Empire Apple

by CalmBreezes

Chapter 9: Heights of Power

It was a clear and dewy early fall morning in Manehattan. A couple of weeks had passed since the sun had returned, and with it a new era in Equestria. Applejack stared in the mirror of a washroom, her eyes blurry from yet another night in an unfamiliar bed. The hotel or inn she was in was somewhere in the southern district of the bustling city of Manehattan, the latest stop in her new life as the de jure leader of Equestria. Attendants outside the door kept knocking on the door, trying to hurry her up. The true impact of her actions was only now starting to sink in, and doubt gnawed at the frayed edges of her mind.

There was no denying that she and the Sunrise Council's rise into power had shaken the very core of Equestrian life. That is why she and her new advisors were now roaming the realm, going city to city, town to town, trying to ease the fear and shock caused by their coup d'etat. To Applejack's surprise, most ponies were more upset about her not being a princess rather than Applejack just declaring herself the temporary ruler of Equestria. The very idea of a regular pony, much less an earth pony, ruling Equestria was a completely alien concept to the average pony of Equestria. Applejack could not have been more grateful that Silky Smooth and Fancy Pants had joined her on her travels.

The two ponies waded through endless meetings and speeches like two sharks in a coral reef. They had somehow managed to not only downplay the suddenness and borderline illegality of Applejack's ascendancy but spin it positively. Applejack had not just saved Equestria from a mad military dictator but also, as the last Guardian of Harmony, brought with her the sun and the will of the Princesses.

Everywhere they went Applejack saw the same story being repeated over and over again everywhere she went. She was all that remained of the rightful Princess-led order. Not only was she the one who brought the sun back, but also saved Equestria from chaos and anarchy. Silky Smooth's calculated planning and Fancy Pants' undeniable charisma made it so that no one questioned her legitimacy. The fact that she had at first worked with Captain Sentinel to retrieve the Sunstaff was silently swept aside.

Applejack left the hotel trailed by her new army of helpers, and got into a carriage. The irony that as the new ruler of Equestria she did not even know for sure where she was going next was not lost on her. Silky and Fancy were fully responsible for planning her schedule after all, with Applejack being dragged from one event to the next. Before coming to Manehattan she had already met with all the old families of Canterlot with Fancy Pants. Then she had been brought a sit-down with the new money of Canterlot, not that she could tell the difference between them. One stuffy unicorn aristocrat didn't much differ from another.

After pacifying all the big players in Canterlot Silky and Fancy had put her on a private blimp headed for the largest cities in Equestria, with Manehattan being the latest. Days stretched into weeks. Her days were spent in endless meetings, lunches, speeches, dinners, and conferences, while the nights were spent either in the cabin of her blimp or the ever-changing hotel rooms.

This morning was different, however. Today was the last day on the proverbial road. She was to return to Canterlot by morning. Silky Smooth came over to congratulate her on yet another great speech on pony unity and harmony. She did not praise Applejack more so than she praised her own speechwriting talents. Afterward, Applejack was once again swept up by her attendants. She found herself on the large blimp commandeered for her use, which was now heading towards Canterlot for her 'triumphant return', as Silky had described it.

Applejack sat in her cabin, which also functioned as her office, as the blimp traveled slowly towards Canterlot, leafing through the schedule for tomorrow. While she had been gone Chelicera and Dull had been busy working on replacing the royal guard with something completely new. In fact, the new guard would be called 'The New Guard', as Dull Pauldron had imaginatively named them. The day would start with the initiation of the new 'New' guard. Applejack's inauguration ceremony would immediately follow that. The old Royal Guard was to be officially retired until the return of the Princesses, and the members of the New Guard would swear allegiance to the new Regent-general after her inauguration.

Chelicera had flown from Canterlot to the flying ship to help prepare Applejack for her inauguration. The initiation would be held in the inner courtyard in the late morning, with only a minimal attending audience. Originally she had planned for Applejack to stand on the royal balcony, not out of a sense of presentation or pathos, but due to safety concerns. The argument spilled over as they sat in Applejack's quarters. Chelicera was enjoying a meal after her long flight.

"No way, no how. I ain't standing on the princess balcony." Applejack said.

"Why not, Regent-general Applejack?" Chelicera sat opposite her at the small table standing right under one of the portholes of the flying ship. She stirred the grey swill in front of her with her tongue until it hit an eyeball. Her barbed tongue slid back into her mouth and shot back out, piercing the eyeball and dragging it back into her mouth in one swift move. Applejack looked away, trying not to offend her new friend by gagging at the sight of changeling feeding habits. She poured herself a glass of apple cider, raised it to her lips, took a deep sip, and firmly placed it back on the table.

"Cause I ain't no princess!" She crossed her arms and pouted.

"Yes, I know. You have repeatedly informed me that you are indeed not a Princess."

"And I'll keep repeating it till you stop treating me like one! I'm addressing the new guards down on the ground, eye to eye."

"As you wish, Regent-general. I shall arrange it."

Applejack took her empty glass before one of the new servant ponies had the chance to take it away, and put them on the serving cart herself. The stress of parading around as the new figurehead of Equestria was just something she had to deal with, but by golly, she was not going to let them treat her like royalty. If she didn't put her hoof down now these silly ponies would probably try chewing her food for her next.

"I for one think it's a great idea." Silky Smooth appeared like a shadow through the door to Applejack's cabin. Applejack wondered how long she had been listening before she entered.

"I thought you'd reckon so."

"It plays well with your image as a real 'mare of the common pony'."

"Almost sounds like you think I'm putting on an act."

"Never in a million years, Regent Applejack. I only came to check up on you. Have you memorized the speech? We'll be arriving just in time for the event so you will not have time to prepare in the morning."

"Yup, but I ain't gonna say all of it. Just what's important. Then I'll say my piece."

Silky was taken slightly aback. "Are you quite sure? I did write a very good speech. Did you have the time to properly read it? I think it would hit well with the changes we're propo–"

"Thank ya kindly, but no. I was never one for long-winded speeches. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll try to get to bed early. All this traveling show pony business has got me dead tired."

Chelicera and Silky Smooth wished her a pleasant night and left Applejack alone in her cabin.

One of the quirks of becoming the new ruler of Equestria was that Applejack had found a completely new appreciation for late nights. It was one of the few times in her day when she could be alone without somepony hovering around her. It gave her a chance to review the agenda for the coming days, as well as to read letters from her friends and family. One of those was sitting in front of her on the desk. She immediately recognized the shaky writing on the cover as Granny Smith's. She cut the envelope open and lay down on the bed with it. She read the letter in the glow of the candle.

The news from Granny was the same mix of worry and optimism as they always were. The lack of weather was taking a toll on the orchards, as she had expected, but the irrigation pipes her father had built a long time ago had thankfully shielded the trees from the worst of the draught. The same couldn't be said of all the other farms in Ponyville. Equestria was going to have a lean harvest this year, no matter how many ditches they dug or how many barrels of water ponies carried. All they could do was save enough to survive the winter and hope magic would return by then.

Applebloom had also written a short message, saying how proud she was of all Applejack was doing and begging for her big sister to come visit them as soon as she could. Applejack put the letter gently back into the envelope and put it under her pillow. The moon shone brightly through the round window of her room, shining a light into the dark candlelit cabin. She promised herself that she'd go back to Ponyville as soon as she could.

Applejack's eyelids were starting to feel heavy as lead, but she still had to go through one more report before falling asleep. Not that she enjoyed sleeping these days. The return of the day and night had also meant the return of nightmares, and with Princess Luna gone, nothing was stopping her from being woken up by nightmares. No wonder she and everypony else felt so tired all the time these days.

The next morning the preparations for the double event were already underway as Applejack arrived at the caste grounds of the royal palace. The crowds of invited ponies were slowly making their way to the hastily cobbled-together stands, while the newly dressed guards were conducting their final dress rehearsal. Applejack could hardly recognize them as guards without their traditional golden armor. Silky Smooth had insisted on new designs for guard armor, emphasizing functional form over ceremonial pomp.

"It is a message to all of Equestria." She said as she trotted alongside Applejack. "We are serious about the incoming threats and are preparing for them. Gilded pomp will be replaced with tasteful and pragmatic metal plating, and the crested helmets with closed ones."

"They... Look pretty intimidating if ya ask me."

"They do?"

"Very."

"Well, we'll take that into consideration if we ever do a second iteration."

"Wait, these are the final design? They look like they got buckets on their heads!"

"Don't worry Applejack, they're perfect. They elicit a sense of power and purpose. Half of governance is optics, after all."

The new armor did look functional, which Applejack appreciated, but it didn't leave a very warm impression. In more ways than one, the new designs reminded her of the farming tools back on the farm. Cold and functional metal, meant to get the job done, no fancy-schmancy designs or feathers. Yeah, that's how she should think about this. The new look is just a tool to get the job done. If this is what they needed, then by golly that's what they'd get.

The dress rehearsal started. The first company of the New Guard marched across the castle grounds and lined up in front of the palace doors. The dark iron armor shone dull in the midday sun. As regent and general of the guard, it was Applejack's job to attend events like these, at least according to the newly promoted captain, Dull Pauldron. For some reason parading around in a fresh set of clothes or armor was a very important part of military life. As Applejack stood in the hot baking sun and looked at all the sweating stallions and mares in front of her, she had a very hard time understanding what the point of all of this was. But that was her duty, so that's what she did.

Applejack walked up and down the first row and inspected all the uncomfortable guards in their new uniforms. She turned around when she reached the end, and did another lap. And then another. And another. She looked behind her towards Dull, who was standing next to Silky on the palace steps, and shrugged. Was this enough? Did she have to do another lap? Dull just waved his hoof at her and spun it around. Yes, another lap. Applejack rolled her eyes and started walking. Some of the guards were starting to sway from the heat. Applejack peeked at Dull. He smiled and nodded. That was enough. It was time for the big speech.

A simple wooden platform had been set up in front of the palace, on top of the stairs itself. Someone had found an old tablecloth to cover the front of the rickety stand. The deep red piece of cloth covered the entire stand. Applejack walked up the steps and onto the makeshift podium. She was met by thunderous applause. The crowds in the stands and the company of guards all cheered. On both of her sides were the ponies who had helped her retrieve the Sunstaff and help take down Stern. Black Creek, Chelicera, Dull Pauldron, Shining Armor, Silky Smooth, and Street Sweeper. Together they managed to bring the sunshine back to Equestria. Fancy Pants approached her with a sash, purely symbolic, but still. He raised it high for the crowd to see, the golden sash sparkling in the sun. Applejack lowered her head. Fancy Pants lowered the

The platform creaked under her hooves as she walked to the edge with the mounted megaphone. My own personal Canterlot voice, huh, she thought. Ponies were hooting and hollering, and stomping their hooves. Applejack stood in front of the megaphone, took a deep breath, and spoke.

"Two weeks ago, from out of nowhere, Equestria was savagely attacked. I witnessed that attack with my own eyes. A group bent on evil attempted, and partially succeeded, at striking at the core of Equestria. At the ones who have kept us safe, and who I've fought alongside more times than I dare to count. Now we know that the attack was only the start, an attempt to make Equestria vulnerable and defenseless. An army across the great sea is mustering as I make this speech. They intend to attack, to harm us and our land, to pillage and blunder until nothing but ash and dust remain. That is why I and a council of trusted volunteers have taken up the fight. It is why I take the title of regent-general with a heavy heart. We cannot stop the evil from coming here, but we can stop them. We have the power. You are living proof of that. Even without the Princesses, even without magic, even without the Elements of Harmony, Equestria will not bow. Those who thought we were weak alone forgot that the greatest strength ponies possess is not magic or alicorns. It is friendship. Friendship will build what we need to defend ourselves. Friendship is what will get us through the coming winter. Friendship will be what will cast the centaur hordes back into the sea they came from. Friendship is forever! The Princesses will return! Long live Equestria!"

The crowds roared as Applejack let all her fear, hate, and aggression flood through her and into the megaphone. She found herself pounding the podium, raising her hoof, and making the crowd feel what she felt. In a lot of ways, it felt right. She telling the truth, after all. Only by sticking together would they stand a fighting chance at what was coming. She continued as the crowd calmed down. The anger in her voice was gone.

"That's the part Silky over there wrote. T'was a good speech, but I still have something to say off-script. Ah never thought there'd be a day I'd have to step up and lead ya'll. I ain't a captain, or a mayor, or a socialite. I'm just Applejack. I run a farm back in Ponyville. But I guess I'm also the Element of Honesty, so I'll be honest with cha. The last thing Princess Twilight asked me was to protect Equestria. That night I lost all my best friends. So I swear, with everything this little pony has to offer, that I will do everything in my power to do just that until they return. Thanks ya'll for listening."

A solemn silence descended on the castle grounds. The roaring of the crowd had stopped. The silence was broken by a stomp, then another. Applejack looked over her shoulder. It was her compatriots who were stomping and clapping their hooves. More ponies joined in, encouraged by their stomping. Soon the crowds and the guards were all stomping and clapping their hooves together. Applejack turned the megaphone off and jumped off the platform. Silky looked furious enough to rip her mane out. Black Creek was wailing like a newborn. Dull hid his face, tears streaming down his eyes. Fancy Pants didn't seem much bothered and was instead scanning the crowds, probably for someone specific.

Applejack trotted to the front of the company. Dull walked up next to her, furiously drying his eyes. It was time for the pledge of loyalty, officially initiating the New Guard and confirming Applejack as their commander. The pledge was short, almost word for word what the royal guard said when they swore loyalty to the Princesses. The company saluted. Applejack saluted them back.

"COMPANY INSPECTED! DISMISSED" Dull bellowed.

A wave of relief made its way through the formation. A guard with a white line running across his helmet at the very end of the formation shouted something. The company turned around in unison and marched off the field. Watching all the round helmets bop in unison to the sound of the heavy stomps did have its appeal, she thought.

And just like that, it was over. Applejack was now officially the regent of Equestria and the general of the New Guard.

--------

"Whew, glad that's over with." Applejack crashed on a chair in the middle of their new headquarters.

While Applejack and Silky had been off on their Equestrian tour of appeasement, the rest of the council had taken the opportunity to move into the royal quarters. She could see through the great balcony how the late afternoon light bathed the steeples and towers of the castle in a golden glow. The décor and style of the twenty or so rooms weren't to her tastes, but it did give all six of them a place to work and sleep. The servants had come with the quarters, much to Applejack's irritation.

It wasn't her first time visiting the royal quarters, but it was only after she had gotten lost for the fifth time that she understood that for being such humble royarchs, Celestia and Luna's humility didn't extend to their tastes in living space. Shunning the many guest rooms with their opulent beds, Applejack had instead made her bed on the couch in the main living room, right next to the balcony door. She liked the feeling of sunshine on her face as she woke up.

The rest of the rooms had been taken over by the councilors and their assistants. The personal bedrooms of the two sisters she had locked up and barred. Letting other ponies wander in and out of them had felt disrespectful to Applejack. Not that sleeping on their couch was any better, but she had not been given a choice. Not that the royal couch wasn't comfier than her bed in Ponyville.

The coffee table in front of her, right smack dab in the middle of the living room, had become the center of political power in Equestria while they had been gone. The large cherrywood table was covered in parchments, letters, and recites. Assistant ponies came in and out in droves, carrying paperwork, food, or both. In the eye of the hurricane lay Applejack. Paperwork was nothing new to her. Running a farm meant doing inventory and she had been selling bulk goods ever since she was a filly. But an entire country's worth of paperwork was quite a few magnitudes different from running an apple farm. Thank goodness for the evergrowing army of literal paper pushers.

The Sunrise Council had grown. In addition to Fancy Pants, Dull Pauldron, Black Creek, Chelicera, Silky Smooth, and Street Sweeper, they had been joined by Centrifuge, the premier of the Tinkerers Guild. The council members joined Applejack at the strategy table. Two guards from the New Guard shooed the assistants away and closed the door behind them as they left. Applejack straightened herself on the chair. It was time to get to work.

"Now that we're all here, let's go through this one last time." Applejack pointed at four different parchments on the table. Everything else had been swept aside to make way for them. The parchments had a stamp on them, each a different color; Yellow, blue, red, and white. Applejack had gotten the idea from remembering how Twilight used to talk about compartmentalization. Fancy word, but a great way to corral big messes into smaller, more manageable problems. Another word she used was delegation.

"These here are the four main things we have to deal with. Big thanks to Miss Inkwell for preparing 'em."

She took the first parchment and rolled it open. It was filled with notes and lists of everything related to the Sunstaff. They had a limited number of days, so they had to make them count. Their 'strategic reserve' of magical artifacts, as Street Sweeper had put it, was enough to feed the staff for five months.

"According to this, we ain't got enough to get through the current growing season with just five months. What's the plan, Professor Creek? Congrats on the promotion by the way."

"Thank you regent-general. The current plan is to keep looking for more artifacts. I will update you if we have any breakthroughs."

"Good. Keep us posted. Nothing gets done on an empty stomach after all."

Applejack gave the yellow parchment to Black Creek and took the next one.

"Now, the blue parchment. Without Princess Celestia, we ain't got a future, much less without all the rest, as well as my friends. That's what this here's for."

Applejack unrolled the parchment with the blue stamp. It contained everything Applejack and her council knew about the disappearance of the Princesses and her friends. Celestia, Luna, Cadence, Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Spike. Their final moments had never really stopped repeating over and over inside her head. Guilt and sorrow flared up painfully every time she thought of them being drawn into that maelstrom.

"I made a promise to Twilight. And come hay or high water I'm going to keep it. Protecting Equestria means getting them back as soon as possible. This here paper contains everything I saw on Flat Top Mountain. The wizards keep saying no one could have survived what they went through, but I don't believe them. None of them can explain the streams of light I saw drag my friends away. This here's your job, Chelciera. We need answers. Eavesdrop as much as you like. Enlist as many wizards as you need. Send soldiers to the centaur lands to eavesdrop on them. This might be the most important task of them all."

Applejack gave the blue parchment to Special Captain Chelicera and reached for the third one. The red parchment was the one she feared the most. It was the war parchment. She took a deep breath and unrolled it.

"An invasion's coming. That's as much as we know, thanks to a 'friend'. The Centaur army ships will be here next spring."

Applejack threw the parchment on the table. It unrolled to reveal the pictures Discord had left her with. Everyone craned their necks to take a look.

"The centaur lands used to be green and alive. Now they're a blasted wasteland of brown weeds and dust. What we know of them, the centaurs never learned to live in harmony with their land. They scalped it dry like shallow mill creek in July."

"And now those six appendaged creeps are coming for Equestria. Ain't happening." Street Sweeper punched his hooves together.

Silky Smooth cleared her throat and spoke. "The only viable place to disembark from will be the western shore north of Las Pegasus. Captain Pauldron, based on the pictures you and the other officers estimated six banners of two thousand centaurs each. The current size of the New Guard is barely six hundred guard ponies, with an equal division between unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies. We are not even close to matching hoof count with them. Something needs to be done about this."

"T'aint the size of the pony that wins the tussle, it's what she brings to the scrap," Applejack said. "We ain't got magic, we ain't got the elements of harmony, so what do we have?"

"Well, we do have the high ground, Pegasi can still technically fly without magic. It's not as effortless as it was with magic still around, but they can fly for a short time if they are boosted into the air."

"So that's the first thing we do, play to our strengths and get the pegasi some air support. What else?"

"No unicorn magic. Equestria has always relied on magic for protection. Now our horns are useless." Black Creek pointed at his own horn.

"So we make some magic. How does a potion that shrinks a pony three inches tall sound to ya'll?"

"Sounds like an amazing way to defend yourself. But I don't have any artifact that could do something like that at the scale we need."

"Not artifacts. Potions. I'll need to pay a visit to Ponyville to see an old friend. I'm sure she's got a few tricks up her sleeve."

Applejack rolled the parchment back up and threw it to Dull. He grabbed it between his teeth and saluted.

"Fancy Pants." Applejack pointed at the preening unicorn. "Now that the locals have been placated and the other cities are cooperating it's time to start rounding up all those friends Twilight has made for Equestria over all these years. Griffons, yaks, hippogriffs, and any creature who wants to help is more than welcome to come help us, but they might need some sweet talking. That's where you come in. Hop on an airship and go get them."

"Naturally, I have my yacht ready to go right away. I'll send you a postcard from Griffonstone." Fancy Pants smiled.

Applejack nodded to him and then shifted her eyes to look at the final parchment. Funny she'd mentioned airships. They were a part of the plan she and Centrifuge had discussed before she left. Applejack took the parchment and unrolled it fully on the table. A gasp around her told her all she needed to know.

"Centrifuge. I ain't good with technical details, so I'll leave explaining this one to you."

"Understood. I have designated the project 'Will of Celestia.' The current timeline is four months for the finished prototype and three supplementary laid hulls. Two weeks for tests, and two months to apply the results as we finish all four."

The parchment was a blueprint for an airship five times larger than the biggest luxury liner Equestria had ever seen. Ten decks tall and five airships long. As Centrifuge explained, the machine required three flight fins on each side to attain enough speed to be viable in combat.

"The front area of the ship is reserved for a staging area for limited flight pegasi. The planned three catapults will be big enough to launch a full-sized pony into the air, while at the same time providing enough speed for them to fly for a limited time. The ship will fit an estimated five hundred pegasi. The target time is fifteen launches per minute."

Centrifuge continued. "The tubes incorporated into the hull are meant for dropping glass orbs filled with whatever the regent-general feels is appropriate for pacifying enemy forces. The tinkerers guild has a few patented concoctions if you are interested. The prior practice of adding 'friendly' curves and smiling fishheads to the ship has been discontinued. They added no tactical value. Do you have any questions?"

Applejack raised her hoof.

"Yes, regent-general?"

"Ummm... Are you sure we'll be able to build something like this? In just six months? All four of them?"

"By my calculations, yes. If we start today."

"Well then, Street Sweeper? This hot potato sounds like your area of expertise."

"If it ain't the craziest plan I ever did done see. Almost makes me think we might pull it off." Street Sweeper slammed his meaty hoof on the table. "Let's get to it!"

"Yes. Let us."

The meeting was over. Applejack was dead tired. As the rest of her council retreated to their rooms or left to do business in Canterlot, she shuffled over to her makeshift couch bed. All she wanted to do was lie down and be swept into a dreamless sleep. Of course, with Princess Luna gone, she rarely saw anything but nightmares, especially now that the so-called 'eternal twilight' was gone. She never did figure out why that cursed thing kept the nightmares away.

Her plans of slumber were cut short by a package placed right on top of her pillow. An object the size of her hat was wrapped in brown paper and tied together with crude string. She sat down next to it and took it. The package had a small note shoved under the string. It was from Silky Smooth.

'
To the newly inaugurated Regent-general Applejack.
If you ever feel like updating your image.
-Silky
'

Applejack ripped the paper off. Wrapped inside was a large peaked military cap. The crown was black and made from hard leather. The cockade was an imitation tiara Princess Celestia had worn as the Princess of Equestria. The purple gemstone inlaid into the white-golden metalwork shined bright. Applejack sat, looking into the gemstone. Morbid curiosity implored her to try it on. She took off her trusty old hat and placed the ghastly dark thing on her head. Silky must have secretly measured her hat size behind her back. It fit perfectly.

Applejack felt sick to her stomach.

Comments

[i_am_the_jam]

Four aircraft carriers? This should be interesting.

[Ice Star]

I’m excited to see what happens next.