Chapter 1: Loomings
“...I’m still not sure what it’s supposed to resemble, Spike,” Twilight grumbled as the pair marched towards Carousel Boutique. Sighing yet again, the little dragon rolled his eyes and idly scratched his cheek with a claw. “I’m sure whatever it’s supposed to be, Twi, it was something interesting. I’m sure,” his voice grew dreamy, “Rarity could help us out.” Rolling her own eyes, Twilight shook her head. She knew her assistant was hopelessly in love. It was trying enough when he simply talked about her, and compound that with her current situation...it did not improve her attitude. With a final, exasperated sigh about the dragon perched across her back and the fact that her saddlebags were old and beginning to chafe didn’t help.
“Sweetie Belle, darling, can you...uh...run an...errand, for me?” Rarity had her best ‘I’m trying’ smile on her face, while Sweetie Belle ran around with several blue and purple ribbons tangled into her mane, tail, and tiny hooves. “Sure thing, Big Sis!” Sweetie almost sprinted to Rarity’s side, while the larger unicorn sister had meanwhile lifted a pad and paper, beginning to write down a list. “We’ll need-” she tapped her chin gently with the pencil, biting her lip.
“Ah! We’ll need some more crafting glue, some milk, a half-pound of flour, and...a candy bar.” Her eyes twinkled mischievously. “I know a certain somepony who has been eying them, and I figure she’s earned it.” Hoofing over a bag of bits that clinked merrily together, Sweetie squealed and ran out the door. With a sigh, Rarity rubbed her forehead with her hoof and looked up. “Oh, hello, Twilight! Is there something I can help you with?”
“Uh... Hey, Rarity.” Spike said, falling head over heels at the sight of his beloved. Sighing, Rarity smiled at the little guy. “Hello again, Spike. Nice to see you,” she smiled. Quickly turning her attention back to Twilight. The purple unicorn quickly lifted the book out of her bag and presented it to Rarity. Looking at the suddenly-appeared object, and taking it in her own magic, Rarity gave it a look of both revulsion and derision. “It’s...well, it’s one of the more, uhm, odd-looking books you’ve presented to me, Twilight, and...books are your specialty. But, uh... thanks!” She smiled awkwardly and began sliding the dirt-and-dust-coated book towards a blue table. Twilight intervened, carefully placing the book on the tabletop, whisking away the small dust cloud that formed. Rarity cocked both eyebrows unimpressed, but still somewhat curious of its contents. Spike couldn’t help but smile as he heard Rarity’s cute sneeze.
“Achoo!” Rubbing her nose daintily with a silk handkerchief, Rarity looked down at the book, then back up at Twilight. “...uhm...Twilight, dear, is there something you want to tell me about...” she pointed uncertainly at the book, “...that?”
“Oh, yes! I almost forgot. Uh... You see, I have this feeling that this colour combination is used for something, but I can't remember what.”
“It’s...ugly.”
“Yes, yes. I know, and you don't need to point it out!” Twilight snapped. Spike quickly tried to lighten the mood, “Calm down, Twi. It’s just a book.”
This sent Twilight off the edge. “Just a book!? This book could hold the key to the permanent well-being of all of Equestria, maybe even the whole world!” She quickly calmed herself down, as to not harm the book. The unicorn gingerly opened the book, revealing the front cover which once proudly displayed a title, but now was reduced to only a scratched-out rend in the the title. The rest of the book was much the same, with only some of it in readable condition. To any other pony it might seem like a waste of time trying to decipher it, but to Twilight it was a challenge worth taking.
Taken aback, Rarity swallowed, looking at the book with renewed vigor. Blinking twice, she gingerly raised a hoof and flipped a page, before stepping back and looking at Twilight. “Twilight, dear, you’re my friend, but...you’re acting way out of line. What in Equestria has gotten you so...so riled up?”
“I don’t think you understand, Rarity! This book holds so much potential! I’ve managed to learn a spell that could repair this book to its original condition. It’ll take some time, but I really think it’s worth it. I just can’t stand looking at the cover.”
“Oh!” Rarity, squeaked, still very confused as to why the purple unicorn had come to her. She was, after all, just a specialist in fashion, not grubby old books. “But...that isn’t...why come to me?” She backed away slowly; Twilight was acting very strange. “Are you sure that book is really worth it, darling? You could just...give it to the Princess...?”
“I don’t want to worry her with this. I can do this myself, I just need a pony with a more delicate hoof, is all. Spike. Get back here!” Twilight said, only now realizing where Spike was. The cheeky dragon had begun inching closer and closer to Rarity since their arrival. The royal pupil was very close to speaking in anger proper at the unintentionally lecherous little bastard, but she bit it off, this time. Rarity smiled down nervously, gently patting the crest atop Spike’s noggin when she looked back up at Twilight. “Ah...I don’t really think...I really can’t help you with this dearie! You’d best be off to ask somepony else, like, er, Applejack! She’s the...ah... strong one.” She nodded firmly.
“Rarity. I just came here for a new cover. I was going there next. But I don’t see how Applejack could help.” Twilight said, shaking her head lightly at her friend.
“Oh. Well that’s easy.” Rarity replied, taking the book much more slowly, using magic to prevent further damage. She placed it on her work table (she was going to have to clean her dining table later) and looked at the book, face screwed in concentration. Her fashion sense began to spark as she envisioned ways to increase the book’s general aesthetics, along with bedazzling it with precious and semi-precious stones. As the fashionista walked to her storage area, Twilight moved closer to the book. She began to carefully take apart the book with her magic, not trusting her hooves to be precise enough for the level of work at hoof. By the time Rarity had finished rummaging around in her storage closet for a suitable bolt of cloth, a pile of pages had formed next to the now-empty jacket.
“Now, I'm not entirely certain what to do with this...it's very strange, not to mention heavy.” Rarity had in her magical grasp three plates of shining metal, each looking freshly polished. “All I did was to wipe them down...and they look fantastic, if boring.” She chuckled at her own contradictory statement. “I mean, they shine like gemstones, but...are metal. And gray.” She shrugged. Twilight took the three plates, almost dropped them, then began looking closely. Two of them were the same size, about twelve by four. The middle one was hinged to both plates, and while the same height, a fraction of the length. They were attached by very solid, thick-looking metal hinges.
“It strange,” she began. “These...these looks like armored plates. But on a book? Why in Equestria would somepony go insofar as to armor a book? I mean,” she let out a little laugh, “I'm all for preservation ad protecting books, but...this is ridiculous!” She laughed proper at the insane thought, shaking her head. Rarity, to her credit, stayed quiet while Twilight talked to herself.
“I'm not sure myself, honestly,” she began, trotting over to examine the plates themselves. She narrowed her eyes, giving them a close inspection. “Hmm. Something seems odd about those. They're hinged, like a door.” She chuckled. “That might explain why the thing was so darn heavy, Twilight.” She was about to continue when Sweetie Belle burst in the door, prancing over with saddlebags heavily laden with the requisite glue, milk, and a candy wrapper clumsily stuffed in. She dropped them off at the table on the far side of the room. Twilight quickly placed the book, covering, and pages back into her bags. “I'm going to run some tests on these metal plates. They seem...very strong. I think I'm going to go ask Applejack.” With a nod, she and Spike began walking towards the door.
Rarity beamed, giving Sweetie a quick nuzzle before taking a letter up in her magic and offering it to Twilight. “Oh, Twi? Could you give this to Applejack, then, since you're going over there? I meant to take it over myself this morning, but I slept late, and I did promise Sweetie we'd make something today.” Oddly enough, Rarity had a secretive little smile on, and a light blush was visible through her white fur. With a curious smile and a subsequently dismissive shrug, Twilight nodded, taking the letter and sliding it into her saddlebags.
Saying their goodbyes, Twilight and Spike were on the dirt path headed out of Ponyville and into the woodlands around the little town. Spike spent his time looking around the forest as they walked, Twilight assuming he was admiring the workponyship of the twin fences that surrounded the road. He smiled, and Twilight chuckled gently.
“Huh? What's up, Twi?” For her part, Twilight chuckled. “Nothing, really, Spike. I'm just surprised that you're admiring the scenery.” She returned her attention to the path ahead. In recent times, the Apples had fallen upon some hard luck. Much like the road, she thought, shrugging the melancholy thought away with a firm nod. Applejack is my friend, she told herself sternly, and as a friend, it is my duty to help her feel better; not to harp on the financial state of her family or farm! With yet another shrug (I'm doing a whole lot of that recently!), Twilight continued. So deep was she in her thoughts, however, that it took her a moment to realize that Spike had asked her something.
“Uh, yeah, sure, Spike.” She grinned awkwardly up at him, not wanting to hurt his feelings. “Really, Twi? You think I could?” He looked off with a huge grin, and Twilight felt herself wondering just what she agreed too. “I...I dunno if I could, though. I mean...I am just a little dragon, And, well, she's..her! I dunno what I could do to compare with that.” Rolling her eyes, Twilight nodded. “Spike, I really don't think this obsession of yours is very healthy, Rarity is a fully grown mare.” Oops. That thought had sliped out on her annoyed tongue before she really had the opportunity to clamp down on it.
“But...really? I mean...well. I guess it is kinda silly, but...she's pretty, you have to admit...” The little guy trailed off, and she felt a sudden awkward sadness permeate the air, and she sighed silently. This was going to take all of her (admittedly meager) social graces to console him. Your first crush, and subsequent first heartbreak, was never easy. She smiled gently, thinking of that tool-maker stallion she met. He was very handsome, she thought to herself, a light blush coming onto her cheeks. Shaking her head to clear off the thoughts, she sighed in relief as the dilapidated gate of the Apple Family Farm came into view. Pushing open the creaky wooden gate' with her magi, she trotted faster up the path to the house.
It was still certainly an old path, but at least here, it was better tended. She saw and smiled at Big Macintosh, who was dragging a plow behind him in the closest of the Apple vegetable fields. He nodded and continued his work, sweat streaking down his body. You know, I never really looked at Big Mac before. Slowing her trot, she found her gaze lingering on the massive muscles in his shoulders, the way his sweat matted his coat to a slick sheen around his large, firm haun-Ah! No! He's Applejack's brother! I'd never do that to her. Troubled for more reason than one, she smiled and turned to the suddenly-appeared Applejack, who had come out from inside, where Twilight could vaguely hear Applebloom working with Granny Smith on something.
“Well, howdy-doo, Twilight!” Applejack exclaimed as she reached out to shake her friends' hoof, with her usual, charismatic smile across her face. “Ah'neva expected t'see y'all come out here so soon, with th'weather an'all.” Spike, meanwhile, nodded at AJ, who tried giving him a big smile, but the little dragon was simply grumpy, and therefore, uninterested. Casting a questioning look at Twilight, who shook her 'don't ask' before the question left Applejack's lips, she left the matter well alone.
“Well, Applejack,” she began, scratching at her mane. “I've really come to ask some questions. You see, I've got this book, and it has these metal covers that I've never really seen before. So, I figured that you or Big Macintosh, with your metalworking around here on the farm, could give me a idea as to what it was.” Cocking an eyebrow, Applejack flashed a hoof at Big Mac, who nodded and began the process of unhitching himself from the plow. Trotting over, he nodded slowly to Twilight. “What k'n Ah do fer'yah, Twilight?” He asked. With a gentle smile, she drew the book out from her saddlebag, disturbing Spike, who mumbled unhappily about it. She levitated it in front of Mac and AJ, displaying the hinged metal covers. Big Mac sucked his teeth in surprise, and both mares looked at him.
“Well. Dump me round'th'barrel un'call me barmy, but that looks like steel.” He nodded slowly, shuffling forward to examine the metal closer and even give it an experimental lick. “...eyup. Y'gotcherself a nice steel alloy there, an' an old one, if m'tongue's right.” He nodded sagely. “I haven't see steel of that quality since school.” He shrugged, before stretching his back in a way that made it crack. He eyed Twi and AJ. “Anythin' else y'need? Otherwise, Ah've got a field t'plow.”
Once she had gotten over the surprise that Big Mac had actually been to school, and able to differentiate between metals simply by taste, she nodded. “Ah...yes, actually. Steel alloy? What's that? It's not on the periodic table.” Applejack looked at first her brother, confused, then at Twilight, equally confused. With a chuckle, Big Mac took a moment to chew his seemingly ever-present hay-stalk before plunging in.
“Whell,” he began, “Steel is not an element itself, no. It's not found anywhere naturally. Purely a pony alloy,” he smiled happily. “Now, t'make steel, y'gotta take coal letovers, 'mix it with th'iron y'ermakin it into. Th'carbon there makes it a whole lot stronger. Now, anyway, steel is stronger and harder t'work with than plain, or pig, iron, so mostly, we work with iron. Now, th'advantage t'steel, is that its a lot stronger. Wanna make a big buildin'? Steel. Manehattan's buildin's are built of steel. Stalliongrad produces tonnes of it for use all 'round Equestria.” He smiled, seemingly pleased to have someone interested in his knowledge. While he may appear a simpleton, he was merely somepony who had much to say, but little who wanted to hear.
“Now. Th'steel you've got there is some real 'high grade' stuff. Better'n'buildin quality, and better'n'tools. That was meant t'last, un'anythin' in'there was meant t'be pr'tected.” He chuckled, before casting his glance at Twilight, then at Applejack. “Now. Ah'got a'nother acre t'plow a'fore suppah. Anythin' else you need?” Blinking slowly, Applejack simply shrugged. Wasn't her stuff, anyway. Twilight nodded slowly, as more and more pieces of what she had read and the materials I was made out of slowly came together. “Thanks, Big Macintosh,” she began, beaming. “You've been a great help!”
Humble as ever, the massive work-stallion nodded slowly. “Pleasure t'help, Twilight.” He slowly turned around and plodded back towards the plow, where he began strapping himself in. Twilight, for her part, admired him as he walked away. Applejack chuckled. “Y'know, this'd be th'first time he's had somepony t'talk to like that for a good long time, Twilight.” She leaned in conspiratorially. “Now, Ah'm sure he'd be the last to admit it, but Ah think he's a bit lonely. Y'just made his day. An' don't think Ah' didn't see ya admirin' him from th'road.” She giggled, and Twilight looked at her in faux-shock. “Applejack!” She blushed crimson, before letting off a little giggle. “Well...okay. Maybe. A little!” Laughing again, Applejack patted Twilight's shoulder. “C'mon. Let's go help Granny with supper.” Chuckling along with her friend, Applejack led the pair off towards the kitchen.
Just under a thousand miles away, and several dozen miles up, a very different conversation was taking place. “In theory, ma'am, if we target here,” a holed hoof tapped a map set out on a metal table, “here,” tap, “here,” tap, “aaand here,” a especially hard tap, “we should be able to effectively euthanize any resistance. We have agents spread infiltrated into each early warning station along this route,” the holed hoof tapped another portion of the map, tracing a bright red line, “and as such, our first payloads should be able to get through without any problems at all. After that, however ma'am, there are no promises.”
Stepping back into the shadow, the male voice faded into the silence. Stepping forward into the little light above the map of the Equestrian heartland was Princess Chrysalis herself. Chuckling evilly, she rubbed her hooves together in anticipation. “Very well done, commander. I see your services are of the utmost advantage to us.” She had to suppress a cackle before continuing.
“And how close to readiness are our weapons?” The pony addressed as the 'commander' produced a small device from his coat pocket, eyeing it before snapping it closed and sliding it back into the pocket from whence it came. “All silos are reporting maximum combat readiness, your highness.” With a smile, he allowed himself a little smile before addressing Chrysalis further. “I do believe that the Empire will be caught totally off-guard, and if I do say so myself, we willl catch them utterly by surprise. Thirty minute after you give the command, my love, the cities of Manehattan, Stalliongrad, and all the others will be nothing more than flaming craters.”
Purring happily, Chrysalis moved back into the darkness that seemed to cling to the room, rubbing her cheek up and down his neck. “Excellent,” she murred, “excellent...” She trailed off, taking one last moment to consider the hundreds of thousands, potentially hundreds of millions, of ponies she was about to commit to an untimely death. “But...is the time...right?” She faltered.
Whomever he was, he leaned up and kissed Chrysalis's cheek as she straightened up, and let out a mirthless laugh. “It is your will, your highness...and nobody disrespects my love and suffers no retribution.” With a smile, he pulled a little detonator out of his pocket, flipping up the plastic lid. “All that awaits is your hoofprint, my love...and they will pay. They will all pay.”
Sighing gently, then staring at the button, Chrysalis swallowed. She was prepared to start a war the likes of which their little planet had never seen, with weapons that contained the very fires of Hell within them. Swallowing, the last little remnant of pony love faded from her mind. With a snarl, she reached forward and stamped her hoof onto the little button. The stallion smiled, before reaching up and licking her neck. She, in turn, pulled at his coat. “Come. My chambers.” She smiled seductively, leading him off back and away from the lonely little table and lamp, left as mute witness to the drawn-on map.
“Your will be done, highness...”
He snapped the little switchbox shut.
With their early-warning systems reporting nothing out of the usual, the Equestrian Defense Force was not alerted. In fact, it wasn't until the massive Changeling rockets with their deadly cargoes, streaked past the outlying cloudfarms, that a retired guardpony, former Sky-Guardian Wave, called his close friend at the local outpost. Interestingly enough, they hadn't received any notice from their equipment. Was he sure that something of that size and speed could have gone past them? Well, of course he was sure, it had blown straight through his southern corn field! Dutifully, the ponies at the guard station ran checks on their logs, and dutifully, the commanding officer sent the reportup the chain, where it ended up on the desk of the local precinct officer. This was the first official response to the incoming missiles, and one that was ignored until far, far too late. The holocaust that followed was one that few would ever forget, one that too many never would. Sixteen major Equestrian cities disappeared in flash of bright magical light, followed by waves of taint and magical radiation that would leave them and surrounding areas barren and lifeless for years to come.
Applejack and Twilight had finished clearing the dishes from the table and had retired to the back porch, where they were watching what Twilight believed to be a surprise meteor shower, as long lines of bright objects that left contrail behind rip through the sky. “Now, ain't that somethin',” Big Mac began, inching close enough to Twilight that their sides brushed. This alone, of course, wasn't terribly surprising because of Mac sheer size and the tiny balcony, but Twi felt herself blush anyhow. She found herself casting her head to where Applejack was...but the mare disappeared. With a giggle, she shuffled over to allow Mac room.
“Yeah. They are very beautiful, aren't they?” She sighed happily and let herself rest against his side (he had since taken a bath, and smelled gently of cinnamon), where he leaned over and gently nuzzled at her neck. She squeaked in response and looked up at him, blushing, only to find that he was blushing just as badly as she was. He, however, slowly returned his attention to the skies and the meteors. “Ah'lmost as fahne as a certain mare I know, if Ah do say so mahself.” He nodded slowly, and Twilight couldn't suppress the little fillys' giggle that escaped her lips as she felt her heart beat faster, and pressed her face into his broad neck.