Total Burnout: Revolution

by Riften

Looming Darkness

MEANWHILE ON THE APPLE FARM!

"Applejack! Applejack! Hurry come look! It's another meteor!" The eager young filly calls out what would be the fifteenth or so meteor this week. "Hurry Applejack! You're gonna' miss it!" The older apple sister calmly opens the filly's door and steps inside.

"Applebloom ah' thought I told yah to go to sleep, It's too late for yah' to be up. Now what in tarnations so important you had to call me up here?" Applejack asks with a very obvious tone of annoyance.

"It's another meteor Sis! Hurry come look at it!" The little filly jumps over to the window eagerly searching the skys for the previously spotted space rock. "There! It look like it heading towards Canterlot!"

"Uh hate to tell yah' Applebloom, but that ain't not meteor. I don't remember ever hearing 'bout a meteor that can do back flips." Applejack gestures up into the night sky where, sure enough the mass of fire was spiraling through the air in a spectacular show of acrobatics. "That's just that Burnout feller, I wounder where he's going in such a hurry? Oh well, Applebloom get on off to bed, We got a long day ahea-". ~Knock Knock~ A loud knock echoed through the empty house.. "Ah shoot, who could that be this late?" The Apple pony begins her way downstairs to the front door, every step seems to creek a little louder than normal in the house. With the exception of Applebloom Applejack was alone in the house, the rest of the Apple Family being away on business.

The house seemed eerily quiet, the only noises being that of the wooden floorboards squeaking under Applejack's hooves. ~Knock Knock~ There was another knock. Applejack stood in front of the door, a single hoof outstretched towards the door handle she finds herself frozen there. Somethin' ain't right here...Somepony out there?" No answer. Against her better judgement Applejack opens the door in a slow sweep, slowly she sticks her head outside to take a look. A few moments of looking and she's satisfied there was nothing out of the ordinary. "Ah coulda' sworn I heard somethin'" She closes the door and turns around. ~Knock Knock~ Applejack spins back around and opens the door with considerable force. "Who the hay-"

"Applejack Help!"

Applejack slams the door and sprints up the stairs, "AppleBloom?! What's wrong?" She burst through the door and freezes up. Two pegisi in dark robes stand by the window, one of them holding a small wiggling screaming brown sac. "You put her down!" Applejack takes a single step into her sister's room and is immidietly pushed to the ground by some arcane force.

"Grab her." A solemn voice barks out commands to another two kidnappers hidden just inside, both of whom immidietly tackle the recovering Applejack back to the ground. "Tie her up, let the little filly back out. We got who we came for." The two attempting to restrain Applejack are quickly kicked off and thrown across the room into the wall. "Do I have to do everything?" A dull glow illuminates the room and reveals one of the kidnappers, specifically the one speaking. He appeared to be an older unicorn with an orange coat very similar to that of his target's, he was large for a unicorn, both in stature and in build. Applejack's eyes change from her attacker to the object being held in his magical grip. Suspended in a mustard yellow aura was a curious little device, It had what looked like a large wooden handle with some kind of metal bar coming out the end of it.

"Who the hay are you? What do you want?" Applejack yells at the orange unicorn while struggling to get to her hooves. "And what in tarnation are you pointin' at me?" The object in question was completely foreign to Applejack, no defining details could be made out from where she lay, but a few minor ones now come into focus. The metal bar appears to be hollow, and at the rear of the object there was a small tray.

"What we're are here for won't matter soon. And as for who we are, well, just think of us as your liberators. Now please, find freedom in eternity." There was a short audible click from the device, a thunderous puff of smoke, and then a dull thud on the floor. The orange unicorn moves the device back unto a holster around his back right leg and then without saying a word steps towards the petrified filly taking refuge in the corner. "We aren't bad ponies. Your sister was simply just one of six obstetricals standing in our path. Now please, do as your sister asked of you and go to sleep." The now hooded unicorn leans forward towards the shaking filly and whispers, "Sweet dreams little one. HaaHahahahaha!" All of robed ponies begin to make their way out the window, the pegisi disappear into the nights sky and the lone unicorn teleports to some unknown destination. The filly now alone trots hesitantly over to her sister lying on the hard wooden floor.

"A-Applejack? Are yah ok?"

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God I hope Rainbow and Vinyl are alright. I mean anarchists here? What oppression are they fighting? ~Grunt~ How much farther is Canterlot anyways? Your train of thought trails off as you refocus yourself on flying. You look down in an trying to get your bearings, right now it looks like you're flying over the Apple Family Farm. The landscape passes under you at a breakneck speed, in fact if it weren't for the legion of apple trees below you'd be as clueless as ever.

You fly in relative silence, no noises but that of the wind rushing through the air. You've become used to this kind of silence, Ironic considering it practically deafens you while flying. You see the Ponyville train station off in the distance, The railroad leads to Canterlot, right? You think to yourself. You decide to go with your gut feeling and peel off in the direction of the rail road and follow the tracks.

You fly for another fifteen or so minutes before finally seeing the mountains that Canterlot resides in. Lights soon peek over the distant mountain tops and a few moments later the grand city becomes visible. You set your eyes on the royal palace and begin your decent. Most ponies attempting to land in the royal palace courtyard end up getting swarmed with guards, thankfully you are rather well known here and end up receiving a much different kind of welcome. You land in the courtyard and begin the short run to the palace gates.

"Hey! Who goes the--Hey Hothead, that you?" Oh god no. Not now.

"No time for talking right now Plume, If you'd be so kind to open the palace doors though that would be great." You shout forward to your friend, Ivory Plume. "Hurry up dude, im kinda in a rush here!" You stare up at the palace door, unfortunately for you its one that can only be opened by a unicorns magic, well more specifically one's horn.

"Hey come on, what's the rush?" Your armored clad friend trots up to the and stands next to you. "Seriously what's up?"

"I need to talk to the Princess now, so help me you're not skull deep in that door lock in five seconds im fire-balling you to the Moon." You stare daggers at the palace guard now jamming his horn into the lock.

"Jeez, here. The stupid doors open. Do whatever it is you've got to do." The massive door slides open you waste no time standing outside. You sprint through the halls to the royal chambers where, to your disappointment sits the Princess of the Night.

"Ah, if it isn't the champion of fire. To what do I owe this visit too?" Luna beacons you farther into the hall. You and Luna have had some falling outs in the past, mainly watching in on you and Rainbow going at it on more than one occasion.

"Oh....Luna, Is your sister here? I kinda have an ENORMOUS problem to tell her."

"Oh? And what makes you think that I am not apt to this problem of yours? Does thou not think I could handle it myself?" Luna shoots you a odd look. "What is this problem of yours Hero?"

"Well...There's kind of movement forming to......Well....Kill you and your sister and let anarchy reign, you know how it goes." The Princess stares at you blankly for a moment. "Wanna go get your sister now?" The Princess dosn't answer but instead poofs away in the familiar shroud of a teleportation. You stand in the hall for a few minutes, waiting for the Princesses to show up. Finally two bursts of magic flash in front of you to reveal Luna returning with her sister.

"I take we lack the time for formalities?" You nod at the Solar Princess. "Now please explain to me in more detail, what is this movement Luna has mentioned to me?"

"Rainbow Dash and I had taken a short trip to the old shut down Rainbow Factory, and when we got there the whole place was lit up. The whole factory was filled with ponies, one of them was shouting about overthrowing the Sun and the Moon and releasing the land to ponies who work it. And by overthrow they ment kill. Im here to ask for the assistance of the Royal Guard, and with all do respect I do plan to lead." You speak while wearing your most serious face.

"I understand your desire to be a part of this, but now that you have brought this to my attention I ask that you stand down and wait this out." The Princess

"You can't be serious? You know that you asking me to do nothing isn't going to stop me, right?" You narrow your eyes and glare at the Princess. "Honestly, I probably don't even need your guards. So please, either give me the guards im asking for or let me go back and handle the situation myself." You glare forward maintaining your best poker face, knowing very well that you're going to need the guards. The princess returns your glare for a few seconds and finally gives in.

"Very well. I will grant you temporary control of the Solar Guard detachment. Im am entrusting a great deal of responsibility to you, until you see fit you will lead twelve of my personal guard to subdue this threat, if you feel that greater numbers are necessary please let me know with urgency. Until then, I ask that your report to Specialist Plume to meet your troops." Plume? Out of all the ponies...

"Twelve? Meh, whatever. I can work with that. Thank you for your cooperation Princess, I'll make sure this dosn't last any longer than it needs to." You salute the Princess and begin your way back outside.

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"What do you think of this Tia? This is the first Insurrection in a millennium, are we prepared to handle this?" The younger sister looks up speaking with an uncharacteristic amount of worry in her voice. "Do you believe that our champion will be able to handle this threat?"

"I honestly do believe he will be more than capable of ending this. Do remember how well he handled Death, something so small as an uprising shouldn't be to difficult for him. And after all he has a family to fight for, that will push somepony to lengths that one wouldn't normally go through." The older sister stares up into the nights sky and watches the last of the moon fall over the mountains. "A new day is about to begin, Sister if you would be so kind as to finish lowering the moon, I feel there is enough darkness on the horizon already....