Prelude: Giants
By: Leon Rojo
Cover art by: Leon Rojo
7/30/1013
Ponyville
6:19 AM
Morning in Ponyville was always silent and full of peace. It was the prime time to simply await for the sun to rise above the green hills, and wash over flesh and body, warming it and bidding it to rise. It floated over the fresh dew on the grass and over a lonely anthill, as it made its way into the homes and shops of the town, where stone, cement, and gravel were illuminated by its beauty.
The populace of Ponyville was slowly awoken by the sunlight that seeped through curtains and window panes. Yawns and stretching went about, as they would any other morning, and children and their mothers alike were in a rush to finish the mundane tasks of dawn, to be ready for the day ahead.
Amelia T. Cheerilee sighed as she sipped her coffee. It was another slow morning for the town's only dedicated teacher, and it showed under the dark circles her eyes sported. She smiled with contempt at the rising sun, eyeing it briefly. "You simply must appear every morning, mustn't you?" She sighed, and rubbed the sleep off her eyes. "As long as I've got my morning cup," She left it in the sink after one big sip, and opened the tap to commence the task of cleaning after her small breakfast. "I guess it's fine."
Cheerilee left her home a few minutes past six thirty. She took her car keys, and gave life to the engine, silencing the crickets around her home for a few seconds. She smiled happily as her hands gripped the wheel and a soft tune began to play on the radio, livening up her morning drive. She drove for no more than three or four minutes before reaching the only school in miles. Her school.
With a sputtering sound, and a preoccupying amount of smoke rising from the escape, the teacher brought the vehicle to a halt, and killed the engine. She stepped out, taking in the fresh air of the fields, and grassland surrounding the school. She had worked there since her arrival, having left the big city to follow her calling. "I wouldn't trade it for the world." She said, and smiled as her steps took her to the front door's dusty 'Welcome' mat.
With an audible 'click' the lock popped open, and the door followed suit.
7:00 AM
The audible sounds, and 'thuds' of a hurried student could be heard throughout the Apple's household, as Applebloom rapidly searched her bedroom for her backpack. Her hands were a blur of motion, and excitement, as shelves, cabinets, and even the closet were prey to an inquisitive examination in search for her school supplies, and materials. The young girl sighed, and groaned in frustration with every empty-handed search she carried out across her room.
It was past seven by the time she had found her school bag, and her sister was infuriated as could be. With threats and warnings of punishment, Applebloom ran out of her home, and into Bill Macintosh's pickup truck. "Sorry! I couldn't find my backpack." The car door shut close with a 'clank', and Macintosh did nothing other than arch an eyebrow. "It's true too. I couldn't." With a shrug and smile, the farmer revved up the engine, and drove away into town.
As they passed homes, and shops, Applebloom kept looking out of the car window. Her face contorted into giving shape to a small frown as they passed a camouflaged truck, with uniformed men around it. "What's that, Mac?" Her finger pressed against the window glass.
Bill turned to look to his right, and sure enough, there they were. A pair of men in green, patterned uniforms. Their weapons were not in sight, but the vehicles were armored. Bill frowned slightly, but kept driving. "Nothing to worry about. Remember, Bloom, they're the good guys." To his sister's smile, he gave one of his own, and continued into town, towards the school.
It was well past seven, bordering with seven thirty, when Applebloom arrived at school. Her teacher and friends already waiting for her by the entrance, as well as the rest of her classmates. It was a small town, and the local populace was still young. Only three classrooms, and two teachers could be seen at all times within the school complex. The largest one of them being conformed by twenty students, all of them around the ages of ten. The oldest children bordered their teen years, and had the remaining teacher with them, while the smallest were cared for by temporary volunteers.
Applebloom had the oldest, and in her opinion, the kindest of either educators. Amelia Cheerilee, or Mrs. Cheery, as her students had lovingly nicknamed her, was the one in charge of the students around the age of ten, and it was in everyone's opinions, that she had done an excellent job up til the present day.
"Hiya, girls. How're y'all doing?" Applebloom smiled, running up to her two friends by the entrance, and looking up at her smiling teacher, who's coffee, and a little make up, had worked wonders for her tired face. "Hi, Mr's Cheery. How're you doing too?"
"Wonderfully, Applebloom. I trust that all three of you did your assignments for today?" Cheerilee smiled warmly as she held the door open for her students. Applebloom smiled widely, replying with a merry 'Eeyup!' as her brother, Bill, had the manner of saying, while to the side, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, two girls shrunk as much as they could.
Cheerilee turned to face them with a raised eyebrow, trying to suppress a lighthearted smile. "And you, girls? I trust you did well too."
Anna 'Sweetie' Belle, smiled shakily, trying to keep her eyes from making eye contact, as she muttered a soft 'Yes'. The final of the mentioned girls, was simply smiling. "Yup!" Said Samantha 'Scootaloo' Scott, her hair moving slightly with the wind. "Finished it."
Cheerilee smiled, but she knew better. The bell rung, and the teacher led the girls inside, along with the rest of her class.
7:30 AM
Two men leaned against their parked car, counting clouds and tossing stories from one to the other, as they tried to pass the time. Their hands rested on carefully hidden weapon holsters, and their bodies were covered in a patterned, military uniform. They wore caps instead of helmets, but their vehicle was armored.
One of the men turned to his companion, frowning slightly. "How much longer do you think they'll take? It's been thirty minutes already." He tapped a finger against the metal cover of the car, looking over at the Town Hall, while squinting his eyes against the sun.
"Don't know." The second man shrugged, picking at the dirt beneath his nail with a pocket knife. "The captain can take as long as he likes, since, you know, he's the captain." Stretching and groaning, the second man twisted on his feet, making a few audible cracks resound from his back. "Ah, that does it..."
From within the Town Hall, however, different matters were being discussed.
"There shouldn't be any risk, though I only know what I was told, Mary." An old man said, as he slowly took a long, noisy, sip from his cup of tea. "I know you care, but this is from very high up," His finger pointed to the ceiling, and an apologetic smile adorned his features. "so there was very little I could do. Sorry, but you're going to need to start the curfew today, at least from eight till midnight, while my boys secure the perimeter, and the four-eyes get that wall up."
Mayor Mary 'Mare' Sylvian, sighed and ran a hand through her gray hair. She stole another look at the royal command laying on her desk, specifying the need to impose a curfew from eight till midnight of that very same day, due to several safety measures being taken to protect the town from danger. Scientists had taken to the outskirts of the town, utilizing magic and technology to create a wall, or a manner of wall, around Ponyville. It had been decided that the town was too much of a national asset to be left unguarded, so both science and the military had gone about fortifying it as secretly as possible.
"I don't know, Roy," The mayor sighed, looking out the window at an apparently innocent building. "as if the arsenal and all these secret agents inside the town weren't enough, now you want me to approve of a wall to be raised around town? I feel like we're going back to the middle ages or something..."
"You always did look like a queen," The main said, bringing a smile to the mayor's tired face. "but I wouldn't think too much on it. The princesses just want to make sure the elements are safe. You know that."
Mary smiled and looked from the arsenal, to the fields beyond the last house in town. "You were always such a liar, but thanks." She turned around, smiling, as she took a pen, and signed the document. "I needed that."
Roy nodded and stood up. He placed a hand on the mayor's shoulder, and gave a gentle squeeze. "You're doing the right thing, Mary. The town will be all the safer because of it, too."
The mayor sighed, and nodded. "I hope so."
The morning went by without so much as a breath of trouble, but it would not remain as such for much longer. That very day, at six o'clock, police officers went from door to door, posting the announcement. 'Curfew from eight to seven PM. Forbidden by law to exit your homes until the specified time has passed.'
The town went silent that night. More than usual. Every home had its light turned off, and no car engines could be heard. There was only the sound of crickets, and birds.
"Will it work?" Asked a uniformed man on the outskirts of Ponyville.
"Yes, without a hitch." Replied a woman in a white robe, as she pressed a button. "The shield will be up before-"
Her voice, and that of everyone else within a five kilometer radius around the town, was extinguished by a thunderous explosion. The skies were lit red by the fire that resulted, and black ashes began to rain down all around Ponyville. The town itself, however, was unscathed. A large, green dome surrounded down to the last building and fence, protecting it.
The dirt around the dome burned brightly with radiation, and the buildings and residents of Ponyville watched in fright as a white fog surrounded them entirely. Slowly, and amid countless screams of terror, everyone and their belongings were reduced to nothing but a fraction of their normal size.
Soldiers and police officers went from home to home, giving gas-masks to as many people as they could reach. The town slowly shrunk away, until every house was separated from each other by at least a mile, and there was no more running water, electricity, or rapid way of transport, as the roads saw themselves disappear, and the giant blades of grass cast long shadows across the arid terrain where the gravel, and cement had once carved pathways for vehicles to move through.
But despite all this, the shield had worked.
Just not as they intended it to.
