The Siege of Canterlot

WARNING!

The following story contains language, subject matter, and sexist themes that some readers may find unsettling or offensive. If you are uncomfortable with or triggered by such themes, it is advisable that you do not read this story. This work has no connection to the creators/artists of the "Fall of Equestria" comic, and as such any and all displeasure or complaints about this particular work should not be directed toward them or their viewers. If you see someone expressive offense toward this work in the comments, please do not be snippy toward them about it.

"What do you mean low priority?!" Ascentia yelled, her voice reverberating off the walls, "You want to leave her in the hands of that Draconic mongrel?!"

"Ascentia, calm down," Tolrah said firmly as the air around her grew frigid, making Applejack and Rainbow shiver, "As long as Twilight is compliant with this new regime, she is in no danger. Those actively resisting are a far higher priority for extraction. Twilight is in Ponyville. What has become of Sunrise, I do not know."

Ascentia turned on her heel and strode toward the door.

"Where are you going?!"

"To find my wife," she snarled, "And I pity the suicidal fool that tries to stop me."

"Ascentia..." Tolrah extended her hand but dropped it, "...Don't make a scene. We can only keep distracting authorities for so long."

"I make no promises," Ascentia said stiffly as she slammed the door behind her, making the entire house shake on it's foundation.

Tolrah sighed as she sat back down, the air losing it's sub-zero temperatures and returning to a comfortable room temperature, "Ascentia could end up being problematic to your rebellion, Princess Luna."

Luna looked at the door Ascentia had just departed from and sighed solemnly, "It is understandable, Master Tolrah. If someone had made my lover and child into their... property... I cannot begin to fathom the pain she is going through."

Tolrah leaned back in her chair and looked up at the ceiling. Ascentia had been enamoured with Twilight Sparkle since she'd met the young Princess. Enamoured and protective. "How long has it been?"

"Thirty years," Luna recalled, sitting down next to her.

"Married for thirty years... and in a few short hours it was all taken away..." Tolrah sighed. They had traced back the dates. Equestria had been conquered only three days after Ascentia had left for the wars in the Core at Ryder's command. They dared not tell this to Ascentia, as she was volatile enough.

"Did you find out what became of Sunrise?" she asked.

Luna shook her head, "The Outlander searched, but Sunrise seems to have vanished. She is presumed dead or hiding."

"If she is alive, Ascentia will find her," Tolrah assured her.

"Tolrah, are you ready to discuss the plans for Ponyville?" Ryder asked as he came back into with Big Macintosh.

"Yes, my Lord," Tolrah nodded, returning to the table that had a map of Ponyville laid out over it.

"What plans for Ponyville?" Luna asked.

"I am counting on Ascentia causing a commotion in Ponyville tonight," Ryder explained, "As such, we're going to take the town. It is a very large obstacle to have an occupied city right next to our keep."

"So you're going to take the city for us and the refugees?" Luna asked.

"No, you and Tolrah are," Ryder said, "You will have a strike force to command, but I will not be in the city."

"Why not? You're incredible! You can rip those freaking collars off like they're nothing!" Rainbow protested.

Ryder looked up with a raised eyebrow, "Rainbow Dash, all of my Val'Kyr can do that. My powers are not remarkable to my people, only to you. And either way, it is irrelevant. How would it look to both those resisting as well as those consenting to see a heavily armored man overpowering their current taskmasters?"

Rainbow pondered this for a minute, then remembered how she'd first reacted when Ryder had set her free, "Okay, I'll be quiet."

Ryder shook his head, "There is no need for that. It was an honest question. And in fact brings me to my next point. For this campagin, Tolrah, you will be Prime Commander."

Tolrah looked up in surprise. Prime Commander was a battlefield rank. A Prime Commander outranked all but the Grand Lord in terms of their authority, but was rescinded upon the end of the conflict in which it was granted.

"My Lord, I..." she was dumbfounded. She had never commanded an entire campaign, and she recognized that Ryder had only done it to give the Equestrians a symbol to rally around, "...Why not Ascentia?"

"Ascentia is one dead Equestrian away from a psychotic rampage," Ryder frowned, "She makes a good fighter, but she has always been far too attached to Princess Twilight to be a viable commander."

Tolrah was forced to agree. In any other situation, Ascentia would swiftly and brilliantly end this conflict tonight. But in her current state she was unfit for such a job. "I am honored, my Lord."

"Princess Luna, my forces are yours to command," Ryder nodded his head toward her, "Use them as you see fit."

"...Thank you, Outlander."

"My pleasure," he said, looking down at the map again as he drew out a scroll from his apprentice, "Phyaun has completed her report on the outer settlements of Equestria, and with it along with our knowledge of the core, I have devised a plan."

Luna, Rainbow and Applejack all sat up straight, giving Ryder their full attention. Only a few days ago had help even arrived and they were already getting right to the point of invasion. Luna smiled as Ryder made several notes on the map of Ponyville. She didn't trust the Val'Kyr. They were too secretive and held far too much power for her comfort. But she had to admit they had more than earned her gratitude. She had asked for help, and they had delivered her expectations a hundredfold.

"The caribou run Equestria in the most haphazard way possible," Ryder explained, "Eighty percent of the population has been turned into domestic and sexual slaves, leaving the work force severely crippled. The weather maintenence is short-handed, the military is understaffed, almost all public services aare operating on skeleton crews as their employees are entirely male. The actual number of caribou is suprisingly small for an invasion force."

"They Crystal Heart," Luna concluded, "Without it, they are nothing."

"Precisely," Ryder nodded, "However, this broken system will be the pressure point we need. The caribou's own politics has become their undoing. I don't think I need to tell you that turning women into livestock doesn't change the fact that they require food, shelter, and basic health care?"

"Of course not," Luna shook her head.

"Exactly. So while Equestria's workforce has been cut to 20% of what it once was, the actual needs to the people have not changed in the slightest. Not only are the farms stressed for labour, hospitals cannot hope to handle the sheer amount of patients coming in. Any larger influx, like from a battle, would cripple them. Their economy has suffered so much that the government cannot afford to replace defensive facilities."

Luna smirked. This was yet another advantage they held over Dainn. He had to comission new weapons, armor, structures and everything else. Ryder did not. He told his people to make armor, they made armor. The Val'Kyr had no currency and operated entirely on command. And their supplies, especially the ever durable Saronite, would come from offworld. In fact, Luna was thinking the next thing that came out of Ryder's mouth.

"This entire regime is a house of cards simply begging for a strong gust of wind," Ryder concluded, "And we will strike it hard."

"How so?" Luna asked.

"Several skirmishes to diminish and exhaust them while we extract as many Equestrians as we can, perform recon, and fortify the keep. Then, we will perform a Shock and Awe."

"A what?"

"A Shock and Awe," Ryder explained, producing a map of Equestria and circling five points on the Kingdom map, two of which were the Crystal Empire and Canterlot, "Full scale sieges of each hold at the same time. With Dainn's resources spread as thin as they are, he will be unable to defend himself."

Applejack and Rainbow Dash looked down at the map in awe, "Jus' like that? An' it's over?"

"Ideally," Ryder continued, "Canterlot is the primary target. That is where the seat of power lies, and is where the Crystal Heart is being kept. There is only one more matter to attend to..."

Luna looked back and forth between Ryder and Tolrah, "What?"

Tolrah finally spoke up, "Princess Luna, this is war. That does mean that people will die. And many of your ponies are being influenced by the Crystal Heart. My warriors will not strike to kill unless you have authorized it."

"The caribou can roast on a fire," Luna hissed, "As for the rest... take them alive if possible, but if it cannot come to that, end their misery."

"And what of the women in red collars?" Ryder asked.

"I know for a fact that many submitted to make the best of a bad situation," Luna sighed, "If they have, they will surrender to you. If not... take them prisoner."

"And those who's minds are too far gone?" Tolrah asked.

"The purple collars?" Luna hesitated for a moment, before sighing dejectedly, "Put them out of their misery."

Ryder nodded as he examined the map of Ponyville, "Very well. The Keep's infrastructure will be ready to support refugees in two days. On your command, I will give the signal to begin small strikes against outlying towns."

"A keep?! That blasted cunt has turned my farmland into a keep?!" Dainn growled, yanking on Celestia's chain in rage as he looked at the eastern window, in pieces since the Val'Kyr from earlier had burst in and taken Luna, "When I get my hands on their scrawny little necks, I'll-"

"Your Majesty, I know this is infuriating and you're eager to strike, but remember that the Crystal Heart doesn't affect these creatures. Val'Kyr are surprisingly resilient and even their weakest can hold off an armada," Shining Armor explained.

"Well then, Captain Armor. Since you seem to know so much about these vermin, regail us with how we go about crushing them," Dainn snarled.

"You don't," Shining Armor frowned, "As much as it pains me to admit it, Val'Kyr are the apex predators. They are as cunning as they are strong, and their army is near limitless."

"How do you know so much of these creatures?" Dainn asked with a narrow eye.

"Their champion is my sister-in-law," Shining Armor replied, laying down a folder with the name of an Equestrian citizen on it.

SPARKLE, ASCENTIA LILLIAN

Dainn opened the folder as his eyes scanned down the immigration profile.

**AGE -* 9.34 x 10^8*

SEX - Female (C)

RACE - Val'Kyr

HEIGHT - 6'4''

WEIGHT - 174lbs

NATION OF ORIGIN - Sol Capital

CITIZENSHIP - Citizen by marriage

**SPOUSE -* Princess Twilight Sparkle*

Flipping the page over was the form all women in Equestria had added to their files once Dainn had taken over.

**CLASSIFICATION -* EQ-682 (Lethal)*

CAPTURE - Unaccounted for

COLLAR - Not Applicable

MASTER - Not Applicable

MENTAL CAPACITY - Fully Coherent

ORIENTATION - Homosexual (unbroken)

EXPLOITABLE WEAKNESSES - Highly protective of wife and daughter. Inherently submissive toward Twilight Sparkle.

**ASSESSMENT -* Highly dangerous, off planet during Fall. Skilled fighter and military tactician before Fall. Approach with extreme caution.*

"This cunt was an Equestrian?!" Dainn growled, "And she still walks free?!"

"She was off planet during the Fall, your Majesty," Shining Armor explained, "And even if she wasn't it would take an entire strike force to bring her down."

"You sound like a sympathizer, Armor," Dainn snapped, standing up straight and circling the table.

"Not at all, your Majesty," Shining Armor said firmly as he stood at attention, "I knew Ascentia personally, and I've seen her fight. She is one of the most powerful of her kind. It would be suicide to underestimate her."

"Well, then what do you propose we do?" Dainn sneered, expecting Shining Armor to forward no suggestions.

"That would be where we come in," came a low, sultry voice from the doorway.

The two of them whirled around to see three enigmatic women striding up the throne room. As the guards moved to subdue them, the one in the front let out a soft, enchanting note from her voice and each guard slowed to a walk. The other two joined in and the guards stopped dead in their tracks. Dainn himself was enthralled by their song, feeling himself being drawn to the harmony of their lovely voices.

"Don't get any ideas, your Majesty," the leader sneered, taking his chin in her hand, "We were toying with Equestria long before your ancestors were even in diapers."

"What... are... you..." Dainn said groggily.

The leader made a cutting motion with her hand and the singing stopped, "Adagio Dazzle. These two are my pets. And we can get you exactly what you want."

"What are you talking about?" Dainn growled, wondering why he wasn't forcing these women on their knees at this very moment.

Adagio looked up at the Crystal Heart and smirked, "That little trick you've pulled with this toy?"

"Yeah?"

She looked back down at him, "We can do that to the Val'Kyr."

Dainn's ears perked up at this, as a sly smirk spread across his face, "Go on."

Adagio smirked as she took a seat, to which her companions stood behind her, "These creatures are our most delectable prey. They hide their negativity behind a veil of stoicism, but all that rage has to go somewhere. To us, that's a banquet waiting to happen. It is impossible for a Val'Kyr to resist our song. Say the word, and their men are your loyal soldiers, and their women your devoted servants," she smirked as a haunting chuckle escaped her throat.

Shining Armor raised an eyebrow, "You're surprisingly compliant with all of this, Adagio."

Adagio snickered and sat back in her chair, "Old Stonehoof here has turned Equestria into a living feast without us having to lift a finger. All this misery and suffering, it's practically paradise. I believe I ought to return the favor. One hand washes the other."

"I don't cut deals with cunts," Dainn growled, "This is my world. You don't have a place here!"

Adagio's smirk turned into a glare as a caribou approached from behind, holding a silver collar, "Try it and you'll be whimpering on the floor like a newborn cub," she hissed, and the caribou backed away. Smiling in satisfaction, she turned her gaze back to the fuming king, "Well, I suppose the negative energy coming off your men as they lie broken and bleeding at the hands of one of the most powerful armies the galaxy has ever seen will have to do. Who knows how much fallout could come from open warfare. I can practically taste the air thick with the despair..."

"We have more than just the Crystal Heart at our disposal," Shining Armor glared down at her.

"Oh yes, the draconequus, what a marvelous idea," Adagio sneered, flicking a fallen eyelash away in dismissal, "While you're at it, why not send Princess Cadance into their keep as a double agent?"

Dainn growled in indignation as he advanced upon the arrogant Siren, "Listen here, cunt! I am Equestria's King, I will be shown proper respect ass your better!"

Adagio's lips parted ever so slightly, "AHHHHhhhhhaaaaaaaahhhhhhHHHHHAAAAAaaaaaaaaahhhhHHHHHAAAaaaaahhh..."

Dainn staggered as he gripped his skull. What sounded like a thousand whispering voices in his head had drowned out all sound save for Adagio's singing. His temples were set ablaze as a searing headache surged through him.

'Suffer me now... give in... let me take control... surrender all responsibility...' It was surprising to him how pleasant such an idea sounded. All at once the stress of ruling a kingdom was at the forefront of his mind. It would be nice to relinquish control... live a quiet life. Perhaps this siren would consider-

His thoughts were cut off when the singing stopped. Taking deep, shaky breaths, he looked around to find he had fallen over completely. Shining Armor rushed to help his King to his feet, but Dainn shoved him away. Looking up at the Sirens, he shakily got to his feet.

"...How did you do that?" he demanded to know.

"No creature alive can resist our spell," Adagio smirked, "The only thing impervious to us is the Tree of Harmony."

"And by extension the Elements?" Shining Armor asked.

"And where are those Elements now?" Adagio snickered, "Three of them are happy little fucktoys while another is too brain damaged to tell the difference between her own fingers. Do you want these Val'Kyr enthralled or not?"

Dainn looked between each siren, and then down at his empire map. Grinning, he stood upright and slammed his fist onto the table.

"You have a deal."