Rebellion

The sun shone no more in Saddle Arabia, debris and smoke covered the skies, like an endless storm with no rain: clouds never seeming to leave the sky. The blue sky was no more, but now a gray swirl of nothing. An explosion sounded in the distance. Screaming followed, fillies running from the noise.

"Mom!" One of them yelled. They ram through an alley. Above them, pegasi eyed them like hawks looking at fresh prey. They spread their wings and dropped down, grabbing the squirming, screaming fillies. They rushed out of the alley holding them as they struggled to get free. A cart pulled up next to the alley; it was made of metal and had a closed top, one opening through the top was open and the back and front was caged. The Pegasus dropped the fillies in through the top. Citizens gathered and watched as one by one, the fillies were dropped into the cart, screaming for help. One of the Pegasus stood on top of the cart, dressed like his colleagues. Tan, ragged, torn cloth wrapped around their faces, a brown large blanket like cloth covering their bodies. You could barely make out a rifle hanging front their necks underneath the brown cloth.

"What are you all looking at?!" He shouted. The citizens began to disband. One pony stayed and stared at the Pegasus on top of the cart. He was an old pony, using a cane to aid him in moving. His eyes were crusted along with his now shaggy white mane.

"I'll tell ya what I'm looking at!" He scoffed. The Pegasus flew down and took out a small pistol.

"Tell me old man. What?" The old pony bent down and picked up the sand beneath him.

"I'm looking at one of my fellow Arabians betraying what we all are! To the sand with you!" He heaved the sand at the Pegasus. The Pegasus blinked his eyes and staggered back. He wiped the sand away, tears forming. The old stallion stood as citizens watched from the sides. The Pegasus blinked a few more times, while doing so he held the gun up and shot the old stallion five times in the head. The cane fell to the sand and so did the old man, staining the sand black underneath his head, like a pillow. The Pegasus put the pistol back in its holster.

"All of you!" He yelled to the crowd, "Get out of here unless you want me to call a Heveran convoy over here!" The ponies galloped away from the scene, "and clean this rubbish up." The Pegasus commanded the others, referring to the dead stallion on the street. The cart pulled saluted as the Pegasus passed. He flew up to the top, listening to the screaming children underneath him. He stomped on the cart and the puller galloped. The Pegasus left behind picked up the old stallion and began to hack at him, laughing and joking as they did so. Finally the slammed the corpse up against the wall of a building, one of them picked up old rusty nails on the sidewalk. They hoofed them over to another pegasus who held them up to the old man's hooves and nailed his limbs onto the wall using the handle of his gun. The Heveran militia laughed as they slammed the nails through the old pony's body. They grabbed their firearms.

"Ready?" They joked.

"To the sand with him!" They laughed as they fired at the corpse that was now nailed to a building. Citizens watched from the sanctuary of the indoors, with eyes filled with fear. His limbs bleeding and scraps of his skin being blown off as the bullets whisked through the air.

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The road was bumpy, gravel and twigs break underneath the cart. Tundra lifted the back and watched as the Cary passes green pastures, small stones from the gravel spitting from the back of the wheels. She pulled her head back in and looked across from her at the Commander's eyes still glued to the file. She felt her backpack bouncing up and down on her side. She stared at Night Thunder. She got lost in his gray eyes. He lifted his head. She heard something muffled, Tundra stared at his hair. It was gelled to tip at the ends, just like it always was.

"Tundra!" She shook her head and snapped out of her trance. She grabbed her backpack and began to search around it.

"Uh, yes... What do you want, sir?" Night Thunder grabbed her bag.

"Nothing Miss." He plopped the bag beside him, "you need to stay focused, Tundra. This is important." She blushed and nodded, pushing her hair back behind her ears. The cart stopped. Night Thunder returned Tundra's backpack and let her exit the cart first. Tundra found herself in front of a massive stone cliff. She gazed the cliffs surrounding them. On top on one of the edges was a massive blimp sitting on the edge like a large eagle on a thin branch. It looked like the ledge was about to snap. The blimp was the Master Class Airship that the Elite Guard used for special operations. It was much larger than the average airship, but possessed special equipment to make it the stealthiest, fuel efficient, and most powerful ship in all of Equestria. Nothing compared to the technology or firepower onboard the massive blimp. The balloon was black and massive, covered in thick metallic sheets that prevented projectiles from piercing the balloon. On either side of the balloon, a large circular device laid in the middle. It was currently turning, but you can see small holes on the revolving pieces.

"Night Thunder?" Tundra inquired. The Commander picked up some bags and trotted over to her.

"Yes?" Tundra pointed at the circular devices.

"What are those?" She asked.

"Those are converters, powered by unicorn magic, they possess the power to transform oxygen molecules into helium to keep the balloon afloat."

"How?" Nothing in Equestria had ever witnessed technology like this.

"Well, with modern day technology and magic, we've managed to create a similar process the stars do to create helium." Tundra nodded, "c'mon, there should be a lift over there." He pointed behind a large obelisk-like natural stone structure. Tundra trotted for the directed area, followed by the Commander. Behind the stone was a row of ten wooden planks, twenty feet long and bound together by four iron bars underneath them. A steel frame was built on top of the wood, extruding from the four corners and forming a parallel square from the wood.

"Is it safe?" Tundra asked. Thunder shrugged.

"It’s all we got." Tundra sighed and stepped onto the lift, the commander following her onto it. He reached up and grabbed the one of the four ropes on the corners and tugged in them. Some shouting was heard followed by the lift jolting and beginning to rise. Above, you could hear the machine pulling them up. Tundra watched as the stoke structure grew smaller as they rose. The lift jolted again. When they had reached the top, Tundra jumped onto the cliff without hesitation. Thunder threw his and Tundra's bag on first, and then jumped onto the cliff’s edge. Two ponies wearing yellow chest plates galloped toward them and picked the bag up.

"To the airship, sir?" One of them asked, he had a slight Trottingham accent. Thunder nodded, and the two galloped off toward a mass crowd of ponies gathered near a small group of buildings. Moving around like a hive of working bees, Royal Guards, a few Elites, and some workers were helping to get the ship prepped for flight. Tundra and Night Thunder began to proceed for the ship. Tundra stared; the metal sheets that covered the balloon portion became clearer than they were on the bottom of the cliff. They shone brilliantly as the sun beat down on them. The gondola stretched from one end of the balloon to the opposite. Small, horizontal, narrow windows were built on the side like a bunker, and you could tell the half-cylinder like cockpit had a panoramic view as well as the rear. The rudders on the back of the airship displayed the logo of the Elite Guard; a sword encased in a circle excluding the tip of the blade. Tundra and Night Thunder pushed their way through the busy ponies. They were greeted near the rope ladder to the airship by Celestia.

"Night Thunder," she smiled, "Tundra."

"Your highness." Tundra bowed. Celestia looked to Night Thunder.

"I wish you luck on your endeavors, old friend." She placed her hoof on his shoulder and he smiled, looking down.

"Thank you Princess, I hope to return with success." She took her hoof back and allowed the Commander and his assistant to leave. Tundra spread her wings and flew up. Night Thunder followed, his robotic wing clicking as it went up. Celestia waved as they entered the airship. Tundra flew into the open hangar door, Night Thunder coming in shortly after her. Already in the hangar were two unicorn Elite Guards wearing no armor were moving things around. They greeted the Commander and his assistant with a salute. Night Thunder responded with a salute. The hangar was rather small; the floor was made up of four large metallic plates and one circle in the center of them. The sides were lined with one row of seven small, narrow windows seen previously. Two trunks were on either side, filled with parachutes.

"Um..." Tundra pushed her hair back and looked at Night Thunder.

"Oh, right, your room is right over there." Night Thunder pointed down one of the two hallways on either side of the hangar and the second door from them. She nodded and trotted to the room with her head down. Night Thunder coming into the hangar.

"Is she shy, sir?" One of the Elites asked.

"Yes." He answered plainly.

"She's cute." One of them replied. The Commander turned his head to look at the Elite who said that. As he turned his head he saw something fly through the air and onto the Elite's face.

"You're such a pervert." The other Elite laughed. On the Elite's, who called Tundra cute, face was piece of bread. He removed the piece and looked at his companion.

"I called her cute! How is that perverted?" The other shrugged. Night Thunder ignored them and went through the hallway. As he entered the hallway, a door to his left lead to the research lab, and he continued down the hallway he entered the foyer, a large circular room meant to entertain the Team, where the bunkers/rooms for Team 41 and the Elites surrounded it. The walls were made of wood and the rug was like soft, white sand, only you couldn't kick it. In the foyer were three arched sofas that were concentric with the room's circular pattern. Three pegasi elites were seated at each of the chairs. In the middle of the room was three TV's each one pointing to a different sofa. Opposite to the hallways was a door that lead to the main cockpit, and on either side was a bar-like structure that held food and refreshments. It was made of wood to give it a luxurious and natural look. Night Thunder trotted over to one of the couches. As he approached the Elites noticed his presence, stood up, and saluted. Night Thunder bowed his head and the Elites sat down. Night Thunder sat down next to one of them and let out a sigh.

"Tired, sir?" One of them asked.

"Quite." The young stallion nodded. He held his hoof out.

"Sergeant Chrome." Night Thunder looked at the guard.

"I see why you were named, Chrome." His coat was like silver, his eyes were a like a bar of gold, rich and voluptuous. He too had no armor. He held his hoof out and shook his hoof.

"Sergeant Greenspan."

"Are all of you recruits?" Night Thunder blatantly and spontaneously asked. All three nodded.

"I believe all Elites on this ship are recruits, Commander."

"I see." The Elites nodded, "alright," he groaned as he lifted himself from his comfortable position on the soft sofa, "nice to meet all of you, but let's get to work on prepping the ship, shall we?" The Elites got up and did as the Commander told. Night Thunder trotted over to the safe door that lead to the cockpit. He turned the four handled tumble and the door opened with a hiss. The cockpit was as large as half the foyer. Inside were five earth ponies wearing utility belts like the others, and were without any armor. Four of them were on the monitors, two on either side of the room. In the front was a panoramic view of the blue sky in front of them. The floor was tilted at an angle, excluding a small portion on the bottom where the Commander "commands from, which is unnecessary," according to Night Thunder. On the desks and monitors the Elites were on were the instruments and equipment necessary to keep the airship moving. In the flattened area was an Elite leaning on a female Elite's monitor, pointing to parts of the desk, most likely assisting her in properly using the equipment. Night Thunder trotted up to the front of the cockpit. "Listen up!" He boomed. The cockpit went silent, "excellent. Let's begin our mission." The Elites all nodded and placed their earpieces in as if they were on cue. Night Thunder was tossed a headset with built in microphone, "Ignition." He commanded. One pony flicked a few things followed by the turning of dial. The ship rattled as the engines began to kick on.

"Engines fired up and warming up to operating temperatures." One pony informed.

"Close the hangar door." Another few clicks and turns and the sound of gears and machines working sounded followed by a loud locking sound.

"Hangar door sealed sir."

"Alright, let’s move out!" The ship hummed as it began to move, "let's hope this will work, Princess."