"When one man dies, it is a tragedy. When a million die, it is a statistic."-Joseph Stalin
For thirty years, tensions had increased between Equestria and the Union of Hooviet Socialist Republics. An arms race between the two sides put the world on the edge of global war. Instability abounded, and diplomatic fights were common. At the center of this arms race were the Atom Spells. Contrary to the names, these were not actually spells, but magically charged weapons of mass destruction. Conduits were built in the thousands in both nations, and the world remained tense under the threat of annihilation.
Atom Spells had the destructive potential to level entire cities, and kill millions in the blink of an eye. This was not the worst of it, however. Atom Spells poisoned surrounding areas with high levels of radiation. Residual energy would remain behind, poisoning the body, and destroying the nervous system. Long term exposure to this energy would lead to the eventual break down of the body on a cellular level.
Furthermore, ash from the detonation would rise into the atmosphere, blotting out the sun. Crops would die and ponies would freeze. The world would end. This caused a great deal of fear and paranoia on epona. How could one not fear the impending apocalypse? In an instant, all life could end.
The UHSR had gone into economic shortfall from the three decade long Cold War. The people were poor and starving, and all money had been squandered on weaponry. Inefficiency in the extraction of resources had caused a severe lack in trading goods. In response, the minister of economy was shot and replaced. To no avail. The Hooviet Union was unsalvageable. They would seize resources from Equestria and her allies, atomic annihilation be damned! They were doomed anyway.
On that fateful day, over five million Hooviet soldiers crossed the borders into Equestria in an attempt to capture mines and crops. Equestria responded in kind. The two nations became locked in a stalemate, Equestria as unable to push the front back as the UHSR was unable to push it forwards. Technologies had advanced too far for tactics to make a difference.
***
Shells screamed overhead as Eternal Night through himself to the ground. He hugged the earth as it vibrated under the violence of the Hooviet barrage. The earth was heavily cratered, and sublimated water clung to the air in the form of mist. Pieces of shrapnel were thrown wildly about.
Next to him lay Perfect Dawn’s still form. She was dead. Of course she was dead! A shell had exploded nearby, shrapnel peppering her form. She had screamed in agony as a particularly large piece embedded itself in her stomach, puncturing her organs. It was only made worse when she had fallen forwards, and the piece of twisted lead had been torn clean. There was now a crescent moon gash in her stomach from which her entrails spilled out, painting the earth a rich shade of crimson. It had taken her a total of fifteen minutes to die, whimpering and screaming.
Eternal was too tired and scared to care. The Equestrian counter advance had collapsed in on itself, and all that was left in the field were the bodies of the dead, dying, and hopeless. Shrill whistling sounded, and the Hooviets charged, bayonets affixed to their magically held rifles. A wave of fire and magical energy sent them back.
The head of one snapped backwards as a bullet punched through it in a welter of gore. Another was struck by beam of energy from the horn of a particularly sadistic unicorn. He screamed as he burned, runnels of fat running down his side. This unfortunate passed out from the agony, probably for the best. Another had his legs removed by a mortar screaming overhead. Blood sprayed chaotically around. It would have made Discord proud, if he were awake from his stone prison.
A Hooviet soldier made it close enough to Eternal to stab him with his bayonet. Eternal screamed as he saw the blade coming towards his eye. He acted. His horn flared up into a bright emerald glow, and he seized the rifle with his magic. The Hooviet was too shocked to react as Eternal reversed the weapon and drove it through the Hooviet’s jugular, shattering the larynx. The Hooviet fell to the ground slowly, gargling blood from his ruptured throat. Blood poured from his lips as he drowned on his own fluids.
This was just another day in the war.
***
The Hooviets had a total of five thousand, seven hundred and fifty two Atom Spell conduits. The order from Horsescow came in. Many of the operators actively wept as they carried out their orders. The world was ending, and it would be their fault. Several refused, and were immediately shot and replaced. Fate marched on.
Energy glowed from tubes and ports as the conduits were charged. Hundreds of thousands of Unicorns channeled their power into the conduits, where the energy was distilled and prepared, giving it a sickly, crimson hue. The distilled energy was then transferred into missiles for effective release. These missiles were launched towards various Equestrian targets. The process took precisely twelve minutes. The missiles would take around fifteen to reach their targets.
***
The Equestrians picked up massive energy readings from over five thousand different locations. Fear and shock filled them all as they realized what they were seeing. They were seeing the annihilation of a world of life. They would die, but they would destroy the bastards that had so ruthlessly brought about their ends.
Equestria had fewer weapons of mass destruction than the Hooviets, but they made up for that with quicker charge times. The Atom Spell conduits were all interconnected to a central hub. This hub took power directly from the Elements of Harmony, which had been…adapted. This well spring of power did not require the manpower that the Hooviet weapons did.
Missiles were charged and launched within three minutes, all streaking towards the UHSR.
***
In the streets of cities, mares and fillies looked to the skies, which were decorated by the contrails of thousands of missiles. Did they know what was happening? Did they know why? Were they even aware of the existence of weapons of mass destruction? Perhaps not, but it was far too late.
The sun was eclipsed by the detonations of tens of thousands of warheads. Mushroom clouds blossomed across the surface of the planet. In a minute and a half of violent explosions, over half a billion ponies died, vaporized and incinerated. Some died quickly, other didn’t. It mattered not. They were dead either way.
The skies blackened and boiled, covered by the dust of weapons. The crops died, the sea froze. All on the planet died, even outside of the blast zones. A world died, and nothing would live to remember it.
