Friendship is Magic Redux

by paiohelohelo

Ch. 11- Canterlot Under Siege

The helicopter pilot who had flown Luna to The Harmonics Division stared at his watch. How long had she been gone?

“The Director sure is taking an awful long time,” he mused to his co- pilot who was lazing in his cockpit seat.

“Don’t worry about it,” the other man replied without even opening an eye. “You know how busy she gets.”

The pilot merely sighed and began gazing out of the glass in front of him at the perfect morning sky. Something caught his eye, though, and he tapped his co- pilot on the shoulder.

“Hey, do you see that?” he asked as the co- pilot’s eyes shot open. “Up there… that black little thing…”

The co- pilot looked up to where the pilot was pointing, and squinted to try to make out a black dot in the sky against the serene blue and white.

“Hey, yeah… what is that thing?”

Both men watched as the little black dot started to grow larger and larger- it was coming straight at them, at high speed.

“Is that… a person?”

The black object flew in close enough for both men to make out its spikey, cruel shape and outstretched, fire rimmed black wings. It flew right above the cockpit and hovered there, staring at them with its cold blue eyes. Something was on its shoulder.

“Jesus Christ, what is that thing?”

“I don’t know- hey, wait a minute, is that a weapon?!”

The large silver tube on the black figure’s shoulder started to charge an angry electric blue at its opening, which was pointed straight at the cockpit.

“OH MY GOD-“

Both men screamed as the silver tube fired a massive stream of light blue energy, which pierced straight through the cockpit, running all the way through the helicopter’s tail. When the beam started to dissipate, the helicopter made one last final groan and then subsequently and violently exploded, various metal debris and parts of the rotor blades flying outwards and spraying all over the Equestrian jungle.

The Warrior Priest flew backwards and settled down far from the wreckage, in a clearing next to the larger trees of the adjacent rainforest. His wings collapsed back into his body and he threw the silver cannon on his shoulder to the side. When he had walked into the exact center of the clearing, he started to concentrate his attention, slowly raising his spikey arms outwards.

“Arise, O Shadowbolts of Equestria,” he commanded, “By Order of Her Majesty, The Great Alicorn Queen, arise to cleanse the land of those whose blood has been deemed most unworthy to even touch this hallowed ground! ARISE!!!”

Suddenly, the land around him started to shake and vibrate. Plumes of dirt started to explode upwards in concentric circles around The Priest, who stood watching with arms still stretched outwards. More black robotic figures, a little plainer in decoration, began to pop up, arms still crossed over their bodies in eternal slumber. One by one, they eyes and mouths began to glow a fierce blue, and after fully activating, all genuflected towards the Priest, who smiled with protruding metal fangs.

“O Shadowbolt Centurions, harken! Our country has been disturbed this day by the barbarian hordes from without Equestria. By order of the Queen, ride, Shadowbolts, and gather your forces scattered across the land, within their well- deserved resting places, for war. You will take the life of every outsider that dares to besmirch this very earth itself, and retake the glory of The Queendom that is Canterlot, holiest of all holies. Do not leave a single barbarian alive… may their deaths be a warning to all of those who would make a mockery of our eternal slumber! The Elements Save The Queen! RIDE FORTH, SHADOWBOLTS!!!”

The Shadowbolts merely said nothing, bowing in perfect synchronization to The Priest. The ground in front of each of them opened up, and a different type of silver weapon popped up for each of them to equip themselves. Once they were all well- armed, large black wings sprouted from their backs and one by one they began to fly into the sky, some speeding across the remnants of Equestria’s forests to gather reinforcements, and some linking up in a vast formation and heading straight for the city of Canterlot. The Priest merely watched from below and smiled.

“Yes…” he mused to himself, “…Equestria shall be cleansed. The Elements Save The Queen.”

********************************************************************************************************

“… Twilight, did you even listen to a single thing I said?”

Twilight’s attention snapped back to the real world. She had been wandering the commercial district of Canterlot for a while with Spike, who looked at her with annoyance. Twilight looked back at him sheepishly, and then down at her hand. For some reason, she was holding a rather large candy apple.

“…Um, yeah, sure. You were going on and on about how totally radical and completely bodacious Rarity is.”

Spike sighed. “…That was a lucky guess, and you know it.”

“Sorry, Spike, I’m just thinking about what happened with my mom last night. I really think that I should go to see her later, you know, to apologize. Do you think she’s still angry at me?”

“Twilight, your mom loves you a lot, I don’t think a little quarrel is going to make her suddenly hate you,” Spike put his hands on his hips and scolded her. “Not even if you were being a complete and total a- hole with sarcasm control issues.”

“Thanks again, Spike…” Twilight sighed heavily. “And you’re totally right about the sarcasm thing.”

“Glad I can help,” Spike smiled, and then nudged her in the arm. “Hey, what’s say we get some breakfast before we head over to Harmonics, huh? It’s a pretty long drive, and the snack machines there only stock Twinkies, which is pretty disturbing if you think about it.”

Twilight giggled. “Sure thing. I could really use some real food in my stomach right about now. Besides, I don’t even like candy apples…”

“Well, ain’t that a mighty shame,” Twilight heard a twangy voice speak out from behind her.

She and Spike turned around to find Applejack grinning at them. They smiled back.

“Good morning, Applejack,” Twilight greeted.

“Howdy there Twi,” the toothy Texan greeted back. “Hey, I’ve been lookin’ all over town fer ya, girl, I was wondering if maybe ya wanted ta take this humble soldier’s special tour of Canterlot?”

Spike scoffed. “Believe me, sister, I’ve already tried that. Twilight here is not exactly in a touristy kind of mood today.”

Applejack’s smile faded a little, but immediately was reignited. “Well, shoot, y’all know what they say, misery loves company! Mind if I join ya fer a little while, then?”

Twilight smiled back at her. “Of course, Applejack, it would be a pleasure.”

The three of them fell into step and began leisurely strolling the streets together. Applejack stole sideways glances at Twilight, thinking about what to say.

“Is everything all right, sugarcube?” she asked with a look of genuine worry on her face.

“Oh, it’s nothing, I just… had a little argument with my mother last night, that’s all.”

“Well, shoots, hon’, if that’s not a part of being a family, then I don’t know what is! I can’t tell ya how many times I’ve tussled with mah sis, or mah brother, or even Granny Smith over the runnin’ of the Smith Family Reunion…”

“No, Applejack,” Twilight explained, “I was pretty awful to her last night. I said some things I really, really regret saying now…”

Applejack looked at her sympathetically. “If a- you don’t mind mah askin’, hon’, what were y’all fightin’ about, anyway?”

Twilight sighed, rubbing her temples. “It was about the new job Director Everstar offered me here in Equestria. My mother thought it was absolutely essential that I take it… then we started butting heads about it, and afterwards I said some things… some things I must’ve been holding back for years… oh, Applejack, I was so horrible to her.”

Applejack looked down at the ground as she tried to take in all the information presented to her. A thousand different emotions ran through her mind, and she felt the irresistible urge to warn Twilight about the dangers that she currently faced, in some way possible.

“Well, sugarcube,” she began, treading carefully, in a figurative sense, “I don’t pretend ta know what kind of fancy pants position the Director’s offered ya, but it seems like it’s makin’ ya as uncomfortable as a blue whale in a tea cup… maybe even makin’ things a little more tense with yer ma… do ya think ya actually wanna take it?”

Twilight sighed again. “I… I really don’t know. I mean, on the one hand, it is a really big opportunity for me, I mean, it’s Equestria, but, on the other hand…I… ” she couldn’t finish.

“Well, it seems to me like you ain’t exactly jumpin’ all over this here big opportunity of yers,” Applejack continued. “Maybe it’s not exactly what’ll make ya the happiest camper in the end, sugarcube. Maybe… maybe…” Applejack’s soul felt like it was withering on the vine, “maybe ya really don’t need ta stay here in Equestria, hon’…”

Spike shot her a mildly quizzical look, but Twilight looked at her with a smile on her face.

“You know, that’s the first time anybody’s actually told me that. That it really is my choice,”

“Well, of course it’s yer choice, sugarcube,” Applejack started to sweat as she rubbed the back of her neck. “It’s yer own life, ain’t it?”

Twilight closed her eyes and shook her head, still smiling. “Thank you, Applejack, for being so honest. I really needed that right now.”

Applejack’s heart sank deeper than the ground beneath her, but she smiled back uneasily at Twilight and laughed. “Ah, come on, now, shucks… ya don’t have ta carry on like that… you’re startin’ ta make me blush, Twi…”

“No, I really mean it,” Twilight pressed on. “I know we haven’t known each other very long, but I really appreciate how nice you’ve been to me this whole time, Applejack… thank you so much for being somebody I can really trust.”

In that very moment, the last remnants of Applejack’s soul seemed to have shattered within her bosom and died.

“Hey,” Spike butt in irately, “What am I, chopped liver?”

Twilight laughed, and tousled Spike’s hair playfully.

“Girl talk, Spike, all girl talk… if it makes you feel any better, though, you’re still my #1 assistant,”

Applejack pretended to laugh along too, but that acidic feeling in the pit of her abdomen gurgled quite violently in protest. She truly felt like an awful human being.

Applejack’s internal self- loathing was abruptly interrupted by a piercing, rising sound screaming from every street corner. Her heart stopped; she recognized it as the emergency siren system.

“What is that?” Twilight screamed as she covered her ears along with Spike.

Everybody in the streets stopped and turned around, looks of surprise on all of their faces, some covering their ears as well. Suddenly, the EGO of every single person in Canterlot lit up and started to emit a flashing hologram. It faded into the grim likeness of Iron Will.

“Attention, attention all Initiative personnel,” he loudly spoke from both EGOs and a speaker system throughout the city, “Canterlot is under attack, I repeat, Canterlot is under enemy attack. This is a Code Black, I repeat, Code Black. I am hereby declaring martial law; all civilian personnel will immediately evacuate to The Main Castle. All military personnel will cover their retreat before evacuating into The Castle after them. I repeat, all personnel will IMMEDIATELY evacuate towards The Main Castle. This is not a drill, I repeat, THIS IS NOT A DRILL,”

All the civilians on the street started to scream and panic, and then immediately started running or driving in the direction of the city’s center. The soldiers started shouting at each other.

“Applejack?” Twilight asked, frightened as people started to bump and push past her in terror. “What’s going on?”

“It means we better get ta my jeep, sugarcubes, right now,” Applejack also looked very grim as she hurried Twilight and Spike off the commercial street. “Let’s go, let’s go!”

The three of them fought their way through the panicked crowds until they reached Applejack’s vehicle. They got in and then immediately started fighting with those same crowds in their vehicles. Applejack honked her horn at the other cars, whose drivers were freaking out and speeding erratically along the cramped, ancient boulevards.

“Goddammit! This isn’t gonna work!” Applejack cursed, hitting her horn repeatedly in frustration. “Hang on sugarcubes, we’re gonna try a different way!”

********************************************************************************************************

Iron Will stared up at a very large emitter console from deep within The Main Castle. On one projection, he saw civilians clogging the streets of Canterlot as they desperately made their way towards The Castle, the first of them having started to arrive across the drawbridge as soldiers hurriedly waved them in.

On another console he watched as an ominous black cloud sped ever closer towards the city’s limits. Touching his EGO, he zoomed the projection into the cloud, and was immediately greeted by swarms and swarms of menacing Shadowbolts, their weaponry glistening in the sun in stark contrast to their jet- black bodies. His lips pursed in anxiety.

“How long until the unknown bogies reach the city?” he asked.

“At current flight velocity, approximately fifteen minutes, sir,” a soldier at a nearby console reported.

“Which means there’s only time to charge up The Barrier for The Castle alone…” the general reasoned to himself. “Will all of the civilians be able to fully evacuate before then?”

Another soldier pulled up the city’s traffic data in real time. His brow started to sweat as he tried to make the calculations.

“They should be able to sir, however… the military personnel will not be able to fully evacuate before the bogies arrive… sir.”

Iron Will’s hands clenched. “Have we heard anything from Harmonics yet?”

“No sir, we got no response from the last communication hail.”

“…What about The Director’s chopper?”

The soldier only looked at the general and shook his head.

Iron Will sighed and put his hands behind his back.

“Organize all civilian refugees within the castle, and make room for any more that come through. I want The Barrier to activate as soon as those bastards knock on our door, not a single moment sooner. Is that understood?”

“Yes, sir.”

********************************************************************************************************

Applejack grit her teeth as she sped along the mountainside. The commercial district had been on the far side of town, and she had gunned her engine at top speed in order to make it to The Castle on time. In the seat next to her, Twilight exchanged scared glances with Spike in the back. She looked at Applejack.

“Applejack, what’s going on?!”

“Don’t know, Sugarcube, but hell if I’m gonna let ya get caught up in whatever it is,” Applejack’s attention shifted over the hill she was driving on. “Look, there’s The Main Castle now!”

Twilight’s head turned towards the front, and sure enough she found The Main Castle of Canterlot. There was a long line of refugees snaking over the drawbridge, and soldiers had set up defensive positions around the entrance, armed with only a couple of tanks, machine gun nests, rocket launchers and their rifles.

As the jeep made its way down the hill and began to approach the slowly vanishing queue, cars were still joining in on the refugee convoy as they could from ahead and behind of Applejack’s jeep. Twilight heard a loud explosion behind them. She turned to see a giant fireball speed upwards into the sky in the distance. When it had subsided, she saw the most frightening thing she had ever seen in her life- thousands upon thousands of black, spikey monstrosities were descending down upon the city, and they seemed to be coming from every direction. Twilight watched as a brilliant blue beam of energy issued forth from the cloud of attackers and struck down somewhere on the ground; another large explosion erupted, followed by another, and another. Twilight’s mind was frozen in absolute terror.

“Jesus Christ!” Applejack’s EGO started to crackle to life with a military radio transmission. “The tanks are all lighting up, oh God, they just keep coming- all units be advised- !”

Applejack shut off her EGO immediately when she noticed the effect it was having on the other two.

“Now, don’t y’all worry none, we’ll be there soon, safe n’ sound…” she tried to calm them, although she secretly wondered if she really believed her own words.

“Oh my God!” Twilight screamed.

Applejack swiveled her head for only a split second. She saw a squadron of Shadowbolts swoop down towards the very last civilian stragglers, some of the scientists working outside of Canterlot, behind them. Their escorts, tanks and military trucks fitted with heavy machine guns, began to fire, but the speeding black objects were too fast for the snapping tracer rounds, shells and missiles. The Shadowbolts began firing their weapons, and Twilight watched in absolute horror as thousands of blue streaks began strafing the trucks, killing all of their occupants instantly. The trucks exploded and one by one started to careen, flaming, off of the road. The tanks were hit by enormous blue beams and immediately erupted in flames and twisted metal. Twilight felt she was going to throw up, knowing that real, live human beings were being massacred right there. She kept on thinking to herself, this can’t be happening, this can’t be happening, this is just not right… oh God, more people are gonna die right in front of me, just like the others, these innocent people, right in front of my eyes, these people just like… me… so scared… so scared to die…

The very last civilian refugees were now left out completely in the open behind them, and the Shadowbolts immediately began to regroup and swoop down. The stragglers tried to speed up, but as the monstrosities of metal began to close in on them, they all started screaming.

“Applejack! We have to do something!!!” Twilight turned back to her driver, not really believing that she was saying those words, but truly believing it in her heart that she meant them.

“There’s nothing we can do for them, sugarcube, I’m sorry,” Applejack replied, keeping her attention on making it to the drawbridge in time; there were still lots people streaming towards it from all over Equestria, even as a war zone erupted right behind them.

“But they’ll be slaughtered!” Twilight screamed.

“There is no way in hell I’m gonna let ya get killed, dammit!”

“WE CAN’T JUST LEAVE THEM!!!”

Applejack grit her teeth, thinking for a second.

“Alright, I have an idea… hang on tight, y’all!”

Applejack banked hard on the steering wheel and the jeep made a complete 180° turn on only two wheels, then started to head straight for the last group of civilians behind them as the Shadowbolts approached from the other side in the air.

“THIS IS YOUR PLAN?!?!” Spike shouted.

Applejack started to beep her horn again and again, screaming.

“YEEEEEEEEE- HAAAH!!! SOUP’S ON, YOU SONS OF BITCHES, COME N’ GET IT!!!!! YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE- HAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!”

The squadron noticed the ruckus Applejack was making and began to lose interest in the stragglers. They broke off pursuit and started to head towards her jeep, weapons charging with deadly energy. When Applejack passed the straggler group, she executed a sharp turn to the right and began leading them astray at full speed. The attackers followed her, firing blue bolts that speared the ground all around the vehicle as Applejack fought to avoid being struck.

“Well, your plan is working,” Spike observed from the back.

“Dammit, I know it’s working!- GET DOWN!!!”

********************************************************************************************************

“Sir, the last of the civilian convoys seemed to have made it into The Castle,” a soldier reported to Iron Will.

“And what about our boys out there?”

“Reports of extremely heavy casualties are coming in, sir,” another soldier replied grimly. “Most of the units we still have out there have been completely wiped out, sir, both infantry and armor.”

Iron Will pounded his first against his console, hard. Why didn’t the goddamn Pentagon supply him with the artillery and fighter jets that he had asked for? No, they had kept on insisting that The Alicorn Eye permanently secured the base from attack, that he was lucky to even get tanks. Now his men were paying the ultimate price for their stupidity.

“Sir, The Barrier is now fully charged and ready to be deployed,” the soldier asked. “Orders?”

Iron Will pondered his next move, head down. Every muscle in his body was tense.

“Withdraw all remaining units into The Castle. Lock it up tight, sergeant.”

“Yes sir,” the soldier responded, inputting commands on his console. “Recalling all remaining units. Activating Barrier Lockdown Procedures.”

********************************************************************************************************

Another bolt of energy zinged through the windshield, barely missing Applejack’s arm. The Shadowbolts were getting closer now, and she was having more and more trouble keeping them off of her tail. Her brow furrowed in concentration as she aimed for the drawbridge coming ever closer. The civilian convoys and the remaining army units had all made it safely inside, and the bridge remained opened but deserted, tantalizingly inviting for the desperate group of three.

“Hang on, y’all, I think we’re gonna make it!” Applejack shouted.

Suddenly, a lone Shadowbolt dropped down from the sky in front of them; on its shoulder was a silver cannon. It began firing huge beams at the jeep, and Applejack swerved to avoid the energy as it ripped into the ground and exploded, throwing stone fragments and dirt clumps in their faces. Twilight and Spike screamed as they narrowly avoided each shot.

“FUCK!!!” Applejack cursed as the beams started to get closer and closer; she couldn’t keep avoiding them for long. Then she spotted something in the distance, and another plan was hatched.

“Alright, listen, now when I say jump, JUMP. Ready?” She started to angle her increasingly overheated vehicle. “JUMP!!!!”

All three passengers lept out of the open jeep and rolled onto the ground as best they could. Applejack looked up, panting, and watched as the jeep sped itself over a military loading ramp and flew high into the air, straight at the firing Shadowbolt. It charged for another shot but the jeep was faster, impacting hard against the black robotic being and exploding in a bright orange burst before them.

“Holy shit,” Spike gasped in awe. “Did you just Die Hard that guy right in the face?!”

“Yippee- ki- yay, motherfucker,” Applejack smiled with immense relief.

Spike smiled at her and they both immediately shared a high five in victory, laughing and whooping. Even Twilight had to admit, that was pretty damn apropos.

Suddenly, the attacking Shadowbolt started to emerge out of the flaming wreckage, its cannon still on its shoulder and its armor seemingly unscratched.

“Um, guys…” Twilight began.

“Crap,” Spike muttered.

“Alright, pardners, we gotta hustle now- MOVE IT, MOVE IT, MOVE IT, GO, GO, GO!!!”

The three of them started to run towards The Main Castle, with literally an entire army of Shadowbolts hot on their trail. They swerved and snaked to avoid being hit as the drawbridge inched painfully nearer.

Suddenly, all the Shadowbolts stopped firing and looked towards the edges of Canterlot. An enormous ring of energy began to surround the city, and shot up into the air to form a large energy bubble. It immediately began to contract, and as it’s edge passed the Shadowbolt legions it washed harmlessly over them as they watched.

“Now what is it?!” Twilight asked as they all kept running; Spike cursed loudly.

“It means we just ran out of time,” Applejack responded with dread. “GO! GO! GO! GO!!!”

The three of them now found themselves racing against the ever- diminishing Barrier, and Twilight ran faster than she had ever done before in her life. They started to cross the drawbridge, The Main Castle right in front of their eyes.

“Come on now, you can do it, almost there-“ Applejack tried to egg them on in tired desperation.

As they were about to finish crossing the drawbridge, Twilight heard a roaring sound and turned her head to see a single Shadowbolt diving in at her from beyond the pathway. It fired its rifle- like weapon and a single blue bolt issued forth, straight for her. She didn’t even have time to gasp in surprise as death approached her in plain sight.

“TWIIIIIILIGHT!” Spike yelled out and charged at her.

He shoved her out of the way just as the bolt made contact with his body, ripping through him and splashing into the water below. Spike collapsed onto the drawbridge just as the Shadowbolt sped off behind the other side of The Barrier, which had stopped mercifully at the bridge.

“SPIKE!” Twilight shouted as she got up from the ground and crawled over to him. “Oh my God, oh my God- SPIKE!!!”

Spike moaned, dazed, a perfectly round hole burnt all the way through his left shoulder. He was getting paler and paler by the second.

“Oh my God, Spike- I’m so, so sorry-“

“We have to get him inside The Castle, now!” Applejack shouted, grabbing Spike by his non- injured side and lifting him up. “Let’s go!!!”

Spike roared in pain as Applejack and Twilight helped him up and half- carried, half- dragged his courageous little ass towards The Castle doors.

********************************************************************************************************

“Sir, the barrier is now fully integrated and has just completely enveloped The Castle perimeter. All enemy movement has ceased, for the moment,” a soldier reported to Iron Will, who was sitting in his chair.

“How many people did we lose?” he asked quietly, his head in his hand.

“Not entirely sure yet, sir, battle reports are still flooding in on all of the channels,” another soldier responded. “But it seems as if we lost at least… 70% of our ground forces, plus a currently unknown number of civilian casualties… sir.”

Iron Will just sat quietly in his chair, neither moving nor speaking.

Comments

[paiohelohelo]

2365061
Thanks so much!

hahaha me too!

no spoilers, but I will only say this: Why Wuuuub Wuna :)

Thanks again, will update again soon!

[Stoneificaunt]

Goddamn generals fault if they hadn't insisted to make military weapons this would not have happened. And THE PRESIDENT IS GONNA BE PISSED THAT HER SISTER IS DEAD. AND DAMN YOU SPIKE FOR BEING A BRAVE SON OF A BITCH.

[paiohelohelo]

2371354
hahaha if this was a movie, this would definitely be in the official commentary :)

[Stoneificaunt]

2371368 maybe I should provide commentary for this story.

[paiohelohelo]

2371472
oh Celestia, yes