The Fall of Equestria

The room is small and dark and made of old wood. It also contains no furniture or any decorations other than a small window to look out of. Braeburn stands next to the window hooves folded and chest heaving from anxiety. This night was the night it would all start, the shot that would be heard across Equestria...and beyond. His musket is set next to him ready when he was...but he wasn't ready. Braeburn allows himself to look out of the window, outside nopony is out only the dry dust of Appleoosa, blowing about in the night air. Any minute now and they would come. Braeburn reaches for his musket and lets it rest in his hooves, the cold metal touching his skin. He cant do this...he just cant. He shakes his head, he cant commit murder its just not right!

Clip-Clop.

The sound of various hooves resonates through the room. He looks outside again, this time six royal guards march single file some carrying crossbows while others carry spears. Braeburn kneels at the window allowing the barrel of the musket to hang out. He puts his eye on the sights aiming at a dark blue stallion in the line.

Click.

He cocks the musket. Now was his last chance to make a choice, he could walk away from this and be shot by the Appleoosans for not staying loyal to the cause. Or he could let loose the cries for war...and be spared. His hoof grasps the trigger. He breathes in and pulls.

                                                                                            ***

Thump.

Something fell, Spike pokes his head to look at the front of the line. On the ground lies the stallion that was in front of the line. In the dim light of the moon Spike can plainly see that there was a hole in the side of the stallions face, blood oozing out painting the ground a crimson red. The line stops, Spike stops with them aiming his crossbow at the wooden buildings.

"Look alive fellas!" A stallion in the line shouts.

All is quiet for a while.

Crack! Crack! Boom!

A few noises like thunder ring through Appleoosa. Spike jumps at the noises now looking around frantically behind him, his crossbow shaking in his claws. Spike turns back to face the line, but there is no line only a heap of bodies lying on the ground before him. Blood pools from their wounds almost touching Spike's feet. He steps back a bit mouth agape, he had never seen something like this before. He looks up at the buildings again this time there was smoke coming from the open windows. He had to get off the street and somewhere safe. Spike runs to the nearest building, a large wooden one with a red door. Spike tries to open the door but it's locked. He frantically tries turning the doorknob again but the knob doesn't turn.

"Come on you piece of crap open!"

He tries again and again the door of course not opening. Tears well in his green eyes he couldn't die here, he was too young and he wouldn't want to leave all his friends in Ponyville mourning over him. An image of a crying Twilight appears in his head the night that he was taken away. Spike lifts an angry claw at the air and turns, his back on the door looking at a window in a different building.

"Go on DO IT!" Spike shouts at the window shaking his claw angrily.

A green eye gleams from the window, looking at Spike. The pony from the window aims his musket at Spike.

"I'm sorry Twilight." Spike mutters.

Crack!

A shot is heard, and then all is dark.

                                                                                        ***

Rainbow Dash floats high above Ponyville, gusts of wind blowing her multicolored mane around. Today she was going to do thirty consecutive aerial tricks before hitting the ground. (Since Pinkie bet twenty bits she couldn't.) Rainbow looks closes her eyes then breathes in, taking in the warm summer air. Rainbow opens her eyes and smiles, now ready to win Pinkie's twenty bits.

"Rainbow Dash!" A distant voice calls.

Rainbow sighs. Right when she was about to start, somepony has to interrupt her. Rainbow looks around to find the owner of the voice, she doesn't see anypony. Rainbow shrugs well maybe they'll look for her later.

"Rainbow!"

Rainbow looks around, now feeling very agitated.

"Who in the hay is calling!?" Rainbow yells.

She hears the flapping of wings behind her. Rainbow turns and sees the mailmare Ditzy Doo floating behind her, carrying a bag with various envelopes bulging out of it.

"H...hi...Rainbow Dash." Ditzy says panting.

"Oh hey Derpy...er I mean Ditzy, whats up?"

The mailmare scowls at Rainbow for using her nickname, but eventually grabs a envelope from her bag with her mouth then puts it in Rainbow's hoof.

"That's for you."

Rainbow looks at the little white envelope in her hooves and scratches her mane. "Who's it from?"

Ditzy shrugs."Who knows its not my business to look at other ponies mail. But anyways, see you later Rainbow I've got to deliver another letter to Twilight next." Ditzy starts to fly away.

"Alright see you around Derpy." Rainbow says.

Ditzy flinches from the name but floats off anyway ignoring the nickname. Rainbow snickers in her hoof, she looks at the envelope eager to open it. Rainbow zooms down to the grass below and sits on the ground. Rainbow holds the envelope to her mouth and rips it open, taking out a white sheet of paper with beautiful cursive on it, obviously from Celestia. Rainbow clears her throat and begins to read out loud to herself.

"Ahem. Dear Rainbow Dash, it has been brought to my attention that two nights ago there was a shooting in Appleoosa." Appleoosa? Isn't that where Spike was stationed? "Six guards were killed in the attack, and I am sorry to say that one of them was Spike." Rainbow puts her cyan hoof in her mane feeling the rush of grief through her body. "Tomorrow there will be a funeral honoring the six fallen soldiers, if you would be interested in attending please-" Rainbow stops reading, she begins to feel tears in her magenta eyes. "Spike...dead? This can't be." Rainbow says, an image of Spike lying face down in his own blood flashes through her mind. Who would've done such a thing? Rainbow allows the tears to fall from her eyes, and onto the grass. She gets up from the ground, tears still in her eyes and begins to fly, she knows what she has to do. She would enlist in the royal army...for Spike.