Chapters An escape, and first steps to recovery
Fall of Equestria (Anthro) A/U with OC/Luna and other random ships.
"If I can just find princess Luna, and hopefully she has not been taken" Twilight thought to herself as she rushed down the halls. "Hopefully Shadowsky has remained loyal." She skidded to a stop outside the door of the princess of the night, and saw two royal guards lying dead, with their bodies cut in half. She peeked in the door, and saw Shadowsky wiping blood off of his sword, and Luna wiping more blood off of her wicked looking curved blade.
"Traitorous scum" Shadowsky spat on their bodies. "Hello princess Twilight, We need to get you out of here." He continued, not seeming surprised at all.
"Where are the ESF?" Twilight asked, referring to the Equestrian Special Forces, Luna's bodyguards, the elite fighting unit of Luna's design.
"They are out, clearing us a path, all of them trustworthy, believe me, we checked" Luna answered, donning a black beret and picking up a battleaxe from the rack on the wall, and tossing it to the purple princess, "Now, lets get the hell out of here" the three alicorns made their way through the halls carefully.
At one point, one of the royal guards challenged the three, and faster than the eye could follow, Luna slashed the Guard's genitalia clean off. The guard whimpered in pain, slumping to the floor, blood pooling from his groin. Luna mercifully beheaded the poor guard, and they moved on, Twilight watching in awe as the pair moved as one unit, trusting each other implicitly. They came upon more bodies, all of them bearing the signs of being defeated by the ESF, but there were blood trails where the wounded Special Forces Soldiers had been carried out by their comrades.
"Good, we're almost out." Shadowsky said, and motioned to Twilight,"now, we are going to go to our bug out location, a secret castle that I built just in case something like this happened. we will come up with more plans as we go."
They walked out of a door into the sewer. Inside the sewer, they found the soldiers, four of them were supporting litters, on which were severely wounded soldiers. One grizzled veteran sergeant was missing his arm, and a tourniquet was wrapped around the stump, keeping him from bleeding out. The soldier grunted, "Get me off of here, I can still fucking walk!"
"Shut the hell up soldier, and rest, That's an order" Luna said
"Yes ma'am." The soldier said meekly. On the other cot a mare lay, several gory wounds through her lower abdomen, while the unit's medic applied pressure.
"Here, allow me." Luna stepped forward, and with some of her magic, healed what she could. Magic could not fix everything, but it at least could stop some of the internal bleeding, stabilizing the soldier for now.
"Sir, we're ready to go." One of the soldiers said to Shadowsky.
"Roger that, let's move" Shadowsky said, and they all moved down the sewer, the magic of the unicorn soldiers, and alicorns shimmering in protective barriers around their legs and faces, protecting them from the sewer's effects. Each of the soldiers held blades at the ready, and kept their eyes peeled for trouble. After a few hours of walking, they wound up under a rather large hatch style door. Shadowsky pulled out a rather large key out and unlocked the door. The twelve entered into a room that was lined with weapons, neatly hung on racks affixed to stone bricks and dark hardwoods, all of it engraved with the insignia of the ESF.
"Welcome to Castle StormShadow. Secret training grounds of the Equestrian Special Forces, and the bug out retreat of myself and Luna. This is where we will begin to take back Equestira from those bastards, the Caribou." Twilight looked around the room in awe as Shadowsky shut the door and locked it behind him.
"How did you keep this place secret?" Twilight asked. Shadowsky laughed.
"It is amazing what happens when you are married to the princess of the night." He lead them upstairs into the great hall area. Two guards armed with swords and crossbows stood at attention when they saw the group coming towards them. "At ease" Luna said, and then lead the group out into the courtyard, where a dozen ESF soldiers were practicing various forms of sword and bow work. The wounded were rushed to the hospital bay, while the rest of the guards were sent to the debriefing room to write reports on what they could find.
They stopped at a door labeled SITUATION ROOM and Luna pulled a key out of her pocket and unlocked it, revealing a large room with several tables and a giant wall map of Equestria. Several ESF soldiers were sitting at desks, scribbling down messages as they came in over several devices that made clicking sounds.
Luna said, "We can gather inteligence from all our sources here, and keep up to date on our enemy's movements, from here we will plot the rebellion and slow take back. Our first order is to rescue my sister Celestia." Luna finished.
MEANWHILE IN CANTERLOT:
"Sir, you might want to take a look at this." one of the Caribou soldiers said to their leader, General Tyren (AKA, General Tyrant). The general got up and followed the soldier to the doors outside Luna's quarters, and saw the two slain guards, further along they came upon the brutally slain guard, and the general was thinking to himself "What in the hell could have done this, I know Luna is strong, but this is something that I have never seen" He was worried for a moment, but decided to interrogate Celestia about it.
"Bring the Bitch to me" he said, and Celestia was dragged in, a red collar around her neck, and wing cases strapped to her sides, her hands tied together, she looked at Tyrek with absolute loathing. "So, your sister managed to escape, and we want to know where she went." Celestia opened her mouth, and began laughing. "Whats so funny bitch?" the general asked, reaching for a riding crop.
"You have managed to let the two ponies capable of single-handedly wrecking your entire army loose? Shadowsky and Luna will make you wish you were never born." Celestia managed to gasp out between bursts of laughter. Not even the swift and forceful blows of the crop were enough to silence her.
"Take her away, and tell Shining Armor to get in here" two caribou dragged Celestia away, with her laughter still echoing around the room. Shining Armor, former captain of the royal guard for Celestia, and now a servant of General Tyrek. "Shining Armor, what can you tell me of Shadowsky?" The general asked.
"He is the founder of the Equestrian Special Forces, the elite night guards of Luna, and he is also Luna's Husband. He is an Alicorn, but although he has a lot of raw power, he is not very skilled with magic. Luna created him, and put a human soldier's spirit in him. He is one of the cleverest and most lethal bastards I ever met, but he is more of a tactician than anything else. But without Luna, he is merely a well-trained soldier, but with Luna, she makes him into the warrior that is so feared. If he is still on the loose, he is our most dangerous foe, because with him, Luna has enough power to challenge us." The captain of the guard finished his briefing.
"You may go" Tyrek said, watching as the stallion trotted off, probably to screw Cadence again. He mulled over what the stallion had told him.
Meanwhile, word had been whispered around the barracks that Shadowsky was gone, and those that knew the commander knew that he would not stay hidden for long, they were worried about their own necks, so some began to meet in secret, trying to figure out a way to not be killed if the ESF came around, because the ESF had a reputation as hard-no-nonsense soldiers, who were loyal to a fault.
CUT BACK TO THE CASTLE STORMSHADOW:
"What sets your ESF apart from the Royal Guards?" Twilight asked Shadowsky and Luna.
Shadowsky was busy working with signals and intelligence, so Luna answered Twilight, "They are armed differently than the Royal Guard, for example, They carry swords, in addition to several throwing knives and a large knife." Luna motioned to the aforementioned items that were strapped to her black and silver uniform.
"They are also completely loyal, the training they endure is designed to break them, then re-mold them into the loyal, efficient, creative, and powerful soldiers we need them to be. They are trained to be resistant to torture, and can run on less than one hour of sleep. They are not often seen during the day, because they prefer to operate at night, they specialize in reconnaissance, sabotage, assassination, hostage rescue, and personal protection." Luna finishes.
"They also wear different armor, because your royal ESF bodyguards were wearing black and silver versions of the royal guards armor, whereas everyone here is wearing black and silver chain weave and cloth, with metal plates over vital areas." Twilight observed.
"Correct Twilight. They are set apart from the normal royal guard in that they are trained to fight in either small units, or alone. We forge bonds of loyalty that are near impossible to break, by training them in such harsh conditions, they learn to trust their comrades implicitly." Luna said. Shadowsky walked back over to them with some information typed on a sheet in his hand.
"Looks like our small units have been able to do a good bit, freeing the females and building up a resistance movement. Our secondary base of operations will be in the Everfree forest, where we can bring rescued females and try to rehabilitate them." He finished. The enchanted wall map showed symbols that represented the bases, as well as the Caribou controlled territory. He unrolled a large map of Canterlot castle, using tomahawks as paperweights. The detailed floor plans also included several secret passages that even Twilight had never known existed, even though the purple alicorn had roamed the halls of the castle since she had been a young filly.
Suddenly a soldier got up from his desk and handed a message to Shadowsky. "Looks like some of the Royal Guards are re-thinking joining the caribou. This message places Celestia in the dungeon tower right here." Shadowsky pointed to a small room off of the throne room.
"I never knew that that was there." Said Twilight. "But it seems like it is an odd place for a prison cell."
Luna replied, "There was once a time where you would need to hold a prisoner close by for certain reasons, whether ransom or "Other" reasons. They built that especially for that purpose." Twilight could guess what the "other" meant.
"So, we need to go in and rescue her, but she will be under heavy guard." Twilight mused. She looked at Shadowsky and saw a grin on his face.
"Aye lass, that we will, because while you and Luna and I are powerful, we cannot hope to match Celestia. If we can free her, it will be a symbol of hope that will shine. I will personally lead this mission." Shadowsky said.
"Not without me you aren't." Luna said. Twilight was confused.
"You are going to risk our two best hopes just to get Celestia out? And what about me?" Twilight asked, feeling a bit left out.
Luna looked at Twilight with an almost pitying look. "No Twilight, you are our hope. You are the one who everypony knows, and you will remain here. But you will not be idle, for you will be taught in the way of the weapons, your magic is strong, but if paired with weapons, training, and skill, well, you have seen what Shadowsky and I are capable. We shall return within three days to this place, otherwise assume us captured, and command will default to you." Luna picked a bow up off a rack on the wall, and slung a quiver over her shoulder. "Shadowsky and I are the strongest together, and with our team, we will be able to end my sister's captivity." Luna said, fire in her eyes hotter than her sister's sun.
Twilight acquiesced, seeing that she could not stop the lunar couple.
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Nightfall saw the squad of 8 ESF soldiers, including Luna and Shadowsky, flying stealthily. two earth ponies, two unicorns, and two pegasi, those that could fly were carrying those that could not. Luna had blacked out the sky, so no light would silhouette the team. They landed noiselessly on the balcony where Luna had once raised the moon, their lower hooves covered in rubber boots that made their steps virtually silent. They communicated using hand signals, moving through the halls, avoiding guards, and those that could not be avoided were shot by either Luna or an ESF earth pony named Hammerhoof, because he was a blacksmith. But his earth pony strength also allowed him to pull back a bow that would cause any other pony, except maybe Big Mac or an alicorn, from pulling it. The royal guards found out that even their armor would not stop an arrow from that bow. Luna, on one occasion, let loose an arrow that went straight through a guard's throat and pinned him to a marble pillar, the enchanted arrowhead sinking into the stone as if it were butter.
Luna was on point, flanked by Shadowsky and Hammerhoof, and Luna held up her hand, making a fist, and the entire party stopped, fading into the shadows cast by the torchlight. Luna then pointed to her eyes, then to a door. They nodded, then stacked up on the door, Shadowsky used his key to open the door, and the team entered, and saw the throne room before them. There were several guards who did not even have a chance before they were cut down by the ESF. Luna then motioned, and they split into two groups, the two pegasi, plus the two unicorns providing cover, while the two earth ponies, plus Shadowsky and Luna went to get Celestia. They moved quickly, knowing they had to find and get celestia out before the dead guards were found. Luna motioned to her squad, and pointed to a portion of wall. the other earth pony, named ShieldBearer, produced a crowbar, and found a small crack in between the panels of the wall, then he and Shadowsky applied force, causing the door to break open, the lock snapping. The four peered in to see a horrifying sight. The princess of the sun lay in a puddle of love juices, sweat, blood, and her tears. Her main was tattered, and her wings were encased in horrifying devices, her horn had been cut off. Many whip marks littered the princess's body, and she was bound to the wall by a very thick rope. Luna shook with barely contained rage, and Shadowsky had a look in his eyes that could evaporate steel. With one slash of his knife, the alicorn prince cut the ropes off of his sister-in-law, then he removed the devices from her wings, revealing their plucked surface.
Celestia opened her eyes, and said, "Shadowsky, why are you here."
Luna knelt down next to her sister and said, "Shh, we are busting you out of here." with that, the two alicorns helped the princess up, and the two earth ponies signaled the other four. Once they were all together, they moved swiftly, out through the door they had entered from, and through the servant's hallways, before reaching a clear area, where the two unicorns got onto Luna and Shadowsky's back, and then created a magical harness that linked the four together, the earth ponies attached themselves to the unicorn's harnesses, and the team took to the sky. Swiftly they flew out, Luna's magic masking them as they landed in the everfree forest, where they were joined by two more pegasi, who took the two unicorns, then the eleven flew back to Stormshadow.
Twilight was waiting there anxiously, and Shadowsky told the rest of the ESF team to go back to their barracks to get some sleep, then he, Luna, and Twilight carried the stumbling Celestia into one of the castle's many bedrooms. Twilight was crying, and Shadowsky and Luna wore grim expressions. Both had removed their armor, albeit they still had their swords at their sides, Luna laid a hand on Twilight's shoulder, " Don't worry, we will get the bastards who did this."
Twilight looked up at the princess of the night, and wiped a tear from her eyes,"I know, but I am worried about my brother, how could he do this, she trusted him, why did he do this?" Twilight broke down and began sobbing again.
Author's Note
I will be making this a long term project, if you like this, please let me know, it really helps me get motivated to update, thanks for reading, :) I am working on toning back on Shadowsky as well, he is a bit Overpowered. >.>
Chapter 2
Celestia woke, her memory of last night fuzzy, and she fully expected to be chained to a rack and assaulted mercilessly for hours, until her entire body ached. So, she was surprised when she awoke to find herself wrapped under the wings of three alicorns, all of them snuggled up to her protectively. "Where am I?" she whispered.
"You are safe in Stormshadow." came the reply of her sister, who was speaking from where she had draped her head on Shadowsky's chest.
Celestia looked up, noticing how she was free, and how the two other alicorns were now awake, Twilight with her tearstained face, and Shadowsky with his...well...his face had a little more expression than usual. "Come, we need to get you back on your feet" Shadowsky said, before pulling a rope to summon breakfast to be brought to them. It arrived shortly, brought in by a ESF soldier, wearing a chef's hat, yet with a warhammer strapped to his side.
He served them their food, then left silently. "So this is what those millions of bits were paying for." Celestia commented as they dug into the nutritious food, lots of greens and proteins, not many sweets. While they were eating, Celestia caught sight of what she looked like in a mirror, "I look like shit." She said, deadpan.
"Yep, but we will get you back to yourself in no time. In the mean time, we have been wreaking havoc with the takeover....namely by getting you out, and freeing as many of the enslaved as we can, and taking them to safe locations." Shadowsky yawned out, while he dug into the food.
Celestia ate the food hungrily, it tasted amazing after having only...well she wouldn't dwell on that now... She was safe, or as safe as she could be. She had an army now, loyal, and the enemy had lost the element of surprise. Now they would pay with blood, sweat and tears. The caribou would pay dearly for their mistake of attempting to break Equestria. A long moment passed, where the four ate in silence.
"When word got out that Luna and I had escaped and survived, many stallions thought it better to aid us, then risk a slow and painful death." Shadowsky replied, biting a massive chunk out of an apple.
"So this means that not all the guards are under the control of the caribou." Celestia said, "And therefore, we still have informants and spies." She concluded.
"Correct dear sister, now, rest, we have some business to attend to, and you and Twilight need some time to recover and catch each other up." Luna said, as she and Shadowsky got up and put on their uniforms and armor.
A lone caribou soldier wandered along the edge of the Everfree forest, his armor glinting, and a short infantry sword at his side. He was unaware that several ESF soldiers were sitting in the trees, ready to kill him if he ventured too far into the border. Several Unicorns held together a spell that made the forest seem shrouded in mystery and danger, so many ponies and caribou gave it a wide berth.
In the recovery center in Everfree Forest:
A neat military camp was set up in a clearing, with tents in organized rows, a palisade set up around the entire camp, and guards patrolling on offset shifts, so that at least two soldiers were on duty at all times. Among the tents, crying, moaning, and groaning could be heard.
Ponies in the black and silver uniform of the ESF ran around quickly, the red cross patches on their sleeves denoting medics.
In the first row of tents, there was the name station, and the processing station. in this station, freed mares and fillies were processed, where they remembered their name, or they were given one based on their cutie mark, or previous pictures taken, or by concerned parents, or friends. It was a laborious process, but after that, there was the de-paraphernalia station, where the horrifying tack used by the caribou was removed.
In the large tent, there were specially trained psychologist medic ponies, who took care of the newly liberated fillies and mares, turning them back into their old selves, at least as close as they could. After that, they would be shipped to castle Stormshadow, where they would be turned into a militia, because as it was, there was only about 300 ESF ponies total, whereas the invading army had well over a five-to-one advantage in numbers, as well as having trained troops.
Luna had taken it upon herself to go visit the camp in Everfree, to see what the resistance had been able to do. Shadowsky was back at the castle, coordinating the various small unit movements, attacking the supply lines to the main camps, and intercepting shipments of mares on their way to be sold.
At the sight of Princess Luna, many of the ponies gasped and called out to her, she visited every single one, especially the fillies, holding their small hands in her own soft ones, telling them that they were safe now.
"Princess Luna, how are we going to ever get back to normal?" one small filly asked, her mouth bruised from beatings, her flank covered in whip marks.
Luna knelt down to the child's bedside and took off her gold beret, with the insignia of the ESF on it,"By taking the fight to them. And my brave ponies like you who did not give in. I am going to tell you a secret, which you can't tell anyone, ok?"
"Ok" The filly asked, looking up into Luna's eyes.
"Celestia is alive and we rescued her from the castle. maybe she will visit soon" Luna whispered into the filly's ear.
"Really?" The filly asked with wide eyes, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Yes, here," Luna used her beret to wipe the tears off of the filly's face, then she set the cap on the filly's head," Here, keep it, you deserve it" The filly's eyes were filled with wonder and hope, not only from the fact that a princess had gotten down on her level and told her a secret, but also that the princess had taken the time to care for her, and given her something personal to keep.
Shadowsky meanwhile had turned up with Celestia under escort to the Everfree. Celestia was almost back to herself, except her horn was still growing back. But the Princess of the Sun had insisted on visiting the rescued ones. So, she was disguised in the black and silver uniform of the ESF, with a golden beret on her head the only thing indicating her rank.
They found Luna and the filly, and the filly gasped,"Princess Celestia!"
"Yes, It is I, and I see my sister has been taking care of you" The sun princess also knelt down to eye level with the filly (No small feat, as Celestia was still tall and rather big). The young filly almost fainted, and Celestia kissed her on the forehead, then moved among the beds, visiting each of the rescued females. In the background, Shadowsky handed Luna a spare golden beret.
Shadowsky watched from the entrance of the tent, worried, his own golden beret crumpled up in his hand. He knew they were spread thin, and without a larger force of numbers, they would be doomed. The caribou had doubled the guards on the slave shipments, causing problems for the ESF squads. They did not have enough troops to withstand an all-out assault. Twilight was learning fast, under the mentorship of the unicorn instructors, but there still was not enough time. He turned and walked out to the command tent, trying to come up with some kind of plan.
Author's Note
I need character names, desperately
Help comes in the weirdest forms....
Luna and Celestia finished with their visitations, and walked across the camp to the command tent. Shadowsky was bent over a map of Equestria, muttering curses under his breath. He was out of ideas. Even though it seemed to be going well, they were outnumbered and outgunned. He needed more brainpower, but, owing to the fact that he was still getting used to being an alicorn, he was not very skilled at focused magic. He sighed, turning to look at the Princesses, "It looks hopeless. We cannot hope to match them in a war of attrition, we have some resources, but not enough to wage a full scale war..." He tapered off, slamming his hand angrily into the table, cracking the solid oak with the force of his blow.
"Shadowsky....you cannot do this alone. We will find a way." Luna said comfortingly, wrapping a wing around Shadowsky's shoulders. The prince nodded wearily.
"We keep losing soldiers...for every four of theirs we kill, we lose one of ours...They have the sheer strength in numbers to keep up with these losses, but we cannot afford to keep taking casualties, every day the reports bring in more casualty numbers, and I cant stand it, Every. Single. Last. Soldier. I know these ponies, they are more than just soldiers..." Shadowsky broke down, tears welling up in his eyes. The silvery drops of salty liquid rolled down, flowing along his muzzle before dropping to the floor.
Luna looked at her sister for help. Celestia just walked over to them both and pulled them close with her almost-healed wings. Nothing was said for a long time. Finally, Luna suggested that they head back to the castle, so, with the small pinging noise of a teleportation spell, they disappeared, only to reappear in the situation room. Shadowsky immediately went to his and Luna's room to try and sleep, as well as cry out of sight of the troops, not wanting to ruin moral.
Luna and Celestia went to find Twilight. As they walked through the castle, guards saluted the two, and the two princesses returned the gesture. They passed the armory, where they could see the three races working together to forge weapons. The pegasus used it's wings to fan the flames, the unicorn used magic to move and manipulate the metal without getting burned, and the earth pony used it's strength to hammer the metal into shape. Nearby, Twilight was seen taking copious amounts of notes. The newest princess looked up as she was approached by the sisters. "Oh, Hi there!" Twi greeted them.
"Hello, Twilight, what are you up to?" Celestia asked her former student as the three alicorns watched the three blacksmiths turning a simple piece of steel into a razor-sharp and beautiful sword.
"I am observing how these three ponies are linked together in synchronous, they understand each other, and can anticipate the other's action. The Pegasus fans the fire to change the temperature of the metal to what is necessary for the given process, the Unicorn can use telekinetic magic to move the metal without fearing the heat, as well as literally forging spells into the metal, and the Earth pony has the strength and endurance to hammer the metal constantly to shape. They are a team, and if one of them is off, it throws everyone else off. I can sense some form of magic there, but it is not just from the unicorn, they are all linked together." Twilight said as the three smiths, Burning Coals, the Pegasus, Fearless Flame, the Unicorn, and our old friend, Hammerhoof, the Earth pony, all worked in a beautiful symphony, the ringing of the hammer against the metal, the whoosh of the fire, and the glow of magic.
"Twilight, here is a lesson in friendship, the magic here is trust. You see, each of these ponies trusts the other to do their job, and therefore can focus on their own job. Here, race and gender matter not, because their friendship is based on a trust that is forged though working together to accomplish wondrous feats." Celestia said, ever the teacher.
Twilight nodded, and her quill hastily scribbled more notes on the page. No one had noticed that Luna had slipped off to comfort Shadowsky, who was still in despair at their situation. "So, the trust they have actually forms into a tangible magic field? Does that have any effect on the objects they forge?" Twilight's curiosity caused her to almost reflexively ask follow-up questions before the first had been answered.
Celestia smiled, "There is a tangible magic field, it is similar in what allowed you and your friends to bear the Elements of Harmony, and to answer your other question, yes, the blades and objects they forge are much stronger than what an ordinary single metalworker is capable of."
Just then there was a blaring klaxon, and a gruff voice saying "MAN THE GATES, ALL HANDS TO ACTION STATIONS!" immediately there was a flurry of action, soldiers rushing to the battlements, manning ballista and bows, others bracing the gates, Celestia and Twilight rushed to the ramparts, and on the way they were joined by Luna and a red-eyed Shadowsky. They arrived on the ramparts overlooking the main gates, and looking down, they saw Discord. Discord held a small pony gently in his mismatched arms. "Hello, the gates, I mean you no harm, I have come seeking aid, please!" There was a definite air of desperation to the voice.
The pony in his arms stirred, and Twilight caught a glimpse of the apple cutie mark, "It's AppleJack!" she said, reaching out with her magic to make sure it really was her friend. "Stand down!" She called along the battlements. All the soldiers on the wall looked to Luna, who nodded.
"Do as she says, let him in." She shouted down to Discord, "But If you make one wrong step, we will blast you into oblivion!" The large creature of chaos nodded, and the gates swung open to allow Discord and his burden to enter. The big iron gates swung shut quickly, and the four alicorns rushed down to meet Discord, who was still under the watchful eyes of the soldiers.
"Take care of her, please!" Discord begged, setting AppleJack down tenderly. The orange mare's coat was ruffled and covered in scratches and welts, her eyes were closed and her breathing shallow. Immediatly Luna signaled for two medics to rush AJ to the medical bay. Then they turned to Discord.
"Why are you here?" Celestia asked the Lord of Chaos.
"Because this is wrong. I know I am supposed to be a force of Chaos, but this is far from Chaos. This is pure evil. I do not pretend to be perfect, but I know from Twilight and her friends that Chaos does not need to be evil. A little bit of Chaos is fun, but too much is a bad thing. This perversion of a relationship, of friendship, of what it means to have a meaningful relationship, something that I was lacking for a long time, makes me sick. Friendship cannot be forced. I came to offer my help in getting rid of this motherfucking perversion to all that is right. I swear on my magic that I will not harm you, and do everything I can to help rid this cancer from Equestria." Discord finished his speech, swearing the most powerful oath any magical beast could.
Twilight was the first to move, running to hug Discord around the middle, followed by Celestia, then Luna, and finally, a smiling Shadowsky. "You have no idea how much that means, welcome, sir." Shadowsky said, hope creeping back in. With the Lord of Chaos on their side, they had a much better chance at success in their guerrilla warfare.
Author's Note
Still working on Shadowsky, it is difficult not to make him too powerful, but I try. Also, some of the story is not FoE cannon, I know. But by Celestia's plot, it is called creative licence for a reason.
Help can be found...in the darkest places
"So, Discord, care to tell us why else you are here?" Luna asked their newest alliance member. Shadowsky, meanwhile, was pouring over the map again, and reading intelligence, listening to the conversation with half an ear.
"Yes, here." Discord reached into a pocket and pulled out a photo of a very familiar pony. Twilight and Celestia were stunned. The photo of Fluttershy was well worn, and had obviously been in Discord's pocket for a long time. "She... Well, I cant put it into words, but seeing what has become of her... The caribou turning her into what she is..." The big figure sighed, and tucked the photo away.
Shadowsky reached over and used his hand to close Luna's mouth, and Twilight did the same for Celestia. "Well... we need Chaos right now... The magical field created by the crystal cock make mares want to submit. If we can get the elements back together, we might have a chance at cancelling out the magic." Twilight mused.
Discord nodded," I felt the magic being put off by the Crystal, and I do think that the perversion of the Heart is the cause of the ease of the takeover." He nodded thanks to a soldier who had brought them all coffee, and he sipped the black liquid.
"So, if we can re-shape the heart, we have a chance of turning the males back?" Twilight asked.
Celestia sighed,"It is a bit more complicated than that. The re-shaping of the heart removed material. Perhaps with the magic of the Elements we could re-seal the pieces together. But we would have to get the Elements here, and some of them are much more turned that the others." Celestia finished, hinting at Rarity and Fluttershy.
Luna nodded, "So, it affects females as well as males?" she asked Discord.
"Yes, it brings out the dominant side of the males, and gets rid of their morals. Of course, like any mentally manipulating magic, it can be resisted by strong minds. The effect on females is a bit more pronounced, in that it makes them crave sex, as well as bringing out the submissive side of the mare. Again, same deal on the magic resistance." Discord replied. As the Lord of Chaos, he had a special interest in this type of magic, in that he used it to cause disorder, a subtle nudge here, a large push there, could cause a lot of chaos.
Shadowsky absentmindedly twirled a dagger in his hand as he spoke, "So, if we could either isolate the crystal and repair it, or we can create a Faraday cage around it to keep the magic contained." He got a lot of odd looks from the ponies in the room.
"What the hay is a Faraday cage?" Twilight asked, wondering what this device could be.
"It basically re--routs and grounds any current generated within the area of it's influence. For example, if I were to stand in a Faraday cage and throw a lighting bolt, it would be rendered harmless, the same thing would happen if you attempted to throw a lighting bolt at me, it would be grounded, and I would be unharmed." Shadowsky gave a quick and dirty explanation. "I don't know if there is an equivalent for magic, but if there is, it might work."
Twilight mused over this new revelation, then looked at her mentor,"Celestia, do you know anything that could do this?" The white alicorn rested her muzzle in her hands, thinking.
"Yeees," Celestia drawled..."We would need the Elements to make it, but with enough magical power, and a fine enough mesh, there are enchantments we must cast, and we will need a lot of power. It will take a lot of power to create the magic weaves to ground out the kind of magic from the crystal cock." She finished speaking, looking at the others arrayed around the table.
Luna looked at her sister, "We would also have to hide the crystal cock, so that they could not undo our work while we figured out how to repair it. And if we could develop the spell farther, we could put it in the armor of our troops, giving them an even greater edge, keeping them from having to focus on repressing the nature that is brought forth by the crystal." She mused, knowing that the soldiers were capable of resisting the urges, they were trained to, but that could take some of the edge off of their combative abilities.
"Sooo, we need to rescue the rest of the elements and bring them here, so that we can get them away from the effects of that perverted crystal, and thereby have enough power to cancel the effects out." Discord said, running his hand along his goatee.
Shadowsky took the dagger he was twirling, and rammed it into the table, pinning a sheet of paper to the oaken surface. "Well, lets get cracking then, we need to rescue the Elements. We know who they are, and once we figure out where they are, we can send teams to rescue them." Discord pulled the knife out of the table and twirled it.
"I want to go with the unit." Discord said, before whipping the dagger into the table, embedding it next to the section on the map where Fluttershy's house used to be. "Because I want my friend back, and it might help her resist if she sees someone she knows." Discord said, his voice leaving no room for argument.
"Very well." Celestia said, and then the Princess of the Sun turned to her most faithful student,"Twilight, go through the library here, and see what you can find out about metals that could hold the spells required." The studious pony rushed off to the the massive library that Stormshadow had, immediately going into researcher mode, a parchment stack and pen next to her as she levitated books down.
Meanwhile, the other leaders of the rebellion clustered in the situation room, trying to figure out where the hell the rest of the Elements were.
Author's Note
So, I am going on the theory that the Crystal Cock is what is causing the mares of the mane six to change, and this is why Fluttershy was collaborating. Also, Shadowsky was originally human, so keep that in mind. I will be writing his backstory at some point.
Saving Private Rarity Part 1
"Sir, we have found Rarity!" An earth pony guard from the gate named Sentinel said, as he ran into the Situation room, supporting a pegasus named Deep Cover. Shadowsky looked up, having taken the night shift so that the others could sleep.
"Very well, give me your report, then for Celestia's sake, get some sleep Deep Cover, you look like you got ran over by a dragon." Shadowsky then pulled a sheaf of parchment and a quill over and stood ready to take notes.
"Funny you should say that, Sir, because I almost did. Spike almost stepped on my while I was making my getaway." Shadowsky scribbled furiously, noting that a dragon was present. "They were in Prince Blueblood's mansion, you see, and I saw Blueblood and Spike rutting on her mercilessly. She was not resisting though, but I could see that she was under the effects of some sort of spell. It affected me as well, Sir, but you were right about the training, we may hate it, but it works. I managed to steal the floor-plans to the mansion from the safe, while they were distracted. Sir, I don't know how er are going to get this done, what with an almost fully grown dragon there." Deep Cover wobbled unsteadily as he took a large document from his backpack and handed it to Shadowsky.
"Good, now, Sentinel, take him to his room and make sure he goes to sleep. And Deep Cover, get some sleep, that is an order. I don't want to see you out and about for at least twelve hours." Shadowsky dismissed them, and the poor agent went to get some sleep. He sat back in his chair and mulled the information over, then he spread the floor plans onto the table, his mind all ready formulating a plan. "Pegasi with fast ropes, earth ponies on the ropes, go in through the windows, use sleeping potions to neutralize the dragon, make an example out of Blueblood, wouldn't get any if it weren't for money and the new Caribou regime." he murmured
At 0700 hours, Equestrian Standard time, the five gathered around a table in the great hall to enjoy breakfast. Salad and lots of veggies. Celestia bemoaned the absense of cake, but as Luna pointed out, "thou needs to lose weight if we are to get you into fighting shape sister, for when we originally fought our enemies thousands of years ago, your flank was half the size it is currently" Luna slipped into her old language a bit, but the point remained.
Celestia blushed, and Twilight fell on the floor, laughing. Discord and Shadowsky shared a look, attempting to hold back their laughter, before finally giving in. Celestia sighed... knowing her sister was right. Once the laughter had subsided and Celestia had given them all "The stare" for good measure, they finished eating.
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After breakfast, Shadowsky walked them to the armory, and opened a secret cabinet. Inside were Nine swords. Each a different shape, from a hand and a half sword to a Katana. "Here, Take one. Each of you need one."
Luna was the first to go, pulling out a Katana. the graceful curved blade matching Luna's grace and speed. She pulled the blade out of the black wood sheath, the blade hissing like the deadly snake engraved along the blade. The blade flashed with blue magic as the lunar princess swung it, getting a feel for the elegant blade.
Celestia went next, picking up a hand and a half longsword, she drew the blade out of the scabbard, and it flashed forth like the very sun, the razor-keen edge shining in the torchlight.
Shadowsky reached out and pull forth a Viking longsword, the cross-guard had been forged in the shape of two alicorns nose to nose. The blade had runes running down it, spelling out the word Rhumwulf, and Shadowsky's magic flared along the length, forming into black and grey fire.
Twilight reached out and pulled forth a rapier. The thin blade swished out of it's sheath with the speed and power of a mana blast. her purple aura caused dragons to appear along the blade, swirling and breathing purple fire.
Discord was last, and he picked up a hand and a half sword, but this one had a wavy blade, similar to the kris dagger. The blade hissed like lava as he drew it from the sheath, the blade seemed to emit terror and panic, the perfect weapon for Discord. The five sheathed their swords and walked out, back to the situation room.
"Shadowsky, I want to lead these ponies into battle, You and the Princesses need to stay here. I mean no disrespect, but the fact is, I am more expendable than any of you. I fully accept that." Discord said to the prince, who knew that his was coming.
Shadowsky merely saluted Discord, "Give 'em hell from me." The princesses all hugged the former enemy of Equestria.
"Make sure we have a plan." Twilight said, as she buried her muzzle into Discord's uniform.
Luna and Celestia stepped out of the hug and saluted Discord, before sitting down at the table.
"We need to brief your squad." Luna said, obviously holding back tears.
Shadowsky, Luna, and Twilight all walked to the briefing room, but Celestia held Discord back for a moment. "You are no more expendable than one of us, remember why you are doing this, it is not your former actions that you will be judged by, but the actions you take here, what you do now, that is how I will know you, and remember you, but by my own flank, come back alive!" Celesta finished. Discord nodded, taking her words to heart.
Author's Note
Many thanks to The Great Derpsby for the help with names.
Saving Private Rarity Part 2
"All Right, listen up!" Luna said to the soldiers arrayed in the room.
The team:
Night Trotter: Earth Pony, master of night operations, and skilled at seeing in the dark
Breacher: Earth Pony, as strong as four normal earth ponies, skilled at breaking into places and creating entrances.
Overwatch: Pegasus, large wings for flying at high altitude, good at long distance spotting and keeping track of movements
Cloud Climber: Pegasus, large wings, powerful flyer, high altitude and lots of weight carrying ability, four times a normal pegaus
Firecracker: Unicorn, powerful fire magic, good at casting fire spells, and perfected the dragonfire spell
Shellshock: Unicorn, explosives expert, good at explosives magic, and perfected the contact explosive spell
The leader:
Discord: Lord of Chaos, master of causing disruptions and panic. Excellent for the mission of special forces.
The plan:
"Now, we will sling ropes down from the roof, and enter here" Discord said, conjuring a 3 dimensional representation of the target house. He pointed to the windows on the second floor of the mansion. "We will get there by teleporting within one hundred meters of the target, then we will take to the air. We have the carrying capability to do that. Shellshock, you will blow the windows in, then, we will throw the flashbang potions. The dragon will hopefully not be there, but if he is, try to avoid engaging him in combat, and use the stun potions to get away. Our main mission is to rescue this mare." Discord held up a photo of Rarity. "And if you see this bastard, castrate him." He held up a picture of Blueblood. "Any questions?"
None of the team had any, so with a salute, Discord left to put on his armor. Night Trotter looked to Princess Celestia, "How do we know we can trust him?" The mare asked.
"Because these are his friends he is rescuing, and I trust him." Celestia said. "Any other questions? No? Then suit up and get your asses moving!" Celestia said, reminding Shadowsky very much of George S. Patton. She turned to the prince, "Gather all your troops, I want to make a speech." Shadowsky nodded.
Before the soldiers left on their mission, everyone gathered in the parade ground, with magic mirrors broadcasting to the other small bases scattered throughout Equestria. Celestia cleared her throat.
"Be seated. Many of you wonder why we are hiding like rats, instead of taking the fight to those bastards the Caribou. I am here to tell you that that is a load of bullshit. We have been waging war on them since they first entered our borders. For a long time we have lived in peace. But it all began with War. We fought to make Equestria strong, we fought to have our land, we fought to live! We will not lose that to some lily-livered, shit-stained, bossy, useless Caribou! We were taken by surprise by our enemy, but we have a surprise in return.
Many will die, but it will not be us doing the dying. No poor dumb bastard ever won by dying for his country, you win by making the other poor, dumb bastard die for his! Some of us will die, yes, such is the nature of war. But we are heros, we are fighting for what is ours, for what we have built for centuries. We are all afraid of dying, but it is overcoming that fear, and turning that will to live into destroying our enemy that will win this war.
All through your military career, you have bitched about this chickenshit drilling and training. Well, this is all for a purpose- To ensure instant obedience to orders and to create constant alertness. I don't give a fuck for a pony who is not always on their toes. Drilling has made veterans of you ponies. You are ready ! A pony has to be alert all the time if they expect to keep on breathing. If not, some Caribou son-of-a-bitch will sneak up behind them and beat them to death with a sock full of shit. There are many graves near the castle, all because one man went to sleep on the job- but they are Caribou graves, because we caught the bastard asleep before his officer did.
An army is a team. It lives, eats, sleeps, and fights as a team. This individual hero stuff is bullshit. The bilious bastards who write the stuff for the Equestria Daily Times don't know any more about real battle than they do about fucking. And we have the best team- we have the finest food and equipment, and the best spirit of the best ponies in the world. Why by the heavens, I actually pity these poor bastards we are going up against.
All the real heroes are not storybook combat fighters. Every single pony in the army plays a vital role. So don't ever let up. Don't ever think that your job is unimportant. What if every dishwasher suddenly quit. 'they wont miss me' they say. Well, without clean dishes the cooks cant make the food that sustains our troops. Every pony does his job, every damn last damned pony in the mess hall, even the one who boils water so we don't get the shits.
Each pony must not only think of themselves, but think of his buddy fighting alongside him or her. We don't want yellow cowards in the army. They should be killed off like flies. If not, they will go back home after the war, goddamned cowards, and breed more cowards. The brave ponies will breed more brave ponies. Kill off the goddamned cowards and we will have a nation of brave, loyal ponies.
One of the bravest ponies I heard of from my sister was aiding in the escape from the castle. He lost an arm, and with that missing arm, he still fought until he was ordered to lie down. Even then, his words were 'goddamn-it, I can still walk.' There is a real soldier, A pony devoted to his duty, no matter how great the odds, no matter how seemingly insignificant he seemed at the time.
Sure, we all want to go home. We want this war over with. But you can't win a war lying down. The quickest way to get it over with is to get the bastards who started it. We want to get the hell over there and clean the goddamned thing up, and then get those purple-pissing defectors. The quicker they are whipped, the quicker we go home. The shortest way home is through the caribou. So keep moving. And when we get back to Canterlot, I am personally going to gut that paper-hanging son-of-a-bitch Tyren.
We will win this war, but we will win it only by fighting and showing the Caribou that we've got more guts than they have or ever will. We're not just going to kill the bastards, we're going to rip out their living goddamned guts and use them to grease our path to Canterlot. We're going to murder those lousy Hun cocksuckers by the bushel-fucking-basket.
Some of you are wondering if you will chicken out under fire. Don't worry about it. I can assure you will all do your duty. War is a bloody business, a killing business. The caribou are the enemy. Wade into them, spill their blood or they will spill yours. Stab them in the guts. Rip open their belly. When spells are hitting all around you and you wipe the dirt from your face and realize that it's not dirt, it's the blood and gut of what was once your best friend, you'll know what to do.
I don't want any messages saying 'I'm holding my position.' We're not holding any goddamned thing. We're advancing constantly and we're not interested in holding anything except the enemy's balls. We're going to hold him by his balls and we're going to kick him in the ass; twist his balls and kick the living shit out of him all the time. Our plan of operation is to advance and keep on advancing. We're going to go through the enemy like shit through a tinhorn.
There will be some complaints that we are pushing you too hard. I don't give a damn about such complaints. I believe that an ounce of sweat will save a gallon of blood. The harder we push, the more caribou we kill. The more caribou we kill, the fewer of our soldiers will be killed. Pushing harder means fewer casualties. I want you all to remember that. My pony's don't surrender. I don;t want to hear of any soldier under my command being captured unless they are hit. Even if you are hit, you can still fight. That's not just bullshit either. I want men like a lieutenant I once knew long ago, who had been pierced by a griffon arrow, and with a sword to his face, knocked the sword aside with his hand, and used his helmet to bash in the griffon's head. He picked up the sword and cut his way out of the enemy, all with an arrow buried into his body. That is a soldier for you!
Don't forget, you don't know I'm here at all. No word of that fact is to be mentioned in any letters. The world is not supposed to know what the hell they did with me. I'm not supposed to be commanding this army. I'm not even supposed to be alive. Let the first bastards to find out be the goddamned caribou. Some day, I want them to rise up on their piss-soaked hind legs and howl, 'Act! it's the goddamend Equestrian Special Forces and that Bitch Celestia again!'
There is one thing you ponies will be able to say when this war is over and you get back to your home. Thirty years form now when you're sitting by your fireside with your grandson on your knee and he asks, 'What did you do in the Equestrian War?' You won't have to cough and say,'Well, I shoveled shit in Appaloosa.' No sir, you can look him straight in the eye and say, 'Son, I rode with the great Equestrian Special Forces and the Goddamned Princess Celestia!'
Alright you bitches and bastards. You know how I feel. I'll be proud to lead you wonderful ponies in battle anytime, anywhere. That's all"
And with that, a standing ovation shook the very mountain that Stormshadow had been blasted out of. The cheer echoed throughout Equestria as all those still loyal hear the voice of their leader, proclaiming that they would win, that they could succeed.
Discord and his squad flew silently through the air, the pegasi and Discord carrying the litter that held the other four ponies. The two unicorns held together a cloaking spell, as the earth ponies prepared the fast ropes. They came to a hover above the mansion, and landed noislessly on the roof.
Luckily for the ESF, Spike had left Blueblood's house to attend an orgy at what had once been the home of Lyra. Blueblood was sipping on champagne and eating caviar by the fire, his robe open so that his slave Rarity could continue sucking on his dick like the good little slut she was. Blueblood leaned forward and whispered in the alabaster unicorn's ear, "See, this is how a mare should be treated, and you certainly know how to do this." Blueblood leaned back, unaware of the massive shitstorm that was about to envelop his mansion.
Suddenly, the mansion's bay windows exploded inward under the boots of Breacher and Night Trotter, followed by blinding blasts and loud noises from Firecracker and Shellshock, who were then followed by Discord, Overwatch and Cloud Climber remaining on alert outside to keep an eye on the guards, who were sure to come a running when the explosions happened.
"What was that?" Blueblood asked, standing up, his dick slipping out of Rarity's mouth with a lewd slurping noise. The prince picked up a sword from above his mantle and drew it, the blade and hilt were encrusted with jewels, and went to investigate.
"Fan out and find Rarity, and weapons are free, remember, kill the enemy as fast as possible." Discord said. "Breacher, you are with me, Night Trotter, you take Firecracker and Shellshock." with those orders, the team split up. Discord drew his wavy sword, his magic glittering along the blade, casting an aura of his yellowish magic around the blade. Breacher held his battleaxe to the ready, as they moved through the halls, they checked each closet and behind every painting.
Breacher held up his hand in a fist shape, signaling to halt. with the other hand, he motioned to his eyes, then to a door, where there was light coming from under a door. Discord nodded, and motioned to Breacher, they stacked up on the door, and Breacher used his massive strength to rip the door off of its hinges. they burst into the room, and were met by the sight of Rarity laying on the floor, drool pooling from her mouth. Discord knelt down to check on her, and suddenly there was a ringing of metal on metal, and he heard Night Trotter call out "CONTACT" Discord motioned to Breacher, who picked up Rarity in one strong arm, and then stacked up behind Discord. As they exited the sitting room, Blueblood attacked Discord, his sword flashing.
Discord parried the blow, his sword moving in a blur of steel that immediately had Blueblood worried. "Go, take her, I will deal with this scum." Discord said to Breacher, who nodded, running towards the broken windows.
Blueblood had been taught how to sword-fight, it was a prerequisite for being a noble. But this was something he had never experienced, a duel with a foe whose skill with a blade was far superior to his. Discord attacked with blinding slashes and jabs, keeping Blueblood off-guard and on the defensive. Discord rained overhead blows, mixed with short slashes at the knees and thrusts to the belly. It was all Blueblood could do to keep the flashing wavy sword at bay, he could not even think about counterattacking, not with the speed and strength of the Lord of Chaos's attack. Discord spied an opening in the hapless noble's guard, and immediately exploited it with a neat thrust. Blueblood froze as Discord's blade entered right below his rib-cage. The wavy nature of Discord's sword meant that blood immediately began flowing out of the puncture as Discord withdrew the blade in one smooth motion, slashing across the abdomen and opening up the body cavity in a gruesome, yet graceful move. Blueblood fell to his knees, and looked up, just as Discord administered the final blow, a swift thrust through the throat that severed the brain stem. Blueblood collapsed into the crimson pool of his blood.
Discord calmly wiped his blade and walked to the smashed windows, climbing up the rope just as the Royal Guards arrived, his team waiting for him before they flew off, arrows bouncing off of a shield generated by the two unicorns. Once they reached a safe place to land, Discord used his large amount of power to teleport them back to Stormshadow.
The team arrived back at the castle, disturbing the training of some of the rescued mares who had volunteered to fight. When they saw Rarity, they immediately opened their ranks to allow the team to rush her to the medical bay.
Author's Note
Once again, many thanks to The Great Derpsby for the help with names! :)
Hope you all enjoyed this, and once again, constructive criticism is welcomed, as well as someone who wants to be an editor, thanks, and have a nice day
-AurumLupus
"Miss Sparkle, you might want to see this." A communications officer unicorn named Tap said, holding a piece of paper out to the purple alicorn. She took it from him and read.
To: Princess Luna STOP
We the thestrals wish to fullfil our agreement STOP We are your loyal troops after all STOP We wish to meet with you STOP Please reply with a location as soon as possible STOP
From: General Kira STOP
Twilight looked at the sheet, then to the officer, "Tap, wake Princess Luna." The silver unicorn nodded and ran off. Twilight sighed. Now she understood why Shadowsky had broken down. War was not the glorious battle that was portrayed in history books. War was hell. She thought about her brother, hoping against hope that when they isolated the Crystal Cock, it would snap him out of whatever had caused him to do this.
"What is it Twi?" Came the voice of Princess Luna. Twilight looked up at the midnight blue princess.
"This message" Twilight handed her the paper.
Luna read the message rapidly, then smacked herself in a royal facepalm. "Of course! They went underground when I was banished, and I have not had contact with them in ages. We need to set up a meeting as soon as we can." Luna put the paper down on the table. "First thing tomorrow Twi, we will hold a council with the others." Luna hugged Twilight in a motherly way. "Now go to bed, I will take over from here."
Gratefully, Twilight walked out, going to her room to mull over the whole 'Brother is the biggest fucking traitor in the history of Equestria.' situation.
Luna sighed to herself as she read the note. She and Shadowsky had been discussing contacting the Thestrals, but the bat-ponies had born a lot of hatred from the other ponies, just because they were different. Their numbers had been decreased by constant skirmishing with fearful ponies who had expanded into the domain of the bat-winged ponies. Now was a chance to kill two birds with one stone. If she played her cards right, she could eliminate the fear felt towards the odd breed of ponies, and at the same time bring them into her royal guard force.
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"Would somepony care to explain exactly WHAT THE FUCKING HELL HAPPENED?" A rather angry Lieutenant of the Royal Guard named Alpha Charlie shouted at his rather stunned squad.
"Sir, we have no fucking clue, Sir, but we are investigating right now." A private named Foxtrot November Golf (Just Foxtrot for short) said. Behind him, various members of the Royal Guard combed through the house, searching for anything that could help them figure out what in the hell happened.
"Sir, you might want to see this." A gruff Sargent named Gunny said from inside the house, The Lieutenant walked over the broken glass and approached the grisly body of Blueblood.
"Fucking hell. I mean, I can't say he didn't get what he deserved, but still, Fucking hell." Alpha Charlie said. He looked around the hallway, splattered in blood, chunks missing from the walls. A scene of utter chaos.
"Sir, we have witnesses who say it was Discord and a team of ESF ponies." Foxtrot said.
"Shit. Get a report to the commander as soon as you can, now Un-Ass yourself and move, and no stopping to Fuck around on the way!" Alpha Charlie shouted at the private, who saluted and ran of, cursing his luck that he couldn't stop to screw some of the mares he saw in the streets.
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BACK IN STORMSHADOW:
"So, what you are saying is that a race of ponies that has almost been forgotten has just contacted us offering their assistance?" Twilight said. Her muzzle had small damp spots from last night, but nobody commented on it.
"Yes, the Thestrals would be our best bet for a well-trained, standing army, although their numbers are like ours, small, but well trained soldiers make up the core, with auxiliary troops drawn from the population during times of war." Luna said, remembering the race that had originally made up her night guards.
"I think meeting with them could prove to be beneficial, although it could be a trap." Shadowsky said. He opened his mouth to say more, but was interrupted by a communications officer rushing up and saluting.
"Sir, this just came in sir. We don't know who sent it, but our intelligence confirms that this is accurate." He handed the message to the prince before running off to his station again.
Wordlessly, Shadowsky passed the note over to Discord. "This one is for you. You can go check it out. Luna and I will go to see the Thestrals, and Twilight and Celestia will continue making our Mare Marines." For once, it seemed, everything was going slightly according to plan.
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"To, The Resistance, From, A helping hoof.
I am aware of your attempts to rescue the Elements of Harmony, and think you will find this interesting: Miss Flutterslut, as the Caribou call her, is scheduled to do an animal show soon, as in 3 days or less. She will be on the outskirts of the Everfree forest, under heavy guard. Your latest work has not gone unnoticed. Good Luck."
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Discord looked up at the other four and teleported out of the room, and into his team's squad bay. "Grab your gear, we are going to save Fluttershy." The soldiers looked at each other, then began suiting up and grabbing various weapons out of lockers. "Follow me." Discord lead them to a conference room.
"Sir, why are we here?" Night Trotter asked. He watched as the Lord of Chaos, former enemy of Equestria, paced about in a nervous state.
"As you probably know, I was rehabilitated from my evil ways. This pony is the one who actually made the lessons about friendship stick home." Discord held up a well-worn photo of Fluttershy up. "And when the caribou took over, her soft-spoken and submissive personality was turned. I don't like it when ponies steal my things, especially my lover." Discord slapped the note on the table. "We have a very particular set of skills, and we are going to use them to hunt the bastards down, and kill them. Fluttershy is mine, and no matter what, we will get her back." Discord said, his voice gravelly and menacing. "Now, since our little escapade with Rarity, they have tightened the protective detail around the other Elements of Harmony. Fluttershy is going to be doing a show with the animals on the edge of the Everfree forest, and this is the perfect chance for us to do a smash and grab. We go in, and we get my Fluttershy out, anything that gets in our way should be considered an enemy and terminated with extreme prejudice. Any questions?" Discord finished speaking, and looked around at his team. Utter silence was all he got.
"No sir, I think we are all ready and able to do this." Night Trotter spoke up. The other five nodded in accordance.
"We move out at dusk. Once we reach base Bravo in the forest we will complete our planning and gather as much intel as we can before we show them what a war truly is." Discord stood up and saluted his six soldiers. "Dismissed."
The squad, who had now become known by the nickname "Havoc Horses" went back to their locker room to finish repairing their gear. Just then, one of the quartermasters, a mare by the name of Bean Counter, walked in, holding five bush-looking objects that appeared to be strips of mottled green and brown cloth secured to some form of netting. "Shadowsky sent these ghilli suits for you all. They are to help break up your outline as you move through the forest, and also, give em hell from me." Bean Counter set the objects down on one of the center benches.
Author's Note
Some of the names are from military in-jokes, just fyi. Also, who else ships Discordshy? I ship it like FedEx! Or the navy.... Or a pirate ship.... Saving Fluttershy part two will be up as soon as I can get it. I have a lot on my plate right now. Enjoy reading, and I apologize for the cliffhanger.
The team geared up, before melting into the Everfree forest like ghosts. The ghili suits exploited the loophole around the defences that the Caribou had implemented, a magical detection field surrounding this event that would detect magical disguises, but not conventional ones. The creatures of the Everfree steered well clear of the small band of intrepid commandos, namely because their fearless field commander was the Lord of Chaos, Discord himself. As they drew close to the edge of the forest, they could see a stage being erected. Discord signaled a halt, and for the pegasi to take to the treetops to continue scouting. Meanwhile Discord began working on a plan of attack.
"It will be difficult to snatch her from the stage as it is going to be caged in, as well as heavily guarded... and they know that the time when you are moving a hostage it the most vulnerable. We need to find where she is being held, then obliterate this stage." Discord mused.
"We can blow the living fuck out of the stage." Shellshock said with a devious grin, motioning to himself and Firecracker.
Their pegasi returned, gliding silently down, "Hey Discord, we found where she is being held." Overwatch said as soon as he landed.
"Good." Discord said. And with that the plan began to take shape. Flutters is being held in a cell in the center of town. A total of 3 layers of defense surround it. The inner layer made up of eight elite Caribou guards, the second made out of former Royal guardsmen, and the first layer made of a magical shield. To distract the guards and shatter the shield, a set of simultaneous magical explosions would be created and detonated. a sneak attack from both the air and ground would come, the pegasi dive bombing and providing covering fire with self-loading enchanted crossbows, and the earth ponies plus Discord would slam into the guards like a tornado. Once the Unicorns were done with their explosive shenanigans, they would join in the carnage, attacking the Guards that had turned their backs to face the spearpoint of Discord and the earth ponies.
They broke from their powwow and took up positions, Discord and the rest of his Havoc Horses shed their Ghilli suits and slipped into the town, flitting from shadow to shadow, their uniforms melding with the darkness. Several Caribou patrols passed, but no one noticed anything until suddenly, BOOOOOOM! The stage went up in a mushroom cloud of smoke and flame.
"WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?" Screamed the on-site Caribou commander. A Lieutenant named Sigulf.
"SIR, THE SHIELD WAS KNOCKED OUT" A unicorn said, shouting over the noise of the panicked townsponies.
"GOD DAMN IT TO HELL, ITS THAT GOD FUCKING DAMNED REBELLION." Sigulf shouted, before he heard different screams, one that rose over the screams of panic, it was the sound of ponies and caribou being slaughtered, there was the ringing of steel and the sounds of more explosions outside. Suddenly the door to the office opened, and a caribou soldier stumbled through, gripping his arm, trying to stem the flow of blood from a deep gash.
"S....S......S......Sir, they got Flutterslut, we couldn't stop them, they had a D.....D.....D.....Demon that cut through our men like butter. It was a giant snakelike thing, Never seen anything like it sir. But when it grabbed Flutterslut it yelled, 'MINE' before fading away with her and some sort of shadow pony soldiers." The soldier started to slump to the ground, about to pass out from lack of blood.
"SHITFUCKS." was the last shout heard by the team as they fled into the night sky towards the safety of the Everfree.
Author's Note
So, I am still alive and working on this story, It is just real life gets in the way. :P Coming up next: Meet the allies. EDIT: HOLY CELESTIA'S PLOT I ACTUALLY UPDATED A THING.