Annihilation
The Crystal Empire is cleansed in nuclear fire for the destruction of Rome and Mecca.
The Equestrian war council had convened in Canterlot to discuss a matter of dire importance.
The barrier that had overtaken nearly half the planet had fallen, destroyed by the Thalmann Generators.
Humanity was now on the move reclaiming the lands they'd lost and were steadily gaining traction towards Equestria itself. One by one pony occupied territories fell to the waves of human soldiers that surged ever onward like an unending tide of steel, faith and gunpowder. It was only a matter of time before they lost it all and were ultimately forced to pull back into the homeland.
What remained of Equestria's chain of command were all crammed into a war room deep in the heart of Canterlot Castle that was much too small and too hot for their liking. Their discussions have been going on for a few hours now, and almost none of what they were talking about was good news.
"...As you can you see on this map the majority of our forces stationed in India, Southern Africa and South America have been forced into full retreat with casualties numbering in the low thousands," said General Phalanx, wiping away the sweat forming on his brow. "They're all doing as you ordered, Princess Celestia, and are destroying anything and everything that the humans can utilize as they pull back. Calculating the speed of the humans' advance and the rate at which they're capable of deploying we..." He paused, swallowing thickly. "We estimate that within two month upwards to seventy percent of these lands will be back under human control."
Celestia's face remained impassive throughout the report. Removing her reading glasses, she pressed the general. "What of Southeast Asia?" she asked.
"Southeast Asia is still firmly under our control. Reports indicate a majority of Asia's forces have yet to deploy southwards and those that are present have been already been dealt with," replied General Phalanx. "However, Vietnam in particular has continually proven difficult to maintain."
"Human resistance?" Celestia raised a brow.
"That's part of it. Handling human guerillas are one thing, but the environment is so awful some of our soldiers have recommended dropping the country altogether to save themselves the trouble of holding it."
"Why is that?"
"If I may," Princess Twilight spoke up. "The climate of Vietnam is characterized by strong monsoon influences, making it wildly unpredictable to say the least. One area of the country could be hot and humid, the next it's cold and wet. Furthermore the terrain features of dense jungles and swampy wetlands have made it difficult to maintain our supply lines through conventional means. Carts are being bogged down in the mud and scouting is nigh impossible without magic when it starts raining."
"Fantastic," a nearby pegasus, Colonel Air Lift, grumbled sullenly. "If we're not taking pot shots from farmers hiding in the trees we're getting our flanks kicked by the geography. Isn't that just wonderful?"
Celestia rubbed at her temples, letting out a heavy sigh before speaking, "Send a message to commander Spearhead operating out there. Tell him his soldier's complaints about the environment have been noted but that he and his forces are to hold Vietnam with all the strength they can muster. If we lose our hold on the country the humans will be able to enter deeper into Southeast Asia. We're losing enough territory as it is, we should try to keep at least one."
"We'll be sure to get the message out as soon as possible, your highness," replied Phalanx.
"Good. Now, is there anything else to report?" said Celestia.
One of the other ponies stood up, Chief Director Hush Hush of the Equestrian secret service. She adjusted his uniform and picked up her notes before clearing her throat to speak.
"This is less to do with the war beyond and more the war at home. Recent polls have shown that support for the war has dropped by about four percent in the past week to a total of eleven percent now." At the mention, everyone in the room, save for Princess Celestia herself, traded nervous glances amongst themselves.
"How bad is it?" Celestia asked, narrowing her eyes.
"Truthfully it could be worse, your highness. But I'd be lying if I said that things were stable," replied Hush Hush, flipping through her notes. "Despite the combined efforts of our propaganda team and vigilance of the Equestrian secret service there are still dissidents out there protesting the war either through civil disobedience or passive resistance."
"...Have these dissidents been dealt with?"
"...We're working on it," Hush Hush gulped. "Currently we're preoccupied trying to quell the civil unrest that have been popping up all over the country since the barrier fell. It's taken every little bit of ponypower the ESS can muster just to keep everyone in line. Given time we should be able to get everything back to normal, or as normal as can be."
Celestia was silent. Her subjects did not take the news of the barrier's fall all that well. The greatest weapon Equestria had against the humans was no more and the result was widespread panic. Even Canterlot wasn't immune to the hysteria. Countless ponies had been running around all over the city buying up as much food and supplies as they could hoard in preparation for the storm that was sure to come now that they were left vulnerable to attack. If she didn't get a handle on things soon everything she had worked for up until now would go up in flames... If they weren't already.
"I'm going to hold you to that, chief director," said Celestia. Nobody seemed to catch the veiled threat laced in her voice. "Tell the masses that this is only a minor setback. The repairs to the Crystal Cannon are almost complete and with it we will begin our counterattack. We're not out of this yet. As long as we keep on fighting with all our spirit, victory can be achieved."
"I'll be sure to let the people know, Princess Celestia," Hush Hush bowed respectfully.
"Now, unless there are any more reports, I believe it's time we call this meeting to a close," announced Celestia, raising from her seat. "Now, I know that things are looking grim, but we've dealt with worse. We've conquered our enemies before and will do so again. Remember, it's a matter of when we win, not if. You are all dismissed."
Sometime after the meeting, Celestia, Cadance, Twilight and Flurry Heart gathered for a late lunch at the castle courtyard. They ate and chatted amongst themselves in good spirits but it was obvious that the atmosphere wasn’t as mirthful as it could be, with the most telling sign being the two empty chairs by the table. Luna and Shining Armor’s death had impacted the royal family a lot more than they were willing to show, and the problems didn't stop there.
The stress of the war had become ingrained into their lives so deeply that even a casual get together felt like a chore. Too often did they find themselves speaking more about business than they do idle chit chat, usually getting straight to the point about things like logistics, economics or politics. Jokes were few and far between and even when somepony cracked out a banger the laughs barely went above an airy chuckle. The sense of togetherness wasn’t all there and deep down they knew it. But if there was any consolation to their predicament it was that they at least try to make it work when given the chance. Though it was anyone’s guess as to how successful they were at it.
“...You were awfully quiet during the meeting today, Cadance,” said Twilight, causing Cadance to look up from her meal. “There must’ve been something you wanted to talk about.”
“...It’s complicated,” replied Cadance, setting down her utensils.
“Everything has been complicated lately,” said Celestia, gingerly dabbing away the bit of food on her cheek with a handkerchief. “But I can understand if it isn’t something you wanted to speak about in front of the chain of command. That’s why we’re here. Come now, tell is what’s on your mind.”
Cadance briefly glanced over to Flurry Heart, who was absently picking at her food with her fork, oblivious to the conversation taking place right beside her. Sighing, Cadance spoke her mind.
“It’s the empire,” she admitted. “My subjects are worried for the future.”
“Who isn’t?” said Twilight. “With the barrier gone it’s becoming harder and harder to keep up with humanity’s advance. The Thalmann Generators they use is anathema to us.”
“And yet you still petition for me to equip our soldiers with human armaments,” Celestia chided. “I've warned you time and time again about human technology. They're extremely dangerous.”
“The same could be said about their efficacy,” Twilight retorted sharply. “But that’s neither here nor there. What exactly is going on in the empire?” she asked Cadance, raising a brow in interest.
“With the barrier down the crystal ponies assume that its only a matter of time before the war reaches our shores,” Cadance sighed. “They’re scared and rightfully so. Equestria is left wide open to attack. Not only that some of my advisors have been suggesting that the Crystal Empire... pull out of the war and surrender to the humans.”
“Out of the question,” Celestia argued, narrowing her eyes. “We must come together as one unified nation now more than ever. To even suggest a thing, I hope you had those advisors harshly reprimanded."
"Believe me, I did. But it just goes to show that the war at home isn't going that well. Each day it seems like another pony has the bright idea to abandon support for the war. They think that if we call it off the humans might show mercy and things will go back to the way they were before the war. Back when there was still peace."
"That kind of thinking is dangerous," said Twilight, a furious scowl on her face. "Lyra and her band of monkey loving traitors snuck out from under our noses and look at what happened! We lost Fluttershy and Discord to the humans. We can't use the Elements of Harmony without her and Discord mucks up our plans whenever he decides to show his ugly mug! To add insult to injury they're more than likely responsible in aiding the creation of the Thalmann Generators, the very things that are killing us day by day!"
Twilight didn't realize that she had stood up from her seat during her impassioned tirade. Letting out a heavy sigh she plopped her haunch back down onto her chair, quietly apologizing for her outburst.
Fluttershy's defection was very much still a sore subject to her. Years ago, during the height of the war, Twilight might've been willing to forgive her betrayal if she came back peacefully despite all that's happened. But now, with everything crashing down on top of them, the only time she'd want to see her is when she's dragged back to her homeland in chains. Former friend or not, Twilight held Fluttershy partly responsible for all the misery she's suffered in the past five years.
"Perhaps we should temporarily shift priorities," suggested Twilight, having regained her composure. "With our troops in full retreat perhaps we can spare some extra funding to the ESS. We need to get the populace under control before these dissidents can tear it apart from within. We really don't need another Lyra situation."
"Agreed. I'll be sure to allocate the funds later today. We'll need to curb conspiracy wherever it may be," replied Celestia. "And Cadance. I suggest you do everything you can to calm down your subjects," she paused as her features softened. "...I know it's been hard ruling the Crystal Empire without Shining Armor by your side. I've felt the same ever since Luna's... sudden departure. But you honor their memory by continuing to lead by example. The crystal ponies look up to you. You're all that stands between them and complete chaos. Remember, it only takes a single spark for a fire to start."
"I'll do what I can," replied Cadance, rising up from her seat. "But I can't make any promises. The longer the war drags on, the harder it will be for us to maintain control... I pray that it doesn't reach that point." She gestured for Flurry Heart to stand up. "Come along, Flurry. It's time for us to depart for the empire. Say goodbye to Auntie Twilight and Auntie Celestia."
"...Goodbye, Auntie Twilight. Goodbye, Auntie Celestia," Flurry Heart droned monotonously, eliciting a frown from Cadance.
"I'll be sure to visit the empire again when I can, Flurry. We'll have fun and play games just like before. Maybe I'll even tell you the story of times your father and I fought a battle of wits over a toy crown," replied Twilight, smiling softly. "I promise, things will get better. In the meantime, please, be strong for your mommy. Everything she does, she does for you."
"I... I will," Flurry nodded.
With that, Cadance and Flurry Heart returned to the Crystal Empire as Twilight and Celestia resumed their business in Canterlot.
Back at the Crystal Empire, Princess Cadance was busy at her desk studiously filing paperwork by candlelight. It had been several weeks since the last war meeting and things weren't any better than they were when she'd left Canterlot. The humans' advance had been proceeding far quicker than estimated and Equestria's control of Southeast Asia had begun to crumble. About the only bit of good news she's gotten all week was that the population was more or less under control now. For the time being there was peace in the lands, albeit a fragile one.
Setting down her quill, Cadance got out of her seat and began to stretch. The satisfying pop of her bone's realigning were unsettling music to her ears. Deciding it was a good time to take a break she let out a yawn and walked over to the balcony, opening the door and letting the cool breeze of the night air tickle her fur. Just as she stepped out, her attention was drawn to the quiet creak behind her. Turning around she could see Flurry Heart's silhouette by the doorframe softly illuminated by dim candle light.
"Sweetie, is that you?" said Cadance bemusingly. "What are you doing up this late?"
"...Mom," Flurry muttered. She took several tentative steps into the room and then proceeded to throw her arms around her mother, pulling her into a tight hug.
"Flurry?" Cadance breathed, taken aback by Flurry's sudden show of affection.
"...I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you."
"What? Oh, no, no, no," Cadance reassured, returning the hug. "Flurry Heart, you've done nothing wrong."
"I should've been there for you when dad died... Instead you had to worry about me," Flurry confessed, holding back tears. "Auntie Twilight and everyone else dropped what they were doing and went to comfort you the moment they heard the news. But me? I cried... I did nothing but cry while you were out there being brave. And then when Auntie Luna departed, I locked myself away even deeper..."
Cadance gently stroked Flurry's mane, shushing her as they held onto each other in a quiet embrace. "All I ever wanted was for you to open up, to smile again. I thought I failed as a mother when you became so distant. I just..." Cadance's voice cracked as she spoke, "I just wanted my daughter back."
They stayed this way for sometime, basking under the pale moonlight before finally breaking off and surveying the gorgeous view before them. The denizens of the Crystal Empire had settled in for the night. Shops were closed up and there was nary a ponies that could be seen trotting along the street this late. Up above the stars twinkled like diamonds in the sky, glittering across the wide dark tapestry of the infinite cosmos. It was a picturesque scene, one that was unfortunately marred by the sight of the recently repaired Crystal Cannon that had been crudely graffitied with the words 'Dizcord Wuz Heyere*' along its side.
"...It's beautiful tonight," Flurry Heart uttered.
"It really is," replied Cadance, turning a weary gaze over to her daughter. "Flurry... I'm tired."
"Mom?" Flurry Heart looked up.
"I'm tired of everything," Cadance confessed. "The war, the deaths, the grand speeches, the empty promises, all of it. I'm just... so tired. We've lost so much, and continue to lose more each and every day. I... I just don't know what we're fighting for anymore. Harmony? Peace? Triumph over humanity? Vengeance? It's all so muddled now."
It was then that Flurry Heart realized how much older her mother looked. Despite being groomed daily by a very diligent staff of handmaidens and hairdressers her overall appearance could be considered adequate at best. Her coat lacked its usual shine. Her colorful mane was dull and there were several noticeable threads of gray woven in-between the bright pinks, purples and yellows. There were crow's feet forming around her eyes and some of her feathers appeared to have molted prematurely.
Cadance was a pony that, despite being an alicorn, had had her youthful vigor sucked away from her through overwhelming stress and grief. It was just another thing for the war to take away from her.
"...Do you regret starting the war, mom?" Flurry Heart asked.
"...I," Cadance started but lost her train of thought when she noticed something flickering across the night sky. Some kind of object was flying towards the Crystal Empire and it was getting closer and close with each passing second. It was definitely not a shooting star. It couldn't have been a meteorite, it was too dim and too low in the sky for it to be one. "What is that?"
A loud rumble woke up Hard Tack, an lone earth pony guard that had been stationed at a remote border crossing near the edge of the Crystal Empire's territory. He begrudingly crawled out of bed, grumbling something to himself that shouldn't be uttered in front of foals as he pulled his flank out of bed. Rubbing his eyes and smacking his lips, he shambled over to the blinds and opened them, groaning as his sleepy half lidded eyes were assaulted by a flash of bright light.
"Gruah! What the? Is it morning already?" He mumbled. Turning to the cuckoo clock nearby he furrowed his brow in confusion as the hands of the clock were both pointed upwards. "Midnight? That can't be right." Before he could even think on it, a powerful shockwave rocked the cabin, shattering the windows and knocking both him and various objects to the ground as a wave of cold air briefly washed over him. "Gah! What the hell is going on?!"
Hastily putting on his uniform, Hard Tack rushed out the door and turned to the source of the light, towards the direction of the Crystal Empire, where he promptly fell back onto his haunches and stared speechlessly in heart pounding horror at the sight unfolding before him.
Equestria was a land steeped in all manner of wonder. From Rainbow falls to the city of Cloudsdale and beyond, mundanity was woefully in short supply. For Hard Tack he was one of few to experience this new wonder first hand as it was burned into his retinas...
...A sunrise at midnight.
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Now, i am hyped for Celestia and Twilight reaction.
Dang, just... dang.
If you're open to suggestions, might I reccommend a chapter detailing the aftermath of and the reaction to the Nuclear Strike?
Like how are Twilight, Celestia and the general populace feel about and react to the attack?
Or perhaps their reactions, or the reactions of the average citizen as things begin to unravel around them and the invasion draws ever closer?
This is for Rome and Mecca.
How about Celestias hubris? That would sum it up in a nutshell.
10671583
Yeah! Plus humans only used their WMD ONCE, after ponies had done so twice (if not counting the barrier), in retaliation. Also kinda dumb to build a WMD in a city or to build a city around one (Megaton, Fallout3). Bet Sombra is chuckling beyond the veil at them ponies for not destroying it. Its kinda of a big military target.
Here is another writing prompt if you want it: Applejack's and Rainbow's reactions to Twilight not just declaring surrender, but also denouncing Celestia.
10671693
I think they hinted it required a lot of maintenance and energy. That’s not even taking into account the grand scale of it, from what they described it sounded more like a building. It was also likely built during a time when weapons of similar power didn’t exist. Meaning it was operating under the idea that the best place to protect your super weapon is in the most protected city, with existing infrastructure to support it. Keep in mind the crystal cannon was likely built with Calvary and general medieval tactics in mind.
Human WMDs on the other hand were created during a time of “lightning war” where mobility was many times beyond what we could have imagined just 50 years earlier. While people talk about the missile silos in places like Kansas, we have a considerable arsenal of weapons on submarines. Before that the idea was to load them onto aircraft, meaning you don’t need a centralized place to use the weapon (though I believe we still have stocks of these kinds of weapons). Though it does take infrastructure to manufacture it, once you have the fuel it’s a matter of spreading out the weapons to ensure you don’t lose them all in a single strike.
What this means is while we can cripple their ability to launch these kinds of attacks, they can’t do the same to us. Especially considering the sheer amount of material we have produced, thanks to the Cold War build up, and slow disarmament (who knows if it’s truthful). So destroying the production facilities might cause issues, it won’t be enough to stop the next attack.
Finally, I’m more surprised they didn’t nuke two cities, or maybe use non-nuclear ordinance to at least wipe out a key piece of infrastructure. If they were to have hit the rail-lines I doubt their supply lines could be maintained at the current level. Alternatively.... China “accidentally” introducing a new pest to the continent wouldn’t be too hard... heck the ponies could have brought over some by accident! Many pests from Asia are causing notable issues to our agriculture... and that’s with our access to advanced pesticides and farming techniques! Now imagine some one like AJ finding Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs, Red Imported Fire Ants, or Japanese Beetles eating her crops!
10671768
Or African honey bees or Japanese murder hornets. Those could basically be considered anti-personnel weapons, especially the latter.
They should consider themselves lucky that only one nuke was used. But I suppose nuclear responses, even in these kinds of times are really not used lightly.
10671693
They also had planned to use it against humanity again.
I'd like to a chapter about the reactions of different characters as the news of the annihilation reaches equestria.
10671856
I'm more interested in how the pony defectors are taking everything: their own efforts in the war, the development of the Thalmann Generators, the bombing of the Crystal Empire, etc ...
How is humanity treating them?
The bomb detonates and the land turns to waste
Barren for decades to come.
The factories burning, the steelworks destoyed
Surrender your war else you'll perish in flames!
-Sabaton, "Nuclear Attack"
10671768
What you said about Equestrian WMDs vis-a-vis UN ones is correct; Pony superweapons are big, flashy, and (if you know your fantasy) is generally stored in a big, fancy castle, whereas modern superweapons are designed around the fact that your opponent can and will retaliate with his own superweapons ASAP, so you need to keep them at least mobile.
As for why there's only been one nuclear strike and no non-nuclear ones? I'm guessing the UN and the Resistance are trying to take the ethical and moral high road in this conflict, trying to end the fight while still almost completely morally in the right, so they kept the nuclear strike on a tit-for-tat basis; you nuked one major city, we nuke one of yours. Plus, there's really only the one known superweapon Equestria had, aside from the shield, and the nuke just ended its threat for good.
Conventional bombardment, though, will have to wait; the average cruise missile has a range of 1,000-2,500 miles, and depending on where Equestria is located, that would mean that the only places to launch these missiles would be India, South Africa or Australia (which are contested or under Pony control), or the Indian Ocean, and UN naval forces haven't had time to expand their operations there since the barrier only recently came down. Once the remaining Equestrian forces do a full retreat, however, the USN and JMSDF (as well as any other navies capable of fielding cruise missile ships) will start bombarding Equestria full-time until bases could be reestablished in Australia and India for bombers to launch their attacks. Once those are set up, well, it's going to make Operation: Rolling Thunder look like a mild 4th of July party.
And then you'll have bases in Equestria proper once the humans make their landings, at which point anything larger than an outhouse is going to turn into a crater.
As for pests, that might be trickier than you think, since any human-based delivery systems would be hard-pressed to get past the barrier. Doesn't mean the ponies can't accidentally bring in a ton of pests as they loot their new-conquered territories, so that's something they'll have to deal with.
10671851
Which is why it was a good thing the UN went for a complete end to the strikes. Sure, it's a shame about those 4 million Crystal ponies, but did the Equestrians even blink when they destroyed millions of lives with the Cannon to begin with? If anything, ponies trying to argue how the destruction of the Crystal Empire is immoral are going to be told that they shouldn't have used the Crystal Cannon - or hell, the Barrier itself - if they were so concerned about collateral damage.
10672006
I'm guessing it's a case of growing acceptance, since the Resistance is trying to reduce the damage Celestia does, and they are fighting against their own countrymen. In fact, I'd say acceptance and friendship with Lyra and the other Resistance members is the main reason the UN is limiting itself to inflicting necessary damage on Equestria as opposed to just glassing it with nukes. The Resistance keep proving that not all ponies are blind bigots, and that they should be judged for who they are as people.
Admittedly, they're going to have trouble in some countries more than others as people are still mad at the ponies, but that's why bodyguards and diplomatic passes exist. The UN is extremely interested in keeping the Resistance on its side, since they are the only way they could counter Equestria's magical might.
Celestia’s refusal to make peace with humans, and her blind loyalty to her mentor has costed Twi Fluttershy, her brother and how her foalsitter and niece. Can’t wait to see Twi confront Celestia about this.
Ironic isn’t. They blew up Rome’s religious monuments to crush the humans spirits, and they retaliated by nuking the Crystal Empire, and crushed the ponies spirits instead.
I like the clever warhammer fantasy phrase slipped in.
10672224
“For Sigmar, the Hammer and the Empire!” Shoots Chaos warrior in the face in the name of Karl Franz*
10672214
You can read it here.
Rest in peace Cadence and Flurry Heart, as well as the citizens of the Crystal Empire.
10672486
Flurry Heart's death is tragic, but I really don't feel too bad about Cadence personally. She kinda betrayed who she is when she condemned the first marriage between a human and pony.
10672506
I agree with Cadance being guilty in letting her anger condemn millions of innocents to die. But where did it say she condemned the first pony-human marriage?
10672524
Look up Rated Ponystar's Negotiation-verse timeline.
10672524
https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/936721/negotationsverse-timeline-of-major-events
10672352
I already read that years ago. I meant confront her about the loss of Cadence and Flurry right after the empire’s destruction.
10672579
10672909
Ah, it's new. That explains why I haven't read it yet. Thanks.
10673395
She's not really angry about it until after the war, when it turns out the whole war had been utterly unnecessary. I'd imagine she'd be more terrified/upset/seeking solace when the Crystal Empire gets nuked; the anger and resentment comes much later.
Speaking of Twilight and anger, I was surprised to see that there was actual secret police involved in this fiction. I thought Celestia wouldn't need them, but then again with Fluttershy and Lyra defecting, they probably decided to resort to more authoritarian measures. When the truth comes about the Equestrian Secret Service and its treatment of dissidents, I'd imagine Twilight is not going to be popular even with her own ponies, given how she actively supported the ESS' activities in cracking down on 'traitors and dissidents'. I mean, sure, the Resistance proved a massive thorn in Equestria's side during the war, but Equestria was actively engaging in genocide and enslaving people's minds the whole time.
I suspect a big part of the Equestrian Freedom Fighters ending up isolated and hated (aside from their terrorist activities) is someone revealing their ties to the brutal (if defunct) Equestrian Secret Service.
10672236
Can we have a chapter showing Lyra and Bon Bon?
How the war affected their relationship, their opposed ideologies and sympathies, the fallout of their marriage, etc...
10676824
that'd be interesting to explore
10671583
DEUS VULT
i.gyazo.com/1da292cde5d744bebd40d5269f5be447.png
A part of me feels personally attacked...
Don't fuck with Vietnam or its people. Despite being a small country. They always managed to fight back and push whatever enemy occupying forces out of their country.
The World War 2 Japanese occupation, The Indochina War French Occupation, and the Vietnam War is testament of this and than some.
You know, that's an interesting line of thought. What if the Crystal Empire just pulled out of the Equestrian....coalition? Maybe a coalition if the Crystal Empire is a separate entity from Equestria the country.
Regardless, what if the Empire pulled out and surrendered separately from the war? Funny scene where the bomber is about to drop their payload when their commander calls them over and tells them to abort immediately because they got a call of surrender from Cadence
WAT U DID THER; I SEEZ IT
Factual Error:
The missile should have delivered MIRVs (*Multiple Independent Reentry Vehicles:
After the Launch-Phase, the WarHeads separate from the missile. They would appear as multiple shooting stars, followed by many MultiHundredKiloTon detonations, adding to several MegaTons. This is what 1 missile delivers. It is a good thing that the UN is not genocidal, or it could launch myriads (a myriad is 10,000) of missiles, with hundreds of thousands of WarHeads, with a total energy of 10s of GigaTons at Equestria, now that the magical barrier is down.
The reason we developed MIRVs is so that one cannot shoot down a missile with a missile. As soon as the rocket finishes its burn, the MIRVs, which are cold dark and not very reflective to RADAR separate. As they separate, the missile releases aluminum-chaff and mylar balloons, which are very reflective to RADAR and visible light, as well as flares which distract infrared sensors. Basically, in both visible and RADAR, one has thousands of targets, none of which are the actual WarHeads, from each missile. This is why, SDI (The Strategic DefenseInitiative (StarWars)) was a big waste of money because the WarHeads were nearly impossible to target.
That is definitely a eye opener there