glances he gained were those filled with hopelessness or despair. None said anything to him once more, leaving the Cap to glance into the sphere to see, to his surprise, an area covered in black ash that looked nearly identical to Ponyville.
"What. Happened?" Captain America repeated with a far stronger voice, turning all eyes in the room towards him. His own eyes blazed with the desire for the truth, so much so that nearly everypony he looked at turned their eyes away from him. Except for Scootaloo, who was the only one with enough of a grip to answer.
"This morning, there were over a million ponies that were all under the Five's hoof in Mareiland," Scootaloo began as she pressed a crystal near her hoof and changed the sphere to an image of a bustling city that was filled with ponies singing and dancing. "This is what is left of them a few hours later." She pressed the crystal again and the image changed back to the black ash. Rogers face fell before he closed his eyes and glanced to the side slightly, anguish filling up his heart for the loss of so many.
"Why?" he whispered after a moment of silence for the dead. "Why did this happen?"
"Because...of you." Steve's head snapped up with fury blazing in his eyes, fury that was not directed at Scootaloo for saying those words, but for another reason. "After you beat up Ahuizotl two days ago, ponies began to talk. Talk about the strange creature that was able to take down a member of the Five Dark Gods, that might be the hero that could finally free our land. And I bet the Five didn't like that kind of talk..."
"So all this destruction...all the innocent dead...just to make a statement?" Steve Rogers whispered with sheer horror and loathing as his body trembled with anger. Scootaloo nodded solemnly while she gently rested her head against Applebloom before pushing the crystal once more, causing a massive creature to appear on the sphere. Rogers had just a moment to take in the red faced, horned creature that stood before him before it spoke.
"Attention subjects of our new world, I have a message for all of you. It has come to our attention that some of you are starting to believe that this new "Captain America" may have what it takes to defeat us, something that none of the other heroes did," the horned beast began with a calm demeanor, before his eyes narrowed and a far more sinister look replaced his expression. "That is why we have chosen to remind you of why our power is absolute...and what happens if any dare the thought of rebellion."
As he said this, he stepped to the side to reveal the blackened area of ash that used to be a city filled with life. "I hope that all of you recognize this place, but for those who do not, allow me to introduce you to what is left of Mareiland," the creature said with a smirk. "Earlier today it was filled with buildings and ponies. Now it is ash. And we are the ones who destroyed it. Not because it held any rebels or tried to fight against us, but because we could. That's how powerful we are."
"So let me make this as clear as possible: Your lives mean little to us. Your cities, less so. The only reason you still draw breath is because we allow it. So remember that," the horned beast said with a calm look on his face. "Or else we may do to your city what we did to this one. So be good. And remember...we're always watching." The image began to fade as the creature said this, but not before Scootaloo noticed that the Cap very slowly pointed a finger at the beast with an expression on his face that she had never seen on the features of a being before. And then, without a word, Captain America turned and headed for the door.
"What do ya think ya can do?" The voice of Applebloom surprised the Captain enough to turn around and glance back at the yellow mare in the cowboy hat, who was gazing at the Captain with a defeated expression on her face. "Ya saw what they're capable of. What can ya hope to do?"
"What I do when I can't protect the innocent: I avenge them," Steve replied in a cold whisper that brimmed with fury. But before he could turn to leave, Scootaloo pressed the crystal before her once again, changing the image from the horned monster to a massive machine that was a crimson red and far larger than any skyscraper.
"That's what they used to destroy the city of Mareiland: The Starfall." Rogers could feel the air chill at the mention of the machine's name, with some of the ponies shivering while they rubbed their hooves against their arms. "Constructed with the strongest metal in Equestria. Filled to the brim with hundreds of guards. Equipped with anti-magic barriers to stop any magic wielder, and enough anti-air cannons to blow the moon out of the sky. It is their ultimate weapon of destruction."
"This...is what they used to wipe out Ponyville and the forest next to it, wasn't it?" Captain America asked when he put the pieces together.
"They did it to get back at us, for starting to Crusaders," Applebloom revealed with tear-stained eyes as she forced herself to stand up and gaze at the ultimate weapon of destruction. "They don't bring it out often, preferring to use it more as a threat. But when they do, they make sure that nopony forgets that they do."
"So, this is their symbol of fear...of their power," Captain America stated with narrowed eyes as he felt his fist tighten. Applebloom and the other ponies nodded sadly before changing the image to that of the city before it had been turned to ash. "So, what are we going to do about it?" Cap asked them, but all he got was a dry laugh from one of the generals.
"There is nothing we can do against something like that. None of our weapons hold even a remote chance of denting that armor and none of our forces can get close enough to sabotage it from within," the general bitterly admitted. "The only reason they haven't turned it on us is because they do not know where we are. Fighting it with our forces is a hopeless battle."
Steve's eyes narrowed when he saw the other ponies in the room, including the three founders, nod in agreement with the pony's statement, all of them having given up on the battle already. Without a word, the Cap then turned around with determination blazing in his eyes, heading for the door with numerous plans beginning to form in his head.
"And where do you think you're going?" The sheer disdain in the speaker's voice told him who was speaking, but the Captain still turned his attention to Belle who was shaking her head at him. "You've seen what this thing can do. You've been told what this thing can do. And yet you're still going to go and sink an unsinkable ship. All by yourself. Why?"
"Because someone has to. And I'm the only one who seems to be willing to try," Steve replied with pure honesty in his voice, something that made Belle's eyes narrow.
"Don't you get it? That thing has enough firepower to decimate entire cities with a single blast! It can suck the magic from any pony that's anywhere near the thing! And yet you're going to go fight it, with your shield and spandex?! That's not fighting the impossible, it's sheer suicide! What are you going to do, smack your shield on it?"
"No. I'll throw my shield at it," Steve replied with a thin smile that made Belle's blood boil. "And the only time something is impossible is if you're to afraid to try. So, yes this ship might have untold amounts of power and enough firepower to bring down a moon. But that's what I see when I look at it." Rogers then deliberately looked into everypony's eyes before he spoke, making sure they all knew the resolve behind his words.
"I see a symbol of fear. I see a machine that has claimed the lives of so many and made the lives of many others a living hell. I see something that has brought so much suffering to those who just want to live. It has taken so much from this world," Steve said before he seemed to grow even larger as his eyes narrowed. "But I'll make damn sure it never takes another life again, even if I have to kill myself to do it."
Rogers then turned and headed back for the exit, yet he stopped when he heard the sound of a chair being pushed back. He glanced over his shoulder to see that Scootaloo had risen to her hooves, a look on her face that the Cap had worn on his only moments ago. Applebloom looked up at Scootaloo with horror in her eyes and shook her head, but Scootaloo steeled her resolve before walking over to the Captain.
"I'll fly you there," she said with a fire that made a smile break out on the Captain's face. "We know where it's docked, so I can get you there. Hell, I'll help you bring it down if I'm able to."
"Scootaloo...you can't," Applebloom whispered with fear, but Scootaloo glanced at her friend with resolve in her eyes.
"Cap's right. That damned machine has killed so many ponies, taken the lives of so many that others love. Think of what it did to our home," Scootaloo reminded her with gritted teeth. "But if I can help to bring it down once and for all, even if it means just flying Cap there, then I'll do it...I couldn't save Rainbow Dash, I couldn't save my home...but this time I will protect those I love."
"But what about your wings?" one of the generals asked. "The Starfall steals the magic of anypony that is not protected from it's wrath. Would it not take your pegasi magic and prevent you from flying?"
"Heh, maybe. But that would be if I used pegasi magic to fly," Scootaloo replied before reaching back and ripping the skin and feathers off of her wings, revealing two metal wings filled with wires and other assortment of parts. "But as you can see, I get a little help when I fly. So whaddya think, Cap? Do I suit the bill?"
"I think you'll work just fine, Soldier," Steve replied with a proud nod at the mare. Scootaloo then glanced back at her friends, finding that Belle was simply shaking her head while Applebloom looked on in horror.
"Don't worry, you two, we'll bring that sucker down and be back before dinner," Scootaloo comforted with a wink. "So make sure that dinner's actually worth coming back to tonight." Her face then steeled while she looked up at the Captain with a smirk on her face. "Come on Steve, let's go. Today's as good a day as any for a suicide mission."