Imperial Affairs

by The Sound of Loneliness

Homefront Fighters

“Still nothing from the outside?” Rainbow Dash checked her rifle is loaded and looked out into the hallway.

“No, Sugar,” Applejack grunted, pushing the table to barricade the second door. “Nopony’s coming, Rainbow.”

“Why?” Rainbow Dash asked in astonishment. “Aren’t they just as fed up as we are?”

“Rainbow, Daisy and her team got themselves killed trying to open the gates. Ain't no surprise everypony sees this as a lost cause!”

“Oh, finally! Get in here, quick!” Rainbow hurried the arriving ponies into the room. A grey coated unicorn immediately dropped a large backpack on the floor and took out wire cutters of his webbing.

“Teams A and C are coming, Ma’am,” a fragile-looking mare, serving as Rainbow's adjutant reported.

“Team’s B here already,” Applejack added.

“Team D?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“They are surrounded in the lower barracks,” The adjutant answered again. Rainbow Dash swore and looked down at the stallion, who was now done assembling the detonator.

“Shortfuse, we need a clean blast through the floor.“

“Figured, are we leaving through the cave?”

“Then we disperse.”

“And then what?”

“I don’t know yet. Let’s solve problems as we get them.”

“Ugh... Sure thing, Dash,” the stallion made a terrible frown. “Okay, out of the room, everypony. Ears shut, mouths open.”

The demo outranked the company command here. After a moment of violent shaking, Rainbow Dash found her ordered hole delivered dead in the room’s centre. The room was full of broken wood now; but hey, they had an exit.

“Everypony! Get in here! We are leaving!” Rainbow Dash shouted in the direction of gunshots still being heard.

“Down the hole, down the hole, all of you!” Applejack gave every passing soldier a hearty pat for making it out alive.

The sound of teleportation spell signalled to the remaining two commanders there were no stragglers coming and it was time to leave. Both mares jumped into the hole.

“Huh?” Rainbow Dash gasped in surprise as she realized that she wasn’t moving down. She looked at Applejack and found her suspended in the air, surrounded with pink aura. Rainbow Dash reached for her rifle, but it wasn’t there any longer.

“Would you shoot me too, murderer?” Rainbow Dash felt her spirit sinking from hearing this voice. Their weapons clinked on the floor.

“Twilight!” Rainbow desperately called out, “We have no time! The Imps are behind the corner! Let us go!”

“So you could try again?” Twilight coldly asked.

“The resistance won’t make it without us! They need us!”

“Exactly, Rainbow. They won’t make it without you. Your crusade is over.”

“Twilight, listen!” Rainbow Dash pleaded. “It’s for the cause! We came to throw Nightmare Moon down from the throne she stole! We are not here to harm anyone else!”

“Don’t waste your strength, Sugar,” Applejack spat. “I think, she made her choice already.”

“Twilight, no!” Rainbow Dash tried again, “She beat us once, but we can still make it right! Twilight, help us! We can overthrow her if we all get together again!”

“What were you thinking?” Twilight sobbed. “You murdered 15 guards and wounded 35 more! And for what? So you could say you didn’t bend your knees? Nightmare Moon is terrible, but even she doesn’t murder ponies for her hubris!”

“Twilight, they are Imps!”

“And what about the ponies who trusted you with their lives? How many of them are now lying dead in these halls because of you?” Rainbow figured she was running out of tries, Twilight's sorrow was quickly transforming into anger.

“It’s war!” Rainbow Dash shrugged, “You can’t fight without taking loses! They knew what was at stake but they volunteered anyway! But they died for a good cause! Let’s topple the oppressor! Together, like we always did!”

“I never did anything this disgusting together with anyone! I am ashamed to be friends with murderers!” Her tone permitted now more arguments.

The clatter of hooves in the hallway signalled to Twilight it was time to process the criminals.

“Thank you for your aid, Princess.” Captain Stormbreaker bowed to her with a degree of newly found respect, “We rounded up that holdout nicely, they didn’t resist. I see you have this under control as well.”

Twilight gave him a fierce look, to which he answered with a simple nod of understanding.

“Tie them up,” she ordered, passing her captives to the arrived guards. “I don’t want to see their faces.”

---

Rarity met Twilight outside the quarters, nervous but fine.

“She’s back,” Rarity plainly informed.

“Good, maybe she will even be kind enough to raise the sun again. Did she say what she was doing? ...Actually, don’t answer that. I don’t want to know. If you need me, I’ll be in the archive.” Rarity took the hint and didn’t push.

“Miss Rarity,” Shadow Crest in the guise of a Guard called her from the doorway. ”Orders for you.” She passed over a freshly written letter, “Send this to General Nutcracker of the 101st Airborne Division in a sealed Imperial envelope.”

“Is this all?” Rarity asked in the same plain manner.

“Yes, Ma’am. The Empress said you can be free afterwards.” Shadow, then, closed the door again.

Rarity looked at the document, Empress' hoofwriting gave away her anger:
“General!
On the night of 16th, your formation will receive two new special-purpose platoons. Commanded by Second Lieutenant Stormbreaker and Second Lieutenant Rainbow Dash. Your orders are to deploy them alongside regular units following Day Black and use them for assaulting Changeling units in mildly fortified areas. Under no circumstance, you are to allow their separation.
Under no circumstance, you are allowed to keep them away from active combat for the duration longer than 3 days a week.
Lieutenant Rainbow Dash’s unit must not suffer extensive losses and to be given the freedom to operate within their designated combat area as she sees fit.
Failure to comply with any described orders will result in immediate demotion and further harsh prosecution.”

A tear dropped on the letter, blurring the tidiness.

Comments

[My Little Epona]

Yay! An update!

Rarity looked at the document, Empress' hoofwriting gave away her anger:
“General!
On the night of 16th, your formation will receive two new special-purpose platoons. Commanded by Second Lieutenant Stormbreaker and Second Lieutenant Rainbow Dash. Your orders are to deploy them alongside regular units following Day Black and use them for assaulting Changeling units in mildly fortified areas. Under no circumstance, you are to allow their separation.
Under no circumstance, you are allowed to keep them away from active combat for the duration longer than 3 days a week.
Lieutenant Rainbow Dash’s unit must not suffer extensive losses and to be given the freedom to operate within their designated combat area as she sees fit.
Failure to comply with any described orders will result in immediate demotion and further harsh prosecution.”

A tear dropped on the letter, blurring the tidiness.

What exactly happened here? I'm a little confused.

[The Sound of Loneliness]

10043720
Actually, thinking about it now, this part may be a bit too heavy on references. Well, for starters, the 101st Division is a direct reference to historical US Airborne 101st "Screamin' Eagles". A very distinguished and famed unit still existing to this day. On Sunday, September 17th, 1944, they, as a part of 1st Allied Airborne Army, became a part of Operation Market Garden, which was a move to seize several strategic bridges in the Netherlands behind Wermacht lines to further develop the success of Operation Overlord. That's a little shout-out towards everyone who managed to stay awake on their history lessons.

As for the plot, well, essentially NMM kinda tries to get rid of troublesome subjects by sending them to a place where they will have somebody else to shoot at. And the former Guard Captain is coming along RD and AJ as a punishment for failing to guard the palace properly. The downside of the plan is that infantry tends to die a lot, meaning a lot of precautions are necessary to prevent the deaths of Empress' precious element bearers.

[My Little Epona]

10044494
Aaaaah got it.