Of Coal and Diamonds

by Alaxsxaq

15. Coalfire

15. Coalfire

"So Applebloom, what exactly is your plan?" Scootaloo asked, concerned over what she had gotten herself into.

"You'll see. Can you call in a friend or somepony from the military to help us?" The yellow earth-pony said, driving down the Manehattan streets on her way to the hospital.

"Um...no. I'm not that high up on the hierarchy. I just perform airshows." Scootaloo then adjusted the radio dials, sifting through the music stations.

During her search for an appropriate song, a news station was reporting on some issue. "―The Crisis in Manehattan―"

The mere split second of what she heard prompted Applebloom to intervene. "Wait! Switch it back." Scootaloo obliged.

"Manehattan Island is now completely under the control of a crime syndicate which has been responsible for the recent tragedy of last Wednesday night when a police training exercise went awry. It is unknown who leads the organization, but it is clear that military action will not be carried out. The Governor of the province had this to say:"

An elderly stallion's voice came up next. The trio was listening intently to him. "It is...regrettable that direct military action cannot be undertaken. The citizens of Manehattan's safety is my primary concern, and force of arms will not...further that goal. However, we are doing everything in our power to diplomatically resolve this crisis."

The anchor resumed speaking. "Almost overnight, these criminals have overrun―" Applebloom couldn't listen anymore, and turned off the radio.

"Well...it don't matter now. We're on our own."

"On our own for what?!" Sweetie Belle asked, thoroughly confused. "You still aren't considering taking them on! Without the military―"

"Actually, this works in our favor." Scootaloo realized. "They're holding the city hostage. They probably threatened to waste the city should any soldiers enter the island."

"But if we intervene, they couldn't. Because then they'd lose their hostage." Applebloom added. "Nothing would prevent the military from pourin' in. Paperwork maybe." She chided.

"They won't see us coming, and once they do, it'll be too late to threaten us. Or it would, if we had weapons, or some kind of battle plan. Or better yet...actual ponies!" Scootaloo shouted.

"And that's where Ah come in. Trust me, Ah got a great plan. Ah just need y'all to help me carry it out." Pulling up along the edge of the street, Applebloom parked the vehicle and got out. "We're here. We won't stay long."

The group trotted up to the hospital and into the lobby. After asking to visit the room where her brother and Babs were staying, Applebloom and company were allowed inside. Out of breath from running all the way, they got strange glances from the ponies in the room.

Ignoring this, Applebloom came up to Big Mac's bed. Rarity was sitting in a chair beside him. He looked fine, and was wide awake. "Howdy, big brother! How ya feelin'?"

"Applebloom! Ya sure sound better! Ah'll be fine. Couple more days, and they'll let me go. Gotta avoid heavy liftin' though. And um...things that could increase mah blood pressure." He blushed. Leaning into his baby sister's ear, the stallion began to whisper. "AJ ain't too thrilled about that. She's gonna have to do all the hard work for a while."

Applebloom chuckled, but immediately ceased upon seeing her sister's angry look. Composing herself, the yellow mare and her two friends slowly approached Babs' bed. Her parents and older sister were sitting beside diligently. Removing her hat, Applebloom looked at her cousin.

Babs was still covered in bandages and hooked up to an assortment of medical equipment. Her heart rate was stable, and she remained unconscious. Applebloom noticed the dark lighting in the room, and reached for the blinds cord.

Scootaloo stopped her from opening the blinds. "Don't. They gave her special medication that makes her photosensitive."

"Has she gotten any better?" Sweetie Belle asked nopony in particular.

"The doctors say she keeps clotting. She's fine, when they come in and help her. She still hasn't woken up though..." Her father replied, tearing up.

"I'm so sorry." Applebloom turned to Babs. "Ah'll make things right. Don't you worry Babs! We'll fix everything, and when you get out...we'll do whatever you want..." She then leaned down and very gently kissed her cousin's forehead.

Rising up, Applebloom placed her hat back on. Walking past her teary-eyed and smiling friends, she went to the telephone. "May Ah use this?"

Mostly everypony nodded. Picking up the phone, Applebloom dialed a number and waited for a response. After a few seconds, a voice answered.

"Hello? This is Backlash, President of Apple Industries, standing in for―"

"Backlash! It's Applebloom! I'm comin' in."

The President did a small dance in his office chair. "Oh thank goodness!"

"Ah missed ya too. Now Ah want you to do some things for me."

"Of course!" He got out a pen and paper.

"Ah want you to tell all our engineers, designers, logistical and materials specialists―anypony who has some kind of expertise to meet me at factory number one.

"Uh...Miss Applebloom, we have orders to fill. Doing that would halt most of our production! Are you sure?"

"Dead serious. We have more pressin' matters right now. Ah'll be there in twenty minutes."

"But―"

"Just do it! Ah want the furnaces hot and the engines boilin'!" She hung up the phone.

Applejack was concerned about what her sister had just ordered. "What was that about?"

"Ah had some directions to give." As she made her way to the door, Applejack placed her hoof on her shoulder in an effort to stop Applebloom.

"Hold on, sugarcube. Now y'all ain't thinkin' about takin' on those ponies, are ya? Don't be a fool, Applebloom. You'll get yourself killed!"

"It's somethin' Ah have to do." Applejack however would still not let her leave.

"No you don't! You ain't gonna go pretendin' to be a hero! You stay right here!"

"AH HAVE TO!" Applebloom yelled, holding back Applejack's hoof. Panting for a second, she continued. "Ah'm the only obstacle between the crime lords and the rest of the city. Ah have the resources to act and do somethin'. If ah don't, who will?"

"Somepony else! You three will not go heading into trouble." Rarity said, fully behind Applejack.

"Ah'm sorry, but Ah ain't a little filly no more. Ah've made up mah mind. You can either support me or not, it doesn't matter. Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle? You can still opt out."

The two did think about it for a second, but decided to remain loyal to Applebloom. Sweetie and Scootaloo stepped forward, and stood beside their friend.

Tipping her hat to her sister, Applebloom left, followed by the orange pegasus and the younger white unicorn.

Applejack tried to follow to, in one last effort to convince Applebloom, but McIntosh stopped her. "Let her go. There ain't no stoppin' that filly."

Shedding a tear, Applejack responded with a sigh. "Ah know...but Ah'm sacred Ah won't see her again..."

Just then, Applebloom rushed back into the room, as did Sweetie Belle, and they each gave their sisters a big hug before they "went to war".

Nearly squeezing the life out of Applejack, the yellow mare looked up and said. "Ah'll be back." Smiling, she let go of the farmpony.

The trio then made their way out of the building and back into their vehicle, setting course for Apple Tower for one last stop.

----------

Not long after they had left the hospital, their automobile pulled up in front of Applebloom's executive building. Assuring her friends she'd be very quick, the yellow mare ran off with all haste into the skyscraper, traveling to her office as fast as the elevator would take her.

When Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo saw her reappear not three minutes later, Applebloom was carrying what looked like some kind of scroll. Hopping back into the vehicle, she placed the scroll right beside her rifle.

"What'd you need to get?" Sweetie Belle asked, eyeing the scroll.

"A blueprint. You'll see why soon."

Scootaloo however couldn't wait. She reached for the blueprint and unrolled it. Sweetie peaked over her shoulder. It was the white outline of a rifle. A bolt-action clip-fed rifle. Very much the same as Applebloom's own weapon, but required manual chamber loading.

"A rifle? Why do you have this?"

"Ah told y'all: we need firepower. Ah've been thinking about everything for the past hour or so. This is our best bet."

"So that's why we're going to your factory." Sweetie realized. "So I understand WHY we'd need weapons, but...couldn't you just buy them?"

"Ah thought about doin' that. Problem is though we're...pressed for time. The closest manufacturers are still a good distance away, and an order on the scale Ah intend would take time to make. Not to mention they'd need to get here via train. That's a good three or five days." The vehicle was coming up to a section of the outskirts of town with large buildings puffing out steam and smoke.

"How fast do you think you can do it?" Scootaloo asked.

"It's not a question of how fast; it's a matter of doin' what Ah can in a span of time."

"But you're rich! Surely there's a way to speed it up, with enough money..." Sweetie suggested, looking out at the oncoming industry.

"Ah'm afraid not. No matter how much money Ah throw it something, Ah'd still have to deal with constraints. There's a little philosophy we engineers abide by: resource management. Ah have all the money and materials Ah would ever need for this endeavor."

"But money won't buy ya time, huh?"

"Not in the amount we need, Scoots. Which is why we can't dawdle." Pulling up into a lot filled with other automobiles, Applebloom stopped the vehicle, and stuffed the blueprint into her jacket pocket. "We're here. Everypony out!" Her friends obliged, and walked towards a medium-sized steel building.

Overhead, just above the large shutter doors, read in big red letters "Apple Ironworks." accompanied by an early version of Applebloom's company logo.

Scootaloo suddenly remembered where she had seen that name before. "Is THIS what I think it is? What Rusty was telling us about?"

"Y'all bet! This is where it all started. Nowadays it's factory number one. Come on in."

Following the industrialist, the unicorn and pegasus entered through door into a small office room devoid of anything except a couple naked desks.

"This was mah old office. We don't use it anymore." Continuing through another doorway, the pair was blow away by the sudden shift in size. A large open area about two stories tall covered in a concrete floor. But instead of any machines, couches and tables were set up. A full-fledged kitchen and recreation area completed this curiously decorated shop room.

"Um this looks cozy, but where are all the uh..." Sweetie Belle asked, searching for any places she hadn't looked.

Applebloom responded with a giggle. "This is the worker lounge. Our needs grew too big for this little ol' thing. The real magic is in here." Slowly opening the double doors, the yellow mare's friend's eyes widened.

Just behind those walls was the largest single room they had ever seen. Easily several stories high, girders and catwalks saturating this marvel of modern industrial civilization. The hissing of steam engines and the roar of generators filled their ears. Hundreds of jumpsuited ponies worked tirelessly at their stations, tending to the machines and boilers.

Plumes of fire erupted from giant steel blast furnaces, their molten products pounded into shape by muscular stallions. Small rail tracks carried tons of raw materials and machine parts back and forth to their destinations. Fluttering up into the air, Scootaloo could see several locomotives being assembled by massive cranes.

"This...is..." The orange pegasus began, trying to think of something to say. "Amazing."

"Ain't it beautiful? This is mah pride and joy. Ah keep this factory up-to-date, clean, efficient, and most importantly safe." She wiped a tear from her eye. "You know...sometimes Ah miss grinding pieces of metal or blasting iron in a furnace...but we got more important things to do right now."

Meanwhile, while her friends were still in astonishment, a red unicorn standing on a catwalk noticed her boss, and slipped down some stairs to catch up with her.

"Miss Applebloom! Good to see you! What bring you to Number One?"

"Hey Bessie. Ah've got business to take care of. Ah told all the department heads to come down here. Seen them?"

"Yeah. They went into the executive break room. Said you told them to."

"Alright! Oh! Bessie, these are mah two best friends: Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. Girls, this is mah Overseer. It's her job to make sure everything runs smoothly down here."

"Please to meet you both." The unicorn noticed the pegasus' uniform. "Always an honor to meet a soldier."

"Before Ah go up, how's she doin'?" Applebloom inquired, looking up at the factory ceiling.

"Everything's just fine. Nothing broken yet. I won't keep you. Have a nice day, Miss Applebloom!"

"You too." The industrialist tipped her hat before rushing up another set of stairs to the break room. Wasting no time, she opened the door to reveal several dozen suited executives chatting amongst each other. Upon noticing her enter the room, the crowd fell silent. Looking around sternly, Applebloom walked slowly to the desk at the far wall. Her friends followed her, a bit uneasy at the group staring at them.

Taking a seat at the desk, Applebloom leaned forward, hooves on the desk surface.

"Everypony, Ah've summoned y'all here because as you may already know, Manehattan is in a state of extreme duress. Crime Lords have taken the East End."

"Yes, we know." One department head spoke up. "But what are we gonna do about it? We're not soldiers."

"Right. Not yet, at least."

"What are you talking about, Miss Applebloom?" Another head asked.

"The military can't help us. The mobsters would waste their hostages. HOWEVER, we can do something. To keep the military at bay, they'd keep the hostages alive. Ah propose we gather a small but effective force and...invade the occupied city."

A dirty old pegasus came forth from the crowd. "Now, Little Red, you ain't seriously considering we...go to war?"

"Indeed Ah do, Rusty. We're already at war. And what do manufacturers do in a time of war?" Applebloom waited patiently for an answer.

One colt had one. "Um...make weapons?"

"Bingo!" Taking the blueprint from her jacket, Applebloom unrolled it and placed it on the desk. "This is a standard bolt-action rifle. We're gonna put this baby into production as soon as we can. And that's why Ah need everypony's help." She took a deep breath, and gave them the most constricting parameter. "Ah'm givin' us...twenty-four hours to retool the factory and make as many of these guns as we can."

Muttering and gasping permeated the room. The accountants were calculating costs, executives dreading the paperwork, and engineers thinking Applebloom had lost her mind.

"Twenty-four hours? How can we do all that in twenty-four hours? Do you realized how much production we'd lose retooling this factory? Easily thousands!" Her favorite department head, Joint Stock exclaimed.

"Money is no object. We're gonna save the city."

A company lawyer raised his hoof. "Miss Applebloom, it'd take days, maybe weeks to acquire the proper permits to manufacture weapons. Not to mention―"

"I don't care what the law says." The room fell dead silent. They knew their boss was a very moral and law-abiding pony. What madness caused her to forsake such a cornerstone of society?

"Applebloom...?" Sweetie Belle uttered, hesitance thick in her voice.

"Ah've made mah decision. Forget the law. We need to do what's right. Ah accept full responsibility for the company. Therefore if any of y'all have any moral conflicts with this, you may leave." She waited for about ten seconds for anypony to exit. Quite a few looked as if they were about to.

"But before you do go, think about what's at stake. Manehattan is now effectively lawless. The gangs do as they please. Ah ain't gonna abandoned my ethics, but this is an instance where mah heart and the law have an impasse. Ah can't do this alone."

Upon hearing her sincere plight, everypony raised their heads in approval. Rusty smiled at his employer. "Well Little Red, where do we begin?"

"We're gonna be up all night. Tell your families you won't be home for dinner. Legally Ah can't do that, but Ah'll pay y'all double―no! Triple!" The room erupted into thunderous cheers. "Alright. Engineers, you start working on how to properly retool everything. Logistics! We need raw materials. Ah want train cars hauling in metal by the ton. Zinc, lead, iron, copper! We need wood, preferably walnut. And don't forget the gunpowder!" The commanded ponies went off to do their tasks.

"Applebloom, where are you gonna get all these materials?" Scootaloo asked, looking at the map mounted above Applebloom's head.

"Two-hundred miles from here are some minin' towns. They can give us all we need."

"We got a fast runner to bring 'em?" Rusty asked, smirking.

"How's the AI-SI 13/67?"

"Some are under construction on the factory floor. We still have the prototype, though."

"She's in working condition. Go get her ready for launch. Execs! You'll be in charge of makin' sure everypony is doin' their job! Oh and tell the workers what Ah told you. Also that they'll be gettin' triple pay as well." Nodding quickly, the tidy suits rushed off, trying not to get dust on their clothing.

"I'll get right on it, AB." Rusty said flying off.

"What are we gonna do?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Get down and dirty." Applebloom grinned. "Take off anything you don't want getting messed up, and tie up anything you don't want getting in the way."

Applebloom removed her jacket and hat and placed them on the desk. Tying up her mane, she scurried out the room, and down the stairs. Scootaloo took off her own jacket and felt cap, while Sweetie hung up her coat on a nearby rack. Trying to keep up with their fast companion, the two looked at each other, wondering what they had gotten themselves into.

"Oh, and be very mindful of the machinery! Especially y'all's tail; you wouldn't want it gettin' caught in anything. That's why Ah cropped mine. Ya only make that mistake once."

----------

Within the hour, the factory overhaul was in full swing. Invigorated with Applebloom's plight, her workers toiled doing as the engineers directed. Stoking furnaces, hoisting and welding components together, and machining new parts for barrel lathes and firing mechanisms.

Scootaloo, being a pegasus, was well suited to hovering about and making sure the heaviest and largest pieces were in their right place. She conducted her job with the unparalleled efficiency and scrutinous attention to detail.

Sweetie Belle, not being as strong or rugged as the other two, nevertheless found her position beside a grinder smoothing off everything as best she could. Sweetie picked up the craft rather quickly, considering her scant ten minutes of training and practice.

Applebloom herself took a spade and began to feed the massive engines that powered her iron behemoth. Her white sleeves became covered in coal dust, but she didn't mind. The yellow mare was shoveling too fast, some thought. They were frightened by the sudden increase in pressure. The needle was heading into the red region on the gauge.

"Miss Applebloom!" A worker cried out. "The pressure! It's too high! She's gonna blow if it goes any higher!"

"Actually!" Applebloom yelled, trying to be heard over the sound of steam and fire. "The gauge don't go no higher than the boilers can take! The red's just to discourage accidents. But trust me; it'll hold! These babies are made of hardened steel! The same stuff they use on warships! Now come on! The sooner we can finish the factory, the sooner we can start production!"

Meanwhile, racing down the western railroad running from Manehattan Island to Las Pegasus, a brand new shining silver train was hauling dozens of freight cars to the company's main supplier of ore. The conductor blew the train's whistle and cruised down the track at speeds unheard of. The four-hundred mile round trip was estimated to take at least eight hours; plenty of time to get the factory ready.

The hours melted away as the majority of Applebloom's industrial resources were devoted to this one task. The workers each took shifts, sleeping and resting for an hour at a time. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle eventually wound up resting for a bit. Applebloom, however, would not rest nor stop. Even after the boilers were fed and reached optimal pressure, she wandered around to find any other tasks she could do or direct.

By nightfall, the train had arrived with its precious payload. Scores of ponies ventured out and unloaded the raw materials. Iron went to the blast furnaces, the wood to the carpenters, and the other metals to be molded into ammunition.

Molten steel was beaten and shaped into ingots, which were grinded down into the standardized identical parts to be assembled into the rifles. Placed in their wooden stocks, the finished products would be placed in a crate.

Several hours after manufacturing started, Applebloom looked at the first weapon to come off the assembly line, shiny and new. Almost giddy with excitement, she congratulated her employees and returned to work.

All through the night, this makeshift weapons plant churned out as many rifles and ammunition as its improvised infrastructure would let it. By dawn, everypony was very tired, but kept working. When Applebloom declared it was time up, the crates were loaded up onto the distribution trucks by the loading docks.

By then, the factory produced perhaps a couple thousands rifles. Applebloom tested a few to make sure they were in firing order, and they were. After the trucks were loaded, she directed the next phase of her plan: getting them to the citizens.

Kept awake by her sheer resolve, the mare stood outside in the morning light. Everypony was walking out; just awake enough to get home.

"Thank you, everypony. Ah can't tell y'all how thankful Ah am. Take the day off! You've earned it" A small group however decided to stay, each of the ponies in it having taken a rifle.

"Miss Applebloom, if it's alright with you, we'd like to stay and fight!"

Seeing these stallions and mares standing in the snow ready to put their lives at risk to save their city...it brought a tear of joy to Applebloom's eye. She gave a nod of approval. "Apple Tower. We rendezvous there."

The group hitched rides on the truck or their own vehicles. Applebloom walked over to hers to find her two best friends napping on the upholstery. The opening of the door caused Scootaloo to wake up.

"Applebloom...now what are you doing?"

"You'll see. Y'all get some rest for now." Not even bothering to argue, Scootaloo closed her eyes and faded back off to sleep.

Shifting the automobile into gear, Applebloom drove off from the factory. When this is all over, it's gonna be a nightmare to put everything back the way it was, she thought. But for now, she was one step closer. The gangs would rue the day they ever crossed Applebloom or Manehattan.

And she wasn't sure how involved that pink mare was in all this, but she did know one thing:

She ordered the hit, and that would not go unpunished.