• Published 26th Jan 2015
  • 1,235 Views, 7 Comments

Titanfall - The Equestrian Frontier - 1Bit



As the ponies of Equestria discover a new land... a new frontier, the Earth Ponies decide to make it their own, breaking the chains of slavery to the Unicorns and Pegasi.

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The stallion crossed the rusting metal walkway, taking everything in his stride. The sound of his hoofsteps were the only noise that could be heard, as he entered the spacious docking bay of the ship. His hoofsteps continued to echo, as the crowd of ponies below him sat in silence, their eyes never leaving his figure. Stepping onto a small raised platform, the stallion took a moment to observe his surroundings. He couldn't help but notice the state of disrepair the ship lay in, sighing softly to himself as he noted the hundreds of broken cables thrown about the place. And yet, thousands of ponies were sitting there content. Each one of them promised something. Something the stallion now had to talk about. The old Earth Pony had never been much of a speaker, but he was strong. His powerful figure dominated those near him and many gladly followed him. But what he intended to do now, was bigger than him. Bigger than anypony. Facing the crowd, he closed his eyes and licked his dry lips in anticipation. He took a deep breath before opening his mouth to speak.

"My fellow Earth Ponies." He said. "All of you. Every last one of you is here for a reason." His voice was gravelly and hoarse, yet had a captivating quality to it. "Finally, ponies have created the technology with which we can traverse the stars. While some stayed behind, we dare to face this new frontier. A promise of wealthy new lands and prosperous civilizations awaits us." He paused, nervous to continue. "But, will history repeat itself as it has so many times before? Will we, the Earth Ponies, be shunned away and left in the dust of others? For thousands of years, my friends, we have slaved the fields of Equestria, happily bringing food to the tables of thousands. But what have we ever got in return?" The old stallion's words began flowing more passionately as he was whisked away by the heat of the moment. "Suffering is what we've had! The Unicorns and Pegasi we called our friends have looked down upon us for eons. We are merely an asset for them to exploit! How many times have they genuinely thanked you for your work? How many times have you laboured endlessly on your crops just for them to ask more of you? Well, no more I say!

Murmurs of approval spread through the crowd, some of the ponies urging the speaker on. The stallion's face lit up with approval at the sight, gesticulating dramatically as he continued. "If we continue down the current path, these...new lands will merely take the shape of Equestria. If we want to be free from the chains of labour, then we must act at once! You all stood here before me because I promised you something. Something that only this Frontier can offer us." He paused dramatically, letting his words sink in. "Freedom!" He raised a hoof in the air, the uproar from the crowd almost deafening as they cheered him on. Hooves stamping in approval echoed against the dull, grey metal of the walls.


Applejack sat alone in her small room, listening to the speech on a small radio. She continued to sit staring at the wall, taking in it's decrepit features. The years of rusting took it's toll on a lot of the ship. Her sad emerald eyes shifted to the cabinet on her left, eyeing the gun that lay atop it. Sighing, she snatched it and brought it closer to her. It was barely even a gun, an improvised carbine built out of various metal pieces glued together. The words Faithful and Strong messily engraved in the barrel. She groaned, letting the weapon drop from her hooves and returned to staring at the wall.

Her door opened with a small hiss, a bright pink pony taking up the door space. She barely recognised her orange friend as the mare continued to sit on her bed gloomily. Mustering a smile Pinkie sat beside her, the bed creaking in response.

"What's with the long face, miss gloomy-pants?" She shuffled closer to Applejack, putting a hoof around her neck. Applejack sighed and moved further away from her.

"You know what." Applejack said quietly, putting her face in her hooves. "It's this stupid war, Pinkie. I don't think anypony left home for this unless we're counting our illustrious Commander Strongleaf." She rolled her eyes, laying her head against the wall behind her.

"Well you aren't helping yourself by listening to that speech constantly, Applejack." Pinkie replied, following the other mare's example and laying back against the wall. Both ponies sat there in silence for a while. Pinkie often glanced at Applejack, hoping for some response. All she saw, however, was the mare continually staring at nothing. Dropping her head, Pinkie thought about what to say next. "Do you think we'll ever see our friends again?" Her voice clearly cracked a little as she tried to block out the painful truth.

Applejack closed her eyes, biting back a harsh response. "What do you want me to say? Judgin' from how things are, it could be years before it'd even be safe enough to merely contact Twi or Dash." Applejack could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. "As for Fluttershy and Rarity...how should I know? It's taken us years to even get out here. To travel back to Equestria, why, it would take ages."

Pinkie sniffed, rubbing her eyes with a grimy hoof. "I know. It's just...I miss them, Applejack. I thought we'd be together forever." The pink Earth Pony felt the first tears rolling down her cheek. "We pinkie promise'd."

Applejack brought Pinkie in closer, gently stroking her mane. "I know we did sugarcube. I'm sure that, one day, when all of this craziness is behind us, we'll be together again. Just like when we were younger." There was no denying the two ponies had aged quite a bit on the journey to the Frontier. It was a long and tiresome flight and it was visible in the faces of the dishevelled ponies that wandered the corridors of the ship. While Pinkie seemed to remain as bubbly and bright as she was when she was younger, Applejack showed clear signs of getting older. Her golden mane had slight hints of grey in it and bags had begun to form under her eyes. Pinkie still died a little inside each time she saw her friend in such a state.

Holding Applejack close, Pinkie calmed herself slightly, wiping the tears from her eyes with her hoof. "I just don't understand how you do it, Applejack." She looked up at the mare. "For years, you've fought for the militia even though you don't agree with all the fighting. I just...can't comprehend why."

Applejack looked at the floor, thinking of a response. "Well sugarcube, I figure that the sooner the war ends, the sooner things return to normal. If I do my bit, I can bring it all to a close even quicker. Honestly, I have nightmares about the things I've done. I try my best to avoid going for the actual ponies on the ground, focusin' on takin' out the unicorns magical robot thingy's instead." Applejack stared at the gun on the floor again, wincing at each painful memory it brought back. "But there are times when my hoof is forced." The sound of gunshots rattled through her brain, the mare lost in the many bloody memories she had of the frontier.

They both continued to lay on Applejack's bed as the hours passed by, ignoring the dozens of commands and speeches blasting through the speakers. Pinkie finally broke the silence. "I HATE the new frontier."

"So do I, Pinkie." Applejack agreed. "So do I." Pinkie nodded sullenly, slowly heading towards the door. Offering a weak smile goodbye, she left the room, leaving Applejack alone with her thoughts. Applejack eyed the small radio beside her, tentatively pressing the replay button. Static blared out of the small device, the fuzzy voice of the stallion once again being the only sound in the small room.

Applejack hunched on her bed, listening in, staring at the dull, grey wall.