Taking Flight
Sitting beside her unconscious form, Star Flight and Heart Bright regarded Applejack as she slowly came to, staring at her curiously. As the earth pony mare opened her eyes, she saw through her blurry vision that the two pony sisters were now looking down on her, and both smiled as she began to stir.
"Oh good, you're awake." Star Flight beamed, reaching down to help the farm mare up with a hoof. "We were afraid you had hurt yourself."
"Yeah, we didn't mean to plow into you like that." Heart Bright agreed. "Those wings we built really weren't that sturdy, or easy to control."
Shocked at their statements about the wings, AJ noticed that the two mares standing before her were actually earth ponies, and the glittery wings that had been on their backs were crumpled up over in a heap by the edge of the clearing.
"What is.... how...." The farming mare stuttered out looking between the two of them. "Who are the two of you?"
Star Flight and Heart Bright glanced at each other, realizing they had a lot of explaining to do.
..............
"Star Flight and Heart Bright? The earth pony aviators who build wings to fly?" Applejack asked, as the three sat around a fire AJ had built. "I've heard stories about you two when I visit Ponyville."
"Yeah, other earth ponies think we are weird, because we make our own artificial wings and want to fly." Star Flight explained, as she and her sister played with the two giggling foals. "But we so much want to soar among the clouds, like the birds and the breezies do."
"That's a pretty big dream, considering most Pegasus don't even fly anymore... expect the Butterfly Island and Dream Valley ones, of course."
"Yeah, but it's a dream we hope to fulfill one day." Heart Bright replied, a dreamy look on her face for a moment, before her head snapped over towards the farm pony. "But that doesn't explain what you are doing out here with these foals, miss Applejack."
AJ thought for a moment, then remembering these two were harmony sympathizers from Ponyville, she decided she could trust them. With a sigh, Applejack laid out the whole situation, and how she had to try and get these two foals past the Pegasus cities, without being detected. The other two mares looked at each other, and immediately started to giggle.
"Hey now, what's so all gosh durn funny?" Applejack snorted in annoyance. "Ah've got areal problem here!"
"You know, I think the wings would fit on the three of them." Heart Bright noted, looking the foals and AJ over. "But the unicorn's horn might be a problem."
"We can just style his mane over the horn, it's big and poofy enough." Star Flight added. "And the wings don't have to be able to fly, since Pegasus don't fly anymore."
Applejack looked annoyed, felling left out of the conversation. "Hey, what're you two-" The farming mare looked back had the broken wings the two aviator sister had built by hoof, and suddenly it dawned on her. "Oh, ohhhhhh.... I see how you can help us now..."
............
elsewhere...
The city of Zephyr Heights; the shimmering capital of the Pegasus ponies, perched high atop the peak of Canterlot mountain. Towering spires, domes, and elevated bridges reached towards the heavens, as if they were supplicant ponies with their hooves outstretched skyward. Once the capital of a united Equestria, it had fallen under the control of the Pegasai during the Coltural Revolution, after they drove the unicorns inhabitants out. The city was a shining beacon of modernity, hope, and optimism to all of the winged equines in the land.
It was among these towering buildings, that a lone green Pegasus with a purple mane and tail, weaved his way through the endless crowds of winged ponies. The mass of Pegasai denizens trotted all around the streets of the city, bumping into each other and barely noticing, as they stared down at the little screens they carried in their hooves. The ponies all around him were fixated on their cell phones and electronic gadgets, on the giant screens and advertisements plastered all over the buildings and digital billboards that surrounded them.
As the stallion looked around, he saw the mares and stallions of Zephyr Heights barely paid attention to their surroundings. They were all like zombies, bombarded with so much media and content that they were overstimulated into a giant mass of equine antipathy. Few of these ponies even noticed the green stallion trotting towards the royal palace, and and even fewer even looked up from their phones to socialize or say hello. These ponies were too lost in the world of social media to socialize, the stallion mused...
.....and that's the way Chancellor Bellerophon liked it.
"Hey Sugarloaf, look at this!" A stallion walking by told his girlfriend, showing her his phone. "Somepony just posted on Peeper that some unicorn jerk just called all of us Pegasus feather brains!"
"Eww, Sunflower! Can you believe it!?" A passing mare looked down at her tablet in disgust. "Another earth pony actor just came out as a Pegasus-phobe! Gross!"
The chancellor smiled as he passed by, chuckling to himself. A population so wrapped up in social media, passing trends and fads was far easier to get to vote for you, than a herd of ponies that thought for themselves. And as these foolish Pegasus had had their snouts stuck staring at a video screen for so long, they had lost the ability to look skyward, spread their wings, and fly.
Arriving at his destination, Bellerophon adjusted his striped tie, tugged on his blue suit top with his wings, and trotted into the entrance to the royal palace. A massive, towering edifice that crowned the very top of the peak, the castle served as the centerpiece for sprawling equine metropolis. The modern royal residence was built over the remains of the ancient Canterlot castle, although the current palace was far more gaudy and ornate than the one used by the alicorns long ago.
The Pegasus guards all saluted their chancellor, moving aside for him to head down the hall towards the elevator, and up towards the royal throne room. Being around only the guards in the palace, who didn't carry phones and tablets on duty, the chancellor was able to get a momentary break from all of the beeping, buzzing, and dings. But that quickly ended when Bellerophon entered the throne room, and was greeted by a lot of loud yelling and shouting.
"OMIGOSH! Zipp! Take a look at this!!" A pink unicorn mare with fluffy feathery wings exclaimed, zipping all around the throne room, like a foal high on the sugar from pixie sticks. "My latest song video got a hundred thousand hits! And eighty thousand likes!"
"Yeah, yeah Pipp! You got a bunch of ponies who you don't even know to 'like' your vid, big deal!" The white Pegasus with a toothpaste-colored mane rolled her eyes. "Trust me sis, that doesn't really mean anything! A real friend is one who is right beside you, not on some dumb screen."
The chancellor groaned. Princess Pipp Petals and Princess Zipp Storm, the Pegasus royal sisters whom the ponies of this city adored. Unlike the equine royalty of other times and places, these ponies were the social media darlings of Pegasus society, adored by their subjects as they made television and personal appearances. Although adored by their subjects, these royals spent very little of their time actually ruling, and mostly left such mundane tasks to Bellerophon and his ministers. The two royal heirs barely payed any heed to him as he passed by, only sparing him a momentary greeting.
"Hey, Belph!" Pipp looked up, smiling at him, before looking back down to her phone. "Good to see you again!"
"Hello, Chancellor." the more serious Zipp inclined her head towards the throne behind them. "Mom's waiting for you."
Though he mostly had the authority to govern Zephyr Heights, the chancellor still had to get approval for any major decisions from their mother, the queen.... a mere formality, in most cases. As he approached the throne, Bellerophon bowed before the pink Pegasus with the blue and purple mane seated there.
"Your Majesty." The chancellor started, trying to sound subservient. "It is an honor to serve-"
"Ah, Bellerophon! Just the pony I wanted to see!" Queen Haven looked up from her tablet, dismissing a guard standing over her. "Have you heard this news about the Pegasus and unicorn foals that recently got posted in the royal pony usenet group? Most distasteful actions carried out by the earth ponies, most distasteful!"
"Yes, my queen. Our Pegasus spies were the ones who found about this information from the earth pony intelligence, agents and posted it publicly for all Pegasus to see." The chancellor nodded. "This should prove to all earth pony and unicorn sympathizers among our tribe that all other pony types are bigots, and are not to be trusted!"
"Yes, yes... unicorns and earth ponies are bigots, who think they are better than us. That's why we cast both of the other types of pony out. I've heard that rhetoric since I was a foal." She shook her head. "What I want you to do is send out a squad of Pegasus troops to rescue that poor winged pony, and bring it back here to Zephyr Heights, where it will be loved."
"Of course, my queen. "The Chancellor smiled. "And what of the unicorn sibling, or earth pony mare who is taking them to safety?"
"I don't care about the unicorn or earth pony, Bellerophon... although make sure our Pegasus guards understand they are not to be harmed. As much as we mistrust them, I will not have the blood of other ponies on Pegasus hooves." Queen Haven waved her hoof dismissively."Now go, I have to plan for my next public appearance."
"As you wish my queen." The chancellor bowed, and headed towards the elevator. "Your will be done."
But as the Chancellor made his way towards the exit, the expression on his face darkened. as soon as he was on the elevator, the chancellor pulled out a small communication device.
"Captain Shadowbolt, this is the chancellor." He spoke to the Pegasus officer who appeared on the screen. "There are three targets who are coming to Zephyr heights soon, that I'd like you and your troops to deal with." Bellerophon's eyes narrowed. "Make sure there are no survivors...."
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Don't you mean Pipp?
Well, that comforting that they won't be harmed. Of course, not if the chancellor has anything to say about.
Ohh you will find good friends 😁
Well this is certainly a darker take on the tribal separation. Not sure how I feel about the concept of AJ being immortal though. As others have said, it might behoove you to get someone to give this story an editorial spit polish so to speak. Also, there's definitely an undertone of technology bad in this story, the long bit about pegasi being locked in their phones made me almost feel guilty that I was reading this story at all, because unless you have a physical copy somewhere, I was reading on my phone.
I also how AJ will react to Sunny becoming the first new goddess Equestria has seen in eons.
And a CEO Mare I can see becoming drunk off her flanks when she finds out she was protecting ponies from a non-existent threat her whole life... sure she sold them garbage products to make a profit... but hearing they didn't have magic, she was obviously surprised... And she pressured her son to whip the town into a paranoid frenzy with a hair-brained scheme that he nearly got himself killed.
10991834
It always starts with the bad ponies... then we move onto the ponies who felt bad for the bad ponies... then those who say we shouldn't be eating ponies get eaten too...
Make terror the order of the day for the enemies of equality and freedom.
Ask Robespierre.
An important irony about the whole thing is:
Unicorns are now the ones living close with nature (like Earth Ponies).
Pegasi are focused on status and culture (like unicorns).
And Earth ponies are now militant like (pegasi).
10996723
good point about the business mare, but as for Sunny becoming an alicon. well, maybe she will, but we know in my timeline the only alicorns left by the time of g1 are Dazzleglow and Skyla
10991518
not technology, but it's misuse. the problem isn't the pegasus using cell phones, it's them losing sight of everything else around them.
10996725
precisely
10996726
yes, ironic, isn't it? each tribe has become like the ones they hate.
11012636
Ah, I see, one of those tiny distinctions that I am so often wont to miss
11012634
I know that you have as your signature of your stories having G1 take place after G4, but are you going to continue to have G1 be the future of everything?
11012929
yep, the predjudice in this story makes it fit in perfectly with the coltonville i introduced in 'a royal respite'. is sunny still around in the g1 era? well, yes, buuuuut......
Alicorns are still around in my modern g1 world; dazzlegow rules the snow pony empire in the north, and skyla rules new equestria, sunny is still out there somewhere; only celestia, luna, twilight, flurry heart and cadence are dead. and new equestria will always love and worship the alicorns. Alicorns still very much a part of the world; tornado and pradise just bitch about them a lot.
Most of the pony nations in my g1 are still thriving, friendly alicornists. The monothestic faiths of Zoroponthtisim and horsemasterism are limited to Ponyland and saddle arabia.