When the civil war began, Unicornia makes its move while Equestria's heroes struggled to fight back but without each other by their side.
After two years of peaceful democracy, Twilight asked her friends and her mentors how they all lost the civil war.
As they explained their stories to her, Twilight's friends were forced to fight in a war that's filled with tragedy, death, betrayal, tyranny, and destruction.
Inside the Castle of Friendship, Queen Twilight starts off with another happy day in Hearts Warming Eve with her daughter, Princess Violet Aura, and her husband Captain Flash Sentry.
"Violet, do you want to go to Canterlot to celebrate Hearts Warming Eve there?" Twilight asked her daughter.
"Yes, mother. I'd be delighted!!!" Violet Aura responded in a cheerful, jolly tone.
As the Alicorn Queen made her way to the Mayor's Office, she wrote down some more paperwork to let the griffon and Yak immigrants to seek vacancy in Ponyville. After that, Queen Twilight and Princess Violet Aura went to Canterlot only to find the Mane 5, Spike, their children, the Royal Sisters, Princess Cadence, Flurry Heart, and Shinning Armor waiting for them. As soon as Twilight showed up at the Palace Courtyard, they greeted her with a surprise Democratic Party during the Happy Hearts Warming celebration, much to Twilight's happy excitement. All around the Palace Courtyard, there were trees decorated with ornaments, wreaths hung on walls, presents setup up underneath the benches, and food crates stashed next to the walls. As Twilight looked around, she sees ponies celebrating her Democracy and Hearts Warming Eve all at once. Before Twilight knew it, Pinkie appeared and shoved the purple alicorn into the Great Hall to have a party with the rest of her friends. After things finally settled down from doing party games, activities, and dancing, Princess Celestia invited Twilight over to the Palace balcony to go over what Twilight did in Ponyville and in Canterlot.
"So my dear Twilight, were you and your friends able to handle things lot better than before in Equestria?" Celestia asked, not wanting to worry about what will ever become of Twilight's second life.
"Why, absolutely." Twilight responded with excitement. "In fact, Majesty was able to trade in some of her country's energy crystals for a shipment of food crates from Canterlot."
"Energy Crystals? Well, I hope you can handle those wisely because they're the real reason why Felhand was able to create and unleash those powerful weapons at the command of the Armies of Unicornia." Luna said giving the purple alicorn a fair warning.
"Really? Well, I was interested in using those energy crystals to do some research with the aid of Dr. Hooves and Trixie Lulamoon." Twilight said to Luna. "It may work well with harnessing technology and to strengthen our industrial resources."
"Well, ever since during the first years that the Kingdom of Unicornia was established, they were harvesting and researching various energy crystals to gain power to increase their military dominance; they come with all sorts of unstable, volatile energies that can cause destruction or death." Luna explained to Twilight. "However, just like the Orichalcum, Princess Platinum ordered the Energy Crystals to be banned from being used. She was afraid that those crystals would cause more harm than good."
"That's funny. And I thought that the Orichalcum was the only thing that we all need to watch out for." Twilight chuckled nervously.
"I'm being serious, Twilight." Luna continued. "I'm sure you're probably wondering how we Equestrians lost to the Unicornians years ago, during the time that you were dead ."
"Really?! Now that you mentioned it, there are still some things about the Unicornians that I still haven't covered up yet." Twilight explained to Luna. "What did Amadeus and the Unicornians do to put all of Equestria into jeopardy? And why is it that my friends couldn't hold them off when I was gone?"
"Ever since they tore up Princess Platinum's peace treaty, Amadeus and Majesty ordered the Unicornians to harvest the Energy Crystals and used them to power up the weapons that they built before commencing their invasion upon Equestria." Luna summarized the details towards Twilight. "Despite how you were able to convince us Equestrians to harness new technology to strengthen our country, we were never prepared to face what Unicornia just threw at us when the civil war started."
Just when Twilight was ready to listen to Luna's story of how they lost the civil war, most of Twilight's friends joined in before telling her how all of that past tragedy occurred.
16 years ago.........
In the morning, the sun shine up into the sky, with the moon lowering itself below the surface on the horizon. Animals were coming out of their homes to forage for food. Ponies were living happily everywhere in Equestria. All is peaceful until, the ground shook tremendously. During the immediate shift, animals were running for cover, ponies were panicking not even knowing what was going on, and the entire sky is filled with huge black airships. Before anypony could see what was coming, one of them spotted a flag at stern from one of the airships. Much to everypony's horror, the flag resembles the Kingdom of Unicornia!!!
Meanwhile at Ponyville, Applejack called forth the Mane 5 to celebrate their 6th anniversary of Twilight Sparkle's passing at the very same place that was once her beloved Castle of Friendship. Twilight's beautiful domain lies at the edge of Ponyville. After the Mane 5 spent several minutes of eating lunch, Rainbow Dash, a light-blue pegasus that bears the Element of Loyalty, hears distant explosions from a mile away. Before any of her friends went out to see what was going on, Rainbow flew out of Twilight's Castle and spotted something ominous floating up in the air above Ponyville.
"Hey guys, are you all seeing this??" Rainbow Dash asked, while looking through her telescope from the Castle's balcony.
After several seconds, Applejack and the rest of the Mane 5 nodded.
"OOOooooo!!! I wonder if they're hear for a welcoming party???" Pinkie Pie guessed. She happens to be a pink earth pony that bears the Element of Laughter.
"I don't know, Pinkie Pie." Rarity spoke to the pink earth pony. "It doesn't look like that they're here for a warm welcome."
"Or maybe, they wanted something more, than just a welcoming reception." Fluttershy muttered to herself.
"Come on, y'all. It can't be that bad, right?!" Applejack asked the Mane 5.
Before they could say anymore, the cannons started to appear from the hull of the airships. Without warning, the airships started bombarding the Castle of Friendship, much to the shock and horror of the Mane 5. Upon seeing their' deceased friends' castle get hit by incoming fire, the castle's exterior started receiving heavy damage from left and right.
"SWEET CELESTIA!!! THEY'RE FIRING UPON US!!! RUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNN!!!!!" Rarity shrieked as she and the rest of the Mane 5 went inside the Friendship Castle for cover.
During the attack, the castle received explosions all over the exterior walls, glass windows were breaking, the towers collapsed and plunged straight into the ground. The Mane 5 flew underneath the basement until the firings stopped. As they went out of their hiding place, they see the interior of Twilight's Castle in a complete wreck. Benches were blown off, statues collapsed and broke into smaller pieces, banners were caught on fire, and the tree chandelier was half destroyed.
"Oh dear, Faust!!!" Rarity sobbed in horror. "This poor Castle is done for!!!! Oh Twilight, if only she was still here for us."
"We got more things to worry about other than dealing with such property damage, Rarity!!!" Applejack said as they went out the door. "Look!!!"
As the rest of the Mane 5 went out the Castle's half-blown up doors, they see the other airships turned towards Ponyville and started unleashing cannon fire upon the citizens and buildings residing there. In an instant, the Mane 5 heard screams echoing through the broad daylight and building were caught on fire. While the rest of the Mane 5 stared at their beloved village being attacked and burned to the ground, Rainbow Dash spotted a flag bearing the Unicornian Emblem on one of the airships with her telescope.
"Uh guys, you all want to take a look at this!!!" Rainbow Dash suggested to the rest of the Mane 5.
When Applejack grabbed the telescope from Rainbow's hooves, her eyes widened with shock, realizing that Unicornia has begun attacking their beloved land of Equestria.
"We better get our families to a safer place and figure out what were up against." Applejack told the rest of the Mane 5.
As the Mane 5 went into Ponyville, they spread out to find their families and find a safe place to hide until all of this blows over. Just when they entered the town square, Unicornian paratroopers came down from the sky, the started razing Ponyville to the ground, capturing or neutralizing every pony in sight, even the little fillies were getting captured by the soldiers left and right. Any pony that was posing resistance against the paratroopers were met by a lethal blast of magic or by getting stabbed in the stomach by their spears. To make matters worse, Mayor Mare gets captured immediately in her own office. Unable to do anything about it, Mane 5 split up in hopes of getting their families to a safer place, away from the Unicornian troops. As they proceeded further, Rainbow spotted Canterlot under attack from a distance. From the light-blue pegasus point of view, she sees smoke and distant explosions erupting from the Capital City of Equestria.
"OMGOSH!!!!" Rainbow Dash spoke in fear. "T-This can't get any worse."
As soon as the rest of the Mane 5 separated and disappeared into the panicking crowd, a Unicornian Commander appears in Ponyville's Town Square. He goes by the name Commander Vermillion, the Red Brigand! He happens to be an black armored, red unicorn stallion with a grey mane, bearing an orange circular strip cutiemark. When he stepped up to the Mayor's Town Hall, Vermillion makes his announcement throughout the entire town.
"Citizens of Ponyville!" Commander Vermillion announced while raising his megaphone towards the public with his magic. "This is Commander Vermillion of Unicornia. By the order of Queen Majesty Blueblood, you have no possibility of fighting back, no chance of escape, but you've had warning. Stop now or we'll destroy you. Ponies of Ponyville, this is your last warning, STOP NOW AND SURRENDER OR WE'LL DESTROY YOU!!!"
When Vermillion and his guards spread out and captured the ponies of Ponyville, Rainbow Dash and the Mane 5 went behind cover, as they moved on to rescue their families. By doing so, the Mane 5 prayed that they'll survive this immediate invasion.
At Canterlot right after Princess Celestia used her magic to raise the sun in the morning, her sister Princess Luna went back into Celestia's Royal Chambers to rest up for the next night. As Celestia made her way down to the Memorial Gardens, along with her current bodyguard, Gladius Strife. Celestia never forgot the day were she had to bid farewell to her beloved student turned Princess and destined heir to the Equestrian Throne.
As Celestia see Twilight help save Equestria move than once, she always believed that Twilight could help change Equestria, into the dawn of a new age of Democracy where every pony and creature could live in happiness, harmony, and in friendship. Unfortunately, not every pony is having it. Right under her nose, Celestia suffered horribly when she learned that the evil Equestrian nobles killed her beloved student and daughter-figure out of the blue. Even though Celestia had them all executed and wished to enforce all of Twilight's reforms to the fullest, it slowly became her downfall. Despite this, Luna convinced Celestia to move on and Gladius helped comfort the sun princess every time she breaks down from so much stress and hate from her insensitive subjects at Canterlot.
Every year, after Twilight's death, Celestia goes down to the Memorial Gardens to pay her respects to the one noble pony that she had complete faith in, Princess Twilight Sparkle. As Celestia looked down on Twilight's glass coffin, she could not help but still let out tears from her eyes in utter silence. She even though it's been years after Twilight's death, Celestia still can't stop thinking about Twilight day and night, even in her dreams, she still suffers without having Twilight seeking her guidance as co-ruler of Equestria. During this year, after spending one hour at Twilight's grave, Celestia heard something go "Boom" in the middle of the day. As Celestia unfurled her wings, she took up to the skies only to see a marauding army of invaders approach the gates of Canterlot.
"Tia, are you seeing this?!" Luna asked as she busted her way out the observatory tower in the Canterlot Palace.
"Yes I am, sister." Celestia responded.
"I knew its a matter of time before those dirty pricks will gain control of the armies of Unicornia!!" Luna grunted with anger. "I should've brought Amadeus to justice when I had the chance."
"Well, if they're looking for a fight, we'll give them one they won't forget!!!" Celestia snarled as she raised the alarm with her magic shouting out orders to her guards in a Royal Canterlot voice. "EVERY PONY, WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!! MAN YOUR BATTLE STATIONS."
As the armies of Unicornia reached to the walls of Canterlot, they unleashed a barrage of magic spells at the city's defenses at the Courtyard. Many ponies got blasted away from their towers and the outer walls. At the start of the attack, Solar guard ponies returned fire with their magic. As Celestia, Luna, Gladius, and a battalion of bat pony Night guards made their way through the city streets, they see small groups of ponies cowering in fear for their lives, while several isolated guard ponies were forced to fend for themselves as large groups of Unicornian soldiers came dropping in from the sky off their airships from above. Without hesitation, the Royal Sisters, Gladius, and their guard battalion blasted and fought their way through the Unicornian paratroopers, while getting every pony to safety. From shadowy corners within the city, a regiment of pony warriors appeared out of nowhere and attacked the invaders with might and magic, fighting alongside the armies of Equestria. Unlike the Solar Guard division and the Night Guard division, they were only wearing dark-blue cloaks. On their right front hoof, they bear the emblem of the Lunar Republic. At the courtyard, a 2nd division of Solar Guards were stationed in front of the Main Gate, preparing to repel any invaders that enter the courtyard. As soon as the Unicornian Main force got closer to the outer walls, they raised up ladders to scale the walls. The moment the Unicornians went up to the walls, they were met Equestrian Guards thrusting spears and swinging swords at the invaders. While the Unicornians and the Equestrians were fighting on top of the walls, Gladius Strife came up from the stairs and blasted several Unicornians off the walls with his magic.
When Princess Celestia and Princess Luna reached the main gate, after fighting their way through the city streets with such heavy resistance, they leashed a huge shield barrier to ward off the invaders, buying the others enough time to escape the siege. The invaders on the walls and the Unicornian Paratroopers were pushed away from the Royal Sister's shield barrier, sending them flying away from the city. During the evacuation, Twilight Velvet and Night Light could not help but worry for Shinning Armour and his family's safety at the Crystal Empire. They happened to be Twilight's birth parents. Unfortunately, because they lost their daughter, Twilight Sparkle, to the evil nobles of Equestria, Velvet could not risk letting her second daughter anywhere near Princess Celestia. Despite Velvet raising her other daughter, Mystic Sparkle, on her own, Mystic ran away from home, leaving behind a note that made her and Night Light heart-broken again. Now that invaders started encroaching upon Equestria, the Sparkle Family feared that they will never see any more of their children again.
Even though the shields over Canterlot were remaining intact, many of the other ponies in Canterlot do not know how long will it last. In just minutes, the evacuation area became crowded with pony refugees. Luna ordered some of her night guards to take control of the situation, while the Solar Guard Division helped stay on guard, in case any Unicornians infiltrated the city. As for Princess Celestia, she ordered some of her fillies belonging to Nobles on her side to evacuate to the Palace and ordered some of her messengers to send word to the other neighboring allies of the Griffons Kingdom and Yakyakistan for reinforcements.
"Gladius, take a company of men and reinforce the main gate." Celestia ordered her soldiers. "Stag!! Send word to the Crystal Empire. Tell them that Unicornia has begun invading."
"Yes, your highness!!!" Both of the Equestrian soldiers said acknowledging Celestia's orders.
"Tia, what should we do??" Princess Luna asked her elder sister.
"Well, we're going to have to hold the invaders off here. They're most likely coming after us than any pony else. Well, if it's us they want, then we're just going to have to distract them long enough to buy the rest of our subjects time to evacuate Canterlot for good." Celestia announced to her sister. "I probably need to warn Sunset Shimmer about this too."
While Luna went off to give out orders to her guard ponies, Princess Celestia went to her Royal Chambers and took out a magic journal that has Sunset's cutie mark on the book's front cover. As Celestia used her magic to grab quill from a nearby shelf, she started writing down a message to Sunset Shimmer on the magic journal.
"Dear Sunset Shimmer, I have some very bad news. Canterlot is under attack by an Invading Army of Unicornia. I'm telling you this because whatever you do, make sure they do not find the portal that leads to the alternate world that you're in. It could mean total disaster for both of us. However, if you still wish to make it up to me and to Twilight Sparkle, now it is the time. I still want to know if you're with us because those heartless nobles have just declared a civil war upon our doorstep. If you want in, please respond or show up as soon as possible. From, Princess Celestia."
After Celestia is done writing, she puts away the magic journal back onto the bookshelf before she headed back at the Palace Square to help the other ponies evacuate Canterlot. At the other side of the evacuation area, Trixie Lulamoon was struggling to find her stuff that she left at the Canterlot Palace. Unfortunately, the Royal Guards stopped the light-blue unicorn from entering the Palace grounds and was being dragged back to the evacuation area without delay. As for Luna, she secretly summoned forth the warriors of the Lunar Republic inside the alleyways of Canterlot, among them was young maroon female Pegasus named Red Moon, a.k.a the Eclipse Breaker, the commander of the Lunar Republic.
"Commander Red Moon, I want you to dispatch some of your men and help defend the other garrisons around Equestria with their lives and send word to the other LR teams about this impeding invasion." Luna ordered her LR Commanding Officer. "Remember to report back to me if anything bad happens out there when Unicornia is remaining at large."
"Yes, your majesty!!" Red Moon acknowledged as the maroon pegasus saluted the night alicorn princess. "Lunar Republic Commandoes move out!!!"
As Red Moon and her men went down to the sewers, they made they way to a secret exit that leads to the river. Princess Luna went to the Palace to help the medics treat the wounded guards that were fighting against the invaders at Canterlot's outer walls. As for Princess Celestia, she went up to the balcony of her Royal Chambers and looked towards the horizon of the Crystal Wastelands. In her mind, Celestia could not help but worry for her nephew, Princess Cadence, of her safety during the dark tide of the Civil War.
As Fancy Pants approached the sun princess from behind, Celestia immediately snapped out of her thoughts. When she turned around to face Fancy Pants, Celestia sees him wearing his Lord's mantle and equipped himself with a saber and a round shield on his back. Behind Fancy Pants, Celestia sees several more of his friends wearing Noble combat armor and equipped with Lances. Before any pony could say anything, Fancy Pants makes a request for the sun princess.
"Princess, we will like to fight alongside you during the siege of Canterlot." Fancy Pants requested. "This maybe a dangerous turn of events, but Canterlot is our home as well. If this city goes down and we go down, then we'll take those ruffians down along with us."
After giving it some thought from what Fancy Pants said, Celestia reluctantly accepted his request, along with 20 of the other Loyalist Noble Families of Equestria, including their elder sons and daughters, all bled to fight for Equestria.
Unbeknownst to most of the Nobles, however, Lord Copper Bronze was secretly making contact with Professor Felhand inside his office at the Bronze household which lies in the eastern section of Canterlot. As Copper Bronze went inside his office, he closed the doors behind him and took out a small, round portal-like device. With just one click, a small dark-green screen appeared before him, revealing the face of Felhand himself.
"Hello, Lord Bronze. How's everything up there?" Felhand asked as he tried to follow up on Bronze.
"The Royal Sisters casted a huge barrier around Canterlot." Bronze explained. "Me and my men will be stationed at Canterlot's gatehouse, waiting for the signal."
"I know, Queen Majesty told me." Felhand acknowledged. "But no matter, I'll be bringing in the Nullifier Cannon in three days. Hold out until then and don't let any pony else catch a wind of our plan."
"Understood, sir!!" Bronze replied with a salute before the small screen disappeared.
After leaving his office, Bronze could not help if he's doing this for his family or not. However, he remembered that before Amadeus Blueblood left Equestria to sail to the Isles of Unicornia, he made a deal with the earth pony Noble to offer him 2,500 bits to keep them informed of what the Royal Sisters are planning. In fact, Amadeus left Bronze behind serve as a secret spy of the Unicornian Kingdom in exchange for the protection of the Bronze Noble Family. Because of how much money he received from Amadeus due to his hard work, Bronze was granted so many offers from the Bluebloods that he can't refuse, such as smuggling spies into the Equestrian borders and secretly helped the Bluebloods recruit mercenaries from all over Equestria. As he went outside to see the Royal Sisters help evacuate Canterlot through the tunnels, Bronze made a small smirk on his face, claiming that their plan of capturing Princess Celestia and Princess Luna will succeed. By helping his men infiltrate the city, Bronze insisted on showing Princess Luna the error of her ways for getting her nose into places where it doesn't belong.
Back at the Canterlot Palace, Celestia stared over the city of Canterlto from her palace balcony. Beyond the horizon, Celestia sees other airships flying towards different cities in Equestria and unleashed a reign of fire in their wake. Unable to make contact with the other governors from the other cities, Celestia had no choice but to remain in Canterlot; hopefully they'll be able to end the war that the evil nobles have declared upon her beloved homeland. Before Celestia could do anything else, she sees a bright flash coming from the hallways of the Canterlot Palace. As she went to investigate, Celestia sees her former star student Sunset Shimmer appear out of the doorway, right where the portal leading to Canterlot High was.
At the docks of Baltimare, Queen Majesty was getting ready to help deliver several crates of Energy Crystals for a trade back at Canterlot, the Capital City of Equestria. As Majesty ordered her sailors to load the crates onto their wagons, she felt nervous about completing the trade at Queen Twilight's doorstep. While Majesty is still lost in her thoughts from her past, Admiral Thunderball was able to step in before making his speech in front of her.
"Are you feeling okay, your highness?" The Unicornian Admiral spoke, concerning for Majesty's anxiety.
"Maybe yes, maybe no." Majesty spoke in a nervous tone. "Those Energy Crystals were the real reason why we unleashed all those monstrous creations upon the Equestrian ponies. Uncheck and unchallenged, killing at will."
"Is it because we abused this kind of resource when we used it to develop weapons during the civil war that we unleashed 16 years ago?" Thunderball said wagering over Majesty's fears on what she did in the past. "I don't really blame you for all those sins that we threw at the Equestrians. I pretty much blamed your father for having us commit such merciless atrocities to both Equestria and to Unicornia."
"I know. I know, Thunderball. It's just that, we still did not have any excuse in enslaving so many ponies in Equestria." Majesty muttered in fear. "If only I could take it all back before it got any worse, during the time that we laid waste to the Equestrian country. Every time I think about Equestria, it felt like that our invasion occurred like it was yesterday."
Somewhere on the horizon, about 2,000 miles away from the Canterlot, an flagship came bursting through the clouds up high in the sky. It bears the Royal Emblem of the Unicornian Dynasty. The flagship was accompanied by 5 more Unicornian Airships. On the bridge on the flagship, Captain Vindicare was watching the ground below her while Lt. Blood Harrier gave out orders to the rest of the crew on board the Flagship. Vindicare happens to be an indigo female unicorn that has a blue-grayish mane and tail that bears the cutie mark of a holy angel. Behind them, the two doors opened up, revealing a young, white alicorn with a silvery-blue mane and tail. She goes by the name Majesty Blueblood, the tyrannical Queen of Unicornia.
After several long years of intense training on leadership, magic, aggressive negotiations, and brutality, Majesty was able to ascend towards the ranks of nobility, just to impress her father Amadeus Blueblood. When she learned about how Amadeus was cursed by Luna's Tantabus and how it keeps infecting her father with horrible nightmares every year, Majesty vowed that as soon as she helps Unicornia take over Canterlot, she'll deal with both Princess Luna and Princess Celestia, in attempt to force the Princess of the Night to perform an exorcism on her father. As Majesty entered the Bridge, Admiral Vindicare and Blood Harrier turned around and bowed down at her hooves before they could say anything else.
"Lt. Blood Harrier, Captain Vindicare, report!!!" Majesty ordered one of the commanding officers.
"We have entered the Equestrian airspace, your highness!!" Blood Harrier responded.
"What's Commander Vermillion's position?" Majesty demanded, wanting to know where's the rest of the Unicornian Army.
"We have received word that Vermillion's airship is approaching Ponyville and is starting to make their move there." Harrier acknowledged.
"Then I guess its time to make our move as well." Majesty muttered to herself before issuing her orders. "Full speed ahead, we're going to prepare to attack Canterlot!!!"
"Yes, my Queen." Captain Harrier replied as he turned towards the helms pony. "Helms pony set a course to Canterlot. All hooves, prepare for battle."
Upon hearing Lt. Blood Harrier giving out orders, the rest of the Unicornian Paratroopers went to the armory to gear up for the civil war in Equestria. As they went to prepare for battle, Majesty Blueblood went down to the Crew's Quarter's to check up on her father. When she reached the mess hall, some random soldier almost bumped into her while holding a tray of food with his magic. Before he could say anything, Majesty blasted the soldier away from her with her magic out of anger and fury.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR PROBLEM, SOLDIER??!!!" Majesty roared. "YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO GEAR UP FOR BATTLE, NOT PIG OUT!!!!"
"S-Sorry, your highness I-I just...." The soldier stammered as he got back up on his hooves in fear.
"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOUR EXCUSES, YOU LITTLE MAGGOT!!!!" Majesty shouted. "You either get your flank to the armory and gear up for battle or I'm going to shove that food tray up your bucking flank, DO YOU HEAR ME?!!!!"
"Y-Yes, as you wish." The soldier shrieked as he ran to the Armory off immediately without saying another word.
"It seems that you just gotten ever more harsher every year, my dear." Amadeus Blueblood said as he appeared from the darkness behind Majesty Blueblood, starling her a bit.
"Father, don't scare me like that." Majesty said while taking a breather. "It's bad enough that these maggots are not doing their job, properly."
"I understand." Amadeus acknowledged. "But no matter, we won't let those foolish alicorn princesses take advantage of us any longer, especially not Princess Luna. I should've dealt with her sooner when I had the chance."
"It doesn't matter anyway, father. I swear to the name of Sir Blueblood that I'll make those Equestrian Princesses pay for defiling you and our Blueblood Family Pride." Majesty vowed to herself. "So, did we receive any word from Sir Morning Blade and his men?"
"Yes, it appears that he, Thunderball, and Felhand are launching their attacks at Manehattan." Amadeus responded. "After they take over Manehattan, they'll be setting up a base in the middle of Manehattan's waters in order to continue with Felhand's mechanical, diabolical creations there."
"So, tell me father, since when did Felhand started developing robotic creations to serve under us?" Majesty said as she asked her father.
"Well first of all, Felhand used to be one of the most brilliant scientists and inventors in Celestia's School of Gifted Unicorns." Amadeus Blueblood explained. "Unfortunately, when that purple harlot ascended the throne and attempted to create new technologies with Dr. Hooves' help, Felhand almost lost his entire career as a scientist. Truthfully, that harlot rejected most of Felhand's studies, claiming that they're too volatile to be used in Equestria. So, I hired Felhand to develop weapons and robots when we took him back to Unicornia. He pretty much obliged in helping us gain the power that we need to rule the world. He also agreed to develop drugs to improve our soldiers fighting abilities and brute strength. As long as we have Felhand on our side, the might and magic of the Equestrian Ponies will not save them from Felhand's robotic minions."
After Amadeus left the area, Majesty turned to see one of the Unicornian Officers appear right behind her to inform the white alicorn of his recent report.
"My Queen, we have reached Canterlot and are standing by to engage the enemy." The Officer spoke as he saluted Majesty Blueblood."
"Have the Unicornian Paratroops begin their airborne assault and our ground forces attack the city of Canterlot." Majesty said while giving orders to the Unicornian officer.
Upon hearing Majesty's orders, the officer saluted, went off, and carried out her orders to the rest of the Unicornian soldiers on board the flagship. As Majesty turned to face the window that shows the City of Canterlot, she smirked in a hostile gesture.
"Just you wait, Celestia and Luna!!!" Majesty muttered in a sinister tone. "Both of your days are numbered from a hundred to one."
As soon as the Unicornian Flagship reached 500 yards away from Canterlot, Captain Vindicare gave out the order to open fire upon the city from above, while the Unicornian ground forces came charging through the battlements before scaling through the city walls and Unicornian Paratroopers jumped off the airship and deployed their parachutes before attacking from above. After several minutes of fighting, Majesty spotted the Royal Sisters appear at the Main Gates and used their magic to push back all of her men away from Canterlot. In addition, the Royal Sisters casted a huge shield over the entire capital city, denying all of Majesty's soldiers from getting access.
"CURSE YOU, CELESTIA AND LUNA!!!" Majesty screeched in anger upon seeing her men failed to breach through Canterlot's defenses. Not wanting to give up that easily, Majesty wrote a letter to send to Professor Felhand. "It won't matter how hard you'll both defend Canterlot from some pony like me. I'll still find a way to breach the walls of Canterlot, even if it's going to cost 50,000 of Unicornian troops."
After Majesty finished writing her letter, she send the letter through a teleportation mail inbox inside her private quarters.
Professor Felhand, this is Majesty Blueblood. The Royal Sisters have casted a huge Shield Barrier around Canterlot. I may need a weapon that's powerful enough to penetrate their magic shields, if you please?! -Majesty Blueblood
As Majesty's letter disappeared through the teleportation inbox, the young white alicorn smirked to herself into believing that she'll help Amadeus Blueblood succeed in taking over Canterlot. Shortly after Majesty send in her message to Felhand, she received a reply, telling her that he'll be sending some heavy artillery to destroy the barrier in two days tops. She also received word from Commander Vermillion that they have taken over Ponyville and are rounding up every pony there to have them submit to Majesty's rule or be publicly executed as traitors to the Unicornian Kingdom.
Upon hearing Vermillion's success, Majesty ordered Lt. Blood Harrier to set a course to Ponyville, to meet up with Vermillion and his men. As soon as Majesty reached Ponyville, after her flagship landed at the Town Square, she comes out to see ponies wrapped up in chains and leg irons while being hauled away on prison wagons or locked up in huge iron cages, while several of them were hanged in front of the Town Hall. As she approached the Town Hall by foot, Majesty sees Mayor Mare being restrained by three of her guards, with Vermillion standing right next to them. As Majesty sat down at the table in front of the Ponyville Mayor, Vermilllion's men forced the Mayor to sit down before Majesty makes her speech in front of her.
"Greetings, Mayor Mare. I am Queen Majesty Blueblood, ruler of Unicornia and, the current heiress to the Blueblood Family Bloodline." Majesty introduced herself to the Mayor of Ponyville.
"W-What do you want???" Mayor Mare shrieked in fear.
"I need you to sign in the admission papers to insure that your town is now part of the Unicornian Kingdom." Majesty announced, shocking every pony in Ponyville while she took out some paperwork with her magic.
"You can't have Ponyville, this land was dedicated to the Apple Family, founded by Earth ponies, and governed and protected by Princess Twilight herself." Mayor Mare protested.
Despite the Mayor's protesting, Majesty faced Vermillion and nodded her head, giving him the word to knock some sense into Mayor Mare. Before she knew what was going on, Vermillion punched her in the face, knocking her to the ground, with her mouth bleeding. Upon seeing this, most of the other Equestrian ponies were terrified of incurring the Unicornian Queen's wrath.
"YOU DARE MENTION THE NAMES OF THOSE INSIGNIFICANT TYRANTS??!!!!" Majesty snapped in anger. "Listen up, all of you. My father told me that the four alicorn princess of Equestria have already tried to defile our family legacy over the past hundred years. What's worse is that, they let Princess Twilight do the most damage upon Equestrian soil than any of them did. So, we have no choice but to put her down by force. Guess what everypony, friendship in Equestria is meaningless to us. Instead, our unity to uphold our pride and this country is the only thing that counts for me and my father, to ensure Equestria's survival. So, the tyranny of the Princesses will soon come to an end. In this era, I'll be on top of the Equestrian throne and a dawn of new age will arrive; I will rule the world."
As Mayor Mare struggled to get up on her hooves, Majesty's guards grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her back to her seat.
"You're not going to get away with this, Queen Blueblood." The Mayor sneered as she was met with another punch in the face by Vermillion.
"I already have. Now shut up and sign in my admission papers." Majesty Blueblood hissed as she shoved her paperwork towards the beaten Mayor.
After several more beatings from Vermillion, the Mayor finally signed in the admission contract, stating that Ponyville is now under the Unicornian jurisdiction and Majesty's makeshift base. The Mayor is now taken under custody by the Unicornian Queen herself. When they reached the Town Hall, they had 1/4 of the population of Ponyville being treated as slaves, while the rest of them were preparing to be deported to the other cities that Unicornia took over.
As Majesty makes her way up to the balcony of the Town Hall, she could not help but notice that, despite how hard she worked to make her father proud, she's still wondering if she really is doing the right thing for her family and for Equestria or not. Majesty was still hesitant in questioning if father really cared about her or not; in which keeps her going. Not wanting to think about it, however, Majesty still insisted on helping the Blueblood Family stay strong during the darkest days in Equestria.
As she makes her way around Ponyville, she sees enslaved fillies, mares, and colts tremble in fear before her. The moment Majesty reaches the Castle of Friendship, which used to belong to Princess Twilight Sparkle, she immediately spat on it and ripped out the banner that was bearing Twilight's cutie mark from its flag pole. The moment Majesty took Twilight's Royal Banner all the way to the Town Hall, she ripped the flag in two in front of the ponies of Ponyville; for Majesty's point of view, this is considered a sign that any pony who utters the name of Twilight Sparkle will have their tongues cut out and locked up in pillory boxes or beaten to death in the public. Not wanting to instigate Majesty's wrath, they all decided to spend the rest of their days under her excruciating enslavement.
When Majesty went to meet her father, Amadeus, again, he told her that he's planning to head to the Rock Farm to have the Pie family discover and harvest their Orichalcum deposits there. After hearing how Amadeus' son, Prince Blueblood, was able to get his hooves on the Orichalcum with Marble Pie's help, he is planning to use the Orichalcium as a primary resource to create new weapons and new experiments for Professor Felhand to work on at Manehattan. When the Amadeus took a sample of Orichalcium for Felhand to study on. After months of studying research over it, Felhand also discovered that the Orichalcium possesses a strong energy source that can be used to program robot ponies, along with various alloy and nuclear substance that was harvested back in Unicornia.
The moment, Majesty sees her father and Captain Blood Harrier flew away on their airship and set a course to the Rock Farm, she goes back inside the Town Hall to finish up where she left off in Ponyville.
"Mother! Are you going to Equestria too?" A familiar voice spoke out loud behind Majesty and Thunderball.
As soon as the alicorn and unicorn both turned around, they see a male unicorn who happens to be the son of Queen Majesty Blueblood. He is none other than Prince Virgil Blueblood who is still in his filly years. Upon seeing the two ponies up close, Virgil smiled out of excitement.
"Yes, but I'm not sure how will Queen Twilight will take this trade well. I mean, I pretty much abused everything that I possessed when I ascended the Unicornian Throne." Majesty muttered in fear while facing her son.
"I want to go visit Queen Twilight's daughter again." Virgil spoke in a cheerful tone. "Father still wanted me to study friendship in Equestria, starting with the Equestrian Queen, please mother?"
After a few minutes of silence, Queen Majesty reluctantly went onboard her Royal Caravan, along with her son, before making their way towards Canterlot with a shipment of Energy Crystals.
During the impeding attack upon Ponyville, Fluttershy unfurled her wings and flew away from the destruction in the town. The moment she reached to her cottage, the yellow pegasus bursted through the doors in a total panic. Upon seeing Fluttershy coming through the door in complete surprise, most of the animals were startled by such immediate action. On Fluttershy's couch, a draconneques named Discord, the living spirit of Chaos and Disharmony, was fast asleep and counting sheep. Unfortunately, when his mare-friend Fluttershy, who is also his "Best Friend For Eternity Times Two," bursted through the doors of her cottage, Discord woke up and fell flat on the floor, completely surprised and caught off guard. The moment Discord got up, he sees all of the animals completely startled when seeing Fluttershy bursted into the room, sweating and panting nervously, and turning pale.
"F-Fluttershy??? W-What the hell happened to you??" Discord asked, worried about his friend's reaction. "Your face seems totally pale. A-Are you okay?!"
"There's no time, Discord!!!" Fluttershy said while freaking out. "Some invaders on board unknown airships just appeared out of nowhere and started bombarding Ponyville. The next thing I saw is that an army of unidentified soldiers started dropping in from the sky and unleashing Tartarus upon us!!!"
"W-Wait, WHAT???!!!!" Discord shrieked. "Are you trying to tell me that Ponyville is under attack??!! BY WHO???"
"I don't know how to explain that, Discord." Fluttershy replied while trembling in fear. "Right now, we need to get these animals out of here before they catch up to us. After that, we need to warn Zecora of this impeding attack!!!"
"O-Okay!!!" Discord acknowledged, while shaken from Fluttershy's freaked out behavior.
The yellow pegasus and the draconneques helped unlock all the bird cages, open up the chicken coops, and let every animal in outside of their cottage run away into the Everfree Forest. For Harry the bear, and Angel, Fluttershy's pet bunny, they refused to leave Fluttershy's cottage, not understanding what is really going on out there. After Fluttershy released all of the birds, she saw the bear and the bunny just standing there dumbfounded.
"Angel, you have to leave this place at once!!" Fluttershy ordered her rabbit, despite its protesting. "Look at Ponyville, something is attack our village right now and if you stay here, you won't be able to live in your home anymore."
Upon hearing what Fluttershy had to say, Angel's eyes widen with disbelief and shock. Before Fluttershy could say anymore, her bunny started cling onto her leg, as if he doesn't want to leave the yellow pegasus alone.
"ANGEL, THIS IS FOR YOUR OWN GOOD!!!" Fluttershy shouted at the top of her lungs, as tears started to come out of her eyes. "I already lost my friend Twilight; however, I do not wish to lose another friend, whether they're helpless animals or my fellow ponies. This is were you have to learn how to fend for yourself when I'm gone, okay?!!"
As the bunny continued to hear what Fluttershy had to say, the bunny started crying into believing that Angel will never see his per owner again. Before Fluttershy knew what was happening, the bunny was wailing very loud as if he's telling her that he doesn't want to go. However, Fluttershy kept pressing him to leave this place by giving him "The Stare."
"Listen Angel, where I go, you cannot follow; one day you'll understand. However, try not to worry about me. As long as I have Discord to help me fend off from whatever madness is unfolding before my very eyes, I will find you once this is all over!!!" Fluttershy said as she kissed Angel on the head before turning her face her bear friend. "Harry, you look after Angel from now on."
Upon hearing Flutteshy's request, the bear grunted with a positive response and grabbed the little bunny with his bear paws before running off with the other animals into the Everfree Forest. As soon as all of Fluttershy's animal friends are gone, she and Discord heard screaming and shouting coming from the direction of where Ponyville is at. When Fluttershy turned around to see what Discord is seeing, her eyes widen with fear as a battalion of enemy troops are marching towards her cottage from a distance away, leaving behind a burning Ponyville.
"Fluttershy, let's go!!!" Discord shouted in a panic tone as he snapped his claws to teleport himself and the yellow pegasus into a separate area of the Everfree Forest. "Who are they?! And want to those guys want??"
"Well for one time, they don't look like that they're here for a welcoming party." Fluttershy explained to the draconneques. "The moment they arrived above Ponyville, they just had to start firing upon us!!! I don't really know what's going on here, either. But whatever it is, I don't even want to know. Let's go find Zecora and find a safe place to hide before they find us."
Right after the yellow pegasus and the draconneques disappeared into the woods of the Everfree Forest, Vermillion and his men appeared at the entrance of Fluttershy's Cottage. As the red-orange unicorn reached up to the door of the cottage, he knocked on it several times before making his announcement to notify Fluttershy of his presence.
"Fluttershy, we know you're in there!!!" Vermillion bellowed while speaking through his megaphone. "Come on out with your hooves up!!!!"
After waiting for a minute or two, Vermillion got pretty impatient. The next thing he did was that he knocked down the door with both of his hind hooves, allowing his men to charge into the cottage to find the yellow pegasus. Unfortunately, despite how much tables, beds, and wardrobes were flipped over, they were unable to find Fluttershy. One of Vermillion's guards came back to report to him of their immediate findings.
"She's not here, sir!" One of Vermillion's guards spoke as he saluted him. "Fluttershy must've got away before we even came here."
"DON'T JUST STAND THERE YOU FOOLS!!!" Vermillion shouted at the top of his lungs. "We may have taken over Ponyville for Queen Majesty to setup shop. But we didn't capture every pony in the area yet. DOUBLE YOUR SEARCHES!!! The Element Bearers of Harmony must be found immediately. They're considered to be just as threatening as that purple alicorn harlot!!! FIND THEM AND LOOK EVERYWHERE."
Upon heeding Vermillion's orders, his guards spread out all over outside of Fluttershy's cottage to find the Element bearer of Kindness. As for Vermillion, he received a report from another guard that Queen Majesty has just arrived, along with a Royal Unicornian Escort. Upon hearing this report, Vermillion left the cottage to help Majesty secure the Town Hall.
Somewhere in the Everfree Forest, Fluttershy and Discord stopped by at a nearby river to rest up and take a breather after making a run for it after Unicornia invaded Ponyville. After the pegasus and the draconneques drank some water and ate some nearby berries and fruit for one hour, Fluttershy received word from a nearby tree squirrel that the invaders have taken over Ponyville, capturing most of the survivors and put them all to slavery by the order of their alicorn Queen. When Fluttershy asked her squirrel friends the whereabouts of the other Element Bearers of Harmony, they all ran off to other places, taking their families along with them.
"Oh dear, this had to be the worst attack upon Ponyville I've ever experienced. I just hope the others are alright because I don't think I can face those invaders alone." Fluttershy muttered to herself before moving on with Discord.
"So Flutteshy, do you think your Zebra friend is still in her hut?" Discord asked as he scratched his chin.
"One can only hope, Discord." Fluttershy replied. "We still have to move on, before they find us in the Everfree Forest."
"I understand." Discord acknowledged as he and Fluttershy made their way back into the forest to find Zecora.
As they made their trek in the Everfree Forest, Discord and Fluttershy spotted several Unicornian patrols all over the swamps outside of the forest. Without further a due, they both hid behind the bushes as they snuck around through the trees in the swamp, evading the guards as much as possible. When one of the guards took a detour, Flutteshy snuck up from behind, grabbed his neck with both of her hooves, and broke it with just one twist. After the guard fell on the ground, dead, Fluttershy picked up his spear before she and Discord went back into hiding. In just several minutes of evading enemy patrols in the Everfree Forest, Discord and Fluttershy finally found Zecora's hut. Unfortunately, the moment they both got closer, they see the entire hut bombarded with spells. There was burnt wood all over the hut and inside, most of the potions, medicines, and books were missing from plain sight. Zecora's cauldron was tipped over and completely empty of all liquid contents. Worst of all Zecora was nowhere to be found. Before the pegasus and the draconneques could leave, they see a small note lying on the floor in Zecora's hut. As Fluttershy picked up the note, her eyes widened with shock.
To all who read this note, begone I will be. From the power of the Cauldron, a terrible tragedy of violence will unfold. Soon, it'll shift the earth into a living Tartarus. Waste no time I shall. Head down to a secret hideout in the mountains of Unicorn Range, I will. When thine will come to raid, I'll pack up for the long trip up west away from the Everfree Forest and Cloudsdale. So, please forgive thine disappearance.
"So Fluttershy, are we still going to find Zecora?" Discord asked.
"Yes, we have to before they do." Fluttershy said with determination. "Being caught up in an invasion can be really scary, but I don't not wish to let them do to my other friends what they did to Twilight. I'm sure Twilight is still watching us from above. If we fail her legacy of protecting our friends, we'll fail all of Equestria. Let's move out, Discord!!!"
Before Fluttershy could leave the hut, she started to have a sudden shock affecting her mind in an instant. Just when Discord was about to ask Fluttershy what is she up to, the yellow pegasus immediately came up with another revelation.
"OH NO, MY PARENTS AND MY BROTHER!!! I HAVE TO WARN THEM BEFORE THEY FIND THEM!!!" Fluttershy shrieked loudly to herself. "I think they're all in danger too."
Upon hearing what Fluttershy just said, Discord snapped his fingers and teleported themselves away from the Everfree Forest all the way to Cloudsdale without asking any more questions. In an instant, they reached Cloudsdale to find the city's emergency evacuation protocols go underway.
After she ran off during the start of the destruction in Ponyville, Rarity ran as fast as she could to find her little sister, Sweetie Belle. In Rarity's thoughts, the Carousel Boutique will be the best place to start at. Unfortunately, by the time the fashionista got there, a squad of 5 Unicornian Paratroopers already stormed inside the Boutique and grabbed Sweetie Belle on sight.
"Rarity, help me!!!!" The little unicorn filly screamed as a paper bag covered up her head.
Upon seeing her sister getting dragged away from the Boutique, Rarity charged up her horn with her magic and slammed straight into the group of Invaders, knocking all of them at once and sent them flying in different directions. As soon as Rarity took the bag off Sweetie Belle's head, her sister started hugging the fashionista while crying, relived that Rarity came to her rescue. However, the two unicorns are still on high water as several more Invaders came bursting through the crowd right behind Sweetie Belle.
"Sweetie Belle, get on my back, darling." Rarity ordered her little sister. "We are leaving."
"But Rarity....." Sweetie Belle stammered.
"No buts." Rarity snapped. "We'll look for our other friends later. Right now, we have to get out of Ponyville immediately."
The moment the two female unicorns galloped away from the Boutique, the Invaders opened fire with their magic in attempt stop them in their tracks. The chase continued until Rarity and Sweetie Belle ran into Daring Do, Lyra Heartstrings, and Bon-Bon. Despite the invaders making their advance upon those three ponies, they actually fought back with everything they've got. Bon-Bon drew out dual knives and started slashing at the invaders by their necks. In less than a second, the invaders had blood gushing out from their necks and another one gets stabbed in the eye by one of Bon Bon's daggers. Daring Do took out a whip from underneath her wings and whiplashed at a nearby invading paratrooper. The moment Daring's whip struck at him, the rope went for his neck and sent him flying into a nearby house. Upon slamming the invader by his spine, it broke in two, killing him in a heartbeat. As soon as the three ponies saw Rarity and Sweetie Belle, they called them over to their position.
"Rarity! Sweetie Belle! Over here! Hurry!!!" Daring Do shouted at as she started waving at the two female unicorns.
Without hesitation, Rarity and Sweetie Belle went with the other three ponies as they all fled up north to the Galloping Gorge, where they will not be followed by the invaders. As Rarity looked back at Ponyville one last time, she sees the rest of the ponies getting rounded up by the invaders of Unicornia.
As the five ponies fled Ponyville with their lives, they reached Daring Do's house which lies within the Galloping Gorge. The moment they went inside Daring's house, it was already nightfall. They closed all windows and barricaded all the doors, not wanting to draw any attention from the invaders that attacked Ponyville. As all five ponies sat down to take a breather, Rarity was the one who wanted to see what was going on right now. Before she could say anymore, Daring gave her the latest news headlines from the Foal Free Press. The moment Rarity used her magic to read the newspaper, her eyes widened with sheer terror.
Unicornia Has Declared a Civil War Upon Equestria, Daylight became a Blazing Tartarus!
While Rarity read through the news headlines, she learned that the forces of Equestria are too preoccupied with the siege back at Canterlot, leaving most of the other ponies outside of their capital city unprotected and forced into enslavement. After skimming through the pages, Rarity started breaking down in tears, fearing for the safety of her family in which they're staying at Manehattan, as well as learning that the leader of the invaders, Queen Majesty Blueblood, dropped by at Ponyville and turned it into a makeshift fort during her attacks upon the city of Canterlot. As Sweetie Belle looked outside of the window of Daring Do's house, she could not help but wonder what will ever become of her friends Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. Before any pony could say anymore, Daring Do and Bon Bon both came up with a plan to help notify the city of Vanhoover of this impeding Unicornian Invasion.
"Every pony, listen up!!!" Daring Do shouted at the top of her lungs. "I know were starting to loose a lot, the moment when the invaders took over Ponyville, but save your tears for the last. It's still not the end of Equestria yet. We'll rest up here for now since it's already nightfall. But tomorrow morning, we make our way towards Vanhoover and recruit as many mercenaries as we can to help fight against the armies of Unicornia."
"Daring Do, even if the people of Vanhoover were to listen to us, we still cannot defeat the armies of Unicornia alone." Lyra protested in fearing for the lives of her and her friend Bon Bon.
"We may not win back our country that easily. But as long as Princess Luna is there for us, we won't give up Equestria without putting up a fight first." Daring Do announced as she revealed an emblem bearing the emblem of Luna's secret agency. "Even if some of the Equestrian military will turn on us, we'll still rely on the Luna's secret revolutionary army known as the Lunar Republic because I happen to be one of the commanders of her elite fighting force, the LR commandoes."
"Lunar Republic?" Rarity asked out of a state of shock. "Since when was this?"
"They said that ever since the beginning of when Luna became the alicorn princess of the Night, she secretly formed a militant group that work in the darkness to serve the light." Daring announced to the four ponies. "Some used to be orphaned foals turned spies, while others were selected from the most devoted noble and military families in Equestria. I was an orphan too when Princess Luna brought me in and when I got older, she secretly trained me to be one of the best commandoes on the field. I thought for sure I wouldn't do my part as an LR commando. However, now that the civil war came, I will have no choice but to make an exception. As a matter of fact, my team of LR commandoes will be waiting from me back at Vanhoover."
"I see." Rarity said to herself. "So, how are we going to have that city fight for us to repel the invaders?"
"I already ordered one of my LR messengers to notify Vanhoover of Unicornia's presence before we left Ponyville." Daring Do replied, answering Rarity's question. "The moment we rallied the LR forces at Vanhoover, we'll order the citizens residing there to evacuate to the Smoky Mountains, while we set up makeshift defenses all over the city. Are you with us, Rarity?"
"Yes, I am." Rarity replied.
"Good." Daring Do acknowledged before turning her attention to Lyra and Bon Bon. "As for the two of you, after we stood our ground at Vanhoover, I want you both to take a detachment of LR soldiers with you to setup a secret base nearby Manehattan."
"Understood." Bon Bon replied as she saluted Daring Do with her right hoof. "From now on, just call me Agent Sweetie Drops because it is my alias whenever I'm sent on dangerous missions that'll determine the fate of Equestria."
"Glad to hear, Agent Sweetie Drops." Daring Do responded to the tan earth pony mare. "Now then, any questions?"
After one minute of silence, Daring Do concluded that every pony in the group will now proceed to carry out the mission in fighting against the invaders during the civil war in Equestria. The moment Sweetie Drops, Lyra, and Sweetie Belle all fell asleep, Daring Do went out to the balcony of her house to keep watch for any pony sneaking around. As for Rarity, she went to a secluded room and stared straight up into the clear blue night sky, thinking about what has ever become of the rest of the Element Bearers of Harmony. Despite them being one big team, Rarity is still afraid that without Twilight, they may not survive in this upcoming war. When Rarity went to sleep in one of the beds inside Daring Do's house, she stared straight up at the ceiling, thinking about her true love and her most supportive friend, Spike the Dragon.
"I'm just glad my dear Spikey-Wikey wasn't here to see Ponyville go up in flames." Rarity said to herself before closing her eyes and going to sleep.
Meanwhile at the docks of Baltimare, two unidentified pirate ships appeared on the horizon. In front of it, there were several galleons opening fire upon the city of Baltimare. The moment they got closer, a blue elder dragon appeared on the ship's deck with several of his members forming up in two straight lines and saluted to the elder dragon. The elder dragon goes by the name Marc, who is the leader of the Red Lightings Guild. Behind him, there is a purple teenage dragon with green scales. As the purple dragon went out on deck, a red adult phoenix is seen perched on the dragon's right shoulder. As soon as Marc turned around to face the teenage dragon, he spoke to him a question that helped bring his memory back.
"So Spike, did'ja miss living in Equestria, ye?!" Marc asked as he sees the purple dragon approach him while on the deck of his ship.
"Yes and No!!" Spike said in an oxymoron state. "I mean, I wish I could stand up for my mother when I had the chance. But because I was still young at the time, I never had the strength to do so. I'm sure mom is still watching me from the Esylium from above. Well, despite how much training you gave me when I first joined the Red Lightings Guild, I still miss my friends very much; the one pony that I miss the most is none other than my dear, sweet Rarity. I hope she's doing okay."
"Well, since this is used to be your home Spike, we'll let you make the call." Marc spoke to the purple dragon. "Since yer not in Erebus anymore, you already owed me enough because I'm an old dragon now and as soon as we reached the shores of Equestria, you will be in charge of the Red Lightings Guild from here on out."
"Are you sure, Marc?" Spike asked.
"Yes, since ye helped Aquilina and several of me laddies stay alive during most of our missions and that ya helped us restore order at de Isles of Erebrus, I think dis is time for you to lead us on, without me." Marc spoke in a wheezing tone. "I shalt have nay regrets for letting ya get dis very far in our Guild, young man. It's already been 8 years since ya joined me guild and now it's time for ya to return home to fix up Equestria."
"Thank you, Marc." Spike said acknowledging Marc's praise. "I'll never forget you, sir."
"Good, now git ya ass off this ship along with the rest of ye." Marc ordered to Spike and the rest of the Guild. "I'll hold er vile whipper snappers here, ya!!!"
As Spike and the rest of the Red Lightings Guild went on another ship, adjacent to Marc's ship, Marc steered his ship towards one of the Unicornian Vessels from behind, as he lit up a dynamite in his right claw. Underneath the deck of Marc's ship, there were barrels filled with explosives and gunpowder all over the mess hall and in the storage area. By the time their Captain turned around, it was too late. Marc's ship crashed straight into the Unicornian's vessel by its stern. As soon as Marc threw his lit up dynamite below the deck, he uttered his final words before meeting his maker.
"It's been an honor serve de Red Lightings Guild, ye!!! ALL HAIL THEE MARY!!!" Marc chuckled to himself out loud as the resulting explosion silenced him forever.
From Spike's ship, he sees the Marc's ship blow up and took down one of the Unicornian vessels, in which attracted the other three Unicornian Vessels. Upon seeing his master leave this world, Spike and the rest of the remaining Guild members saluted to bid farewell to Marc before accepting Spike's leadership amongst the Red Lightings Guild. Unknown to the rest of the guild members, Spike lets down a tear from his eye, remembering how heart-broken he felt when losing Marc the way he lost his mother. Undiscouraged by such sacrifices, Spike decided to move on since he's not a baby dragon anymore; he's a teenage dragon warrior who will do anything to avenge his adopted mother by any means necessary. The moment Spike took the helm, he issued the first following orders to his fellow guild members.
"Red Lightings, prepare to land at Baltimare!!" Spike announced to his fellow guild members as he steered his ship towards a clearing away from the enemy fleet. "This will be an fight for our lives!!!"
As Spike's ship headed straight towards the docks of Baltimare, Spike prayed to himself that he will see the rest of his friends again before going after the evil nobles that are attempting to take over Equestria by storm.
"I'm coming, my dear sweet Lady Rarity!!!" Spike muttered to himself as he and his guild members proceeded forward into enemy territory.
After getting separated from the rest of the Mane 5, Rainbow Dash immediately flew as fast as a speeding bullet towards the orphanage in Ponyville. Upon arriving at the orphanage, Rainbow sees Scootaloo out in the open trying to see what was going on when the invading airships started bombarding Ponyville in their wake. Before the little brown pegasus filly could say anything, she was scooped up by her elder surrogate sister and inspiring patron, Rainbow Dash.
"Rainbow, what's going on here??" Scootaloo asked while still confused.
"Sorry kid, but some bucking ruffians started attacking Ponyville out of the blue." Rainbow explained briefly. "Other than that, I saw some distant explosions and smoke coming from Canterlot, in which wasn't a good sign."
"What do we do, Rainbow??" Scootaloo asked while trembling in fright about what's going to happen to her.
"Well, we do need to make sure my parents are still safe at Cloudsdale, find somewhere safe to hide, and find a way to make contact with our other friends." Rainbow Dash said while suggesting a plan to herself.
While Rainbow was carrying Scootaloo on her back, they both see the invaders torching the buildings and capturing the citizens all around Ponyville from below their position. Upon seeing such madness and mayhem unfold before her very eyes, Scootaloo is starting to worry about her friends Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle and what will become of their fate right now. The moment the two pegasi reached Cloudsdale, they're relieved to see the city still intact. However, Rainbow is starting to get the feeling that it will be a matter of time before the invaders will reach to Cloudsdale and will do to the city what they did to Ponyville. Not wanting to waste anytime before the destructive chaos erupts, Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo flew straight towards the light-blue pegasus' birth place. As soon as they arrived, Rainbow knocked on the door several times to get a response from her parents.
"Mom!! Dad!! Are you guys still in there?!" Rainbow Dash asked while announcing her presence. "It's me, Rainbow Dash. I need to speak with you guys now; it's urgent!!!"
Unfortunately, after waiting for two minutes, Rainbow Dash is starting to suspect that something isn't right here. Not wanting to wait any more for a response, Rainbow kicked down the doors with her front hooves. The moment she and Scootaloo entered the home of Rainbow Dash's parents, their eyes widened with fear. It turns out that Rainbow's parents are being held hostage by a Female Grey Pegasus commanding officer and 5 of her pegasus soldiers. Before Rainbow could do any thing, the Pegasus warrior held her father, Bow Hothoof, by the throat with a small knife, while her soldiers hold Rainbow's mother, Windy Whistles, with their spears.
"Hello, Rainbow Dash!!" The grey pegasus soldier smirked. "You didn't really think I'd know where your parents live do you?! Well guess what, you're not warning any pony about anything!!!"
"Black Scythe, what is the meaning of this??" Rainbow shrieked, unable to figure out on how to save her parents from that pegasus maniac. "What do you want???"
"Well, the answer is simple. You have all of Cloudsdale surrender to Unicornia or you can see your parents die before your very eyes." Black Scythe said, threatening the lives of Rainbow Dash's parents. "It's your choice, Rainbow Crash."
"You can't do this to me, Black Scythe!!" Rainbow Dash protested. "You were one of the best Pegasi guards in Equestria."
"That was only part of the plan that me and Amadeus both went through." Black Scythe snickered. "He sent me down here to infiltrate Cloudsdale until the main force of Unicornia will launch their attack upon Canterlot and Ponyville. I also have some of my other men proceed through the city of Cloudsdale while undercover. Soon, this city will belong to the Unicornian Kingdom. It won't matter how hard or how fast you'll try to fight all of this out, we'll still prevail and you and the rest of the False Element Bearers of Harmony will bow before our new Queen!!!"
Behind Rainbow Dash, she grabbed a nearby Wonderbolts smoke bomb with her left hoof when she got close to a nearby bookshelf. As Rainbow got the smoke bomb in her hooves, Black Scythe still continued with her speech, unaware of what Rainbow will do next.
"As soon as all of Equestria belongs to the Kingdom of Unicornia, you may not have any more chances but to surrender and join our cause to help create the New Order brought by Queen Majesty herself." Black Scythe cackled in a evil tone of voice.
"I got news for you, Black Scythe." Rainbow Dash smirked. "Why don't you go CREATE THIS??!!!"
After Rainbow Dash roared out loud, she hurled the smoke grenade at Black Scythe and her minions. Upon impact, a huge smoke screen filled up the entire building of Rainbow's birth place. While under the smoke, Scythe was coughing hoarsely, unable to hold onto Rainbow's dad any longer, while her minions were unable to watch over Rainbow's mother. In the midst of the smoke screen, Rainbow and Scootaloo immediately got Rainbow's parents out of their home before the smoke disappeared. As soon as the smoke disappeared, Black Scythe realized that Rainbow's parents are gone, along with her and the little brown pegasus filly. Enraged for letting her guard down, Scythe issued immediate orders to her men.
"GO AFTER THEM, YOU FOOLS!!!" Black Scythe roared while bellowing orders to her men. "I WANT RAINBOW DASH AND HER FAMILY CAPTURED IMMEDIATELY!!!!!"
Without saying another word, Black Scythe's men took off immediately and spread out all over Cloudsdale to find the four pegasus. At the town square, the P.A announced that there has been an incursion occurring at Canterlot and ordered all citizens of Cloudsdale to evacuate the area. As soon as every pegasus mare and colt lined up at the evacuation checkpoint, a platoon of pegasus royal guards were stationed outside, keeping a close eye on every pony that is trying to leave the area unharmed.
On the other side of the evacuating crowd, Fluttershy and Discord scoured around the checkpoint to find Fluttershy's parents. After searching for several minutes, the yellow pegasus and the draconneques weren't able to find them anywhere. Before they can continue with their search, Rainbow Dash, her parents, and Scootaloo appeared before them, sweating in horror. Upon seeing them in a panicked state, Fluttershy couldn't help but what just happened to them.
"Rainbow Dash, what are you doing here?!" Fluttershy asked her pegasus friend. "Is something wrong?!"
"Fluttershy! Discord! You both have to leave Cloudsdale at once!!" Rainbow Dash spoke while under a state of panic.
"Why?? I still haven't found my parents yet." Fluttershy protested.
"THERE'S NO TIME!!!" Rainbow shrieked. "Those filthy nobles have already reached Cloudsdale and are preparing to......"
Before Rainbow Dash could say anymore to Fluttershy, the five pegasi and the draconneques heard very loud screams echoing throughout the city of Cloudsdale, mostly coming from the evacuation area. As soon as they were able to see what was going on, they all see pegasus ponies screaming as they were running for their lives, while some are trying to fly out of the city. Unfortunately, some of the pegasi were getting butchered up by Black Scythe's men, while others were ensnared by the nets that Scythe's men were throwing from above. On the eve of such mayhem, innocent pegasi blood has been split upon the streets of Cloudsdale. To make matters worse, some of the Royal Pegasus guards were killed immediately before they even had a chance to react, likely by some of the guards that were working for Black Scythe as undercover agents.
"OH NO, WHAT IS HAPPENING???" Fluttershy shrieked as she and the rest of the Pegasi hid behind a nearby a building on their right.
"Buck!!! They're not real Guards!!!" Discord said, as his eyes widened in a state of panic. "I know that killing ponies isn't good for being chaotic, but since they're not showing any mercy, I'll have no choice but to make an exception. Rainbow Dash, help me out here!!!"
"I'm on it!!!!" Rainbow Dash responded as she snarled at the oncoming invaders at Cloudsdale.
As one of Black Scythe's men approach the group from behind, Discord turned around and shot out a plunder vine and impaled him, killing him immediately. The next thing Discord did was summon a squad of flying pigs and ordered them to perform a pig charge at Scythe's men, sending most of them flying upon impact. When several more of Black Scythe's men turned their attention towards the group, Rainbow Dash grabbed a nearby spear from one of the dead guards and zoomed right past them, jabbing spear thrusts at them in a very fast repetition. While distracted by his flying pigs, Discord helped escort Rainbow's parents, Fluttershy, and Scootaloo get on board a nearby hot air balloon to evacuate the destructive chaos in Cloudsdale. As soon as they all went on board the hot-air balloon, Rainbow held her ground against one of Scythe's guards that was pressing her down with his sword right on top of Rainbow's spear. After several seconds of struggling with her opponent, Rainbow crouched with her hind legs and sprung out from the floor, shoving the guard's sword away from his hooves and stabbed him from the top of his head with her spear. As she pulled the spear out from the guard's forehead, she sees most of the buildings bombarded by the very same airships that attacked Ponyville. Right behind the light-blue pegasus, she sees an airship appear from below the surface of Cloudsdale as a platoon of enemy pegasus guards kept pouring into the city like a swarm of army ants. Not wanting to stand around any longer, Rainbow drops her spear onto the ground and took off to the skies before heading towards the hot-air balloon that is holding Fluttershy, Discord, and her parents. However, by the time Rainbow reached her hoof to the basket of the hot-air balloon, she could feel something sharp impaling her left hind leg with blood squirting out of it. The moment Rainbow sees her leg penetrated, she screamed as loud as a banshee while being pulled back against her own will.
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" Rainbow screamed in pain as she felt her hoof getting impaled by some grappling harpoon coming from behind her.
"NO!!! RAINBOW DASH!!!" Both of her parents screamed as they, Scootaloo, and Fluttershy struggled to pull the light-blue pegasus onto their basket.
"You think that you fools can escape from us will you??" Black Scythe hissed as she held onto some sort of harpoon gun with her wings. "What are you going to do now, eh???"
Upon seeing what was going on, it turns out that Black Scythe appeared right behind Rainbow Dash and fired a harpoon gun with a rope attached to its spear, aiming at the light-blue pegasus in one of her hind legs. After the harpoon penetrated Rainbow's leg, Black turns the crank, which is attached to the harpoon gun's side, to pull Rainbow Dash in. As both Black and Rainbow's parents struggled to pull Dash to their side, the light-blue pegasus slowly started to lose consciousness, with her blood draining out from her body.
Just when Rainbow's parents are about to lose their grip on their daughter, Discord whistled to one of the flying pigs. Before Black could see what was coming, a flying pig rammed right into her stomach, making her let go of the harpoon gun. In an instant, Fluttershy flew out of the basket and tore out the harpoon with her teeth, freeing Rainbow's injured leg. After they got Rainbow onboard the basket, Fluttershy pulled onto the harness to drive the hot-air balloon away from Cloudsdale, but not before Rainbow Dash fell into the basket unconscious with blood still seeping from her wound. Before they were able to leave Cloudsdale, another airship appeared right in front of the hot-air balloon that the five pegasus and the Draconneques were in and blasted the balloon with one of its cannons. After it took heavy damage, the hot-air balloon started plummeted straight to the ground below Cloudsdale very fast like a falling meteorite, making every pony, except Rainbow Dash, on board scream their heads off in terror.
"DISCORD, DO SOMETHING!!!!!" Fluttershy shrieked in horror as she felt herself zeroing in straight into the ground while inside the damaged hot-air balloon.
But before Discord could do anything with his magic, he and the five pegasus immediately crashed their damaged hot-air balloon somewhere in the White Tail Woods 1,500 ft below Cloudsdale. Upon seeing the hot-air balloon crash somewhere in the forest below them, Black Scythe ordered some of her pegasus minions to investigate the wreckage and capture any survivors there.
It has been six years after Sunset learned about Princess Twilight's death back in Equestria. When Sunset Shimmer, a red-flame haired teenage girl, came by to see the statue at Canterlot High, she could not stop thinking about not being able to make amends with Twilight. As she approached the statue, Sunset turned around and sat on the ground and leaned on it with her back facing towards the wall of the statue. As she looked up to the sky, Sunset started crying in silent as tears came down from her eyes. Ever since Sunset Shimmer found out that Princess Twilight was killed, she's been watching over her hero, the Twilight in the world of Canterlot High, because she was afraid that someone out there will try to go after Twilight when entering into politics.
Throughout those six years, after Sunset graduated from Canterlot High, she helped Twilight enter college to study politics in order to help change the world, protecting it with Democratic reforms. As for Sunset, she went into the Marines to gain some good fighting techniques to help protect Twilight from anyone that is threatening to attack her out of protesting against her dreams of political change. Because she learned from her former mentor, Princess Celestia, that not every pony is taking Twilight's Reforms of Democracy for granted, Sunset doesn't want her Twilight to fall for the same horrible fate that her pony counterpart did. During her military training, not only did she learned how to use firearms, she also went under karate training with one of her drill sergeants and learned how to fight with a sword in various duels, learned various disarming techniques, and stealthy kills. As soon as Sunset gained an honorable discharge from the Marines that she was in, she went to stop by at her friends' favorite place to see how they're doing.
After checking up on her friends, Sunset decided to pay her respects one last time before moving on to check up on Twilight. Back to her present time, as she continued to stare up into the sky in tears, Sunset was wondering if Princess Twilight is still watching her from the heavens, enlightening her way towards the path of redemption. As the light shines on top of Sunset and the statue, a reflection of Sunset's pony form appeared behind her on the wall of the statue, while tearing up in silent sadness.
"Oh Princess Twilight, I wish you were still here for me." Sunset as to herself as she cried while covering up her face with both of her hands. "I'm so sorry, if only I was still able there to make it up to you when I still had the chance."
After sobbing for 30 minutes, her journal started vibrating, with red aura lighting up. As Sunset took out her journal, she read Princess Celestia's message, making her eyes widened with shock and fear. Upon reading her message, Sunset is starting to fear for the safety of her former mentor that was like a mother to her. After she closed her journal, Sunset wrote a note to let the rest of her friends, including her Twilight, that she'll be in Canterlot to do some errands with Princess Celestia and will not be back for awhile.
As Sunset took a deep breath, she packed up her belongings and armed herself with two revolvers, a two-handed Flamberge sword, and an semi-automatic assault rifle. When Sunset was done packing, she went through the portal leading back to Equestria. The moment Sunset came of the portal, she finds herself a unicorn pony once more. Before Sunset was able to proceed any further, the doors opened in front of her revealing the presence of Princess Celestia herself. After staring at each other for a few seconds, Sunset ran straight to her and hugged her while in tears, claiming that her mother-figure was alright.
"It seems that you already got my message, Sunset." Celestia proclaimed.
"Yes, I have." Sunset responded to the sun princess. "I don't understand, why would Unicornia be attacking Equestria for?? What did we ever do to them??? Why are they..... ???"
Before Sunset could say anymore, Celestia raised her hoof to demand utter silence. After that, Celestia makes her speech in front of the orange female unicorn.
"I know you still have a lot of questions you want to ask about the situation at hoof." Celestia said in theory. "But I'm afraid Princess Luna might be the one who can answer questions like that."
"I understand." Sunset said as she casted an illusion spell on the mirror gateway that she came out from.
In an instant, the gateway to Sunset's world disappeared blending in with the walls of the Canterlot Palace.
"Good work, Sunset Shimmer." Celestia said after seeing the mirror portal disappear. "Come this way, my dear. We've got work to do."
As the sun princess lead Sunset Shimmer outside of the palace, the orange unicorn sees most of the citizens of Canterlot proceed on to the airships at the evacuation area. For the rest of the city, there were Equestrian Guards running all over the place, trying to escort the civilians to the evacuation area, while some were scrambling for orders while heading out to the garrisons near the courtyard. Before Sunset could say anything, Princess Luna appeared before her and greeted the female unicorn up front. Upon seeing the dark-blue alicorn again, Sunset took a bow in front of Luna before she could ask what is going on in Canterlot right now.
"As you can see, Sunset Shimmer, everything that happened in Equestria before the civil war began, about how Twilight was killed, and how some of the nobles turned their backs on us, all of this was part of the plan done by the most ruthless and powerful Noble Families in Equestria, the Bluebloods." Luna explained. "Despite the fact that they were direct descendants of one of the most powerful and loyal knights of Equestria, Sir Augustus Blueblood, they have all degenerated into a bunch of sleazy, remorseless, greedy, merciless, power-hungry overlords!!! As of right now, they're lead by Amadeus Blueblood, the senior unicorn and the most ruthless noble heir to the Blueblood family."
"Amadeus Blueblood??" Sunset asked while under a state of shock. "I never heard of him before. If that's true, then how did he got the Kingdom of Unicornia to be on his side?!"
"Well, despite Princess Platinum's peace treaty, Amadeus planned to have his newborn daughter, Majesty Blueblood, proposed to offer a hoof in marriage to Unicornia's future ruler, King Dauphin." Luna explained. "By doing so, they gave the Bluebloods all rights to command the Armies of Unicornia at will. When I saw his dreams, Amadeus wished to create a so-called "Unity" to dominate and control all life in Equestria; one Unity to rule them all!!! When Majesty Blueblood gained the command to lead the armies of Unicornia in their midst, they spat on Princess Platinum's peaceful legacy. Of course, there were some Unicornian citizens and soldiers who protested against Princess Platinum's rule as well."
Upon hearing all of this, Sunset never felt even more horrified than ever before, not when she saw Princess Twilight inside the glass coffin, put under eternal sleep. After a few minutes of silence, Luna continued with what she learned about the Bluebloods.
"But no matter, I have dispatched another secret fighting force that will help us and the Armies of Equestria drive back the Unicornian Invaders in this civil war." Luna continued. "I called them 'The Lunar Republic!' They happened to be orphaned foals that I have raised until they reached up to their mid-teens and the most trusted soldiers from the Equestrian Army that I have recruited myself. When Bon-Bon, a.k.a Agent Sweetie Drops, successfully helped the Mane 6 captured the Bug Bear that escaped from Tartarus, I secretly gave her an offer to pursue her career by joining the Lunar Republic to continue to serve under the Equestrian Crown. After hearing about how Daring Do was able to successfully secured most of the exotic treasures and stashed them away into the Canterlot Museum, away from Dr. Caballeron and Ahuizotl, I decided to give her an opportunity where she can help save Equestria from the darkness that the Bluebloods are unleashing upon us. I also convinced her that by doing so, she'll be able to help A. K. Yearling write more stories revolving around the civil wars between the Equestrians and the Unicornians. As for Red Moon, she was one of the most well-accomplished warriors in Pegasus Guard ever to serve under the Lunar Republic. She was know to break the hearts of the enemies of Equestria with sheer force and gain 20 Honorable awards for serving and protecting our country from any invasion that came in our way. She even slain a score of dragons alone, and helped liberate the Griffon Kingdom from the insurgents that are threatening to overthrow their ruler residing there. I already sent Red Moon to notify all the L.R garrisons all around Equestria about this impeding attack. Hopefully, she'll report back to us if something happens outside of Canterlot."
"Wow, that must be a complete hoof-full." Sunset said in awe. "Well, I still wanted to help out anyway I can."
"Are you sure about this, Sunset?" Luna asked showing concern for the yellow-orange unicorn. "If you get involved in this war, you'll likely be facing a lot of dangerous situations from left and right."
"I don't care and besides, I still wanted to make it up to Princess Twilight whether or not she is there for me!!!" Sunset said while expressing their determination to redeem herself.
"By the way Sunset, where did you get that huge sword and that rifle from?" Celestia asked the female orange unicorn.
"After me and the other Twilight graduated from Canterlot High, I went into the Marines and gained some intense military training over firearms and melee weapons." Sunset Shimmer explained. "As soon as I honorably discharged from the Military, bought some firearms and a two-handed Flameberge sword from a nearby weapons store. Of course, I already showed them proof that I was honorably discharged from the service before purchasing both of them on the same day. I used the money that I received after I helped fight against the terrorists that threatened to tear their country apart three months after my military training. When you send me that distress message back at Canterlot, I brought these weapons with me just incase."
"I understand." Princess Celestia acknowledged. "Because we are in a civil war right now, I want to know if you are with us, Sunset Shimmer."
"Yes, I am." Sunset said as she stood up on all four hooves and saluted to Celestia without hesitation. "I'll do anything for you and for Princess Twilight. Just tell me what to do!!!!"
"Very well." Celestia responded before giving Sunset her first order on the battlefield. "Sunset Shimmer, you'll be helping Private Shell and Lord Fancy Pants defend the outer walls with everything you've got. But first, I need to see your sword before moving on."
Without giving it another thought, Sunset used her magic to lift the scabbard carrying her flamberge and presented it the to sun princess. In just an instant, Celestia grabbed the flamberge with her magic and lit up her horn, emitting a full bright light that made a huge blinding flash between the white alicorn and the orange unicorn. In an instant, the light disappeared as Celestia gave Sunset her sword back. Before Sunset could ask what did Celestia do, her Flamberge emitted a huge bright magical flame surrounding the blade in a spiral fashion. Upon seeing this, Sunset started at her sword with such amazement. It turns out that Celestia enchanted Sunset's blade with fire magic.
"Just remember to use the magic from your sword wisely." Celestia informed Sunset Shimmer before moving on.
"Thank you, Princess Celestia." Sunset Shimmer said as she saw the sun princess move on and issued orders to the rest of her fellow guard ponies.
After seeing Celestia disappeared back into the crowd, Luna escorted Sunset all the way to the battlements and up the outer walls before the night princess went back to her post. As soon as Sunset went up to the walls, she sees thousands of Unicornian troops stationed everywhere outside of Canterlot at every angle. Right behind them, there were tents setup, tall ladders lying on the ground, and several airships landing next to the battalions of Unicornian troops. When Sunset looked closer, she saw white banners and flags bearing the emblem of the Unicornian Kingdom. Upon seeing all of this, Sunset could not help but pray that she'll survive out on to the battlefield in the city of Canterlot.
As the Unicornian Paratroopers came crashing down onto the streets of Ponyville, Pinkie Pie runs into her colt friend Cheese Sandwich while running for their lives. While the two party ponies made their way down south, several more invaders appeared from the sky and attempted to restrain Pinkie and Cheese. However, they were able to walk all over the sky above them and dropped several party anvils on top of their heads before running right past them. Right behind the pink pony and the yellow earth pony, more invaders started to open fire with their magic and hurled spears at them. Not a moment too soon, the two earth ponies were able to dodge them all by stretching both wide and narrow, evading the two projectiles by mere inches away from their stretchable bodies. The moment Pinkie turned around, she took out her party cannon and blasted three invaders sky high with it as she fired several bowling balls that Pinkie grabbed from a nearby sporting goods store at the edge of Ponyville earlier. As soon as they left Ponyville, Pinkie spit out raspberries at the invaders before hopping away on a bright-red pogo stick!!!
"ADIDOS, YOU VILE SNAKES!!!!" Pinkie screeched as loud as a squeaking rat before hopping into the Ghastly Gorge, along with Cheese Sandwich who is riding on a green pogo stick.
However, the chase did not end there. An airship continued to chase the two earth ponies down the Ghastly Gorge until they were met by a nest of Quarray Eels. Before they saw what was coming, the huge red reptiles sprung out from their holes and started to tear their airship apart. After several of their crew members falling off their ship and devoured by the eels, the captain had no choice but to order his remaining crew to turn their ship around. As for Pinkie Pie and Cheese, they jumped off their pogo sticks and hopped right on top of the Quarry Eels, untouched. The moment the two earth ponies reached to the other side, away from the huge eels, they turned around to see their pursuers get obliterated along with their airship when one of the eels struck at its engines, making it explode in mid-air. Just when Pinkie and Cheese we're about to cheer, they see another enemy airship hot on their trail, flying way above the Ghastly Gorge. The moment the invading airship got closer, Cheese Sandwich pulled out his giant party cannon. As soon as Pinkie went inside the cannon, Cheese lit the fuse and aimed it at the airship. Inside the gun barrel, Pinkie could not help but feel so excited in punching through the ship's hull in a heartbeat.
"I'M SO EXCITE; WHO'S EXCITED?!!! AHHHH, I NEVER FELT SO EXCITED IN MY WHOLE LIFE!!!!" Pinkie screeched as she made a very wide grin on her face while putting on her blue helmet.
As soon as Cheese's cannon went "Boom," Pinkie came flying like a speeding bullet straight into the bridge of the enemy airship. In just less than a second, the pink pony crashed straight into the bridge causing quite a panic to most of the crew onboard, leaving their captain completely dumbfounded. Before the Captain could do anything, Pinkie slammed her head in front of his face, sending him crashing to the helm. Upon impact, the ship's helm broke apart and, as a result, the airship veered off course and flew straight into the mountains near Los Pegasus!!! As soon as the Captain and his remaining crew spotted their ship heading straight towards the mountains, instead of going after the two party ponies, they all started screamed their heads off not knowing what to do anymore. For Pinkie Pie, she snatched a nearby parachute and went back out to where she came crashing from but not before making one final speech in front of her enemies.
"Have a nice trip, losers!!!" Pinkie chirped as she left them a smack in her flank, taunting them before she jumped off the ship. "HEE! HEE! HEE! HEE! HEE! HEE!"
The moment the pink pony pulled out her parachute and landed back where Cheese Sandwich was at, the captain ran all over the deck in a total panic.
"CURSE YOU, PINK PONIEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!" The Captain shrieked as his airship crashed into the mountains, with the explosion silencing him forever.
Upon seeing the airship exploded on the mountains near Los Pegasus, Pinkie and Cheese both cheered as they moved on towards the Rock Farm, Pinkie Pie's birthplace. As soon as they got there, Pinkie knocked on the door of her father's house. As soon as the door opened, Pinkie's father, Igneous Rock, and her mother, Cloudy Quartz, appeared before the pink pony. Upon seeing their hyperactive daughter again, the Pie Family was wondering why would Pinkie Pie and Cheese appear so early in the morning. Before any pony could ask what was going on, Pinkie makes her first speech first.
"Mom. Dad. I have some very bad news." Pinkie announced to her parents as her two younger sisters, Limestone and Marble Pie, appear right behind them, with Marble's son Shale Pie. "An attack at Ponyville has occurred and I want to make sure you guys are safe."
Upon hearing what Pinkie just said, the entire Pie family was completely shocked.
"How could you say that, dearie?" Cloudy Quartz asked not getting the full picture from Pinkie.
"This morning, when we went to Twilight's Castle to pay our respects for her, a fleet of airships appeared out of nowhere in the skies above Ponyville." Pinkie explained. "At first, we thought they were hear for a welcoming party but it turns out that they ended up crashing our party without mercy or remorse."
"Are you sure? You're not going crazy, are you Pinkie Pie??" Igneous Rock asked, concerning for Pinkie's mental health.
"NO, I'm serious, dad." Pinkie persisted as she pointed her hoof towards the window leading outside. "Look outside!!!"
As soon as the rest of the Pie Family went up to the windows, they saw several unidentified airships heading straight for them. Upon seeing the invaders from afar, Cloudy started to feel very worried for the safety of their family. Even the two sisters were afraid of what's going to happen next when the invaders reach their beloved Rock Farm.
"Igneous, what should we do??" Cloudy asked her husband while trembling in fear.
"Get everypony down below the cellar, now!!!" Igneous Rock spoke to his wife.
When Cloudy lead Pinkie, Cheese, Shale, and the rest of Pinkie's siblings down the cellar, Igneous stood on all fours and faced the front door of his house. After the rest of the Pie Family went underneath the cellar, Igneous looked out the window again, only to see a regiment of Unicornian soldiers disembark from their airships. Before Igneous could do anything, the soldiers reached up to his doorstep and demanded him to come out with his hooves up. As soon as Igneous came out, he was immediately knocked down to the ground by one of the soldiers from behind. Before he could get up, Igneous was immediately restrained by the invaders. Behind the invading soldiers, Amadeus Blueblood and Captain Blood Harrier appeared before them. The moment Igneous saw the face of the vile nobles that defiled his daughter, Marble Pie, he struggled to get back at Amadeus. However, because of how strong his soldiers are, Igneous could not even lay a hoof on him and, instead took another beating from Captain Harrier. The moment, they stopped punching Igneous, one of the soldiers grabbed him by his mane before being spoken to Amadeus.
"Hello, Igneous Rock Pie." Amadeus smirked. "It seems you have quite a fascinating farm here, eh?? The reason why were here is because we need received word from one of my son's scouts that you and your family possess an abundant supply of Orichalcum, deep within your mines. Is that true?"
"Why does it matter?? You'll never get anything from me, you bastard!!!" Igneous protested as he was met with a hoof-punch to the face by Amadeus himself. "I'd rather die, than lose my faith towards the legacy of Princess Twilight herself!!!"
"DON'T TEST MY PATIENCE, MISTER ROCK!!!" Amadeus roared in a hostile voice. "That Orichalcum will be used as income and for forging and developing weapons for the Army of Unicornia. If my son was able to find the Orichalcum to do away that wretched harlot, then so can I. Now, WHERE IS IT?!!!!"
"BUCK YOU, BLUEBLOOD!!!!" Igneous snarled while getting battered by several more punches in the face and in the stomach.
After one minute of beating, Igneous started to lose consciousness. Before they knew it, the dark-brown elder earth pony collapsed on the ground, with his mouth bleeding and his eyes turning black and bruised. Upon seeing Igneous out cold, Lt. Harrier issues out the following orders to the rest of his men.
"Unicornians, spread out and sweep the entire Rock Farm. We need to find the Orichalcum mines at once!!!!" Blood Harrier shouted while giving out orders to his men.
As Harrier's men spread out all over the Rock Farm, some of them stormed inside the Pie Family residence and knocked down every bookshelf and table they see in their sights. From the cellar, the Marble and Limestone felt terrified upon seeing the invaders trash the entire place like there's no tomorrow. Upon seeing her husband getting beaten up by Amadeus' and Blood Harrier's men, Cloudy Quartz started crying silently in tears with Pinkie and Shale comforting her.
"Oh, Faust!!! Please save us!!!" Cloudy sobbed to herself.
While Harrier's men continued looting the Pie residence, he and Amadeus took an unconscious Igneous Rock to the silo and strapped him on a chair with black duct tape wrapped around his beaten body. The moment Amadeus left the silo, he let Harrier deal with Igneous Rock.
"Alright every pony. Let's see if we can get one of his daughters up here to make Igneous spill the beans, shall we?" Amadeus said in a dark tone.
Meanwhile, back at the Ghasty Gorge, an grey earth pony with the dark-purple mane and tail, who is wearing an indigo trench coat covering up most of her body. She goes by the name Maud Pie, the elder daughter and Pinkie's elder sister in the Pie family. After studying over 5 types of gemstones inside one of the Crystal Caves at Ghastly Gorge, Maud decides to go get some fresh air. However, the moment Maud went outside, she spotted some unidentified airships that landed right where her father's rock farm was at.
"I don't recall seeing ships nearby our home." Maud said to herself. "Something doesn't seem right here."
The moment Maud headed back to the rock farm to investigate, she put on her spiked helmet and armed herself with a sledgehammer. As soon as she reached the rock farm, Maud spotted a group of unidentified soldiers looting her father's house. In a silent rage, Maud charged straight at the soldiers in a very fast pace and bashed several of them away with her sledgehammer. The moment Harrier and Amadeus saw what was going on, Harrier jumped into action and attempted to neutralize Maud at will. As soon as Harrier drew out his sword, he performed a parry to block Maud's sledgehammer from coming into contact with his skull.
"What is the meaning of this??" Maud hissed. "What did you guys do to my family??"
Before Maud could say another word, Harrier shoved her sledgehammer away from his face and ensnared the grey earth pony with his blood magic, trapping her inside a huge red cage. Maud continued to bang on the cage with multiple barrages of her punches. However, despite her physical efforts, Maud could feel Harrier's blood magic draining away her strength. As soon as Maud became exhausted, Harrier took her to the silo, where her father is being held. As soon as Maud saw her father strapped to a chair with duct tape, Maud's eyes widened with fright.
"No!! Father!!!" Maud said in horror. "What did you snakes do to him??"
"We were trying to make him tell us where is the Orichalcum but he was quite a stubborn old colt, if you ask me." Amadeus Blueblood said as he appeared behind Maud. "Now, if you don't want to see your father die, then tell us WHERE IS THE BLOODY ORICHALCUM??!! I DON'T HAVE ALL DAY, MAUD PIE!!!!"
Just before Maud could say anything, one of Amadeus' guards came up to him and told him that the Orichalcum deposits are in the small caves behind the Pie residence. Upon hearing what his guard just said, Amadeus ran straight towards the caves that his guard was talking about. The moment he saw the Orichalcum appear before his very eyes, he started to get really excited.
"Oh, Sir Blueblood be praised!!!" Amadeus cheered to himself. "I knew I'll be able to find that metal very soon, without fail."
Back inside the Pie residence, Pinkie and her family were still hiding underneath the cellar. Just when the soldiers are about to leave, one of Pinkie's elder sisters sneezed all over the wooden floor in the cellar. After hearing it, the Unicornian soldiers went to investigate Igneous house again only to find a trap door leading to the cellar. The moment one of the soldiers stepped down the stairs leading to the cellar, Pinkie grabbed him by the neck and slammed him on the floor and smashed his face with a huge rock. During the confusion, Pinkie's sisters, Shale, and Cloudy tried to make a run for it out the door. However, the moment the rest of Pinkie's family stepped outside of their house, they were met by a large group of Harrier's men pointing their spears directly at them. As for Pinkie and Cheese, they were met by a destructive Blood Harrier. Before Pinkie and Cheese had a chance to react, they were met by a red-lighting flash that sent both of them out cold. Upon seeing the two earth ponies get carried away by Blood Harrier, Cloudy Quartz screamed in terror.
Before the rest of Pinkie's family could do anything, Limestone, Marble, Shale, and Cloudy had their hooves tied up with small hooded cloths covering up their heads, immediately.
Just when Applejack ran all the way back to the Apple Farm at the start of the attack on Ponyville, she saw her Apple Family already fighting against the invaders with everything they've got. She saw her big brother Big Mac smashing his hooves on most of the invading paratroopers, breaking their skulls with ease and bashing them with his shovel. As for Apple Bloom and Granny Smith, they took out a catapult from their barn and started to launch apple pies at the invaders. Not wanting to let the rest of her family have all the glory, Applejack jumped into action and bucked most of the invaders that got in her way, with both of her hind hooves. One invader tried to attack the orange farm pony from above with his spear. However, Applejack leaned back, evading the invader's spear thrust and punched him in the groin, making him fall on his back. The next thing the invader saw was that he was met with a stomp in the face by Applejack. After taking down one invader, three more appeared from the sky. Before they closed in onto Applejack, Big Mac jumped in their way and slammed one of them with his shovel, sending him flying into a nearby building back at Ponyville from a mile away. The moment he saw Applejack, Big Mac handed her over a pitchfork. Not wanting to wait until the last minute, Applejack grabbed the pitchfork with her hooves and continued to fight against the invaders.
"Applejack, do you've got any plans on how to escape this mayhem??" Apple Bloom asked her big sister.
"We're just gonna have ta fight our way out of Ponyville, y'all!!!" Applejack suggested to her little sister. "Big Mac, take us outta here!!!"
"EEYUP!!!" Big Mac responded in a positive tone as he ran into the barn and put on a harness that's attached to a nearby wagon.
When Apple Bloom and Granny Smith left their catapult behind, Big Mac took out one of the wagons from the tool shed next to their barn and galloped away from the Apple Farm, with Apple Bloom and Granny Smith riding on top of the wagon and Applejack escorting the three Apples all the way out of Ponyville. During their escape, more enemy paratroopers came down from the sky, jumping off from their airships, and continued to attack the Apple Family head-on. Without hesitation, Applejack bucked several more of the invading paratroopers and stabbed a few of them with her pitchfork while helping her family escape their doom. Behind them, the Unicornian soldiers appeared and started to chase after them as they unleashed several volleys of their magic blasts at the Apples. As they saw the invaders opening fire upon them from behind, Granny and Apple Bloom ducked down inside the wagon as they tried to evade getting shot at. Out of retaliation, Granny Smith hurled a couple of Apple Cherry bombs at the invaders. The moment the bombs exploded in front of their hooves, the invaders were sent flying backwards while others had their limbs blown off from their bodies, resulting in a bloody mess as they squirmed on the ground in excruciating pain. While running through Ponyville, the Apples still see innocent ponies get captured or blasted apart by the invaders for their incompetence. Not wanting to see any more of these horrors in Ponyville, Applejack ordered her brother to head down south towards Appleloosa.
After giving chase for half an hour, the Apples finally lose the invaders. However, Applejack noticed that the sun is about to set by the time they'll reach Appleloosa. The moment Applejack got tired from all the running away from Ponyville, she jumped up on the wagon that Big Mac was hauling and took a breather. As they made their trek towards south of Ponyville, Apple Bloom and Granny Smith are both starting to feel totally shaken after escaping from the invaders at the Apple Farm.
"Hey, Applejack, just who are those guys that tried to attack us, ah?" Apple Bloom asked while trembling in fear.
"I'm not sure, sugarcube." Applejack denied. "Well whoever those bucking snobs are, we can't let them git very far like dat!!! We have ta warn the residents of Appleloosa and Dodge City of this impeding threat. Big Mac, take us to Appleloosa!!!"
"EEYUP!!!" Big Mac responded to Applejack's request.
Without hesitation, Big Mac galloped as fast as he could while hauling the rest of the Apple Family down the road towards Appleloosa. Along the way, Applejack could not help but worry about the safety of the rest of the other Apples from the rest of the town's and cities outside of Ponyville. As a matter, Applejack could not say for sure of when she'll be seeing the rest of her friends again. Deep down, the farm pony mare feared that Applejack might lose her friends the most, the way she lost Princess Twilight Sparkle. Hopefully, whether or not Twilight is still here, the other Princesses of Equestria may try to find a way to drive this invasion in this catastrophic event, or so Applejack.
Upon reaching Appleloosa at nightfall, the Apple Family went to a nearby Inn to stay at. After they found a room to sleep in, Applejack looked up to the night sky, thinking about what will ever become of her friends, now that they're separated. Because they're the Element bearers of Harmony, a part of Applejack is telling her that they will not give in without a fight, while a part of her is questioning on how long is she and the others are going to survive out there without each other by their side. Since Twilight isn't there for her or for the rest of the Mane 5, Applejack isn't sure how will they drive away the invaders when they're separated from each other.
"Oh, Twi." Applejack muttered to herself in tears coming out of her eyes, with her holding her hat onto her chest. "If only you were still there for us, I'm sure we'll be able to stop those scoundrels while we're in a team."
After staring at night sky for several more minutes, Applejack finally went to bed to clear up immediate thoughts over everything that happened since this morning.
When morning came, the Apple Family received the latest news headlines from the Foal Free press. Upon reading what it said on the newspaper, most of the citizens of Appleloosa were trembling in fear of what will ever become of their country. Not wanting to stand around and wait for a miracle, Applejack went to the Sheriff's office to discuss on what should we do about this. Before any pony could say anything, Applejack came out of the Sheriff's office and decided to take a stand alongside the Sheriff Silverstar of Appleloosa himself.
"All right, ev'ry pony. Ya all wondering why we're gathered here today when facing a crisis, such as a civil war, ah!!" Applejack announced while on top of the podium. "Ya ain't gonna like this y'all, but Ponyville has fallen to the invaders. Me and ma family had no choice but to leave sweet Apple acres immediately upon their arrival. De inhabitants are presumed captured, along with their Mayor."
Upon hearing Applejack's speech, the entire crowd started muttering in fear of what will become of their beloved town of Appleloosa. They also feared, that whoever those Invaders are, they might get attacked in Appleloosa with no hope for survival. Even the elder ponies were under a state of panic. Before any pony could say anything, Applejack continued with her speech in front of the Sheriff's office.
"Ah ain't gonna stand around and wait for a foolish miracle to unfold; I'm going to stand my ground here, along with the Sheriff and his men. When he learned about yesterday's invasion, the Sheriff and I had a talk about what we're going to do. Since he knows me really well about how me and ma friends helped save Appleloosa from the Buffalo Tribe and that we helped them reach an agreement to end the conflict between ponies and buffalos, he decided to pay me back by helping me defend dis err town. Those who want to fight alongside us, feel free to join. If not, we'll help y'all evacuate to Dodge City. Also, one of the Sheriff's men has sent word to our Buffalo allies of Chief Thunderhoove's tribe to request reinforcements. We'll hold the invaders off here as long as we can, while buying time for the rest of the fillies, mares, and colts escape to Dodge City. WHO'S WITH ME?!!!!"
After giving it some thought, most of the young earth ponies reacted with a positive response, claiming that since Appleloosa is their home, they do not wish to let it fall under enemy hooves. So, they all scattered around the town and grabbed everything that they could use as a weapon, such as saws, hammers, pitchforks, shovels, swords, spears, bows and arrows, and metal chains. As most of people of Appleloosa armed themselves, Sheriff Silverstar and his men armed themselves with spiked maces and tower shields. Before Applejack had chance to move on, Silverstar came up from behind with a question of his own.
"So Applejack, are you sure that the rest of your friends will not be able to help you defend Appleloosa from them like they did when Thunderhooves' tribe attacked our town?" Silverstar asked. "I mean, I know you and your friends are trying to recover your losses from hearing about how your Princess friend, Twilight Sparkle, met her untimely demise."
"Sliverstar, my other friends have to make sure their families are safe first. So, I can't say for sure of when they'll be back to help me out." Applejack responded in a solemn tone. "Even though losing Princess Twilight has resulted in a very deep wound that cannot heal, Big Mac told me that because were family, we'll always stick together no matter how grim the situation at hoof is; it was during the time when I was working my flank off and that I couldn't stop thinking about Twi when I saw her in that glass coffin back at Canterlot. Despite this, I still have to stay strong for my friends and my family."
"I see." Silverstar acknowledged Applejack's loss. "If it were up to me dealing with that horrible Blueblood, I would've had him face the guillotine here in Appleloosa and send his head straight towards his family's doorstep!!!"
"Those racist buckers may have taken Ponyville, but THEY CAN'T TAKE OUR FREEDOM!!!" Applejack roared in a furious war cry. "I'll smash every one of those buckers if it's the last thing ah do!!!"
At the evacuation area, Applejack sees the ponies of Appleloosa who couldn't fight get on board the stagecoaches before heading to Dodge City. As they went on their stagecoaches, some bid farewell to their loved ones before heading out, while some let their tears come out of their eyes, assuming that they'll won't see their families again in the civil war. For the little fillies, they said goodbye to their mothers and fathers before getting onboard with their senior relatives. After several hours of evacuation, most of the ponies that can't fight were already gone, except for Applejack's family. As she and Big Mac prepare for the upcoming battle at Appleloosa, they went in for a group hug with Apple Bloom and Granny Smith. Before they left their elder sister and elder brother to defend Appleloosa, Apple Bloom makes one final speech for the both of them.
"Applejack. Big Mac." Apple Bloom sniffed. "P-Please be safe out there!!!"
As Apple Bloom started crying, Applejack comforted her little sister one last time.
"Ya know I will, sugarcube." Applejack said to Apple Bloom, as she let one more tear fall out of her eye before releasing her sister from her embrace. "Just remember to do what Granny Smith says from now on."
"Thank you, Applejack." Apple Bloom replied as she wiped her tears away from her face before getting onboard the last stagecoach with Granny Smith.
After they see Granny and Apple Bloom disappear into the desert, along with their stagecoach, Applejack and Big Mac went back to the Appleloosa Town Square to setup the garrisons. During the deployment, Applejack and Big Mac helped setup some ambush points all over the street, while Silverstar and his men trained the Appleloosa militants with various weapons. As for Applejack, Silverstar gave her a set of weapons to use for combat, later on. Big Mac got himself a huge shovel to use whenever the invaders tried to go after him. As soon as they're done setting up the garrisons around Appleloosa, most of the militant inhabitants hid inside the buildings, leaving Applejack as live bait.
Throughout the night, they had one of the Changeling Republican Soldiers patrol outside of Appleloosa. Ever since Princess Twilight and Princess Cadence formed an allegiance with the Changelings after Queen Chrysalis' passing, they also setup shop nearby Appleloosa. At first, the citizens of Appleloosa were a little shaken upon letting the changelings live amongst them. However, after 5 years of accepting their vacancy, the Changeling were able to help rebuild and remodel most of Appleloosa without hesitation. As soon as they accepted their friendship with the Changeling Republic, they were able to bridge the gap between the them and the ponies in less than a month. As of right now, a score of Changeling Republican warriors decided to help Applejack defend Appleloosa from the invasion of Unicornia. In the morning, a C.R scout came back to Appleloosa after a 12-hour surveliance outside of the town. He goes by the name Hornet Scorpio who is a purple eyed changeling with dark-green insect-like wings. The moment Hornet met up with Applejack and Silverstar at the Inn, he makes a full report to the two earth ponies.
"So Hornet, anything to report?" Applejack asked the reformed Changeling.
"A battalion of Unicornian Troops have landed 2000 meters North of Appleloosa. They're lead by Lt. Commander Dark-Light with an army of 500 soldiers in his hooves." Hornet said as he reported his findings to Applejack. "They'll be here at noon."
"Alright then, get every pony and creature inside!!" Applejack ordered.
The moment he heeded Applejack's orders, Hornet lead his men inside the Inn, along with Big Mac and Silverstar. Applejack decided to head up to the top floor of the Clock tower to get a full view of the army that is preparing to attack Appleloosa. As soon as the farm pony mare went up the tower, Applejack took out a telescope from her saddlebag and aimed it to the North of her position. From her telescope, Applejack sees two rows of enemy troops marching towards Appleloosa, with one of them holding the banner of the Unicornian Kingdom. Upon seeing them from afar, Applejack felt shaken from the fact that she'll have to use her wits and her training that she received from Sheriff Silverstar in order to survive this onslaught. From her point of view, this happens to be one of the times where Applejack has to face her enemies without the help of her friends. The last this happened, was when the farm pony faced off a Chimera when it was chasing Apple Bloom all over the forest. Only this time, it won't be just one villain to deal with; Applejack will be facing a whole army of villains that will threaten to tear the land of Equestria apart during the civil war. As soon as she saw the Unicornian Army reached Appleloosa by 500 meters, Applejack came down from the Clock tower to meet them head on.
On the other side of Appleloosa, Lt. Commander Dark-Light, one of the Royal Knights of Unicornia, marched forward with an troupe of a three Elite Guards. He happens to be a dark-green male earth pony that has a dark-blue mane and tail. He bears the cutie mark of a Purple Fluorescent sphere. Behind him was his second-in-command, Marshal Gundawarg who is also an earth pony that has light-brown fur with a grey-white mane and tail and bears the cutie mark of the face of a howling wolf. Furthermore, Gundawarg happens to be one of the members of Dark-Light's Elite Guard. Upon seeing Appleloosa from a distance, Gundawarg spots the entire town completely deserted.
"It seems that we have no pony but one on sight." Gundawarg informed his superior officer. "Applejack, the Element of Honesty I presume."
"Don't let that sight fool you, Marshal!" Dark-Light replied in a stern voice. "Her Element of Honesty still comes into question even on to this very day. We have orders from Queen Majesty to bring Applejack in, dead or alive!!!"
"Orders, sir?!!" Gundawarg asked, while readying his icicle lance.
"Send in the infantry!! I want that farm pony taken down and restrained immediately!!!" Dark-Light said as he grunted out orders to Gundawarg.
The moment Gundawarg raised his hoof up high, the trumpets among the Unicornian Battalion blurted out, issuing the troops to advance into Appleloosa. Upon seeing the Unicornians come closer to Applejack, she took a deep gulp before proceeding to ambush them in the Appleloosa town square. At first, the two guards that came closer to Applejack assume that it's just going to be a cakewalk. However, just when Applejack raised her hooves above her head, something unpredictable occurred right in front of them. Applejack pulled out a small flail from behind her blond mane and struck at one of the guards in the face, sending him tumbling to the ground and out cold. Upon seeing this sudden surprise attack, the second guard took out his spear and attempted to thrust it at Applejack's leg. Unfortunately, the farm pony mare spin around, evading the sharp tip of the spear and broke it into a shower of splinters with her hind hooves. The second guard wasn't done yet, for he drew out his sword and charged at Applejack with all his might. As Applejack picked up a sword from the first downed guard, she blocked the second guard's attack and stabbed him in the chin with a sharp, hook-like branch. The moment the guard felt the pain coming from his jaw, blood squirt out from his mouth as he collapsed on the ground, dead in front of Applejack's hooves. The third guard came at Applejack's left and drew out his sword before attacking her. However, after parried the enemy guard's blade away from her face, Applejack made a clean horizontal sweep with her sword, cutting off the guard's right hind leg clean off from his body before he fell on his back while moaning in agonizing pain. Another guard drew out his sword and came charging straight at Applejack from her right as he roared in a belligerent voice. Unfortunately, Applejack threw her sword at the enemy guard, penetrating him in the chest as he fell onto his side before succumbing to his wounds.
As the fight between Applejack and the invaders continue, the Appleloosa Militants sprang out from their hiding places and attacked the Gundawarg's detachment from both left and right, catching most of them off guard. In most cases, the Unicornian guards were attacked from behind, with Silverstar and Big Mac popping out from the ground and broke a few of their heads with their shovels and sledgehammers. One guard up front lunged at Big Mac with his spear only to be met with punch to the face by the Red Earth Stallion's right hoof. Another guard that appeared on Big Mac's right and made an horizontal sweeping arc with his sword only for the red stallion to grab him by the neck and twisted it with just one motion. The third guard that attack Big Mac was met with a head butt and shoved straight into a nearby wooden stake, impaling the guard and killing him. As for Silverstar, he drew out a broadsword and performed a battle stance while raising his sword up to the left side of his face. The next thing the Sheriff did was slashed at the enemy guard's face, making his left cheek bleed while squirming on the ground in pain and was met with a finishing blow by getting stabbed in his back by the Sheriff's broadsword.
Upon seeing Applejack unarmed, the guard though he can take down the farm pony immediately. However, Applejack took out a Maul from a nearby haystack. The moment the guard see Applejack carrying the Maul with her hooves, he tried to make a run for it. Unfortunately, the guard didn't get very far as he was met by several bashes on the back by Applejack's Maul, screaming in pain. The moment the guard fell onto his stomach, Applejack smashed her Maul right on top of his head, finishing him off. As Applejack turned around, she was met by several sword strikes from another guard that appear right behind her, pinning the farm pony to the ground. After blocking the guard's sword several times, Big Mac appeared and struck the guard's back with a war ax, killing him immediately. The moment Applejack got up on her hooves again, she sees another guard charging straight at her and her big brother. Without further a due, Applejack tossed the Maul to the Red Earth Stallion. As soon as Big Mac caught the Maul with his teeth, he turned around and whacked the oncoming guard right across his head, knocking him to the ground, bleeding and unconscious.
For the rest of the Appleloosa militants, they fired upon the Unicorian soldiers with their bows and arrows, striking most of them in the head or in the neck, killing them. In less than an hour, Thunderhooves' Tribal Buffalo Warriors appeared right behind Lt. Commander Dark-Light's battalion. In an instant, a dozen more of Dark-Light's men were trampled to death by the Buffalos. Before Dark-Light could issue any more orders, he noticed that half of his men were quickly eliminated due to the fact that they were being overrun by the resistance of Appleloosa and Thunderhooves' warriors. Not wanting to stand around any longer, Dark-Light makes his final order on the battlefield.
"EVERY PONY, RETREAT!!!!" Dark-Light shrieked in fear for his life. "FALL BACK TO PONYVILLE!!!!"
The moment the rest of his men heard the Lt. Commander's orders, the Unicornian Warriors immediately fled with their lives. However, even though most of Dark-Light's men fell back into the Everfree Forest, Gundawarg wasn't lucky enough to escape Applejack's wrath. After killing a couple of Appleloosa militants with his long, black sword, the Unicornian Marshal realized that he lost too many of his men in less than an hour of fighting. Upon seeing the farm pony's terrible rage before him, Gundawarg started to sweat out of fear as he dropped his sword and made a run for it. Behind Gundawarg, Applejack chased him all the way inside the Inn where he was cornered by the raging farm pony. As soon as Applejack came up close to Gundawarg, she stood there in silence while her fellow militia ponies came up from behind and raised their long-shafted weapons at the back of the enemy Marshal. After a few minutes of silence, they dragged Gundawarg all the way to the guillotine at the Appleloosa town square. Despite his pleadings, they forced Gundawarg to put his head on top of the chopping block, preparing to be executed by Sheriff Silverstar himself. However, Silverstar decided to let Applejack do the honors because he could tell that deep down, the farm pony wishes to fight for freedom in order to avenge Twilight Sparkle. Without hesitation, Applejack cuts off the rope that was holding onto the blade above the Marshal's head, with a small hatchet. In less than a second, Gundawarg's head came falling right off his body after the blade struck him from behind. After executing the enemy Marshal, Applejack lifted his head up with her hooves right in front of the Appleloosa militants. Upon seeing themselves victorious for the day, the entire crowd cheer for Applejack. Before they could say anymore, Applejack makes one more speech before she lets them clean up the mess for the next counter-attack.
"From now on every pony, Appleloosa will be our defending outpost between Ponyville and Dodge City!!!" Applejack announced in a intense voice before turning her attention to Hornet. "Hornet, send dis prick's head back ta the Unicornians as a sign of what would happen if they ever set hoof in our territory again."
"Yes, ma'am! Right away!!!" Hornet said as he acknowledged Applejack's orders before taking Gundawarg's head and flying away with it.
As Applejack see the rest of the militia and Thunderhooves' Tribe reestablish the defenses around Appleloosa, she looks toward the horizon before praying for the survival of the rest of her remaining friends, the Mane 5, and her family.
"So, you guys were saying that you all had to go save your families when the Unicornians attacked Ponyville and Canterlot?!" Twilight asked trying to summarize up their past.
"Yes." Rarity said, answering Twilight's question. "Though it didn't end well for any of us."
"Why not?" Twilight said, trying to get to the point.
"Because we weren't able to get very far, the Unicornians are too many." A familiar earth pony spoke.
As soon as the Mane 6 and the Royal Sisters turned around, they see Crimson Cross appear before them. Upon seeing his friends again, the brown earth stallion smiled at all of them without fear.
"Crimson Cross!!" Twilight exclaimed in surprise. "I didn't think you'd show up so soon like that."
"Heh. Heh. Well, I just came by to visit Canterlot to see how things are doing." Crimson chuckled.
"Howdy, Crimson. How's yer family doing back at Manehattan?" Applejack asked the brown earth stallion.
"They're doing fine. Ever since the peace treaty has been reestablished for Unicornia, the city mayor of Manehattan ordered the construction ponies to dismantle and salvage the remains of Felhand's Research Prison Facility." Crimson explained to the rest of the Mane 6.
"That's good ta hear, y'all." Applejack said out of relief. "So Crimson, what did ya and yer family do when those Unicornian buckers attacked Manehattan?"
"We tried to seek sanctuary at Manehattan's Royal Embassy." Crimson said. "Unfortunately, it was more of a bigger mistake than a chance for salvation."
At the start of a bright new day, a big strong brown Earth stallion named Crimson Cross, came out of his house to take another walk around the street. As he makes his way to the Foal Free press stand, he sees ponies playing music on the sidewalk, selling produce from food stands, taking strolls around the city, socializing with each other, and hanging around at their favorite restaurants with their friends or family. The moment Crimson reaches the newsstand, he purchased a newspaper for several bits. As he sat on a nearby bench and started reading his newspaper, Crimson started to hear rumblings all around him. He noticed that the lanterns hanging on the food stands are vibrating, ponies are getting scared and saw something behind him that made run off without saying anything, and the store owner ponies closing shutters down, sealing off their stores. As Crimson got up from his bench, he turns to his right to see an army of Manehattan's riot police marching forward towards his position, banging on their tower shields with their nightsticks and with their spears. On his left, he sees another army dressed in strange black armor, carrying spears and swords, and marching towards the Riot police in a warlike formation. Behind the riot police, a police commissioner shouted something indistinct at the soldiers in black armor with his megaphone.
Before Crimson could see what was going on, one of the soldiers in black armor was about to hurl a grenade at the Riot police only to be shot at in the head by a unicorn officer armed with a flintlock pistol, killing him. As a result, the grenade set off an explosion killing or injuring several more of the black armored soldiers. In a rage, the soldiers charged at the Riot police to be met by their spear formation. As the two sides converge, swords started swinging at each other's throats, spears thrusting in their opponents' chests, and tower shields slamming into each other aggressively. Even though the riot police fought valiantly against the soldiers, they were met by several more grenade explosions coming from their opponents. What's worse is that several officers that were moving too far away from the group were getting hammered by the soldiers left and right, while the rest were getting bombarded from a mile away. After losing half of the officers in less than a few minutes by the continuous explosions and by the black armored soldiers, the police commissioner issued his remaining officers a full retreat to the Western sections of Manehattan.
During the fight between the two sides, Crimson Cross helped the cowering civilians escape the exploding chaos without hesitation. As the Riot police fell back to the Western sections of the city, Crimson ran into the alleyways, along with several fleeing police officers and citizens. However, the bombarding explosions did not end there. Instead, the explosions struck at the fleeing ponies, killing several of them before the rest fled inside nearby buildings. As Crimson made a run for it back to his house, he almost vomited after seeing dead civilians and police officers all over the streets, with missing limbs and fresh bloodstains all over the pavement. In just a few blocks away from his home, he spots one of his fellow farm workers get shot at in the head by a commanding unicorn officer for refusing to submit to the invaders' cause.
After seeing this, Crimson ran into a nearby alley and hid in an empty dumpster between two stores to evade capture by the invading soldiers. As they soldiers left, Crimson came out of the dumpster, all smelly and stinky, and continued to make his way back home to warn his wife and daughters of the oncoming threat in Manehattan. As soon as Crimson went back home, he stormed through the front door while under a state of panic. Upon seeing he abrupt behavior, Yellow Peach, his wife, came up to him before asking.
"Crimson, dear. Are you feeling okay??" Yellow Peach asked his panicky husband.
"No, I'm not, my dear." Crimson spoke in a exaggerating tone. "Get our daughters up here now, were leaving right now!!!"
"Why?? What's going on out there? And why are you so smelly??" Yellow Peach asked further as she waved her hooves in front of her face out of disgust.
"We don't have much time. Some group of unknown pony soldiers started attacking the riot police in the city streets, overwhelming them in the process." Crimson explained briefly before he went to take a quick shower in the bathroom.
As soon as Crimson was done rinsing off all the nasty stuff off his fur coat, he sees his daughters, Bright Song and Bella Harp standing behind Yellow Peach. In their eyes, Crimson saw confusion for not understanding in what is he getting at. Before any of his daughters could ask him what is going on, Crimson sees a regiment of invaders from one of the windows at the front marching straight up to his doorstep. Without hesitation, Crimson orders his children to head to the back porch and have them climb over the brick wall surrounding their backyard. Yellow Peach was the first to climb over the brick wall. Unfortunately, his daughters are getting too scared to do anything.
"Daddy please, I don't want to go!!" Bella Harp wailed.
"Daddy, I'm scared." Bright Song sobbed.
"I know, I know. But you both have to stay for me. You're not infants anymore." Crimson said persisting them to move on. "Bright Song, you go first."
"No dad, no!!!" Bright protested in a worried tone.
"Your mother will be there on the other side of that wall." Crimson told Bright Song. "Just trust me."
As Crimson lifted his daughter Bright Song up to the brick wall, he hears the soldiers breaking into his house, trying to find him and his family. The moment Crimson threw Bright over the wall, she screamed as Yellow Peach caught her daughter in her hooves.
"Father please, I don't want to leave here!!!" Bella Harp cried while in Crimson's hooves.
"Look, I'm scared too but we all have to take risks in order to survive." Crimson said while holding Bella up with his hooves. "We'll find another home to live in, once this mayhem is over."
Before Bella Harp could say another word, Crimson tossed her over the brick wall to have Yellow Peach catch her on the other side. By the time his wife and daughters made it over the brick wall, Crimson sees the soldiers trying to break down the door right behind him. Unable to stand around any longer, Crimson backed up a bit and without hesitation, he charged forward and took a leap of faith over the brick wall. As soon as the soldiers broke the door down, they opened fire with their magic and with their rifles. However, none of them were able to get a clear shot at Crimson Cross, for he was able to jump over the wall in a nick of time.
Upon seeing them disappear over the brick wall, their Commander, Sir Morning Blade, ordered his soldiers to find another way to pursue Crimson Cross and his family from the other side. As for Crimson and his family, they fled down the alleyways surrounded by brick walls. However, escaping from their house is the least of their worries. As Crimson looked far and wide, he also sees other ponies continuing to flee for their lives as they were escorted by small squads of riot police ponies. Crimson wasn't able to figure out where to go from their house, so he went to get a map from one of the directory stands on the streets. As soon as Crimson got a map to look at, he and his family went to a nearby abandoned tower at the Manehattan Park. After skimming through Manehattan's city map, he spots a Royal Embassy down south nearby the Mare Statue. When Crimson went up the balcony of the tower, he looked towards the south and spotted enemy warships all over the waters of Manehattan bombarding the rest of the city and a wrecked Mare Statue out in the distance, with smoking coming out from certain parts of the city.
As soon as they left the abandoned tower, Crimson and his family ran into a group of 6 enemy soldiers. However, before they tried to apprehend Crimson, his wife, and his daughters, another group of pony warriors appeared from their left side and killed them all immediately. They were lead by a female dark-red pegasus who grabbed one soldier with her right hoof and slammed him onto the pavement. Before the soldier had a chance to react, the pegasus grabbed him by the neck and broke his spine with her left hoof killing him. When another soldier tried to get the pegasus, she reacted by pulling out a knife hidden underneath her chest and slashed at his neck, making blood squirting out of his wound before collapsing dead on the ground. The third soldier that appeared right in front of the female pegasus was met with a throwing knife lodged into his head before he fell on his back, dead. After the female pegasus and her team took out the rest of the enemy soldiers, she escorted Crimson and his family straight to the Embassy, along with several other families who are under distress after the attack on Manehattan. As soon as they went inside the Embassy, Crimson was the first to thank his saviors for helping him and his family reach this place, unscathed.
"I don't know how to thank you, Miss uh....." Crimson said not knowing the name of his immediate savior.
"My name is Red Moon, the Commander of the Lunar Republic." The female pegasus spoke out loud. "My mission is to serve and protect the innocent by the order of Princess Luna, the founder of our special forces organization."
"Thank you, Red Moon." Crimson said congratulating his savior. "Do you know what is going on, and why is Manehattan getting attack by an army of invading soldiers?"
"The soldiers that attack this city belong to the infamous Kingdom of Unicornia." Red Moon explained. "They're lead by another alicorn Queen who goes by the name Majesty Blueblood. I've been sent by Princess Luna to help reinforce the garrisons all over Equestria during the invasion of the Unicornia, after the attack upon the Capital City of Canterlot."
"Do you know how are we going to survive here?" Crimson asked.
"We can't say for sure." Red Moon spoke in a dark tone. "They already took down all communications in Manehattan. So, I seriously doubt anymore help will come from Canterlot or from the Crystal Empire. I'm sorry sir, but we are on our own."
As Red Moon took Crimson and his family down to the Lobby of the Embassy, they were also meet by other families that just escaped from the invaders' onslaught, along with the surviving Manehattan Police. After Red Moon left Crimson and his family at the Lobby, they went back into the city to help rescue the other ponies who were still trapped in the mayhem. Crimson and his family went to the Embassy's mess hall to eat some food in order to regain their energy. After spending two more days in the Embassy, Crimson continued to hear the distant explosions from the rest of the city of Manehattan. During that time, Crimson's family went to sleep in the hallways along with the rest of the surviving citizens. Crimson continued to read the headlines in order to understand what is going on out there during the civil war. Hopefully, Red Moon will call in for reinforcements to help rid Manehattan of Unicornia's Invasion.
Just when Crimson and his family are about to settle peacefully in the Royal Embassy, some unknown pony came entered the Embassy's checkpoint, hauling a large wagon full of food crates to feed the citizens residing in the Embassy. However, just as soon as the guards came closer to check up on the goods, the wagon exploded, killing all of the guards at the checkpoint. As a result, a huge smokescreen started to appear in front of the Embassy's entrance. Upon hearing the explosion close by from where he was, Crimson came up to the entrance to see the thick smoke covering up the checkpoint. Just when everything fell silent, the very same soldiers that tried to go after Crimson and his family came charging out of the smoke and into the entrance with a surprise attack. As soon as they broke through the entrance of the Embassy, the Equestrian Royal guards and the remaining Riot Police came up to defend the people who're trying to take shelter here. However, the Royal Guards and the Riot Police were soon overwhelmed by the endless waves of enemies pouring through the wrecked checkpoint.
During the fight between the Royal Guards, the Riot Police, and the Unicorian Invaders, Crimson took his family again and headed out the emergency exit in a desperate attempt to escape. However, by the time they reached the emergency exit, they were met by another group of Unicornian Soldiers led by a Royal Knight Commander named Sir Morning Blade. Upon seeing them, Crimson's children started screaming in terror, while they and his wife tried to make a run for it. Unfortunately, they didn't get very far. Before they had a chance to react, Blade's men came up from behind Crimson and his family to be tied up and gagged with cloths. When that's done, Morning Blade ordered his men to take them to the brig onboard Admiral Thunderball's ship to be sent to one of the recently established Concentration Camps south of the Crystal Empire.
"I'll speak to that Earth Stallion later, after we take over Manehattan." Morning Blade informed his men while looking through Crimson's background papers, followed by an evil chuckle. "I have an important job for him where he might be proven to be useful to our cause later on."
As Crimson and his family get hauled off away from the Embassy, the rest of the Riot Police and the Royal Guards inside the complex have all surrendered after getting attacked from all fronts. After they dropped their weapons, Morning Blade ordered his men to have them all detained and taken into custody outside of Manehattan. As the Royal Knight Commander of Unicornia went outside of the Royal Embassy, he sent a message to Queen Majesty, telling her of his successful attempt at conquering Manehattan.
Back to the Present......
"Sweet Celestia!!!" Applejack exclaimed out of horror. "Ah didn't think that dey used suicide bombers to accomplish der conquest in Manehattan."
"That was the most scariest event that me and my family had ever experienced." Crimson said while shivering in fear. "But now that Unicornia has lost control over Manehattan, we won't be seeing those scary demons again, I hope."
"Now that you mentioned it, I think Red Moon might have something to do with leaving you and your family in the Royal Embassy before they bombed the entrance." Celestia spoke.
"Wait, you mean Red Moon was....." Luna asked before her speech was interrupted.
"When I read Lord Bronze's diary, during the time he was exiled to the Kingdom of Unicornia, it did say that Red Moon planned to lure the surviving citizens of Manehattan into the Embassy, so that she can let the Unicornians capture them, as if they happened to be easy prey." Celestia said as she took out Bronze's journal with her magic. "It turns out that Red Moon lured about 37 families of Manehattan refugees into a trap during the time that Unicornia attacked that city."
Upon hearing this frightening, sick twisted turn of events, every pony stared at Princess Celestia under a state of shock.
"No wonder why my family was captured there!!!" Crimson muttered to himself in horror. "Unbelievable. Well, now that Red Moon is dead, I hope she'll rot in Tartarus for eternity!!!"
"I guess I should never have trusted Red Moon from the start." Luna said out of disappointment to herself. "They said that she was a double agent working for Amadeus earlier and has been setting us up the entire entire time, as a fraud."
"So guys, what happened next?" Twilight asked before any of her friends continued with their stories during the civil war.
"Perhaps the Great and Powerful Trixie will explain her story during the civil war," Trixe suggested as she made her appearance along with Starlight Glimmer and Sunburst as they entered the Canterlot Palace.
Two days ago, Trixie was at the Palace Courtyard performing another show revolving around her magic tricks. At first, many of the ponies got pretty annoyed by her performance for showing off. However, Trixie still wanted to improve her performances with the help of her new friend and great and powerful assistant, Starlight Glimmer. Even though they did their best to win their admiration, Trixie and Starlight could not help but feel alone without Princess Twilight helping them out with some advice. Not that it matters anymore, they both still wanted to pay Twilight their respects after doing magic performances every year. All of that began to change when Trixie went to use the fillies restroom after another day of doing another magic fireworks performance in the Palace Courtyard.
By the time Trixie was done, the light-blue unicorn heard some rumblings and explosions occur outside of the Palace Courtyard. As soon as Trixie went out of the Courtyard to see what was going on, several mid-air explosions started erupting in a distance, most of it was coming from the Main gate. Before Trixie could do anything, the Royal Sisters issued an evacuation protocol to help all citizens of Canterlot escape their doom. Just when Trixie went back to the Palace Courtyard to get her wagon full of stuff, the entire palace went under complete lockdown. The moment Trixie got close to the palace entrance, the Royal Guards stopped her from proceeding further and was ordered to head to the evacuation sites.
"Trixie doesn't even know what is going on out there!!" The light-blue unicorn muttered to herself as she went to the evacuation area.
As she waiting in line, Trixie is starting to worry that she may not be able to escape before Canterlot is razed to the ground from whatever is attacking the city. During her time at the evacuation, Trixie heard more explosions coming closer every hour. The next thing Trixie saw was airships floating above Canterlot, dropping unidentified pony soldiers from above. The moment the unknown soldiers landed at the city streets, Trixie's eyes widened with horror as she sees them attack innocent ponies left and right. Not wanting to stand around any longer, Trixie casted a teleportation spell on herself, making her disappear from plain sight.
Somewhere outside of Canterlot, Trixie reappeared in a nearby forest, leaving most of her supplies and wizard stuff inside her wagon behind. After taking a few deep breaths from running away from the impeding destruction at Canterlot, Trixie finally came up with one decision in her head.
"Trixie may not understand why those weirdos are attacking Canterlot." Trixie said to herself as she made her way down the road. "Whatever it was, Trixie does not want to get killed out there. Trixie may need to find a safe place to hide. But first, Trixie must find her best friend and assistant to make sure she's doing okay."
As Trixie went down the road, she remembers that her friend, Starlight Glimmer, lives in a secluded village that lies east of Canterlot. Hopefully, as soon as Trixie enters Starlight's village, she'll be able to warn her friend of this invasion in no time. Unfortunately, Trixie runs into a squad of unidentified soldiers clad in black armor. Without warning, the soldiers opened fire upon the light-blue unicorn. As Trixie was getting shot at, she made a run for it, leaving behind a smoke bomb that is still in her pouch, in which she still has hanging over her neck like a sling. The moment the smoke disappear, the soldiers were confused in not knowing where Trixie went. While they're confused, Trixie was hiding inside a tree for a couple of minutes before they left to search for her in the woods. When the soldiers finally disappeared, Trixie came out of her hiding place, sweating out of fear for her safety.
"That was close." Trixie said while trying to catch her breath after getting attacked. "Trixie must know what she is up against. Otherwise, there's no telling how long Trixie will survive out there."
After taking a 5-hour trek down the forest, Trixie sees more unidentified soldiers patrolling the area. Not wanting to get caught again, Trixie hid from behind tree to tree and bush to bush. Because she doesn't have her wagon to rest inside in, Trixie will have no choice but to hide underneath the trees, just to evade the soldiers and the wild animals that prowl around the forest. Unfortunately, every time Trixie spends the night alone out there, she keeps hearing the howls of Timberwolves from left and right. What's worse is that Trixie was forcing herself to stay on guard making sure that no wild animals or soldiers would sneak up on her. For just two days, Trixie was forced to survive out in the wilderness, with no chance of making contact with the outside world. As soon as Trixie made it out of the forest, the light-blue unicorn sees more invading airships flying all over the rest of the land of Equestria. Upon seeing this, it made Trixie worry about what will happened to her friend Starlight Glimmer if they ever see her in their sights. Not wanting to waste any more time, Trixie went down the hill to head towards the village that Stalight lives in.
Unfortunately, by the time Trixie arrived at Starlight's village, it was a total ghost town. The moment Trixie got closer to the village, it was completely deserted and wrecked. Houses were half destroyed, with smoke billowing from the inside. Windows were shattered. Small craters were seen all over the village. Upon seeing the village uninhabitable, Trixie wasn't able to come up with anything to say.
As soon as she made her way into Starlight's house, Trixie slowly opens up the door, revealing a complete darkness inside the building. The moment Trixie stepped in and turned on the lights, she saw something that caught her off guard and made her shiver to the bones, with her eyes widened with shock and horror. Inside Starlight's house, Trixie saw Graffiti, blood stains, and dead pony carcasses all over the place. Upon smelling the terrible stench from the dead ponies, Trixie vomited on the wooden floor. The moment she was done vomiting, Trixie looked up to see what the Graffiti said on the interior walls of Starlight's house.
Unicornia Rules!
Long live Queen Majesty Blueblood!!!
Princess Twilight Sparkle stinks, May she rot in TARTARUS!!!
Death to the False Princesses of Equestria!!!
The New Order of Traditionalists Shall Rise!!!
After reading most of the Graffiti on the wall, Trixie could not help but figure out what really happened in Starlight's village. Before she could investigate this gruesome scene, a newspaper flew right into Trixie's face from behind. As Trixie used her magic to grab the newspaper and read it.
Civil War has been declared by Unicornia!!
Upon reading the recent news headlines, Trixie couldn't believe what was happening out there. Judging from what it says from the newspaper, Trixie figured that she needs to find a safe place to hide before she gets caught up in this so-called Civil War. As she looked around the village one more time, Trixie just realized that Starlight Glimmer's body was nowhere to be found. Believing that Starlight is still out there, Trixie went to an abandoned marketplace in the village to get another wagon and stock up on food and supplies. As soon as Trixie is done, she was able to get a tent, three crates of fruits and veggies, a map of Equestria, and a silver wizard's staff. Before Trixie was able to move on, she heard a male earth pony struggling to get up from barricaded house on her right. Just when Trixie came closer, she just realized that it was Double Diamond, one of Starlight Glimmer's friends in the village. Before Trixie could say anything, Diamond saw the light-blue unicorn on sight but not before he drew out a spear pointing directly at her.
"STAY BACK!!! DON'T COME ANY CLOSER!!!" Double Diamond shrieked as he was struggling to hold onto his spear while pointing at Trixie Lulamoon.
"It's okay, Double Diamond. Its just the great and powerful Trixie trying to investigate on what happened to this village before moving on." Trixie said trying to calm the frightened earth pony colt down.
"T-Trixie?!!" Double Diamond asked, finally coming to his senses. "You're not one of them are you??"
"You mean the Unicornians? No, I'm not." Trixie responded with sheer honesty.
"Oh, thank Faust!!" Diamond acknowledged as he finally put his spear away before turning around to let the others know about Trixie coming here. "Guys, you all can come out now. It's just Trixie Lulamoon."
Upon hearing what Double Diamond said, three more ponies came out from Diamond's hiding place. The moment the other ponies revealed themselves, Trixie all recognized them as Party Favor, Sugar Belle, and Night Glider.
"My apologizes, Trixie." Diamond said with remorse. "We thought you were one of Majesty's spies running amok in our village."
"Trixie wants to know what happened here?" Trixie asked Double Diamond. "And more importantly, the great and powerful Trixie wants to know what happened to her best friend Starlight Glimmer!!"
After a few seconds of silence, Diamond took a deep breath before explaining what happened in this village, two days ago.......
Two days earlier, at the crack of dawn, Diamond went out of his house to start another bright new day. Unfortunately, this time it wasn't a peaceful day at all. Instead, just when Starlight came out of her house, still suffering for not saving her mentor, Princess Twilight, from her demise. Despite her suffering, Starlight was still trying to find ways on how to turn back time to save Twilight from being assassinated. Before he could see Starlight go back to her house, a barrage of explosions started erupting all over the village, creating small craters in the area. In an instant, the ponies in Starlight's Village started panicking and screaming as they ran desperately for their lives. However, the worse is still yet to come. An army of Changeling Insurgents lead by Queen Cicada and Unicornian Soldiers led by Black Scythe came storming through the village, pillaging and looting houses, killing and capturing ponies on sight, and setting buildings on fire. As for Double Diamond, Night Glider, Sugar Belle, and Party Favor, they all fled back into their house and barricaded the entire building before hiding underneath the basement. Before he went down to the basement, Double Diamond saw Starlight Glimmer charging through the ranks of the Changelings and the Unicornians on sight. However, after several minutes of fighting them, Starlight was badly outnumbered from a hundred to one. Before Starlight could see what was coming, one of the changelings zapped her with a tazer spell. As a result, the female unicorn collapsed on the ground unconscious while the Changelings restrained her. The last thing they ever saw from Starlight Glimmer was that the Changelings and the Unicornians took her inside a prison wagon and hauled her away from the village, disappearing from plain view.
"And that was the last we ever saw from Starlight Glimmer." Double Diamond explained to the light-blue unicorn.
After hearing what Diamond just said, Trixie Lulamoon decided to go rescue Starlight Glimmer from the invaders in Equestria.
"Trixie just wanted to know where did those changelings and Unicornian soldiers took Starlight Glimmer to." Trixie asked Diamond in a 3rd person view.
"There is an enemy encampment up north where they're planning to lay a siege upon the Crystal Empire." Diamond spoke, answering Trixie's question. "It's possible that Starlight Glimmer is being held there against her own will."
"Thank you, Diamond." Trixie said acknowledging what the white earth pony said.
As Trixie left Starlight's decimated village, the light-blue unicorn continues the search for her friend Starlight Glimmer, which lies somewhere at the Crystal Wastelands outside of the Crystal Empire. After 5 more days of searching the Crystal Wastelands from high and low, Trixie eventually spotted a Changeling Encampment operating at a Crystal Mountain 500 miles away from the Crystal Empire during the afternoon. As Trixie snuck closer to the enemy encampment, she spotted the pale-purple unicorn in a large cage right next to one of the Changeling Tents. Not wanting to get caught by her one-pony rescue mission, Trixie used an invisibility spell on herself so that none of the Changelings would spot her. As soon as it's nighttime, Trixie silently snuck closer to the cage that Starlight Glimmer was in. When Trixie got closer, she sees only one Changeling standing on guard near Starlight Glimmer, letting the rest of the other Changelings sleep inside their tents. Before Trixie got any closer, she spotted a crude sword on a weapon rack nearby one of the tents. Just when Trixie grabbed it with her magic, she snuck up behind the Changeling Guard and stabbed him from the back, killing him before he had a chance to make a sound. After Trixie lowered the Changeling's corpse onto the Crystal ground quietly, she took out the keys from the dead Changeling and unlocked the cage that Starlight Glimmer was in. The moment the cage door opened, Starlight looked up to see Trixie Lulamoon appeared before her.
"Trixie?? How did you......?" Starlight asked as she woke up from her sleep before her speech was silenced by Trixie's hoof.
"It's a long story, Starlight." Trixie said briefly. "Right now, we have to get out of here and find a safe place to hide in, okay?"
Upon hearing what Trixie wanted her to do, Starlight nodded in silence before she and Trixie made their way out of the Changeling Encampment. After they left the encampment, the two unicorns fled into the Crystal Mountains and casted an illusion spell to make sure they're not seen inside the caves. During the time inside the abandoned Crystal Cave, Trixie made a small campfire with her magic, while Starlight Glimmer was trying to get some shut eye. Before Starlight could sleep, she could not help but worry of what will happen to Sunburst during the civil war. Because of Unicornian invading Equestria, Starlight was afraid that if they ever take over the Crystal Empire, they might try to capture and enslave her colt-friend Sunburst. After hearing what Starlight just said, Trixie decided to plan to make their way to the Crystal Empire first thing in the morning. Feeling relieved that Trixie just saved her, Starlight came up and hugged Trixie in her hooves while thanking her for what Trixie did just now. After their embrace, Trixie and Starlight both decided to get some sleep.
As soon as Trixie woke up, she notices that Starlight Glimmer was nowhere to be seen. Afraid that Starlight is going to get caught again, Trixie desperately tried to search around the cave that she and Starlight are in. Unfortunately, Trixie could not find her friend anywhere. However, by the time Trixie packed up and headed out of her cave, she spotted the Crystal Empire coming under siege from a distance away. As Trixie looked closer at the city, she saw distant explosions, crystal buildings caught on fire, and an army of Changeling Insurgents storming through the streets of the Crystal Empire. After thinking about what Starlight just said about Sunburst, something finally came up inside Trixie's little head. Trixie concluded that the moment Starlight saw the Crystal Empire come under siege, she must've left immediately to find and rescue Sunburst. Not wanting to stand around for Starlight Glimmer to get captured again, Trixie teleported herself out of the caves in the Crystal Mountains and finds herself on the road leading straight to the Crystal Empire before making a run towards the city.
Back to the Present......
"And that's what the Great and Powerful Trixie did before saving her great and powerful assistant Starlight Glimmer twice." Trixie said in a prideful tone.
"Well, I'm not getting it, Trixie," Rainbow Dash said not seeing the point from the light-blue unicorn. "How did you get past Cicada's minions when they ran rampart all over the Crystal Empire?"
"Despite their numbers, the Great and Powerful Trixie used a smoke bomb at the entrance before teleporting herself away from the main entrance of the Crystal Empire." Trixie explained further.
"Well, I still didn't explained what happened when the civil war reached to the Crystal Empire." Shinning Armor said to the rest of the group.
"Do you know where our parents were when Unicornia attacked, BBBFF?" Twilight asked her elder brother.
"It all began when I got out of bed to start a new day at the Crystal Empire......." Shinning said as he is about to begin his story during the civil war.
At the Crystal Empire, Shinning Armor, the Captain of the Equestrian Royal Guard and Prince of the Crystal Empire, just got up first thing in the morning to check up on his daughter Flurry Heart. Upon seeing his baby alicorn daughter in the crib, Shinning could not help but remember the sheer trauma that he experienced in the nursery back at Canterlot. After 3 days of giving birth Flurry Heart, some terrorists stormed into the nursery and attempted to fillynap Shinnings newborn daughter out of the blue. What's worse is that, by the time Shinning apprehended Flurry's kidnappers, he committed suicide without any warning. Feeling traumatized by this sick, twisted event, Shinning and his wife Princess Cadence had no choice but to leave Canterlot immediately, along with their daughter, in order to seek sanctuary at the Crystal Empire. It's bad enough that Shinning's sister Princess Twilight Sparkle wasn't here to see his daughter at the Crystalling Event, along with the rest of the Mane 5 and Sunburst, the crystalling Orange unicorn.
It has been six years after Twilight's death. Even though the Crystal Empire was able to train most of the Changelings to serve under the Equestrian Royal Family as the Changeling Republic due to the decree of their reformations by the order of Princess Twilight and Princess Cadence, Shinning still have inner grief that his sister wasn't there to see all of this Democratic change turn into a reality. Shinning could not forget that one of his fellow guard ponies, Gallant Heart, would go against him and his family by killing his one and only sister. That wasn't the worst of it, Gallant Heart had claimed that Amadeus Blueblood, the most ruthless pony noble that wouldn't stop treating Shinning's little sister like dirt, made him do this to spare the life of his brother, Gladius Strife. After hearing every word from Gallant Heart's mouth before he was publicly executed, Shinning Armor wanted to tell Princess Celestia and Princess Luna about this but he was hesitant to do so for it may put them and the rest of his remaining family in even more danger. What's worse is that his other sister, Mystic Sparkle, ran away just recently after the bombings of Princess Celestia's School back in Canterlot. No pony ever saw or heard about Mystic Sparkle ever again. Rumor has it, that she will not show up anymore until Mystic gains enough confidence and power to prove to him and his family that she can take care of herself.
Ever since that Shinning Armor heard that Gallant Heart and four royal guards were convicted and executed for murdering his sister, it made Shinning Armor hesitant to recruit any other Royal Guards from Canterlot to serve under him and his wife. However, when he learned about how a pegasus guard named Flash Sentry was able to able support Princess Twilight with her Royal Decisions revolving around Equestria's Democracy, he could not find any reason to not trust Flash. But now that Twilight is dead, Flash committed suicide after suffering from such grief.
As soon as Shinning Armor snapped out of his thoughts from his horrible past, he turned around to see his wife, Princess Cadence, sleeping in the same bed that he was sleeping in. Upon seeing the pink alicorn sleeping peacefully, Shinning could not help but notice how beautiful his wife really is. After he smiled at his wife, Shinning Armor received a newspaper from a crystal pegasus pony who works at the Foal Free Press. As soon as he grabbed the newspaper with his magic, he went down to the Crystal Throne room before reading it. After skimming through the first paper of the news article, Shinning's eyes widened with horror. It says on the article that Canterlot was under attack by a massive invading Army that came from the Kingdom of Unicornia. Before he could show what he just read to his wife, a Crystal Guard Commander came bursting into the Throne Room and bowed before Prince Shinning Armor.
"My liege!!!" The Crystal Pony spoke. "We have received word that the evacuating ponies from Canterlot are trying to seek refuge at the Crystal Empire. They just made it at the landing site near the train station outside of the Crystal Empire and are requesting an emergency escort to the city!!"
"Commander, ready the Crystal Pony guard." Shinning Armor said giving out orders to his Crystal soldiers. "Have them assemble at the Crystal Gates and stand by until I arrive there!!!"
"Yes, your majesty!!!" The Crystal Guard Commander acknowledged with a salute before he left the throne room.
Shinning Armor went to the Crystal Armory to gear up before heading out. Just when he finished gearing up, Shinning turned around to see a worried Princess Cadence appear right behind him.
"Shinning, what is going on?!" Cadence asked out of concern for her husband. "When I woke up you were gone for a couple of minutes and the next thing I heard was that the warning bells started ringing in our castle, as if something bad is about to happen."
"Cadence, I just received word that Canterlot is under attack by some unknown Unicornian Army." Shinning Armor explained briefly, much to the shock of his alicorn wife. "They're requesting an emergency escort to help the evacuating citizens to the Crystal Empire!!"
"But that means......" Cadence muttered in fear. "Oh No!! Aunt Celestia and Aunt Luna. We should try to go help them."
"Well, we don't know what they're doing right now." Shinning Armor said to Cadence. "Escorting the citizens of Canterlot is our top priority here."
"Shinning, please be careful out there." Cadence said in a worried tone. "I don't want to lose you them way we lost your sister."
"I'll be back before you know it, my darling." Shinning Armor said as he and Cadence both hugged each other in their hooves and made one small kiss before moving on.
After Shinning Armor left Cadence's embrace, he left the Armory to go meet up with his Crystal Empire Guard outside of the gates. The moment he put his helmet on his head, Shinning galloped straight to the Crystal Courtyard, along with Commander Quickstar. He happens to be a Crystalized Blue Unicorn that has been in charge of training the Changeling Republican soldiers to serve their new rulers of Equestria. Throughout his military training, he had made quite an ace with crystalized forged lances in the Crystal Empire. As of right now, Shinning Armor appointed him to be his personal honor guard. When Shinning Armor went outside of the Crystal Empire to meet up with the Crystal Royal Guard Army, Quickstar appeared right next to his side before giving out his speech towards his fellow guard ponies.
"Crystal Guard Ponies!!!" Shinning Armor announced at the top of his lungs. "In all my life, I live by a code. And the code is simple. Honor Faust, love your mares, and defend your country!!! Equestria is a mother to us all!!! FIGHT FOR HER!!!"
Upon hearing Prince Armor's speech, the battalion of Crystal Pony Guards cheered for their Crystal Prince as they all galloped out into the battlefield along with him. As they approached the evacuating refugees, Shinning Armor found his birth parents Twilight Velvet and Night Light carrying their luggage with their magic as they proceeded towards the Crystal Empire. Upon seeing their son, Night Light and Twilight Velvet were relieved that Shinning was here to help them out. However, before they could say anything to their son, they heard an explosion come from behind the train station. As Shinning Armor looked closely at the horizon, they spotted an Army of Changeling Insurgents, along with a detachment of Unicornian Soldiers heading their way.
"Crystal guards, form up ranks with spears in front and rifle ponies behind!!!" Commander Quicksilver said while issuing orders to the Crystal Guard Ponies.
As soon as they setup a defensive perimeter around the train station, Shinning Armor makes his stand between life and death as he checked every one of his guards to make sure they're ready to engage the enemy at will. Behind Shinning Armor's ranks, the Changeling Republican Soldiers brought forth an artillery of Crystalized Cannons, fully loaded and standing by to fire at will. When the invading armies advanced forward 250 feet apart from them, Shinning gave his men to unleash their volleys.
"FIRE!!!!" Shinning Armor shouted orders at the top of his lungs.
In just an instant, the Crystal Empire guard unleashed a barrage of fire from their crystalized musket rifles. Upon impact, the invaders were struck with crystal spear-like bullets penetrating their exposed flesh. As for the cannons, they fired a huge red explosion of crystal shards at the ground where the invaders are. When getting struck by the Crystal Cannon fire, the blasts sent the invaders flying with red crystal shards lodged into their legs, bodies, and in their skulls. When the invaders hit the ground, blood started seep from their exposed wounds as they lay dead on the ground of the Crystal Wastelands. When they invaders got closer, Shinning Armor issued another order at the top of his lungs.
"CRYSTAL GUARDS!! SPEAR FORMATION!!!" Shinning Armor said as his guards raised their spears up high before engaging the invaders at the train station.
As soon as the two sides converged, the Crystal Ponies charged forward head first and stabbed several of the Changeling Insurgents and Unicornian Soldiers without hesitation. After that, the other invaders that weren't stabbed drew out their swords and faced the Crystal Guards in brutal close combat. In the middle of the battlefield, Shinning drew out his crystal sword and shield before engaging several Changeling Insurgents and Unicornian guards up front. One Unicornian drew out his sword and started swinging it at Shinning Armor. However, Shinning held his sword in front of his face and performed a guard break, making the Unicornian lose his grip on his sword before getting stabbed by Shinning's crystal sword in the head. As Shinning pulled his sword out from his defeated opponent, he ducked forward away from a Changeling Insurgent that was armed with a crude halberd. When the Changeling was about to slam his halberd on Shinning's head, the Crystal Prince swiped his sword in a horizontal slash and stabbed the Changeling in the side of the head, making him let out a deathly gurgle before Shinning pull his sword out and kicked the dead Changeling to the ground.
Commander Quickstar lunged his Crystal Lance and skewered two Unicornian soldiers with just one thrust. As they started bleeding to death, Quickstar pulled out his lance from the two dead invaders and whacked a Changeling Insurgent on his right, breaking his skull in an instant before he collapsed onto the ground dead. When another Changeling came out from the warring crowd and attempted to charge at Quickstar, he was met with a hip-firing shot in the stomach by Quickstar's flintlock pistol, which was being carried by his magic. After the Changeling fell on his back dead on the ground, Quickstar moved forward and stabbed another Unicornian soldier in the back, impaling him with his lance and threw him straight into the group of three Unicornians. The three Unicornians retaliated by charging up and shooting their magic at Quickstar. However, Quickstar reacted by raising a huge magic kite shield to block all three Magic beams that are aiming directly at his face.
As the fight between the Crystal Guards and the Changeling Republic versus the Unicornian Army and the Changeling Insurgents continued for several more minutes, Shinning Armor just received word from one of his emissaries that all Canterlot refugees have successfully made it into the Crystal Empire. Upon hearing this, Shinning Armor was about to give the order to fall back to the Crystal Empire, when all of a sudden, he started hearing loud heavy stomping coming from the direction of where the Invaders came from. The moment the Crystal Prince turned around he sees a wave of unidentified two legged mechs heading straight for them. As soon as Shinning took a closer look at them, he sees a squad of huge robots armed with rockets, huge gauntlets, and Venom throwers marching forward on his position.
"EVERY PONY FALL BACK TO THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE ON THE DOUBLE!!!!" Shinning Armor said as he shouted orders at the top of his lungs.
After hearing Shinning Armor's orders, the Crystal Empire guards and the Changeling Republic soldiers disengaged from their fight with the invaders and made a run for it, with having each Crystalized Cannon hauled away by 5 changeling republic soldiers each. During their retreat, the huge robots started to open fire at the Crystal Guards and the Changeling Republicans with their rockets from behind. When the rockets struck at them, several Crystal Guards and CR soldiers were sent flying off the ground and plummeted to their deaths, while some of them returned fire with their crystalized magic and with their crystalized musket rifles. However, despite their returned fire, the huge robots didn't receive too much damage and continued to open fire at the Armies of the Crystal Empire.
As Shinning Armor and his men got closer to the Crystal Empire, they were still being pursued by the enemy robots from behind. When they explosions continued to erupt from behind, Shinning Armor also lost his footing on the ground as he galloped to the main gate of the Crystal Empire. Unfortunately, after the Crystal Empire Army finally reached the main gates, despite suffering from a score of casualties on the battlefield, Shinning Armor and Commander Quickstar got way left behind due to the persisting fire coming from the enemy robots. Suddenly, one of the explosions sent Shinning Armor flying towards the gate just a couple feet away, while Commander Quickstar fell flat on the floor. As Quickstar struggled to get back on his feet, he saw Shinning Armor unconscious. Just when one the robots came up to the unconscious Crystal Prince and was about to crush him with its huge foot, the robot got blasted away by one of the Crystalized Cannons at the outer walls of the Crystal Empire. After taking several more shots from the other cannons, the huge robot blew up into smithereens as Quickstar used his magic to carry Shinning Armor all the way back inside the Crystal Empire.
The moment the Main gates closed behind them, with Quickstar and Shinning Armor inside the city, Shinning Armor immediately woke up only to find himself on top of his Crystal Guard Commander. After Shinning got off the Commander, they told him that everything is okay now and that all refugees are safely secured underneath the magic barrier that Princess Cadence had just casted over the Crystal Empire. Even though he felt relieved at one point, Shinning Armor is starting to get a frightening vibe that it will not be the last he'll ever see those traitorous fiends in Equestria.
"I want the entire city of the Crystal Empire reinforced as quickly as possible. All entrances and exits completely sealed. No pony is ever to enter or leave the city for any reasons." Shinning Armor said while giving out orders to the rest of the Crystal Pony Guards and Workers through the city. "And make sure we can still keep in touch with the Royal Sisters at Canterlot."
Before Shinning could carry out anymore orders to the rest of his subjects, Princess Cadence came out of the Crystal Palace, while carrying Flurry Heart with her magic.
"Dearie, do you think the Royal Sisters will come to aid us very soon?" Cadence asked Shinning Armor out of concern for their family and for their country. "I'm scared about what will ever become of the Crystal Empire now!!"
"I'm scared too, Cadence. I can't say for sure or when Princess Celestia and Princess Luna will come to our aid. Though, we still have to stay strong for the rest of our remaining family until then." Shinning Armor said to Candence, while trying to control the situation. "I just hope we don't have to deal with those murderous contraptions again."
"I thought for sure that thanks to Cadence's shield barrier, they won't be able to breach the defenses of the Crystal Empire." Shinning said, out of relief for one minute before sweating in fear for his remaining family. "But we didn't think that the Cicada's changelings would drop off a bomb that allowed them to continue their attack upon the crystal ponies."
"What kind of bomb it was that they dropped on your doorstep?" Twilight asked out of concern for her brother's city.
"We'll get to that later, mom. I haven't explained what I did before Unicornia attacked Equestria." Spike said before explaining his story.
"Now that you mentioned it, I still haven't figured our what happened to you during the time that I was gone." Twilight told her adopted dragon son. "Where were you back then? They told me that you ran away from Equestria. Why?
"I wasn't strong enough to protect you from those insensitive assholes back then, mom." Spike explained briefly. "So, I went to the Erebus Islands to get stronger. You probably wouldn't understand just by looking at me, but I joined the Red Lightings Guild to start a new life and to make sure that I'm ready to face the enemies of Equestria."
In the past 15 years.....
After being in the Red Lightings Guild and being trained under the tutelage of Grand Master Marc for 6 years, Spike has became fully adapted to living in the Erebus Islands. Throughout his life in this lawless country, Spike did his best not to attract any attention from the Masks of Mordum. At first, they doubted Spike of his intentions of joining the Red Lightings, the green young dragon was able to prove himself otherwise by helping one of their comrades, a female griffon named Aqualina, escape from a ship that was full of captive slaves. As a result, the slave ship combusted into a fiery explosion thanks to one of Spike's fire teleporting spells. Upon hearing of his immediate bravery, Marc finally let Spike join his guild. During the time he spent in the Guild, Spike also did his best to cover up all expenses paid from Marc by working at Aqualina's Uncle's Inn as a chef. Spike was able to live a good life with the Red Lightings, he didn't just see them as his comrades or friends, he saw them as a whole new family that does everything in their power to survive in the unforgivable islands of Erebus. As time went on, Spike was able to help fix up most of Erebus with everything he's got. At went well, until the civil war began back in Equestria.
After hearing about the attack on Canterlot, Spike wishes to return to Equestria to help his other friends, the Mane 5, in any way possible. The one true friend that worried Spike the most is the unicorn fashionista named Rarity. Despite his time with the Red Lightings Guild, Spike still could not stop thinking about his mare-friend Rarity back at Ponyville. As he prepared himself to make the return trip back to Equestria, Spike started crying from the inside. He also feared that Rarity may not recognize him after being gone for so long. He was also crying from the inside when his adopted mother, Princess Twilight Sparkle, was killed in her sleep by a group of traitorous nobles. Because Twilight wished for a democracy to spread Friendship and Harmony over all of Equestria, Spike always wanted to believe that he and his mother can help every pony and creature live in peace, despite all oddities against one another. Unfortunately, about 20 nobles families, including the Blueblood Family, are not taking Twilight's Democracy seriously, for they feared that by doing so, their power could get taken away and will lead to the doom of Equestria.
However, even with Twilight gone, Spike still wanted to get stronger first before he can face those traitorous bigots in Equestria, by any means necessary. However, before he was able to get onboard the ship heading straight for Equestria, Aquilina informed him some even more terrible news. Grand Master Marc is suffering from an unknown case of cancer and is asking Spike to take over his Guild before passing away. Upon hearing this, Spike was getting caught up in between two decisions: Returning to Equestria or stay behind to take care of the Red Lightings Guild. After giving it some thought, Aquilina suggested Spike to lead the guild during the Equestrian Civil War. Not a moment too soon, Spike, eventually, agreed with Aquilina's decision. So, Spike ordered the guild members to help him load up their ship before heading out. As soon as they're done, Marc went onboard a second ship and ordered Spike and his members to load it up with boxes of dynamite, and barrels filled with gun powder. After they done, Spike bid farewell to Erebus and ordered his comrades to set sail and plot a course to Baltimare. During their voyage, Spike received a message from Princess Celestia about what they're going to be up against. After learning about how the Blueblood Family is leading the armies of Unicornia at their doorstep, Spike makes a vow to himself to find the Mane 5, so that they can help him rid Equestria of the Blueblood's tyranny over the country.
Two days later, upon arriving at the seas near Baltimare, Spike sees a fleet of Unicornian Ships opening fire upon the city. The next thing Spike saw was the ships unloading thousands of troops to sweep the area of any resistance, starting at the Baltimare Docks. Before Spike and his fellow Guild members could proceed any further, Marc makes his last stand at port. Upon seeing Marc sacrifice himself to take down one of the Unicornian vessels, Spike slips right past the distracted enemy fleet before making a landing at a nearby beach that is 500 miles away from the Baltimare Docks. As soon as they're done unloading, Spike and the Guild make camp nearby Horseshoe Bay. During the night at camp, Spike and Aqualina decided to pay their respects to their recently deceased Grand Master Marc. If it weren't for that old blue dragon, Spike will never survive in Erebus at all. As for Pewee, Spike's phoenix familiar, he was sent to scout ahead for any dangers that may stand in the way of Spike and the Red Lighting Guild.
Next Morning, Pewee came back to report to Spike that several patrols of Unicornian soldiers are scouring all over the Everfree Forest. Ponyville has been taken over by Majesty Blueblood and her men, capturing and enslaving the entire populace there. However, the remaining Element Bearers of Harmony are all scattered across the entire country and are being hunted down by Majesty's forces. A large group of militia ponies are being poised to defend Appleloosa. East of Appleloosa, most of its citizens have evacuated and laid low at Dodge City. In Pewee's claws, he was holding onto the latest newspaper from the Foal Free Press. Upon reading it, Spike concluded that those nasty nobles are letting Majesty Blueblood lead the Armies of Unicornian to conquer the rest of the cities in Equestria. When Spike read to the part where they broke through the first line of Canterlot's defenses, his anger started to brew from the inside before Aquilina came up to him to snap him out of his anger.
"Spike, are you feeling okay?!" Aquilina asked. "Look, I know how you feel after losing your mother. But its still not the end of the world, ya know. It won't matter what your enemies will throw at us, we'll still prevail, right?"
"Aquilina, you have no idea how hurt I was when those bastards took my mother away from me." Spike grunting in disgust. "On the day that I was born, I too was being discriminated against in Canterlot!! That city is where all of this tragedy, horror, and loathing between them and me and my mother all began!!! Ever since they killed her, I vowed to get revenge on the ponies that treated my mother like an outcast. Not that it had anything to do with the rest of my other family and Twilight's friends. However, I did not want to see them until I can prove to them that I can fend for myself first before helping them fight and win our country back. It's been too long that I went into my self-imposed exile."
After hearing what Spike just said, Aquilina only wished that she could take a stand against her vile father, as well as saving her mother from her dreadful fate back at Erebus. Now that its too late, Aqualina had no choice but to move on, with getting support by her one and only Uncle Rupert.
"Now that you mentioned it, do you really wish to fight for change over Equestria or just to avenge your mother?" Aquilina asked. "Because it sounded like that you wanted revenge after leaving Equestria for so long."
"That's because I wanted revenge on the Bluebloods." Spike answered while growling to himself in anger. "Ever since my mother was under the tutelage of Princess Celestia, she already had a difficult life even before she became an alicorn princess of Equestria. There was one noble that I wanted to burn alive the most. His name was Amadeus Blueblood and he was the real reason why my mother couldn't win most of the Equestrian nobles, the way she won over her past enemies and rivals. I'LL NEVER FORGIVE THAT HEARTLESS BASTARD!!!!"
After hearing what Spike said out loud, Aquilina finally understood why Spike ran away from home. When she first met Spike, Aquilina couldn't really think that he would be that stubborn and stupid enough to join her guild in the first place. However, after he rescued her from being enslaved again at Erebrus, the female griffon finally given Spike the respect he deserved when joining the Red Lightings Guild. Since she and Spike have already came along way, it may be the time for Spike to rise up and strike back at his mother's enemies.
"So, what are we going to start on, Spike?" Aquilina asked, trying to see what they're going to do first.
"Well, we'll make our way past Dodge City through Hayseed Swamps and setup a secret base in the Rambling Rock Ridge." Spike announced the first step in saving Equestria. "There, we'll start searching for intel on the whereabouts of Applejack and the others, before going after the Bluebloods and their cronies."
Upon hearing what Spike said, they proceeded forward ambushing any Unicornian patrols along the Swamps. In the Red Lightings Guild, Spike has a group of Minotaurs, Griffons, and Ponies fighting for him, all armed with handguns, battle axes, Pirate Swords, and Clubs. As they moved through the Swamps, Spike sent his pet phoenix Pewee to scout all over Dodge City for any more information that he and his guild members needed to be aware of. Throughout 6 days of traveling through the Swamps, they ambushed several enemy patrols, killing them before they looted their corpses of their weapons and supplies. As soon as they made it to Rambling Rock Ridge, they establish a makeshift base at the top of one of its mountains. While the Red Lightings Guild setup camp, Spike went up to a mountain ledge to look up towards the horizon at where Canterlot is at, before praying for his victory against the Unicornians and the enemy traditionalists.
"Marc, if you're watching me from above the heavens, please give me strength." Spike said while praying for his victory against Unicornia.
Before Spike could say anymore, his female griffon friend came up to his right as she looked towards where Spike is facing.
"Spike, if we ever meet your friends, I'm sure they'll be very thrilled to see you again." Aquilina said brightening the green dragon's mood up.
"One can only hope, Aquilina." Spike said as he looked towards the horizon at the Ridge. "I just hope I'm not too late."
During the Democratic Party in the Canterlot Palace, Majesty Blueblood, the Queen of Unicornia, and her son Prince Virgil Blueblood were standing right outside of the Palace, looking up to the windows of where the party is taking place in. After looking around at the very same castle that Majesty took over by force, her past still haunted her ever since 9 years ago. Even though Twilight and her friends forgave her of her tyranny, despite that she was forced to do this by her father, Majesty is still afraid of what will ever become of Equestria now. In her thoughts, Majesty is asking herself if the rest of the Equestrians will forgive her and move on or will they still fear her due to her past life.
"Mother, are you okay?" Prince Virgil asked Majesty, making her snap out of her negative thoughts.
"I-I don't know. I mean, every time I visited Canterlot, I couldn't stop thinking about all the horrible things that I caused during my reign over Equestria." Majesty said to her son. "Who am I trying to act like a spoiled tyrant and prejudicing Queen Twilight Sparkle of the way she is? Who am I believing in the false images that my father and his men are portraying Twilight Sparkle as? Who am I to treat Twilight's friends like dirt? How could I be so blind in listening to my father, if I actually had a choice to make? I wish I could take back all the vile things that I said about Twilight, her friends, and her mentor Princess Celestia."
"They seem pretty nice to begin with. I don't see really see anything wrong with what they usually do in their everyday life." Virgil said to himself. "When I went to play with Twilight's daughter, she seems pretty nice too."
"Well my son, I could've sworn that Twilight and her friends are all a threat to our very existence." Majesty said to her son, still shaken from her past. "But I was wrong. Maybe I should've listened to Sunset and Celestia when I had the chance a lot more sooner than later."
"Why didn't you?" Virgil asked Majesty.
"My father and his associates were the ones who taught me everything on how to be a pony noble; likely to help protect Equestria from suffering. Father was the one who raised me since on the day that I was born." Majesty said briefly. "Yet, I never thought that my father is still hiding something from me, Admiral Thunderball, and Lord Copper Bronze. When I took over Ponyville........"
It has been two days since Unicornian has declared a civil war upon Equestria. As Majesty was able to settle in Ponyville, establishing it into a makeshift fortress and a base of operations, she has received word that Felhand's Nullifier Cannons have reached Canterlot. The moment Majesty Blueblood arrived at the encampment near Canterlot, she received a report that Lord Bronze and his men have already infiltrated the city and taken positions at the Gatehouse and near the main gate. At the start of the second siege upon Canterlot, Majesty gave the order to commence another attack upon the capital. As soon as the Nullifier Cannons took down the Royal Sister's shield barrier, the Main Gate exploded, leaving behind a huge gap in the outer walls for Majesty's forces to pass through. In the next minute, Majesty ordered the cannons to blow that Gatehouse to Kingdom Come!!! Upon hearing the Queen's orders, they responded by bombard the Gatehouse will a couple of shots before it came crashing down onto the city pavement and onto the outer walls in front of it, smashing some of the Equestrian guards that got to close to it.
With just one wave of her hoof, Majesty issued a full-scale charge at Canterlot. The moment her forces breached through the outer walls, Majesty unleashed a troupe of Unicornian Chariots to have them fire a barrage of Crossbow bolts at Canterlot's defenders, with Tirek hunting down the stragglers that were still inside the buildings of Canterlot. After a couple of minutes of fighting, the Royal guards of Equestria fell back to the Palace but not before Majesty ordered the immediate capture of Lord Fancy Pants, along with several of his noble friends that survive her attack upon the capital and that one of the Changeling Republican soldiers blew himself up, taking down half of her main force. Upon witnessing such casualties, Majesty ordered her remaining soldiers to regroup at Ponyville before requesting more reinforcements to continue with the attack upon Canterlot. The moment they brought Fancy Pants into their custody, Majesty saw Tirek and Bronze gave him an evil gloat before interrogating him outside of Canterlot.
Back at Ponyville, Majesty ordered her guards to lock up Fancy Pants inside one of the cages inside the Town Hall, along with Mayor Mare. When time went on, Majesty received reports that Morning Blade and his men successfully conquered Manehattan, using its waters to build a Research Prison Facility to create and test out Felhand's experiments. As for Black Scythe, she has conquered all of Cloudsdale and Los Pegasus throughout those two days. For Dark-Light, however, he failed to conquer Appleloosa due to the fact that the Element of Honesty has rallied an army of militia to defend that town. What's worse is that one of his officers, Gundawarg, was beheaded and was sent straight to Queen Majesty's doorstep, as a warning for all Unicornians who dare oppose Applejack and her militia group. Feeling disgusted and furious for Dark-Light's failure, she orders him not to show his face in Ponyville again until he has successfully conquered Appleloosa in their midst; otherwise, she'll have Dark-Light executed for his incompetence during the civil war. As Majesty went up to the balcony of the Town Hall, she held out a black magical sphere that shows her everything that the Unicornians done when she lead them to attack all over Equestria.
"The world is changing. Who now has the strength to stand against the armies of Traditionalists and Unicornia? To stand against the might of Amadeus and the Bluebloods and the union of the two towers?" Majesty muttered to herself in a deep, vile tone. "Together, my father, we shall rule this Equestria."
As the alicorn queen looked through her black sphere, she sees battalions of her troops marching through Manehattan, Baltimare, Cloudsdale, and Los Pegasus. When Majesty used her magic to show bring forth a image screen from her sphere, it reveals most of the inhabitants in all four conquered cities wrapped around in chains and are put to forced labor left and right. However, from Majesty's point of view, she has ordered her commanding officers to recruit slavers and slave masters to keep the enslaved ponies in line for she fear that they might one day start rebelling against Majesty's rule.
After giving out orders to her officers, Majesty went down from the Town Hall to see pony slaves forced to cut down trees, mine deposits to forge metal weaponry, and create various siege weapons to increase strengthen the military power of the Unicornian Kingdom. Every time they bring in those resources from the Everfree Forest, from the caves outside of Ponyville, and from the Pie Family's Rock Farm, they haul it all the way to the Ponyville Marketplace to do their work there. For Felhand, he brought a massive supply energy crystals to create and program new technological weapons of mass destruction at Manehattan; most of this unstable resources were imported by Admiral Thunderball's ships entering the city's shipyards and with the help Admiral Valiant's airships. After they finished forging weapons and armor for the Unicornian Army, the pony slaves were forced to haul and store them at the barns of Sweet Apple Acres
"The old world will burn in the fires of industry. The forests will fall. A New Order will rise!!!" Majesty said to herself while continuing with her dialogue as she made a detour around the Ponyville Marketplace turned War Factory. "We will drive the machine of war with the sword and the spear and the iron fist of a Unicornian pony!!! We will remove those who oppose us."
As the Traditionalist Rebels have assembled outside of the Town Hall, Queen Majesty and Amadeus Blueblood appeared before them and made their speech that will encourage them to get revenge on the Equestrian Progressors and the Alicorn Princess that betrayed them.
"The Royal Sister have took your lands!!!" Amadeus announced to the Rebels. "They drove your people into the hills to scratch in living off rocks!!!"
"MURDERERS!!!!" One of the Rebels shouted with anger and fury, while the rest roared in a hostile war cry.
"TAKE BACK THE LANDS THAT THEY STOLE FROM YOU!!!!" Majesty shouted at the top of her lungs. "BURN EVERY VILLAGE!!!"
Upon hearing what Amadeus and Majesty just said to them, the Traditionalist ponies made an uproar before they ran off to unleash a destructive Tartarus all over Equestria. Throughout day and night, the Traditionalists wreaked havoc upon isolated pony villages and raided various merchant trade caravans. During the rampage of the Traditionalists, innocent ponies were screaming as they made their attempt to flee with their lives. However, those that were caught in the crossfire were killed immediately on sight!!! Various detachments of Equestrian Royal Guard fought desperately to drive away the rebellions traditionalists. Unfortunately, some of the Royal Guards became very defective and joined in the slaughter that put millions of lives in mortal danger.
"It will begin in Equestria. Too long have those Progressors have stood against us, but no more." Majesty said while continuing further with her dialogue. "Equestria, Father, is ready to fall!!!"
Back inside the Town Hall, Majesty comes face to face with Lord Fancy Pants in a small room. The moment Majesty enters the room that Fancy Pants is in, she sees the capture noble hoisted up several feet from the ground, stripped of his Noble armor and clothing, reducing him into an exposed, beaten stallion. In addition Fancy Pants had his hooves stretched out wide from his body tied up in strong rope, with his back facing the alicorn queen herself. Right next to him is an earth pony wearing a black executioner mask, with a whip held on his right hoof. Upon looking closer at Fancy Pants, she sees fresh whiplash marks all over his white fur coat. Before Fancy Pants could say anything, Majesty makes her speech while interrogating the pony noble.
"So, Fancy Pants, are you still that foolish enough to listen to those whore some Princesses of Equestria?" Majesty sneered
"What makes you think I would submit to you and your father??" Fancy Pants wheezed as he was met with another whip on his back, making him grunt in pain. "Me and my family may have been as powerful as the Bluebloods, but we would never accept a noble family for whom their pride doesn't know any bounds!!!"
"OH REALLY??!!" Majesty snarled as she grabbed the whip from the torturer and slammed its lashes at Fancy Pants several more times before continuing with her interrogation.
"UGH!!! You heard me, Majesty Blueblood. I mean, I could've sworn that because of how much power your father has lost after they killed Twilight, they wouldn't try to dare stop Equestria from its changes." Fancy Pants spoke in a wheeze. "I mean, we Equestrians have worked very hard to establish peace to the other nations outside of this country, such as Saddle Arabia, Yakyakistan, the Griffon Kingdom, and the Changeling Kingdom. We were able to win their allegiance because we already gain enough power to do so."
"Well, what about Father?!" Majesty asked in anger. "Why didn't you yield to him, when he had more power for my family?"
"Because it's not going to do us any good in winning over Equestria by force; he's going to sell you out sooner or later." Fancy Pants grunted after getting whipped again by Majesty. "He's nothing more than a ruthless, childish coward!!! And it will be too late for you to understand the fact that he's not going to teach you properly on how to become a pony noble like Twilight Sparkle and Princess Celestia."
"WHAT DO EVEN KNOW ABOUT MY FATHER AND THAT HARLOT TWILIGHT ANYWAY??" Majesty screeched in anger for hearing his insult towards her father Amadeus Blueblood.
"My story of how I became a noble in Equestria is kind of similar to that of Princess Twilight's story." Fancy Pants spoke weakly. "I'm nothing like your father because he was just only obsessed with power and nothing else. If you still don't get it, one of these days you will regret letting your father do to you what he did to his son, Prince Blueblood. When Princess Twilight came up on the throne, she insisted on helping me and my family save Equestria through all aspects of friendship and reformations. We don't really care what kind of creatures were dealing with, like Discord, the Changelings, and the Griffons. Your traditional obsessions will just make you even more hated by them and by us Equestrians, likely through egregious, prideful circumstances."
After hearing all of this, Majesty could not tell if Fancy Pants was lying about her father or not. The moment Majesty left the torture chambers, she's still isn't sure if she really believed that the Royal Sisters are more tyrannical than she is or not. During her fight with Sunset Shimmer, Majesty felt a little lost from the inside after what that yellow orange unicorn just said to her.
"I used to be just like you once. But there's actually nothing good about gaining power in Equestria. Believe me, I learned all of this the hard way."
As soon as Majesty exited the Town Hall of Ponyville, she received a letter from one of her messengers that Morning Blade just brought in and personally trained a new earth pony recruit to help her enforce the Slave Labor in her territories. They said that his name is Crimson Cross, who used to be in charge of a Fruit marketing company in Manehattan. Despite his immediate capture at Manehattan, Morning Blade intended to take advantage of him by pressing him into Blade's Army and serve under them as their Head Slavemaster, in exchange for his family's freedom. Upon reading all of this, Majesty send a reply back to Sir Morning Blade, telling him that she needs Crimson Cross's aid to conquer Appleloosa.
In just 4 days later, Majesty was finally able to see Morning Blade bring forth Crimson Cross from his airship in Ponyville, along with an army of earth ponies and Unicornian soldiers at his command. After taking a good look at Crimson, Majesty sees him wearing a full set of Slavemaster Armor.
"So, you must be Crimson Cross from Manehattan." Majesty spoke, introducing herself to the big earth pony stallion. "Who do you fight for?!"
"For you my lady because I refuse to let Princess Twilight or her friends take advantage of us with their threats!!" Crimson answered in a loud, clear voice.
"If that's so, I still want you to prove to me on where your loyalties lie!!" Majesty demanded the earth pony stallion. "There is another town that is still standing tall against us. It is known as Appleloosa. That town is heavily defended by a army of village militia led by a young earth pony mare named Applejack!!! She bears the Element of Honesty and used to live in Ponyville as a stalwart Apple Farmer. I want you and your men to go help Lt. Commander Dark-Light conquer that town with extreme prejudice and capture Applejack as soon as you see her in your sights. Do not fail me!!!"
"YES, MY LADY!!!" Crimson Cross shouted while acknowledging Majesty's orders at the top of his lungs.
In just an instant, Crimson lead his troops away from Ponyville to meet up with Dark-Light and his platoon at Appleloosa. The moment Crimson left Ponyville, Morning Blade started snickering behind his back unnoticed.
"So Morning Blade, you're not going to let his family go after he helps us take over Equestria will you?!" Majesty asked the Royal Knight Unicorn.
"Indeed, not!!!" Morning Blade snickered. "I still need him and his family to serve under us through by all means of force."
"When do you think our reinforcements will arrive at Canterlot?" Majesty asked Morning Blade.
"Very soon my dear. When that's done, we'll strike down Canterlot with just one more swoop." Morning Blade answered with determination.
"While you're at it, make sure they don't stop until that city is taken!!!" Majesty ordered her unicorn Commander. "I want the Royal Sisters captured so that they can see how we Bluebloods preserve Equestria!!!"
"Yes, my lady!!" Morning Blade said as he saluted the Queen before moving on.
"Even though I helped Twilight with managing Ponyville, some of the ponies residing there still find my presence intolerable." Majesty told her son. "They were gossiping a lot of negativity behind my back, staying 50ft away from me, and turning their backs on me; who can blame them. Even Mayor Mare was anxious to see me again; always giving me those stern, hateful looks on her face every time I see her. If only there was another way to make ponies stop fearing me anymore."
As Majesty took a stroll around the Canterlot Gardens, she looked down at her reflection at a nearby lake. Before Virgil could say anything, he noticed that tears were coming out of Majesty's eyes. Majesty's tears came dripping down onto the lake as if she felt bad in displaying such vile behavior when ruling over Equestria with an iron hoof.
"I'm also afraid about how will the future hold for you if you were to take the throne when something happens to me out there." Majesty said to Prince Virgil. "I know you're still young Virgil, but it'll be a matter of time where you have to learn how to handle leadership seriously when you get older."
"So, you and the Red Lightings Guild setup camp at Rambling Rock Ridge first before attacking the Unicornian Patrols all over Equestria?" Twilight asked Spike trying to go over his story during the civil war.
"That's exactly the point mom. Even though we fought valiantly to clear up your name, we were losing a few members in our Guild after every fight." Spike said in disgrace. "Just like Luna said, when they developed weapons to oppose us on the battlefield, thanks to those energy crystals back in their islands, Unicornia just keeps getting more tougher every day."
"Speaking of tough, I'm still wondering how did you guys started hitting rock bottom when fighting against Unicornia?" Twilight asked the Mane 5. "How is it that you couldn't hold them off?"
"Well sugar cube, it was usually either because they had backup plans of their own or that they outsmarted us with their agents and contraptions." Applejack said briefly before the Mane 5 continued with their second part of their stories.
"And sometimes, we were forced to leave each other behind just so that we can keep the remaining Elements of Harmony alive." Fluttershy explained in a quiet tone. "Well, mine was horrible. I thought for sure that I wouldn't see Discord or Rainbow Dash again because..........."
The moment the hot-air balloon crashed into the White Tail Woods, which is North of Los Pegasus, Fluttershy finds herself lying on her stomach on the ground, while going in and out of consciousness. As the yellow pegasus struggled to get up on her hooves again, her vision was a bit blurry. Before she knew it, Fluttershy was hearing all sorts of indistinctive noises blaring out all over her surrounding area. After a few seconds of not hearing what is happening around her, Discord appeared right next to her and shock the yellow pegasus a few times before making her snap back into reality. In an instant, Fluttershy got her hearing back only to see Discord trying to help her escape from the crash site.
"Fluttershy, are you okay?? Can you hear me?!!" Discord asked while shouting at her ears.
After shaking her head left and right, Fluttershy finally sees Discord trying to speak to her in a worried tone.
"Discord!!! What happened?? Where's Rainbow Dash, her parents, and Scootaloo??" Fluttershy asked while under a state of panic.
She still remembered that the last time Fluttershy saw them was when they took off on a hot-air balloon while trying to escape Black Scythe and her men. Unfortunately, after getting struck by one of the enemy airships at Cloudsdale, Fluttershy's world went black for a couple of minutes after they crash-landed in the White Tail Woods. Before the yellow pegasus could say anymore, the draconneques immediately answered Fluttershy's question.
"Rainbow Dash's parents left immediately to distract the invaders in order to buy us some time to help Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo to escape!!!" Discord explained. "We need to leave immediately to find a hospital at Los Pegasus to have Rainbow Dash be treated of her injuries before they find us."
"What about Scootaloo??" Fluttershy asked, while showing concern for the little pegasus filly.
"I'm right here!!!" Scootaloo said as she appeared right behind Discord.
"Okay then, help me clear a path into the White Tail Woods." Fluttershy told Discord as she carried a wounded Rainbow Dash on her back.
As the two pegasus and the draconneques made their way out of the crash site and into the White Tail Woods v.i.a Los Pegasus, Windy Whistles and Bow Hothoof lured the Unicornians away from the crash site by making all sorts of distracting noises at the other side of the woods.
"HEY SHITHEADS!!!" Bow Hothoof shouted while sticking his tongue out at the Unicornian soldiers. "OVER HERE!!!"
Upon seeing the two elderly pegasus in their sights, Black Scythe and her men chased after them, they led up north to the open field. By the time Bow and Windy reached the open field up North of the Crash Site, they were met by a squad of soldiers, who just came out of their airship. Before Bow and Windy could do anything, Black Scythe hurled a huge hunting net over them. Upon getting ensnared by Black, Rainbow's parents struggled to get themselves free but with little or no effort. As soon as Black got closer to them, she slammed her hoof at Bow's face, knocking him out cold, while his wife, Windy Whistles, started to freak out for her husband's safety. In an instant, the two blue pegasus were immediately restrained by Black's guards before being hauled away to Black's airship
"Guards, search around the White Tail Woods." Black Scythe hissed while issuing orders to her men. "I want Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy found immediately, whatever the cost. MOVE IT!!!"
After hearing what Black Scythe had to say, the Unicornian guards spread out in squads of ten to find the two young pegasus. Unbeknownst to them, Fluttershy, Discord, and Scootaloo were able to reach the entrance of Los Pegasus. However, the moment they got closer to the entrance, they were met by a platoon of pegasus riot police, all armed with tower shields, night sticks, and pressurized water cannons. The riot police are all in a line formation blocking the entrance to Los Pegasus. Before any pony could say anything, the police chief appeared behind the riot police and brought up his megaphone. He was a tall, blue-green pegasus with a stainless steel mane and tail. He word a Police chief uniform and bears the cutie mark of a silver kite shield with wings and a star in the middle of it.
"Attention all unwanted refugees." The Police Chief spoke. "Due to the Civil War incursion outside of our city Los Pegasus. We are holding this city under complete lockdown. No pony is allowed to leave or enter this zone. Please turn back now or we'll arrest you for trespassing upon the restricted area."
"PLEASE!!!" Fluttershy shouted at the top of her lungs. "We need help now. One of our friends is badly wounded and needs medical treatment. Don't arrest us, pleases. We don't mean any trouble!!!"
"This is your last warning, turn back now or we'll have to take drastic forcible measures!!!" The Police Chief spoke ignoring Fluttershy desperate aid.
Just when they're about to arrest the three refugees, Fluttershy closed her eyes for a moment. As soon as the riot police got any closer to the yellow pegasus, Fluttershy looked up at them and gave them a scary look straight in there eyes. Before they could see what was coming, Fluttershy flew straight at the Police Chief in a very fast pace, giving him quite a scare, and stared at him straight in the eyes.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU??? HOW WOULD YOU LIKE IT IF YOU HAVE SOMEPONY THAT YOU CARE ABOUT IS IN CRITICAL CONDITION AND IS UNABLE TO ENTER A CITY TO GET MEDICAL HELP, HUH??" Fluttershy shouted at the top of her lungs with fury, with tears coming out of her eyes. "ARE YOU REALLY THAT HEARTLESS IN LETTING YOUR LOVED ONES DIES OUTSIDE YOUR GODDAMN CITY?? ARE YOU REALLY THAT BLIND IN NOT LETTING ANY MEDICAL PONIES DO THEIR JOB AT ALL??? THERE MAYBE A CIVIL WAR GOING ON OUT THERE BUT BECAUSE MY FRIEND RAINBOW DASH INJURED AND BLEEDING WE CAN'T RUN ANYMORE. I'D RATHER FIGHT MY WAY INTO SEEKING SANCTUARY AND MEDICAL ATTENTION AT A PLACE LIKE LOS PEGASUS THAN RATHER DIE TRYING!!! SO IF YOU DON'T LET US IN, I'M GOING TO......."
Before a raging Fluttershy could say anymore, several riot police ponies grabbed her from behind and tried to cuff her. However, as soon as the Police Chief got up on his hooves, he spots Fluttershy's injured friend lying in front of him. Upon seeing this, the Chief makes his decision in front of his fellow officers.
"Officers, stand down. Let that Pegasus go and let the others in." The Police Chief said while taking a breather from getting jumped at by the yellow pegasus. Before they could proceed into Los Pegasus, the Chief makes one more statement first towards Fluttershy.
"You really need to calm down, lady. I was just only trying to do my duty in protecting Los Pegasus from the invasion. Look, I'm sorry for not believing you at first but I have to follow a safety protocol by the mayor of Los Pegasus first before I can let any pony else in. I didn't see what you were talking about. But no matter, I have the medical team bring in your blue pegasus friend to our hospital."
"Thank you, sir." Fluttershy said, finally reverting back to her soft-spoken voice.
"By the way, what's your name?" The Chief asked.
"I'm Fluttershy." The female yellow pegasus spoke. "The pony that was injured is Rainbow Dash. The brown pegasus filly is Scootaloo and the draconneques is Discord."
"It's a pleasure to meet you all." The Chief spoke before introducing himself. "My name is Flying Shield, Chief of the Los Pegasus Police Force. "Again, I apologize for not accepting your request. I was just only following orders from the Mayor of this City. He can be overstrict and very sensitive about everything that happens inside and outside this city."
"I understand." Fluttershy acknowledged. "Flying Shield, can you take us to the Hospital that Rainbow Dash is going to be at?"
"Absolutely, please come this way." Flying Shield responded as he lead the two pegasus and the draconneques to the Hospital, in which lies in the western district of Los Pegasus.
The moment they reached the hospital, it was a tall 250 foot complex that has 30 floors with over 500 rooms. At the main desk, they told Fluttershy and Scootaloo that Rainbow Dash is in the 16th floor at room 13. As soon as Fluttershy reached the room where Rainbow Dash is in, she enters the room only to find Rainbow is still unconscious. Upon seeing the light-blue pegasus still under critical condition due to massive amounts of blood loss, Fluttershy was crying in a waterfall of tears coming down from her face. Discord appeared behind Fluttershy and comforted the sad yellow pegasus. Fluttershy and Scootaloo could not help but worry for Rainbow Dash's health. For the yellow pegasus' point of view, she was afraid that Fluttershy might lose Rainbow Dash the way she lost Twilight Sparkle. Even though Rainbow didn't received wounds that are fatal to that of Twilight's, it does not change the fact that losing large amounts of blood from a deep wound could also lead to death if left untreated. Not that it matters, Fluttershy was told by one of the nurses that Rainbow Dash was already scheduled for a blood transfusion in 2 hours. After being relieved from hearing that, Fluttershy and Discord went to take a detour around the hospital, leaving Scootaloo behind to stay beside Rainbow Dash until she recovers.
When Fluttershy and Discord reached to a nearby restaurant for some grub, Fluttershy wouldn't stop worrying about what will become of her family and the rest of her friends out there. Before she could say anything, Discord makes his statements first.
"Look Fluttershy, I'm sure the rest of your friends will be able to take care of themselves, despite of the invasion in Equestria." Discord told the yellow pegasus. "I know you still care about Rainbow Dash as well but do you really think that was necessary, trying to lash out at a police officer when he was denying your desperate cry for help? You could've got us into even more bigger trouble behaving like that."
"I can't help it Discord, but since we're getting caught up in a civil war that was caused by those mean nobles, I still have to stay strong for Rainbow Dash because we can't keep cowering like scared bilge rats for long. We still need to find a way to take a stand." Fluttershy told Discord. "I mean, Twilight and the others were able to help me a lot since I met them. When Iron Will taught me on how to be assertive, it doesn't just involve getting physical, it also involves using aggressive negotiations when dealing with your adversaries. So, I still owe the rest of the Mane 5 after helping me build my confidence during the time I was hanging around with them. Rainbow Dash was made a perfect example of. So, I'll do anything to pay her back, even if it kills me. I'm sure you have to stay strong for the both of us, right?!"
"Well, I guess you could say that." Discord said as he acknowledged Fluttershy's speech.
"So, what I'm saying is that, if we give up on finding a way to survive, we'll likely give up on our friendship and all of Equestria." Fluttershy said summarizing her entire theory. "We're not going to give up on our friends just because of some defiant government official."
Before Fluttershy could say anymore, a male white pegasus with the light-green mane and tail came through the entrance of the restaurant she and Discord are both in. The Mayor also had a cutie mark of a white cloud with a pillar underneath it. Upon seeing the pegasus wearing formal clothing and glasses, Fluttershy presumed that he happens to be the city Mayor of Los Pegasus. As he approached Fluttershy, the Mayor makes his speech in front of her, but with a small glare from his face.
"Greetings, Ms. Fluttershy." The Mayor spoke introducing himself to the yellow pegasus. "My name is Pillar Cloud, the Mayor of Los Pegasus. Chief Flying Shield told me that you came here to seek shelter, as well as seeking medical aid for your light-blue pegasus friend. Before I let you touring around the city, may I ask why did you cause such a commotion in front of my officers?"
"I was trying to get my friend, Rainbow Dash to a nearby hospital in Los Pegasus but they wouldn't let us through." Fluttershy explained out of desperation. "So, I gave your chief as piece of my mind, sorry about that. Because we were being pursued by Black Scythe, who is one of the invaders in Equestria, we can't run very far anymore."
"My apologizes, Fluttershy." The Mayor spoke in a secretly sly tone. "It seems that my officers were a little too strict in protecting this fair city. Anyway, I hope you and your friends will enjoy your stay here in Los Pegasus. If you need anything, I'll be in the Los Pegasus City Hall. See you around."
"Thanks, Mr. Cloud." Fluttershy said, as she show as small smile on her face.
Despite Cloud's friendly greeting, however, Discord is starting to suspect that something isn't right here. Unbeknownst to his pegasus mare-friend, the Draconneques noticed that Cloud is hiding something underneath his sly smile, yet doesn't want to admit it in front of Fluttershy. After he and Fluttershy left the restaurant, Discord makes his speech in front of the yellow pegasus before moving on.
"Fluttershy, why don't you go on ahead without me and checkup on Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash after you're done window shopping here?" Discord asked the female pegasus. "I've got something that needs to be taken care of alone."
"Um, okay." Fluttershy responded with a positive tone. "Just don't take too long out there."
"You know I won't, Fluttershy." Discord said as he disappeared from plain view.
Meanwhile back at the City Hall of Los Pegasus, Mayor Cloud went into his office to send a message to other ponies, unknown to Fluttershy and Discord. While writing down his message, there is a picture behind Cloud that portrays himself. The picture of Cloud is also showing a banner behind him that is bearing the Emblem of the Unicornian Kingdom. After writing down his message, Cloud gives it to one of the mail ponies that was hovering outside of his window.
"It won't be long now until Queen Cicada and Black Scythe have them in their sights." Pillar Cloud cackled in a evil tone.
After spending two days in Los Pegasus, Fluttershy, Discord, and Scootaloo stayed at a nearby hotel adjacent to the Los Pegasus Hospital. When Fluttershy was done eating breakfast, she found out from reading the latest news headlines that the Unicornians have taken over Manehattan and Baltimare. As for Canterlot, the capital city is slowly losing its defenses there after every attack done by the Unicornian Forces. To make matters worse, Ponyville, Fluttershy's home, was already taken over by the Unicornians with just one swoop, with their leader Queen Majesty Blueblood taking it over and turning it into a makeshift fortress. As soon as Fluttershy is done reading the headlines, she went to the Hospital to check up on Rainbow Dash. Unfortunately, even after the blood transfusion, the light-blue female pegasus is still fast asleep. However, now that her friend is finally making a full recovery, Fluttershy felt pretty relieved that Rainbow Dash is doing okay while being hospitalized. Discord, however, is still investigating on what Mayor Pillar Cloud is up to. So, after going around the city, trying to seek some answers about the city Mayor, he learned that there were rumors that Cloud isn't really helping Los Pegasus change the way Princess Twilight Sparkle wanted. Others say that Pillar is in league with the cruel entourage of the Blueblood Family. Wanting to know more about Pillar Cloud, Discord snuck into his office while the Mayor went to the docks for some unknown reason.
"I know Pillar Cloud is hiding something from me and Fluttershy. But I don't want to think that he's setting us up." Discord said to himself as he looked into the file cabinets and into Cloud's desk. "Whatever it is, I hope he doesn't put us and all of Equestria in any more danger.
After going through the files, Discord eyes widen with shock and horror upon seeing what was in Cloud's diary. Before he could read anymore, Discord hearing hoof steps approach the mayor's office. With just one snap of his claws, Discord put everything back where it originally was before he disappeared in a flash. The draconneques casted an invisibility spell on himself, making him unseen by others. As soon as the doors opened, Discord spotted the Changeling Queen Cicada accompanying Black Scythe and Pillar Cloud, much to his horror. It turns out that Pillar Cloud is setting both him and Fluttershy up, by making false hospitality. When Cloud sat in front of his desk, Cicada makes her speech in front of the Mayor.
"So Pillar Cloud, are you sure they're here in Los Pegasus?!" Cicada asked as she hissed with her tongue sticking out.
"Yes, Cicada." Cloud responded in a positive tone.
Upon hearing what Cloud had to say, Cicada gave him a small bag of 1,200 bits, leaving it on top of his desk.
"Good work, Cloud." Cicada said in a cheerful voice. "Once I bring those three fools to Queen Majesty, they'll trade in some very powerful weaponry that their scientists have developed back in Unicornia."
After laughing at herself, Cicada turned around to face Black Scythe before saying anymore. "Black Scythe, is your men ready to attack the Los Pegasus Hospital?"
"Yes indeed, Cicada." Black Scythe acknowledged. "Since your Changelings will be distracting the Chief's riot police outside of the hospital, me and my men will move in and capture those three pegasus for good."
"Perfect!!!" Cicada cackled. "I'll take care of Discord if he ever shows up at that filthy Hospital."
"Consider it done, Queen Cicada." Pillar Cloud announced to the rest of his evil allies. "Any questions?"
When Cicada and Black Scythe responded with a "no," Cloud assumed that everything will go according to plan.
"Good. We'll begin our attack today at sunset!!" Pillar Cloud announced to Cicada and Black Scythe.
Upon seeing and hearing what the three traitors are planning to do, Discord silently made his way out the doors like a slithering snake before heading back to the hospital to warn Fluttershy and Scootaloo of this impeding attack.
Meanwhile, back at the Los Pegasus Hospital, Fluttershy finally found Zecora and Nurse Redheart shopping for medicines at a small pharmacy store. Feeling relieved, Fluttershy could not help but smile at the zebra and the white earth pony that they're both okay.
"So, you made it here too, huh?!" Zecora asked Fluttershy.
"I'm so glad you and Redheart are both okay." Fluttershy exclaimed in relief. "How did you two made your way to Los Pegasus?"
"Well, when those Unicornian invaders attacked Ponyville, I was able to help evacuate most of the patients onboard the medical caravan en route to Los Pegasus." Redheart explained. "I was able to ran into Zecora along the way. Since she's heading to Los Pegasus too, I let the Zebra tag along with the rest of the medical caravan."
"A friend you have, horribly injured she was." Zecora said presuming what Fluttershy has recently been through.
"Yes, when we escaped Cloudsdale, that monster Black Scythe was pursuing us all the way to Los Pegasus." Fluttershy explained to the zebra and the white earth pony. "That monster shot Rainbow Dash with a harpoon gun before she went onboard one of the hot-air balloons that I was in."
"I see." Nurse Redheart acknowledged. "How's she doing right now?!"
"They're able to deliver Rainbow a blood transfusion during her recovery in this Hospital." Fluttershy said, explaining Rainbow's current condition. "She still sleeping."
"That's good to hear." Redheart said, making Fluttershy satisfied.
Just when the zebra, the white earth pony, and the yellow pegasus went to check up on Rainbow Dash, Discord bursted through a flash of magic while under a panicked state. Upon seeing the draconneques's sudden appearance, Redheart and Zecora almost freaked out.
"Discord, is something wrong?!" Fluttershy asked, concerning for Discord's sudden behavior.
After taking a few deep breaths while holding a paper bag in front of his mouth, Discord turns around to face Fluttershy, Zecora, and Nurse Redheart before saying anything. "Fluttershy, I don't think we can stay here anymore."
"What?! Why??" Fluttershy asked in a startled tone. "We're just able to get comfortable in staying here after two days!!!"
"Yes, but Mayor Pillar Cloud isn't what he seems!" Discord spoke as he informed the three ponies of what he was about to say next. "He's setting both of us up!!! Look what I found from his office."
After Discord makes his speech, he handed Fluttershy the Mayor's diary. Just when Fluttershy opened the diary to read its contents, she stared at it with pure terror in her eyes.
When I heard about how Princess Twilight and Princess Cadence is attempting to make changes by in Los Pegasus, I have no intention of letting them take advantage of my city. I already got everything I need to maintain law and order here. Even though Chief Flying Shield accepted their will of change, most of the citizens there were already in favor with the Bluebloods because I was able to maintain a good source of Treasury with their help. In fact, I'll do the changes in Los Pegasus MY WAY, not there way. Black Scythe has been my friend for over ten years, before she joined the Equestrian Army. So, I gained her trust in helping me let Unicornia take over this city unchallenged, in exchange for the lives of my people. As of right now,as soon as Unicornia arrives, I'll be putting Chief Shield down, letting Black Scythe declare martial law in Los Pegasus. They're also offering a reward of 1,200 bits to any pony that discover the whereabouts of the Element Bearers of Harmony. Now that Princess Twilight is eliminated, things will get a lot more easier for me to maintain personal control over Los Pegasus. Now that the Elements of Kindness and Loyalty are here, I'll have them trapped in that Hospital, letting Black Scythe and Queen Cicada move in to capture the prey.
"Oh Sweet Faust, after we came all this way to help Rainbow Dash, we just had to run into a trap?!!?" Fluttershy said while freaking out. "Discord, what do we do??"
Before Discord could say anything, Chief Flying Shield and his officers walking through the Hospital's Pharmacy. Upon seeing Fluttershy in a total panic, Flying Shield could not help but ask what's wrong.
"Fluttershy are feeling okay?!" Flying Shield asked out of concern.
"I don't think she is, Chief." Discord spoke for the frightened yellow pegasus. "Read this!!!"
Upon reading through the diary that Discord gave him, Flying Shield started to notice that the Mayor of Los Pegasus is up to no good, much to his shock. Before Flying Shield could say anymore, the floor shook in an instant. In the next minute, several magic blasts were shooting through the hospital windows, forcing all visitors, hospital staff, and patients running scared all over the area, fleeing for their lives. As for Fluttershy, Zecora, Discord, and Red heart, they all fled back to Rainbow Dash's dorm, while the police chief and his officers assemble in a shield formation before defending the Hospital lobby from the inside. At hospital lobby, a huge blast erupted, leveling the main entrance into a huge gapping hole in the middle. The next thing they saw was Cicada's changelings and Black Scythe's warriors storming through the lobby, showing no mercy.
As the battle between Shield's officers, the changelings, and the Unicornian soldiers commence, Fluttershy and her friends reached to Rainbow Dash's dorm to help the unconscious blue pegasus escape capture. Unfortunately, they weren't able to unstrap Rainbow Dash from the stretcher in time, for heard screaming and deathly gurgles coming closer to the floor they're in. Instead, Discord bursted into the dorm, while under a state of panic.
"Fluttershy, those goons are marching up to floor, we have to leave now!!!" Discord shrieked, fear for the safety of his mare friend.
"Discord, I can't leave Rainbow behind like this!!!" Fluttershy protested as she struggled to get her pegasus friend out from the stretcher.
"There's no time left, Fluttershy." Discord persisted. "I'm sure Rainbow Dash wants us to move on too, with or without her. Now come on!!!"
Before she knew it, Discord grabbed Fluttershy by the stomach as he made a run down the hallway of the 16th floor. Behind them, they see Cicada hacking the door with her battle Axe on the other side, leaving a small hole on it. As they see Cicada's face appear outside of the whole, Fluttershy started screaming her head off in fright.
"Here's Cicada!!!" The changeling Queen grinned as she stared at the frightened pegasus and Draconneques.
Before the Changeling Queen was able to open the door from the other side, reaching her hoof out the hole that she made on the door, Discord snapped his fingers and casted an illusion spell on the dorm that Rainbow Dash is in, hopefully they will not get her by the time they entered the 16th floor. As Discord and Fluttershy made a run for it down the stairs, along with Zecora, Scootaloo, and Redheart, Cicada blasted her way into the floor trying to pursue them. Unbeknownst to Cicada, Rainbow Dash was still in her dorm, unnoticed by every pony and creature.
Just when they're about to reach the top floor of the Hospital, in which has a landing pad that's used for evacuation, Cicada reappeared in a flash, right in from of them at the 29th Floor. Startled by Cicada's sudden appearance, the ponies started to back away in fear. However, just when Cicada was about to drain the ponies of their magic, Discord flew in from behind them and stuffed a volleyball into the Changeling Queen's mouth, rendering her unable to do anything other than struggling to get the ball out.
"Fluttershy, you take those ponies with you and get out while you still have the chance." Discord told the yellow pegasus. "I'll hold off this witch here."
"Discord, I won't leave you!!!" Fluttershy wailed in tears. "You're not just my friend, you're the only family I have let. Please, don't do this!!!"
"I'm sorry, Fluttershy. But I'm doing this for you and Rainbow Dash." Discord denied. "Besides, I'm the only one who's capable enough to stay behind until Rainbow Dash wakes up from her beauty sleep. You guys get to the medical airships!!!"
Before Fluttershy could say another word, Zecora and Redheart dragged her to the hangars, despite her crying and screaming for one of her best friends.
"Look at me, Fluttershy!!!" Redheart shouted at the sobbing pegasus. "Discord is already buying us some time to escape and head for Vanhoover. Unless we do this, all of his efforts and his sacrifice will be in vain."
"But Rainbow and Discord will get left behind. I can't leave them like this!!!" Fluttershy wailed even louder.
"This may going to cost us our loyalty, but it's better than meeting a fate that's worse than death." Redheart continued. "I'm sure they'll find us, as soon as they're done defending this hospital from those invaders. Now LET'S GO!!!"
As soon as the two pegasus, the white earth pony, and the Zebra reached to the roof of the hospital, they saw a Medical Airship at the landing pad, preparing for departure, along with an escort of two Royal Guard Airships. The moment they all got on the airship, the pilot immediately took off without hesitation. While taking one last look at Los Pegasus, Fluttershy started crying in silent, believing that she'll never she Discord or Rainbow Dash ever again. Because of this, Fluttershy concluded that the Element of Loyalty is no more. So, Fluttershy waved goodbye to both of her friends as she disappeared, along with the airship that she is in, vanishing into the night sky.
"Fluttershy, I had know idea." Rainbow Dash said upon seeing the yellow pegasus cry in her hooves.
"I'm so sorry, Rainbow Dash. I didn't know what to do anymore." Fluttershy wailed, feeling hurt that she didn't see Discord and the light-blue pegasus for awhile.
"It's okay, Fluttershy." Rainbow Dash said while comforting the yellow pegasus. "I'm here now."
"That's terrible!!" Luna said while holding her hooves in her mouth.
"Well, that won't matter anymore." Celestia said unaffected by Fluttershy's second part of her story. "Because Mayor Pillar Cloud committed suicide after we helped Twilight reclaim Equestria as our own once more."
"So Celestia, what happened at Canterlot, after you helped the citizens flee to the Crystal Empire?" Twilight asked as she took another bite from a hayburger.
"Me and Luna had ordered all of our remaining guards defend the outer walls, with Sunset Shimmer and Fancy Pants and his men." Celestia explained to her star student. "However, some of Fancy Pants' men aren't really on our side at all. There was so much confusion and death amongst their ranks......."
After two days of patrolling the outer walls of Canterlot, Sunset could not help but feel bored not doing anything other than staying on guard to protect the city from the Unicornian Invaders. Despite this, however, Sunset refuses to let her guard down because she still wanted to make it up to her former mentor and for her deceased friend, Princess Twilight Sparkle. As the yellow female unicorn leaned onto the wall, she stared straight at the clear blue sky out in the distance, thinking about what will ever become of Equestria now. Before Sunset could take another walk around the outer wall during her patrol, she meets one of the Changeling Soldiers, Private Shell, on her left. Private Shell happens to be the very same Changeling that Sunset met when she came back to Equestria to make amends with her former mentor.
"How are you doing, Sunset Shimmer?" Private Shell asked out of concerned for the female unicorn.
"I don't know how will this war will end, Shell." Sunset Shimmer responded nervously. "I mean, is this the first time that you have ever been in a war before?"
"Probably so." Shell replied. "Ever since Princess Twilight and Princess Cadence formed the Changeling Republic in order to have most of us Changelings make a home in Equestria, I've was pretty thrilled in how I should start my life as. In fact, I intended to pay those alicorn princesses back by serving under their reign to the fullest."
"When you heard about how Twilight died, how did that made you feel?" Sunset asked the Changeling soldier.
"Well, it almost felt like that our Changeling Republic society could not move forward without Princess Twilight's guidance." Shell said, in a somber tone. "But no matter, most of the Royal Family of Equestria was already able to let most of us live in the Crystal Empire, Ponyville, and in Canterlot for starters."
"When I heard that Princess Twilight got killed, it makes me feel that a part of my friendship has left me." Sunset said in a somber tone. "Because of how I mistreated every pony in Equestria and everyone in Canterlot High, I thought for sure that I can't do anything about it but disappear in the face of the Earth."
"Yet, here you stand not willing to give up for your mentor?!" Shell asked, pondering Sunset's full story back at Canterlot High.
"Yes. Princess Celestia still saw me as her daughter, just like what she saw in Princess Twilight." Sunset explained. "I guess you could say that I was just jealous of Princess Twilight when she was able to get what I could not. It doesn't matter anymore, at least I learned my lesson."
Before Shell or Sunset could say anymore, other Royal guard at the outer walls spotted something out in the distance and rang the warning Bell in the gate house. Upon hearing the bells ring at an alarming rate, Sunset assumes that it isn't a good sign. The moment she turned around to see what that guard saw, her eyes widened with horror. The Unicornians are marching forward. Behind their ranks, several of their earth pony slaves are hauling some sort of huge energy Cannons. Before they could see what was happening, the Cannons fired some sort of electrical beams at the Royal Sisters' shield barrier. Upon impact, it discharged huge tendrils of blue lighting, followed by a chain reaction of Sparks. After getting bombarded by the energy Cannons, the huge shield barrier started to disintegrate in less than 10 minutes. Upon seeing the shield barrier tear itself apart, Sunset concluded that this could only mean one thing: the Unicornians are resuming their siege on Canterlot two days ago.
In the other side of the outer walls, Fancy Pants was about to order his group for a counter-attack. However, the unicorn Noble saw something in his ranks that wasn't expected. Fancy saw Lord Bronze telling two of the nobles at the gatehouse to do something that's not right. As Fancy looked closer at the pony noble who approached the main gate, he had some sort of explosives underneath his Noble Tunic. It turns out, unknown to the rest of the other pony nobles and guards, that those two are actually enemy suicide bombers. The moment the two suspicious nobles got closer to the gate, Fancy Pants started hollering at them.
"HEY!! HEY!!!" Fancy Pants shouted as he pulled out his flintlock pistol and pointed at them. "HEY, GET THE FUCK DOWN!!!"
Ignoring what Fancy Pants just said, the two nobles are about to blow themselves up in front of Canterlot's Main Gate. Even though Fancy Pants shot and killed one of them with his firearm, the other suicide bomber successfully pulled the pins off the explosives on his chest. Unable to stop the second suicide bomber in time, Fancy Pants leaped away from the bomber before he blew himself up, taking down the main gate and the outer walls surrounding it with him. Even though Fancy Pants was able to escape the blast, the resulting explosion gave his ears a painful ringing, unable to hear anything else for a few minutes after he fell flat on the ground with his stomach.
Back at the position where Sunset Shimmer and Private Shell were at, they were both startled as they heard the explosion coming from near Canterlot's Gatehouse. As they went to see what was going on, several of the other guards and nobles started attacking the soldiers who were accompanying Sunset and Shell, surprising them during the confusion.
"SUNSET, THIS WAY!!!" Private Shell shouted at the top of his lungs when he drew out his sword from his scabbard.
As the unicorn and the changeling went down the stairs, they were met by several more traitorous guards. The moment they tried to attack the duo, Sunset fought back as she drew out her Flamberge. With just one swipe of her enchanted sword, Sunset just unleashed a torrent of flame at her attackers. As for Private Shell, he took to the skies and did a dive bomb, unleashing a green explosion of magic, sending 2 of the traitors flying in two different directions.
For the rest of the other guards at the garrisons, they were trying to make a run for it. Unfortunately, the traitorous guards and noble blasted them apart with their handguns and their magic. As for the gatehouse, Lord Bronze threw a flare at one of its towers with his magic. In just an instant, the invaders fired their cannons and blew up the gatehouse with several bombardments. Upon seeing this, Fancy Pants made a run for it right after he got up on his hooves. Without further a due, Fancy and the rest of his remaining friends and guards accompanied him as he fought his way back into the city. While on the run, Fancy Pants used his magic to activate his earbud to communicate with the Royal Sisters back at the Palace.
"Princess Celestia, we've been betrayed again. They took down the Gatehouse and the Main Gate using suicide bombers!!!" Fancy Pants shouted through his earbud.
"Me and my sister are about to finish bolstering up the defenses all around the Canterlot Palace." Princess Celestia said, responding to the Fancy's frightened tone. "Hold them off at the Town Square until then, Fancy Pants!!"
"Understood!!" Fancy Pants said responding to the sun princess' orders.
As for Sunset Shimmer and Private Shell, the moment they went down to the wrecked gate, they saw the Unicornian Army charging straight at them, with Lord Tirek and Queen Majesty Blueblood leading them from behind their ranks. Upon seeing this unexpected turn of events, Sunset and Shell fought desperately as they tried to help Fancy Pants and his comrades defend Canterlot's Town Square. The traitorous guards and nobles, led by Lord Bronze continued to pursue the female unicorn and the changeling soldier at the outer walls. One traitorous guard came out from a nearby guard tower and charged at Sunset with his spear. However, Sunset dodged the traitorous guard's spear by an inch of her mane and chopped his head clean off with her Flamberge. Private Shell charged up his horn with his changeling magic and shot out a green blast of energy at a nearby traitorous guard from the balcony of one of the buildings on his left. After getting struck by Shell's magic, the guard fell off from the balcony and smashed his head onto the concrete pavement, dead. Behind Sunset, she sees Tirek smashing his way through the battlements from the wrecked gatehouse.
"COME ON OUT, LITTLE PONIES!!!" Tirek roared as he drew out his giant sword. "I'll murder the lot of you!!!!"
As Tirek, along with several of the traitorous guard ponies and Unicorians, made his way through the outer walls, he grabbed and drained the life force out of several Royal Guard stragglers that got in his way. From within the ranks of the Unicornian Army, they brought forth in their chariots. The chariots are being pulled by two Unicornian guards, with one riding inside its carriage and firing his turret-mounted, heavy repeating crossbow at the defenders of Canterlot. By the time the Royal Guards and Fancy Pants met them head on, they were starting to suffer heavy casualties from the enemy chariots' incoming fire. In just seconds, the defenders fled into the buildings nearby and returned fire from its windows, while others were locked in melee combat, defending the buildings that they're hold up in. Upon seeing the enemy chariots zeroing into Sunset and Shell, Sunset shot out a huge magical fireball with her horn and struck at one chariot up front, making it explode into a huge combust that caught several traitorous guards and nobles on fire. Another chariot came up to Sunset's left and hurled a javelin at her. However, Sunset teleported herself away from their line of fire and jumped on top of the chariot's carriage and knocked the gunner of from his seating. Upon seeing Sunset on top of their carriage, the two Unicornian guards got out of their harness and drew out their weapons before attack the female unicorn. However, Shell charged forward and stabbed one Unicornian guard with his horn, while the other one was stabbed in the eye by Fancy Pant's saber. After taking the two Unicornians down, Fancy and Shell put on the harnesses and drove the chariot all around the Town Square, while Sunset beared down on the oncoming invaders with the heavy repeating crossbow.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Town Square, Majesty bursted right through the ranks of Canterlot's defenders with her magic, blasting every single Equestrian Royal Guard in her sights. One Royal Guard appeared and tried to attack the Unicornian Queen with his sword only to be met with a stab in the chest with Majesty's silver Halberd. As the guard succumbed to his stab wounds, Majesty lifted the dead guard up and threw it at the other 3 enemy guards. When one of Fancy Pants' men came up from behind Majesty, he was met with a stab in the skull by the Queen's halberd. As Majesty pulled her halberd out of the Royal Guard's head, she sent the guard's corpse rolling away from her side before collapsing dead on the pavement. Tirek engaged in a bull charge ramming into a group of five Equestrian Royal Guards and drained all of their magic before they collapsed on the ground. The moment Majesty saw Sunset firing crossbow bolts at her men, she charged up her horn with her magic and rammed right through the Chariot's carriage, sending the yellow unicorn crashing into a nearby building, with Fancy Pant and Shell skidding into an immediate halt, with both of them taking off their harnesses.
As Sunset got up on all four hooves, she sees Majesty Blueblood raising her halberd straight at the orange unicorn from a couple of feet away from her position. Sunset drew out her Flamberge before engaging the Alicorn Queen in a one-and-on duel. Before Sunset could make her move, she started getting taunted by Majesty's screeching.
"You must be Sunset Shimmer, the former student of the false Princess Celestia. You really are imbecile to think that you'd actually fight for the very same country that you used to spat on so long ago!!!" Majesty cackled. "After all the trouble you caused in Canterlot, you are about to die at right where you started from. I find it very poetic."
"You wish!!!" Sunset snarled. "I heard about your story through Princess Luna's perspective. I used to be just like you once. But there's actually nothing good about gaining power in Equestria. Believe me, I learned all of this the hard way."
"Oh Yeah?! Well my father told me that our power is the only thing that keeps my family alive!!" Majesty hissed. "If you don't know that, then maybe I'll beat some sense in you first!!"
"Like you're going to do better than I could!!" Sunset said as she glared at the evil alicorn while raising her sword up high. "Bring it on, Bitch!!!"
After hearing what Sunset just said, Majesty growled as she charged at the yellow unicorn with all her might. As Majesty closed in for the kill, she was met by a wave of fire magic coming out from Sunset's Flamberge. In an instant, Majesty summoned her shield barrier before advancing forward towards Sunset's position. The moment Majesty's shield disappeared, Sunset leaped forward and attempted to slam her sword right on top of Majesty's skull. However, Majesty raised her halberd, blocking Sunset's sword horizontally. As Sunset landed on all fours, Majesty thrusted her halberd straight into the yellow unicorn's face, only to dodge it by mere inches, leaving behind a small, bleeding cut on her cheek. Sunset swung her Flamberge at Majesty's face, but not before blocking it in a vertical guard. Just when Majesty attempted to stab Sunset with her halberd again, the yellow unicorn jumped away from her and fired her semi-automatic assault rifle at the evil alicorn. Unfortunately, Majesty raised her shields again to ward off the shots. After firing an entire clip of bullets with her rifle, Sunset ran out of ammo and threw the rifle to the ground before charging forward at Majesty's position. After making several more parries against both of their weapons, Sunset's sword and Majesty's halberd clashed into each other, they're both struggling to gain their ground in the middle of the battlefield while holding their weapons close to each others' faces.
"Not bad for a unicorn, Sunset Shimmer??" Majesty said taunting the reform unicorn. "I thought for sure that they'll have you punished for going against Princess Celestia. You could've joined up with my father when Celestia denied you of your destiny, when you still have the chance. My father told me that you hated Celestia, yet you insisted on making it up to her right now??"
"I got a little too carried away when I was studying under Celestia tutelage." Sunset explained. "Since I learned from her and Princess Twilight the hard way, I almost punished myself after they gave me a taste of my own medicine. However, Princess Celestia still refuses to give up on me. In fact, she actually forgave me after being gone for so long. So, I'm not letting you overthrow her because she's like a mother that always cares about her children, regardless of how many bad days he or she had to put up with."
"Then, say your PRAYERS!!!" Majesty roared as she lifted her halberd up high, shoving Sunset's blade away from her face.
Before Sunset had a chance to react, Majesty stabbed Sunset in her right front leg, making her fall on her front screaming in pain. In addition, Majesty stabbed Sunset in her left shoulder blade, making her bleed as the yellow unicorn collapsed onto the pavement.
"N-No, please. You don't even know what the buck you're do-URRRRRRGGGGHHHH!!!" Sunset pleaded only to feel herself getting strangled.
"Nice try, loser!!!" Majesty cackled as she used her magic to lift up Sunset above her height and started strangling the orange, red-haired unicorn with her magic to death.
However, before Majesty could finish off Sunset Shimmer in a chokehold, Princess Celestia appeared right in front of the two ponies and unleashed a torrent of continuous fire at where Majesty is standing at. The moment Celestia's spell got closer to Majesty, the evil alicorn responded by raising her shield barrier. As soon as Celestia's spell struck Majesty's shield, the sun princess was able to push her back 25 feet away from Sunset Shimmer, making her lose her grip on the female unicorn. In just an instant, an fiery explosion sent Majesty flying into the bright-red sky. The moment Celestia went to check up on Sunset, she notices that Sunset is badly wounded, unconscious, and bleeding. Not wanting to lose another of her daughter-figures, Celestia used her magic to carry an injured Sunset on her back before retreating to the Palace Courtyard.
"Every pony, fall back to the Palace Courtyard!!!" Celestia said as she ordered her remaining defenders at the Town Square.
Unfortunately, by the time Fancy Pants was about to make a run for it, Lord Bronze got in his way and slammed the unicorn stallion with a huge club, knocking him out cold. As for Private Shell, he helped Princess Celestia escape with an injured Sunset Shimmer but not before he was stabbed in the back, with the spear tip coming out of his chest, by one of the traitorous guards with a spear. Upon seeing Private Shell dying, she was about to rescue him too. However, Shell denied being rescued and instead decided to buy the sun princess and Sunset some time for them to escape to the Palace Courtyard.
"FORGET ABOUT ME, PRINCESS!!! JUST RUN!!! GO!!!" Shell shouted as blood started seeping from his mouth.
From underneath his bloodied guard armor, Shell took out an mini nuke grenade and with every last once of his strength he pulled out the pin from the grenade.
"LET THE BLOOD BURN TO KINGDOM COME!!!" Shell shouted out loud, making his final words before the grenade's explosion consumed him.
As soon as the grenade went off, a huge explosion erupted in the Town Square, causing a huge vibration that shattered every window in the buildings and taking out half of the traitorous guards, nobles, and Unicornian soldiers all in one go. Additionally, half of Canterlot was decimated. However, as soon as Majesty was able to get back on the ground after sent flying in the sky, she raised her shields to the fullest, protecting herself, Lord Bronze, and Tirek from getting caught in Private Shell's sacrificial blast. After the explosion ended, Majesty just realized that most of her men have been half-obliterated.
"We can't move forward like this." Majesty said to herself before issuing orders to Lord Bronze and Tirek. "Have our men regroup at the Town Square, that area is now ours. We'll call it day for now."
"Are you sure you want to stop, there?!" Tirek asked. "We're so close in taking Canterlot all in one swoop. I'm still not satisfied in not getting enough glory from this war. I say we take e'm down when they're still licking their wounds."
"Not yet, Tirek." Majesty snapped, denying the demonic centaur's request. "Those Changeling Republican pipsqueaks just caused a lot of damage to our forces. So, I need reinforcements before continuing where we left off."
"Hmph!! Fine." Tirek said, muttering in disgust, not being able to press forward yet.
As Lord Bronze and Tirek went back to the ruins of the Town Square, they see an unconscious Fancy Pants locked up inside a huge cage. The moment Fancy Pants woke up, he felt a sharp pain coming out from the back of his skull. When he looked up to see what was going on around him, Fancy Pants spotted Lord Bronze and Tirek gloating at him, giving the pony noble smug looks from their faces. Feeling defeated, Fancy Pants could not help but worry about his wife Fleur de Lis of her safety, as well as how he failed to defend Canterlot's outer walls because of Bronze's betrayal.
"Copper Bronze, how could you do this to us!!!" Fancy Pants asked while angrily shouting at the earth pony noble. "I TRUSTED YOU!!!!"
"Sorry it had to be this way, Fancy Pants." Lord Bronze sneered. "But I have other plans for supporting the Bluebloods."
Inside the Canterlot Palace, 12 hours later, Sunset woke up after feeling a sharp pain all over her body only to find herself in one of the dorms inside the Palace Hospital. As she looked at herself in the mirror, Sunset sees some dress bandages covering up her front right hoof and a white patch covering up her left shoulder blade. In just a few minutes, Princess Celestia came in to check up on Sunset Shimmer to see how she is doing.
"Sunset, I'm so glad you're okay." Princess Celestia spoke in a tearful expression while hugging the yellow unicorn in her hooves.
"Princess, what happened??" Sunset asked in a desperate tone. "Did we drive them back?"
I'm afraid not!!!" Princess Celestia said as she shook her head. "The invaders have already taken over the Town Square and Fancy Pants and his comrades have been captured by the enemy."
"What about Private Shell?? Where is he??" Sunset asked, showing concern for one of the Changeling Royal Guards at the Town Square.
"He didn't make it!" Princess Celestia responded in a solemn tone. "He sacrificed himself to decimate half of the attackers in the Town Square. I'm sorry."
Upon hearing what the sun princess just said, Sunset could not believe that she just lost another comrade that fought desperately to save Canterlot. Realizing that half of Canterlot was destroyed, Sunset got out of her bed and saw the wreckage in a distance from the Palace.
"I didn't think it would end this way." Sunset muttered to herself before she turned around to face Princess Celestia again.
"Well, it'll be awhile before they'll be attacking this palace with everything they've got." Princess Celestia told Sunset. "I hate to say this, Sunset. Our reinforcements aren't able to make it to Canterlot in time. We're on our own now."
After hearing this, Sunset could only pray for a miracle that they'll find a way to defeat Majesty and her forces, despite losing so much of their beloved country.
"Oh great, more suicide bombers!!" Crimson muttered in disgust. "Just how much more of those ponies can those bastards corrupt and poison against us??"
"We pretty much blamed both Lord Bronze and Amadeus for the recruitment and the bribery of those terrorists." Luna muttered to herself in frustration.
"I don't believe it!! Who would ever thought that they sacrifice more ponies just to take down Canterlot in several days?!" Twilight grunted, thinking about the horrors that occurred back at her birthplace.
"No of that matters anymore, now that we were able to rebuild Canterlot after the violent conflict. When I saw Sunset get confronted by Majesty Blueblood, I was really afraid that I might lose her the way I lost you, Twilight." Celestia said as she comforted Twilight in her hooves. "It's all thanks to you that we were able to get back what those miserable wretches took away from us when they set hoof upon Equestria."
"I know, thanks Princess Celestia." Twilight replied in a happy squeal while being embraced in Celestia's hooves before turning her attention towards the rest of her friends. "So guys, what were you saying about how Unicornia conquered the cities that you're in??"
The only thing that Rainbow Dash could remember was when her hind leg was being impaled by a harpoon and tow cable. Upon getting pulled back against her own will, Rainbow couldn't imagine the burning sensation and excruciating pain that she experienced when that harpoon was stuck to her leg. As soon as they help Rainbow break free from being pulled back by the harpoon, Rainbow lost consciousness after losing a lot of blood from her impaled wound. Just when she finally woke up, Rainbow Dash finds herself lying on top of a bed.
As she got up on her hooves, Rainbow felt some pain coming from her hind leg. By the time she looked at her wound, Rainbow sees it covered up with a dress wound covering up her injured leg. As she landed on the floor with all four of her hooves, Rainbow heard some screaming and explosions coming from outside of the dorm. The moment Rainbow left the dorm, she actually found herself inside some sort of Hospital before moving forward. Just when Rainbow went to take a look at what is going on around her, she sees Discord fighting against some unidentified nemesis. After a few seconds of blurry eyesight, Rainbow blinked several times before she was able to regain her eye contact. As soon as the world around her finally stopped being blurry, Rainbow sees Discord getting pushed back by Black Scythe and Queen Cicada, much to her horror.
After helping Fluttershy escape the Hospital, Discord decided to stay behind to help Rainbow Dash and Chief Flying Shield drive away the attackers in this complex. Unfortunately, after Discord casted some of his chaos magic to keep Queen Cicada distracted, Black Scythe crashed through a window from the Draconneques' right. As soon as the grey hostile pegasus landed on her hooves, Black Scythe took out a huge Scythe and held it with both of her front hooves. In less than a second, the evil grey pegasus warrior came charging straight at Discord, showing no signs of mercy in her wake. The moment he reacted, Discord drew out a Plunder Vine Saber from his side and blocked the huge scythe with it using both of his hands. Despite him being the Lord of Chaos, Discord was actually getting shoved back by the Unicornian Pegasus warrior. After Discord shoved the scythe away from his face with his Plunder Saber, Black Scythe made a horizontal sweeping arc with her huge blade. However, Discord was able to dodge the blade by mere inches from his horns and unwillingly got stuck at a wall on Black Scythe's right. While Scythe was distracted in trying to pull the blade out, Discord spotted Rainbow Dash leave her hospital dorm.
The moment Rainbow saw Discord in front of her, she was immediately grabbed by Discord in the stomach before getting carried away from the floor that they're both in.
"Discord, what in the name of Celestia is going on here??" Rainbow Dash asked, being startled by the unexpected events of violence in the Hospital.
"You were still out cold for two days when we brought you to Los Pegasus to be treated of your injuries, Rainbow Dash." Discord explained. "Unfortunately, the mayor of this city was setting all of us up. He told Black Scythe and Queen Cicada about us being here. Without warning, they ordered their men to attack this Hospital, just so that they can have you and Fluttershy captured immediately."
"WAIT!!! Where's Fluttershy?? I thought she was with you!!!???" Rainbow Dash asked, realizing that her best friend is nowhere to be seen in the Hospital.
"My apologizes, Rainbow Dash." Discord replied. "I had Fluttershy and Scootaloo escape without us. They'll both likely in Vanhoover by now. I stayed behind in order to keep those two ruffians distracted during the fight. Also, Chief Flying Shield of the Los Pegasus Police are making their stand in helping us drive away those infidels here."
"YOU LET FLUTTERSHY AND SCOOTALOO LEAVE THIS PLACE WITHOUT US???!!!" Rainbow shrieked. "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND????!!!!"
"I can't really do anything here if Fluttershy and Scootaloo are both in the way." Discord added. "If I didn't help them escape this place, they wouldn't last much longer."
"Well, where are my parents?? I thought they were with us too." Rainbow Dash asked, concerning for the safety of her family.
"Then again, they both helped us escape by distracting Black Scythe and her men back in White Tail Woods." Discord explained briefly. "I'm sure they want you to live for their sake."
After hearing what Discord just said, Rainbow Dash started sobbing due to the fact that she may never see Fluttershy, Scootaloo, or her parents again. As she and Discord went down to the Main Lobby of the Hospital, they saw dead riot police, dead Changelings, and dead Unicornian soldiers scattered all over the floor. However, near the entrance, Discord and Rainbow Dash see Chief Flying Shield and several of his men were still fighting against the Cicada's changelings. As soon as Flying Shield turned around to see Rainbow Dash finally awake, he felt relieved that the light-blue pegasus was able to walk on all four legs again. Though, it does not change the fact that Rainbow won't be running as fast since her leg is still injured, apart from her flying abilities. Without hesitation, Flying Shield led Rainbow Dash and Discord to the Hospital's emergency exit and flew into a nearby watch tower just a few meters east of the Los Pegasus Hospital before barricading themselves inside.
"It's about time you finally woke up from your beauty sleep, Rainbow Dash!" Flying Shield grunted after he bolstered the watch tower with the help of several of his surviving officers. "There's no time for any chit-chat. Cicada's soldiers and Black Scythe's troops have already breached the Hospital. What's worse is that we've been betrayed by our city Mayor."
"Why would your Mayor betray you for??" Rainbow Dash asked, completely outraged by such corrupted government.
"It turns out that they were bribing Mayor Pillar Cloud in letting Black Scythe and Cicada come after you two." Flying Shield summarized. "But no matter, I'm still part of the law residing in Los Pegasus, expected to serve and protect its citizens from dangerous threats."
"How would I know that you can be trusted?" Rainbow Dash asked while glaring at the police chief. "Because we heard that our friend Twilight was killed by her own guards in her sleep. It broke my heart entirely. In fact, I got drunk at one time and said some nasty stuff at Twi. If only she was still here, I would definitely owe her an apology for not believing her."
"I've been in the Los Pegasus Law enforcement for more than 18 years." Flying Shield explained. "If I were to be corrupted, I won't really help you and Discord escape, would I?!"
After a few minutes of silent glaring at the Police Chief, Rainbow felt Discord's lion paw touch her shoulder, telling her that it's alright.
"It's okay, Rainbow." Flying Shield said in a sympathetic tone. "I was also afraid that I couldn't trust any of you either. But when you're yellow pegasus friend came up to me and shouted like she was desperately need her help in trying to save you, I knew I can't hold back my aid any longer. We're all living under a great deal of fear of trusting each other."
"I understand." Rainbow Dash said as she stopped glaring at Flying Shield. "So, how are we going to get out of this city? Wherever Fluttershy and Scootaloo are at, I can't leave them alone out there. Scoots is still a little kid and Fluttershy doesn't fight very often like the rest of us, the Mane 5, do."
"Back at the Police Station, there is a police airship for you and Discord to use for evacuating the city." Flying Shield explained. "Once we get there, I'll hold them off with the rest of my fellow officers."
"Okay then, Let's go!!!" Rainbow Dash said with determination.
"Take precautions, Rainbow." Flying Shield added. "We've got detachments of Cicada's minions and Black Scythe's soldiers scouring all of Los Pegasus. They're all still looking for you."
"I don't care. Besides, I'd rather beat them all to death before they can take me alive!!!!" Rainbow Dash hissed.
"Well, I heard about how brash and how zealous your fighting skills are. So, don't get too excited." Flying Shield said, warning the light-blue pegasus of the dangers in Los Pegasus. "I received reports that the invaders have brought in tanks to sweep the city streets."
After going over what they'll be up against, Discord, Rainbow, and Flying Shield left the watch tower, along with a group of riot police officers. Without further a due, they made their way down the tunnels to avoid detection by Black Scythe's forces. During their trek, they all decided to make their way towards the police station without any flying, for it may draw attention to the enemy in Los Pegasus. Flying Shield armed Rainbow Dash with a rapier for her to use in a fight. However, Flying Shield still does not want Rainbow Dash pick a fight with the enemy, for she will be badly outnumbered in less than 2 minutes of fighting. As they proceed through the tunnel, v.i.a Los Pegasus Police Station, Flying Shield took out his flash light to illuminate the darkness residing in the area. Rainbow Dash could not help but feeling very afraid that some stalker might be sneaking up on them from behind, while walking through the darkness of the tunnel. Eventually, 20 minutes later, they were able to leave the tunnel and saw light appear right in front of them. However, Rainbow heard more screaming, shouting, and explosions coming from her right. As they reached the edge of a nearby building, Flying Shield ordered Rainbow and Discord to remain behind him while he takes a peak around the corner. The moment Flying Shield peer his face around the building, he sees innocent ponies get blasted from behind by a squad of 5 changeling insurgents. After a few seconds later, Flying Shield sees the changelings leave the streets and entered a building adjacent from the one that he is hiding behind. As soon as they disappeared, Flying Shield directed the light-blue pegasus and the draconneques to the other side.
Unfortunately, by the time Discord reached to the sidewalk, a small rope sprang out from below his feet and wrapped around his dragon leg in an instant. Not a moment too soon, Discord tripped over on his stomach. Before he knew what was going on, Discord was getting pulled by the rope attached to an automatic crank and dragged out of the sidewalk, stopping at the nearby gutter.
"ARGH!!!" Discord screeched as he struggled to pull the wire out of his leg. "Some pony help get this piece of shit off me!!!"
Just when Rainbow started struggling to help Discord free from his leg restraint, a changeling insurgent appeared around the corner in front of Flying Shield, lashing out at him with a crude sword. After dodging the Changeling's sword, the pegasus Police Chief bend down, lifted the Changeling's legs, and flipping him over behind Flying Shield's back. Before the Changeling had a chance to react, Flying Shield stomped on his face with both of his hooves and broke his noose before he squirmed on the ground in pain while holding his injured nose. However, they weren't done yet. It turns out that the two pegasus and the draconneques just ran into an ambush at the sidewalk, a few blocks away from the Police Station. Behind them, Flying Shield spotted a squad of ten Unicornian Soldiers heading straight for them, all armed with spears and maces.
"Leave him, Rainbow Dash!!!" Flying Shield shouted at the light-blue pegasus, who is still trying to help Discord get loose from the restraints. "He's just going to slow us down."
Before Flying Shield could say anymore, he was met by an enemy unicorn soldier that came from his left, thrusting his spear at the Police Chief. Out of response, Flying Shield drew out his tazer with one of his wings and shot three jolts of electricity at his attacker, making the unicorn collapse on the ground, stunned. Just when the Unicorn was about to get back up on his hooves, he was met by a slam in the head by Flying Shield's nightstick. In less than a minute, Rainbow was able to use her teeth to rip out the rope restraining Discord, freeing him immediately. As soon as Discord got back up on his feet again, he casted a gale force spell that sent the oncoming Unicornian soldiers crashing into a nearby skyscraper, hitting their backs onto the wall before collapsing out cold. Not a moment too soon, the two pegasus and the draconneques finally made it to the Police Station.
As soon as the two ponies and draconneques went inside to get onboard the police airship, one of Flying Shield's radio dispatchers has received word that one of Black Scythe's tanks has appeared in front of the Station, along with two dozen of Black Scythe's soldiers. Before the Los Pegasus police force could do anything, Scythe's tank opened fire, destroying one of the barricades in front of the Police Station. Upon hearing the explosions from outside, Flying Shield directed Rainbow and Discord up to the landing pad at the Station's roof tops.
"This is were we'll part ways, Rainbow Dash." Flying Shield said.
"Why don't you come with us, Flying Shield?" Rainbow Dash asked as she went onboard the airship.
"I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash. But Los Pegasus is my home, my birthplace." Flying Shield protested. "I told you I am the law in this Faust-forsaken city. I cannot abandon my home. Besides, I'd rather die for my country, than surrender to Cicada or to Black Scythe!!"
"But Flying Shield......" Rainbow Dash said desperately before her speech was interrupted by a blast that made a huge hole inside the Police Station.
As Flying Shield turned around, he sees Unicornian troops overwhelming his remaining police force.
"Please forgive me, Rainbow Dash. But you're still the Element Bearers of Harmony and nothing is going to change that." Flying Shield said as he denied Rainbow's request. "You're the only heroes that I can count on to save Equestria."
"YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS SHIELD!!! WE CAN ALL STILL LIVE TO FIGHT FOR ANOTHER DAY!!!!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she persisted the police chief.
Unable to stand around anymore, Flying Shield drew out his weapons to go help out his fellow officers. Before he went back down to the first floor to met the enemy head on, Flying Shield turned around to say goodbye to Rainbow Dash and Discord before closing the doors in front of them.
"Farewell, Rainbow Dash." Flying Shield spoke in an intense tone. "It's been an honor serving and protecting you!!!"
As soon as Flying Shield closed the doors, he welded them completely shut before he went down to engage the invaders in Los Pegasus. Just like that, Flying Shield disappeared into the Police Station. For Rainbow Dash and Discord, the airship that they're in, took to the skies and headed east.
Upon hearing Rainbow Dash's second part of her story, Fluttershy rammed her with a very tight hug. The next thing the speedster pegasus saw was that the yellow pegasus started wailing again.
"I know. I know, Fluttershy." Rainbow Dash said to the whimpering yellow pegasus. "Whether we would stay and fight or flee to live another day can be a total challenge. I wish I could do more for Flying Shield after he and Discord helped me regain my strength."
"Unfortunately, I received a report for my spies that Flying Shield was publicly executed by Black Scythe after they took over his police station." Luna said informing the rest of the group during the civil war. "His head was hung up on the walls inside the Los Pegasus City Hall and his corpse was put up in front of the main road leading to Los Pegasus, as a reminder of what would happen to those that resist Unicornia. Well, since we drove Unicornia away, we were able to take Shield's body parts down and gave him a proper burial to honor his heroism of protecting Los Pegasus from the invaders. Soon afterwards, Shield's son, Blue Coat, was unanimously appointed as the new Mayor of Los Pegasus for his strong political allegiance towards the Equestrian Crown and for receiving more than 12 awards for performing rescuing operations around that city. His younger brother, Lion Templar, became the new police chief of the Los Pegasus Police Force."
"That's good to hear." Twilight exclaimed out of relief.
It's already been two days since, Amadeus and Lt. Blood Harrier has raided Pinkie Pie's family's Rock Farm of their Orichalcum Deposits. Shortly after they detained Pinkie and her entire family, Blood Harrier forced them to harvest all Orichalcum Deposits in their rock farm and store them in crates before shipping them out to Felhand's Research Center at Manehattan and to the other cities that Unicornia has taken over. As soon as all deposits are emptied, Amadeus ordered the Pie Family and Cheese Sandwich to be isolated in different areas around Equestria, away from Pinkie Pie, to help the other pony slaves harvest other types of metals and rocks. Upon heeding Amadeus' orders, Lt. Blood Harrier took most of Pinkie's Family onboard a slave wagon to a prison camp that lies in a isolated area between Canterlot and the Crystal Empire, where they would continue harvesting Orichalcum in the Crystal Wastelands. As for Pinkie Pie, she was being deported to Ponyville to be sold as a slave by the Unicornians.
When Captain Vindicare's airship arrived at the Rock Farm, her crew hauled Pinkie up into the brig before setting a course to Ponyville. What no pony knows is that Pinkie actually had an escape plan of her own. The moment they left the pink pony alone in the brig, she started making a huge grin on her face. While the jailers are playing cards in another room, adjacent to Pinkie's cell, she reached out her hoof outside of the 4th wall and took out a birthday present box. Not a moment too soon, Pinkie stuffed herself inside the box. After several more minutes later, one of jailers went back to the brig to check up on the Pink Pony. However, by the time he got there, Pinkie Pie was nowhere to be found. Instead, a tall present box is seen inside the jail cell. Just when the jailer turned his back around before raising the alarm, the present box fell forward and popped out the lid, revealing a party cannon aimed directly at him. Before the jailer could see what was going on, Pinkie Pie appeared from underneath the present box and fired her party cannon at his face.
"PARTY TIME SURPRISE!!!!" Pinkie happily screeched as she blasted a huge bowling ball at the jailer from her party cannon.
The bowling ball smashed through the cell door in the brig and, upon impact, the jailer was slammed into the wall facing the brig and fell face flat on the floor unconscious. One the other side of the brig, one of the Unicornian Jailers heard the noise and got up from his seat.
"What the hell is.........OHMPF?!" The second jailer muttered before his speech was interrupted with something that's randomly unpredictable rammed into him.
Just when the second jailer came up to the brig investigate the bizarre scene, he was met with a ballerina Pinkie Pie. With just one spin, Pinkie bumped into the jailer, making him slam his head into the ship's inner hull.
"Tip Toe! Oh the Tip Toe! Oh the Tip Toe to the tulips!!!" Pinkie sang as she was tip toeing sideways on the inner hulls of the airship.
Just when she tip toeing and spinning herself all the way to the mess hall, bumping into several more unaware guards along the way, not only did Pinkie ran into several more Unicornian Guards there, she also spotted something that interests her even more. At the kitchen counter, Pinkie spotted a platter full of Phenomenons. When Pinkie first face them, she had an uncontrollable addiction over the most tastiest, brain-spinning, happy-tummy, pastry morsels. It was during the time when Pinkie was desperately trying to ask Twilight to help her rid herself of her addiction over the Phenomenons. However, now that Twilight is gone, Pinkie will have no choice but to learn on how to survive on her own without her purple alicorn friend. As of right now, Pinkie is intending to resort to all sorts of random, ballistic, and addictive abilities just so that she can escape captivity and enslavement, even if it meant resuming her addictions over such strong sweets. Upon seeing the Phenomenons again, Pinkie's mouth started drooling and breathing heavily like a dog. As she approached the guards that were in front of the Phennmenons, they got up from their seats and drew out their weapons.
"SOOOOOOO GOOOOOOOOD!!!" Pinkie bellowed as she drooled onto the mess floor. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMSSSS!!!!
"Alert!! Prisoner is escaping. Some pony stop....." One of the guards shouted. Unfortunately, before he can finished his sentence, he was met by a fast pink blur ramming him in the stomach.
The next thing that happened is when the guard felt his ribs cracking like snapping twigs. After taking the full brunt of the Pink force, the guard collapsed onto his back while moaning in pain over his stomach. Before any of the other guards reacted, they see Pinkie Pie jumping way up high with her tail bouncing from the floor and started zooming all over the place, crashing into the cupboards and drawers and breaking everything in sight. As a result, the guards got terrified and started fleeing for their lives, while dropping their weapons unwillingly. During her hyperactive vandalism, Pinkie's eyes started to bug out straight at the Phenomenons from where she was. In less than a minute, Pinkie slammed onto the kitchen counter, making the tray full of Phenomenons fly straight into her mouth.
After gobbling up the entire tray full of Phenomenons, Pinkie started spinning around violently, forming up a small tornado in the middle of the mess hall, as if she was the Tazmanian Devil from Looney Tunes. Before any of the guards reached to corridors of the airship, they all got sucked into Pinkie's little tornado. After getting trapped into Pinkie's makeshift vortex, they all fell onto the ground completely dizzy and seeing stars around their heads.
"WHEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! SPIN!! SPIN!! SPIN!! SPIIIIIIIIIINNNNNN!!!!!" Pinkie screeched, as she surprised and bumped into several more guards and crew members, sending them crashing into their bunks unconscious. "YES! YES! YES! YES!!!!"
"ARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!! I can't take anymore of this!!!" One of the guards complained in terror, as he and the rest of his comrades ran for their lives. "IT'S EVERY PONY FOR HIMSELF!!! AAAAARRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
Just when they're about to reach to the next room to get help from the crew members in restraining Pinkie Pie, she grabbed a barrel full of Apple Cider and drank it all with just one gulp. After one minute of drinking, Pinkie unleashed a very loud belch in the filled up the entire corridor of the ship, followed by a shockwave of pressurized stench that sent every pony flying straight towards the other side of the airship!!!
Meanwhile, at the airship's bridge, Captain Vindicare was just taking another sip of her coffee. Without warning, the doors behind her slammed wide open from behind Vindicare, making her spit out her coffee before turning around.
"WHAT IN THE NAME OF AMADEUS BLUEBLOOD IS GOING ON HERE??!!!" Vindicare shouted while freaking out.
Just when Vindicare is about to reach her sword, she was met with a very powerful head butt by the Pink Pony. Upon impact, she was sent flying backwards out of the airship, crashing into the glass windows, and disappeared into clear blue sky, followed by a twinkling star. After knocking out Vindicare out of her own airship, Pinkie jumped on top of the helm and smashed it with her tail, which had an anvil hidden inside it. After seeing their captain sent flying against her own will and the helm destroyed by the Pink earth pony, some of them looked outside at the window to see that they're heading straight into the Ghastly Gorge. Not wanting to stand around for any more orders, the entire crew immediately abandoned the ship. After all the Unicornian guards and crew members left the airship, Pinkie pulled out a large rubber band from the 4th wall and stretched it like a slingshot with her body facing towards the blue sky outside of the airship. In an instant, Pinkie launched herself straight towards the sky.
After seeing herself break free from the airship, Pinkie started laughing and cheering to herself.
"AH!! I'M FREE! I'M FREE!! I'M FREE!!!!" Pinkie Pie cheered not know how suicidal her actions are.
The Pink Pony was oblivious to the fact that she is about to fall straight down from 3,000 feet in the air. After falling down from the sky, in less than a minute, Pinkie finally snapped out of her addictive Phenomenon behavior only see no where to safely land on. As Pinkie started screaming in terror for her 4th wall breaking and for her idiotic suicidal escape plan, she finds herself slamming straight into another airship face flat on its hull. Unlike the Unicornian airships, this one had an emblem that symbolizes the city of Los Pegasus.
From inside the airship, the pilot heard some slamming noise coming from above them.
"Hey, Rainbow Dash. Can you go check it out?" The pilot asked the light-blue pegasus who is still at the bridge along with Discord.
"Sure thing." Rainbow Dash acknowledged as she unfurled her wings and flew up onto the top of the airship.
The moment, Rainbow went up on top of the airship while hovering in mid-air, she spotted two pink legs sticking out from the top of its hull. Upon seeing such a bizarre sight, Rainbow had a big question floating above her head, trying to figure out what could it be. As Rainbow got closer to the pink legs, she noticed the cutie mark with three balloons on her flank; this can only mean one thing.
"Pinkie Pie!!! Is that you??!!" Rainbow asked as her eyes widened with total shock.
"YES, IT'S ME, SILLY!!!" Pinkie Pie squeaked loudly, as she wildly moved her hind legs back and forth, surprising the light-blue pegasus. "NOW PULL ME OUT OF HERE!!!!"
After hearing Pinkie's screaming, Rainbow was able to pull both of the pink pony's hind legs out of the hole, revealing a pink earth pony with a black circle around her waist. Upon seeing Rainbow Dash again, Pinkie Pie made a very wide smile while she and Rainbow went back into the bridge. After Pinkie told Rainbow about how she escape captivity with such amazing random abilities, the pegasus couldn't believe how amusing that was. In just a minute, Rainbow started laughing her head off.
"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!" Rainbow cackled. "Man Pinkie Pie, that was the most craziest escape stunt I've ever heard. I BUCKING LOVE IT!!!"
"HEHEHEHEHEHE!!! That was the best escape plan EVER!!!" Pinkie smiled gleefully before her mane fell down out of sadness. "Though, I don't really know if I'll ever my parents or Cheese Sandwich again."
"How could you say that??" Rainbow asked out of concern.
After several minutes of Pinkie telling Rainbow the whole story starting when she went back to the Rock Farm, Rainbow could not imagine how horrible to witness their parents get taken away by the invaders, just to be used as slaves. This might've been what happened to Rainbow Dash's parents when they got capture by Black Scythe and her men. Even though, Rainbow was able to see Pinkie Pie again, their problems with the invaders is still far from over. Rainbow was even more concerned for the safety of Rarity, Applejack, Scootaloo, and Fluttershy. As soon as Pinkie was done talking with Rainbow Dash, Discord showed up at the bridge after taking a glass of water that he got from the kitchen.
"Hello, Pinkie Pie. We thought we would never see you again." Discord said upon seeing the pink pony appear happy and well.
"Yeah well, I'm still worried about what will ever become of my parents." Pinkie said as she pouted in a sad tone.
"Don't worry, Pinkie Pie." Rainbow Dash said while comforting the sad pink pony. "We'll find a way to rescue our families and after that, we'll make those bastards pay for what they did to Twi."
After hearing what Rainbow said, Pinkie leaves Rainbow's embrace and looked towards the horizon out on the bridge. As she looked far and wide, Pinkie couldn't stop worrying about when will this war end.
Upon hearing how Pinkie Pie escaped from being captured by Majesty's forces, Princess Celestia, Pinkie's kids, Rainbow, and Trixie started laughing their heads off. For the rest of the crowd, they were staring at Pinkie Pie under a state of shock and dismay.
"Darling, that was the most ridiculous escape plan I ever heard in all my life!!!" Rarity complained towards Pinkie Pie in a disappointing tone.
"But it was fun I tell you!!!" Pinkie squeaked with delight as she clasped her hooves together and made a wide, happy grin.
"Except that you failed avoid your indulgence over those Phenomenons." Twilight scolded with Pinkie Pie in a grunted tone. "Well, I hope you won't do that again. It's bad enough that you were jumping all over the place inside my Castle when I was trying to help you resist those pastry addictions, Pinkie Pie."
"Sorry about that, Twilight." Pinkie said sheepishly. "It was the only way I'd get out of this mess."
"Anyway, who's next to continue with their story?" Twilight said after she sighed from Pinkie's embarrassing escape plan.
Early in the morning, Rarity, Sweetie Belle, Lyra, Sweetie Drops, and Daring Do packed up their breakfast and their supplies before venturing towards their recently established outpost in Vanhoover. While making their trek towards the city, Daring Do received a report from her scouts that a battalion of 1,300 Unicornian troops are preparing to attack Vanhoover under the command of Captain Bane Fright. Upon hearing this, Daring Do brought in a wagon to carry the three unicorns and the earth pony all the way to Vanhoover in just 2 days. As soon as they arrived two days later, one of Daring Do's pegasus sergeants came up to him to inform her of the situation at hand.
"Commander Daring, we have lost power at the Communications Center at the Vanhoover Embassy and lost several of our LR patrols outside of Vanhoover." The LR Sergeant reported. "The last thing they reported before they're eliminated is that leader, Captain Bane Fright will be upon us. His army will be attacking our city at nightfall."
"Get all of our men up to the Eastern section of the city an bolster up the defenses there. Have all citizens evacuate the caves at Smoky Mountains and barricade the entrances there!!!" Daring Do said as she gave orders to her sergeant.
"Yes, ma'am!" The sergeant said as he saluted her before moving on.
"Daring Do, what should we do?" Rarity asked.
"Have your sister evacuate to the Smoky Mountains along with the other refugees and meet up with me at the bunkers in the Western sections of Vanhoover!!" Daring told Rarity before moving on.
As soon as Daring Do flew off to the east to give out orders to the rest of her LR comrades, Rarity took Sweetie Belle to the evacuation area in the Vanhoover's southern city districts. However, before Rarity could see Sweetie Belle off, the little unicorn filly could stop sobbing into thinking that she will never see Rarity again.
"Rarity, I don't want to leave you!!!" Sweetie Belle pleaded her elder unicorn sister.
"Darling, I don't have any choice." Rarity said as she took her sister's hoof to the evacuation area. "This is a civil war and the last thing I would ever want to expect is to see some of my loved ones get killed in this horrifying event. I'm sorry, Sweetie Belle but this is for your own good. And besides, you're still too young to be caught up in a fight."
Before Sweet Belle could say anything, an airship landed at a nearby landing pad near the evacuation area. In just one minute later, several more ponies just came out. The moment Rarity and Sweetie Belle took a closer look at them, they just discover some very familiar friends from Ponyville. It was Fluttershy, Zecora, Nurse Redheart, and Scootaloo. Upon seeing Scootaloo again, Sweetie Belle came up to her immediately and hugged her friend, relieved that she was okay. However, they still haven't discovered where Apple Bloom is staying at.
"Fluttershy, I'm so glad you're okay!!" Rarity wailed as she hugged her yellow pegasus friend in her hooves.
"Um, you can let go of me, Rarity." Fluttershy said in a soft tone.
"So Fluttershy, how did you guys were able to meet up with us in Vanhoover?" Rarity asked after embracing the female pegasus in her hooves.
After a couple of minutes, Fluttershy told Rarity about everything that happened in Los Pegasus, Rarity could not help but worry even more about Rainbow Dash due to her injuries and that Discord stayed behind to take care of her. In a just one second, Fluttershy started breaking down again, believing that she would never see both of her friends again back at Los Pegasus.
"Oh Fluttershy, I'm so sorry to hear all of that." Rarity said while trying to comfort the crying pegasus. "I hope Discord knows what he's doing to help keep Rainbow Dash alive."
"Well, what do we do now, Rarity??" Fluttershy said while still sobbing silently.
"I hate to say this Fluttershy, but Daring Do has received word that another Unicornian Battalion will be preparing to attack Vanhoover this night!!" Rarity said in a scared tone.
"OH MY GODNESS!!!" Fluttershy freaked out. "How are we going to escape this nightmare, Rarity? Every time we tried to escape from those invaders, they always keep finding us. It's like they wanted to either kill us or capture us!!!"
"I'm afraid we're going to have to fight!!" Rarity suggested to Fluttershy. "But I want to know if you're going to help me or not because whatever choice you make, there will be turning back!!!"
"I-I want to stay behind to help you out, Rarity." Fluttershy answered the unicorn Fashionista. "I don't think we can run away from those monsters anymore."
"I understand, darling." Rarity acknowledged Fluttershy's request before turning around to face Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. "Girls, I'm afraid you two have to head to the evacuation area at the Smoky Mountains."
"But Rarity......" Sweetie Belle protested before her speech was interrupted by her elder sister.
"I'm sorry, Sweetie Belle but I can't really do defend this city if I'm concerned for you." Rarity said trying to send her little sister to the evacuation area. "I'll be there for you once this is over. Just do what I say for now."
After several seconds, Sweetie Belle started crying silently in Rarity's hooves before being sent away to the Smoky Mountains. As soon as Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo disappeared along with the evacuating refugees, Rarity and Fluttershy went to Daring Do's outpost to prepare for the counter-attack at nightfall.
Meanwhile, at the Vanhoover Embassy, which is in the eastern sections of Vanhoover, Daring Do was in her office trying to get the communications back online to call for aid from the Crystal Empire and from Canterlot. Unfortunately, despite all their best efforts, there was nothing Daring Do could do about it. So, she decided to have a change of plans during the siege of Vanhoover. The moment she left her office, Daring Do makes her speech outside of the entrance of the Vanhoover Embassy.
"All right every pony, listen up." Daring Do said as she made her announcement to the rest of her LR Army that stood before her. "Since we have lost all communications coming from in and out of Vanhoover, we can't request anymore reinforcements and the moment Bane Fright and his army reaches our doorstep, he won't just take over this city, he'll go after the refugees at Smoky Mountains. So our mission right now is to defend Vanhoover while letting a detachment of LR soldiers escort the refugees away from the Smoky Mountains and bring them onboard the airships that my recon teams have hijacked from the enemy encampments outside of the city. I do need two teams of escorts to lead the refugees away from Vanhoover all the way to the Everfree Forest and at Hollow Shades. We already established hidden fortifications there and Commander Spitfire will be protecting the refugees at Hollow Shades. As soon as all of the evacuees left the city, my main force will fall back to the Luna Bay where our naval ships will be waiting for us there. The moment we leave, we'll sail down to the South Luna Ocean and make our way to the Everfree Forest to setup base there. WHO'S WITH ME??!!!"
After hearing Daring Do's plan, they all decided to form up into three divisions. As soon as they're done organizing the groups, it comes down with this: Daring Do, Rarity, and Fluttershy will be leading the main force to defend Vanhoover until all refugees are evacuated. As for Lyra and Sweetie Drops, they decided to help the refugees escape Vanhoover and fly to one of the evacuating airship heading straight towards Hollow Shades. After they're done, the mint unicorn and the tan earth pony will be leading a detachment of L.R warriors and head down to the Manehattan's underbelly where they'll continue with their operations in saving the people from Majesty's tyranny.
Meanwhile, at the Unicorn Range, Bane Fright's army reaches the main passageway leading to the city of Vanhoover. Before they could proceed any further, one of his Changeling scouts, Dark Scissors, arrived to make his report to the Unicornian Captain.
"My Lord, we've successfully jammed all communications at the Vanhoover Radio Station. All witness are eliminated." Dark Scissors said in a cackling, sinister tone. "We also caught a full glimpse of the Element Bearers of Kindness and Generosity in our sights. Also, Daring Do is planning to get the citizens of Vanhoover out of there."
"I see. Well, let's not waste any more time men. We still need to capture as many citizens as possible to be used as slaves for our new government at Canterlot. Also, Majesty is offering a 5,000 bit reward to any pony that brings any of the Element Bearers of Harmony to us. Even though that purple harlot tyrant is gone, her friends still pose a threat to our very existence. We won't let them stand in our way any longer. NOW PREPARE TO ATTACK VANHOOVER!!! Lead my army up to the battlements!!"
"FORWARD!!!" Dark Scissors said while shouting out orders to the Changeling Insurgents and to the Unicornian Soldiers.
"LET LOOSE THE DOGS OF WAR!!!!" One of the Unicornian Officers shouted at the top of his lungs.
With just one wave of his hoof, Dark Scissors sends in the first wave of troops to attack the Vanhoover garrisons. Upon seeing them advance towards their position, Daring Do ordered some of her men to get ready to fire their the catapults. At the Vanhoover garrisons, there was a long line of small trenches filled up saddlebags used as cover from incoming enemy fire. In front of their trenches, Daring's men had setup up land mines to reduce the invaders from charging forward. As soon as the LR soldiers loaded up their catapults, they all waited until Daring gives out order to fire at will. For Rarity and Fluttershy, Rarity was stationed at the trenches defending the eastern outskirts of Vanhoover. Fluttershy, on the other hand was deployed with a nearby catapult team a couple of meters away from Rarity. Upon seeing the invaders advance forward, the yellow pegasus could not help but feel very worried about how this counter-attack would turn out. When the other LR soldiers noticed Fluttershy shaking in fear, one of them patted on her back, telling her to take it easy.
Unbeknownst to the Unicornian soldiers, Daring Do ordered some of her men to tag the ground with red spray paints, as a method of marking where will they fire their catapults at. As soon as several Unicornian Soldiers got closer to the red spray paint markings, Daring Do makes her first order out on to the battlefield.
"Catapult team 1, FIRE!!!!" Daring shouted as she drew out her machete and waved it towards the oncoming invaders.
After hearing Daring Do, the first catapult team hurled a satchel with a lit up fuse at the invaders. Upon impact, the satchel exploded into a huge fireball sending a small score of Unicornian Soldiers flying above the ground and landing on their backs, dead. At the second paint marking, Daring Do ordered another catapult team to fire. When the next satchel exploded upon impact, three Changeling Insurgents were burned alive before they hit the ground. As for the rest of the first wave of enemies, a couple of Unicornian soldiers and Changelings stepped onto the land mines and had their limbs blown off from their bodies, while some of them exploded into a bloody chunk of body parts. As the invaders reached another spray mark, Daring Do issued at firing volley from the guard towers near the Vanhoover entrance.
"Rifle ponies, FIRE!!!" Daring Do shouted.
The moment Daring's men fired their musket rifles, some of their bullets struck the invaders in the head. The Unicornians that got shot by musket fire fell on their backs dead on the ground. Upon seeing most of his men fall like tumbling rocks, Bane Fright grunted in frustration that his first wave of soldiers aren't getting very far.
"ARRGH. YOU WORTHLESS WEAKLINGS. GET THE BUCK UP AND SALLY FORTH!!!" Bane Fright shouted in anger before turning towards Dark Scissors. "Dark Scissors, let's go get the Wreckers!!!"
After hearing what Bane Fright just said, the Changelings and the Unicornians went to the rear flanks of the rest of the battalion and brought forth the Captain's secret weapon. Upon hearing Dark Scissor's whistling, a squadron of Wreckers appeared out of the battalion. They happened to be huge Black train-like metal tanks were moving forward on rotating tracks. Upon seeing the metal tanks closer, they were armed with a small gatling gun on the metal compactor's right side and a 15mm Battle Cannon on the tank's left side. On top of the metal tanks, they had a short, tower-like turret that has a small satellite dish in the back. One of the tanks has Bane Fright standing right on top of the turret, glaring at Daring's defensive perimeter from a distance. Despite the land mines that were emplaced in front of Bane Fright's battalion, his metal tanks were able to dig out explosives from the ground with their huge bull dozer shields, making them explode from the ground, not coming into contact with any pony.
Back at Vanhoover's garrison, Rarity started hearing some rumbling noises coming from the east. As the fashionista took out her telescope, she sees a couple of metal tanks, armed with weapons, heading straight for them. Before Rarity could warn Daring Do of this new attack, the tanks opened fire, unleashing a barrage of bullets and 15mm shells upon the battlements. In less than two minutes, a score of Daring's men got shot at, including several of the catapult teams. However, Fluttershy was able to jump ship away from her post and jumped inside the trench with her stomach flat on the ground. As soon as the yellow pegasus got up, she saw the main battalion advancing towards them with their metal tanks in front. As soon as Daring Do saw what was going on now, she takes out her megaphone and blurts out a full retreat into the city streets.
"Every pony, fall back!!!" Daring Do shouted through her megaphone. "Fall back to the city streets!!!"
As Daring's men came out of their trenches, some of the LR unicorns raised their shields to protect themselves from enemy fire coming from the enemy tanks. For Rarity and Fluttershy, they both fled back immediately, with Rarity protecting both of them with her magical gem shield.
Back at the Smoky Mountains, Lyra and Sweetie Drops were redirecting the refugees onboard the airships outside of the caves there. Despite so many violent rumblings and explosions coming from Vanhoover, the two ponies, along with a small detachment of LR soldiers, continued to have the refugees move on, convincing them that there is nothing to worry about. As the evacuations towards the other unconquered areas of Equestria, they did not notice that Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo weren't anywhere amongst the evacuating crowd.
On the other side of the evacuation, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo got lost along the way to the evacuation area. It was during the time that the two fillies had to go use the restroom when the refugees starting getting onboard their evacuating airships. Before they knew it, the little pegasus and the little unicorn found themselves in an unknown area at the Smoky Mountains, away from the evacuation area.
"We are we?!" Sweetie Belle asked as she felt a chill crawling down her spine.
"I-I don't know, Sweetie Belle." Scootaloo asked while shaking in fear. "But something tells me that we're not alone."
Before the two fillies even knew what was going on, they were immediately grabbed from behind and stuffed inside a burlap bag by an unknown stalker. As the little fillies started struggling and made muffled screaming, the stalker lifted up the burlap bag and carried it on her soldier.
"Quiet you little brats!!!" The pony stalker said in a sinister voice. "You two are going to be my Trump card in capturing one of the element bearers of Harmony."
"Black Scythe, what are you doing?" Bane Fright shouted through the stalker's ear bud.
"I've got something that'll lure the Elements of Kindness and Generosity out in the open. I'm getting sick and tired of letting those ponies escape from my grip." Black Scythe said, reply to her contact through the ear bud. "So, this time I'm going to try something foolproof!!!"
Back at Vanhoover's city streets, several squads of Daring Do's men popped out from their hidden pillboxes and struck at the advancing Unicornian soldiers from let and right, surprising and confusing them. As for Rarity, she drew out dual war axes and started hacking at every oncoming invader in her path. On enemy soldier attempted to do a vertical slash with his sword. Unfortunately, he was met with parry with Rarity's left axe and with a clean chop on his forehead with her right axe. After he fell on the ground dead, Rarity made a horizontal chop at the second soldier, beheading him in the process. As the 2nd dead soldier fell on his back headless, a 3rd soldier came out from the warring sides and lunged at Rarity with his spear. Upon seeing the spear heading straight for her, Rarity did a side-step to the left and hacked the enemy soldier in the back with her left ax.
After the 3rd soldier went down like a sack of potatoes, Fluttershy appeared from Rarity's right and smashed one of the soldiers with a huge boulder of rubble that she retrieved from one of the wrecked buildings in the city streets. On Fluttershy's left she saw a Changeling Insurgent charging forward with its horn lighting up in a green aura. Upon seeing the changeling in her sights, the yellow pegasus dodged its horn and the moment the changeling turned around to continue attacking her, Fluttershy gave him a very frightening glare that made the insect back off. After staring at the changeling for several seconds, the yellow pegasus grabbed him by the neck and twisted it with sheer force, ending his life span in a heart beat. Behind Fluttershy, a Unicornian Soldier took out his chain and attempted to strangle the life out of the yellow pegasus. However, before he even got any closer to Fluttershy, the yellow pegasus reacted with one swift, ducking motion. Before he even had a chance to look down, Fluttershy threw an upper-cut punch at the soldier's chin, sending him flying straight up into the sky, with his blood spilling out from his mouth. Another Changeling flew into Fluttershy's path and started shooting out a green magic beam at her. Without hesitation, the yellow pegasus picked up a nearby tower shield, from one of the dead soldiers on the battlefield, and rammed the Changeling head on, smashing his nose before he fell on the ground, whimpering in pain.
As for Daring Do and her men, they started firing anti-tank rifles at the Unicornian Wreckers in Vanhoover's city streets. After most of the enemy tanks were destroyed, some of Daring's men went after the surviving enemy tank crews during the fight in Vanhoover. Daring took out her whip and attacked the Unicornian soldiers head on. At the crack of her whip, Daring lashed out at a nearby Unicornian guard, grabbing him by his left hoof, and hurled him straight back at the advancing invaders up front. When another guard attempted to attack Daring with a battle axe, the female pegasus leaned forward and, by the time the guard got closer to her, Daring lifted herself back up and flipped the guard over her back. Before the guard had the chance to get back up, Daring used her whip to wrap the guard's neck and threw him right on top of a group of Changeling Insurgents. In an instant, Daring took out her two revolvers with her wings and started shooting down a score of Changelings and Unicornians from both sides at every angle. Before they had a chance to return fire, Daring flew up into the sky and lashed out her whip at a enemy unicorn Tank Commander, who was on top of one of the Unicornian Wreckers. As soon as he felt the whip wrap around his neck, the Tank Commander started grunted in pain while struggling to break himself free. Just when Daring was able to strangle him to death, the Tank Commander used his magic to pull out a handgun from his holster and started aiming at the female pegasus on sight. Before the Tank Commander had any chance to shoot at Daring Do, the female pegasus threw her whip at a nearby Wrecker Tank that was right neck to him. The end of the whip got caught onto the axles inside the tank thread. Despite his efforts of breaking himself free, the Tank Commander got dragged off of his own tank and was pulled straight into the other Wrecker's tank thread. In less than a second, the Tank Commander let out a blood-curdling scream before his head got crushed into a bloody pulp by the Wrecker's tank thread, silencing him forever.
After fending off the invaders for 20 minutes, Daring Do received word from her ear bud that all of Vanhoover's citizens are successfully evacuated. Upon hearing this, Daring Do ordered her men to head to the escape boats for an immediate departure. However, before Rarity and Fluttershy were able to reach the evacuation area to meet up with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, they found themselves surrounded by several Unicornian soldiers with their spears pointing straight at them. Before Rarity or Fluttershy had a chance to fight their way to the evacuation area, Black Scythe appeared from behind the Unicornian soldiers. The moment Black stopped, she dragged out Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo who are both chained up and gagged. Upon seeing the fillies in danger, Rarity's and Fluttershy's eyes widened with terror, fearing for the safety of their little filly friends.
"Drop your weapons or say goodbye to these little brats!!!" Black Scythe hissed as she took out her dagger and held it up to Sweetie Belle's throat.
Behind Black Scythe, Captain Bane Fright appeared and gave Rarity and Fluttershy an evil smirk.
"If you don't want your sister and her friend die right now, you better do what she says or else!!!" Bane Fright sneered.
In just a few seconds, Rarity slowly lowered her axes on the ground before raising both of her hooves up. Suddenly without warning, the unicorn fashionista and the yellow pegasus were forced to their knees by the Unicornian soldiers behind them. However, before they could tie up Fluttershy, after they tied up Rarity, the yellow pegasus zoomed straight past the Unicornians and knocked Black Scythe out with just one punch to the face before disappearing into the city streets. As for Rarity, she bid one finally goodbye to her yellow pegasus friend before getting taken away.
"Goodbye, Fluttershy." Rarity muttered as tears came out of her eyes. "May the glory of Queen Faust protect you."
After making her speech, one of Black's men knocked her out with the shaft of the spear before taking her away onto Black's airship. As for Black Scythe, Dark Scissors gave her a wake up call after they brought their unconscious commanding officer onboard the airship.
"Finally, got the Element of Generosity in our hooves." Black Scythe said out of relief, while her head was still spinning from her recent concussion. "Send word to Queen Majesty. Tell her that we have finally capture Rarity in Vanhoover."
On the other side of Vanhoover, away from the battlefield, Fluttershy finds herself taking a breather at a nearby alleyway near the main entrance of the city. As peaked out of the alleyway, Fluttershy saw several of Daring's warriors publicly executed onto the streets. While covering up her mouth, Fluttershy flew to the Smoky Mountains and hitched a ride with one of the evacuating airships, along with Zecora and Nurse Redheart. As soon as Fluttershy went onboard, she started sobbing in her hooves after seeing so many of her friends disappear before her very eyes. First it started off with Twilight Sparkle, the very same friend that she was close too, then with Discord, Rainbow Dash, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and now with Rarity. It just makes think that even though Fluttershy was able to escape her enemies before they closed in on her, she could not help but think about how many more of her friends will be taken away from her before the civil war will end.
"Twilight! Rarity! Rainbow Dash! Discord! Sweetie Belle! Why do they all have to leave me??" Fluttershy wailed to herself. "Why do they have to suffer the worst??! Why???"
Before Fluttershy could continue sobbing any more, she felt the entire airship rumble violently. As soon as she went outside on deck to see what was going on, the airship was getting bombarded by the Wrecker's gatling cannons from below. Upon seeing this, most of the refugees started screaming and running for their lives onboard their airship, while the crew members are struggling to take evasive action. Unfortunately, despite their efforts, one the Wreckers was able to shoot at the airship's engines, making the flying contraption fall from the sky and plummeted straight into the forests west of Ponyville. Not wanting to get captured by the enemy after surviving the crash, Fluttershy unfurls her wings, grabs a nearby hot-air balloon with a set of ropes wrapped around her waist. In less than a minute, Fluttershy had Zecora and Redheart onboard the hot-air balloon and flew out of the airship with them. After seeing the airship crash into the forests outside of Ponyville, Flutteshy continued to fly to the east with Zecora and Redheart in tow, hopefully she will be able to find her friends that haven't been captured yet.
After defending Appleloosa for 6 more days, the Applejack's militia is slowly losing their ground against every wave of Unicornian troops led by Dark-Light. Thunderhooves' tribe isn't doing much better either. As the battles press on, the one buffalo gets taken down after defeating three Unicornian Soldiers in their midst. Right now, there is only 30 Tribal Buffalos left and 69 Appleloosian ponies left to defend the town from the oncoming invaders. Ever since they have lost contact with the other cities defending against Unicornia, most of their supply runs have been dropping down all the way below 5%. The defending militia was starving and their crops were depleting by the hundreds. Desperate, Sheriff Silverstar ordered his deputies to go raid Unicornian Supply Caravans outside of Appleloosa. Unfortunately, most of those raids did not come without a price, for some of the supply caravans were guarded by a squad of 5 Unicornian Elite Guards. Every time they attacked the Unicornian Supply Caravans, Silverstar's Deputies come back badly wounded.
When Applejack went back to her post, she saw Big Mac at the smithy trying to resharpen his wood axe for the next battle. After that, the farm pony mare went around Appleloosa to check on how things are going right now. As she surveyed all over the town, Applejack sees the militia trying to keep themselves awake while on guard duty. At the Sheriff's Office, there were grave tombstones placed all over the front side of the building. They were marked with the names of all the ponies that died defending Appleloosa. It points out that in every battle, the invaders keep sending in more tougher troops to attack the town. Most of the militia that were wounded after their fights were holed up in the Inn, trying to recover, which was easier said than done.
While Applejack stood by her post, Big Mac came up to her side to check up on her.
"Hey Applejack, are you doing okay out here?" The red stallion asked out of concern for his sister.
"Ah don't know, Big Mac." Applejack replied. "Dis is been ah very harsh 6 days defending Appleloosa. Ah mean, we still haven't gotten any reinforcements yet. It'll be a matter of time before they'll overrun us, ah!"
"I know." Big Mac acknowledged. "Ya, know we're not going to give up yet."
"But how are we going to maintain our food supply in Appleloosa?" Applejack asked concerning over the what's left in their Appleloosa Storage Granaries. "We can't keep us with this! We either fallback to Dodge City or die trying."
"We're just going to have stay strong for the rest of the ponies who are still loyal to Equestria." Big Mac suggested.
Meanwhile, at the Unicornian encampments, Dark-Light just received some Elite Guard reinforcements from the city of Manehattan. As soon as they arrived, Dark-Light noticed that they were well-equipped with some enchanted weapons and shields. About 100 Elite Guard ponies are now standing before Dark-Light and the rest of his battalion. Before Dark-Light could say anything, Professor Felhand appeared from the Elite Guard regiment.
"So Felhand, may I ask what are these maggots are really capable of?" Dark-Light asked while giving the Professor a stern glare.
"During the middle of the construction of the Research Prison Facility, I was able to use my magic to power up purple crystals before imbuing them into their halberds and their shields. After that, I ordered some of them to take their newly enchanted weapons for a test drive. As a result, their halberds were able to emit a strong electrical discharge at their enemies. When one of their halberd's magical attack struck the dummies at the target range, they exploded in an instant. As for their shields, they'll automatically unleash an electrical forcefield that will ward off any projectile heading their way, by sensing it's heat signatures."
"That sounds interesting." Dark-Light said to himself, followed by a hideous smirk on his face.
"Crimson Cross reporting for duty, sir!!!" Crimson acknowledged as he made a salute to Dark-Light.
"Crimson, you are to take a company of Unicornian soldiers and attack Dodge City, while me and my men make our move in attacking Appleloosa." Dark-Light spoke giving out orders to Crimson.
"Yes, sir!!!" Crimson replied as he rallied 25 Elite Guards and 450 Unicornian Guards to attack Dodge City.
"Lt. Eagle Eye!!!" Dark-Light spoke as he turned to face the dark-blue unicorn. "Have our Mortar Teams concentrate the fire on that Clock Tower at Appleloosa and then bombard the town next."
"Yes sir!!" Eagle Eye said, acknowledging his orders.
As Eagle Eye approached the Mortar Teams, he raised his spear up high with his magic and point it straight at the Clock Tower in Appleloosa.
Back at Appleloosa Before Applejack could say anymore to Big Mac, an explosion occurred right behind them. The moment she and Big Mac turned around, they see the Appleloosa Clock Tower collapse, destroying several buildings in its path. Upon seeing this immediate destruction, Silverstar ordered some of Appleloosian Rescue Teams to go and help rescue the ponies that were trapped underneath the rubble. For Applejack and Big Mac, however, they heard the sound of the Unicornian War horns coming from the north. As soon as the two earth ponies went to the battlements, another army of Unicornians are declaring a full-scale charge with a score of Elite Guards advancing up front. They were armed with black halberds and are clad in silver and black armor. Some where carrying huge diamond-like shields and armed with gladiator swords. Upon seeing them charge forward, Silverstar carries out new orders to Big Mac and Applejack.
"Hold them off as long as you can guys!!" The Appleloosian Sheriff told the two earth ponies as he made a run for it. "I'll try to get the wounded all the way to Dodge City. And may the power of Queen Faust protect you all."
"Sheriff, wait!!!" Applejack said before she sees Silverstar ran off without another word.
Before Applejack could go after the Sheriff, she sees explosions erupting all over the town. Upon impact, several more of the defenders in Appleloosa were sent flying and plummeting on the ground, crippled and incapacitated. The moment the Elite Guards reached the town's defense lines, they were met by a barrage of fire arrows coming from the balconies of several garrison buildings near the town's entrance. Unfortunately, the Elite Guards with the diamond-like shields formed up front from the rest of the Unicornian Battalion and activated some sort of electrical forcefield that protected them from getting shot at. After they shrugged off the barrage of fire arrows, the Elite Guards drew out their swords and charged at the Appleloosan defenders on all fronts. By the time the militia fought back, they were met with powerful bashes from the Elite Guards' shields and some where cut in two by their halberds, while those that they a couple of meters apart from them were met by a crackling thunderous shock coming out from their black halberds. Most of the buffalos and Appleloosan militants were getting taken down in less than 30 minutes.
As for Applejack and Big Mac, they were almost having a hard time trying to fend off against the Elite Guards of Unicornia. Applejack keeps getting all sorts of nicks and small cuts from their swords before she stabbed them with her sword. One Elite Guard kept slamming Applejack in the face with the shaft of his halberd before she retaliated with a stab in the guard's face. Two more Elite Guards pointed their halberds at Applejack and started shooting out lighting bolts at her from their weapon's tips. As the lighting bolts headed straight for Applejack, she jumped over a nearby fence and ran straight into the Inn. As the two Elite Guards followed the female earth pony from behind and entered the Inn, they were both met by Applejack swinging on a chandelier and slamming both of her hind hooves into their faces, sending both backpedaling into the dirt ground. Before either of them had a chance to get up, Applejack grabbed both of their heads and slammed them into each other, knocking them both out cold.
Even though Applejack was able to take care some of the Elite Guards, Big Mac had it worse. After he smashed one of the Elite Guards on the head with his shovel, Big Mac was met by a halberd slamming into his front right leg and piercing his flesh with its blade, rendering him immobilized. Before the Elite Guard could finish him off, however, Big Mac grabbed him by the stomach, lifted him up, and bend him forcibly, breaking his spine as he screamed in pain. Unfortunately, three more Elite Guards grabbed him from all sides, pulled him down, and restrained him, with their halberds pointing at his face.
"NOOOOO!! BIG MAC!!!" Applejack shrieked as she kicked away one Elite Guard that was struggling with her with their weapons colliding with each other.
"GO ON WITHOUT ME, APPLEJACK!!!" Big Mac ordered. "SAVE DODGE CITY!!!! SAVE THE REST OF OUR FAMILY!!!!"
Before Applejack could do anything, she sees Big Mac get knocked out by an Elite Guard when he slammed his shield on the back of her brother's head. Without hesitation, Applejack ran up to Hornet, who has a flesh wound on his head.
"APPLEJACK!!!" Hornet shouted in terror. "We can't hold them; the city is lost!!!"
"Tell the other militants to break for cover! We gallop to Dodge City!!!" Applejack said to Hornet.
All over the town square of Appleloosa, the militants were getting overwhelmed after getting attack by the Elite Guard, with the Unicornian Guards finishing them off next. Every militant that attacks either of them was met with a killing blow that ended each and every one of them of their life. After seeing so much of her comrades getting killed left and right, Applejack had no choice but to abandon Appleloosa for good.
"FALL BACK!! FALL BACK TO DODGE CITY!!!!" Applejack shouted as her remaining militants fled with their lives, abandoning everything that they worked hard to defend.
Before Hornet could catch up with Applejack, he was met with a lighting bolt striking the changeling in the back, paralyzing him. As he struggled to get up from the ground, Hornet was stabbed in the back by one of the Elite Guard's halberd, ending his life for good. As for Applejack, because she could not help Big Mac anymore, the female farm pony had no choice but to move on, in order to protect her remaining loved ones from the invaders. To make matters worse, the moment Applejack and her remaining militia reached Dodge City, it was already in flames, much to her horror. Upon seeing all of the citizens of Appleloosa and Dodge City get rounded up by the Unicornian Troops, Applejack finally realized that all hope to save the two towns from the invaders has been lost. Before they knew it, most of the defenders at Dodge City have been overwhelmed and have no choice but to surrender after getting hammered by enemy mortar fire and by oncoming enemy troops.
"OH FAUST!!! NOOOOOOOO!!!!!" Applejack shrieked in fright as she ran straight into the decimated city. "APPLE BLOOM!!! GRANNY SMITH!!!!"
Applejack refuses to believe that the rest of her Apple Family was apprehended. However, after fighting her way through Dodge City, she sees Apple Bloom and Granny Smith wrapped around and dragged in chains while getting hauled onto a wagon. Upon seeing them captured immediately, Applejack flew into a vengeful rage in trying to rescue both her sister and her grand mare from the invaders.
"NO NOT MA FAMILY!!!" Applejack roared as she charged forward at the prison escort.
One Prison guard came up to Applejack and attempted to whiplash at her, only to be met with the whip in her mouth. Before the prison guard could react, Applejack yanked the whip away from him and bucked him in the stomach with both of her hooves. The second guard drew out his sword and attempted to take Applejack down. However, Applejack ran forward and did a skid towards the guard, making him fall onto his stomach, and slammed him in the back with both of her hooves. Just when Applejack was about to reach the wagon that is holding Apple Bloom and Granny Smith, she was met with a rear kick to the face by Crimson Cross, sending the farm pony flying a few feet backwards. Before Applejack had any chance of getting up, three Elite Guards came and pinned her to the ground, restraining her immediately. As Applejack started struggling with her captors, Crimson came up to her and threw a punch at her face, nearly knocking her out.
"Silence, you little earth whore. You should be grateful we didn't harmed them yet. Since you'll be working in the crop fields at Canterlot, you'll do as what we tell you and they will not be hurt." Crimson Cross cackled in a sinister tone.
Before Applejack had a chance to say anything, one of the Elite Guards covered her face up with a brown bag and hauled her off to another prison wagon. As Crimson saw Applejack get taken away, Apple Bloom started crying upon seeing her sister get capture immediately.
"Lord Dark-Light, we have secured all of the refugees at Dodge City!!!" Crimson Cross said as he spoke through his ear-bud.
"Excellent!" Dark-Light acknowledged. "Report back to Ponyville for your next assignment."
"Yes, my lord!!!" Crimson Cross replied before he muttered to himself. "Fret not, Applejack. I'm only doing this to save my family first. After that, I'll help you save your family next."
"Crimson, Sir!!" One of the Elite Guards said as he came up to the Earth Pony stallion while dragging Big Mac in chains. "We've got one of the Apple Family Stallions in our custody."
"Excellent. Take him to the concentration camp, along with Apple Bloom and Granny Smith." Crimson ordered the Elite Guard. "We'll be expecting their services there."
"And that's how Applejack and I met a fate that's worse than death." Rarity said in a depressing tone. "When you were gone Twilight, we couldn't stay strong for our sisters or our families. If it hadn't been for your rescue attempts, we probably will never see them again."
"I guess now it makes sense." Twilight said to herself. "Anyway, I wonder what has ever become of my family during the civil war. Also, I do wonder what happened to my little sister Mystic Sparkle. They said that she ran away before the civil war began. Why?"
"Well, even though I helped our parents seek sanctuary at the Crystal Empire during the civil war, we thought for sure that we won't see Mystic Sparkle again." Shinning Armor said in a somber tone. "But now that she came back, she was finally able to tell us what she did during her self-imposed exile."
After getting all of the Canterlot refugees into the Crystal Empire, Shinning Armor's men directed them to their designated areas in the Crystal Town Square. There, his subjects helped setup tents for Canterlot's citizens to stay in. During their stay, the Crystal Pony merchants brought forth food and supplies to help the refugees survive during the civil war that is occurring outside of the Empire. While Shinning helped take care of the refugees, he let his parents stay inside the Crystal Palace, left under the care of their daughter-in-law Princess Cadence.
Although they felt relieved in finding sanctuary in the Crystal Empire, Night Light and Twilight Velvet could not help but worry for the safety of their daughter Mystic Sparkle. Fearing for the life of their second daughter, Twilight Velvet could only pray that Mystic will be safe out there and not get caught by the invaders during the civil war. After several hours of trying to make the refugees feel comfortable in the Crystal Empire, Shinning Armor went back to the Crystal Palace to check up on his daughter and his wife to make sure they're both doing okay.
"Shinning, what happened out there?" Cadence asked out of concern.
"Even though we were able to help the Canterlot refugees make their way to the Crystal Empire, those wretched demons took over the train station." Shinning Armor explained. "What's worse is that those invaders were using some sort of huge robotic machinery to wipe out most of our defensive outposts outside of the Crystal Empire."
"That doesn't sound good." Cadence said in a frightened hushed tone.
"We don't know when will reinforcements will aid us in defending the Crystal Empire." Shinning Armor said before requesting a full report from Commander Quicksilver. "Commander, what's our latest report?!"
"Prince Armor, several attacks have occurred at the other cities in Equestria." Quicksilver spoke intensely. "Cloudsdale, Manehattan, Ponyville, Baltimare, and in Los Pegasus. Many of their cities' defenses are scrambling to respond to the massive attacks caused by the invaders. The Element Bearers of Harmony are scattered all over Equestria. As for the Royal Sisters, they're both trapped within the walls of Canterlot, struggling to defend the capital from the invaders."
"Do you know what we're dealing with?!" Shinning Armor asked the Commander.
"We've received word that the Armies of Queen Cicada and the Kingdom of Unicornia are apparently behind these recent attacks upon Equestria." Quicksilver informed. "The Unicornians are led by an alicorn named Queen Majesty Blueblood!"
"Oh, Faust save us all!!!" Shinning muttered to himself.
"Our CR scouts have also reported that Commander Vermillion and his battalion have taken over Ponyville, paving way for the arrival of Queen Majesty, and are directing their attacks towards the city of Canterlot." Quicksilver informed. "Major Black Scythe and her men have taken over Cloudsdale and are preparing to press their attacks on Los Pegasus. Colonel Morning Blade, Felhand, and Captain Thunderball are making their move upon the city of Manehattan. Captain Blood Harrier and his men have established supply lines from various Rock Farms and Mines to keep their resources intact, all of them directed to their outposts at Ponyville. Despite Vanhoover being under complete lockdown, Captain Bane Fright will be leading his men to attack the city at all costs. Queen Cicada had dispatched some of her Changeling Platoons to help the Unicornian Forces conquer the other cities around Equestria."
"Well, it'll be a matter of time before Cicada's forces will resume their attacks upon the Crystal Empire." Shinning Armor warned Quicksilver. "Have all Crystal Cannon teams and all of our Crystal Guard ponies stationed all over the garrisons at the city's outer walls. If anything happens, you report back to me immediately and wait for further orders!!"
"Understood, sir!!!" Commander Quicksilver said as he saluted the Crystal Prince before moving on.
After Quicksilver left to reinforce the Crystal Empire's garrisons, Princess Cadence used her magic to raise the shields all over the Crystal Empire.
Meanwhile back at the palace of the Crystal Empire, Shinning Armor's parents went to check up on their grand filly, Flurry Heart. Upon seeing so much suffering amongst the Sparkle Family, Twilight Velvet wasn't really sure if the rest of her remaining family members will ever survive this Equestrian Onslaught without any of their daughters. First it starts off with her daughter Twilight Sparkle getting killed by the corrupted nobles in Canterlot and now her second daughter Mystic Sparkle runs away after keeping close eye on her for a very long time. After reading the note that Mystic left behind, Velvet couldn't really understand what she really did that was wrong. Before she knew it, Velvet started sobbing in Night Light's hooves.
"Oh, Night Light! If only our daughter Mystic Sparkle didn't leave us." Velvet sobbed silently. "Did we ever did the right thing for our other daughter or not??"
"I-I don't really know anymore." Night Light said in a somber tone. "Maybe we should've thought twice before denying Mystic from going to Princess Celestia's school."
"I'm going to miss Mystic Sparkle." Velvet wailed as she went out to the balcony of the palace and started straight up into the clear blue sky and prayed with both of her hooves. "Oh Faust!! Please save us all!!! And please guide Mystic Sparkle back home!!!"
Somewhere in the Southern Regions of Equestria 9 years ago, before the civil war began.......
A young unicorn mare makes her way through an unknown town in the south. She goes by the name Mystic, formerly known as Mystic Sparkle the second daughter of the Sparkle Family. After suffering by not attending to the funeral of one of her closest friends and by not attending to the School of Gifted Unicorns at Canterlot, Mystic ran away from home, vowing to find a way to become stronger and famous so that her family will not doubt her anymore. A few weeks later after running away from Canterlot, Mystic finds herself in town known as StarHaven, which is surrounded by a tropical rainforest filled with exotic fruits and plantations. As she went to check out the place, the town was known for its famous library and observatory which lies in the middle of the town. It's mostly inhabited by unicorns left and right.
When Mystic first settled in StarHaven, she was met by several unicorns at a local hotel east of the library. As soon as she went inside the hotel, Mystic checked around the lobby. All around her, Mystic sees a fireplace with several books to read from the bookshelf on its left and a table with 4 seats in front of the fireplace. As she sat down and read one of the books, Mystic was greeting by an old viridian unicorn that has glasses on his face with a white mane and tail. The moment Mystic turned around to face the old unicorn, she notices that he has a cutie mark of a scroll and a graduation cap on top of it. Before Mystic could say anything, the old unicorn went to check up on her.
"Hello there kid." An old wise unicorn spoke from her left. "Are you lost?"
"No, I'm not." Mystic said with a grunt.
"Where are you from? Maybe I can help you get back to your parents?" The old unicorn continued.
"NO, I DON'T WANT TO SEE MY PARENTS AGAIN!!!" Mystic snapped, startling the rest of the other unicorns in the hotel. "Sorry. But seriously, my parents are probably the last people I would ever want to see again."
"Why's that?? You're not running away from your problems, are you kid??" The old unicorn asked, stressing the young unicorn filly off.
"It's not my place to say." Mystic said in a quieter voice before she left the hotel.
After a few minutes of silence, the old unicorn slowly got up from his seat to follow Mystic all the way to the library. At the Library, Mystic goes inside and sees three rows of books all stacked up on huge bookcases. As Mystic went further into the library, she sees a directory of the place right next to the front desk. The Directory had 5 floors. The first floor, in which Mystic was in, happens to be the main level of the library. The second floor is also known as the Science and Research level. The third floor has books revolving around history and magic. The fourth floor is described as the astronomy floor, which has an observation telescope pointing straight out into the clear blue sky. The fifth floor is the magic studies area where unicorns can get to test out their magic and their skills in various training rooms. The training rooms where divided into separate rooms, enchanted with anti-magic barriers that help protect ponies from hurting each other by accident. As Mystic did some studying in the third floor, the very same unicorn that she ran into appeared before her, with a curious look upon her face.
"What do you want??" Mystic said, almost freaking out.
"Relax, kid. I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to help you." The old unicorn spoke in a calmer voice.
"Who are you, anyway?!" Mystic said, in a hushed, alarmed tone. "Why would you want to help me??"
"My name is White Scholar." The old unicorn said. "Heard you were Princess Twilight's little sister, right? Mystic Sparkle, I presume?"
"How did you know my name??" Mystic asked in a startled tone.
"I used to be one of the teachers in Princess Celestia's school until it was burned down by the terrorists, known as Equestria's First." White Scholar said. "After that, I decided to go back to StarHaven to work at the library as a Magic Instructor and Teacher. I heard that you were friends with Maplewood before she went into Celestia's School earlier. In fact, she and Princess Celestia were the ones that told me a lot about you. I see that you could not get what you wanted in Canterlot because of your parents, right?"
"Yeah well, I never even went to the School of Gifted Unicorns like Maplewood and my elder sister did." Mystic said as she pouted in frustration. "They always kept saying on how my sister Twilight Sparkle as able to be at her best when it comes to studying magic, history, politics, science, and whatnot. Unlike her, I never was successful in impressing my parents with anything. Since they never appreciated me of anything anymore, I had no choice but to leave home in order live my own life without them interfering. You probably never understand me at all."
"Actually, I do." White Scholar said, trying to brighten up Mystic's negativity. "Why don't you let me teach you on how to use magic, instead?"
"Seriously??" Mystic said not knowing to believe Scholar or not. "What makes you different from Princess Celestia and my parents? How would I know that you're not going to trick me??"
"Because you're not the only pony that is being denied of your studies from your paranoid parents." Scholar spoke in a clear tone. "I used to be like you when I was your age, always trying to study aboard but can't because of how afraid my parents are. When I ran away from home, because of them, I too stumbled in StarHaven and found a wise unicorn that was able to teach me magic that the other teachers in Celestia's School couldn't. After my training was done, I went back to Canterlot to teach other students at Celestia's School. So, as you can see, it's never too late to find some pony that can teach you magic outside of Celestia's School."
"Where should I start with?" Mystic asked White Scholar.
"You could start by studying under my tutelage as my apprentice and in return, I'll convince them to have you work in the library as one of their team members." White Scholar informed the young unicorn. "What do you say?!"
After giving it some thought to herself, Mystic finally realized that she just finally found an opportunity unfolding before her very eyes. It's been years since Mystic was confined in her own family's house on the day that she was born. Not wanting to give it another thought, Mystic makes her response to the old Unicorn Instructor.
"Thank you so much, sir." Mystic said as she finally able to start studying magic once again. "You won't be sorry."
"Its no problem, I'll help you get a room at the hotel first, help you find a job at the library, then we'll begin your training ." White Scholar said from top to bottom. "And from now on, you may call me Mr. Scholar."
"Yes, Mr. Scholar!!" Mystic said with a little bit of excitement.
As Mystic settled in with White Scholar as her apprentice in the StarHaven Library, her life finally paid off. During her training, Mystic was able to wield and improve on her magic skills in the library's 5th floor. During her lectures, Scholar taught her on how to use new spells every single week. When Mystic spent her first days working part-time in the library, she did shelving, reading books to other fillies, reorganizing books, and cleaning up floors. While on her breaks, Mystic was able to perform some good magic shows to impress the fillies living in StarHaven at its Town Square, much to White Scholar's interests. As time went on, Mystic was finally able to make new friends in StarHaven after several more performances, one of them even participated as Mystic's assistant as well.
As for the Hotel that she is staying at, the hotel clerk gave her a small room that only has one bed and a desk that is facing the window. Upon looking through the window, Mystic could see the library from a few blocks west of the hotel. Every morning, she was able to eat breakfast for free down by the lobby. Though, she was expected to pay 2,500 bits every month during her stay at the hotel. Not that it matters, Mystic's job had a wage of 100 bits per hour, in which she only works 5 hours a day and that her work-week is every 4 days. Her payroll occurs every month. So, her total earnings for every month at work is 8,000 bits. Upon living her life in these conditions, Mystic was able to start anew with fulfilling her dreams.
After 6 years of living in StarHaven, Mystic received the latest news headlines from the Foal Free Press. Upon reading it, however, Mystic notices that her parents and her brother are both in terrible danger. As she read further through the headlines, Mystic learned that a Queen Majesty Blueblood is leading the armies of Unicornia to attack the cities of Equestria, with the aid of their traditionalist allies. When Mystic was done reading, she couldn't decided if she wanted to back to Equestria to straighten things out with her parents or stay in StarHaven to continue with her work and her studies. Before she could make her decision, Mystic meets up with White Scholar.
"So Mystic, do you still miss your parents?" White Scholar asked.
"I-I think I do." Mystic said as she let tears come out of her eyes. "If only my parents could see me improve my life here in StarHaven. I missed them so much."
"Yeah well, I missed being in Celestia's School back at Canterlot." Scholar said as he looked up to the sky. "Believe me, Mystic. It's never too late to face your past because to most ponies, you can't run away from your problems forever. Tell you what, if you wish to help save Equestria, I won't stop you. You and I have been given a great honor in helping our country from falling into ruin. Whether you want to fulfill your destiny or not, now will be the only time."
"Thank you, Mr. Scholar." Mystic said in satisfactory. "If it hadn't been for you, I probably will never live it down."
"So, what are you going to do now?" Scholar asked the determined unicorn mare.
"I wish to get stronger so that I can get ready to return home to make things right for my parents and for all of Equestria." Mystic said with determination.
"Very well." Scholar acknowledged. "On your next phase of magic training, I will teach you on how to use battle spells to thwart your future enemies. Just remember to use your battle spells wisely when the time comes."
Upon hearing what Scholar just said, Mystic was able to get her high hopes back after being taught what her parents did not teach. Feeling even more confident than ever, Mystic was lead by Scholar back into the library for some magic dueling and battle spells training.
Back to the present,
Even though the defenses at the Crystal Empire were able to stay strong for 8 days, Shinning Armor and Princess Cadence were not able to make any contact with their Yak or Griffon allies, nor with the Royal Sisters. To make matters worse, every runner they've sent to Canterlot never got through. According to Shinning Armor's CR scouts, its been confirmed that Queen Majesty had dispatched several patrols of Unicornian guards all over Equestria. Sometimes, Majesty's guards brought back the heads of Shinning's messengers back to the Crystal Empire, much to the horror of the Crystal Prince.
"BLUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!" Shinning Armor barfed as he ran straight to a nearby window and vomited.
As Shinning turned around to face Cadence, his face turned green and felt exhausted.
"Are you alright my dear?" Cadence asked, concerning for her husband of his immediate sickness.
"I don't think I am, Cadence. I'm sorry." Shinning Armor said in disgust. "This is like the 55th time we've sent a messenger straight to Canterlot. I don't know how is it that they keep running into those wretched invaders but I don't think I can take anymore chances."
"What about Sunburst? Should we sent him to make contact at Canterlot?" Cadence asked, making a suggestion to her husband.
"No, not Sunburst!!" Shinning Armor denied. "If anything happens to him, it's going to be a big pain trying to find another Crystaller in our city. I'm not going to risk his life on the battlefield."
Before Shinning Armor and Princess Cadence could say anymore, Commander Quicksilver bursted through the palace throne room in a panic. The next thing they saw from Quicksilver is that his face turned pale and sweating like a pig.
"Commander, are you okay? What's going on out there??" Shinning Armor asked Quicksilver out of concern.
"My Lord, Cicada and her Changelings are preparing to attack the Crystal Empire again." Quicksilver said in fear. "They're coming down from the sky!!!"
Upon hearing what Quicksilver just said, Shinning Armor rushed outside as he grabbed his armor and his sword to meet up with his platoon. As soon as Shinning and Quicksilver left the palace, they see a swarm of Changeling Insurgents repetitively smashing their way through Cadence's shield barrier. Even though their efforts were useless, the changelings were carrying some sort of Green Crystalized bomb right above the shield barrier. As Shinning looked closely at their bomb, he noticed that the bomb was as huge as house, carrying 10 tons of unstable nitroglycerin from within its mass. The Crystal Prince's eyes widened with horror as he sees the Changelings drop the bomb right on top of the shield barrier.
"EVERY PONY DOWN!!!!!" Shinning Armor shouted at the top of his lungs as he and Quicksilver ran inside a nearby Crystal Building.
While some of the Crystal Ponies, Canterlot refugees, and guards scrambled for cover, the bomb exploded in mid-air, unleashing multiple small green crystals all over the shield barrier and started drilling its way through, making big cracks through Cadence's spell. Before any pony could do anything, the shield barrier shattered into a million pieces and the green crystals that drilled through it started plummeting all over the Crystal Empire, exploding upon impact. The next thing that happened is when the changelings attacked the Crystal ponies from above, rendering the Crystal Guard completely overwhelmed. When some of the Crystal Guard left there posts to protect the citizens from the Changelings, they found themselves completely surrounded as they did magical dive bombs, sending several of the Royal Guards flying and crashing into various Crystal Houses.
"Commander Quicksilver, have our men fall back to the Crystal Palace." Shinning Armor said as he desperately gave orders to his commander.
"Yes sir!!" Quicksilver acknowledged as he drew out his Crystal Lance. "Every pony fall back to the palace!!!"
As Crystal Guards left their garrisons, they were all forced to fight their way through. At the Main Gate, the Changeling Robots blasted their way through and crushed every straggler in their sights. Shinning Armor went to the main gates and helped most of his guard ponies flee to the palace while single-handedly fought the oncoming attackers with Quicksilver.
Shinning charged up his horn and aimed at several Changelings, knocking them down from the sky. As soon as several of the insurgents closed in on him, Shinning took out his sword and chopped off one Changeling Head and stabbed the next on on his right side. The third Changeling charged forwards with its crude spear only for the Crystal Prince to direct the spear away from his face with his sword. In an instant, the third Changeling was met with a hoof-punch in the eye by the Crystal Prince's left hoof, knocking him out cold. The fourth Changeling lashed out with his axe with a horizontal swipe at Shinning Armor only for him to dodge it and stab the Changeling right in the chest with his sword before falling on his back dead.
Quicksilver made several whacks and stab thrusts with his Crystal Lance upon 5 Changelings before it snapped in two. After he threw his broken lance away, Quicksilver took out his flail and swung it at a nearby Changeling. Unfortunately, as Quicksilver fight intensifies, one of the Changeling Robots came up from behind and grabbed him by the stomach, crushing him to death. In less than a second, Commander Quicksilver started screaming in pain, for his fate has been sealed.
"Commander!!!" Shinning Armor shouted in horror upon seeing Quicksilver getting crushed in their grip.
"F-Forget about me, your highness!!" Quicksilver said as blood started spilling out from his mouth. "G-Go get your w-wife out of here!!!"
Before Shinning Armor could say anymore, Quicksilver used every last ounce of his strength to pull of a pin belonging to a HE grenade attached to his left side.
"F-For E-Equestria!!!" Quicksilver muttered to himself as his HE grenade went off, right inside his hoof.
In an instant, Quicksilver exploded into a bloody chunk of limbs, destroying the very same robot that tried to crush him underneath its grip. At the same time, the explosion sent Shinning Armor flying a couple of feet away from the Gate Courtyard. Without hesitation, several of his guard ponies were able to help get Shinning back on his hooves. The moment he got up, Shinning Armor and his platoon of Crystal Guards fell back to the Crystal Palace. Right behind them, the Crystal Ponies and the Canterlot Refugees were immediately captured by Cicada's forces left and right. As soon as they went back into the palace, Shinning Armor ordered his remaining men to barricade the doors.
Outside of the Crystal Palace, Cicada's Commander-In-Chief, General Rasputin makes his appearance as he walked outside of the Changeling Army. After realizing how successful they were in securing most of the Crystal Empire, Rasputin started cackling in a maniacal tone.
"All right ya laddies!! This is where they Royal Family of the Crystal Empire will meet their fate." Rasputin announced to his Changeling Troops. "Since we have came a long way in helping Unicornia take over Equestria, we Changelings will do whatever it takes to feed on all love, drain them of their freedom, and to take the Crystal Empire and turn it into a lair for the Changelings to rule over. This is where we finish them off. WHO'S WITH ME?!!"
After hearing Rasputin's speech, his Changeling Warriors all hissed out of excitement as he ordered one of his Robots to break down the door leading to the throne room. In just seconds, the Changeling Mech started smashing down on the door with its huge fists.
Back inside the Crystal Palace throne room, several guard ponies were barricading the door that leads outside. Unfortunately, Cicada's Changelings have already taken over most of the city and are now preparing to storm through the palace and capture Princess Cadence and Prince Shinning Armour. "CADENCE, TAKE OUR DAUGHTER AND FIND A WAY TO ESCAPE, NOW!!!" Prince Shinning Armour said to his wife as he drew out his sword and ordered his men to form up in a spear formation.
"But Shining...." Cadence pleaded to the crystal prince.
"I'm sorry, Cadence but this is for your own good." Shinning Armour said. "The Changelings have already breached the outer walls and their Queen has already captured our crystalling pony."
Without another word, Princess Cadence fled back deep into the palace along with her daughter Flurry Heart and 15 other crystal pony guards escorting her down the hallways. As soon as Shinning Armour marches in front of the door that was about to be breached, he makes one final announcement to the rest of his surviving troops.
"Soldiers of the Crystal Empire!!! We men are warriors." Shining Armour said to his remaining platoon. "To lead you has been my honor!!!"
As soon as the rest of the Crystal pony guard and the Changeling Republic have assembled, the decided to make one final stand against the rebellious changelings. Upon hearing Shinning's speech, they all ululated their battle cry, echoing throughout the palace.
"Cicada awaits for us!!!" Shinning Armour shouted while raising his sword and his shield in a swordsmen stance. "I'd say, we make her wait a little longer!!!"
Behind Shinning Armour, his men drew out all of their weapons and prepared for the final attack. As soon as the Changelings bursted their way into the throne room, Shinning Armour and his men make one final charge against them. While most of the Crystal guards engaged the changelings with their crystal swords and their spears, the Changeling Republican soldiers started firing their crossbows and hurling their spears at their evil brethren.
"Twily, if only you were still with us..." Shining Armour thought to himself as he chopped one enemy Changeling's head off with his sword. "We might be able to turn back the tide more sooner than expected."
As three more Changeling warriors charged forward at the white male unicorn, Shinning unleashed a flurry of sword strikes at them. One Changeling attempted to thrust his spear at the prince, only for him to step out of the way and stabbed the changeling in the neck with his sword. The second changeling lashed out at the prince with his crude ax. As Shinning blocked the ax with his sword, he makes a clean horizontal slash at the changeling's legs, making him lose his balance, and killed him finishing blow, stabbing the changeling in the head. As for the third changeling warrior, he attacked the prince head on with his crude sword. However, Shinning parried against the changeling's sword and made a downward slash with his sword, gutting out the changeling's entrails. Next thing the Shinning did was kicking changeling in the face, making him fall out his back before he bled to death. After taking down 5 more changelings, Shinning Armour realizes that his men are slowly losing their ground, being outnumbered from 20 to 1. General Rasputin came out of the Changeling group and drew out his black sword before engaging Shinning Armour in a one-on-one quick draw. When Shining Armour charged forward with his sword pointing at the Changeling General, Rasputin performs a bladed stance with magic as his sword pointed downwards. As soon as Shinning Armour got closer to Rasputin, the Changeling General made a huge wide arc with his sword. Before any pony could see what was coming, Shinning Armour's sword broke in two, much to his shock and horror. The next thing Shinning Armour saw was a green magic beam coming out from Rasputin's horn and hitting the prince in the face and causing a small explosion that sent the male white unicorn flying, hitting a nearby crystal wall with the back of his head and fall on the ground unconscious. Upon seeing the Crystal Prince defeating, Rasputin made a very loud screech as he cheered all the way out to the balcony of the Crystal Palace. The moment the Changelings see their general up on the balcony, he was holding an unconscious Shinning Armor above his head with his magic.
"MY FELLOW CHANGELINGS, WE HAVE CRUSHED THE ARMY OF THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE!!!" Rasputin bellowed in a loud roar. "VICTORY IS OURS!!!!! ALL HAIL QUEEN CICADA!!!"
Upon hearing this, Rasputin's men started cheering with a very loud uproar. Below him, Rasputin sees several Crystal Ponies and guards all restrained and put under chains everywhere. Right next to the Changeling General, one of his minions brought forth the Crystal Empire Banner and tossed over the balcony, ensuring everyone that the Crystal Empire has fallen. The next thing they did was raised the banner of Cicada's Changelings up high in the throne room.
As Shinning Armor woke up, he found himself wrapped around in chains and inside a prison cage, with his horn encased with a magic seal. Before he saw what was going on, Shinning sees Rasputin staring at him with an evil smirk on his face while gloating at him over his defeat.
"Now that your city is ours, you can say goodbye to the Crystal Empire, along with your wife and child!!" Rasputin laughed as he ordered his men to take Shinning Armor to the prison camp outside of his beloved city. "Take him to the prison camp."
"You'll regret this someday, Changeling Insurgent Scum, I swear!!!" Shinning Armor snarled as turned to face the Crystal Empire one last time before it disappeared from his sights.
During their trek to the Prison Camp, Shinning sees his mother and father in another prison cage adjacent from where he was. Then again, Twilight Velvet and Night Light are both wrapped around in chains, with their horns encased with magic seals. Upon seeing his family captured, Shinning could not help but worry of what will ever become of his entire family, now that they've been defeated.
"That was most horrible day of my life, Twiley." Shinning said while holding Princess Cadence by his side. "Well, I was grateful that you were able to find me and our parents after that. If you hadn't, I thought for sure that our family will never recover after suffering from so many tragic events, ranging from your death to forced slavery."
"Thanks, BBBFF." Twilight said as she smiled at her elder brother. "I never thought that they would hurl a huge bomb to take out Cadence's shield in one go."
"They did say that the bomb was fused with unstable green explosive crystals and combined into one huge torpedo." Shinning said specifically.
"Also, I didn't think that one of Celestia's teachers from her school would help Mystic gain the confidence that she needs to face her problems when the civil war began." Twilight said summarizing her little sister's story.
"Well, now that Mystic finally came back, she decided to stay in the Castle of Friendship along with you and your friends." Shinning Armor continued.
"So Starlight, how come you didn't wait for Trixie to help you rescue Sunburst from Queen Cicada?" Twilight asked her student who is standing across her.
"I was in a total panic after seeing smoke coming from the Crystal Empire." Starlight said briefly, still shaken after her experience when first facing Cicada in battle. "Well, I still have to start from the top first. It started off when........."
As Starlight explains her story to Twilight and the rest of the group, the entire screen turns white.
After trying to figure out on how to recreate the time travel spell for 6 years, Starlight Glimmer wasn't as successful in doing so like last time. It was always been the worse for the wear. Ever since she became Twilight's student in Ponyville, after their fierce rivalry, Starlight was able to find happiness for she was reunited with her one and only childhood friend, Sunburst the Crystallier of the Crystal Empire. Although she was able to find friendship with Twilight's help, Starlight's friendship with Twilight ended horribly after learning about how the evil, corrupted nobles put her out of her misery. After going to the funeral of Twilight Sparkle, Starlight Glimmer vowed to avenge her mentor by going back in time and stop her killers from getting to her. Unfortunately, before Starlight could do anymore back at her house in the Village of Former Equals, the female unicorn heard some shouting and explosions coming from outside. As soon as Starlight went outside to investigate, her eyes widened with horror.
Upon seeing whats going on outside of her house, Starlight sees enemy Changelings wreaking havoc on her village friends, capturing them on sight and burning their houses to the ground. Not wanting to stand around, Starlight charged forward and lit up her horn with her magic. However, before Starlight was able to use her magic on the invading Changelings, some huge robot landed right behind her in an instant.
Before Starlight had a chance to turn around, she was met with a tazer spell that was used by one of the Changelings from behind. In less than a second, Starlight collapsed onto the ground after getting zapped and lost conscious for a couple of minutes. As soon as she woke up, Starlight found herself pinned to the ground by some foot belonging to a giant robot that was on top of her.
"ARGH!!!" Starlight grunted in pain, unable to get up. "What in the name of Celestia is going on here??"
Not a moment too soon, Starlight heard an evil cackle coming from the sky. As soon as the robot grabbed Starlight and lifted her up in its gauntlets, the unicorn sees an elderly female changeling who goes by the name Queen Cicada of the Changelings.
"Hello, Starlight Glimmer!!" Cicada hissed out of excitement. "Remember me, I was the one who showed up with Amadeus at Twilight's grave."
"Cicada??" Starlight said out of fright. "What are you doing here?"
"You're going to help me when I take over the Crystal Empire!!" Cicada smirked. "I know you're in love with Sunburst!!"
"THAT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS, CICADA!!!" Starlight angrily snapped. "If you dare lay a hoof on him, I'm going to......"
Before Starlight could say anymore, the robot smashed Starlight's face to the ground, pressurizing her back, making her lose consciousness again. After rounding up all of the ponies residing in Starlight's village, Cicada orders her changelings to have them serve under her as their personal slaves for her Changeling Army. As soon as she woke up again, Starlight finds herself locked up inside a cage, completely tied up with her horn encased with a magic seal. The next thing she knew is that Starlight hears Cicada makes her diabolical plan to use the pale-purple unicorn as bait.
"Equestria. Let's go back to war and violence!" Cicada hissed before one of the ponies being restrained started shitting himself out of fear. "I'm so bored with peace and SILENCE!!!"
Frightened by Cicada's speech, the ponies started cowering before the Changeling Queen unable to do anything. In just less than a minute, Cicada continues with her speech towards her Changeling Subjects.
Nights of Evil, filled with fear Your worst dreams, that's my idea of fun! Let darkness find its sad ways; Let's go back to good old bad days No more foolish acts of love Cadence and her empire will be mine!!
Years from now, no pony will bother To recall your good Princess Cadence Because the Crystal Empire will be mine!!! THIS WILL ALL BE MINE!!!
Within the Crystal Wastelands, my Changelings will all hide They all seek shelter as Cadence's shield raises up high. Now watch me summon forth my robotic army with pride.
Right next to Cicada, one of her subjects brought forth a huge crate, along with a green crystal filled with dark magic. At the same time, the huge crate opened up from all sides, revealing a 25ft Mech that has huge gauntlets, a missile launcher, and dual venom throwers attached to its gauntlets. As Cicada grabbed the green crystal with her magic, she continues with her speech.
With this Crystal, I brought from Felhand I insert it into this robot's reactor core on its back Making it activate to its fullest And watch as it turns into a living weapon That I can us at will! Now this robot can KILL!!!
After Cicada inserted the green crystal into the robot's back, it started powering up. In just seconds, the robot started lighting up in a ominous light-green aura. As it stood up on its two feet, the Changelings were getting totally excited in testing out their new weaponry on their enemies, while the ponies were staring at it with horror in their eyes. For Starlight Glimmer, she felt a frightening chill crawling up her spine, shivering in fear of what those huge things could do to the other ponies of Equestria.
"TA DA!!! BEHOLD!! THE CHANGELING JUGGERNAUT!!!" Cicada said as she shouted out of excitement. "All right my subjects, time to pack up and get ready for battle at the Crystal Empire. We will be attacking that city in 8 days!!! Now let's move!!!"
Upon hearing Cicada's orders, her changelings hauled most of the inhabitants in Starlight's village before moving on. During their raid, they looted most of the houses, except one. After they're done, Cicada's changelings and their Juggernauts started marching towards the north, to the Crystal Wastelands. Two days later, during their trek, Cicada received a message from Black Scythe, requesting for her to send some of her changelings to help conquer Los Pegasus and Vanhoover. Without hesitation, Cicada sent 2 battalions of Changelings to Vanhoover, while she leads the third battalion to help Black Scythe conquer Los Pegasus. Before she left, Cicada ordered her commander, General Rasputin, to lead the skirmish upon the train station near the Crystal Empire, have them cornered in their city, and wait until the Changeling Queen returns from her campaign before pressing their attack on the Crystal Empire from above.
After Rasputin's battalion pushed the Crystal Empire Guard back into their city, Rasputin ordered the rest of his men to establish camp onto of one of the Crystal Mountains, 500 miles away from the Crystal Empire. While the Changelings started laughing about their victory in the future, Starlight finds herself sulking inside her cage not knowing what to do anymore. When Starlight witnessed such horrifying power that Cicada was showing just recently, something is telling her that Sunburst and the rest of the citizens of the Crystal Empire will not stand a chance against the Changeling Queen's might.
Five days later, just when Starlight is about to lose hope in saving the Empire and her colt-friend, her great and powerful friend, Trixie Lulamoon appeared out of nowhere and unlocked the cage that she was in. Feeling a bit relieved that Trixie came for her, they both hugged in each other's hooves before sneaking away from Rasputin's camp site. The moment they left the enemy campsite, Trixie and Starlight fled into one of the Crystal Caves. During the night inside their cave, Starlight was wondering on how will they ever save Equestria from those Changeling Insurgents and the Unicornians.
"Trixie, I hope we'll be able to make it to the Crystal Empire in time." Starlight said, concerning for the safety of her colt-friend. "I can't stand around for long."
"Why not?" Trixie asked as her eyes widened with curiosity.
"Cicada and her Changelings have just unleashed a mechanical doomsday weapon that will bring all of the Crystal Empire to its knees!!" Starlight explained in fear. "I have to warn Sunburst before its too late."
"Well, we still need to rest up until morning, Starlight!!" Trixie suggested to her unicorn friend. "It's been a very rough, exhausting day."
Before Starlight could say anything, Trixie started catching some Z's while falling asleep. Despite this, Starlight went outside of the cave and looked up to the night sky, praying for Sunburst's safety. In just seconds, Starlight collapsed into a couple of hours of sleep.
Early in the morning, Starlight got up before Trixie did and made her way out of the caves to investigate out into the horizon of the Crystal Wastelands. When Starlight snuck around the enemy encampment, it was completely empty. However, as she moved on, Starlight spotted Cicada's main force preparing to attack the Crystal Empire from above. The next thing the unicorn saw was that Cicada's subjects were carrying some sort of Green Crystalized Bomb in the air. As soon as they released the bomb onto the huge shield barrier around the Crystal Empire, it exploded in mid-air and unleashed a barrage of green crystalized missiles that penetrated the shield and struck at the city causing multiple explosions everywhere. Upon seeing this horror unfold, Starlight uses her levitation spell to head to the Crystal Empire immediately, not waiting for Trixie to wake up until the last minute. As soon as she teleported herself into the Crystal Empire, Starlight sees the Changelings already attacking the citizens and the guards on sight, overwhelming them in less than a few minutes.
"Sunburst, please hang on!!! I'm coming!!!" Starlight muttered to herself as she used her magic to tear her way through the Changelings within the Crystal Empire.
In an instant, a magical surge started surrounding Starlight Glimmer as she charged through the ranks of the Changelings. Before any of the Changelings could react, Starlight bashed them away from her with her magic. Up in front, a Changeling Juggernaut appeared before her and fired a couple of missiles at Starlight. However, the pale unicorn reacted by raising her shield up high, blocking the Juggernaut's missiles. The next thing Starlight did was hurl a huge piece of rubble from one of the wrecked Crystal Houses and smashed the Juggernaut right on top of it. Upon impact, the Juggernaut exploded after getting crushed by the rubble's mass. Two more Changelings charged forward at Starlight only for her to unleash a flashing spell that blinded both of them temporarily. While the Changelings were stunned by Starlight's spell, she smashed both of them with a long piece of rubble, breaking both of them ribs in an instant.
As Starlight proceeded down to the place where Sunburst's house is, more changelings appeared from behind her and started firing their magic at the pale-purple unicorn. Without further a due, Starlight casted another shield spell that protected her from getting shot at in the back. The moment Starlight skidded to a halt, she unleashed a powerful beam of magic that decapitated three changelings in two, separating their legs from their bodies before they all fell dead on the crystal pavement. As for the rest of the Changelings that were chasing her, Starlight shoot out a flash bang spell that incapacitated them. In an instant, they all lost their eye sights and blindly crashed into several crystal buildings upon losing their flight pattern. Despite Starlight fighting her way through the war-torn Crystal Empire, she still couldn't think about what would happened if Cicada's minions find Sunburst before she would.
"SUNBURST, WHERE ARE YOU???" Starlight screamed as she ran with her life on the line.
As Starlight kept on running, she sees the changelings storm through several Crystal Houses and rounded up all of the Crystal Pony residents in each and every one of them. Unable to run for a moment, Starlight hid in the alleyways to take a breather.
"If only Twilight Sparkle was still here." Starlight said as she cried while holding up a picture of her and Twilight with Twilight's Castle behind them.
Suddenly on the other side of the alleyway, Starlight heard a scream coming from a male unicorn. By the time she went to see where was the sound coming from, her eyes widen with horror. It was an orange unicorn with glasses and a orange mane and tail named Sunburst.
"N-NO!!! PLEASE, STAY AWAY!!! DON'T COME ANY CLOSER!!!" Sunburst shrieked as he tried to make a run for it.
Behind the orange male unicorn, his house was already caught on fire, with a huge hole on top of its roofs. From inside the house, three Changelings came out and continued to chase down Sunburst in the Crystal Town Square. Before Starlight could save Sunburst, she sees a huge Changeling appear from above the sky and landed right in front of the orange male unicorn; it was Queen Cicada. Without moving a muscle, Cicada used her magic to restrain the orange unicorn. Before Sunburst had a chance to do anything, Cicada casted a sleeping spell on him, making him lose consciousness. As soon as Sunburst went out cold, Cicada ordered her minions to put him in chains. At the same time, one of Cicada's subjects came up to her to announce a full report for their victory.
"My Queen, we secured the Crystal Palace and the Crystal Heart." One of her Changeling Guards reported. "What are your orders?"
"Take the Crystal Prince to the concentration camps south of here, make sure the crystal heart is stored in a secured area, and lock up the Crystal Princess." Queen Cicada ordered her men. "And you, Sunburst, you will be my butler for the rest of your life. MUWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!"
"NOT SO FAST!!!" Starlight screamed. "Give me back my Sunburst."
"You wish." Cicada cackled. "This is my Kingdom now!! MY KINGDOM!!!!"
Without warning, Starlight charged at Cicada, unleashing her magic upon her.
"You can't take away Sunburst from me." Starlight snarled. "It's already been over ten years since I last saw him. I am not going lose him again."
"TRY ME, IF YOU DARE!!!" Cicada hissed as she shoot out her magic at Starlight Glimmer. "I like you see you get him back by force!!!"
Cicada unleashed a barrage of green magic missiles at Starlight only for her to use a shield spell to block every one of Cicada's attacks. Upon impact, the missiles exploded outside of Starlight's shield. However, every time Starlight's shield wards off the missiles, she gets pushed back every single second. Before she knew it, Starlight's shield disappeared after the 10th blast from Cicada's missiles. During the magic duel, the rest of Cicada's changelings moved away and waited at the sidelines to see who will be the winner. In retaliation, Starlight lunged at Cicada with her magic, only for the Changeling Queen to cast a green shield spell and shoved the pale-purple unicorn away from her. When Starlight landed on all four hooves, after getting shoved away from Cicada, she shoots out a lighting bolt spell from her horn only for Cicada to block it with her battle axe. As soon as the lighting bolt dissipated, Cicada charged straight at Starlight Glimmer and attempted to hack her with a vertical chop. In less than a second, Starlight teleported herself away from Cicada, letting the axe slam into the crystal pavement. Upon impact, Cicada's axe got stuck. Unable to pull the axe free, Cicada left it right where it was and fired several more magic missiles at Starlight Glimmer. As Starlight used her levitation spell, she flew up into the sky and fired a laser beam of magic, destroying several missiles heading straight for her and then casted a flare spell, redirecting the rest of the missiles away from their designated target. The moment Starlight landed on all four hooves, she charged up her horn with her magic and aimed it directly at Queen Cicada. At the same time, Cicada charged up her magic and aimed it at Starlight Glimmer. As a result both of the unicorn's and Changeling Queen's magic slammed into each other and attempted to shove their spells at their target.
As Cicada's magic and Starlight's magic clashed into each other, Starlight slowly is losing her ground against the Changeling Queen. Despite her efforts, Cicada's magic got closer and closer to where Starlight was standing at. Suddenly, Starlight's eyes widen with horror as Cicada's magic exploded upon her face, sending her slamming to a wall of a nearby Crystal Building. The unicorn collapsed on the Crystal floor. Just as soon as Starlight was about to get up, she started coughing up blood from her mouth. The next thing she knew, Starlight's vision was getting blurry and disoriented before her world went black.
"Foolish little unicorn." Queen Cicada jeered. "It's been fun doing a challenge on the battlefield. However, you cannot hope to defeat me. For I am the last living heir of Queen Chrysalis and I am dedicated to lead the Changelings to their natural born glory!!!! Thanks to the forces of Unicornia, I will see to it that the Changeling Republic pipsqueaks will tremble before me!!!"
In just moments later, Cicada used her magic to lift up the unconscious female unicorn. However, before she can drain Starlight of her magic and her love, another unicorn appeared from the shadows. It was Trixie Lulamoon.
"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!!!" Trixie yelled as she used her magic to blast her way through Cicada's Changelings. "You're not taking Trixie's best friend away from her!!!"
Before Cicada and her changelings can do anything, Trixie blasted Cicada in the face with her magic, making her lose her grip around Starlight. As Trixie lifted an unconscious Starlight Glimmer with her magic, she hurls a smoke bomb at Cicada's feet. When the smoke disappeared, Trixie and Starlight both vanished without a trace.
"Damn, that unicorn. They both got away." Queen Cicada muttered to herself. "But no matter, they do realize that they can't hope to save this city anymore. I rule the Crystal Empire now! MEEEEEEEE!!!!!"
As Cicada and her changelings took over the entire Crystal Empire, her laughter can be heard from a mile away. About 100 miles away from the Empire, Trixie and Starlight appeared in a nearby forest somewhere in Neighagra Falls. After Trixie brought an injured and unconscious Starlight underneath a nearby tree, she used the medical supplies that she retrieved from Starlight's village to treat her friend and assistant of her recent injuries. As soon as she was done, Trixie wait for several hours until Starlight woke up. The moment she woke up, Starlight feels her entire body hurting from the inside after her fight with Queen Cicada. As she tried to get up, Trixie was hold Starlight by her shoulders.
"Take it easy, Starlight." Trixie said in a worried tone. "Trixie just finished treating you of your injuries."
As Starlight slowly got up, she felt her body wracking with internal pain and internal bleeding. The next thing she knew, the pale-purple unicorn had a body cast bandaged all over her coat. After realizing her recent failure of saving Sunburst, tears started to come out of Starlight's eyes. Before Trixie could see what was happening to her best friend and assistant, Starlight Glimmer started breaking down in tears, wailing and sobbing on the ground right in front of her.
"Oh, Sunburst. I'm so sorry!!!" Starlight Glimmer cried as she felt Trixie embracing her in her hooves.
After several minutes of crying, Starlight felt Trixie patting on her shoulders with her hooves out of comfort and sympathy.
"Don't worry Starlight, the Great and Powerful Trixie is sure that someday we'll find a way to retake the Crystal Empire." Trixie said as she sympathized the sad unicorn. "Well, right now we need to find a safe place to hide until we can get help."
"Okay, I understand." Starlight said as she let tears come out of her eyes while looking down in shame.
As Starlight was done sobbing, she and Trixie made their way down south in order to find a place to hide at, in hopes of avoiding the Unicornians and Cicada's Changelings. After they made their way past Foal Mountains and into the Rambling Rock Ridge, in just one month later, they were met by a group of unidentified bandits. The bandits happened to be a group of minotaurs, griffons, and dragons. Before Trixie and Starlight could do anything, the bandits heard a familiar voice ordering them to stand down. As soon as the bandits backed away from the two female unicorns, one teenage dragon with purple scales and green spikes appeared from the group and gave them a surprising look on his face before he could say anything.
"Starlight! Trixie!! It's been awhile since I've seen you two." The teenage dragon spoke in a calm tone. "Did you guys miss me??"
"W-Who are you??" Starlight asked, unable to recognize the teenage dragon staring down on her and Trixie.
"Don't you remember me? I was the adopted son of Princess Twilight Sparkle!!" The teenage dragon spoke, continuing his conversation with the two confused unicorns.
After a long minute of pause, Starlight's and Trixie's eyes widened with shock, realizing that the very same dragon that was once their friend would actually appear before them a lot more bigger and more ruthless looking. Yet, the teenage dragon still recognizes them as friends of his deceased mother.
"SPIKE???!!!!!" Starlight gasped in shock. "I-Is that really you???"
"Yes, its me, Starlight." Spike responded with a small smile on his face.
"W-What happened to you??" Trixie said as she gasped in surprise.
"It's a long story guys." Spike said. "Follow me guys. I've made camp in the Rambling Rock Ridge."
As Spike, his followers, Trixie, and Starlight made their way towards their hideout, Starlight couldn't believe that Spike would actually return after 6 years of his disappearance. She might have felt relieved about the young dragon's return, but it doesn't change the fact that Equestria is still at stake. Hopefully with the help of Spike and his followers, Starlight might be able to find a way to save Equestria, despite everything that happened over the past couple of days during the civil war.
"I guess you could say that I wasn't thinking properly on how to save Sunburst from Cicada." Starlight said in frustration. "Well, now that Cicada is dead and the Crystal Empire is restored, I'll never abandon Sunburst ever again."
Before she knew it, Sunbust came up to Starlight and embraced her in his hooves out of relief.
"I was thinking about rescuing Sunburst with the help of the Red Lightings Guild, the Changeling Republic, and with the remaining Element Bearers of Harmony. However, we need to rescue one of the Alicorn Princesses of Equestria before we can do anything else." Starlight said trying to get to the point.
"You mean, Princess Luna?" Twilight asked Starlight as her eyes widened with concern over the night princess.
"Yes, my dear Twilight." Celestia responded, answering her star student's question. "Before that, it was after the third attack on Canterlot that me and my sister were forced to surrender. Though, it wasn't before I was forced to see my loyal subjects face the most gruesome torture after they have taken Canterlot from us."
After one month of barricading themselves inside the Palace Courtyard of Canterlot, the remaining defenders in the city were all struggling to stay alive during the impeding siege. Unfortunately, because they lost contact with the rest of the cities in Equestria, most of their supply runs have been closed down and the food storage is running low. With only 46 Royal Guards and 44 Changeling Republican soldiers were left to defend the palace, most of them were either injured or starving from their last fight with the Unicornians. As for Sunset Shimmer, she was bedridden in the Canterlot Palace for 2 weeks due to her injuries when fighting against Majesty Blueblood. For Gladius Strife, he placed cross tombstones in the memorial garden to honor every pony and creature that died defending Canterlot, such as Private Shell, Sgt. Torson, Private Decker, Corporal Xias, and Lt. Firebug.
Inside the Canterlot Palace, Celestia and Luna were both praying for their victory over holding what's left of their fort, despite suffering from so many losses after Princess Twilight passed away. When they learned that Fancy Pants was captured by the enemy, Lady Fleur de Lis couldn't stop crying, fearing for the safety of her beloved husband. After Sunset recovered, she finds herself walking around the defensive perimeters around the Canterlot Palace. Upon seeing the rest of the defenders in such an terrible situation, Sunset is getting a very bad feeling that they will not be able to hold off the invaders any more. As she made her way to the Memorial Gardens, Sunset was praying right in front of Twilight's coffin for a miracle.
"Princess Twilight, if only you're still here with us, I could definitely use your strength right now," Sunset muttered to herself as she looked up to the sky while clamping both of her hooves together. "I can only wish that the Mane 5 were here to save us all. Because, if they ever attack us again in the condition we're in right now, we won't be able to win this war. They'll start laughing at us and scorning at us for our failures as soon as they take over Canterlot entirely."
While Sunset was praying in front of Twilight's coffin, Princess Luna came up from behind her and comforted the depressed unicorn in her hooves.
"Princess Luna, what are going to do??" Sunset whimpered out of fear. "I'm starting to think that we have already lost this war before it even started."
"I don't know for sure. But if we take out their so-called ruler of Unicornia, maybe the rest of her men will stand down and leave Equestria for good," Princess Luna suggested. "Though, you already know that it's easier said than done. I mean, whatever they taught Majesty Blueblood, I'm not so sure how we're going to compete with it."
"You mean we can't....." Sunset asked before her speech was interrupted by the night princess.
"We may have more experience in Royalty and with wielding power than any other alicorn in Equestria. And that we lived for over more than a thousand years," Princess Luna said to Sunset Shimmer. "However, that doesn't mean we're invincible. Even me and my sister faced enemies that are almost just as powerful as we are, or may be way beyond our power. It's just like when Tia faced off Queen Chrysalis and lost because of how much power that fell beast possessed after draining Shinning Armor of his love."
"If that's true, then how do you think we're going to reason with Majesty Blueblood??" Sunset asked.
"I don't know how to answer a question like that, Sunset Shimmer," Luna responded in a negative tone. "All I know is, that her family won't hesitate in buying, cheating, and threatening others just so that they can get what they want. In fact, I know Amadeus from the very start. Ever since he became the head of the Blueblood Family, he's always treating everything in Equestria as if he were to run a ruthless drug cartel or commanding a merciless mob family; that's the kind of power that he wanted in order to achieve his dreams of unity."
"Why didn't you stop him when you had the chance, Princess?" Sunset asked.
"I don't know how he does this but every time I take one step forward to hunt Amadeus down, he leaps two steps ahead of me," Luna grunted in frustration. "It's like he can read my every move. Maybe I should've thought twice before letting Twilight Sparkle ascend the throne as our 4th Alicorn Princess."
"So what if you didn't?!" Sunset acknowledged. "At first, I thought Twilight Sparkle was an embarrassment to think that Princess Celestia would let her achieve what I could not. However, because Twilight was able to inspire others to stand with her, it turns out that Princess Celestia was right. In order to have true magic, it's only possible because of the friends that I treasured in my heart."
"I'm glad that you were able to make amends with my sister earlier," Princess Luna said as she smile at the female orange unicorn.
Upon hearing what Princess Luna said to her, Sunset let out a small smile on her face before she and the night alicorn left the memorial gardens to check up on Princess Celestia and the rest of her men at the garrisons.
Meanwhile, outside of Canterlot, Majesty Blueblood finally received reinforcements from Dark Scissors and his detachment and from Morning Blade and his men. Upon arriving at Majesty's campsite, Dark Scissors and Morning Blade stood before their alicorn queen and bowed down at her hooves, the moment she showed up. As they both looked up to see Majesty, they told her that the rest of the other cities in Equestria are now under the occupation of the Unicornian Kingdom, much to the evil alicorn's pleasure.
"So, are you two ready to finish off the defenders at Canterlot?" Majesty asked sternly at the two officers with an evil smile on her face.
"Yes, my lady. Our men will be yours to command!!" Morning Blade acknowledged as he saluted the Alicorn Queen.
"We have a battalion of 500 troops awaiting your orders my Queen," Dark Scissors added. "Make the call!!"
"Good. Morning Blade, you and you're men press forward and engage the enemy at will," Majesty said while giving out orders to her forces. "Dark Scissors, while they're distracted, you bring in your heavy artillery and waste them all. Remember to inform Morning Blade of this before doing so. Have Lt. Eagle Eye bridge the communication between the two of you and make sure he can give you both covering fire."
"Yes, your highness!!" Both the Changeling and the Unicornian Commander spoke, acknowledging Majesty's orders before moving on.
Back at Canterlot, one of the Royal guards from one of the Palace Towers spotted another invading Army approach from the south. Upon seeing them advance towards their position, the guard sound the horns, warning the others of the next attack.
After hearing the horns, Sunset and Luna ran straight to the battlements to see a detachment of Unicornian soldiers teleport themselves in front of the garrisons before engaging the defenders at will. Without further a due, Sunset took out a spear and skewered one Unicornian soldier up front.
"Every pony!! TO THE BATTLEMENTS!!!" Luna shouted in a Royal Canterlot voice as she drew out her moon sword.
From one of the palace towers, Princess Celestia unfurled her wings and dived down to unleash a barrage of fireballs at the oncoming invaders below her. Upon impact, the fireballs exploded and had several invaders get caught on fire. While being burned alive, the invaders started screaming in pain before they succumbed to their burns. As for Princess Luna, she charged forward and sliced at every invader with her sword, cutting up their necks and stabbing them in the chest left and right. One enemy changeling jumped right top of Luna, in hoping to pounce on her before finishing the night alicorn off. However, Sunset hurled a spear at the Changeling, impaling him before he had a chance to land on top of Luna. After the Changeling collapsed on the pavement, Sunset ran up to the battlements and drew out her flamberge once more. When one changeling attempted to attack Sunset with his crude sword, he was met with Sunset's flamberge cutting his head off clean from his body. After that, a Unicornian soldier appeared from Sunset's left and attempted to thrust his spear at her chest. However, Sunset teleported herself to her right, avoiding the Unicornian's spear. As soon as she appeared, Sunset stabbed the Unicornian soldier in the mouth with her Flamberge, making him bleed from the back of his head and out of his mouth before dropping dead. When Sunset pulled her sword out of the dead soldier's mouth, she blocked an upper cut slash from a Unicornian's sword with a right shoulder guard and slashed at his legs, making him fall over on his left side. Before the Unicornian soldier had a chance to get up, Sunset stabbed him in the stomach with her sword. The soldier screamed in pain before death claimed him.
While continuing casting fireballs at her enemies, Princess Celestia was met with a loud bang that grazed her right check, yelping in pain. As she fled behind one of the towers, Celestia spots one of the Unicornian soldiers shooting out some sort of sniper rifle from a nearby building that's 250 meters away from the palace. Before she knew what was going on, Celestia sees the Unicornian sniper take down 8 more of her Royal Guards at the battlements from a nearby abandoned guard tower.
"Heh! Heh! Heh!" The Unicornian sniper cackled. "This is the most happiest day of my life. Those Equestrian Princesses will be sorry that they had ever controlled us for too long!!!"
"Lt. Eagle Eye, Dark Scissors is bringing up the big guns in less than two minutes!!" Morning Blade said through Eagle's ear bud.
"Roger that!!!" Eagle Eye responded as he switched communication channels to contact with the other Unicornian soldiers on the battlefield. "Unicornians, take cover!!!"
Upon hearing this, the surviving Unicornian troops fled into cover behind several wrecked buildings near the Palace Courtyard. Before any pony could see what was going on, a stagecoach came bursting through the city streets and was pulled vigorously by 4 Changeling Insurgents. As soon as the stagecoach stopped, they made a sharp turn to the right, with its side facing the garrisons of the Palace Courtyard. Amongst the confused defenders, Sunset and Luna spotted the stagecoach doors open, revealing Dark Scissors manning a heavy gatling cannon and aimed its crosshairs at them.
"GO BACK!! EVERY PONY, GO BACK!!!" Luna screeched as she ordered her men to flee back into the palace.
Before the guards could do anything, Dark Scissors opened fire with his gatling cannon from inside the stagecoach. As bullets started to bear down on the defenders, most of the CR soldiers and the Equestrian Royal Guards were shot and killed immediately and went down like a sack of potatoes. As a result, Canterlot's defenders made blood-curdling screams before they were taken down by enemy fire. Luna, Gladius, and Sunset both ducked underneath the sandbags, covering their heads with their hooves as they stood still, avoiding the spray of bullets that their enemies are unleashing. For Celestia, she went back behind the tower to take cover from the gatling fire coming from the enemy stagecoach.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" Luna and Celestia shrieked as they see most their men get taken down in an instant.
As the enemy Gatling fire continued, the window glass shattered while more guards were getting shot at from the inside of the palace. Just when the firing stopped, three of the Royal Guards fled back into the palace and closed the doors behind them. The moment Sunset pops her head above the sandbags, she spots a group of Unicornian soldiers aiming a fully loaded cannon at the Palace doors.
"ENEMY CANNON TEAM!!!" Sunset bellowed in a alarming tone as she, Luna, and Gladius ducked underneath the sandbags again.
As soon as one of the enemy soldiers lit up the Cannon's fuse, the gun barrel fired a shot straight at the Palace doors. Upon impact, the doors exploded into a million splinters, sending the three Royal Guards flying straight into the ground badly wounded. After they stopped firing at the garrisons in the Palace Courtyard, Dark Scissors got out of the stagecoach and drew out his cutlass sword before proceeding forward.
"Soldiers!! ADVANCE!!!" Dark Scissors shouted as he ordered his men to press forward to the Palace Courtyard.
As soon as the Unicornians left their hiding spots, they charged forward as they drew out their weapons once more.
"Sunset! Gladius!! Get inside!!!" Luna said ordering the two unicorns into the palace.
As the two unicorns and night alicorn fell back, Luna casted a shield barrier to protect themselves from incoming enemy fire. While they went inside the palace, Celestia flew back inside as well and sealed off all windows and exits all around her castle. After witnessing such a massacre amongst her warriors, Celestia could no longer hold them back anymore. The moment Celestia, Gladius, Luna, and Sunset Shimmer reached the throne room, they shut the doors and barricaded it with everything nearby, including tables, chairs, stools, and benches.
Outside of the palace, Dark Scissors ordered every wounded Equestrian Soldier to be captured immediately to have them submit to Queen Majesty or be executed on the spot. As for the nobles that were on Celestia's side, they were immediately captured, including Fleur de Lis. As the Unicornians hauled away the Equestrian Loyalist Nobles, Queen Majesty Blueblood arrived, along with Eagle Eye and Morning Blade. Upon her arrival, Majesty ordered her men to secure the Palace Courtyard before meeting the Royal Sisters head on. As Morning Blade and Dark Scissors went out to issue orders to their men, Majesty turned around to face the Palace before shouting out her speech.
"CELESTIA!!! LUNA!!! YOU ARE BOTH TRAPPED AND YOU'VE GOT NOWHERE TO RUN!!!" Majesty roared in a very loud tone. "YOU'LL BOTH PAY FOR DEFYING MY FATHER!!!!"
Upon hearing Majesty's shouting, Sunset never felt even more terrified at experiencing such rantings from a spoiled, very powerful alicorn who doesn't know how big the consequences are when following the path of a corrupted noble. As she looked out the window from inside the Palace Throne Room, Sunset sees Majesty glaring at her from below as she lit up her horn with her magic.
"And you, Sunset Shimmer!! If you think you can save Equestria and Celestia from me, you probably will never live that long to see it happen before your very eyes," Majesty said while taunting the female unicorn. "Come on out and surrender and I'll let you go and forget that you even participated in this siege."
"NEVER!!!!" Sunset shouted back at Majesty Blueblood. "Your father isn't what he seems. You're all fools; you and the Unicornians!! Amadeus is lying to all of you!!!"
"THAT'S NONE OF YOUR GODDAMN BUSINESS, YOU WHORE!!!!" Majesty shouted in fury. "And besides, you should be ashamed for letting that purple harlot take advantage of you."
"You know not what you do!!! If Twilight were to take advantage of us or threaten us, that'll only be because we asked for it!!" Sunset exclaimed. "Don't you bucking get it?? You don't even know the meaning of the word 'threat' because first of all, you haven't even met Princess Twilight!!! Instead, you're just blindly assuming the negativity of one pony that's rest assured not what she seems. You just had to be judging ponies by their appearance without even being peacefully social. AM I REALLY THAT WRONG???!!"
After hearing what Sunset just said, it made Majesty feel even more confused on who to believe is a threat to her very existence. Not wanting to say anymore, Majesty turned her back away from Sunset Shimmer, who is still at the Canterlot Palace Window. As she made her way towards the Palace Square, Celestia came up to Sunset Shimmer to comfort her in her hooves before moving on.
After 20 minutes have passed inside the Palace Throne rooms, Celestia and Luna prayed one more time before Majesty resumes her attack on the two alicorns. Sunset and Gladius looked outside the window of the Palace, to see a group of Unicornians haul a battering ram up to the entrance of the Palace. The moment the two unicorns warned the Royal Sisters about this, Celestia and Luna both have stopped praying and went up to the doors leading outside of the throne room.
"Princess Celestia!!! The Unicornians are about to breach through the Palace doors. What should we do??!!" Sunset Shimmer asked her mother-figure Princess Celestia.
"I'm sorry Sunset Shimmer, but I'm afraid that this is where we will part ways," Princess Celestia responded to Sunset.
"Part ways?" Sunset Shimmer asked in a horrified tone, with her eyes widened. "You don't mean...."
"You still have a long life ahead of you, Sunset Shimmer. For your own safety, your must leave this place at once and don't look back," Princess Celestia ordered Sunset in a royal Canterlot voice. "Gladius Strife, you will look after Sunset Shimmer from now on. That will be the final order I will give you."
"But Celestia, I can't move on without your guidance," Sunset Shimmer protested in fearing for her mother's safety.
"Sunset, you must live for my sake and go find yourself another mentor," Celestia said in a tearful voice.
"Come on, Sunset Shimmer. Let's get out while we still have the chance," Gladius said to Sunset as he used his magic to uncover a secret passage behind the throne. "It's been an honor serving you, Princess Celestia."
"NO!!!! I WON'T LEAVE YOU!!!!" Sunset Shimmer wailed very loud as she keeps getting dragged by Gladius' magic before disappearing into the secret passage, with tears coming out of her eyes. "PRINCESS!!!!!"
After Sunset disappeared through the passage, along with Gladius Strife, Princess Celestia gets up on her hooves once again.
"I'll always be there for you in your heart, Sunset Shimmer," Princess Celestia said with a tearful smile on her face. "Luna, are you ready to finish this fight together?"
"Ready when you are Tia!!!" Luna responded to her elder sister.
As the royal sisters turned around to meet their doom, they see the palace doors burst wide open in front of them. The next thing they saw was Queen Majesty Blueblood marching into the throne room preparing herself for the final battle between her and the royal sisters of Equestria.
"Princess Luna! Princess Celestia! Say your prayers!!!" Majesty hissed at them before she unfurled her wings and charged toward them, unleashing a massive surge of magic coming out of her horn.
As Majesty unleashed her magic upon the royal sisters, Celestia used her magic to form a shield barrier while Luna flew up above her and launched her magic at Majesty. As Majesty fired a magic beam at Luna, the night alicorn counteract it with a dark-blue beam of light. The next thing Majesty did was that she unfurled her wings and flew up into the air, with Luna following from behind during their flight pattern. The moment Majesty saw Luna in her sights while in mid-air, she drew out her silver halberd and thrust it straight at Luna in the face. However, at the same time, Luna drew out her moon blade with her magic and used it to block the spear tip of Majesty's halberd mere inches from her face. As Luna shoved Majesty's halberd away, she swiped at the Unicornian Queen with a horizontal slash of her blade only for Majesty to lean her head away from it. Just when Luna did a vertical slash on top of Majesty's head, she reacted with blocking Luna's blade with the shaft of her halberd. In an instant, Majesty moved Luna's sword to the left and attempted to chop Luna's shoulder with the blade of her halberd. Upon seeing the halberd close in on her, Luna made a strong backward flap of her wings as she flew away from Majesty's halberd. Before Luna could react, Majesty hurled her halberd straight at the moon princess, grazing her shoulder with its blade barely touching her skin. As Luna grunted in pain, she aimed her sword at Majesty Blueblood and shot out a lighting bolt at the evil alicorn. Unfortunately, Majesty teleported herself away from Luna's line of fire and knocked her sword away from Luna's grip. Upon losing her sword, Luna backed away from Majesty Blueblood. Before Majesty could come any closer, Luna charged up her horn with her magic and unleashed her most powerful beam at Majesty. In a fast reaction, Majesty charged up her horn and shot out her most powerful magic at Princess Luna. At the same time, both of the alicorn's magic slammed into each other as they attempted to redirect it back to their opponents. After a few minutes of struggling over the magic of both alicorns, Majesty finally broke through Luna's spell and struck her squarely in the chest. Upon impact, an explosion occurred that sent Luna crashing through a nearby stained glass window and plummeted straight into the ground unconscious, much to Princess Celestia's horror and devastation.
Enraged after seeing her sister get beaten so easily, Celestia used her horn to summon forth all of her alicorn magic and aimed at Majesty. As soon as Celestia fired her magic, it unleashed a massive beam of sun magic straight at Majesty. However, Majesty was able to counteract it with a huge deflector shield. As a result, the entire palace of Canterlot exploded, destroying the palace roofs in one go. Both Majesty and Celestia unfurled their wings and took to the skies, engaging in an aerial battle, firing their spells at each other while in mid-air. Before Celestia could see what was coming, Majesty used in illusion spell to keep her off guard. The next thing Majesty did was that she flew right behind Princess Celestia, summoned all of her magic and formed into a huge arrowhead, and slammed her straight into a nearby tower. Upon impact, the tower collapsed, taking down Celestia with it. For Majesty, she was still in the air. As soon as the tower fell, Majesty landed on all four hooves in front of Princess Celestia. Upon seeing the sun princess coughing up blood and suffering from internal injuries and bruises, Majesty started gloating at Celestia in a evil cackle.
"Princess Celestia, this is the end. Victory is mine!!!" Majesty Blueblood spoke in an intense tone of voice.
Before Celestia could say anymore, she was met with several ropes wrapping all over her body and a magic seal on top of her horn by Morning Blade, Dark Scissors, and Eagle Eye. In an instant, the two evil unicorns and the Changeling have all restrained the sun princess as they held onto their ropes, immobilizing Celestia from doing anything else. For the unconscious Princess Luna, they sealed her up inside a prison cage right next to Celestia.
"So Celestia, do you find my castle to your liking?" Majesty smirked.
"You castle??!!!" Celestia shrieked as she was offended by was Majesty just said. "It's the people's castle now!!!"
"Oh really?!" Majesty sneered at the sun Princess before turning towards Tirek. "Tirek, why don't you show her a demonstration of what happens if they defy us from dominating Equestria with our power."
"With pleasure, my friend. This is going to be fun!!!" Tirek cackled as he grabbed a nearby Changeling Republican POW with his right hand.
"Celestia, I want your sister to remove the Tantabus away from my father!!!" Majesty ordered the sun princess.
"Never!!" Celestia said defiantly.
"TIREK, DO IT!!!" Majesty said while shouting orders to the centaur.
Before Celestia could see what was going on, Tirek opened up his mouth and drained the CR soldier of his magic, turning him into a shriveled up carcass of his former self. After that, the Unicornian guards grabbed and tied up the CR soldier to the ground with him lying on his back. After Tirek took out a battle ax from his sheath, Celestia's eyes widened with horror as she sees the demonic centaur decapitate the CR soldier's right hoof with just one chop of his axe. After they took away the powerless CR soldier, they brought in another POW which happens to be one of the Royal Guards that was wounded while defending the Palace Courtyard. As they took the Royal Guard to the chopping block, he started snarling at the evil Queen.
"YOUR CASTLE, MY STINKING FLANK!!!" The Royal Guard hissed as he was forced to lie down on his back before Tirek continues to chop off his hooves.
The moment Tirek chopped off both of the guard's hooves with his giant sword, he started screaming in pain as he sees both of his decapitated hooves bleed before the took him away. While the Unicornian soldiers started cheering and cackling at this gruesome torture, Celestia started freaking out in a rage with her eyes narrowing at Queen Majesty.
"GODDAMN YOU, YOU MURDERING WHORE!!!!" Princess Celestia shouted lividly.
"IS THAT THE QUEEN I AM??!!!" Majesty shouted at the top of her lungs.
"You betrayed all that's meant to be queen!!" Celestia snarled while still being restrained by Majesty's men. "YOU BETRAY SIR BLUEBLOOD!!!"
"I BETRAY SIR BLUEBLOOD?!" Majesty shouted as she was offended by what Celestia just said to her. "My crown was passed to me by my father and his father before him. I WAS BORN TO BE A QUEEN!! IT IS MY BIRTHRIGHT!!! Given to me by Sir Blueblood. You cry for the common pony and in the same breath, you cursed the crown the protects him!!! YOU DARE TO QUESTION MY REIGN AND THE LINEAGE OF QUEENS WHO HAVE REIGNED BEFORE ME?!!! The great alicorn royalty of Equestria who forged this land from barbarian hordes and made it noble and pure!! WHO GAVE IT ORDER, MEANING, AND EVEN FAITH TO THOUSANDS OF YEARS OF LOYAL SUBJECTS!!! And it is all now questioned BY YOU!!! And we are forced to sign Platinum's precious Peace Treaty, forced by you, A SCHOOL TEACHER!!! I AM THE BLOOD!! I AM SIR BLUEBLOOD'S RIGHT HOOF!!! AND YOU WILL NEVER DICTATE TO ME HOW I AM TO BE A QUEEN!!!"
Despite hearing what Majesty just said to her, Celestia is still not convinced that Majesty is meant to be Queen from the start. However, Celestia still could not find a way to prove to Queen Majesty of her wrongdoing. Now that she and Luna are both defeated, Majesty ordered them to be locked up in separate dungeons underneath Canterlot where they'll be forced to see how Majesty will reign supreme over their once peaceful country that transformed itself into a terrible war-torn land filled with death, destruction, and horror. While Celestia was taken away into the dungeons inside her own castle, she may have feared that, just like Twilight Sparkle, her life as a princess will soon go downhill into the path of Tartarus itself.
After hearing how the rest of Celestia's story, Spike's face turned pale and rushed straight to the restroom. In an instant, the green dragon started vomiting nasty stuff into the toilet. As for Twilight and the rest of their friends, they almost barfed on the Palace Floor upon hearing what Celestia just told him during her defeat. Rarity ends up fainting as she fell on her back onto the palace floor.
"Sweet Faust, Princess!!!" Rarity shrieked in disgust. "That was most disgusting thing I ever heard!! Come to think of it, I never would've guess what that monster Amadeus Blueblood had done to Majesty Blueblood."
"Those words that Majesty just said to me have been haunting me for the rest of my life, the moment I was locked away into the dungeons underneath my own Castle," Celestia shuddered in fear. "I wish I could still show Majesty that being a Queen isn't something that should be taken as it were to be a game."
"Wait just ah darn minute, y'all!!" Applejack said while having a big question above her head. "Didn't dey say that ya were imprisoned in dat tower at de Crystal Empire back der? If so, when did ya git relocated from Canterlot to the Crystal Empire."
"Because I made that decision when they rescued Luna from me!!!" Majesty spoke out loud, surprising the Royal Sisters, Twilight, her family, and her friends. "Princess Celestia, you were actually right. I did betray everything that is meant to be a queen. I just wanted to make my father proud of me. I take back everything that I said 9 years ago, to you and to Sunset Shimmer."
Upon seeing Majesty and her son Prince Virgil enter the Palace with a wagon containing 5 crates full of Energy Crystals, they all stared at them in silence and with speechless anxiety. Before anypony could say anything to Majesty Blueblood, Twilight Sparkle steps in from the crowd.
"Majesty, so you were saying that you never wanted to admit that your father was just using you because he was the only family you had left back then? After all of that vile ranting you have displayed to my subjects and to my friends?" Twilight asked in a calm tone.
"Yes, Twilight," Majesty said finally admitting the rest of her guilt towards the purple alicorn. "I'm also sorry for not understanding you and your friends clearly. I was just too blind to see what father really did to the rest of our family before I came into power. Maybe if I, along with the rest of the Unicornian subjects, value home above power, I'm sure Equestria will become a merrier place."
"Well Majesty Blueblood, you still owe us in fixing up everything that you and your men destroyed in the other cities outside of Canterlot," Celestia said in a stern tone. "They'll be expecting more from you than just apologies, you know."
"I understand, your highness," Majesty replied to the sun princess before asking the purple alicorn out of concern for her safety. "So Twilight, are you sure you wanted to do some research on our Energy Crystals?"
"Yes because I plan to find ways to make those energy crystals less dangerous and more resourceful for harnessing technology in Equestria," Twilight said to Majesty Blueblood. "If it doesn't work, then I'll use more inventions and chemistry to improve our experiments with Trixie's and Dr. Hooves' help."
"When Felhand got his hooves on those Energy Crystals, he went mad over it when conducting experiments and testing out new weaponry. You guys should've all seen it," Majesty shivered in fear. "He almost took it out on me at one time."
"You mean like that one time where that mad unicorn of a doctor used you like a puppet when he stuffed this one crystal inside your body years earlier?" Pinkie Pie asked out of curiosity, mentioning Felhand.
"Yes, that one!!!" Majesty responded to Pinkie. "After they took it out of my body, we dumped it into the volcanoes back at Unicornia so that it will never be used again, along with the other mind-controlling devices that we secured in Felhand's country house."
"Well, ah guess dat takes care of dat problem," Applejack muttered to herself.
"Twilight, I'm sure you still haven't figured out how Flash Sentry came back from the dead yet," Majesty told Twilight about her col-friend's resurrection.
Before Twilight could say anything, Majesty took out Felhand's old documents from her saddle bag with her magic and gave it to the purple alicorn. As Twilight used her magic to hold onto Felhand's old documents, her eyes widened with shock after realizing what Majesty Blueblood was talking about.
"During the time we took over Canterlot, Felhand moved in and harvested some of Zecora's medicinal herbs from her hut in the Everfree Forest and did some combinations with several of his Blue Energy Crystals," Majesty explained. "Felhand pointed out to a point from his hypothesis, that the Blue Energy Crystals have the power to revive and regenerate lifeless organisms if combined with a proper medicinal herb. After going over more than 500 tests at his Research Lab in Manehattan, it turns out that the Blue Crystals work well with Activated Charcoal, Yarrow, and Honey to regenerate and seal up old wounds from a corpse and inserting them into a defibrillator to revive their patients instantly. Lastly, Felhand used in serum injection that was filled with mandrake liquid and powdery drugs to restore the patient's memories. After they did all of that on Flash Sentry, he woke up in 24 hours later. After Felhand did those procedures on Flash Sentry, that's when he started using that Pegasus guard as a puppet. The rest of the story you already know."
"So that's how Flash came back!!" Twilight muttered to herself in shock. Upon reading what it says on Felhand's documents, Twilight had never felt even more relieved in all her life than learning about how Flash Sentry was resurrected in a specified way. But now that her colt-friend is free from Felhand's control, Twilight can continue to live a happy life with Flash along with their daughter.
"Of course, Felhand did used some of his healing magic to speed up his experimentation process," Majesty explained further.
"But why would he do that for?" Luna asked Majesty, not getting the whole story.
"Because he wanted to create an army of mind-controlled experiments to serve under him," Majesty pouted to herself when answering Luna's question. "I do want to apologize for his intolerable experimentations upon others."
"It's alright miss," Flash Sentry said trying to brighten up the former enemy queen of her negative mood. "At first, I thought I was able to see Twilight again in the Elysium. However, it turns out that I'm not in the Elysium anymore and Twilight finally appeared before me back in the land of the living. If Felhand were to be still here, I would beat that scoundrel all over again for treating me like a puppet."
"So guys, how were you all able to rescue Princess Luna from Majesty? Not that it matters anymore." Twilight asked her friends.
"Well Mom, it all started off after we lost the civil war...." Spike said as he announced his second part of his story years back.
Shortly after, Gladius sealed the secret passageway behind them, he and Sunset could hear shouted and explosions coming from the throne room. After several minutes of hearing such noises, it finally stopped. In short notice, Sunset could hear Majesty Blueblood gloating and scorning at Princess Celestia. As a result, Sunset presumed that her former mentor and mother-figure has been defeated by the Unicornian Queen. Before Gladius could say anything, Sunset hurdled herself into a nearby corner within the secret passageway and started breaking down, sobbing in her own hooves.
"Oh Princess!!! I don't know what to do anymore. I've really messed up big time!!!" Sunset wailed as she looked at the ground below her with tears coming out of her eyes. "First, I have failed Princess Twilight. Now, I have failed Princess Celestia!!! Equestria is dead!!!"
After several minutes of crying, Gladius could not help but feel sorry for both Sunset and Princess Celestia. Before Sunset could say anymore, Gladius sat down by her side.
"Well, we still have yet to find the Element Bearers of Harmony, or what's left of them," Gladius said suggesting the sad female unicorn. "We do that, and hopefully, someday we'll find a way to retake Canterlot and save the Royal Sisters and the rest of their subjects."
"But, where do you think we'll start?? They might do something horrible to the Royal Sisters before we even have a chance to fight back," Sunset sniffed in a depressing tone. "I should've stayed behind and helped Princess Celestia. But now that I've abandoned her for the last time, I feel so lost!!! I mean, I don't know if we'll ever establish a democracy at all, now that our home is destroyed!!"
"Then, we're just going to have to find a way to fight back even if it takes years to reclaim our country. Well, I've already made contact with the other CR soldiers that have fled the other cities that were taken over by Unicornia earlier," Gladius informed the somber unicorn. "They said that they'll meet us outside of the sewers of Equestria. As soon as they arrive, we'll setup our underground base down below the city sewers."
"Are you sure?!" Sunset asked.
"Yes, Sunset," Gladius responded. "As soon as we regroup with them, we'll try to find the Element Bearers of Harmony out there."
After resting up for a few hours in the secret passageway, Sunset and Gladius made their way down to the sewers. On the other side of the sewer line, they came across an abandoned underground base that has an empty office, sleeping quarters, an old kitchen, and a underground training room. As Sunset and Gladius reached the exit to the other side of Canterlot, they looked up to see the clear blue sky. The next thing the two unicorns saw was a detachment of CR soldiers landing in a clear area, hauling several crates of food, supplies, and weapons. Gladius lead the CR soldiers into the underground sewer base to setup shop. During the time they were establishing their base, they received the latest news headlines from the Foal Free Press, stating that Unicornia has won the civil war and that most of the remaining Equestrian Loyalists were forced to stand down and submit to Queen Majesty Blueblood, since the Royal Sisters have been defeated. After they're done, one of the CR scouts reported that the remaining Element Bearers of Harmony and their allies and friends are making camp at the Rambling Rock Ridge. Feeling relieved for a moment, Gladius orders the CR scout to tell them of the tragic defeat in Canterlot, as well as requesting their aid to rescue the Royal Sisters from Majesty's grip.
One month later, after establishing Lunar Republic HQ in the sewers underneath Canterlot, Spike, his friends, and his followers finally showed up, much to Sunset's relief. Upon seeing them again, Sunset and Gladius lead them all to a makeshift underground office to discuss the plan for rescuing the Royal Sisters. Now allying themselves with the Changeling Republic and the Element Bearers of Harmony, the Red Lightings Guild prepares to do or die to help Spike save the very same home that his mother holds dear. Upon being reunited once more, Fluttershy embraced Pinkie Pie, Discord, and Rainbow Dash in a group hug.
"So, do any of you have any suggestions?" Sunset asked trying to come up with solutions in rescuing Celestia and Luna.
"I have one," Discord spoke up to the group. "We'll split up into three groups. One will take a company of CR soldiers to go and rescue Sunbutt and other will go rescue Moonbutt. While the Red Lighting's group form up a defensive line around the Canterlot Palace Courtyard to keep them at bay."
"This may be suicidal," Aquilina said, trembling in fear. "We Guild Members maybe stronger in skills but that place may be crawling with a huge army of soldiers. If anything goes wrong during our mission, we'll be badly outnumbered. Overall, there is like 39 of us against 600 Unicornian Guards, according to one of our RL spies."
"I know. We can't underestimate the Unicornians," Starlight said warning the group of the enemy's presence. "If we mess this mission up, there's no telling how many more of our friends and comrades will get killed out there."
"I say we smash our way through, grab the princesses, and head out before they even knew what hit them," Rainbow Dash hissed.
"By the way, wasn't there five of you left? I don't recall see only three out of the Mane 5." Sunset Shimmer asked trying to follow up what happened over the past.
"Well, I just received word that Applejack was captured by Dark-Light's men at Dodge City and Rarity was captured by Bane Fright at Vanhoover." Stag announced as the Changeling Soldier appeared from the shadows, handing them over the latest headlines during the civil war. "They're both put under slavery by Queen Majesty herself here in Canterlot."
Upon hearing this, Spike's face turned red in anger after learning the fate of his beloved Lady Rarity. While the rest of the three Element Bearers we're shocked upon hearing this sick twist of fate.
"RARITY WAS CAPTURED?!!" Spike roared furiously. "I'LL SHIT OVER THOSE MOTHERFUCKERS!!!!"
"Calm down Spike," Gladius spoke in a calm tone. "We can't rush through this mission. Otherwise, they'll trap us in a narrow, unescapable area and finish us off."
"Gladius is right, guys," Starlight said to the rest of the group. "We do need to plan this rescue mission carefully so that Majesty and her forces will not be on top of us."
"Alright then," Discord spoke while carrying out their plan. "I'll lead the group of followers to help rescue Moonbutt. Sunset, you take a group of followers with you and go rescue Sunbutt."
"Very well," Sunset acknowledged. "Starlight! Pinkie! Stag! You guys come with me to rescue Celestia."
"Understood!!" The two ponies and changeling responded in a positive tone.
"We'll go help Discord rescue Princess Luna," Trixie announced along and Fluttershy.
"Rainbow, you and Aquilina help me cover our retreat once we secured Princess Luna," Spike said with determination. "Along with the rest of the Red Lighting Guild."
"You got it Spike. I can't wait to teach those unforgivable whores a lesson," Rainbow Dash snarled while clapping her hooves together.
As the three groups moved out to carry the plan, Spike makes one more pray to himself for his success despite losing the civil war, hopefully Twilight Sparkle will be watching him from above before moving on.
"This is for you, mother!!" Spike said to himself mentioning Twilight Sparkle as he sent his pet Phoenix to search for Princess Luna.
After Majesty's forces took over Canterlot, they turned the entire palace into a darker version of itself within one month of their victory. The buildings are painted Black, Royal Banners are taken down and replaced the Royal Sisters' emblem with the Unicornian Emblem, and the stained glass windows are replaced by portraits of Queen Majesty Blueblood herself. As soon as Majesty moved into her new castle, she brought in slaves and guards to serve under her will, with a now appointed General Morning Blade, Commander Vermillion keeping the rest of her subjects in line. At nightfall, while Majesty sat down on the throne, Vermillion and Morning Blade brought forth two prisoners that will be spending the rest of their lives as her slaves: Applejack and Rarity. Upon seeing the new alicorn Queen before them, they were forced onto their knees and bowing before Queen Majesty up front. As they both lifted their heads up, Applejack and Rarity are both staring at Majesty with anger in their eyes, with Vermillion in front of the fashionista and Morning Blade in front of the female farm pony. However, now that they're both being restrained against their own will, the farm pony and the fashionista could no longer do anything to resist Majesty's reign.
"So, you two must be Rarity and Applejack from Ponyville. The Element Bearers of Generosity and Honesty," Majesty said as she gave the two ponies an evil smirk on her face.
"What da ya want, ah?!" Applejack snarled as she was held by a headlock from Morning Blade.
"I intend to unite this entire country under one rule by my family, for my father Amadeus Blueblood," Majesty announced. "I do wonder, what is generosity? What is honesty?"
"You dare doubt us of the Elements of Harmony??" Rarity hissed while being held by Commander Vermillion by her purple mane.
"I dare because I work for justice. To give millions of starving mares, gentlecolts, and fillies at more than just subsistence. To end the disorder that you and your friends have caused so long ago," Majesty smirked.
"It's a whole new whole, baby." Vermillion laughed. "There's a reason why I never trusted the Element Bearers of Harmony."
"Well, I'd never listen to a traitor like you!!" Rarity hissed as she turned her back to face Vermillion.
"Me? What about you?!" Vermillion asked taken back by Rarity's words. "You filthy Element Bearers of Harmony and that purple harlot have sold this country out even before I did. Globalization and fucking Fashion Boutiques?? What's it cost to buy a fashionista nowadays, anyway? Five hundred million bits? I'm a fucking rookie compared to you!!!"
Enraged by the insults Vermillion is making towards Rarity's career, the white unicorn angrily slammed the back of her head into Vermillion's face, making his nose slightly bleed as he fell on his back.
"YOU BETTER KEEP YOUR HOOVES UP, VERMILLION!!!" Rarity screeched in a rage.
Before Vermillion had a chance to get back at the unicorn fashionista after he grabbed her by the mane, Majesty barks out her orders towards her military officer.
"ENOUGH!!!" Majesty shouted. "I already have plans for the both of you ponies, since I learned about your skills in dressmaking and harvesting food and crops. Also, I still need the services of both of your little sisters."
"Well, what about Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle??" Applejack snarled before she shouted at the evil alicorn queen. "WHAT DA BUCK ARE YA GONNA TO DO WITH OUR SISTERS, AH??!!!!"
Before Applejack could charged at Majesty in anger, she felt Morning Blade holding her down with a headlock.
As she turned to face Applejack, Majesty gave her an evil smirk before answering her question. "Since both of your little sisters are being held in a concentration camp south of the Crystal Empire, they'll work in the cafeteria, serving food for my soldiers. And you Applejack, you are to help out by harvesting crops in Canterlot along with the rest of the other earth pony slaves from now on."
After telling Applejack what she would do as a slave, Majesty turned her face towards Rarity before making her decision towards the fashionista. "Rarity, you will be my royal dresser from now on." Majesty said to her. "I'll be sending you the details on the dresses that I want you to make for me. You do that, and your parents and little sister will not suffer while being held at their concentration camps. Do it not, and you'll be whipped 10 times in the dungeons."
As soon as Majesty was done giving the two ponies jobs during their slave labor, she orders Vermillion to take Rarity to her guest room and order's Morning Blade to drag her out to the Canterlot Farms outside of the Palace. After they left the throne room, Amadeus Blueblood appeared from her side and congratulated her in winning the civil war and conquering all of Equestria in their midst.
"So father, what do we do next?" Majesty asked as she proposed a toast with Amadeus.
"Now that we have everything we needed to fulfill our unity, we'll let our allies go our separate ways. Since Cicada has the Crystal Empire and Tirek now has the Badlands to rule over, for now their services are no longer required." Amadeus spoke to her daughter before leaving the throne room.
"But father, what will become of our family now?" Majesty asked.
"One can only hope my dear." Amadeus responded. "But no matter, I'll still be there to help and guide you upon your request."
After Amadeus left the throne room, he started laughing to himself like a total maniac.
"Equestria is mine!! IT'S ALL MINE!!!!" Amadeus said while laughing like a demon and muttering to himself. "Tomorrow, we'll force Princess Luna to remove the Tantabus from my body and be done with it."
As Majesty could hear Amadeus' maniacal laughter throughout the Canterlot Palace, the alicorn queen is wondering if she really was doing the right thing for her father and for Equestria. Even though she already helped Amadeus take over Equestria, Majesty is still wondering how far will she go during her established rule.
"Even though we won over Equestria, why does it feel like that I lost at the same time?" Majesty muttered to herself before continuing with her Royal duties to both Unicornia and Equestria.
One the next day, after Applejack and Rarity are put to work, Majesty orders her guards to bring a powerless Princess Luna to the altar at the Castle Ruins of the Two Sisters in the Everfree Forest. As Majesty Blueblood and Amadeus Blueblood entered the Old Castle Throne Room, General Morning Blade and Commander Vermillion dispatched their soldiers to secure the entire area.
As for Lt. Eagle Eye he and his men brought in a cart that was carrying a caged up Princess Luna. While they took her down to the altar, Princess Luna looks up to see her old home. When the night alicorn looked down at herself, she sees both of her hooves wrapped around in chains with a lock restraint on her front hooves. Luna has a magic seal on top of her horn. After realizing that Luna is now under the mercy of the Bluebloods, Amadeus started laughing at the night princess to scorn.
"So Luna, did you really miss living in this castle?" Amadeus snickered maniacally. "The very same castle where your betrayal took place in? Where you went against your own sister and made her banish you to the moon for a thousand years? And that you threatened to put the entire land into an eternal night?!"
"I wish you stop reminding me of the past, Amadeus Blueblood!!!" Luna snarled while still incapacitated inside her prison cage. "I'm not Nightmare Moon anymore, I am Princess Luna of the night!!!"
"Nightmare Moon or not, you'll still have to pay for what you do," Amadeus hissed. "You think you're pretty clever in outsmarting me with Gallant Heart, huh?! Well, it's time to end the nightmares that you gave to me before I went to the Unicornian Kingdom with my daughter."
"How are you going to do it, Amadeus?!" Luna sneered at the evil Noble. "The Tantabus only listens to me."
"Well, when I had took my daughter to study magic at the Kingdom of Unicornia, they also had Majesty practice some exorcism spells that are known to drive the malicious spirits away from their possessed victims."
"For your information Amadeus Blueblood, the Tantabus doesn't possess ponies, it curses them," Luna spoke in anger.
"It's the same thing, Princess!!" Amadeus snapped at Luna before moving on. "I like to see you try and have the Tantabus resist this exorcism!!"
Before Luna could say anything, Morning Blade dragged her in chains to the middle of the altar. On top of the altar, they tied up the dark-blue alicorn to a crucifix made out of plywood, without nailing her hooves down on it. Majesty takes out a spell book filled with exorcism spells from her saddle bag and placed it on top of a podium front of the night princess. As soon as Majesty started chanting, she took out a holy Cross from her saddle bags and raised it up to her eye level with her magic.
Meanwhile on the other side of the Everfree Forest, Discord's group received word that Princess Luna is being hauled into the Old Castle of the Two Sisters to perform an exorcism to remove the Tantabus from Amadeus Blueblood. As Discord's group move deeper into the woods while infiltrating enemy territory, Spike and his Guild members followed from behind and setup ambush points around the Castle ruins. Before they proceeded forward, Spike and Discord decided to go over the plan to rescue Princess Luna.
"Okay guys. It's time to take point," Spike announced as he brought out a map of the Castle of the Two Sisters. "Changeling, you, Fluttershy, and Discord find Morning Blade and knock him out cold. After you guys hide him in a secluded area, tied him up, and gag him, the CR agent will disguise himself as Morning Blade. As soon as they're done with their exorcism, Majesty will order the CR agent to lock Luna back up in her cage, while under the guise of Morning Blade. During that time, you guys take Luna to the Everfree Forest where we'll free her from her restraints and bring her back to the sewers underneath Canterlot. Discord, you will be our eyes and ears at the Castle of the Two Sisters. If they catch us helping Luna escape, you raise the signal. When you do, my Guild members will come out of hiding and keep Majesty's forces at bay. This may be very risky because, it won't take much for Majesty to alert the rest of her men of our presence. In just a few minutes later, the entire forest will turn into a Tartarus-like battlefield with little chance of escape."
"Spike, are you saying that this rescue mission will turn into suicide mission?" Aqualina asked in a worried tone.
"Sorry I had to do this to you guys." Spike said with sympathy before carrying out with their mission. "But it's the only way to make it up for lost time after abandoning the Princesses of Equestria. I wish I could rescue Rarity first. However, we do need one of our leaders to help us carry out our rebellion against Queen Majesty first."
"Alright every pony, time to take point." Discord announced quietly to his friends and allies. Before they could do anything, Discord snapped his claws and disappeared into the trees within the Everfree forest, along with Trixie and Fluttershy.
As for Spike and the Guild, they hid themselves behind the bushes inside the Everfree Forest while Discord and Fluttershy moved through the woods to reach the Castle ruins. When the pegasus and the draconneques reached towards a nearby bush, a couple of feet from the castle's entrance, they spotted a squad of 10 Unicornian soldiers standing outside and on guard. Unbeknownst to them, Discord spots Trixie appear from the other side of the castle's entrance and pulled out a sparkler from her saddle bag. Upon seeing Discord nodding his head, Trixie threw the sparkler out in the open. In an instant, the Sparklers started popping up loud noises, catching the attention of the enemy guard squad.
"What's that noise??" One of the guards spoke in alarm.
"I don't know. Let's go check it out." Another guard suggested as they all left their post.
While they're distracted by the Sparkling noise coming from the bridge outside of the Old Castle, Discord, Trixie, and Fluttershy moved into the entrance unnoticed.
Meanwhile back in Canterlot, Sunset, Starlight, Pinkie, Gladius, and Stag came out of the secret passage that leads to the Throne Room inside the Canterlot Palace. Before they moved on, Sunset announces their plan of rescuing Celestia. They insisted on disguising themselves as Unicornian Royal Guards to infiltrate the Palace and head down to the dungeons to rescue Princess Celestia.
"Okay guys, we're going to need some pony to guard our escape route incase anything bad happens during our rescue mission." Sunset Shimmer suggested to her team.
"Okie Dokey!! I'll take care of the escape route." Pinkie Pie insisted as she put on her guerrilla camo and saluted the orange unicorn.
"Try not to get too crazy again if they see you, Pinkie." Starlight told the pink pony.
"You can count on me, Starlight Glimmer!!!" Pinkie said in a confident tone of voice.
"Okay, guys. Let's put this on." Sunset told the group as they put on the Unicornian Royal Guard armor that they retrieved from Spike's loot.
"By the name of our holy order, I command thee to leave my father's body alone!!!" Majesty chanted while still holding the cross with her hoof in front of Amadeus. "Tantabus, on the behalf of the Queen of Unicornia, I banish you from this noble soul!!!"
As Majesty continued with her exorcism, the walls and floors all around the altar started vibrating vigorously. In a instant, a small tendril of the Tantabus started to come out of Amadeus' body but in a slow pace. In the midst of its struggle, Amadeus was held down by Morning Blade and Eagle Eye to keep him from thrashing around during the exorcism.
"Tantabus, I command you to depart and go back to your master!!!" Majesty shouted during her exorcist. "The Father Commands You! The Son Commands You! The Holy Spirit Commands You!!"
In less than 5 minutes of chanting, more of the Tantabus is starting to leave Amadeus's body during the exorcist. Upon seeing its tendrils, Amadeus started screaming like a banshee out of pain and losing consciousness. As the same time, Luna's eyes turned white as she screaming in pain, with her magic being forced out of her body to bridge a connection between her and Amadeus. Majesty's holy cross starting lighting up in a black and blue aura as she lifted it up into the air with her magic. As Majesty pointed the cross at the Tantabus, which is still struggling to stay inside Amadeus' body, it shot out a dark-blue beam at it while continuing to pull itself out. When more of the Tantabus started seeping out of Amadeus, Majesty grunted in pressure while holding the cross with both of her hooves, with her face sweating under stress. Just when all of the Tantabus is about to leave Amadeus, Majesty shouts out more of her exorcising chantings.
"THE HOLY SPIRIT COMMANDS YOU!!!" Majesty shouted while pulling the Tantabus out with the magic of her holy cross. "THE MYSTERY OF THE CROSS COMMANDS YOU!!!"
"ARRGGGGHHHH!!!" Luna shrieked as she felt the Tantabus getting sucked back into her body during the exorcism.
"THE HOLY GHOST COMMANDS YOU!!!" Majesty shouted during her chanting at the top of her lungs. "THE BLOOD OF THE MARTYRS COMMANDS YOU!!! IN SIR BLUEBLOOD'S NAME DEMON..... I CAST YOU OUT!!!!"
After pulling the Tartarus out of Amadeus completely, the dark-blue bundle of energy started squirming while being bound by Majesty's holy cross. Despite its struggling, Majesty pushed the Tantabus back into Luna's body by force. In an instant, Luna started screaming in pain as she felt the Tantabus inhabit her body once more. Just like that, the night princess blacked out while still being crucified. As for Amadeus, his eyes went blank and motionless. After Morning Blade and Eagle Eye got their hooves off Amadeus, Majesty went up to his side to make sure that he's alright. In just seconds, Amadeus started blinking his eyes. As he got up to face Majesty, she sees Amadeus's eyes turned bloodshot.
"It's alright father," Majesty said while comforting Amadeus. "The Tantabus is finally out."
"Thank you, my dear," Amadeus said congratulating her daughter for her successful exorcism. "Now that I'm finally free from Luna's Tantabus, let's get ready to pack up and head back to Canterlot, after we finish dinner."
"Sure thing, father." Majesty said before issuing orders to Morning Blade. "General, take Luna down from there and lock her back up in the prison cage outside of the Castle Ruins."
"Yes, my queen." Morning Blade said as he saluted the Unicornian Queen before moving on.
While Morning Blade took Luna down from her Wooden Crucifix, Majesty and Amadeus started eating sandwiches for dinner in the old castle library.
Inside the room next to the altar, Discord, Trixie, and Fluttershy went hiding during Amadeus's exorcism. As soon as they see Morning Blade bring an unconscious Luna down the hallway with his magic, Fluttershy sees the Royal knight walk right past her unnoticed while she was hiding right next to the doorway of the room that she was in. As soon as Fluttershy got out of her hiding place and snuck behind Morning Blade, she struck without warning. Before Morning Blade could realize what is happening, he was met with a hard punch in the back of the head, sending him falling face flat on the floor unconscious. Not a moment too soon, Trixie and Fluttershy dragged an unconscious Morning Blade out of the hallway and into an isolated room and tied up and gagged him. Despite his muffled shouting, Fluttershy gave Morning Blade a scary glance at his face before he started sweating in fear.
"Struggle all you want you big bully, but it won't do you any good right now," Fluttershy snarled. "You may have conquered all of Equestria, but you will never defeat the Elements of Harmony entirely."
As soon as Fluttershy moved away help let one of her Changeling friends come in from the windows, he disguised himself as Morning Blade, much to the general's fright. Just when the Changeling spy impersonating Blade went back out into the hallway to carry Luna to their rendezvous point, Discord stepped in and made his speech in front of the evil unicorn. The next thing Blade felt, was a small dagger held up to his throat by the draconneques
"We could've killed them all. I could've killed you, for making my dear Fluttershy suffer. In Canterlot, you're the law. Out here, it's me," Discord hissed as he glared at the Unicornian General while grinding his teeth, giving him a fair warning. "Don't push it. Don't push it or I'll give you a war you won't believe. Let it go, mister. Let....it......go!!!"
After a few minutes of being held at knife point, Discord left the room that he, Fluttershy, and Trixie were hiding in, Morning Blade started panting and sweating while being gagged and tied up against his own will. In his mind, Morning Blade was trying to find a way of how to get himself free from being tied up and trying to warn his Queen of the intruders inside this castle. However, the Unicornian General continued to struggle in a futile way as he started making loud grunting noises, unable to be heard by his leaders or his men.
In Canterlot, after Sunset and Starlight disguised themselves as Unicornian Guards, Stag used his magic to transform himself into a Unicornian soldier. As they made their way down the dungeons, they ran into several other guards and nobles. Despite their presence, the two disguised unicorns and the disguised Changeling did their best not to draw any attention towards themselves. Even though the three infiltrators were able to head down to the dungeons in less than 10 minutes, Tirek started seeing one of them looking awfully familiar. Unbeknownst to the infiltrators, Tirek was about to head out the palace entrance after up packing for the return trip to the badlands when he spotted them making their way through the Canterlot Gardens, several meters away from where he was standing.
"I smell a unicorn rat lurking in Canterlot," Tirek grunted out of suspicion.
As soon as the infiltrators went down to the dungeon, Tirek followed them from behind unaware of his presence. In the dungeons, Celestia couldn't stop crying from the fact that her entire family was torn apart after so much suffering from the loss of Princess Twilight Sparkle and from the civil war that tore her beloved land apart.
"My poor dear sister. Oh Faust, please save us all!!!" Celestia whimpered before breaking down in tears. "I hope Sunset Shimmer will be okay out there without me. My kingdom, my home, my entire life, my subjects. All of it is gone!!!"
While Celestia continued to weep and cry in her own hooves, the jailers ignored her sniveling and moved on to continue with their patrol around the dungeon. All was silent until, a stray knife pierced the neck of one of the jailers. In an instant, blood started gushing out from his neck before he collapsed onto the floor, dead. Before the other jailer could react, he was met with a throwing axe lodged into his head, killing him instantly. After the second jailer fell on his back, dead, the third jailer was grabbed from behind with a headlock and pulled back into the shadows. The next thing Celestia could hear was the 3rd jailer getting pummeled and beaten to death as blood started seeping all over the dungeon floor.
"W-What?? What just happened??" Celestia muttered to herself, startled by this sudden noise.
Before Celestia could see what was going on, Sunset, Starlight, and a Unicornian guard appeared from the shadows of the dungeons. As the two unicorns got closer, the Unicornian guard unveiled his disguise revealing himself to be none other than Stag, one of the CR soldiers serving under the Equestrian banner. Upon seeing Sunset again, Celestia's eyes started tearing up in happiness. As soon as Sunset unlocked the jail cell that's holding the sun princess, Celestia embraced Sunset in her hooves with both of them crying in silent.
"Oh Sunset, I'm so glad you're safe," Celestia whimpered as she wiped her tears from her face. "How did you find me here? Where's Gladius?"
"He's still here with us Princess," Sunset explained. "Were here to get you out."
As Sunset took the chains off Celestia, Gladius went inside Twilight's old royal chambers. When he went inside, the guard pony retrieved Twilight's Journal from her bookshelf before heading back to the secret passageway. However, as Gladius made his made through the hallway, he heard Tirek speaking to Dark Scissors about a group of infiltrators inside the Canterlot Palace. When Gladius went to look out the window, he sees Tirek, Dark Scissors, and a group of Unicornian Guards assemble at the courtyard and headed down to where the dungeons are, much to his horror.
"OH SHIT!!!" Gladius muttered to himself in fear before activating his earbud with his magic. "Sunset!! You've got trouble!!!"
"What sort of trouble??" Sunset asked through Gladius' earbud.
Before he can answer Sunset's question, Gladius ran into 3 Unicornian guards in the hallway. The moment they saw him, they opened fire with their magic at Gladius Strife. When Gladius reacted, he used his shield spell and bashed his way through the enemy guard trio and made his way back to the throne room.
Back at the Dungeons, while they were escorting Princess Celestia to the secret passageway, they made their way to the great hall inside the Canterlot Palace when all of a sudden, the doors closed immediately and the curtains came down and covered up the windows. Before any pony could see what was going on, the two unicorns, Princess Celestia, and Stag saw themselves surrounded by a squad of Unicornian Soldiers, Dark Scissors, and Lord Tirek.
"Sunset, do you have a plan B?" Starlight asked while sweating in fear for their lives.
"You really think that you can escape us twice in a row, do you?!" Tirek smirked as he drew out his Giant Sword. "I can't wait to drain all of your magic before leaving Equestria, along with a dozen of pony slaves to scrub my floors back at my homeland and take their magic."
"I'd like to see you try, you four-legged buffoon!!" Starlight hissed as she charged up her magic.
"RRRRROOOOOOOOAAAAAAAARRRRR!!!!" Tirek bellowed in anger as he charged straight at the group with his Giant Sword raised up high his head.
At the Castle Ruins, Discord casted a invisibility spell over Trixie and Fluttershy before they made their way out the other exit, watching over the Changeling disguised as Morning Blade take Princess Luna out to the Everfree Forest. As soon as Luna woke up, the Changeling held her mouth with his hoof telling her to keep quiet.
"Quiet please. We just got you out of the General's grip," The Changeling whispered to the night princess. "Your friends are here to help you out as well."
"Are you sure?" Luna asked in silent.
"Yes, your highness," The Changeling said.
While they were escorting Princess Luna out of the Castle Ruins, Majesty and Amadeus just finished with their dinner and are about to meet up with Morning Blade outside of the main entrance of the Castle Ruins. However, Amadeus was the first to notice that something wasn't right. As he looked out a the scene around him and his daughter, Majesty's guards weren't at their post and Morning Blade isn't anywhere close by the prison wagon.
"That's odd. I thought I told Morning Blade to secure Luna onto that Prison Wagon. Where did he go??" Majesty said in a suspicious grunt. "Where's Eagle Eye and Vermillion?"
As soon as the two unicornian officers showed up behind Majesty, she turned around to face them before giving them orders. During that time, Amadeus teleported himself to somewhere inside the Castle Ruins.
"Guys, I want you to find Morning Blade and Princess Luna," Majesty ordered the two of her guards. "Something strange is going on here!!"
Upon hearing Majesty's orders loud and clear, Vermillion ordered his men to regroup and have them search the entire Castle Ruins double time. At the other side of the Castle Ruins, the Changeling disguised as Morning Blade made his way out of back entrance but not before he ran into Amadeus Blueblood. Upon seeing the evil noble, the two ponies and draconneques that are still hiding under their invisibility spell stared at the two in fear from the fact that their cover is going get blown.
"General, what are you doing wandering around inside the Castle Ruins?" Amadeus glared at the guised unicorn. "The Prison Wagon is at the main entrance!!"
"Sorry sir, I kind of got lost," The guised unicorn said while sweat was covering up his face. "I probably had too much to drink."
"Are you feeling okay, Morning Blade??" Amadeus asked in a stern tone. "You're not hiding something from me, are you??"
During their conversation, one of Blade's guards heard some muffling noises several rooms away from Amadeus and the guised unicorn. As soon as the guard opened up the door, he sees the real Morning Blade all tied up and gagged, much to the guard's shock. Without hesitation, the guard untied General Blade and got up to his feet before they head down the hallways to recapture Princess Luna.
"I was just asking Luna is she wanted to use the restroom first before we leave this abandoned place," The guised unicorn spoke to Amadeus in a nervous tone. While in silence, Luna smacked her face with her hoof out of embarrassment between the two.
"How would I know that you're not doing anything else that's irrational, Morning Blade?!" Amadeus said as he continued to glare at the guised unicorn.
Before the guise unicorn could answer Amadeus' question, Vermillion came up to the Blueblood noble from behind with the real Morning Blade on his right side. Upon seeing this, Amadeus got confused for a few seconds.
"Just who are you, really?!" Amadeus glared trying to make the guised unicorn get to the point.
"Oopies, looks like my time is up," The guise unicorn said to himself in a panic.
"YOU'RE NOT GENERAL MORNING BLADE, ARE YOU??!!!!" Amadeus and Vermillion shouted in anger, much to the guise unicorn's shock.
As soon as the guise unicorn made a run for it, Vermillion and Amadeus grabbed him by the stomach and held him down. In an instant, the guise unicorn accidentally revealed himself to be one of the CR soldiers of Equestria!! Before they can secure Princess Luna again, Trixie and Discord appeared and casted a duo shockwave spell that sent Morning Blade, Amadeus, and Vermillion crashing into a nearby wall on their backs. As for the CR soldier, he threw a sticky bomb at them. Upon impact, it exploded in front of the three evil unicorns. However, instead of damaging them, the bomb unleashed a sticky web that preventing them from getting up.
"ARGH!!! I'M STUCK!!!" Vermillion shrieked as he struggled effortlessly to get free from the sticky web.
While the three unicorns were struggling to pulled themselves free from the web, Trixie, Discord, Luna, and Fluttershy made a run for it down the hallways leading to the other exit on the other side of the Old Castle Ruins. After the ponies and draconneques disappeared, Majesty and Eagle Eye came up to them under a state of shock. Before they could do anything, Amadeus shouted at the two surprising them both.
"Don't worry about us Majesty," Amadeus bellowed. "A group of rebels are trying to get Princess Luna out of here. Go after them, smash them all, and recapture Princess Luna at all costs!!!"
Without hesitation and without saying another word, Majesty ordered the guards to capture the ponies participating in rescuing Princess Luna from their captivity. As for Eagle Eye, he took another route for he had a plan up in his hooves.
Back in the Everfree Forest, Discord's group was able to reach a nearby stagecoach that the CR soldiers have hijacked at an Ponyville, in which is already part of the Unicornian territory. However, as soon as they got Luna onboard the stagecoach, several magic beams came shooting from behind, hitting several trees and bushes, just inches away from Discord and his group. The moment they turned around, Discord, Trixie, and Fluttershy see a battalion of Unicornian troops aiming their magic and their spears at them. Before any pony could say anything, Queen Majesty Blueblood appeared from the Unicornian Battalion and glared at them in a vile, threatening look.
"Silly little ponies. You really think that you can save Princess Luna from me, huh?" Majesty sneered in a hostile tone. "Even if you can, none of you will be able to live to tell the tale. Now that your harlot princess is gone and that Equestria now belongs to me, I'm giving you all one last chance to surrender and hand over Princess Luna or prepare to meet your DOOM!!!"
After hearing Majesty's speech, Trixie came out from Discord's group and approached the Unicornian Queen in a fearless stance.
"Ooohhh, so scary. Well for your information your royal looney, the great and powerful Trixie has no intention of turning over the very same princess that Trixie worships as her night mother," Trixie hissed as she stepped forward with her horn lighting up with her magic. "She may have done some bad things a thousand years ago, but that doesn't mean that Luna can get another chance to try again in resuming her reign in Equestria."
"YOU WISH!!!" Majesty snapped at the light-blue unicorn. "Trixie Lulamoon, isn't it?! I thought you were jealous of Twilight Sparkle at one time and that you wanted revenge over her for humiliating you back in Ponyville. Yet, you actually gave up on all of that and let her live??!!"
"When I heard about how Twilight Sparkle became great and powerful without giving in to such madness like you and your father, I learned a very important lesson thanks to her: If I were to be powerful and great too, I do need to listen to Twilight first because without her, I'M NOTHING!!!" Trixie glared at the Unicornian Queen. "If you think you're so great and powerful, why don't you come over here and show Trixie what you're made of, Majesty Blueblood?!"
"You and what army??" Majesty said taunting the light-blue unicorn.
Before Trixie could say anything, Spike, Rainbow Dash, and the Red Lightings Guild popped out from the bushes behind Trixie, Discord, and Fluttershy, all of them armed to the teeth. As soon as they're ready for face each other head on, Fluttershy and Discord went onboard the stagecoach before she and the CR helped take Princess Luna to the underground base in the Canterlot Sewers. With Spike and Rainbow Dash going up to Trixie on both sides, they issued a full-frontal charge against Majesty and her guards.
"Say hello to the Red Lightnings Guild, bitch!!!" Trixie cackled as she lunged forward at Majesty Blueblood. "Trixie will do anything to honor the Great and Legendary Princess Twilight Sparkle!!!!"
"GET THEM!!!!" Majesty roared as she charged forward at Trixie Lulamoon with her horn lighting up.
As Trixie and Majesty slammed their magic spells at each other, the Red Lightnings Guild charged at the Unicornian soldiers with all their might. Minotaurs came out and swung their axes and clubs at the soldiers. Griffons opened fire with their musket rifles and flintlock pistols at the enemy. Dragons spew out fire and lashed out at them with their claws and their swords. As for Rainbow Dash and Spike, the two flyers charged straight at them, with the pegasus flying low above the green teenage dragon.
Back at the Canterlot Palace, when Tirek charged at Sunset's group, he lunged at them with his horns pointing straight at them. Ultimately, the two unicorns and stag teleported themselves away from Tirek's bull charge and reappeared in different spots all over the great hall. In just seconds, the Unicornian soldiers drew out their weapons and attempted to neutralize Sunset, Starlight, and Stag. After the two unicorns threw away their disguises, they retaliated with their magic. Starlight shot out a blue-green beam of magic and struck at the Unicornians that came towards her. Stag drew out his long sword and struck at one guard that attempted to stab the changeling with his spear. Sunset drew out her Flamberge and with just one horizontal swipe, she let loose a huge wave of magic and decapitated several of them in two.
In the hallways, Gladius bursted through the great hall, with several more Unicornian guards following him from behind. As they continued to shoot out their magic at the young royal guard, Gladius used his magic to shut the doors behind him and sealed them up with a welding spell. As soon as he turned around, Gladius sees Sunset and her group get ambushed by Tirek, Dark Scissors, and their men. Just when he drew out his spear, Gladius sees more of Unicornian guards attack him from his right. In quick reaction, Gladius blocked one of their swords with the shaft of his spear before he stabbed the guard in the chest, killing him immediately.
Sunset shoved the grip of her sword into the face of one of the enemy guards at point blank range and in the eyes, making him lose his sights before he was met with a sword thrust into his neck. After Sunset pulled the blade out of the dead guard's neck, she ducked one oncoming sword swing from another Unicornian guard and kicked him in the groin with her left hind leg. Feeling the pain coming from his groin, the guard collapsed on his side while grunting in pain. Sunset used her magic to pick up a spear from a fallen enemy soldier and did a pinwheel parry against the 3rd guard's sword before stabbing him in the right side with her sword, resulting in the blade coming out in his left side. After Sunset pulled her sword out from the 3rd dead guard's side, she sheathed her sword and made a very hard whack on the head of the 4th guard, knocking him out cold.
Gladius shoved one guard up to a nearby wall and punched him several times with his hooves before knocking him to the ground. After that, Gladius grabbed one of the enemy guards by his axe and shoved his right hoof in the guard's mouth, making him fall on his back unconscious. When Gladius drew out his sword again, he used it to block one guard's spear thrust and redirected the speartip to his left. Before the enemy guard could react, Gladius grabbed him by his mane and shoved him straight into a wall, smashing his face in and making him spill out blood on it.
"COME HERE YOU LITTLE RUNT!!!" Tirek roared as he charged at Starlight Glimmer, with his sword slamming right on top of her shield barrier.
As the Tirek's sword struck Starlight's shield, she started grunting while struggling to keep her shield intact during her fight with the demonic centaur. In an instant, Starlight shoved her shield straight into Tirek's chest, making him stumble backwards a few feet away from where Starlight was standing seconds earlier. Just when Tirek is about to grab Starlight with his left hand, the pale purple unicorn teleported herself away from his grip and reappeared at Tirek's left. The next thing she did was when Starlight fired a flashing beam of magic at Tirek's face, only for him to deflect it with his giant sword.
While the Red Lightnings Guild face off Majesty's forces, the Minotaurs were slowly losing their ground after fighting endless numbers of Unicornian guards, the Griffons were losing ammunition and were forced to fight with their claws, and the dragons are getting exhausted. However, some of the Guild members were able to keep their guard up throughout most of the fight, until several of them were getting repeatedly stabbed in the back by 3 or 4 Unicornian soldiers before succumbing to their wounds.
Spike spit out fireballs at several Unicornian soldiers upon front. When another guard came up to the green dragon and attempted to stab him with his spear, Spike reacted by blasting the guard with his flintlock pistol that he took out from his right holster. Behind Spike, another enemy guard attempted to leap on top of him, with his sword being held in his left hoof. However, Spike whacked the enemy guard with his tail, sending him flying into a nearby tree. The guard broke his neck as he slammed his back into the tree's bark and fell face flat on the dirt ground. Another guard came up from Spike's left and attempted to shot out several magic beams at him. Unfortunately, Spike retaliated by unleashing a torrent of fire at the guard's face. As his face was set aflame, the guard screamed in pain as he was running around aimlessly before he tripped over a tree root and fell on the ground dead, with burns all over his face.
Aqualina drew out two of her flintlocks and shot two enemy guards that almost shot her with their magic. After the female griffon threw her two sidearms away, she took out her musket rifle and blasted one guard in the face, making his head explode into a million bloody pieces. As soon as the dead guard collapsed, Aqualina drew out her cutlass and hack off one guard's left hoof with it and stabbed him in the neck, ending his life completely. Another guard came from warring groups and charged straight at Aqualina with his spear in his hooves. However, before the guard had a chance to thrust his spear at the female griffin, Aqualina slammed her cutlass into the guard's chest and slashed at his guts, making him fall on his side, succumbing to his wounds.
Rainbow Dash slammed her front hooves into one of the guard's face, breaking his nose. Before the guard had a chance to react, the light-blue pegasus grabbed him by the neck and hurled him straight into a group of 4 Unicornian guards. Upon impact, all 4 guards fell on their backs and struggled to get up on their hooves. Unfortunately, they didn't get up in time as Rainbow grabbed a nearby double-bladed axe from a fallen Minotaur and chopped off a huge tree branch that was right on top of all four guards. As soon as the huge branch slammed its mass on top of the bodies of all four guards, their ribs broke, making them all scream in pain before they blacked out.
When Trixie made her first move against the evil alicorn, she shot out a blizzard spell and aimed it at Majesty Blueblood. Unfortunately, Majesty counteract Trixie's spell with an inferno spell that she learned from Tirek's teachings. As the inferno melted away the blizzard shards, a large part of the forest was covered up in steam, making both the alicorn and unicorn unable to see each other on the forest battlefield. Before Majesty could see what was going on, Trixie appeared from above the trees and attempted to slam a huge boulder on top of the alicorn's head, which was being held with the unicorn's magic. However, Majesty raised her shields up high and upon impact, Trixie's boulder was smashed into a million small pieces. As soon as Trixie landed on all four hooves, she shot out several beams of light-blue magic at Majesty's face. Unfortunately, Majesty repelled all of Trixie's magic beams with her own magic beams and charged at the light-blue unicorn while a huge magical surge wrapped around her body. Almost caught off guard, Trixie teleported herself right behind Majesty, but before Trixie could attack the evil alicorn from behind, she was met with a strong kick in the neck. In an instant, Trixie was sent flying straight into a nearby tree, knocking her out cold.
"Some Great and Powerful unicorn, you really are," Majesty thought to herself as she negatively criticized an unconscious Trixie Lulamoon. "You can't really think that you're better than me, Trixie. I'm born a pure-bled noble; you're just a foolish unicorn commoner who can never compete with nobles like me."
Before Majesty could have Trixie arrested, Discord appeared right in front of the young alicorn and grabbed Trixie with his claws, leaving behind a flash bang grenade. Upon impact, the grenade exploded with a huge blinding light that stunned Majesty in an instant, unable to see what was going on around her. While Majesty was incapacitated with the grenade's effects, Discord disappeared along with Trixie but not before leaving behind a fair warning to the alicorn Queen.
"Don't even think that this war will be over quickly, Majesty Blueblood." Discord sneered at the stunned alicorn. "Since now that we rescued Princess Moonbutt from you, I will not rest until I see the land of Equestria restored of its former, chaotic, and harmonizing glory!!! If you do not want to die during our future rebellion, listen to your heart for once!!!"
After Discord disappeared, along with an unconscious Trixie, the blinding light fadede away. As soon as Majesty regained her sights, she looked around again to see the light-blue unicorn nowhere in her sights. Undaunted by such disappearance, Majesty takes off to the skies and makes her personal search all over the Everfree Forest. Behind the evil alicorn, the Red Lightnings Guild went down with just 2 Minotaurs, One Dragon, Spike, Aqualina, and Rainbow Dash. With just six of them fending themselves off against the endless waves of Unicornian Guards, Aqualina threw a cluster of cherry bombs at the enemy guards. After the bombs exploded, a group of 6 guards were blown into bits, reducing them into bloody chunks and leaving a gap from Rainbow and Spike to escape.
"Get out while you still can, Spike." Aqualina shouted at the top of her lungs.
"Aqualina, you can't fight them off alone here, you're going to die." Spike shrieked.
"I don't care anymore. You and Rainbow Dash go help save your homeland." Aqualina said persisting her dragon friend. "I don't have any future in Equestria like you and the Element bearers of Harmony do. I already served my purpose in the guild. Now it's time to serve your purpose. Just do it, for me!!! And go find yourself other recruits to join your Red Lightnings Guild."
"You can't be serious!!!" Spike shouted back at her.
Before Spike could even stop her, Aqualina grabbed him by the neck and lifted him up high with both of her claws holding him by the neck and by his back.
"It's been an honor serving under your guild, Spike!" Aqualina said before she threw the green teenage dragon up into the sky as he unfurled his wings, with Rainbow Dash following him from behind.
Before Spike could get back to where Aqualina and the remaining Guild Members are, his eyes widened as he sees them all go down one by one. As the female griffon went back into the fight, Aqualina sees the remaining Guild Members make one last stand against the overwhelming battalion of Unicornian soldiers. After Aqualina stabbed one guard with her cutlass, 7 enemy guards jumped on the first Minotaur and repeatedly stabbed him all over his muscular body with their swords. The Minotaur let out a painful, blood-curdling scream before he collapsed on his stomach, with several swords penetrating his exposed flesh. As for the second Minotaur, he whacked three guards with his club before he was met with a powerful magic beam in the face by the fourth Unicornian guard. In an instant, the guard's spell caused a small explosion making the Minotaur cough up smoke before he fell flat on his back. Just when he was about to get up, the second Minotaur was met with 4 spear thrusts into his chest. As a result, the second Minotaur coughed up blood as he was pushed straight into the ground before succumbing to his wounds. After the RD Dragon unleashed a torrent of fire at 3 Unicornian guards, a loud bang rang out in the middle of the battlefield from somewhere in the Everfree Forest. Before the Dragon could see what was going on, some bullet penetrated him in the left shoulder blade, causing it to rupture in a bloody fashion. As the Dragon collapsed onto his knees, grunting in pain while holding his wound with his right claw, one of the Unicornian guards came up from behind him and impaled the dragon with his spear. Upon feeling the spear stabbing him in the back and the speartip coming out of his chest, the Dragon's eyes widened with horror as his mouth made a big "O" before he collapsed on his stomach dead.
After she gutted out one of the guards with her claws while holding him by the throat, Aqualina threw the dead guard at a nearby tree and raised her cutlass up to her left side. As she looked around, the female griffon spot Lt. Eagle Eye appear emerged out of the Unicornian battalion with a sniper rifle billowing a smoke from it firing barrel. Upon seeing this, it turns out that Eagle Eye was the one who shot her Dragon Guild member from a couple of meters away before they finished him off. As Eagle Eye threw his sniper rifle to the ground, the Unicorn warrior drew out his spear and pointed it at the female griffon, readying himself to strike at her with all his might. Just when Aqualina lunged at him, Eagle Eye did a backward twirl to his right, evading Aqualina's sword chop. Before she could turn around, Aqualina was met with a spear thrust in the lower back of her abdomen. As the spear pushed the female griffin into the ground, Aqualina squawked in pain as she felt blood seeping out of her wound. Just when Eagle pulled the spear out of her wound and when Aqualina was about to get up, she was met with several brutal beatings from the hooves of the surviving Unicornian guards, slamming her into the dirt ground again. After getting beaten by the guards, they grabbed her arms and lifted her up on her knees. The next thing Aqualina saw was when Amadeus appeared before her and drew out his black sword from his scabbard. The last thing the female griffon could see from Amadeus is when he raised his sword up to his right and swung it straight at Aqualina in the neck, ending her life as her head came flying off from her body, with blood squirting out from her neck.
"God Dammit, Aqualina!!! You idiotic, stubborn little bitch!!!" Spike muttered to himself as he closed his eyes grief as tears came out of his eyes.
After helping his female griffon friend more than once during his time at the guild, it all had to end when Aqualina paid him back by sacrificing herself in helping Spike escape his doom on the Equestrian battlefield. Unable to bear seeing the female griffon die before his very eyes, Spike and Rainbow flew away to meet up with the others.
After Tirek redirected Starlight's magic away from him with his giant sword, he rammed straight into the pale-purple unicorn, knocking her off guard with his front hooves. Stag wasn't doing to good with the enemy guards at the great hall either. As the CR soldier held one of the guard's sword with his own, he was met with a kick to the stomach by his opponent. The moment he collapsed on the ground, Stag was met with a guard slamming his warhammer into the Changeling's face, knocking him cold with blood coming out of his left check. During the fight, Sunset took Princess Celestia to the hallways leading to the Throne Room. However, just when Sunset was about to bring Celestia to reach the doors of the throne room, they were both met by Dark Scissors who teleported himself in front of the unicorn and the sun princess, drawing out his double-bladed axe.
"So Sunset Shimmer, just how is it that the sun princess was able to forgive you of your sins years prior, huh?!" Dark Scissors hissed while taunting the reform female unicorn.
"Why don't you come over here and I'll show you." Sunset growled as she drew out her Flamberge with both of her hooves.
As the yellow unicorn and the vile Changeling Insurgent charged at each other, both of their weapons clashed into each other with their blades inches close to their necks.
Back at the great hall, Tirek was gaining the upper hand as he lifted Starlight Glimmer off the floor and grabbed her by the throat with his right hand. Before she knew it, Starlight was being held up high above Tirek with his right hand, while holding his left hand with his giant sword. As Starlight struggled to break free from Tirek's grip, she lit up her horn only for her to get slammed into the walls by Tirek.
"URRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!" Starlight grunted as she felt Tirek strangling her while under his grip.
"Say goodnight, little lady!!!" Tirek smirked as he opened his mouth to drain Starlight of her magic.
"Princess Celestia! Sunburst!! Twilight!!! Trixie!!! I'm sorry!!!" Starlight muttered to herself as she slowly start to lose consciousness.
However, before any of Starlight's magic flew into Tirek's mouth, Stag rushed right at Tirek's face and slammed a shield into his jaws, forcing him to unhand the unconscious pale-purple unicorn and land on his right while clutching his bleeding nose as he grunted in pain. Earlier, after taking a beating from the Unicornian guards, they let their guard down only for Stag to get up thanks to Gladius' wake up call and grabbed a nearby wooden shield from one of the dead Unicornian guards. Before any of the guards could see what was going on, Stag let loose a huge bundle of changeling magic and smashed his way through them, sending several of them flying into the walls around them as he save Starlight from Tirek. Using every last ounce of his strength, he immediately teleported Starlight and Gladius away from the great hall and into the throne room. As soon as they're gone, Tirek got up on his hooves again and angrily slammed his right hand on top of Stag's face, rendering him unable to get up because of Tirek's overall strength.
"You got some nerve in stopping me from getting my prey, bug!!!" Tirek snarled as he drained the magic from the CR soldier in no time flat. "Well, you'll lose more than just you're magic when Queen Majesty finds out about what happened here!!!"
After draining the magic from Stag, Tirek lets go of him only to let the Unicornian guards restrain the CR soldier immediately. As they took Stag away, Tirek stormed out of the great hall to continue pursuing the three unicorns and the sun princess.
While still up in the air, Majesty was searching far and wide for the stagecoach that was taking Princess Luna away, she finds herself intercepted by the green dragon and the light-blue pegasus from behind.
After Spike spit out several fireballs at the evil alicorn, Majesty dived down into the Everfree Forest to find cover from enemy fire. As Majesty landed on all four hooves, she sees the green dragon and the light-blue pegasus land on all fours, just several meters behind her. When the alicorn queen turned around, she sees the two creatures snarling at her, poised to strike at will.
"So, you must be the Element of Loyalty, Rainbow Dash. And you must be Spike the Dragon, that whore's adopted son," Majesty smirked in a sly tone as she mentioned Princess Twilight Sparkle. "I do wonder how far are you two going to get in messing up Equestria like that harlot Twilight Sparkle did, let's find out shall we?!"
"There she is, Spike. Let's get her!!!" Rainbow Dash snarled as she flew straight to Majesty's face, attempting to delivered a kick to the skull.
As Rainbow charged forward, she delivered a flurry of kicks at Majesty only for her to block them all with her shield spell. Majesty jumped backwards and opened fire with her magic at the light-blue pegasus. However, Rainbow flew in a very fast pace, dodging every single magic beam that the evil alicorn is throwing at her. In retaliation, Rainbow flew up to the sky and dived down at right where Majesty is standing. The moment she got close to Majesty, however, the alicorn queen flew upwards, dodging Rainbow's aerial lunge attack and aimed her horn directly on top of the pegasus' head. Upon impact, Majesty's spell slammed Rainbow straight into the ground, with her grunting in pain while being stunned. As Majesty started hovering in mid-air, Spike came up from behind her and unleashed a torrent of Dragon fire at her. In less than a second, Majesty casted another shield barrier to ward off Spike's dragon fire. As soon as Spike stopped breathing fire, he flew straight at her while drawing out his two swords, which were both enchanted with green fire, and attempted to perform a dual cross slash at the alicorn queen. However, Majesty drew out her silver halberd and blocked both of Spike's swords in a vertical guard, right where the blades are crossing each other. After Spike flew backwards with his swords in his claws, he unleashed several waves of green fire that is coming out of his swords, heading straight towards where Majesty is. In an instant, Majesty thrusted her halberd at ever green fiery wave that headed straight for her, making them disappear into a puff of harmless smoke.
"Try dodging this!!! HA!!!" Majesty shouted as she started spinning her halberd in a vertical pinwheel and slamming it at Spike while in mid-air.
Surprised by this, Spike veered to his right, missing Majesty's halberd by mere inches from his let shoulder. Continuing with her vertical pinwheel attack, Majesty attempted to slam her halberd at Spike on from his left. In a panic, Spike made a big flap of his dragon wings and flew backwards, evading Majesty's halberd by centimeters away from body. During the fight between the evil alicorn and the green teenage dragon, Rainbow Dash got up after being stunned for one minute and took to the skies again, this time by making a sneak attack from behind Majesty Blueblood. As soon as Majesty made one more thrust with her halberd at Spike's face, it was stopped by two of his swords with them at a scissors angle just inches from where the dragon's face is. Before Majesty was able to pull her halberd back, Spike forcibly snapped off the blade from her shafted weapon, making the halberd's spear tip fall straight into the Everfree Forest, in a place where it will never be found. Realizing that the halberd is now useless, Majesty threw her long-shafted weapon away from her hooves and charged up her horn with her magic. In less than a minute, Majesty unleashed a very powerful beam of magic straight at Spike for him to block it with both of his swords in a "X" cross. Upon impact, however, Spike gets pushed back by Majesty's spell and disintegrated both of his swords in an instant. Just when Majesty charged forward, surrounded in a surge of her own magic, Spike reacted quickly enough to whack her with his dragon tail, sending her flying straight into the ground back at the Everfree Forest.
After she shrugged off the pain the was received from getting whacked by Spike's huge tail, Majesty spots Rainbow Dash zeroing in on her location. Upon seeing this, however, it gave Majesty a very grim idea. The moment Rainbow Dash flew straight into Majesty's face, attempting to deliver a kick to her skull, the unexpected happened before her very eyes. After Majesty dodged Rainbow's attack with a left sidestep, she used her magic to restrain the light-blue pegasus. Before Rainbow knew what was going on, she felt her wings breaking apart with snapping twigs, making her scream in pain.
"GAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!" Rainbow shrieked loudly as she felt her wings bending in the most excruciating, painful way. "N-N-N-N-N-NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! IT HURTS!! PLEASE STOP!!!!"
"Is that the best you've got, Rainbow Dash? I was expecting more from the Element bearer of Loyalty!!" Majesty smirked while taunting Rainbow Dash. "So pathetic!!"
"Not quite, asshole!!!" Spike shouted as he disengaged from his flight and landed on two legs.
As soon as Majesty turned to face Spike, he charged forward and unleashed a torrent of dragon fire at Majesty Blueblood. Unfortunately, for her, Majesty was already prepared for it. After Majesty broke Rainbow Dash's wings, she used her magic to levitate Rainbow in front Spike's attack, using the pegasus as a meat shield. After Spike stopped spewing out fire, he realized that Rainbow was writhing on the ground, screaming in pain as her mane got caught on fire. Upon seeing this, Spike's eyes widen with horror due after doing something that he didn't mean to do.
"WAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHH!!!! IT BURNS!! IT BURNS!!!" Rainbow screamed in pain before she blacked out.
"OH MY GOD!!! RAINBOW DASH, NO!!!!" Spike screamed. Before he could see what was going on, one of Majesty's guards came from behind and whacked Spike with a war hammer, knocking him out cold.
"Thanks for dropping in lieutenant." Majesty said. "Now, if you don't mind, I want you to take these two miscreants down to the prison in Manehattan and lock them up for their mutiny."
"Yes, my Queen." Lt. Eagle Eye acknowledged her orders as he dragged Spike and Dash away with his magic. As Eagle Eye took the two to a nearby caravan, he ordered the medical team to treat Rainbow Dash of her burnt injuries before hauling them both to the Research Prison Facility in Manehattan.
As soon as Majesty went back to her Royal Caravan before heading back to Canterlot, she meets up with her father, Morning Blade, and Vermillion outside of the Castle of the Two Sisters.
"Majesty, were you able to get Princess Luna back?" Amadeus asked.
"No, father. They already got away when that wretched dragon and his pegasus friend got in my way." Majesty responded in a undiscouraged tone. "But no matter, I had them both taken to the Research Prison Facility to meet their fate, as a reminder to any pony who dare try to rescue the Princesses of Equestria."
"I see." Amadeus said while grunting in disappointment. "Either way, we already stuffed the Tantabus back into Luna's body. That's all I want from her for now. Well, if we ever see her again, Luna will be dealt with harshly."
"Understood, father." Majesty said acknowledging her father's request.
Before Majesty, her father, and her officers went onboard the Royal Unicornian Caravan, another guard appeared from with the Everfree Forest with some news.
"My Queen!!" One of Majesty's guards said out loud as he came up to her from behind. "We have a situation back at Canterlot!!"
The moment they clashed into each other with their weapons, Sunset Shimmer and Dark Scissors both traded attacks and parries against each other in their one-on-one duel. Sunset raised her flamberge up high and swung it right across Dark Scissor's left only for him to swing his battle axe from his right and redirect the sword to Sunset's right by force. As her blade hit the ground, Sunset fell on her stomach for a few seconds before getting back up. When Sunset turned around, Dark raised his battle axe high above his head attempted to do an execution, killing blow, going for the female unicorn's head. As she used the strength with her hooves, Sunset blocked Dark's axe using both of her hooves to lift the sword up above her head. The moment Dark's axe hit Sunset's blade, she redirect his axe to her left and made a lower sweep towards Dark's front hooves. However, Dark lifted both of his front hooves up and let Sunset's blade swing across from where his hooves used to be, cutting up nothing. As Dark slammed both of his front hooves on the floor, he lifted his battle axe to his right and prepared to do a clean hack towards Sunset in the neck. By the time Dark swung his axe at Sunset, she leaned back inches away from the axe's sweeping arc. As Sunset jumped back a few feet away from Dark Scissors, he raised the axe up high like a spear and attempted to thrust the axe's tip at Sunset's face. Before the axe's top was able to hit Sunset in the eye, she blocked it with her Flamberge in a vertical parry, with the axe's blade just inches from her face. Just when Dark was about to shove his axe straight into Sunset's face, she lifted the axe with her sword up above her head and as soon as her blade disconnected with Dark's axe, she rotated her blade around and stabbed Dark Scissors squarely in the chest. Upon receiving a fatal wound from Sunset's sword, Dark Scissor's mouth was left widen opened in shock. At the same time, Dark Scissors dropped his battle axe on the palace floors. After a few seconds of silence, Sunset pulled her sword back, letting the blood leave Dark Scissors body. The moment Sunset stared at Dark Scissors for a few minutes, he finally collapsed onto the floor, dead in her tracks. Before Sunset was able to leave the palace with Princess Celestia through the secret passage at the throne room, Gladius came storming in while carrying an unconscious Starlight Glimmer with his magic.
"Sunset, time to go!!" Gladius shouted.
Unfortunately by the time Sunset, Celestia, and Gladius reached the throne room, they were met by Lord Tirek who was waiting for them at the place where they least expect his presence. Upon seeing the demonic centaur again, the two unicorns and the white alicorn all stared at him in a state of shock and terror. As Tirek glared at the three ponies, he snorted out some steam from his nose and from his ears and had fire in her eyes. It turns out that Tirek is furious for letting his guard down when they attempted to escape.
"YOU REALLY THINK YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH PRINCESS CELESTIA THAT EASILY??!!!!" Tirek roared at the top of his lungs. "YOUR CHANGELING FRIEND IS DONE FOR!!! YOUR LAND IS DOOMED AND SO ARE YOU!!!!"
In a heartbeat, Tirek grabbed Sunset, Gladius, and Starlight with his hands and attempted to strangle the life out of all three unicorns.
"FOOLS LIKE YOU, I'LL CRUSH YOU ALL WITH MY BARE HANDS!!!!" Tirek snarled as he held tight onto the three ponies as they all started suffocating.
Before Starlight, Sunset, and Gladius got strangled to death, Princess Celestia charged straight at Tirek, with sun magic swirling around her white, elegant body. Upon impact, Tirek was sent flying by Celestia's power straight into the doors leading outside of the throne room. As the three unicorns struggled to get up and catch their breath, Celestia directed them straight to the secret passageway again. But before Celestia can reach the passageway, after Sunset, Gladius, and Starlight went inside, she felt her hind leg getting grabbed by Tirek's hand. Just when Tirek was about to pull Celestia away from the unicorn trio, she grabbed onto the throne seat with her hooves.
"NO!! PRINCESS CELESTIA!!!" Sunset wailed as she was about to see her mother-figure get captured by the enemy again.
"It's not my time to be rescued yet Sunset Shimmer," Princess Celestia said as she was slowly losing her grip on her seat. "Go find more followers first, then come and find me."
Upon hearing this, Sunset started crying again for her failed attempt of rescuing the sun princess. Before she could say another word, Sunset was dragged away from the passageway. After they fell back to the sewers, Pinkie shows up and is preparing to blow up the passageway to kingdom come. Before that, Pinkie set up demolition charges all over the secret passageway and placed a remote detonator at the entrance of the sewers.
"Permission to blow up the passageway!!" Pinkie requested loud and clear.
As soon as Pinkie heard Gladius' accepting her request, the pink pony activated the detonator. In an instant, all of the demolition charges went off, exploding throughout the passageway leading to the Canterlot Throne. The moment Tirek got closer to the Secret passageway, it collapsed right in front of the centaur, sealing it off forever. Enraged for not getting the three enemy unicorns, Tirek turned his face towards Princess Celestia and Stag who were being restrained by the Unicornian guards, glaring both of them with livid facial features.
"So, it seems that your bodyguard and several Equestrian Loyalist unicorns came and tried to rescue you, huh?!" Tirek summarized in a growling tone of voice. "NOT SMART!!!"
Before Celestia could see what's happening, she was met with a huge punch to the face by Tirek out of anger, knocking her to the floor and receiving a big bruise on her face. As Celestia went in and out of consciousness, she started coughing up blood. Just when Tirek grabbed Celestia by the throat, the doors of the throne room bursted wide open. The moment Tirek turned around to face the doors, he sees Queen Majesty Blueblood and Amadeus Blueblood appear before him.
"Tirek, what in the name of Sir Blueblood just happened in my castle?! And why are you holding Princess Celestia by the throat for??" Majesty asked while under exaggeration.
"When I was about to head back to my homeland, a group of intruders tried to rescue this little bitch I have in my grip just now!!!" Tirek explained in a grunt. "We already gained the upper hand and drove them back, but not before they took out Dark Scissors here."
"It seems that this is just the beginning of another rebellion, Majesty." Amadeus told his daughter. "We'll take it from here, Tirek. Thanks for stopping them for us."
"It was nothing. After all, I already gained enough magic from the ponies of Equestria to rule over my badlands Kingdom." Tirek said while smirking to himself. "Farewell for now."
After Tirek left the Palace Throne Room, Amadeus and Majesty turned towards Celestia and Stag. As they both approached the sun princess and the CR soldier, Majesty steps in before making her decision.
"Guards, I want you to take Celestia to the Crystal Empire where Cicada and her forces will be keeping a close eye on her to make sure she doesn't attempt to get away again." Majesty said as she issued orders to her guards before facing Stag. "Have Stag taken to the dungeon to await his execution by tomorrow morning."
After they made it back to the sewers, Sunset's group and Discord's group were able to recover Princess Luna. Unfortunately, because they made a run-in with Equestria's powerful enemies, both of the rescue teams suffered heavy losses.
"Discord, where's Rainbow Dash, Spike, and Aqualina?" Fluttershy asked in a worried tone.
"Our griffin friend did not make it. And Rainbow and Spike are both captured upon their defeat. I'm sorry." Discord said in a somber tone.
After hearing about the fate of three of their friends, Fluttershy started breaking down for not being able to see Rainbow Dash and Spike, not once but twice in a row. As Fluttershy continued to sob in her hooves, Discord sat right next to her and comforted the sad yellow pegasus in his arms.
"It's okay, Fluttershy. Someday, we'll find a way to rescue them. Somehow, someway." Discord said while trying to cheer up the crying pegasus. "We will find them."
As soon as Luna recovered several hours later, she recalled every pony to the briefing room in the sewer hideout. Just when all of the remaining creatures loyal to the Equestrian crown assembled, Luna steps forward to make her speech in front of the group.
"All right every pony and creature, listen up!!" Luna announced in a Royal Canterlot voice. "We may have lost the civil war against the followers of Majesty Blueblood and Unicornia. They may have taken all of Equestria to make them submit to Majesty's tyrannical rule. They may have defeated the forces of Equestria. But since you guys saved me from my dreadful fate, I will do whatever it takes in my power to find a way to reclaim Equestria, hopefully one day we'll be able to save our land. As your princess of the night, I, Princess Luna, shall establish the Lunar Republic HQ to help the ponies of Equestria fight back against Queen Majesty's tyranny for whatever the cost. I can't say for sure when we'll be able to strike back and regain our freedom to live in the peaceful sun of Equestria, but as long as the Lunar Republic stands tall against all enemies of our beloved country, were going to live on, were going to survive. FROM THIS POINT ON, WE SHALL FIGHT FOR OUR FREEDOM! FIGHT FOR OUR FRIENDSHIP!!! AND FIGHT FOR EQUESTRIA!!!"
"After that, the Lunar Republic was rebelling against Unicornia for 9 years with endless conflict, resulting in neither side winning," Luna said finishing the entire story after the civil war. "That isn't until you finally came back, Twilight. The rest of the story, you already know."
"And during our forced slavery, I couldn't really think straight after all of that yelling and forceful demands that Majesty is displaying in front of my face," Rarity muttered while glaring at the Unicornian Queen.
"When me and Spike were stuck in that prison, we were used as living test subjects by that evil doctor's experiments. It was so not awesome, it was like Tartarus in there!!!" Rainbow Dash shrieked in fear. "As a matter of fact, it was so painful being locked up and tested there that I thought I was going to die!!!"
"And not only did ah git whipped by those bucking psychos, ah was raped, stuck on ah pillory, and received burn marks all over ma body," Applejack said while freaking out from her past abuse. "It's ah total farm recurring nightmare!!!"
After hearing all of the horrors that three of Twilight's friends had experienced when Unicornia took over Equestria, the purple alicorn couldn't help but feel even more disgusted because of the way Majesty Blueblood mistreated them. After a few minutes of silence, Twilight Sparkle turns around to face Majesty before summarizing her entire story revolving around her past tyranny.
"So Majesty, if you really think you'd won against us and yet, you started losing from the inside, why didn't you come to your senses a lot more sooner than later? Why didn't you stop when you had a choice to make?! Why let my friends suffer if they did nothing wrong to you?!" Twilight Sparkle asked the Unicornian Alicorn while giving her a stern look. "I find all of this very hard to argue with. Flash Sentry was right! You did a lot of damage that was very unforgivable and that the blood of Spike's Guild and all those ponies that were killed during and after the civil war was on your hooves."
"Father told me that I am destined to save our family and Equestria from falling apart," Majesty said in a ashamed tone while looking down at herself. "But for what you said just now, I ended up destroying the very land that I swore to protect. Maybe I didn't really deserved to be Queen from the start. Maybe I don't deserve to be a pony noble like you do, Twilight. As a matter of fact, I don't actually care what you guys do to me anymore, because I'm more of a monster, than a hero."
Before any pony could say anything, Majesty started crying out loud as she covered her face up while tears came down from her eyes. Unaware, Majesty's son came up to her side and patted her on the back with his left hoof.
"I'm so sorry, every pony!!!" Majesty sobbed as continued to break down. "I should never have listened to father."
While Majesty was still crying, Twilight came up to her right side and she smiled at the sad, wailing alicorn. The moment Majesty turned towards Twilight, she embraced the purple alicorn with her hooves. As for the rest of the Mane 5 and their loved ones, they all could not help but feel sorry at seeing how much suffering Majesty had to put up with when her father made her who she used to be 16 years ago. But now that Majesty is finally free from her evil father, she now gets to live her own life with her new family and new friends.
"You're not a monster, Majesty!" Twilight spoke while trying to cheer up the sobbing alicorn. "If you hadn't had what it takes to stand up against Amadeus Blueblood, I'll probably be sent back to my grave once again."
"After all this time, my desire for the revenge of the bluebloods was all done in vain." Majesty whimpered as she wiped the tears away from her face before facing Princess Luna after she lets go of Twilight. "I can't believe what I have done. Maybe I should never have took out the Tantabus in the first place."
"I may have stuffed the Tantabus into Amadeus to pulverize him for all the pain and suffering he caused in front of Twilight and her family, but now that he's gone, I don't need it to curse any pony right now." Luna said in a calm speech. "Despite everything that happened when they invaded Equestria, we won't stop you from continuing your reign over Unicornia as their Queen and from establishing peaceful terms between both of our countries."
"A-Are you sure?!" Majesty sniffed as her eyes widened with surprise, seeing the Royal Sisters nod their heads. "B-But I ended up hurting you and Princess Celestia, remember?! I was a tyrant in your eyes."
"We're going to start blurting out some honest, personal things about you first before we get to the point," Celestia sighed as she, Cadence, and Luna walked towards a somber Majesty Blueblood. "We didn't liked your attitude and that most of the decisions you and your father made were intolerable. You were a huge disgrace to Queen Faust herself, always being so demanding, insecure, self-centered, nasty, abusive, and irrational. You have violated all of the rules that it takes to become a true leader. You ignored all peaceful solutions with us Princesses of Equestria and went against Princess Platinum's peace treaty and spat on her legacy. The worst part is, not only have you betrayed us and Platinum, you betrayed yourself. But during your trial 7 years ago, before we could start doing to you what Amadeus and his ilk did to Twilight Sparkle, we all agreed that any other punishment other than you facing temporary banishment will not do us any good because we won't be any different from them and that you're still young to begin with. Besides, there's actually more than one way to win over a country without resorting to such violence, whether or not they asked for it."
"I-I understand." Majesty said while feeling relieved for their sympathy as she wiped her tears away with her hoof.
"We had reasons why Twilight would do nicely when ascending the throne in Canterlot as one of our co-rulers in Equestria." Celestia said. "Because she already proved to us her greatness and her powerful democracy, I'd figure that Twilight Sparkle and her friends were our only hope not to lead us astray but deliver us from evil."
"So, fret not Majesty. Your journey has just begun." Twilight said as she smiled at the Unicornian Queen before turning towards her daughter.
After Majesty finally found her place amongst Equestria once more, she started smiling again. The next thing that happened is when Pinkie dragged Majesty to the great hall to continue with Twilight's Democratic Party during the Hearts Warming celebration.
"Come on Majesty," Pinkie Pie smiled as she squeaked with joy. "The party to celebrate your reformation has just begun!!!"
Meanwhile at the Old Castle of the Everfree Forest, Spike goes up to Aqualina's grave to pay his respects for his griffin friend, along all the Guild members that sacrificed their lives to save Princess Luna. No matter, Spike still kept Aqualina's promise to help restore the Red Lightings Guild. Seven Years earlier, after Princess Platinum's peace treaty has been reestablished, Spike made several trips to Baltimare, the Dragon Lair, Griffonstone, and all over Judecca to recruit more members to join the Red Lightings Guild. After recruiting 50 members to continue their campaign at Erebus, Spike established another Red Lightings Guild HQ in the Badlands, sending half of them to carry out their operations back at Erebus. As soon as Spike left behind a flower bouquet near Aqualina's grave, he used his dragon fire magic to teleport himself back to Canterlot's Palace Courtyard to meet up with his wife Rarity and the others.
As soon as Prince Virgil and Princess Violet stood up in front of the alicorn statue holding hooves together, Photo Finish took a picture with her camera to post it in her photo albums. After that, Virgil and Violet started dancing on floor of the Royal Hall, along with several other ponies. Outside the dance floor, Majesty couldn't help but smile at her son as she realized that Virgil is having a good time with Violet. Before she knew it, Twilight gave Majesty Blueblood a present to remember the day that she helped Twilight save Equestria. When Majesty opened up her present, she sees a picture of her mother, Alura Blueblood and her brother Prince Blueblood sitting right next to her mother. Upon seeing this, Majesty's eyes started watering in tears of happiness and joy, finally been able to see a full view of the rest of her family, excluding her evil father. As she looked further inside her present box, Majesty found a purple star necklace that shows Twilight's cutie mark on one side and Majesty's cutie mark on the other. The last thing that she found inside her box, is a photo album that shows all the pictures of Twilight and her friends during their happiest days of their life. Upon seeing all of those gifts from Twilight, Majesty hugged the purple alicorn again, giving her thankful regards by all means in ending both the conflict and the civil war between Equestria and Unicornia.
"So, what do you think, Majesty?!" Twilight said in a cheerful tone.
"This so amazing." Majesty said as she closed her eyes while smiling. "I can't thank you enough, Twilight Sparkle."
"It was nothing. Happy Hearts Warming, Majesty." Twilight smiled as she raised her hug filled with Apple Cider with her magic.
"Happy Hearts Warming, Twilight Sparkle." Majesty replied cheerfully while raising her mug with her magic. Out of cheer, Majesty and Twilight clanked their mugs together before they drank their apple cider.
"My Queen." Gladius Strife said as he approached Twilight Sparkle, bowing in front of her hooves. "It's time."
After acknowledging Gladius' request, Twilight put down her mug and went up to the stage to make her announcement.
"Attention, every pony." Twilight announced as she makes her speech in front of the audience. "It has been seven years since we achieved victory to win back Equestria. We all have fought well. We all did our best not to let the little things get the best out of you all. The best thing is, as long as we can carry out our change to preserve our Democracy, there won't be any battle that we cannot face, there won't be any challenge that we cannot handle, and there won't be any dreams that we cannot accomplish together. I will not be able to save Equestria with change, without the aid of my friends and my family. I would like to thank you all for helping me fulfill my destiny to help achieve the destinies of other ponies. MAY THE GLORY AND RIGHTEOUSNESS OF QUEEN FAUST AND HER DESCENDANTS GUIDE YOUR WAY!!!"
After hearing Twilight's speech during the Democratic Party, every pony and creature cheered out loud while celebrating their Happy Hearts Warming Eve, along with Majesty and her son. As the lights went dim, a spotlight shined on the stage, revealing Queen Twilight and Princess Violet Aura getting ready to sing their favorite song, with Octavia playing her jello and Rara playing the piano with using the song's notes in the back row. As Twilight stepped forward, she held the mike with her magic before singing as she looked up to the sky, with happy tears coming down from her closed eyes.
The First Noel, the Angel did say Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay In the fields where they lay, lay keeping their sheep On a cold winter's night that was so deep.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel!! Born is the Queen of Equestria!
Before the next phase of the song, a guard came up to Twilight and presented her a scabbard that holds very same greatsword that she used on the battlefield seven years ago. This time, it was reforged with purple and green crystal shards, as symbol to represent the unity of both a Dragon and an Alicorn united as a family. As she drew out her sword from the scabbard with her hoof, Twilight raised it up high, pointing it towards the ceiling with her right hoof, while the rest of the crowd cheered in awe and wonder. As Violet came up to Twilight, both mother and daughter sang the next part of the song, while Twilight lowered her sword to her right, pointing to the ground in a 45 degree angle, and lifting her left hoof up to the ceiling. The moment, the purple alicorn and her daughter reached to the 3rd line of the second phase, Twilight lowered her hoof to her side.
They looked up and saw a star Shining in the east beyond them far!! And to the earth, it gave great light And so it continues both day and night
Noel! Noel! Noel! Noel! Born is the Queen of Equestria
During Twilight's and Violet's song, Majesty went up to the Palace balcony and looked up to the sky to see a shooting star coming from the west. As the night sky lit up with stars above, Majesty could see the stellar images of her mother, Alura Blueblood, smiling down on her as a sign that Majesty was able to change herself to deliver herself away from her evil pride. In short notice, Discord appeared right behind her, giving Majesty a wide grin.
"So Majesty Blueblood, I take it that you finally learned your lesson. Did you not?!" Discord asked in a stern tone.
"I have. You were right, I should've listened to my heart when the was still time." Majesty said as she looked down at her hooves. "I guess I wasn't thinking clearly on choosing who to believe, my father or Princess Celestia."
"I glad, you were finally able to do the right thing." Discord said as he gave Majesty a thumbs up. "Gladius gave me Twilight's journal for you to look at. So that, you'll fully understand what kind of pony Queen Twilight Sparkle really is, despite the false images that your father and his men were portraying her as."
"If I'm not going to be any pony's Queen, that's fine with me because I had no idea that I would end up paying a price for not listening to others outside of my family." Majesty Blueblood said as she felt bad for all the mistakes she did over the past 16 years.
"It's alright, Majesty. If there is one pony that we can all learn on how to understand friendship from, it will be Twilight and her friends." Discord said summarizing what the Element Bearers of Harmony are truly capable of. "This is also one of the lessons that I learned when I met Fluttershy. It's never too late to find the light that's inside of you waiting to shine forth a tomorrow's future."
As Majesty turned around to face Discord, she smiled as she sees Fluttershy hugged him with her hooves. After seeing the draconneques and the yellow pegasus embrace each other, Majesty went back into the Great Hall to sit beside the Mane 5 and Prince Virgil before facing Twilight and Violet, with them continuing their song. Twilight sings her first and second line in the third phase before Violet sings the third and fourth line in the same phase, with Majesty smiling at both of them from the crowd.
Then let us all with one accord Sing praises to our heavenly mare That hath made heaven and earth of naught And with her blood ponykind hath bought
In the final phase, both Twilight and Violet sang together out loud to end their song, along with a fillies' choir. During the song, Twilight unfurled with her wings and soared straight up to the sky and lifted her hooves up to the ceiling, leaving behind a stream of showering stars onto the stage, giving the crowd a beautiful display of affection and awe.
NOEL!! NOEL!! NOEL!! NOEL!! Born is the Queen of Equestria NOEL!!! NOEL!!! NOEL!!! NOEL!!!! Born is the Queen (Born is the Queen) Born......Is.....The........Queen........of........Equestriiiiiiiiiiiaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!
