> A Crystal Revolution > by Stalins Moustache > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Prolougue > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shattered Dawn gazed from the balcony of his tenement in the slums of the newly Liberated Crystal Empire. He reminisced about the day the Equestrians first came to their empire. With everyone dazed from entering reality after thousands of years in the inky blackness of nothing, the Equestrian soldiers led by Shining Armour were able to seize power over all of the Empire with almost no resistance. In the ensuing Chaos the Aristocrats of the old regime once more asserted themselves in their positions of wealth and splendour only this time swearing oaths of fealty to new conquerors sent from the farthest stretches of the world. Following this wave upon wave of Equestrian settlers flooded their kingdom seizing the choicest plots of land for themselves, leaving their previous owners to rot at the lowest rungs of the economic ladder. This new system was only further fueled by the Equestria games which as part of a policy to Keep the Peace banned any Crystal ponies who couldn't pay the exorbitant fees of entry, despite the fact that it was the tax provided by these same Crystal Ponies which provided the Games with the necessary funds in the first place. Shattered Dawn once more peered over the Crystal Empire seeing the stark difference between the slums on the outskirts of the town which were derelict things fabricated from scraps and a host of other undesirable building materials . All of them being towered over by the estates and manses lying closer to the city center, each house a different expression of it's owners desires some being massive, crystal structures belonging to the bourgeois of the Crystal Ponies, others being ill-ordered, multi-coloured mansions often belonging to Equestrian settlers. What the den of opulence that lay before him didn't know that Crystal Ponies weren't just going to accept defeat that easily, oh no, there had been many clandestine meetings by influential Crystal Ponies who at first sight of the suffering of their fellow countrymen began to organise peaceful demonstrations and marches in the hopes that they would bring equal rights to the Crystal Ponies. Shattered Dawn himself was preparing to leave for one such meeting, as he grabbed his We Demand Civil Rights Picket sign he left the dreary emptiness of his unfurnished one room apartment and headed for the city centre, proud in the fact that he would help contribute to the liberation of his people. As he departed his home Shattered Dawn began to move past the rows of shabby, broken houses he saw children running through the streets, mothers calling out windows and men leaning against walls. However at the end of the road the concentration of ponies began to thin and there stood a large Equestrian checkpoint. Shattered Dawn hurriedly shoved his placard under his long coat as he approached the checkpoint. They seemed to have popped up almost overnight, like pockmarks across the already sick face of the Crystal city. As he drew closer to the checkpoint the guards began to move out from the shelter. A bored looking Equestrian stood greeted Shattered Dawn, his rifle firmly in his hooves. "What will be your destination and purpose in the inner city, citizen," the guard asked in a hazy tone. The Equestrians had barely managed to catch a wink of sleep as their hands were full working on simultaneously policing the newly acquired territory and also building the numerous checkpoints that dotted the city. "I'm off to see a few friends in a tavern near the center of town," Shattered Dawn replied, telling what could be considered a white lie at best. "Very well citizen, go on through," eyeing up the young stallion for any signs of dissent. Shattered Dawn cocked his flat cap at the guard as he proceeded through the gate, he could see a cart with what seemed to be a large iron cage attached to the rear of it. The cage was filled with a handful of sullen Crystal Pony stallions. However Shattered Dawn couldn't even get a proper look at the group of detainees before the cart began to make it's way down the road, towards the Crystal Spire. As his journey dre to a close he was startled to his feet by loud shouting coming from a thick Equestrian accent. He narrowly managed to dodge to one side of the road when a column of Equestrian soldiers went running down the small lane, they were followed by a small convoy of carts, each one filled to the brim with even more Equestrian soldiers. Well the rally looks like it will be a lot more interesting Shattered Dawn thought to himself as he arrived at his destination. > Chapter 1: The Rally > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shattered hurried across the small street lined with rickety and unstable houses to a small tavern on the corner of a row of houses. A decrepit sign above the door reading The Strong Stallion Inn, the paint forming the sign was peeling, small flecks of it even crumbling off as the sign swayed peacefully in the breeze, the sound of it's long neglected chain creaking as the sign moved being the only noise that filled the lifeless street. As Shattered pushed the door open he saw his comrades who would be following him to the Rally most prominent of all was his brother Steel Defiance sat proudly at the head of the table his arms crossed as an empty ale tankard sat in front of him, a Picket Sign much like his brothers resting against his shoulder. His brothers Vermillion coat and Red and yellow mane was burning brighter than the candles lighting the run-down tavern. "Where the Hay have you been, Brother?" Defiance questioned a little too aggressively to Shattered Dawn's liking. "Just making the rounds Brother," Lied Dawn, in reality he had actually got his hoof caught in a gutter whilst cleaning his roof yet he was far too prideful to ever admit that especially to his elder brother, "Regardless are you all ready to move out?" "Very well I've got a friend with a cart who will take us to the rally location, let's go." After they had all clambered into the cramped cart they set off. The journey was fairly uneventful aside from when the cart in front of them was seized at the second checkpoint they passed on their way into the City Centre. Eventually after what had felt like an eternity of the carts wheels creaking endlessly on poorly maintained cobble roads they arrived at their destination. Almost tearing his way out of the cramped and enclosed cart just to be able to move around Shattered accidentally pushed a large stallion named Emerald Impact out of the car. Crashing face first into a puddle the ponies still in the cart burst into laughter guffawing at the once Viridian pony as now his coat was stained with lines of brown. Acting on instinct the hulking Emerald Stallion grabbed Dawn by the collars until Defiance sprang out of the cart seizing the initiative in the confusion and instantly forming a wedge between The massive Green Pony and his much smaller albeit still strong brother. "Both of you calm down, right NOW!" Screamed Defiance as he tried however much in vain to prevent any semblance of conflict within the protesters . "Sorry boss, but this Bucking Idiot pushed me," Mumbled Emerald as he tried to look as convincing and innocent as possible. "Is this true Shattered?" "Brother I swear it was an accident I-" but before Shattered could go on one of his much famed tangents he was interrupted by a surge in activity by the protesters as each one began to force their way towards the newly erected barricade outside of the city center in order to keep the ponies of the proletariat out. As the tension heightened Emerald Impact barged his way back into the cart in an astonishing display of Irony and Defiance leapt into the cart in one graceful move however as he thrust out his hoof to hoist his younger sibling into the cart, Shattered was pushed away by a seething tide of Protesters being forced ever closer to the wire mesh barricade, which stood at roughly the height of three ponies and was topped off with barbed wire coiling itself down the entirety of the fence in order to prevent any pony from trying to climb the fence. However this wasn't as effective a deterrent as the Equestrian soldiers thought it would be as many of the demonstrators attacked the fences with an almost animalistic desire to see them be brought down however as Shattered was pushed ever closer to the fence he got a better view of the defenders. There were rows upon rows of Equestrian troops each one fully clad in their ornate white and gold uniforms with massive peaked caps adorning their brows, however behind them stood the more numerous and ubiquitous Crystal Empire auxiliaries, regiments formed of primarily crystal ponies looking for a way to further their social status by military service they stood clad in Olive Drab uniforms with little ornamentation save for a badge with Shining Armour's crest-a purple shield inlaid with a pink star and topped with three smaller stars. But soon an all too familiar sound ripped through the protest like a tsunami wave, and as Shattered looked up he saw a young foal barely old enough to be able to hold one of the picket signs crumple to the floor blood oozing from a wound left in his flank. As Shattered recoiled in horror at the young foal lying in the mud bleeding out more shots rang out, and soon that foal wouldn't be the only casualty of the day... > Chapter 2: The Aftermath > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- He crawled out from behind the cart's wheel only after he had double checked if there was still any pony around. Shattered nursed his wounded forearm as he moved out into the desolate field. Where once it was occupied by a united force of ponies using peaceful means to accomplish noble goals, they had all scattered leaving behind them at least twenty dead, and those were just the murders Shattered had witnessed. He looked around and all he could see was mud occasionally painted Crimson with the blood of his fellow countrymen he began to limp through the field occasionally giving out a weak cry for help. As the fire from his wound soon began to spread through his body, a paroxysm of pain swept through as he smashed his wounded foreleg into a wheel spoke sticking out of the side of another overturned cart he had used for balance. "Hello, Anyone there!" A voice faintly recognisable to Shattered called through the mist. Shattered tried to reply but could only manage a small almost inaudible croak. "Helloooo Anyone, please," Came the call again this time Shattered, much to the lament of his broken body, put all his effort into screaming out to the voice in the shadows. "H-help Me... Please," cried Shattered as he lay in the mud with blood seeping through his clothes and leaking on to the ground. "Shattered, Brother Hold on!" Shattered now realised the voice of his older brother Steel Defiance, his voice however had lost the stern edge it had at the start of the rally and was now filled with sorrow. When Steel emerged from the shadows and saw his brother lying in a heap holding a wounded leg, covered in mud and blood it was all he could not to cry however even for a stallion such as Steel Defiance it was hard not to let himself begin bawling. "B-brother you're crying," Croaked shattered as he lay there helpless letting a soft chuckle escape him. He had only ever seen his brother cry once, and that was during the reign of King Sombra when the King's very own secret police had raided the rebel headquarters, which at the time their parents had been giving the rebels information. That was the last time they ever saw their parents, neither brother would even be able to recall what their parents looked like if they didn't have their family photo which was taken only a mere few weeks before their parents were taken. As small wet streaks began to line Steel's face he picked up his brother and as gently as he could slung him over his shoulder. "Hang on Dawn you'll be home soon," said Steel Defiance with all the strength he mustered. Defiance's trek halfway across the slums of the Crystal Empire was not easy, not only did he have the weight of his injured sibling bearing down on him but he also had to avoid rubble that lined the streets from what was obviously an Equestrian foray into the slums. No building was left untouched, even the checkpoints had obvious signs of conflict, yet more insidious still was the absence of life, there were not even any Equestrian soldiers to be found, only death, decay and the sound of gunfire in the distance were present. As Steel returned back to the Strong Stallion he threw the door open and found a family huddling in one of the booths and their comrades at one of the other tables. Immediately Steel rushed over and placed the shattered form of his brother on his table. "He needs help, fast" choked Steel through a sheen of tears and ash sticking to his face. Immediately they set to work on helping his maimed brother, and after about an hour passed most of which consisted of Steel moping around one of the tables in the rear of the tavern whilst he occasionally went over to check on the ponies operating on his brother. Eventually Emerald Impact took the seat beside Steel and with a mournful told the once proud Stallion the news of his brothers impromptu operation. "I'm afraid his injury has left, well...H-he's in a coma from the blood loss," Emerald said almost choking on every word. "When will he be back with us," Steel said with a hopeful expression despite the fact that tears still persisted to stream down his face. "I-I Don't know for sure," Emerald once again said with a quiver in his voice. With that Steel buried his head in his hoofs.... > Chapter 3: The Meeting > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Steel was wearing a long grey overcoat and a flat cap as he moved down to the docks. A meeting was to be held between all those who organised the protest, it's message clear, If the Equestrians won't leave us through peaceful methods, than violence is the only solution they have left. The courier had come the the Strong Stallion in the dead of night asking around for Steel Defiance he had then given him the leaflet that announced the meeting, who could know that one leaflet would decide the fate of an empire and possibly cause an all out civil war. The docks were not in their usual hustle and bustle, now they were barren with not a soul in sight with the exceptions of the occasional rat scurrying along one of the piers and the the two crystal ponies guarding a small manhole at the base of the road that led back to the slums. "Sir!" said both the guards almost in unison, bringing their hooves to their heads in salute. Both of them wearing overcoats and flat caps similar to Steel's, however over their coats they wore many munitions pouches, field glasses and other such paraphernalia of war. "I'm not your bloody commander, just a stallion fallen on hard times," Defiance spat shrugging off his new apparent responsibility as a military commander. As he proceeded down the ladder he was greeted with even more guards all of them equipped in the same uniform as the ponies upstairs. After they had judged him to be clear, he was allowed to proceed down the hallway he came to an antechamber, made out of the same grey coloured bricks as the rest of this sewer-turned-bunker, it was relatively unfurnished save for a few wooden benches lining the walls of the antechamber and a large metal door at the far side of the room. He headed through the large door at the far side of the room pretending not to notice the large amount of wounded crystal ponies lining the benches. When he entered the much larger Auditory he saw the large table in the center and took his place at one of the chairs, they were old wooden things, their craftsmanship was shoddy and the wood used to make them was obviously cheap. However they would have to serve. "Steel good to see you, I heard about your brother, I'm ever so sorry," said Ornate Winter, an aristocratic Crystal Pony who had secretly longed for the liberation of the Crystal Empire, he had funded the rebels against King Sombra and was now funding the rebels against an even greater menace. However he was still distrusted by many of the ponies of the underclasses as he wore a crystalline coat compared to the unadorned coats of his fellow ponies. "Thank you Winter it's been a tough week, but I think we may pull through," replied Steel, still sounding uncertain despite a hopeful look on his face. "Gentlemen please," White Blizzard leader of the the Crystal Ponies who had lived in constant squalor, always under threat from Equestrian guns, "Now Steel we all give you our condolences, but there are more pressing matters for us to attend to." Blizzard began to thumb through the folder he had under his arm, his white coat glittering in the torch. Blizzard himself was of mixed descent, his father being a tried and true Crystal Stallion but his mother however was an Equestrian. Which had proved to be a bigger boon to Blizzard than a con as many of the guard trusted him for the sole reason of his mixed parentage.Finally he produced a poster which bore the words that whilst being inevitable, they still made Steel's heart sink. "We have waited long enough, this document is the first of many that will seal our destiny," he passed the the sheet to the stallion sitting to the right of him and then continued, "This document contains the orders all those Crystal Ponies who are still loyal to our cause to report to their local armouries," "Have you gone raving mad Blizzard!" Ornate Winter blurted out, "Too much blood has already been shed, and now you want to start a bucking civil war!" "How has peace worked for us so far, Why don't we ask Steel that?" with that Ornate Winter stormed out of the auditory, once the door slammed behind him Blizzard picked up where he left off, "I am proposing that we arm and train a corps of volunteers, these brave mares and stallions shall form the ever beating heart of our new republic, they shall be called....The Crystal Resistance Army." As he finished there was an unbroken tension that sprang up in the room. Steel imagined there to be bickering and arguing but everypony sitting at the table remained quiet, each and every one of them knowing that while this was not an easy decision, it had to be made for the good of the Crystal Empire and all her citizens. Once more Blizzard broke the silence, "The first military operation of our new Republic will be a strike at the heart of Equestrian hold over the Empire, The Crystal palace..." > Chapter 4: The Hearth's Warming Rising > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The city was smothered in a thick blanket of fog as the column made their way down the street. The rebel's orders were clear, take the palace or die trying. Steel knew every Stallion and Mare under his command had volunteered willingly but he couldn't help feeling a pang of guilt as he led his men to the slaughter. Unlike Equestrian Regiments or any of the Crystal Regiments they marched to battle with no drum to herald their coming, nor did they wear any uniforms only taking with them the bare essentials needed for the coming battle; field glasses, rifles, extra munitions and the like. Every pony in the Column was wearing a grim and dour expression, they were all aware that not everypony would be going home after the coming battle. As they made their way towards the city centre they all witnessed the destruction carried out by the first wave of rebels as they made their foray into the Equestrian territory. Smashed buildings, burnt out carts and the corpses of both rebel and loyalist alike lined the streets, rot had already begun to set in on some of the corpses. As they passed out of the slums they crossed over a massive stone wall that once served as a symbol to the divisions between the upper and lower classes, it had keeled over causing large chunks of concrete to litter the avenue. The column pressed on taking note of the myriad of decorations garnishing the houses that had belonged to the Equestrian settlers, today was a special day for them, today was Hearth's Warming Eve. Finally after what had appeared to be hours of endless trekking the massive Crystalline palace in the center of the city came into view. What was once the gem of splendour surrounded by a hive of opulence, was now burning with rebels poking out of almost every window and standing on every balcony whilst the Equestrians and Loyal Crystal Ponies had formed a barricade surrounding almost the entirety of the pearly spire. There was only one position the Equestrians had not thought of posting soldiers to, it was a small alley that led to the steps of the palace and from there into the palace itself. The attack itself had started smoothly for the rebels however when Shining Armour and Princess Cadance weren't in the palace things went to hell...fast. As the column of twelve ponies drew closer to the alleyway the sounds of the battle began to get more ferocious, artillery shells exploding and the sound of rifles backed by machine guns grew louder. When the drew to the alley Steel Defiance finally turned around to look at his sullen group of freedom fighters. "Go one by one, heads down and move fast, I don't want to have to tell your families any bad news," Steel ordered with a new found assertiveness he had gained after he was placed in command of his very own column of fighters. "Sir what do we do once we reach the building?" questioned a light blue Stallion, having to raise his voice over the constant drone of the enemy's machine guns. "Wait in the central lobby, I will depart last, if any pony is wounded on the way up it will fall to the next pony running to drag him there. Any other questions?" Steel's question was treated as if it were rhetorical by the group and after a brief pause the first stallion began his mad dash to the stairs of the massive Ivory tower. The first stallion arrived at his destination relatively unharmed however the second pony who made the dash came under light fire, but that only served to usher him to his destination faster. The third pony wasn't so lucky as soon as he began his journey he almost immediately intercepted a bullet in his leg, collapsing instantly. At least he was lucky enough to be able to pull himself behind a piece of fallen masonry to shield himself from any further hail storms of bullets. The fourth pony took this as his chance to save his fallen comrade, but as he made his run he came under a shower of bullets and after taking on multiple wounds collapsed near his comrade, only this time the fourth pony was dead. After bearing witness to such a grisly spectacle it did much to undermine the morale of the group of once courageous group of rebels. Yet they soon had no choice but to run when a cart chock-full of Equestrian soldiers, every last one wearing an expression that showed they lacked any semblance of mercy towards traitors. "Run, go,go,go, RUN YOU BUCKING IDIOTS!" bellowed Steel as the group sprinted with a speed that would put any Wonderbolt to shame. When the ragged and exhausted group finally stampeded through the door to the palace a cobalt blue mare, one of the few mares who had signed up for service in the new paramilitary approached him, with a terrified look on her face. "S-sir three of our stallions were wounded on the way up and, a-and two, two are no longer with us," she said with the unmistaken fear in her voice, the kind of fear that only comes around in somepony after they have seen battle for the first time in their life. "Thank you Private," Steel Defiance said not truly knowing the rank of the mare that stood before him, or even if they had any real ranking system, "Ponies we have taken many casualties getting here but our orders still remain, we are to take the Crystal Heart, trust me, I wouldn't have accepted this mission if I didn't think we could pull it off." As the rag-tag group of rebels made their way through the burning ruins of the palace in which only tyrants had previously resided beginning with the palace's builder King Sombra and now the Royal couple who had almost completely destroyed the Crystal Pony way of life. The interior of the palace was destroyed, entire sections of roof had fallen off, leaving the ponies inside to face both the elements and the constant Equestrian mortar shelling. Steel could hear from inside the bowels of the palace that the upper floors had been sent ablaze by the Equestrian's new incendiary shells. Finally they came to the podium on which the Crystal Heart was kept, where once there were no walls, opening the base of the palace to the rest of the city centre there were now crudely assembled barriers of fallen masonry and upturned carts. The barricade, much like the rest of the palace, was littered with the broken bodies of it's fallen defenders. Steel Defiance slowly proceeded forward knowing that whatever the outcome it would still bring them a step closer to winning their revolution. As he kept moving towards the shrine that bore the heart it seemed to have some kind of psychic effect on him as his thoughts began to race through his brain. Steel their lying.... Came a female voice inside his head that almost made him recoil out of sheer terror. Assuring himself that it was just the nerves he began to edge closer. Steel the voice came again, this time he thought of his wounded brother and almost managed to reach the shrine, until he was interrupted by what seemed to be the loudest noise he had ever heard in his life. "STOP YOU TRAITOR DOGS!" a thick equestrian accent shrieked at his column. When he looked saw the barricade in ruins and what seemed to be an entire battalion of Equestrian troops standing at the rupture their artillery had created, at their helm stood a gaunt and bulking Equestrian officer. "Oh Buck!" Steel Defiance Whispered to himself. > Chapter 5: The Prison > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- It's always the damn informers! Steel thought to himself as he was shoved into his cell at the massive cobbled together prison, only being constructed recently, it could barely hold a third of all the prisoner's taken during the Rising. The Rising itself had of course failed, not due to the rebels poor funding, not due to the rebels lack of arms, but due to a select few mares and stallion who held their coin purses in higher regard than their allegiances and sold the rebellion. Giving in detail, the names and locations of many rebel arms depots, recruiting stations and, most crippling of all, the details on the rebel leaders. Steel looked around the dreariness of his cell, he knew his brothers in arms were suffering in the tiny communal cells, with dozens of prisoners being forced to share a single cell. He let out an audible sigh, despite the fact that the only soul that would ever hear it would be the rats he could occasionally hear scurrying inside the wall. The only reason he had ever been allowed the luxury of his own cell because he had been deemed; A Threat to the National Security of Equestria and all of Her Dominions. He spat on the title, a threat, all he had done was lead a column of some of the bravest ponies he had ever known into the gaping maw of hell.However no amount of pleading with his guards would convince them of the fact that he was just a lowly soldier, no more, no less. After another uneventful day of wasting away in his cell waiting for the inevitable, his door ripped open violently, smashing against the wall behind it. "Get up rebel dog, todays going to be a very special for you," spat a prison guard Steel had seen on numerous occasions, most notably when he beat one of the rebel ponies to death after he refused one of the brute's orders. "Oh, great you, you know I haven't eaten in what seems like an eternity, could you bring me some of those apples you Equestrians all seem to find so alluring!" Steel retorted, Steel knew the guard couldn't kill him, it would spoil his coming trial, but what Steel didn't count on was the guard pulling an apple out of his pocket and forcing it down Steel's throat, immediately quelling any other sarcasms that Steel would spit at the guard. I'll get you for this Dog, Steel thought as the group of guards dragged him down the hall finally throwing him into the courtyard. When Steel finally surveyed his new surroundings, he saw that this was no trial, this was something far more dubious.... ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Shining Armour surveyed the courtyard from his balcony at the far end of the massive yard. He looked down at all the scum that had swarmed into the courtyard to see their leaders finally put down. Shining Armour had taken massive pride in his victory over the cursed hordes of rebels. Sending word all throughout Equestria even sending emissaries with the good news as far as Saddle Arabia. Soon all his work would bear fruit, the apex of his military achievement was about to be shown to the world in the form of the summary executions of the rebel leaders. He glared at the forlorn group of men lining up for their own deaths, with an arrogant and prideful smile smeared across his face. His blue mane fluttering in the wind along with the Equestrian flags that decorated the walls of the courtyards. Finally the crier took his place on the podium beside the gnarled wooden stake. "For crimes against Equestria, the Crystal Empire and the royal couple. You are all hereby sentenced to death by firing squad. If any wish to deliver a eulogy, please do so now." He yelled struggling to be heard over the howling of the wind, as if it mourned as well for the passing of the rebels. "Aye, I have one," came one of the leaders, "This applies to all of us men who shall meet our fate, not only here but also in the struggle for the liberation of the Crystal Empire," he took a brief pause and continued his speech, "Let no pony write our eulogies, let no pony say we rest, let no pony say we died with a cause, until our Northern land joins with the rest of the free nations of the world!" His diatribe was met with cheers from the ponies on the other side of the divider. Their indiscriminate chanting eventually condensing into one unified chant; the chant of The Proletariat Rises. Finally the guards had enough and dragged the particularly talkative pony, drove a rifle butt into his chest, tied him to the post. The officer in charge of the firing squad gazed up at Shining Armour. Shining Armour gave a small nod and soon the officer bought his raised sword down through the empty air causing the squad to fire. The stallion's corpse crumpled almost immediately, two guards untied him and dragged him down to the morgue. Shining Armour was ecstatic at the death of the orator. He gave a loud cheer as the orator's body was dragged into the building. Shining Armour once more reclined back into his chair on the balcony and thought to himself, today shall be a fun day. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Steel Defiance gasped as he saw one of his fellow rebels being dragged off limp and lifeless. As he looked at those rebels lucky enough to be behind the barrier, he gazed upon the face of White Blizzard. Blizzard had a smug look on his face, he knew as well as any pony the Equestrians wouldn't dare harm him, his mixed parentage secured that. "Lucky bucker," Steel murmured to himself. Soon after the guards brought forth a pony whose legs had been taken from him, realising he couldn't be executed in the normal fashion the Captain of the firing squad barked for someone to bring him a chair. After what seemed to be an age a scrawny-looking guard came from inside the prison building and produced a rotted wooden chair. The Captain, eager to make up for lost time, had the poor stallion tied to the chair and wasted no time in bringing his saber down, soon after the shots rang out from the squad, and the chair fell backwards. It was only then that Steel noticed that there was only one last rebel pony standing between him and death. Steel gulped as he brought his eyes up to look upon the balcony in which Shining Armour was delighting in his victory.Finally when it finally came to him he realised he would not go quietly. He straightened his back when they called his name, and despite every fibre in his being yearning not to, he took a deep breath, and faced his comrades on the other side of the divider. "Brothers and sisters, I know our situation is dire but always remember-They can jail us, they can shoot us, they can even conscript us and use us as cannon fodder against our own brothers. But, But we have a weapon more powerful than any in the whole arsenal of their entire Equestrian Empire! And that weapon, is our refusal, our refusal to bow to any order but our own," The guards had clearly had enough and began moving towards Steel, once more he buried his fear and continued with his fiery oratory, "Our friends from Equestria want to shut me up, but I want each and every one of you to send them a message. If they shut me up which one of you will take my place?" With that the crowd of rebels burst into cheers of we will and We will never be silenced. As the crowd was filled with a sense of renewed vigour they began buzzing with movement, many of them beginning to throw rocks and stones over the divider, hoping to hit any unwary Equestrian guard. In the midst of all the chaos Steel Defiance felt a sharp pain smashing into his ribcage, causing him to collapsed to the ground almost immediately. The dull pain spreading from his torso only being exacerbated further as the guards forced a bag over his head and dragged him back into the building... > Chapter 6: The Great Escape > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Emerald impact unloaded and reloaded his rifle for what had seemed to be the hundredth time in the short journey by cart. "You lads know the plan, right?" asked their commander, Iron Bulwark. A stallion who had lead a group of rebels to moderate success in the rising, even managing to evade capture on numerous occasions. "Aye, you've been going on about it since the cart bleedin' left!" came one of Iron Bulwark's original subordinates, a rebel named Crimson Hazard, he sat there with a slightly irritated look on his face, primarily because he was garnished in an Equestrian uniform. Emerald looked down adjusting the many buttons, pockets and ornamentations on his uniform, whilst he hated being forced to wear the uniform of the enemy he would be willing to do a lot worse than sacrifice his pride if it meant any chance of their rebellion succeeding. As the cart drew ever closer to the barracks-turned-prison the rain began to intensify into a full-blown monsoon. He felt a small wet streak of rain caress his chin, looking up he realised that the rain had penetrated the canvas roof of the cart. When at last they arrived at the barracks their plan was set into motion, two stallions would wait beside the cart in case of emergency whilst the others posed as guards in order to carry out their orders. The plan itself was not infallible however and each and every stallion and mare risk a great amount by signing up. Emerald himself was left with his orders, steal a dossier containing information on all of the rebels who had defected during the rising and free Steel Defiance, his old commander and friend. Emerald knew this was not going to be easy however and had already said his goodbyes to his loved ones in case anything were to happen. His squad proceeded into the building and after being checked by the guards they were cleared through. When they came across where the records Equestrian were kept, they had only to convince the guard to let them pass and they would have completed their first objective. "Stop, I need your name and unit!" the guard said in a bored tone. "Hello, I am commander Skye of Celestia's own second Equestrian Fusiliers," Emerald said in an over exaggerated Equestrian accent. However this was enough for the bored turnkey, and after an audible sigh he let them enter where the records were kept. "By Tartarus," Emerald said as he looked around the room, the shelves were stuffed full of leaflets, packets and dossiers all full of information, "we never stood a chance." Emerald then proceeded through the cramped room, moving through the maze of filing cabinets and shelves until he came to what he wanted, the third drawer down on a massive blue filing cabinet, the name plate read 672-Contingency plan Alpha. He drew open the cabinet and was thoroughly surprised that it was almost empty, with the exception of one small file. He grabbed the file, stuffing it haphazardly underneath his coat. He and his men then left but not before their squads sapper, a mare by the name of Burning Inferno left behind a small surprise for the Equestrians in the shape of one of the rare fire crystals, that when left at room temperature for too long will explode in a fiery blaze and immolate almost everything in it's path. As they once more made their way down the Prison's dreary halls they couldn't help but overhear the shots ringing out from the courtyard and the chanting that was coming from the inmates. When they did arrive at the entrance to the courtyard Emerald turned to face his squad. "You all know what to do, Inferno you will give the signal to dump the cache of weapons to the prisoners," she gave a small nod in reply and then he continued "the rest of us will have to drag Steel out, remember to put the bag over his head, the entire mission could depend on it." ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Steel Defiance wriggled his hands around their bindings, from what he could tell, Shining Armour wanted to spare him the firing squad and instead send him to the noose. The bag they had shoved over his head had left him dazed and writhing in pain. However he could still tell he was in a cart, if not for the familiar sound of wheels going over uneven road he would be completely lost. After the cart had departed the Prison he had heard an explosion sound from inside the building. It was followed by the sounding of rifles and machine-guns, once more the cacophony of war sounded out over the Crystal Empire. He had formulated a few theories over how the prisoners managed to pull of such a large scale attack from within the prison, however he was only left more confused when he began to consider all of the different variables and possibilities. After what had been possibly been the longest journey by cart in his life, he was dragged into a building and after hearing the door slam and lock his heart sunk. Finally they ripped the bag off of his head, which sent him spiraling backwards as the light almost burned his eyes. Eventually his eyes managed to adjust to the light, he looked around the familiar room of the upper floor of the Strong Stallion Inn. He then saw crowded around him a column of Rebels with Iron Bulwark and Emerald impact at the head of the group. However they were all dressed in Equestrian uniforms. "What the buck!" Steel Defiance said his head still spinning and his side still in pain. "Happy to see us boss?" Emerald Impact asked in a sarcastic tone, while reaching a hand into the inside of his uniform, "If your not happy to see us, you will be happy to see this." Steel Defiance thumbed through the brown folder, finding inside it not only the names and locations of many Equestrian informers, but also their plan that would crush the rebels once and for all. After rigourously checking almost every detail in the folder Steel Defiance finally looked up. "What resources do we have at our disposal?" he asked in a hopeful tone. "Well, just the weapons we have with us, a single cart and this safehouse," Emerald Impact said a look of despair on his face. "Very well," Steel Defiance then looked up at the men, with an all too familiar look on his face and with a sigh he continued, "I want letters distributed to both the ponies under the employ of the new Equestrian regime and all current rebels who have evaded capture, warning that any and all further collaboration with the forces of oppression is now punishable....by death." " But sir, that m-means-" Iron Bulwark stuttered until he was interrupted by Steel Defiance. "It means we will be the ones having to do it, I know it's almost too much to ask and if any of you have any second second thoughts you may leave, I won't think any less of you if you do," when not a single one of the rebels left, Steel Defiance continued, "No one, good." > Chapter 7: New Tactics, New War > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cadance awoke to a blissful Autumn morning in the Crystal Empire, the sun was hanging high in the sky and the cool breeze could be felt through the open windows of her room. She pulled herself out of bed and rubbed the sleep from out of her eyes, when she finally was standing her housemaid opened the door timidly and entered the room. "Hello Rosie, it'll just be a change of sheets today," Cadance said with a smile, as her servant timidly nodded and set to work as Cadance moved downstairs to the feasting hall. "Good morning Shining Armour," She said to her husband who had recently been under a bout of stress over rebel activity at the prison, however Cadance was never truly aware as to the extent of the rebellion. "Good morning Cadance, did you remember to send the invites to the party?" Shining Armour, in celebration of the rebel's recent humiliation was to hold a feast in the Crystal Palace, Cadance only truly cared as her friend turned fellow princess and sister in-law Twilight Sparkle would be present. "Don't worry I remembered, you didn't think I would ever forget," Cadance said in a sing-song voice, her warm smile never faltering. However as Cadance joined her husband over breakfast she was blissfully unaware that in another part of the Crystal Empire there was a group of rebels preparing to leave for a mission that would not only change the Crystal Empire but would change Princess Cadance herself. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Steel Defiance looked at his group of guerillas, many of them were too young to be participating in war, however with a heavy heart he bid them goodbye and good luck with their separate missions. The hardest task of all however fell to Steel Defiance and his small group of rebels. "Men we know what were doing, I won't lie this will cost a piece of your soul, murder isn't always easy," he said with a half-chuckle half-sigh, his voice husky with not only the weight of his own conscience bearing on him but also the stress of an entire night devoid of sleep. As they filed out of the Strong Stallion and into their squad's cart, he found a strange sort of peace in the constant rattle of the cart's wheels. His head rested back and Steel began to let his thoughts drift as he closed his eyes hoping for sleep to claim him. However this was not Steel's only journey that day, earlier in the morning he had visited his wounded brother in the makeshift hospital that served as the slums only medical centre. His brother's condition was beginning to stabilize, however with both a lack of resources and trained personnel the hospital's staff still couldn't be certain on how bad his brother's coma truly was. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Crimson Hazard moved into the bustling market place. His prey was to be a Crystal Pony informant turned Equestrian officer. As he made his way through the crowd of customers he noticed a gathering of mares desperately trying to barter with a shopkeeper over the prices of almost everything in his stall. Crimson finally noticed his target leaning against a long neglected lamp post eating an apple with a peaceful and content look on his face. Crimson was only spurned on by this, seeing the traitor stand their happily as his old comrades suffered. Crimson cautiously drew his hand up to his pocket and, after slowly stuffing it inside his coat's inside pocket he moved behind the stallion. Finally he gulped down and drew his revolver, bringing it to the head of the traitorous stallion. "May you rot in the darkest depths of Tartarus with the rest of your kind, fiend!" Crimson choked his voice cracking almost as soon as he begun his sentence. However Crimson proved strong and pulled down on the trigger with almost all the might his shaking hands could muster. Finally the revolver gave off a loud bang and the traitor keeled over in a red-pink mixture of his own blood and brain matter. Screams were beginning to erupt from the massive crowd and, taking that as his cue to leave, Crimson stuffed the smoking revolver in his coat pocket and sprinted through the crowd, eventually merging with the massive sprawl of bodies, making it almost impossible for any Equestrian soldiers to find him. At the end of his assassination and once his safety was secured, Crimson gave a very heavy sigh of relief... ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Steel Defiance awoke with a jolt. The cart had ran straight over on of the many potholes that littered the now unused road network that connected the Crystal Empire and Equestria. It had been abandoned in large part due to the appearance of the ever more reliable and useful railways. Steel's thoughts were swimming in his head. He had never truly been worried by morals in the past, of course in the past he had never truly had any real moral decisions, but now here he was sending boys to commit murder. All it would be one small mishap for anyone of them to be imprisoned or even worse. Steel Defiance, in an effort to clear his conscience, had chosen the hardest task for him and his small squad of men. Steel Defiance was to attack the train that was bringing the Equestrian guests for a ball to be held in the crystal palace. However Steel's column only truly cared about the fate of the newly coronated princess Twilight Sparkle. Twilight Sparkle was the perfect target for them, not only was she a member of the Equestrian royalty but she also was Princess Cadence's childhood friend and Shining Armour's brother. Steel Defiance had only ever seen Twilight Sparkle once before-it was at the sham of an Equestrian games that was held shortly after the Crystal Empire was pacified. He only saw her for a split second however but that was enough to forever carve her beautiful likeness forever in his memory. Again he thought to himself that it would be a great waste that such beauty and knowledge would all be gone to waste however it was for the benefit of establishing a free, independent and strong Crystal Empire. Yet no matter how much he told himself this, he could never seem to truly quell the doubts forming in the darker recesses of his mind. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The soldier lay there face down in the mud, his once proud Equestrian uniform now stained with a mixture of scarlet blood and large brown flecks of mud. His comrade was slouched against the wall, openly bawling. His sobs could be heard all the way across the street which lead to the formation of crowds lining the road, yet still giving the rebels a wide berth. The rebel commander drew the dreg to his knees whilst the other rebels began to form a circle around him, all of them ready to commit what could be the most vile sin of all if it meant freeing their homeland from Equestria. The stallion looked up and locked eyes with the commander and shook his head weakly, wishing for this to be over as soon as possible. The three rebels all drew their rifles to the kneeling stallion's face and proceeded to fire three times, riddling the poor stallion with bullets. After the grisly execution was done and the rebels stood there each one looking for answers in the other rebel's faces, they were cut short however when one rebel came to his senses and almost slapped his comrades hoping that they would pull out of their trance. After their small bouts of shellshock were dispelled they all scattered into the many alleyways and small roads that littered the slums of the Crystal city ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The blades of grass swayed with the wind, autumn leaves danced through the air following the path the gently swaying blades of grass were showing. This was the strange harmony in nature, it was a shame much of it was now ignored by ponies, Steel Defiance had always loved to reminisce of a time when ponies of all creeds were at one with nature, but alas it was no longer. Steel Defiance was lying prone, concealed by the many long blades of luscious green grass. Suddenly the familiar sound of an approaching train lept into the air, at this Steel adjusted the optics of his rifle and took a final large gulp from his canteen full of water. Steel's hooves were trembling however but as the train approached ever closer he thought of his brother, strengthening his resolve he once again picked up his rifle and aimed it down at the train tracks. "It won't be long now," a rebel next to him said in an attempt to calm his clearly troubled commander, Steel only gave a dour nod in response. The train finally moved into the gulch that would become it's resting place, blissfully unaware of any trouble, it began to slow down in preparation for the set of railway lights up ahead. However the train rolled over the landmines and in one massive cataclysmic blast was derailed sending pieces of shrapnel flying everywhere ,making sure the rebels had to keep their heads down. The rebels then began to open fire at the now upturned train, focusing on the final carriage, this train was a lot smaller than the trains that would normally bring settlers and supplies in from Equestria, however this would prove to be to it's detriment as sporadic bursts of rifle fire and the constant wailing of a machine gun that was positioned on a crag jutting out of the side of the gulch were all mowing down any Equestrian soldiers that were foolish enough to resist the will of the rebels. Finally Steel Defiance and two other ponies made their way to the final carriage on the train, the carriage that contained their prey. As they prowled towards the carriage a group of Equestrian soldiers stumbled out of the carriages, bringing with them their wounded and dead. "Lay down your arms and take three paces forward, keep your hooves in the air at all times," Emerald Impact yelled from behind the almost red hot machine gun, every weapon in the group tracking the sullen group of survivors. Steel Defiance and his group pressed on, avoiding the soldiers and finally came to the carriage. It was an ornate on both the outside and the inside. As the dropped cautiously through one of the windows that had been shattered by small arms fire, they finally came across an unconscious wounded alicorn,who sat slouched against the ceiling turned wall of the carriage. "There she is, lend us a hoof would 'ye," Steel Defiance said in a gruff tone to the ponies in his retinue. When they emerged out of the carriage they saw the new prisoners being herded off by a group of rebels. When they loaded the unconscious alicorn onto the carriage, Steel turned back to Emerald Impact and said, "We have now just begun one of the biggest wars in Crystal history." > Chapter 8: An Eye for an Eye > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cadance paced nervously around the train platform. Twilight Sparkle's train hadn't arrived despite the fact that it was due for almost two hours ago. As Cadence looked around she noticed she was almost the only one on the platform. Most other ponies had cleared off when reports of gunfire and murder began pouring in from almost all sectors of the city. Cadance herself didn't allow herself to be moved by this and instead was determined to be reunited with her old friend. Cadance had experienced something that day, she never had before-hate. While it was true that those ponies who lived in the outskirts of the city weren't exactly warm towards her, their spite had reached new peaks when they started a riot in one of the many bustling market places, after an Equestrian official had been shot. Cadance had seen them burning likenesses and pictures of both here and her husband. She had felt the pain suffered by the Crystal Ponies, however she couldn't do anything about it-to make them happy would be to set them free, and she wouldn't think what reception she and Shining Armour would receive in Equestria if the sold out their Crystal fiefdom. Suddenly a ragged looking messenger spilled out onto the platform beside Cadance, he looked up at her with an uneasy expression. She couldn't help but notice the pistol he wore on his belt. "Princess, you must immediately return to the Crystal Spire, a matter of extreme importance presented itself," he said, panting furiously with sweat dripping from almost every pore. "I will not leave without Twilight, whatever it is I believe it can wait a few more minutes," the Princess said, trying extremely hard to keep her Royal composure, however her unsure expression betrayed her true feelings. "My princess, i-it is about Twilight Sparkle," the messenger said, stuttering on almost every word . ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Steel Defiance stared at the alicorn laying before him, even while wounded she was still beautiful, and no less dangerous. The shootout at the train had also netted them seven of the new mark III Equestrian rifles, looting after a firefight was just another of the grim realities of a guerilla war. "Get up, NOW!" Emerald Impact yelled at the barely conscious Twilight, smashing his rifle butt into her ribcage, he wouldn't normally treat anyone or anything like this, however seeing both friend and foe fall in the fires of war had washed away any compassion he had for his enemies. "Please.....s-stop," Twilight croaked "I'll go, just p-please stop," Her face was bruised and bloodied, Steel just hoped that was from the train derailing and not the rebels venting their fury upon her. Steel had managed to stop most of the attacks before they gained any real momentum, however even he was powerless to stop some of the more furious assaults. The rebels new base of operations, and holding cell for Twilight, was a derelict factory, destroyed during the Hearth's Warming Rising. It's appeal with the rebels lay in the fact that it's large cellar had remained largely unharmed from the mortar bombardment that had scorched the rest of the building. Steel Defiance was hunched around a large wooden table with Emerald Impact to his right and Crimson Hazard to his left. There was a map on the table showing the entirety of the Crystal City, with stone markers showing where assassinations and other rebel actions had occurred. "How many casualties from the operations?" Steel mumbled, his body aching for sleep, as he stared down at the map, ever plotting. "Barely a scratch, two of our brothers were wounded, but it was nothing serious," Crimson Hazard said, proud with the small group of rebels accomplishments. "And how many Equestrians?" Steel asked once again in the same monotone voice. "Twelve Equestrian informants and twenty-seven Equestrian officers and military personnel," Crimson said, his voice losing some of it's joy when he realised his commander wasn't as cheery as he was. "Very good, soldier, you should be proud. Dismissed," Steel said, his compliment bringing happiness to Crimson Hazard, who soon went off to join the rest of the rebels in the barracks. After studying the map for some time Steel Defiance looked up at Emerald, telling him to get the cart ready for his brother's visit. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Cadance's journey back to the palace, was more than just bumpy. Crowds had gathered around the cart, many throwing bricks and stones. Cadance didn't know how to deal with it, after all how does a princess of love deal with hate? When she finally arrived at the palace she almost collapsed into her husband's arms, the day which had started out so peacefully had now transformed into a maelstrom of hurt for Cadance. She couldn't stop herself from crying as wet streaks moved down her face, she pulled her husband into a warm embrace, neither wanting to break the only safe place either of them would know in the Crystal Empire. "It'll be better...I promise," Shining said in almost a whisper. "I know.....i-it's just been hard," Cadance said, finally pulling out of her husband's embrace. Shining Armour stood up, thrusting his hoof out for his wife to take. After pulling Cadance to her feet, the royal couple proceeded into the council chambers where all executive decisions were made. During the morning the court was bustling with Noble Crystal Ponies and Equestrians alike, it was now empty save for with row upon row of wooden benches. "I'm sorry but, Twilight was, well-" Shining stuttered before being interrupted by Cadance. "I know. You know as well as I about what we now have to do now," Cadance spoke in a hushed tone, despite the room being long emptied. "Yes I know, we must contact Flash Sentry immediately," Shining said in a louder voice. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Steel Defiance stared mournfully at his brother. He had never truly had time to think back on that fateful day. In all honesty Steel Defiance never truly had much time to think these day either, he had been transformed into a machine, all of his previous empathy and emotion had been substituted with a feeling of fatigue that only a life spent doing wrong deeds could ever bring about. "I am afraid he is fighting a losing battle, we're not sure how long he has left, months, days, weeks," the surgeon said, sharing Steel's sorrow. "Thank you doctor, for everything," Steel said to the doctor who took that as his cue to leave. Steel took the seat next to the stretcher that bore his brother. His brother's hair had lost almost all of it's colour, he was more scrawny and pitiful than Steel had ever seen him. Steel resisted the urge to weep as much as he could but he still could not help but let a single tear caress his cheek as it slid it's way towards the ground. "Are you okay?" came a weak voice from one of the many tunnels connecting into the room Steel was in. When Steel looked up, he saw a wounded and bound alicorn. "What, yes I'm f-fine," Steel said, his voice quivering. "Was he close to you?" Twilight asked to her captor, her voice was strangely reassuring to Steel Defiance. "He still is," Steel replied, and then with a half-chuckle mockingly said, "Your people's brutality truly know no bounds." "I promise you Crystal Pony we are not all like you make us out to be, even Cadance and Shining Armour are good ponies," Twilight said almost choking at the mention of her family, "I can show you." Twilight's last remark took Steel aback somewhat, but when Twilight's horn leapt alive with magic Steel was caught off guard, leaping into action he almost tackled Twilight to the ground until she gave him another reassuring smile, which calmed Steel. After charging her magic she shoot a purple stream of magic into Shattered Dawn, his body began to float slowly off of the stretcher and into the air. A purple whirlwind of magical energy surrounded him, pouring into each one of his wounds. Only then did Steel Defiance grasp fully what the alicorn standing in front of him was doing. He stood back allowing her all the space and concentration she needed. Eventually, she finally stepped back from Shattered Dawn, and the magic all began returning to her horn, first in a trickle, but then it transformed into a stream. "W-where am I?" Shattered Dawn asked, pulling himself up off of the stretcher. He could barely comprehend his situation fully before his brother took him into a full embrace. "I've missed you...Shattered," Steel Defiance rejoiced, crying tears of joy into his brother's shoulder. > Chapter 9: The Exchange > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The cobbled streets were cracked, with many of the stones that made up the streets missing, exposing the soil to the open air and causing a large amount of potholes to be mixed into the road. The cart trundled along, swaying treacherously from side to side. Emerald Impact saw the stallion sitting opposite him fidgeting with a locket, from the small glimpses Emerald got when he opened the locket Emerald could almost immediately tell that it was the poor stallion's wife. Eventually the stallion drew his eyes up from the locket and brought his gaze up to meet Emerald Impact's constant attention to his locket. "Any foals back home?" Emerald asked. "Two colts and a filly, you?" the stallion said in a sad tone of voice, almost choking up at the slightest mention of the life he had left behind. "Just the one colt and the 'ol wife," Emerald Impact said, his voice turning to mist on the cold morning air, "by tartarus I miss them." The cart finally came in the center of one of the many towns and villages that surrounded the Crystal City. This particular town went by the name of Horseshoe Bend. It had been first established by the endless waves of Equestrian settlers on the ruins of one of the old villages destroyed during Sombra's reign of tyranny. It had now been completely transformed from it's old peaceful, agrarian lifestyle into a busy industrial port, now renowned for it's massive dry docks and gantries endlessly churning out ships for both the Equestrian Royal Navy and the Equestrian Merchant Fleet. The rebel's plan of attack was simple yet devious. Today one of the Equestrian fleet's largest ships ever commissioned would finally be leaving the Crystal Empire in order to pass it's numerous tests in safe, Equestrian waters that would finally mark it as seaworthy. The rebel's had planted stallions in the large workforce that had constructed the ship, meaning that the ships armour plating, specifically near the front would be weak enough that a powerful magical blow would be enough to destroy the ship outright. Of course all magic that was tied to the Crystal Ponies was a dormant magic residing in their hearts, not being able to unleash it into the physical world like the unicorns of Equestria. However Princess Twilight was another case entirely, her Alicorn magic would be enough to rend the ship from bow to stern. There had been a lot of negotiating between Steel Defiance and Twilight however they had settled on that if Steel Defiance agreed to give Twilight back to the Equestrians, Twilight would provide them with all the magic necessary. Emerald wiped at the beads of sweat forming along his forehead with a handkerchief that had been stuffed clumsily into his belt, resting snugly behind the holster for his pistol. It was plain to see that he was becoming more and more nervous for the coming attack, even though most major guerilla actions for their fledgling war he had participated in he still could not shake a feeling of doubt that constantly loomed over him like a rain cloud on a summer's day. Flash Sentry's mission was drawing to a close, there was only one stop left for his motley crew of recruiting sergeants-Ponyville. The train ground to a halt at the small town's only train station, at first glance one could easily overlook this quaint town and move on to it's more extravagant neighbor of Canterlot. His squad moved into the town square and carried out their usual practice, one that had been repeated in almost every major town or city in Equestria. Many ponies had already converged on the group if only to gaze upon their neatly pressed and newly issued uniforms. Of that crowd Flash Sentry could almost immediately pick out the five ponies who he had never seen in Canterlot except for when Twilight was present. These ones will be easy, he thought to himself, knowing full well that her friends would most likely serve in the new force being assembled to put an end to the rebellion that had almost killed Twilight Sparkle. He took his place on the makeshift podium that had been crudely assembled and taken apart an uncountable number of times in the past week. "I am sure you are all aware of the threat on our very borders, the threat that will consume us all if we don't stamp it out," Flash began wasting no time in beginning to play on the fears of all the onlookers below him, "I am of course talking about, the threat from the North." An aura of fear and anxiety seized the helpless crowd, ever growing as more and more ponies were dragged to witness the royal guards warning. Flash Sentry felt a pang of guilt when he heard a young filly burst into tears and cling to her mother's leg, however he pressed on, now was not a time for compassion but a time for action. "Many of you will ask yourselves, but we are just harmless ponies, we mean no harm to anyone," Flash Sentry drew in a breath through his teeth, seeing the effect on the crowd he had, "But so was Princess Twilight, and she is currently rotting in a dungeon at the behest of traitors." His last word burned itself into the minds of the crowd, in every other village he had used prospects of money or national pride as his tools however a simple speech in Ponyville was evidently enough. "Now, which of you will join me in the glorious fight to save our precious princess." The crowds echo had the desired effect, Flash saw stallions, mares and even foals jumping into the air screaming for the blood of the rebels. Flash Sentry felt his gut churning over, knowing that all who signed up to fight in the new unit would be changed forever, scarred by the dying screams of comrade and foe alike. By the end of his recruiting foray across Equestria he had a ledger filled with numbers, names and backgrounds, he knew the entire strength of his new battlegroup, and that strength scared him. The force largely consisted of veterans from Equestria's wars with both the Gryphon-Zebra alliance and the rehousing of the Buffalo. The're were also many young stallions who had signed up for the chance to seize glory in a foreign land, yet almost all the recruits drawn, be they veteran or glory-seeker, had come for one simple reason-money. They were paid ten bits a day-almost as much as even the elite Thunderbolts. That was what made Flash Sentry's stomach turn over. He had little respect for mercenaries and even less for those mercenaries who rebranded themselves as something else. The entire force of ponies, around twenty five-thousand strong, would be sent to Canterlot for training, even though they barely had enough uniforms for the sudden influx of recruits. Bringing Shattered Dawn up to speed was no easy task. A mixture of his incessant questions and naive outlook on both killings from either side led him to see the Equestrian's nothing more than the enemy and the killings perpetrated by the rebels as an easy task. Steel Defiance had tried to dissuade his headstrong brother however that had proved to be even more difficult than explaining to him the current situation of the revolutionary war. He had left his brother in more than capable hands, having to reassure himself that he was safe. When he arrived back to the rebel's underground lair he had a momentous task that lay before him. The task however, was not one of bloodshed but instead one of peace-he had to deliver Twilight Sparkle back to the Equestrian authorities in exchange for both Twilight's magic and the release of their head of state White Blizzard. The group was prepared to leave, in the vanguard would march their band comprised of five men using an assortment of marching instruments, behind them stood in perfect formation a column of roughly twenty stallion each armed with their rifle and lastly came Steel Defiance with Twilight Sparkle, who had well-armed guards flanking her on each side. When the group left their compound they had to force a bandage over Twilight's eyes, if she knew any sensitive information their rebellion would be ended the next day. The marching music lit up the gloomy morning in the slums, the stallion's perfectly synchronised footsteps ringing through the streets. Then the chant that would strike fear into the Equestrian's went up into the sky as the marching Stallion's raised their fists to put on a show for the cheering onlookers. Well I have been a rebel now for about a week or more with rifles and guerilla tactics I thought I knew the score But now we have a weapon, we've never used before The soldiers are looking worried - and they're going to worry more! Steel's thoughts began to race around in his head, if the Equestrians were willing to negotiate now, what could that mean for the rest of the rebellion. This deal could measure the effectiveness of the rebel's adopted brutality. However as the procession marched ever closer towards the inner city an inexplicable gloom washed over them, going from the elite of the deadliest paramilitary in the known world to a procession of spectres within a few short moments. But even that did not stop there chanting, it only became louder as many of the Crystal Ponies who lived in the slums followed the group and joined their voices to the rebel's. I started out with nothing, just throwing bricks and stones, With a hundred more lads like me I never was alone, On that early morning they kicked in our back door, For every stallion they took away, they missed one-hundred more, As the chant continued to echo through the grandiose streets of the inner city the group finally came to the massive crystalline spire. The small parade was met with a large group of Equestrian soldiers all hunched behind a barricade erected after the chaos of the rising. After the procession stopped in front of the barricade, the two groups as silent as the grave Princess Cadance and Shining Armour finally emerged from the Equestrian barricade. "where is she, please," Cadance said in a stressed tone faltering at every word. We have you right where we want you Steel thought cruelly, knowing fully what they had done to the Equestrian's morale, "Not before we have him." "Bring him forward, Now," Shining Armour said in the most commanding tone he could muster, however even he was daunted by seeing his sweet and innocent sister flanked by armed men. The Equestrians almost flung White Blizzard out from behind their barricade, all of them glad to see him go. "Pleasure doing buisness with you," Steel joked when they pushed the bound Twilight Sparkle from out of their ranks. As soon as they were done, they turned on their heels to a cheering crowd and made their merry way back to the slums. "Do it," Emerald Impact almost screamed, the din from crowd below them and the ships loud horns nearly blocking out his voice completely. The rebel aimed the contraption using the crude sights that had been fastened to it. The machine was a rifle that the rebels had modified to contain Alicorn magic, doing away with almost the entire midsection of and adding on a large Crystal tube that contained the particles of magic to the underside of the weapon. When the rifle shot, it's sound could be heard even by the sailors on the ship. The ship soon burst into a maelstrom of magical energy, pink and purple flames licking the evening sky whilst the bottom of the ship began to crack open as if the steel that made the ship were paper. The sailor's dying screams seemed to be amplified as they resounded across the entire countryside. Emerald could see sailors and marines wrapped in blankets of flame desperately jumping into the black depths river in a futile attempt to quench the flames. Finally the reality of his actions hit Emerald in full force, however he only shrugged it off, burying it deep inside of his conscience to be dealt with at a later date. "Let's get out of this hell hole," Emerald Impact said, his gaze still locked on the harbour being immolated by the purple flames. The rebels moved into the streets, none of them speaking, none of them had to. > Chapter 10: Reprisals > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A flurry of rain pattered down in the slums. The streets had been deserted, the only light on being a small oil lamp sitting on the barrel next to the guard of the door to the rebel's factory compound. In the bowels of the compound all of the white hot rage present in the city had been condensed into one room. "These tactics must STOP Steel," White Blizzard drew in a breath through his teeth, much like many of the newcomers to the compound he still hadn't become accustomed to it's dust filled air and musty scent, "It allows the Equestrian Press to paint us as murderers." "What do we care about what some ink-stained Equestrians think, we have their authorities on their knees," Steel continued, his fury for his superior officer beginning to show, "If we continue like this we will sure-" "This bars the way to our republic, do you want that Steel, or do you want to continue a game of cat and mouse with their authorities forever," White Blizzard interrupted, always favouring establishing the free country rather than fighting for it. "How else would we fight, have you got any bright ideas, sir?" Steel's last word hung in the air long after he spat it out at his commander. "If we ever want international recognition we must conduct ourselves and fight, like a real and legitimate army," White Blizzard said, refusing to be moved from his position that if the world saw the revolution, they would hurry to join it. "Like we did in Hearth's Warming, the undying spirit of revolutionary failure!" screamed Steel Defiance as he flung the pen he had so nervously been clicking through almost the length of the conversation down onto the oaken table. "This will have invisible consequences Steel, Equestrians always remember," on his last remark White Blizzard only drew out a folder from his desk and began scanning through it, only after thirty seconds of unbearable silence did he finally look up, "you may take your leave Steel." His last dismissive remark affected Steel more than any amount of shouting, bargaining or pleading ever could. Steel slowly took his leave, making sure to never forget this day, the day the entire revolution was destroyed just so the Equestrians would stop calling them names. When Steel left his superior commander's office he moved into the the base's barracks, Emerald Impact saw him and broke away from his game of Appaloosa hold'em. "Did you tell him?" Emerald asked referring to the destruction of the Equestrian Navy's ship. "No, and I don't think he will even be able to look me in the eye after he finds out," Steel said leaning against his bunk. "What do you mean?" Emerald asked, slightly concerned. "He doesn't want to use the tactics that work, he now instead wants to stage a second Hearth's Warming," Steel said with sadness in his voice, knowing that a second Rising on that scale would leave both the revolution and the revolutionaries in the grave. "By Tartarus, we need to at least-" The wailing raid siren burst to life, cutting off Emerald Impact, as the base burst into a hive of activity with almost every rebel making his way towards the armoury. The first detachment from the new unit had left Canterlot last night. The group was comprised of over five-hundred veteran stallions and mares, needing no training, only having to be told their target and be outfitted with weapons and uniforms. Flash Sentry had gone along with the small battalion to test their strengths and weaknesses, if he could produce a positive report to Shining Armour within a week he would authorise the deployment of more of the special units. The unit itself had extremely advanced equipment, even by Equestrian standards. Whilst their brand-new rifles and unlimited funding would already make most commanders green with envy, they also had machines straight out of the laboratories of Cloudsdale-automobiles. While the automobiles were slow and clunky they would still prove to be invaluable in the narrow streets of the Crystal City, they could fit as many ponies as a cart and keep pace with a slow-moving train. The new unit had come to be known as the Auxiliaries, this was largely in part to the fact that they had been comprised of recruits drawn from all over the Equestrian Empire. However the unit's official name, The Northern Emergency Combat Division, was too much of a mouthful leading grunts and officers to use their new nickname. Despite the clear lack of uniforms High-Command somehow manage to scrounge up enough berets for the unit. The berets were a dark navy, the badge on them proudly showing the unit's insignia-a shattered red crystal. Flash Sentry was still unsure as to the effectiveness of the newly created unit. He was always terrified of the prospects of war changing without him being aware, using ancient tactics to combat modern warfare rarely worked in his favour. When the unit arrived in the Crystal Empire they wasted no time in preparing their first actions against the rebels, taking up camp in a barracks located only a few minutes walk from the palace, their first action would be raids across multiple targets suspected to be vital to the rebels, the primary target being a small factory believed to have a large basement that the rebels had been using as a headquarters, the secondary targets consisting of a range of arms depots and public meeting places. When the convoys of automobiles set off in the dead of night Flash Sentry decided to stay with the largest and most important group, the group attacking the rebel headquarters. Shattered Dawn pace down the dark and lonely alleyway. He had always found comfort in going to the Strong Stallion Inn, whether it was the nostalgia or the alcohol that numbed his pain he could never tell. The wind howled through the abandoned streets, the only lights coming from inside the small tavern on the corner. As he drew closer to the tavern he could pick up a faint droning sound from the far distance, however that was enough to pique his interest. He cautiously moved down the streets until two faint lights came into view. Knowing well what Equestrian unicorn magic was capable of he hid himself in a small entrance alcove to the derelict butcher's shop behind him. The faint droning sound grew to a roar as they flew past him, massive metal beasts with lights fastened to the front of their gaping maws. He could see in the darkness, Equestrian soldiers sitting in the back of these automated-carts, the olive green armour painting was shining even in the darkness, it's spotless state indicated that these new war machines must be brand new. "Sweet Sombra," Shattered whispered, straightening his flat cap and flicking up the collar of his overcoat he sped into the multiple alleys and back streets to warn his fellow revolutionaries. After an exhausting dash back to the base, Shattered Dawn only arrived in time to see a large explosion fill the night sky, with large plumes of fire consuming nearby buildings, all of this was accompanied with sporadic bursts of rifle fire and heavy machine guns howling in the darkness of the night. As the Equestrian soldiers piled out of their vehicles, Shattered Dawn got a better view of their uniforms. They weren't wearing the traditional Equestrian battle dress but rather a mixed assortment of uniforms, leading Shattered Dawn to even more confusion in the heat of battle. Slowly drawing his revolver he stalked over to the skirmish upon seeing the results he was almost immediately disheartened. The entrance to the basement had already been pried open and Equestrian soldiers were making their way down amidst the constant cacophony of war. The bodies of the exterior guards were strewn across the factory's broken floor, many of the bodies being torn to shreds by hails of machine-gun fire. Unbeknownst to Shattered Dawn a group of the new soldiers had surrounded him, eventually the leader of the group spoke, as Shattered took aim through the sights of his revolver. "Drop the gun, dog and turn around!" he issued, his rifle aimed directly at Shattered Dawn. "Who the buck are you, I'm innocent," Shattered lied through his teeth, only noticing in the last possible moment the amount of rebels making a counter-attack from one of the many streets leading to the now burning factory. He flung himself to the ground mere moments before the firefight erupted, the squad of Equestrians being taken completely unaware from the rebel's storm. Shattered Dawn picked himself off of his feet and sprinted further into the factory, throwing himself down the entrance into the basement. Once inside he made his way past piles of Equestrian and Crystal Pony corpses strewn across the basement's floor. Finally he arrived at a desolate group of rebels being led by White Blizzard. "Shattered Dawn, is that you?" White Blizzard questioned, coughing over the smoke filling the smouldering basement. "Yes sir, any sign of my brother?" he asked, wasting no time in making sure his family was safe. "He made it out over the top with a small group of stallions, we are blocked off completely now, so unless you have any bright ideas I suggest you pick up a rifle and send as many Equestrians as you can down to tartarus with you!" his leader spoke stoically not wavering in the face of defeat, prepared to make sure that for the Equestrians this was a pyrrhic victory at best. "Sir, th-there's a manhole under my bunk," Shattered Dawn coughed through the increasingly heavy layer of smoke, realising that he just might be a hero after all. "Well let's not tally, lead the way soldier," He said a reassuring smile across his face, despite the fact his coughing still hadn't subsided, he led the way as all battlefield leaders should. His addressing of Shattered Dawn as a soldier being visibly noted by Shattered. Last night's raid had been an undoubted victory. They had destroyed almost all rebel strongholds, however the reports told a different story. While it was true they had smashed the rebels possibly irreparably they had only lost twenty-three men, almost all of them in the assault on the rebel's headquarters. Over one-hundred rebels were killed with almost no wounded or prisoners, however they never did just give up without a fight. Yet one tally still towered over all others-the number of civilians dead, conservative estimates had put the number around four-hundred. The number the newspapers would use yet Flash Sentry knew better, he knew that there could have been almost nine-hundred dead civilians, many of them being claimed by the fire that immolated some of the most densely populated areas of the slums. However the rebels had dispersed to the surrounding hills and countryside, fleeing with their tails between their legs had done much to restore the broken Equestrian morale. Shining Armour was preparing to sign the agreement allowing the auxiliaries to deploy in full force to the North effectively severing the head of the already weakened traitors. "Sir are you ready?" his assistant asked him, she was a strange young mare from Ponyville named Lyra. "Yes, that'll be all Lyra," he said, rechecking his uniform, his blazer's many medals and buttons were all polished and arrayed perfectly, his boots shone so bright one could see their reflection in them and his peaked cap proudly bore the new unit's insignia, the red morning sun rising over the Crystal Mountains. The large crystal doors swung open and he marched into the large throne room, the ornately garnished carpet flanked by pillars holding up the structure of the immense Crystal Spire. At the end of the vast chamber sat two thrones, the one fitted for an alicorn being empty whilst Shining Armour sat with a quill in his magical aura prepared to sign the sheet that lay before him. Flash Sentry moved to his commander-in-chief, seeing his quill hover over the parchment sent shockwaves of adrenaline to pump through him, if his unit succeeded in pacifying the remains of the rebellion his promotion and ensuing paycheck would be incalculable. "Sir, in your own time," Flash Sentry said victoriously, his pride washing over him. "You better be right Flash, I don't want to have to deal with anymore damage to the Empire, am I understood," he said in a stern voice as he brought the quill down and signed his name along the bottom of the document. "Of course sir, we will handle all situations with the utmost care," Flash said rolling the document up and keeping it underneath his arm as he gleefully made his way out of the throne room. > Chapter 11: Harsh Punishments > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The maelstrom had been relentless. It had left almost all of the rebel's resources destroyed and scores of ponies dead. The ones that made it out differed little than those who had perished, they were broken and in full flight. Scattering in the wind like leaves in Autumn, only a handful remaining in the Crystal City. It always amazes me what one night can change everything, Steel Defiance thought to himself as he sat in the cold grey corner of the near derelict Strong Stallion Inn. His options were painfully limited, he had very few loyal ponies left and even fewer rifles. The Equestrians had left the corpses of the Crystal Pony rebels practically untouched, to rot under the cold, grey Northern sky. Many of the Rebel's saw a de facto state funeral as an opportunity to bolster morale and reinforce the rebels public support, Steel Defiance had chosen to allow an official burial ceremony, but he found it was more as a sign of respect to their fallen comrades rather than any show of power. He sipped at the cracked tankard filled with a sour cider, it's cheap taste being the only thing that had sustained him in the time after the raids. When he finally mustered the energy to pick himself up and leave the tavern he was greeted by the sight of Emerald Impact, staggering in looking a sorry state. "Sir, we got him," Emerald said, running his hoof through his mane in an attempt to keep it from draping over his eyes, blocking his vision entirely. Steel Defiance straightened his back and rose his head to meet the gaze of a scrawny young Crystal Pony. His grey mane, matted with blood and his face covered in bruises. "Are you aware why you're here?" Steel Defiance asked in a soft tone, sounding as if he believed that raising his voice would shatter the bones of the already weak young pony. He responded with a weak nod, knowing the fate that awaited him. He stared at Steel Defiance with a look of despair. Slowly he reached his hoof into his pocket and drew out a small parcel that was already stamped and ready for delivery. "Please, give this to my mother, tell her I went well, and have one regret, selling out the cause." "Very well son, anything else," Steel Defiance asked taking the package into his hooves. "Permission to go down as a revolutionary rather than some Equestrian traitor," Shattered Dawn could tell that his matter-of-fact method of speaking was only a veil to cover his true fear. "Permission granted...Lance Corporal," Steel uttered, knowing that at least referring to him by his previous rank could bring the young stallion some comfort. They ran, all through the night, they ran. Not resting until they saw the sunlight once more. The sewers had been cruel on the small group of survivors. Aside from White Blizzard and Shattered Dawn the group only had four other members, they were all the remnants of the same section. Their commander was Iron Bulwark, the very model of what a revolutionary should be, he had a greying yellow mane and a muscular grey body. He wore an ammunition bandolier and flat cap. The other members were Crimson Hazard clad in a faded coat and armed with an assortment of homemade explosives, he was someone Shattered Dawn could almost immediately tell to be a rebel down to the core, there were also the twins, a young mare named Ruby Skies and a colt-faced stallion called Emerald Shore. The first thing to run out during their time underground was food, having only brought what they all had on them at the time of the raid they were woefully underprepared. However bad the hunger grew, the constant smell of smoke wafting into the sewer tunnels from above ground came to be unbearable, leading to incessant complaints from Crimson Hazard. When the group chanced upon what turned out to be an exit to the Crystal Empire's vast countryside, the sense of relief was visible amongst the small cell of fighters. They had surfaced from a sewage outflow pipe, to be greeted by a breathtaking view of the Crystal Empire's natural beauty. At first sight of the almost picturesque lake Crimson Hazard sprinted to get to the fresh water. After fully submerging in the cool caress of the lake's crystal clear water. Shattered Dawn couldn't help but laugh at the site of the of the young rebel. "For buck's sake, get a move on Crimson," yelled Iron Bulwark to the rejoicing stallion, "remember the commander of all rebel forces, our boss in case you forgot, has saddled up along with us for the ride." "Don't worry commander, it's quite alright. In our current situation proper conduct may not be entirely necessary," White Blizzard said chuckling. "Yes sir," Iron Bulwark responded, before taking out his field glasses and peering into the far horizon, scanning for nothing in particular, "I reckon it would be smart for a few of the boys to conduct a reconnaissance mission of the immediate area. You never know when the Equestrians could come back for more." "Very well commander, take Shattered Dawn with you and seek out the nearest town, but be weary, Equestrians will be out in force tonight," White Blizzard said before kneeling down and refilling his own water canteen, before taking emptying half of the canteen. Once Iron Bulwark had brought Shattered Dawn up to speed the pair set out on their patrol. It took them only a few minutes to find the road again. They began to head towards the nearest village. A relatively small hamlet that went by the name of Appleholt. It was evidently populated by Equestrian settlers due to it's high level of unicorns and pegasi however this was the only sign of civilization for miles in each direction. "Right lad, leave the rifles here along with anything else that might give us away. I want no buck ups, are we understood?" Iron Bulwark said to Shattered Dawn in an authoritative manner as they came on the approach to the village. "Yes sir," Shattered Dawn responded as he began to relinquish his equipment, concealing it in the foliage of a nearby ditch, he was only halfway through placing his rifle behind a berry bush before his hoof hit something too soft to be rock but also much too soft to be dirt. Looking down he almost instantly recoiled. Half buried there lay another face staring way back at him. However this face was much different to his. It had now gone to a putrid grey-green colour, with old crusted, blood clinging in circles under the eyes. The face had a calm expression on it, looking peacefully asleep despite the grievous wounds and scars covering the face. "S-sir, I think you need to see this," Shattered Dawn stuttered finally breaking his trance with the half buried carcass, drawing his gaze to his commanding officer. However Iron Bulwark had sunken to his knees. Around him lay the broken and half buried corpses of stallion, mare and foal, all discarded into the ditch with equal disregard. However Iron Bulwark loomed over one pony in particular, a small filly with a yellow mane and a grey coat. Iron Bulwark's large grey eyes were locked with her vacant maroon gaze which stared lazily into the horizon. Iron Bulwark was muttering so quietly that the breeze gently caressing the leaves almost drowned him out entirely, however Shattered Dawn could make out one sentence through the bleak late autumn winds, "She always did have her mother's eyes." The sky had gone to a dull grey. The soil beneath their feet had been turned to mud almost immediately when the downpour began. The three stallions had discreetly left the funeral procession just before it had arrived at the cemetery. The trio climbed to the top of one of the many hills just outside the slums. Atop the hill there was a small open burrow, with a hastily made wooden carving above it. With and the date from sixteen years ago, right up until today, "This is the place." Emerald Impact handed Steel the pistol as the small stallion knelt down in front of the pit, "It's been an honour sir, I'm sorry." "It's okay lad, at least you go with more honour than any of those Equestrian dogs could muster," Emerald Impact said desperately trying to reassure the young crystal pony. The entire world seemed to go silent as Steel pulled the weighty revolver to the stallions head, as Steel finger was about to pull back he was cut off by Emerald Impact, "Wait Steel, what is your name lad." "S-sunheart," stuttered the stallion as he averted his gaze away from the barrel of the revolver to Emerald Impact, "Just one last thing, the commander who I told, some swollen-headed pegasi , send her to tartarus to roast with me." With that Emerald Impact let out a soft chuckle, "very well lad, goodbye." Steel Defiance had to synchronise the shot with the funeral procession gun salute, as even the slightest hint of gunfire in the hills would surely apprise all nearby Equestrians. Steel levelled the firearm, taking aim at Sundance as the first volley rang out. The second volley came as Steel drew in a breath, steadying his hand and peering down the revolver's iron sights. As the third volley rang out, it's chorus was joined by the small song of Steel's revolver. The shot rang out through the lonely hills, reverberating all the way down to the slums below. Then more shots began to ring out from the Crystal pony's cemetery inside the Crystal City itself as the procession fired their final salute to their deceased comrades. Sunheart's corpse fell with a soft thud into the grave, Steel Defiance handed the revolver back to Emerald Impact, "Cover up the body, bury the evidence then round up the boys in the Strong Stallion. Tell them that it stops here, no more games." "Yes Sir," Steel Defiance's words had a sharp edge despite the fact that his voice was wracked with remorse, "Can I just say sir, what are we planning." "Sunheart's revenge," muttered Steel Defiance. > Chapter 12: Preperations > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rainbow Dash had always loved flying, and now was no exception. She loved soaring through the blue Equestrian skies with her squadmates, she loved rifle drill and seeing who had the sharpest eye and she even reserved a secret soft spot in her heart for drill practice. However upon arrival in the Crystal Empire she was greeted with a much different reality. She checked into the mirror looking into a pair of magenta eyes, the eyes that had once been filled with so much enthusiasm and zeal now looked more like they belonged to an old decrypt rock farmer rather than a young mare in service of Celestia. She gave a small wink to herself in the mirror. "Still lookin' as good as ever Dashie," she joked dryly to herself, her voice barely registering as a croak. She finally straightened out her uniform and placed her cloth cap on. It proudly bore the badge of the 6th Cloudsdale Aerial Reconnaissance regiment. She had been proud to answer the call, along with many other Pegasi in Ponyville, however the only interesting postings for a village pegasi would be in an infantry regiment but even the notion of serving on the ground with no hope of escaping to the skies, made her feel nauseous. She grabbed her carbine and left the tavern. The owner of the small establishment was born and bred in Baltimare so felt it was his obligation to provide housing for the passing Equestrian convoys. The convoy her platoon had been providing support for was a large contingent of auxiliaries and automobiles, however they were also complemented by something Dash felt was unusual-Crystal Ponies. They weren't the Crystal Ponies who had volunteered for service in Northern regiments but rather they were civilians taken from the southern regions of the Crystal Empire. Her commanding officers said that they had sold their land to new Equestrian owners and were now to be moved to the Crystal City, however Rainbow Dash couldn't help noticing that they all looked miserable and half-starved. As she moved into the street she noted the first steps being taken to disassemble the tent city that lay just outside the tavern, those who weren't lucky enough to get into the tavern had to sleep out with the Crystal Ponies. She searched for her squadron, eventually finding them in the commanding officer's tent. As she made her way in, she saw that there were easily forty to fifty pegasi crammed around a single table. "You're late," teased her newest friend and colleague Thunder Lane, "wouldn't want to miss the commander's inspiring speech." The convoy's leader was a colonel from Canterlot named Lightning Lance. He was generally a stoic commander and fine officer however the long trek North had dissolved all enthusiasm he had reducing his normally inspiring battle plans to monotone sermons. Rainbow Dash only finally began to listen when she heard him address her squadron. "Finally, twelfth squadron will fly advance ahead of the convoy with seventeenth squadron. Fly in a spearhead formation and watch the roads for any insurgent activity, we've had reports of a small patrol of auxiliaries going dark near a river crossing about two kilometers following the North-West road from this village," with the long checklist of the day's orders complete, the large group of pegasi left the tent. As Rainbow Dash's squadron began to move to the armoury she was approached by Night Glider, one of the few pegasi whom Rainbow Dash knew before joining was now commander of Rainbow Dash's squadron, "Before you go, the CO told me to give you these." She held out a small parcel of letters bound together by a small purple bow. She shoved the parcel into her uniform and after giving thanks to Night Glider the pair began to depart with their squadron. The departure from the camp had been largely uneventful, however the sight of the sheer amount of Crystal Ponies from an aerial perspective was astounding. They were beginning to wake up, many of them young, infirm or old. Dash harboured doubts that they may not even make it to the Crystal City. They soared through the air until Rainbow Dash saw a massive black plume of smoke, arising from one of the many smaller roads. They began to descend to the location of the fire, only to bear witness of one of the most horrific sights many of the newer recruits had ever seen. The vehicle in question that was emitting the smoke was a wrecked automobile, the front compartment was ablaze, while the rear was little better. The corpse of an auxiliary officer was slumped over the mounted machine gun, the only way the pegasi could tell this was due to his blood-stained beret the rest of his body was shredded by shrapnel. The bodies of multiple auxiliaries were littered around the crash site, each one in a worse state of dismemberment than the last. Rainbow Dash could see members of her squadron leaning against trees regurgitating their breakfast onto nearby plants, however it wasn't her comrades reaction that worried but rather the body of a female auxiliary. She was leaning against the side of a blood stained oak tree, her rifle laying next to her and shell casings covering the ground beside her. As Rainbow Dash inspected the body further she could see that the mare was roughly the same age as Rainbow Dash, she even had a similar coat albeit with no rainbow mane. Laying in her lap was a small golden chain connected to a small simulacrum of a heart, Rainbow Dash picked it up, opening the locket. inside was the image of the mare in a bridal dress embracing a suited male pegasi. Closing the locket Rainbow Dash vowed to return it to whomever it's rightful owner may be. As Rainbow Dash rose to her feet, a great bang lept into the air. It was followed by a storm of lead tearing through the air. It shredded through whatever meagre cover the pegasi could get too. Rainbow Dash herself was fortunate when a bullet came only a few inches from hitting her. A few of the stronger flyers in the group tried their luck when they began to ascend into the skies but a hail of bullets coming from a newly positioned machine gun put an end to any hopes of aerial escape, as the carcasses slowly fell to ground, hitting the soft soil with a light thud. As she looked at the embankment where the shots were originating from, a thin line of Crystal ponies began to descend down the hill and onto the road. The machine gun emplacements on the hill were producing a constant stream of fire, forcing the ponies to keep their heads down. Picking up her carbine and begging Celestia for a quick end Rainbow Dash began to peek over the log she had gone to ground behind. Taking a large gulp of air she levelled the sights between the head of one of the rebels advancing towards her squadmates who had taken cover behind the ruined automobile. Come on Dashie, you can do this. You've trained for this and I'll be damned if Cloudsdale's finest gives up the ghost now! She thought to herself as the heavy rifle sights began to swing around the rebel. Composing herself, closing her eyes and giving a count to three, she pulled her finger back on the carbine's iron trigger. Her head was thrown back by the recoil, however the bullet found its mark and the advancing rebel was stained a crimson shade of red before collapsing in a heap next to his shocked comrades. As the rebels turned their attention to the lone mare, Rainbow Dash was on the verge of giving in and hoping that there may be some quarter for the Equestrian soldiers, her spirits were lifted however when she saw a cluster of small but unmistakable shapes appearing on the horizon. As the dots on the horizon screamed through the air towards her position they released their payload, the warheads tearing the rebels on the hill apart with ruthless efficiency. The incendiary warheads began to light the surrounding forest on ablaze. The pegasi taking cover behind the automobile began to leap out from cover and swarm the remaining rebels, the screams of agony coming from the machine gun emplacements only serving to drive the Equestrians ever onward disregarding their heavy casualties. As the last of the rebels were skewered on Equestrian bayonets the squadrons saviours made their descent. The pegasi were shocked to discover that their savours were none other than the fabled Wonderbolts, their imposing figures met with cheers from the remaining Pegasi. The leader of the group slung his weapon over his shoulder before moving over to Rainbow Dash, "we were in the neighbourhood and heard you needed a hoof." "We only saved some for you Soarin," Rainbow Dash retorted, trying not to seem affected by the carnage that surrounded her. After the Wonderbolts had hastily returned to their daily duties, the ragged group of soldiers began to round up the few rebels that had managed to scurry away deeper into the forest and survive the attack. Rainbow Dashed reached into her pocket drawing the small parcel and began to unravel the purple bow holding the paper together, this must be rarity's handiwork she thought to herself, a brief smile flickering across her face. However her recollections of home were rudely interrupted by Night Glider. "Pack up Dash, command wants us to move out," she said as the first waves of Auxiliaries began to move in and secure the area. Rainbow Dash lazily picked herself up and departed with the rest of the group. Leaving the wounded for the field surgeon and the dead behind for the coroner. The familiar group of Crystal Ponies were lined along the many fading walls of the Strong Stallion Inn, but this time it wasn't a meeting of a few friends made rebels, now the once-abandoned tavern was brimming with every assortment of soldier. With every passing moment more and more Crystal Ponies were drawn into the tavern escaping the constant flurry of the late Winter snows. Steel Defiance surveyed each and every newcomer as he leaned against the bar a tankard of a bitter draught taken from one of few still full kegs remaining in the cellar. However the refreshments were not the only things the rebels had stored down in the cold basement. Firearms of all calibers lined the four walls of the basement, stacked alongside countless boxes of ammunition. However the basement's arsenal was naught when compared to the superweapon Steel Defiance had hidden a lead lockbox buried deep underneath the decaying wooden flooring of the tavern. Steel and two other rebels had lowered it into the pit all taking oaths of secrecy to ensure that the weapon's location would be kept secret at any cost. Steel Defiance heard the faint flutter of Pegasi wings and the muted hum of an engine from outside, the small noises of Equestria interrupting the early morning quiet. Steel Defiance had become adept at gauging the distance of any suspect noises, he began to rest his head upon the worn bar's counter. He could almost feel the relaxing presence of sleep coming to wash over him. However his brief moment of bliss was cut short as the more well-rested ponies in the bar began to let out cheers upon the arrival of Emerald Impact. He was flanked by two of his fellow rebel ponies all of them were carrying wooden crates from which the barrels of rifles, support weapons and even a few of the stolen multi-barrelled anti-pegasi weapon systems. The massively increased deployment of Equestrian forces to the Crystal Empire came with the bonus of meaning more weapons for the rebels to plunder. Despite the fact that the rebel's arsenal still was not big enough to arm their entire force, he was confident that with multiple well timed surgical strikes they could hold the city in their grasp. Steel Defiance moved over to a group of Crystal Ponies poring over a map of the Crystal Empire. Steel Defiance moved over to the highest ranked of them, A Crystal Pony with the name of Silver Mane, his name had been given to him by his parents due to his pure white locks of hair, every strand perfectly sculpted to meet whatever new fashion had cropped up in what remained of the high society of the Crystal Empire. Upon the Pony's breast was emblazoned a golden stripe which indicated the rank of Second Lieutenant. "Sir," The Pony said in a well rehearsed tone as Steel Defiance moved towards him, "We have established contact with the other cells, they say they're ready and awaiting the command." "Well Done Second Lieutenant," Steel Defiance drew in a heavy breath through his teeth, "Tell your men to form up outside, it's time." A grin painted itself across Silver Mane's face despite his best attempts to stifle it, he attempted to hide it by raising his hoof up in salute to his forehead, "Yes sir, it's been a long time coming." "That it has second Lieutenant, that it has," Steel murmured as he retired back to behind the bar. As he passed by the many rows of empty bottles he eventually came to a rusted lockbox, the padlock long missing, in which contained his trust revolver. He drew the pistol from the box and slowly placed it in his coat his hoof shaking all the while. As almost every other pony in the bar rushed out, all array of weapons in their grasp, Steel Defiance stalked over to the familiar booth where he had pledged his life to the liberation of his homeland. He felt his head recline as he saw Emerald Impact shove a flask down on the table, judging from the metallic clank it made it was a safe assumption to say that it was nearly empty. Steel turned his head toward him, eyes lowered and mouth sagging. His eyes were becoming painstakingly reflective. "By Sombra Steel don't lose your composure now!" Emerald Impact chided his commanding officer. "Last time we had any uprising of this scale we lost, ponies died and I lost my brother," Steel couldn't do anything but sigh and drag his head into his hands, "Now I've finally lost him and I'm about to lose all those young ponies out there as well. I can't do this anymore." "It's okay Steel, I understand if you want to go," Emerald took a large swig from the flask before dropping it to the floor, "but if there is one stallion in the whole of the Crystal Empire that can make sure all those ponies out there make it home in one piece it's you. Without you we could have never gotten anywhere near this far." With that Emerald Impact left the tavern to join the others forming into ranks in the streets. The sun was rising on the city, the first light barely penetrating the faded curtains covering the grimy windows of the tavern . Steel Defiance pulled himself out of the booth and with a deep breath he slowly opened the door, almost immediately being blinded by the early morning sun rising over the hills. He was greeted by the sight of a small army in marching order formed outside the tavern. All wearing mismatching homemade uniforms, some of the younger or married Stallion's who had mares in their lives and veterans of the resistance to Sombra's reign were able to have traditional Crystal Empire military uniforms of a dark grey. However many of the ponies couldn't afford such extravagances and as such were united with their uniformed brethren by a simple armband depicting a shattered blue crystal of the oppressed ponies in the Crystal Empire upon a field of red to show the blood spilled in the endless war for liberation.