The Imperial Age of Equestria

by dEdPhErE

Chapter 1: A General Announcement by the Empress of Equestria

Chapter 1: A General Announcement by the Empress of Equestria

Fluttershy woke up with a smile. She was ready for a new day with her five best friends, and today was especially important. Today was the day she needed to go to the market. She was short on food today, and she needed some new cleaning equipment anyway. She got out of bed, found a quill and paper, and scribbled up a shopping list of fruits, vegetables, a few spare brooms and more.

Angel woke up a few minutes later while Fluttershy was putting her wallet in her saddlebag. He swiped the quill from Fluttershy’s desk and seemed to be adding items to her list. He handed the paper to Fluttershy with a demanding power. She gently took the paper and silently read the newly added contents: Chocolate cake, carrot cake, cupcakes, assorted candy, chocolate bars, and anything sweet, sugary, deep-fried and/or covered with chocolate.

“No, Angel,” said Fluttershy kindly, “too much sugar can give you a really bad tummyache. I’ll just buy you some carrots, okay?”

Angel crossed his arms and looked away from Fluttershy. He closed his eyes bitterly with a cold scoff. Fluttershy giggled softly and floated out the door to do her shopping.

After a short walk to the market, Fluttershy walked to the center of the crowd. She took out her shopping list and read the first item; Apples.

Fluttershy used her wings to gently float over to the apple stand of her orange-brown earth-pony friend.

“What’s new, sugarcube?” asked Applejack from behind her apple stand.

“Um… not much… Applejack,” Fluttershy half-whispered in her usual quiet, nervous nature.

“Discount on golden delicious today!” said Applejack “We’re overstocked.”

“Uh… thanks,” said Fluttershy “but, I’ll just have seven of the usual red delicious.”

“Sure thang, Flutters,” said Applejack cheerfully. “Fourteen bits.”

Fluttershy pulled out her wallet and took out fourteen coins with her teeth. She laid them down and Applejack took them with her hoof, and put them in a lockbox. She locked it as a familiar white unicorn with flowing purple hair walked with an air of gloom about her.

“Oh, of all the filth in the world!” shouted Rarity, covering the right side of her head with her hoof. “Why did this barbarian have to splash mud in my hair?”

Behind her was a cyan-colored pony with rainbow hair rolling on the floor, guffawing at the sight of Rarity.

“Lighten up, Vanity!” said Rainbow Dash. “You’d be laughing if you’da looked into a mirror right now!” “Vanity” was her new nickname for Rarity ever since Twilight Sparkle taught her the word, and it fit quite well. But it didn’t sit well with the white unicorn.

“Stop calling me tha-! Oops…” said Rarity, stomping the hoof that she used to cover her hair on the floor, much to her accidental chagrin. The side that was covered had patches of mud in Rarity’s otherwise clean head.

“Oh, you poor thing,” Fluttershy squealed sympathetically. “Let me dry you off.” She grabbed a hose from a nearby gardening tools salesman and accidentally turned the valve to full blast. The hose fired off like a sniper rifle aimed directly for a headshot on Rarity. It hit its mark as she screamed in pain while Fluttershy winced in horror, while still recovering in a daze from the hose pushing her to crash into the gardening tool stand from which she borrowed it, but left no dents or marks due to Fluttershy’s low weight as a pegasus. She quickly turned down the valve on the hose.

The last of the droplets fell to the grass, and Rarity’s face was revealed. She had a large pinkish-red bump on her forehead and had a dazed look on her face. Her hair had been blown back and molded together by the water, and she looked as though she had spears sticking out backwards on her head, prepped for a rearward charge.

“Uh-oh,” said another familiar voice. The four ponies looked in Rainbow Dash’s (who was laughing even more hysterically than she was before) direction to find a purple unicorn pony with indigo hair and pink streaks. There stood Twilight Sparkle, her head down while her eyes looked up at the ponies. Everypony knew that she was about to use magic, and some had mixed feelings about this, especially Rarity, who backed away slowly.

“Let me fix that hair up,” Twilight Sparkle said helpfully. Her horn glowed purple light, and so did Rarity’s hair. The latter then glowed white, and instantly reformed itself into its usual shape: The typical swirly plethora of gelled, artificial-looking hair that Rarity called perfection.

“Glad you didn’t screw that up,” Rarity said with a sigh of relief.

“Who d’you think you’re talking to?” asked Twilight sardonically.

All five ponies proceeded to finish their respective shopping lists. When they were done, they decided to visit Sugarcube Corner for a malt. Sugarcube Corner had changed its take-out-bakery-style format, and was now a fully functioning ice cream parlor/bakery/sweetshop. On the counter was a radio, colored a bright shade of cyan. It was playing an upbeat, 60’s-style rock n’ roll song.

Behind the counter stood a pink earth-pony with a white shopkeeper’s cap (the paper kind that ice cream shop clerks wear) wiping down some malt glasses. She looked toward the door and smiled like a filly that’s just received a Hearth’s Warming Eve present.

“Hey, Pinkie Pie!” said the five customers at once

“Five malts, please,” said Twilight. She put fifteen bits on the counter, and the pony named Pinkie Pie put the coins into the cash register. She handed each pony their malt and proceeded with to exchange pleasantries.

“Okey dokey lokey!” she said with a disturbing amount of cheerfulness. "So what's new with all of you?"

She then grinned. The smile was one that looked forced, but the rest of the ponies knew that that was just how Pinkie always smiled.

All of the ponies said their own versions of “Nothing” or “Not much” until the cyan radio in the corner suddenly went to static.

“Uh-oh, radio’s on the fritz,” said Pinkie casually. She was about to go and inspect it, but as she approached it, it came back on, but this time, a voice was speaking.

“Citizens of Equestria!” the voice boomed. “We are Princess Luna! The Kingdom of Equestria is now under new management! Princess Celestia has passed on peacefully and quietly in her sleep after a sudden stroke of an unidentified cause! We all mourn the loss of a valued leader, a trusted matriarch, and best of all, caring sister! I will now be ruler of Equestria! I will do my best as your Empress! The official name of our nation is no longer the Kingdom of Equestria! We will now be… The Equestrian Empire! All of Canterlot and Ponyville must attend our coronation at two o'clock sharp this afternoon! Anypony in defiance will be put to death!”

Silence filled the room, as the ponies’ faces were either terrified, shocked, devastated, and/or outright depressed. Applejack and Pinkie Pie each took off their ten-gallon and cap respectively. The most distraught of the ponies was Twilight Sparkle. She slowly walked toward the other side of Sugarcube Corner, tears rolling down her cheeks and dropping like missiles at her hooves.

“All my life she’s been my teacher,” she sobbed. “She taught me everything I knew, like the aunt I never had. And now, she’s gone forever. We’ll never see her again.”

At this thought, the rest of the ponies started sobbing in unison. All of them, including Pinkie Pie, huddled around Twilight Sparkle, mourning the loss of a beloved friend and mentor.

Comments

[dEdPhErE]

If there's any OoC, tell me, OK?

[Dan50]

LOVE IT :D Can't wait to see where this goes! *Subscribes to story*