Under the Moonlight

by Thunderblast

The Revolution: Part lll

"Oh come on Blitz, you want to save Equestria, don't you?" Thunderblast nudged Blitz.

"Yeah, but...I didn't expect us to be building bombs." Blitz pushed Thunder's hoof away, unsure of their plan.

"Seriously? You loved playing with firecrackers when we were younger. What changed?" Thunder stared at him, raising in eyebrow.

Blitz then gulped.

"What's wrong?" Stormfire asked, looking Blitz in the eyes.

Blitz looked at the two Pegasus ponies and the unicorn around him. "I almost got killed by one."

"What?! How?" Thunder's eyes widened at the stallion's words.

Blitz sighed. "One and a half years ago, on Equestria's Founding Day, I was given the honor of launching the first firework in Cloudsdale. I lit the fuse, but it wouldn't take off, and the fuse went out. I walked back over to it and looked at it..." He looked down at his hooves.

"It exploded in your face?" Thunder's jaw hung open slightly.

Blitz looked up at Thunder. "Close...it was about to explode, and my friend...he was a lieutenant in the Lunar Marines. I guess he knew something that I didn't, and he ran up and pushed me away. Next thing I know..." He winced, tearing up. "There's a loud boom...I look up, he's gone. All that's left is part of his uniform, the sleeve on fire. No one can explain what happened to the rest of him...some say he was blown into space and is still there."

"He was...blown up?" Otto said, his eyes beginning to tear up with Blitz.

Blitz nodded slowly, shedding a tear, which fell onto the ground.

"Blitz...I...I don't know what to say...I'm so sorry. I had no idea." Thunder wiped at his eyes, knowing the same feeling.

The white pegasus wiped a tear from his eye. "Which is why I don't go around fireworks, or any kind of explosive anymore...it just brings me bad luck. I can't even go out when Cloudsdale lights up the sky on New Years, or on Equestria Founding Day. Then you saw earlier, thunderstorms still scare me. That's why. It's not because I never got used to them, it was because of that one day."

Stormfire sighed. "I know the feeling...kind of. The day after I was born, my mother found out my dad had been killed by the griffons when we had that war a couple of decades back. I-I never got to know him."

"I know it too." Thunder sniffled slightly.

"How?" Blitz looked at Thunder.

The grey pegasus raised his eyebrow, reminding Blitz.

"Oh...right." Blitz lowered his head, his ears drooping down.

"Is that why you were staring at the stars that one night, Thunder?" Otto asked, looking him in the eyes.

"Yes. My dad was one of Celestia's most respected guards...he commit suicide a year after my mom passed away from a rare case of the Feather Flu. During that time, Equestria didn't have the vaccine for it. She was perfectly fine the week before too, the whole thing was strange. Even now I still don't know what the doctors know happened to her." Thunder fought against his emotions, slowly fighting back the tears building in his eyes, but unable to stop his voice from breaking slightly.

"Oh." Otto's face saddened at Thunder's story of what happened.

"I'm pretty much over it now." Thunder smiled lightly, but was hiding his pain.

"Are you?" Blitz raised his eyebrow at Thunder, noticing his eyes glassing up.

"Ye-yes." Thunder looked away. "Listen, we should probably go find a hiding spot in Ponyville. It'd be best if we at least have a bigger place to stay while we prepare." He said, putting on his armor.

"Good idea, let's go." Stormfire stood up, crouching down slightly to follow Thunderblast out of the tree trunk, Blitz and Otto gathering whatever they needed and carried it out in two decent sized boxes. The four stallions quietly and cautiously made their way through the cold, rainy forest towards town, which was still lit up with construction lights. After reaching a hill just outside of town, they peeked over it and towards Ponyville. There were many ponies standing in the paths, mostly construction workers, others being guards, with some mares and children mixed in. Lucky for them, nothing in the process of the castle construction plans had been started yet.

"I wonder where Soarin is in all of that mess." Blitz looked around.

"Somewhere safe, hopefully." Otto responded.

"Hmm..." Thunder moved his eyes around the possible ways into town. Unfortunately, each path had either construction workers or guards.

"Awh, great. How will we get in without being seen?" Stormfire groaned.

Otto Tech turned around, seeing a steel round cover with a horseshoe printed into it, detailed with what appeared to be nails. "Hey guys! The war tunnels!" He stood up, trotting over to it.

Thunder, Storm, and Blitz turned around and looked at Otto.

"I thought those were filled in a decade ago?" Thunder looked at him as he levitated the cover off of a hole with a ladder going down into darkness.

"Heh, they did. Buuut, I dug them back out myself, and even made a shelter for severe weather." Otto had already begun climbing down, smirking lightly.

"Do you know where we can go other than the shelter? They might be expecting us there too." Blitz trotted over to the hole, Otto sliding down the bars quickly, his hooves making a small splash as they hit the wet stone below.

"Probably into a shop or two if we're lucky, if we find another exit in an alley that isn't being watched." Otto said, his voice echoing.

"Whoa, there's an echo too?!" Stormfire trotted over to the hole, Blitz climbing down the ladder carefully. He stuck his head in. "Eeeechooooo"

His voice echoed many times, causing him to laugh.

"Testing, testing, one two--."

Thunder slapped Storm behind his head, glaring at him.

"What?" Storm pulled his head back up, watching as Thunder climbed down the ladder, before following him and pulling the cover back over the hole, immediately blackening the already-dark tunnels.

"Jeez its dark down here. Anypony got a light?" Thunder looked around at the darkness. "I think mine's dead."

Blitz pulled out his flashlight and flipped it on, moments later flickering and dying. "Son of a barrel of hay."

Otto snickered lightly. "That's funny. I might have to steal that from you...er..."

"Blitz. My name is Blitz." He said, trotting down the tunnel blindly.

"I might have to steal that from you, Blitz." Otto chuckled, before following Blitz, Thunderblast and Stormfire following close behind.

"Don't you dare." Blitz said sarcastically.

After about ten minutes of walking, some light shone through a tiny hole from what appeared to be another cover.

"Hey, I think there's an exit here!" Thunder looked up through the small tunnel leading to the surface. "I'll check it out." He climbed up, lifting the heavy cover up with all of his strength. When the cover lifted, he was looking at the hooves of a revolution guard. He yelped in surprise and quickly dropped back down, the cover making a loud, heavy metal thud, which startled the guard enough to check the cover. Thunder pulled the stallions back into the shadows and behind a wall corner as the cover was lifted back up by the guard, presumably a unicorn as it levitated up.

"Alright, who's down there?" The guard's rough voice quietly said, though enough to cause a bit of an echo in the tunnels. The stallion then climbed down the ladder and used his magic to create light, looking around in the three directions he could go. Of course, he decided to go the direction Thunder and his friends were hiding. As he walked by the corner, he looked in the opposite direction of the hiding stallions, suddenly being knocked unconscious by Otto Tech, the light on the guard's horn fading slowly.

Blitz and Stormfire looked at Otto.

"What? He was going to find us sooner or later." Otto shrugged with one hoof.

"Hmm...we could probably use his armor...or if he's being mind controlled, see if he'll join us." Storm scratched his chin with his hoof.

"Let's take his armor. If he is being mind controlled, it's unlikely we'll be able to set him back to his right mind like we did with Otto." Thunder looked at the stallion, stripping him of his armor and handing it to Blitz, who put it on his back to wear at a later point.

"So, I guess that exit doesn't work. What if we split up to find one?" Otto suggested.

"That wouldn't work. We could end up getting caught if we do that." Storm replied.

"Storm's right. If we split up and one of us gets caught, there won't be another there to stop it." Blitz struggled to balance the armor on his back as it rattled.

"Ugh. Then what do we do?" Storm groaned, sitting down.

"What we're doing now. Hey Otto?" Thunder called out, not being able to see the stallion, also finding he wasn't there. "Otto?"

No reply.

"Otto?!"

Again, no reply.

"Oh sweet Celestia. First a guard follows us down here, now Otto's gone." Stormfire looked around frantically.

"Hey guys!" A voice yelled from down the tunnel, which the stallions ran towards, to find Otto hanging upside down somehow from the exit of an open cover which came into a slightly-lit alley. "I found a place we can hide!" He said, climbing back up and using his magic to pick the lock of the back door of a shop.

"Great job!" Blitz climbed up the ladder, followed by Stormfire, and after checking around some to make sure they got up safely, Thunderblast.

Otto entered the shop, flipping on the lights in the small storage area in the back, behind the main counter. To their surprise, the boxes on the shelves were filled with knives, swords, and ammunition for a basic gun, mainly a Desert Eagle.

"And how lucky we are!" Otto's smile widened as he ran to one of the boxes, dumping out three different boxes onto the floor. There were unloaded Desert Eagles painted in steel-grey and black, with clips of ammunition, as well as some flip-out knives similar to Thunder's, and smaller swords that one would most likely consider a dagger.

"Jackpot." Thunder said, reaching down and grabbing one of the Desert Eagles and five clips, loading one into the handle with a click.

"Looks like we're set, other than the explosives of course." Stormfire picked up a knife, tucking it into his armor. "I think i'll stick to melee weapons though."

"Suit yourself." Otto Tech said, levitating two desert eagles with eight clips of ammunition, clicking two of them into his guns, before tucking them into pouches on the sides of his armor.

Blitz didn't take much, only a small sword and a beret. Soon after, the four realized they were in some sort of military surplus shop. Lucky for them, the owner was out of town and he had left a spare key in the register for his apartment upstairs, which the stallions set up in.

After falling back asleep comfortably this time, now being in a warm building, the four slept soundly the rest of the night.

"You guys!" Stormfire suddenly shot up, yelling.

Thunder and Blitz then woke up in a shock, Otto somehow still snoring.

"What's wrong?!" Thunder looked at him, his heart racing from being awakened suddenly.

"What happened to our weapons?!" Storm stared at Thunder and Blitz as if he was crazy.

Blitz yawned. "They're right here." He then put his hoof on his sword.

"No, I mean, our weapons." Storm eyed them closely.

Thunder's eyes opened wide; Storm was on to something. "You're right...where are they?"

"Are you delusional? They're right next to us." Blitz groaned, laying his head down on the pillow and shutting his eyes.

"No, Blitz. Our elemental weapons." Thunder stood up.

Blitz's eyes opened back up, his irises shrinking. "No! I left mine at home!"

Thunderblast groaned. "So did I."

Storm facehoofed. "I left mine at home too."

"We could really use those about now." Blitz put his hooves over his head, burying his face into the pillow.

Suddenly, a blue flashing glow came from Thunder's armor. The stallion spun it around and saw the star on his armor chestplate was flashing the same color his element charm flashed. He stuttered for a moment, before the necklace somehow phased out of his armor and onto the floor before him.

"What...what the heck?!" Thunder stared, backing up slightly.

Soon after, the same thing happened to Blitz and Stormfire; their elements phasing out of their armor. They all stared at each other in shock.

"How in Celestia's name..?!" Storm picked up his necklace, holding it in his hoof as the charm glowed and flashed.

Blitz then picked up his, staring at it closely. "I think these things are stalking us!"

"More like, they're a part of us or something. It would explain why they phased out of the armor right where our heart would be!" Thunder said, holding his necklace in his hoof.

Stormfire and Blitz both looked at Thunder. "Do you think they're trying to tell us something again?" Blitz asked.

Thunder shrugged. "Beats me. If it is, I bet they would have done something else by now."

"What if...they're ready to show their weapon form?" Storm looked back at his element, putting it close to his face.

Blitz's eyes widened. "It could be...that prophecy thing that flashed in our minds that one day? Do you think it was telling us of this revolution?"

Thunder looked at Blitz as he talked, before returning his attention to the element necklace in his hoof. "Hmm..." "A stallion, will rise above everypony else, and bring chaos to the land. But one, along with an army of his family and friends, will fight back against this tyrant, and save the ponies. This stallion, a stallion with armor of steel, will bring the light from the sun and moon combined, and bring it back down to earth, breaking the clouds, and ridding the land of this threat." He thought to himself. "A stallion will rise above everypony else, but one will join his family and friends to fight back...and he will bring light from the sun and moon combined, bringing it back to earth." Thunder trotted over to the window, peeking out of the blinds, before gasping.

"What is it?" Storm stepped closer.

Thunder turned around and faced Storm and Blitz.

"Is the prophecy talking about me?" Thunder stared blankly at the two stallions, unsure of what to think.

"I don't know...it could be talking about any of us, Thunder. Either you, me or Blitz. We were the ones who found it, and I'm sure we were the only ones meant to find it. So, either one of us could be the stallion in steel armor. It's hard to explain what it means, but so far it's been spot on about the revolution and stuff." Stormfire said, motioning his hooves slightly.

Thunder sighed, before laying back down and looking at his element. "Even if it does mean me, does that mean I will become overpowered? Or even worse, an alicorn?"

"I doubt that. If anything, it would just be us revolting back against the revolution, which is what we plan to do in the first place." Blitz said, laying back down on his blanket.

Thunder glanced over to Blitz as he replied, soon looking back at the strange object that phased through his guard armor just a few minutes ago.

"I dunno, this is all too strange, and its not even close to dawn yet. We should probably get back to sleep, rather than worry about these darn things." Thunder said as he laid his head on a pillow, pulling his blanket back over himself.

Storm and Blitz groaned, but followed suit, tucking themselves back in to their makeshift beds on the floor, falling back asleep minutes later.

---

At early sunrise, a train pulled into the Ponyville station, where guards remained standing at attention. This time, the platform was buzzing with Revolution guards. As the doors opened, the massive line of guards leading from the train to the station door all saluted simultaneously. Moments later, a grey Pegasus stallion with a neon-green and black mane, neon-green sunglasses in his mane above his eyes, stepped out of the train and walked slowly down the line of guards, smiling. Once outside of the train station, a chariot pulled by an earth stallion and a pegasus mare, both looking exhausted and extremely dirty.

"Ew, I am not getting on that thing. GUARDS!" Light Assassin yelled, followed by four guards trotting up and standing at attention. "I want two of you to pull this thing, not these ruffians I see right here."

"Yes master." All four guards said at once, before two trotted up and removed the ponies from the chariot, who screamed in fear as they dragged them away, while the other two hooked themselves up.

"Very good." Light smirked, stepping on to his chariot and sitting down. "Take me to Town Hall, boys."

The guards nodded and began trotting quickly towards the center of town, where most of the activity had been going on.

---

"Guys, wake up!" Whispered a voice.

"Mrrr...what?" Blitz mumbled, still extremely tired.

"Come look out the window!" Otto said, nudging the three stallions to wake them up.

Stormfire sat up, rubbing at his eyes. "What is it, Otto?"

Thunderblast too sat up and rubbed his eyes, yawning.

"Light Assassin's out there!" Otto responded, looking out the window.

"Wait, what?" Thunder opened his eyes and pulled the blanket off of himself, standing up and trotting over to the window and looking outside at the plaza around Town Hall.

"Light's outside? What is he doing?" Blitz stood up, moving some of his mane out of his eye.

"I don't know." Otto replied.

"It looks like he's checking on preparations for his castle." Thunder narrowed his eyes on the grey pegasus in the plaza outside, who was barking orders at other ponies.

Stormfire and Blitz trotted over the window next to Thunder and Otto, peeking out through the blinds at the activity outside.

"What do we do?" Blitz looked at the other three stallions.

"Well, I do remember something..." Otto lowered his head slightly.

Thunder looked down at Otto. "What?"

"I'm supposed to meet up with Light after he arrives by train, which makes me late. He's probably looking for me." Otto looked down at his hooves.

Thunder stared down at Otto, thinking for a moment, before saying. "You go do what you have to do."

"Okay...should I kill him while I'm down there?" Otto raised his head, looking at Thunder.

"No, too risky. Just meet up with him, do whatever he asks you to do, and come back. Simple as that. Then, we can carry out our plan." Thunder trotted over to Otto's armor, bringing it over to him.

"Alright. I'll be back you guys." Otto put on his armor, leaving his guns on the floor and trotting out of the apartment.

Thunder returned his attention to the window the second Otto walked out, watching him leave and trot up to the grey pegasus.

---

"You told ME he was going to be here when I got here!" Light yelled at a guard, who was recoiling back from the stallion's ear-piercing voice.

Otto Tech cleared his throat, now standing behind Light Assassin.

Light turned around and saw the unicorn. "You're late!"

"Yes master, my apologies. I got caught up." Otto bowed his head slightly in response.

Light sighed and trotted closer. "At least you're here. Did you find those stallions for me?"

Otto's heart sank as he struggled to think of something to say.

"No sir. I looked everywhere and I still have yet to find them." Otto replied with a blank expression.

"Otto, you were supposed to find them last night! Why didn't you?" Light stuck his hoof out to go with his yelling.

"Master, I am still looking for them. They are hiding very well." Otto recoiled back slightly.

Light grumbled and facehoofed. "Okay. We should probably go somewhere more private."

"Yes, master. You lead the way." Otto stood up tall once again.

Light Assassin then trotted around Otto Tech, beginning to walk out of sight of Thunder, Storm and Blitz. He looked up at the window which Thunder was looking from, unsure if he should escape at that moment. Instead, he followed Light through town.

"Ugh...it may be a while you guys." Thunder pulled the blinds back down, no longer able to spot Light and Otto in the plaza.

---

"Sir, if you don't mind me asking...where are we going?" Otto trotted just behind Light Assassin.

"You'll see." Light smirked, unnoticeable from Otto's point of view.

After a few minutes, the two stallions approached a warehouse on the outskirts of Ponyville, which was also heavily guarded. Light walked up to the door, the guards removing their spears from blocking it and saluting, allowing the stallions to enter. Inside, more guards stood at attention, others training and loading up on weapons.

"What are they doing?" Otto pointed out.

"Preparing for war." Light trotted up to another door, which lead to stairs to go into the basement.

"War? Why?" Otto trotted up to Light, looking at him.

Light facehoofed. "Against the Royal Guard of course! Well, whatever's left." He smirked.

"Oh..." Otto lowered his head slightly, before walking down the stairs into the basement, Light Assassin following from behind.

After walking down the long flight of steps, it wasn't until Otto looked up when he saw the long room extending for a couple thousand feet to the side, with guards strapped to the walls at different heights, all either struggling to escape, or crying in fear.

Otto gasped. "Why'd you bring me down here?"

"Just to show you what I've been collecting." Light smirked, trotting over to a table with torture weapons.

"It's...it's a nice collection sir." Otto gulped as he slowly walked through the basement, looking at the different assortments of guards, Royal and Lunar guards, with a few of the elites mixed in, but were missing their armor. Most of the guards looked at Otto with fear in their eyes, while the other few glared at him, undaunted by the fact that this might be the end.

"I can't imagine it was easy getting all of these guys, was it?" Otto looked at Light, who had followed him with a hammer tucked under his wing.

"It wasn't, but with the help of a few friends, it was made a bit easier. Half of the guards you see are guys I found over time, taking them one by one, when their buddies weren't there to save them. Such a pity that a few of them forced me to kill them." He said, looking up at a Lunar guard who's body was completely limp, with a stab wound in his right chest.

"And the other half?" Otto stopped and looked at Light.

"Well, when the revolution started, the Princesses deployed squads to take care of it, and keep it contained. I guess they found out after a few minutes that they were far outnumbered a thousand to a hundred. In turn, whoever wasn't killed was brought here." Light replied, smirking insanely at Otto, before walking up to a guard and slapping him for being noisy.

"What do you plan to do with them?" Otto watched as Light slapped the guard.

"Use the amulet on them, make them a part of our army. If not, kill them." Light continued to stare at the guard. "I SAID SHUT UP!" He yelled, punching the guard's jaw.

Otto cringed and crouched down slightly as the guard yelped in pain, before noticing a button on the wall which read 'Emergency Release', meaning he could release the captured ponies at any point at the risk of his own life.

Suddenly, Light appeared next to him. "I see you looking at that button." He smirked, leaning closer.

Otto jumped, turning and facing the pegasus, backing away slightly. "No-no I wasn't. I was, uh..."

"I know everything, Otto. I know you're faking your loyalty for me." Light narrowed his eyes on Otto angrily.

"What? Nonsense!" Otto backed into a tool chest, pushing it back slightly.

"You aren't my second in command. I know you found Thunder and his friends, you just don't want to hand them over to me. Where are they?" Light growled, slamming his hoof into the tool chest, Otto cowering underneath him.

"I-I...I don't kn-know what you're talking about...s-sir!" Otto trembled, knowing he had been caught red-hoofed.

Light grit his teeth, his blood beginning to boil in rage. "You liar!" He yelled.

"Ple-please sir...have mercy." Otto trembled more, now sitting down on the floor.

Light crouched down, putting his muzzle up to Otto's. "I'm going to have a lot of fun with you."

---

Blitz trotted around in circles impatiently, looking down at the floor. "Ugh, when is he gonna get back?"

Thunderblast reached his hoof out and stopped the stallion from trotting any more. "Blitz, stop it. You're making a circle in the floor!"

Blitz looked down, and saw that the wooden floor where he had been trotting was worn down and was now creaking loudly whenever someone walked over it.

He laughed and smiled awkwardly. "Hehe...whoops."

Thunder groaned, pulling away from the white pegasus.

"But seriously, when is he going to get back? It's almost one in the afternoon, we need to start the operation!" Stormfire sat down, also impatient.

"I don't know you guys, I don't know! He didn't say anything. As a matter of fact, I don't think he was planning to go with Light as long as he is." Thunder hissed back at them, stomping his hoof.

Blitz recoiled back at the hoof stomp. "You don't think he killed him, do you?"

Thunder looked at Blitz, entering a bit of a deep thought. "No. No, he didn't. He wouldn't."

"If he found out he wasn't under mind control anymore, he could have, Thunder." Storm looked at Thunder.

Thunder laid down on the floor, putting his hooves on the sides of his head. "No, stop saying that guys. Light wouldn't kill his second in command."