Cadence let out a soft sigh as she stared down at the glimmering crystal streets of her city. It was midday, and Celestia's sun was shining down on the sleek crystal with all its might. During the reconstruction, the Crystal Ponies had known that, if they left the streets and buildings too bright, it'd be quite hard to go about their business! The Empress gave a soft smile, remembering the crowds of unicorns, young and old, who had littered the streets, casting long-term enchantments to soak up the sun; it had become a festival to them. Renewal Day. Now, magi were siphoning the soaked-up energy into engine crystals, sending them along on the trains to Equestria's many factories. Cadence hoped that, soon enough, some would stay in the Crystal Province, used in factories of their own. Her ponies had given much in the last twenty-five years.
Cadence remembered fully the days of the Siege. The years. The slow death of her nation, starved and strangled out by an army of brutes at their doorstep. The creeping decline; of dozens of suicides by the day; of children losing all hope and falling nearly catatonic. At losing her husband, Shining Armor, during a desperate raid to attain supplies. Shops had closed down; ponies had flooded into the city by the thousands, constructing a wall around the concentric capital, lining it with every weapon they could muster. None had assumed they could hold the Caribou monsters off from there. If the Great Shield had fallen, the Crystal Empire would had fallen in a day. Cadence closed her eyes, sighing faintly as the memories washed over her in full. She had lost herself, in those dark days. She had sunk into fanaticism, praying to Celestia, to Equestria's then-vanished goddess, to save her ponies. Everything she had done had been to "please" the false image she had of her. Her mind was fractured, weak, malleable. Indeed, she had nearly murdered her own sister-in-law because a fake priestess told her that she should. Too much had been lost.
Giggles and full-out guffaws rolled over her balcony, dredging her, and a warm smile, out of the depths of her reverie. Two foals, one a pegasus, the other a unicorn, galloped out of the castle, attempting to tackle one another. The twins were utterly identical but for their species- each had their father's pure white coat, while retaining their mother's pink-white mix mane. Shimmer Belle and Love Flight. Cadence's everything, her angels; her family. Turning to them, she opened her wings invitingly, beaming as her foals eagerly accepted the chance to hug against their ever-busy mother. Skidding over the crystal floors, Shining Armor laughed softly as he hurried himself onto the balcony as well.
"So that's where those rascals got off to," he announced teasingly, catching his wife's shimmering eyes and smiling softly back.
Shining Armor was a powerfully built stallion, even in his ever advancing age. As Prince-Consort, he kept himself in tip-top shape, to both lead the nation in war, and to help provide heirs and scions for the royal family. His barrel was firm and muscular, as were both his fore and hind legs. Some males in their late forties tended to let themselves put on a little extra weight; Shining did not have the luxury. Few ponies did, in these times. When he shifted to one side, Cadence shuddered; Shining Armor could never put on enough fur or muscle to hide the scar of the Caribou bullet that had taken his life some ten years prior. The magic of the Phoenix Heart was incredibly powerful, melding the magics of love, blood, mystery, and light; but the scars of the Caribou War just simply could not be magicked away or forgotten. Cadence shifted a wing, running a feather down a long, light scar on her side.
"It's no trouble, my love," Cadence replied warmly, kissing Love Flight on the top of her head and grinning as she squirmed, "Might keep me in a good mood during these talks."
Shining Armor frowned immediately at that, tail flicking agitatedly.
"Indeed," he rumbled, glaring back into the castle, "The delegation from the Griffon Confederacy and the Minotaur Empire have just arrived. Empress Sparkle would like us in there as soon as possible."
Cadence sighed faintly, nodding and giving her foals one last kiss on their foreheads before ushering them off, her ears laying back sadly at their disappointed groans. Such is the life of royalty... It took a great deal of self-control to keep a tear from her eye. All she had ever wanted was to have her family and kingdom to love and make safe. Cadence slowly grounded her hoof into the crystal floor before pushing herself forward to follow after her husband back into the lion's den. Now it was time to deal with their lions and bulls, before everything she had worked for, and overcome, came undone.
**********************************
The delegation from the Griffon Confederacy was split into two factions, that Twilight Sparkle noticed right away. One side was dressed in traditional Griffon military garb, with dark-painted breastplates, vambraces, and plumed helms. They all boasted dark-color pelts and feathers, typical of the Griffon subspecies that lived in the high mountains and northern hill country of the Griffon continent. All were armed in some way; melee weapons only, as per their laws, and all swords tied with peace strings. Twilight knew firsthoof that those strings could be snapped or sliced by a Griffon with no pause at all. At the other side of their table sat a group of more brightly garbed griffons, dressed in the clothing popularized by Equestria and other nations before the Great War: warm jackets, crusher caps, and ties. They, as far as Twilight's normal eyesight could tell, were unarmed. Her magical sight pinpointed at least as many knives, hold-out pistols, and derringers as the Northern Griffons had swords. Twilight was tempted to call them on it, but the Southern Griffons held their most venomous glances for their Northern cousins. An interesting development.
Empress Twilight Sparkle of the Equestrian Empire sat imperiously on her ebony wood throne; her body, by now as large as Celestia had once been, was adorned in the Imperial Regalia: a black jacket, with a great golden Phoenix rising out of a Heart on her chest. Her mane, shimmering and fluttering with an unseen breeze, flowed free that day, not held by any form of helmet or hat. She preferred it that way; Rarity's vanity had begun to rub off on her, she knew. Twilight wished all of her friends could have made it to the talks; it would have definitely cut down on the tension and boring, at least for her. Rainbow Dash, unfortunately, was too busy training the next wave of Wonderbolts up in Cloudsdale, alongside her herd of the original Wonderbolt's team. Plus, her third pregnancy in as many years definitely kept her sky bound until she was "free" again. Applejack had been kept in Ponyville for the duration of the talks, as they were beginning work on a new plantation of apple trees, and she had to help train the next generation of trainers and overseers to help work the Diamond Dog and Mole immigrants arriving everyday from Trixie's Underground. Pinkie Pie was in charge of the education of these immigrants, teaching them everything from Equestrian, to history, to the importance of the Elements of Harmony and the Elements of Life: Freedom, Blood, Mystery, and Light.
Rarity, as Regent of Canterlot when Twilight had to leave, simply could not attend talks such as these. She simply had too much on her plate to deal with it from afar. Canterlot had gone, in the last five years, from a cultural hotspot, to both a cultural hotspot and a technological wellspring. Universities and inventor firms spewed out new designs and techniques daily, and somepony had to have the moxie and organization to keep it all in line. And with the influx of immigrants Equestria was seeing from all over the globe, Rarity had a great many things to get started. Public work programs, educational programs, National Pride Days... Twilight allowed herself a smile. Rarity was doing it all, and doing it well. She truly had much to thank her for. And with Fluttershy, her wife, working alongside Rarity to bring Equestria's medical board up to spec with the rest of the world... Indeed, in the five years since the Resurrection, Equestria's hospitals had exploded outwards, opening new buildings and clinics in each of the cities, outposts, and new settlements. Sicknesses that resurged during the first trying years had been completely mitigated or stamped out, which saved a good deal of magic during Resurrection Day.
Resurrection Day... The pride of Twilight's nation. Happiness at the thought of it always caused Twilight's wings to flutter, earning a few well-meaning chuckles from the guards around her. One day a year when the magic of the Phoenix Heart would peek and expand outward in a glorious, fiery display, bringing back all those in Equestria's borders who had died before their time. Sick foals who died in the hospice? Returned to life, often-times blessed by the magic and marked with fiery manes or brilliant golden eyes. Gallant guardsponies, felled by mishap or misdeed, rising from the specially prepared Guard Homes, to once again serve their friends and families. Soldiers, bodies or soul gems, who were brought home, would be given a second chance to fight for their nation, or to retire in the home they gave everything to defend. Even those unlucky ponies who suffered mishaps and accidents that had cost them everything would be given a second chance at life. It was beautiful, it was momentous... and it was more than likely the sole reason why the Griffons had demanded that this summit take place.
Glancing around the circular table, Twilight allowed her smile to continue as she met the gazes of the other dignitaries. The greatest fear of Twilight and the other rulers of Equestria had been the extinction of their race during the war. Thankfully, only two years since the Armistice, they were proven wrong. Germaney, Ruskala, and Saddle Arabia had all revealed themselves to have taken in swathes of Equestrian refugees in the latter days of the bombardment and occupation. Many of these ponies had even risen to prominence within their new homes. Indeed, the ambassadors of Ruskala, a typically Cervine and Ursine nation, were both Earth Ponies, while the adjutant of the Saddle Arabian sultana was a sleek, well-groomed pegasus. Germaney's ambassador was a tall, quiet Lupine, while both of his adjutants were Donkeys. Germaney had especially become a welcome ally to Equestria, supplying them with expertise in rocket and ship-building technology, in exchange for generous sums of both coal and precious gems. The Lupine ambassador, Silver Ear, gave Twilight a small grin and a wink; flushing, it was all Twilight could do to flick her ear at him, and keep her calm demeanor.
"Announcing, the Caliph of Camelu, U-Daren Velak!"
Well, well. This is a surprise.
Twilight glanced to the door as the tall, white-robed camels slowly walked into the hall, moving to take a seat on the opposite side of the table from the Sultana of Saddle Arabia, a move that had her blinking in surprise at U-Daren, who refused to meet her gaze. Something about his expression did not sit well with Twilight, and she was still studying him when Cadence and Shining Armor took their proper places at Twilight's side. Extending a wing and lightly stroking it down Cadence's back, Twilight glanced over at her co-diarch, nodding once. Cadence never even blinked, scanning the room for herself. When she spotted the tension between the sultana and the caliph, she flicked an ear to signal an understanding. Something was happening, here.
"I believe that is the last of the delegates."
Twilight's eyes slid to face the speaker: a tall, silver-feathered Griffon, dressed in his own set of dark-colored armor. He stared Twilight down with a pair of brilliant sapphire eyes, an oddity among his kind. Twilight was unsettled by the gleaming hatred his eyes held for her, and she allowed herself a small frown. Something was happening, indeed. She slowly tapped her hoof on the ebony table, nodding at each delegate in turn.
"You are correct, General Vandius Highclaw. We will begin. I'd like to bid everyone welcome to the Crystal City, a jewel of the Equestrian Em-"
"I will have to stop you right there, Twilight Sparkle."
Time could have been frozen for the stunned silence that overtook everypony at that moment. With a slow creak of distressed wood, the Minotaur ambassador, a hulking figure by the name of Red Horn Stonehoof, sat forward in his chair, steepling his meaty fingers on the table. His expression held no remorse for the grave faux pass he had just committed by interrupting the host of the talks. He hardly even seemed to notice Twilight's stunned gaze, or the burning glares from all the other pony, Lupine, and Southern Griffon delegates. As Cadence opened her mouth, the Minotaur snorted once, hot air blowing out to stir the mass of papers set out in front of them all.
"I will not have a pack of rebels speak at these talks," he rumbled out slowly, "Nor will I recognize any nation who dares send slaves to speak in their behalf."
He nodded to General Highclaw, completely ignoring the outraged sputters of the Ruskalan ambassadors who had slammed their fore-hooves onto the table like cannon shot.
"I must agree with Chief Stonehoof. We only agreed to come to this rebel city to offer our terms of immediate surrender of all ponykind, and seizure of formerly Caribou lands. Caliph?"
"I second the motion," U-Daren replied softly, "The Equine race has been judged by the Holies to be the slaves of the Cervine race. As we all have warred in the past with the Cervine, this makes them our enemies."
"U-Daren!"
The Sultana stood up on her throne, a horrified look in her golden eyes as she stared at her neighbor across the table, "What is the meaning of this? Our nations have been allies for centuries!"
The Caliph did not answer; indeed, he did not seem to recognize her very existence as more than a passing breeze and noise, which was a grievous insult in Saddle Arabian culture. Of course, condemning her species as slaves and rebels was just as grave to Twilight and Cadence's own. Grinding her teeth audibly, Twilight slowly brought her hoof back down to her throne, glaring at the three delegations.
"My kind are not rebels," she hissed slowly, "Nor are we slaves."
"You lost your war with the Caribou," General Highclaw replied with a shrug, "And could not accept your enslavement gracefully. So you rebelled against your former masters. Indeed, you are all guilty of heinous war crimes. The likes of-"
"WAR CRIMES!? THEY BUTCHERED MY PEOPLE AND PUT THEM ON GODDESS-DAMNED STAKES!" Shining Armor roared, struggling mightily against his wife's wing as he surged forward, "They raped my people, killed them like common animals!"
"What the hell are you doing, Vandius?" the southern Griffon delegate asked, face pale in horror, "The President never said any of this! Who has given you the right to-"
"The President has betrayed the griffons of the North, and we do not speak for him," Vandius snapped, his gaze falling darkly on the shaking Southern delegate, "King Stonecliff speaks for us now."
Stonecliff. Hard-line Griffon conservative and traditionalist, been calling for increased Griffon aggression for ages. But to break away from the federal Griffin government...
"We recognize the validity of the North Griffonian Kingdom," Red replied with a faint smirk, "And the Caliph speaks for the holiness of our cause. And the sad truth of the matter is that you hardly have the ability to say no to us. Ruskala relies on the Empire for our oil, and you owe us something in the thousands of gold bullion. Germaney, you have no bigger buyer of your goods. Imagine what would happen if you lost all that trade."
To Twilight's surprise, the glare from Silver Ear was just as intense as any of the ponies. With a feral growl, the Lupine slowly scratched his claws down the ebony table.
"You are a bully, and a monster, Stonehoof," he replied hotly, "No race can be condemned entirely to slavery! You're using your perverse legalism to justify a war for greed!"
With a firm sweep of his paw, Silver Ear whisked away the paperwork in front of his seat, bracing himself on the table as he rose up as high as he could, teeth bared in a predatory snarl.
"If you fire one shot at the Equestrian Empire, the full might of Germaney will crash down on your thick heads!"
"As will the ponies, Cervine, and Ursine of Ruskala!" One of the Earth Ponies piped up hotly, her lingering accent that of the southern plains of Equestria, "The Czarina will not stand for this travesty!"
Twilight's calculating eyes turned to the sultana; she and the caliph had finally locked eyes, her molten depths challenged by his bland, darkened gaze.
"The ponies and true followers of the Holies stand by our long-term allies in Equestria," she stated, voice thick with emotion, "A shot upon them, is a shot on all of us."
Red Stone Hoof scanned each member of the talks slowly before his dark green eyes locked with Twilight's violet, each testing the will of the other. Unnervingly, the Empress found his will strong, and nearly as implacable as her own. Nearly. Both rose to their full height as one, nearly breaking eye contact first, only turning away as one. Cadence was still seated, face utterly stricken; Shining Armor was glaring death at the Griffons, muzzle twisted in a hate-filled, silent snarl. The Ruskalan ambassadors had slunk as far away from the Griffons and Minotaurs as they could, practically hiding behind a stoic Silver Ear. Switching to her magical senses, Twilight scanned the room and each of the warmongering attendants... and it was as she feared. This time, there was no dark force controlling these enemies behind the scenes. This war, and it would surely be war, was based solely on greed and fanaticism.
"There are thousands of ponies in Griffonia," Shining Armor rumbled, "I hope you're ready for that."
All the pony attendants turned to watch General Highclaw. And all were horrified by the widening smirk climbing up his beak.
"We're handling that as we speak."
***************************************
"Airship inbound! ...Light Below, she's not stopping!"
It was general pandemonium at the Crystal City Aerodrome as dozens of Crystal pegasi and Equestrian pegasi launched up from the ground, scrambling to grab tie-off lines and grappling hooks. The incoming airship was one of the fast consulate ships, used to transport ambassadors and dignitaries across vast distances in as quickly a fashion as possible. This one was going at absolute full speed, her engines hacking and sputtering thick clouds of magical dust and coal ash as they were strained to their limit. Typically, ships were in full radio contact with the Aerodrome towers the entire landing process, in order to avoid accidents and collisions. On this ship, not even a flag carrier stood on the bow, or even on the twin balloons keeping it aloft. It was a ghost ship, in all appearances.
"Get the lines up there!" Captain Faerie Flight yelled out to his crack team, flapping his wings as hard as he could muster to get himself to the proper altitude for his grappling gun.
It launched with a hiss of compressed air and homing magic, quickly biting into the thick hull among a near forest of its brothers. Pressing a stud on the gun, Faerie let the magically weighted object fall to the tower below, homing in on its magnetic signature. The combined magical weight of the grappling hooks did the trick, and the airship finally began to slow, its engines loudly groaning in protest at the deceleration. Several pegasi above Faerie flew up onto the deck... and his entire body paled at the stunned cries, screams, and retches that followed, almost all of the said pegasi lurching and spiraling away. Grabbing the pistol he kept on his belt in his teeth, Faerie winged his way over the side of the ghost ship. What he saw would haunt his nightmares for the rest of his life.
Ponies, or what was left of ponies, lay in bloody, gore-caked heaps. Many of them had been dressed in ambassadorial garb and finery, though others wore the uniforms of the Imperial Navy. Every fifth or so pony, a low groan or plead for a mother would whimper out. A hoof grabbed hold of Faerie's side, and his pistol dropped nervelessly to the gore-soaked deck. A mare, hardly any older than his own daughter in the Imperial Youth, was crumpled in a pile of pastel bodies, both of her hind legs missing at the knee, tied off with a pair of belts. Her silver eyes were half-mad and delirious, but she was whispering something over and over.
"G-griffons... e-everypony..."
"S-send word to the castle! RIGHT NOW!"
*********************************
"This is Captain Sun Lance. Phoenix Flight, prepare to engage."
To Captain Sun Lance, a veteran of both Caribou wars, the new craft his squadron had been trained in for the past two years easily trounced the first single-engined aircraft from the first war. The P-3 Lightning Dust was a two-seater, two-propped fighter bomber, faster than anything else in the sky except, maybe, the Wonderbolts. And well, it was hard to be faster than a pegasus with a magojet engine strapped to their back, isn't it? Painted in pastel blues and whites to help blend into the oft-cloudy skies of the Empire, the Lightning Dust's were built in the new aluminum style, armor plated around the engines and cockpits. Usually, they would also be packed with at least one five-hundred pound bomb. But that wouldn't be needed for this mission. All they had needed was speed.
"Five seconds to contact!" his co-pilot, Amber Shade, yelled over the chair separator, "All weapons hot."
Sun Lance had to admit, he had never expected to be so well-armed while in the air. The older model planes had been outfitted with four .50-caliber machine guns, which had always been more than enough to deal with Caribou airships. But working with the Imperial Creed and the demands of the Ministry of Aesthetics had produced a truly frightening beast: two 30mm cannons rested between two .50 caliber machine guns in the wings, and a third cannon rested in the nose of the aircraft. Brackets on the wings could have loaded air-to-ground armor-piercing rockets, but they hadn't had time to load them. They wouldn't need them for this. Sun ran his right hoof over the trigger, flicking off the safety and nodding at the responding beep in his headset. Good to go.
As the flight of six broke through the heavy cloud cover over the Caribou Wall Mountains, the fleeing Griffon transport could be seen attempting to set down in the mountain valleys, no doubt to hide from pursuers. According to both Empresses, all allied Southern Griffons had given themselves into custody when it had been demanded of them, while the Northern Griffons had fired on the approaching police units with both rifle and cannon fire, killing three. And with the stories coming from the ambassadorial airship at the Aerodrome... No survivors were to be allowed now. Sun Lance bared his teeth angrily. His sister lived with her husband and family in Griffonia.
"Rainboom Maneuver, all craft. Wedge formation, fire on my command!"
The Lightning Dust began to pitch downwards, the wind whistling around it activating the warbling, banshee wail that sat a top the aircraft. With six of them going at once, it sounded like a choir of the damned screaming welcome to Tartarus. To their credit, the Griffons didn't panic, not at first; Sun Lance's eyes narrowed as the airship pivoted and tilted upwards, trying to get a proper firing angle for its six cannon broadside. Smoke and thunder rolled up from below... but the cannon shot fell far below the flight of aircraft.
"LIGHT 'EM UP!"
The shocks on the cannons needed to be upgraded, just a bit. Squeezing the firing stud, the entirety of the Lightning Dust shuddered and hammered itself like a drum solo at a rock'n roll concert. Tracers from every fifth bullet lit up the sky, joined by a host of its brothers from the flight above. Dust and gore blasted up from the deck of the airship in thick clouds, and Sun could only imagine the pandemonium going on below. Jinking the throttle, Sun broke out of his dive at the last second, eyes focused on a trio of griffons winging frantically for the valley below. A single burst caught two, turning them in a mist of red and gore. His eyes cast up- a bullet cracked against his canopy with a sharp pow, followed by a small swarm of its brothers. The survivor was obviously armed with one of the Griffons' submachine guns, the crudely machined GS-34's. It's small caliber payload was nothing to his armored canopy.
"Don't worry Captain, I got him."
Turning his Dust in a lazy turn, Sun Lance grinned darkly as a hail of cannon fire caught the Griffon as he tried to follow his target, cutting him cleanly in half and sending the pieces spiraling into the ground. The airship, mortally wounded, trailed smoke and fire as it crashed into the mountainside, breaking apart. And for the next half hour, every bit of ammunition in the flight of aircraft was slammed into the wreck, exploding the damaged engines and settling alight the Griffon's own ammunition bay. Mission accomplished.
Author's Note
Phew! And here is the opener, folks! How will this war go? And who will we see back! Whoo!
Applebloom let out a slow breath as she settled herself in the commander's seat of her P-1 Armored Fighting Vehicle; being the highest seat in the tank, her driver, loader, and gunner had already squirmed their way inside, settling comfortably into their own seats. The Ministry of Aesthetics had made sure to make the P-1 as comfortable as possible to its tank-ponies, considering everything from their air needs, to the water packs stationed under each seat, to the emergency weapons settled at their sides. It made Applebloom smile softly when she thought about it. The MoA did care about the military, that much was certain. It took time, and money, and certainly resources, but their vehicles, weapons, and uniforms were second to none. Applebloom glanced down at herself at the thought; like all her tank-ponies, she was dressed in black silk, as to be able to breathe in the cramped conditions. As an Imperial Knight, her barrel was emblazoned with a Phoenix standing over a sword, while her lapels were lined with the double silver stars of a Colonel. Personally, Applebloom thought that, with her just turning thirty-five, she was too young to boast such a lofty rank. But the Empresses had been quite firm on it; apparently she just had to properly reward her Knights, or face a public backlash. Applebloom didn't entirely buy it, but... she wouldn't turn down a better paycheck.
"Start her up, Private," Applebloom ordered softly; there wasn't need to shout, not till the engines were going, "Need to get this show on the road."
"Aye, aye!" her driver, a Crystal Pony Unicorn by the name of Rose Quartz replied cheekily, grinning at the groans from her fellow tankers.
Rose was ex-Navy, an engineer who had transferred over to the Imperial Army two weeks after the announcement of the first fully Armored Divisions. She was damn good at her job, Applebloom certainly couldn't fault her for that. But the intentional use of Navy slang and commands could get old in a hurry. Thankfully, a glimmering golden tail snapped down from the compartment above Rose, flicking her ears firmly.
"Enough Rose, this is an important moment!" snapped Golden Sight, a Solar Pegasus, Rose's commanding officer by two degrees and, if Applebloom's love-sense was any indicator, Rose's lover.
With a shimmering, almost flame-like mane and tail, and glowing gold eyes, Golden Sight had been one of the Pegasi blessed after the Battle of the Crystal Siege by the Phoenix Heart. Applebloom's files said Golden had been one of the dive-bombers that had shredded Caribou gun positions, alongside the fabled Wonderbolts, and had won distinction for her part in directing ground artillery against a counter-attacking Caribou force that had nearly broken the Pony-held train station stronghold. Golden Sight had been Applebloom's first pick for gunner, out of a rather long list; her "indiscretions" with Rose Quartz aside, she was a model soldier, and was easily capable of handling the tank crew if Applebloom wasn't there.
"Yes ma'am," Rose replied, still a hint of mirth in her voice as her horn gleamed brightly, the engine roaring to life in seconds.
Applebloom closed her eyes tightly, ears perked as she listened for any inconsistencies with the engine noise; they were still fairly new technology, and untested on the battlefield. Command had tried to base the design on the fabled pre-Imperial P-50 Wolf, but had gone with a diesel engine and several inches of added, sloped frontal armor. A 7.5 cm cannon, a throwback to the original Wolf design, was the main armament of the P-1, backed up by a MG-1 in the gunner's compartment, and a top-mounted MG-1 for Applebloom to man when the tank wasn't buttoned up. Diamond-tipped AP rounds were nestled at Applebloom's and Golden Sight's sides, but neither were to use them unless they were thrown against Griffon or Minotaur armored vehicles- many had been used during the initial war against the Caribou, and the military had to be careful not to exhaust even Equestria's nearly inexhaustible gem stores. To take their place, enchanted flamelets surrounded the AP rounds; made of bronze, lead, and a little unicorn flame magic, the flamelets could still burn their way through most armor, and spelled death for ground troops, low-flying Griffons, or low-flying aerial vehicles. Applebloom had to admit, she was a little dubious about the magical weaponry, but she would not question the wisdom of the Empresses.
There was a soft crackle from the headset around her neck, and Applebloom started in surprise, drawing the headphones up around her ears, one hoof pressing down so she could hear over the rumble of the engine.
"-lonel Applebloom, come in. This is Command, Code Five emergency. Colonel Applebloom, respond at once!"
Applebloom's eyes widened ever so slightly. Code Five was officer code for enemy hostilities, as well as a firm order to return to base for further explanation.
"This is Applebloom, reporting as ordered, Command. What's going on?" she asked quickly, trying to put a bit of her own authority into her voice. Command was rarely this insistent, certainly not to her, or during a training exercise.
"Word has come down from the Crystal Palace. We're at war again, Colonel. And the Empress has declared a need for all her Knights, as soon as equinally possible."
The mood in the tank sobered at once, and Applebloom closed her eyes again. Of course. She knew this day would come; indeed, she had trained her ponies, all her tankponies, for this very moment. Twilight had made it perfectly clear that the Ash'ei would come for them. Them, or another of the races at the Conference in the Crystal City. Whomever had decided that the Empire was fair game as in for a rude surprise. Applebloom would be very sure of that.
"Shut her down and clean her up, girls," Applebloom ordered quietly, already unlatching the top to the tank, "I've got a war to help plan."
"Aye, aye, Colonel!"
"ROSE!"
**********************
"Concentrate as you move. We're battlemages, fillies. We don't have the luxury of time to think up the perfect spell in tranquility. We have to think we have to act, and we have to improvise to the best of our ability! Do the form again, and take down the target!"
Despite Dinky Doo's harsh tone, she was actually quite pleased with her class. She, and twenty ponies of the Imperial Magic Corps, were training in a large white room, though it had begun to be sparsely blackened from fire and lightning spells, and more than one section of the wall was completely frozen over. Above the, an observation deck had been installed, allowing personnel from all over the base watch the class and comment. Thanks to a few handy spells, Dinky was quite aware of anything said in said deck. Usually it gave her a few new ideas, or a place that could use improvement that she herself had not noticed. Right now, however, it was rather pissing her off.
"Why on Equus do we even need these battlemages?" A haughty-sounding voice was saying rather loudly, her accent that of the Canterlotian Survivors, which was a strange mix of Canterlot and Ponyville all rolled up in one, "They're a dreadful waste of resources. All that enchanted stone and wood, not to mention the time that goes into their armor. Pah."
"Oh indeed, Countess," a smoother voice replied, this one male and somewhat deeper, "I completely agree. The 'House' that took over my family's estate, those cretins, built a shipyard on our grounds, and I heard from a faithful gardener that they're making a whole fleet of flying ships for the Magic Corps!"
Dinky scowled faintly, tail swishing in agitation as she mentally logged this little tidbit for Imperial Intelligence. This leak was too close to home for her tastes.
"Lady Purity will not be happy about this at all," The "Countess" continued on blithely, "Especially not after that charlatan Vinyl Scratch refused her claim to the Black Mountain mines."
"The Ladies Scratch are a blight on the aristocracy!" The male snapped heatedly, "They train... train batponies of all things, the mongrel beasts, and took in the Lunar-touched like they were long lost brethren. They don't even act like nobles, going around and throwing parties, spending their wealth on the poor... did you hear that their lands hold more 'communal farms' than they do tax collection agencies? It's absurd!"
"Don't worry, my dear Count Argent... Lady Purity will have her due... as will the rest of us. Now come, come, we'd best be going before one of these obsolete fools blows up half of the castle."
Their voices had scarcely faded before Dinky was out of the training room, leaving one of the senior apprentices in charge as she stormed towards the Intelligence wing of the castle. Vague threats were nothing new to Dinky, or her Magic Corps. But whenever Purity was involved in something, it was undoubtedly trouble to watch for. The young former leader of the Canterlotion Survivors, Purity had plotted to trick Empress Cadence into killing Empress Twilight Sparkle during the battle of the Crystal Siege. It had only been the timely arrival of Princess Celestia that Cadence had been able to see the truth and reconcile with her sister-in-law. After the battle, Purity had gone underground, but Imperial Intelligence and the Magic Corps had been tracking the sneaky witch for years. Riots, assassination attempts on new noble families, sabotage of Imperial construction... they believed she was behind it all. Dinky was quite certain Purity's rejection by Celestia had driven the mare mad.
The Intelligence Wing of Canterlot Castle was spartan in its design, walls painted a bright white, with harsh lights above. Dinky would have summoned a bit of magic to shield her eyes, but she knew from experience that magical draining wards and dampeners were embedded in the stone, making any kind of spell work beyond very simple levitation at best impossible, and at worst, potentially deadly. A small white Earth Pony mare sat at the desk, nodding once to Dinky Doo as she flashed her Imperial Knight's badge; deeper into the wing, more and more white-pelted, white-maned mares and stallions in black business suits went about their business, chatting in low voices. All were identical, their voices matching a dull monotone, and it nearly made Dinky mad just watching them move and interact. Twilight had been very thorough with her enhancements and enchantments on her Intelligence agents. Nopony would remember them if they wished it, nor see them, nor be able to do a thing if they so wished. And if they were cleared to do it. The checks and balances on Intelligence were quite... firm, in that regard.
"Well hello there, darling Dinky."
Rarity looked perfectly at home in the sterile environment, her brilliant purple mane the only deviation in the otherwise enforced blandness. She gave a warm smile to the somewhat shaken Knight, who smiled in turn. Despite the reputation building among the Empire, Dinky knew that, with Rarity at the head, they were truly in good hooves. She bowed low to the Duchess, giggling a bit as Rarity nudged her up.
"Oh enough with that now," Rarity admonished teasingly, "Come, talk to me, Dinky. You rarely come here unless you have news. What's this about?"
Her good mood in the presence of Rarity forgotten, Dinky merely sighed, her eyes filled with a small flicker of hate and a larger nimbus of righteous anger, "It's about Purity. I think she's going to strike at Trotsylvania."
Author's Note
Purity doesn't like to stay down.
Rainbow Dash frowned deeply as she waddled her into the Cloudsdale Military Base, nodding reflexively to the soldiers on duty who stiffened and saluted the decorated Wonderbolt. Spitfire and Soarin' walked close to their Primary, wings draped over her in what was both a protective gesture... and a rather possessive one. Amongst the pony races, pegasi were among the most instinctively driven, especially when it came to foals and pregnant mothers. The mates were truly more dangerous than the mothers themselves, with wings and sharp teeth and hooves ready to dismember or crush a threat. And while Rainbow Dash was more than safe on the base than anywhere in Equestria, instincts were a hard thing to calm.
But Rainbow Dash didn't mind, not one bit. She leaned over to give Spitfire's ear a loving nip the second they were out of sight of the guards, grinning at her deep blush and shiver.
"Quit it, Dash," she growled playfully, "Wait till Soarin' can knock you up again. Or I get you home. Or in a... semi-private place."
"Like your office, Captain?" Rainbow shot back with a smirk, "With that little mike with the big button..."
"That was fucking hysterical," Soarin' added, smiling widely at the mortified groan from his Captain and wife, "The look on the newbies' faces."
"My favorite part had to be the quiet after we got done, and Spitfire going 'What am I laying on- OH FUCKING SHIT!'"
Both ponies howled at the deadly glare they received in turn from their mate. Both knew they would most certainly pay dearly once they returned home. And both ponies agreed that was it so very worth it. But their levity died as a low buzzer sounded across the base. The Officers' Call. Something was going down. In a practiced motion, Spitfire spun to lift her rotund mate up in her forelegs, wings flapping fiercely to launch the two of them towards the headquarters, Soarin' right on their tails. The building was a tower of solid clouds and metal sheets, with dozens of pegasi currently racing inside; everypony seemed upset and incredibly tense, which of course tensed up the Wonderbolt team.
"Captain Spitfire, Captain Dash, Lieutenant Soarin', glad you could make it," General Light Spark, an aging male spoke up from his desk, "Gather around quickly."
Light Spark had been the Commanding General of the Equestrian military during its Republic days. Despite Spitfire's role as Duchess as Cloudsdale, she had been more than happy to retain her military rank as Captain, and defer to the general. He was wise for his years, and trained during a time of intense war. And while he had ultimately failed, Spitfire had been happy to see that his failures had not destroyed the older stallion. With a heavy sigh, Light removed his reading glasses, running a gnarled hoof over his eyes.
"Scouts have reported a Griffon invasion fleet, both in sky and on the sea, heading for Equestria. Estimated numbers are in the several of hundreds of thousands."
Rainbow Dash frowned at that, settling back into a calculating mode that Spitfire typically only saw before races or big training drills.
"Northern Griffonia has a smaller population than the Southern States, doesn't it? I remember this from Threat Assessment."
"Indeed it does," Light Spark replied quickly, "But Intelligence believes the vast majority of this army are conscripts, or converts from the Southern States. The Northern Griffons want to hammer us hard in the first blow."
"What about the Minotaurs?" Soarin' asked grimly, and Spitfire paled slightly at the darkening look in Light Spark's eyes.
"They're massing an army on their northern borders, but no crossing yet. Intelligence believes they are making deals with some of the Diamond Dog surface clans. The Hive Mothers have been informed, and are preparing their armies for war."
On Light Spark's desk was a detailed map of the Equestrian continent, and Spitfire scooted away from Rainbow Dash in order to get a better look. The territory of the Changeling Hive Mothers, the Badlands, formed a wall against the Minotaur Empire to the south. The Empire was twice the size of Equestria, encapsulating all of the land from the Badlands border to the southern most sea. They had alot of open coastline towards the Saddle Arabian continent across the Great Sea, and Spitfire new that poor country was about to take a horrific beating from both the Minotaurs and the Camelu Caliphate, which rested on its eastern borders. Its only respite was its northern border with the Ruskalan Empire, whom could shuttle troops and supplies through the relatively open plain.
But, unfortunately, Equestria couldn't begin to do anything about the Minotaurs and Camels till the Northern Griffons were pacified. Bracing her forehooves on the desk, Spitfire leaned over to get a better look at the Griffon continent. Northern Griffonia was connected to its Southern cousins by a thin land bridge, where the mega-city of Unity had been constructed several thousand years ago. While the Southern states were the bread-basket of the nation, and the sight of most of its cultural buildings and memorials, the Northern states controlled most of the factories and mines, and fishing could supplement the little food they could grow in the rocky hills and mountains. Threat Assessment had given the Northern Griffonian states an eight in their ability to make engines and weapons of war, but only a four in maintaining a large army for a given time. It made sense that they would invade quickly- they had to take food and farmland to feed their war machine.
"Send an envoy to the Sea Ponies," Spitfire suggested, glancing over at Light Spark, "They're experts at naval warfare and hit-and-run tactics. They could make that crossing a living hell."
Light Spark studied the Captain and Duchess for a long moment before smiling, just a little curve of one lip, "The Empress had the same thought, and the envoy has been sent. Got a good head on your shoulders, ma'am."
Blushing faintly, Spitfire scowled at her snickering mates, only consoled by their gentle nuzzles and whispers of apologies. She had to keep a good head, in order to deal with these numbskulls, after all.
********************************
Silver Rush grinned cheerfully as he ducked and weaved through the inner workings of the Cloudsdale Flight School. Smaller than his peers, the silver-pelted, white-maned colt had always been able to work his way where other colts and fillies would get stuck. This was his third year at the School, and Silver had been using the hollow cloud-and-pipe walls to get to class unseen, and quickly, since the last half of his first. Flight School was just awesome! Sure, in the beginning there had been boring classes like Math and Equuish, but they had eventually panned out into specialized flying techniques. Silver Rush was the fastest flier in his class, and was second-to-the-top in the Elemental Wing club!
Ducking under a set of pipes, Silver tensed his hind legs to leap- and yelped in surprise. Where there usually was a smallish opening that he could easily leap through, a collection of large pale bottles and a blinking timer blocked his path.
Great, now I'll be late! Silver Rush grumbled, glaring curiously up at the device, The heck is this thing, anyway?
Peering closer, little alarm bells began to ring in Silver's head as he spotted the mass of wires leading from each bottle, each the size of his head, to the blinking timer. The already pale colt paled even further when he double-checked the figures.
10.
9
8...
**************************
Rainbow Dash was just walking out of the Headquarters building when the flash of light and heat erupted overhead, knocking all three ponies onto their backs. Cursing loudly and flapping her wings, Rainbow struggled to right herself, peering up to the source of the explosion... and screamed in denial. The Flight School was the pride of Cloudsdale; all Cloudsdale pegasi could call the school home at one point in their lives. It had been built just high enough on the northern face of the city to be seen by all, at any time of the day. To look up and be reminded about the proud future of the pegasus race. The very future that as now engulfed in flames.
Without a second thought, Rainbow Dash, her mates, and every pegasi in Cloudsdale took flight, powering with all speed towards the flaming school. Screaming little bundles of feathers and fur were falling as the clouds that made up the school were burned away; many of the foals themselves were on fire. With a grunt, Rainbow flapped hard, snagging two foals out of the air in quick succession. One was far, far too still, her green mane and purple body warped and twisted from the flames, eyes unseeing. The other, a tiny First Year colt with a blonde mane, was sobbing hysterically, his hind legs and withers horrifically burned. And all around her, other pegasi were doing their damnest to catch the falling foals, screaming and wailing in grief.
Unable to help herself, Rainbow Dash lended her voice to the keening cry. Pegasi handled grief, as in all things, as a unit, wailing their fury and pain to the skies. Ignoring a few pains in her gravid stomach, Rainbow Dash turned and flew with all speed towards the great airships quickly pulling up beneath the disintegrating school. She had more lives to save.
******************************
Five hours after the bomb had detonated, Rainbow Dash sobbed hoarsely into Soarin's neck, trembling in his tightly hugging forelegs. They were resting on one of the hospital ships, the Golden Hope. And in front of them laid the sheet-covered remains of over two hundred and ninety-seven colts and fillies. According to the doctors, another one hundred and fourteen would need to emergency-rushed to the Crystal Empire and the Blood Mage Hospital centered there. Only thirty-seven, those in Flight Class when the bomb had gone off, had managed to get out relatively unscathed- they were currently belowdecks, traumatized and stunned silent.
Rainbow Dash knew that the Imperial Magic Corps would be able to bring all of the students back to life. That was certain; they would not stay dead long. But how does one handle the utter trauma that happened beforehoof? Foals that had suffered through the Great Dying were still receiving psychological care, and few expected any of them to grow up with any mote of normalcy. Many had joined with the Imperial Youth, or latched onto some branch of the military. Others continued to stay in hospices or schools, unable to face the world around them. And many others had simply chosen to be mind-wiped by Lady Trixie's mind-mages, and be raised into a new life. How could they fix the trauma to their young?
Blearily rubbing her eyes with a hoof, Rainbow Dash turned to look for Spitfire... and froze. Her mate, the love of her life, her secret strength, was furious. Staring down a set of grim communication ponies, her wings were engulfed in crackling flames, embers hissing from her mouth as her connection to the element of fire triggered with her rage.
"How many were hit?" she hissed out.
"Six Flight Schools, in all of the Pegasi cities, Duchess. A saboteur was killed in Las Pegasus. He was a Northern Griffon..."
"Rough estimates of casualities are in the thousands, my lady."
The ship was quiet. Deathly quiet... for just a moment.
"SEND OUT A CALL! Spitfire roared with a voice that could make a king of demons piss himself in utter fright, "As Duchess of Cloudsdale, of the Pegasi Race, I send out a call. All Pegasi of able body and strength shall report to Cloudsdale. There will be a Crusade."
Her flaming eyes turned to the east, towards the great sea... and she spat, the fiery flame trailing like a comet through the cloudy skies.
"I will kill them all."
Author's Note
Angering a pegasus pony with any bit of political power is a bad idea.
