Divided We Fall

United We Stand,

Divided We Fall.

Princess Celestia walked down one of the many corridors of the Canterlot Castle, passing by unique drapes that hung over windows that displayed vibrant colors of orange and purple. Her hooves clacking under the quartz floors, the princess gazed up at the grand chandeliers hanging above her. Though small, each carried rows upon rows of decorative candles. Finally reaching her destination, her magic opened up a set of double doors ahead of her before passing through. Ahead were three decorated ponies waiting for her, all unicorns. Sergeant StoneHeart stepped forward from his comrades and bowed down in the alicorn's prescence.

"Your highness, the carriage is ready," he stated firmly before standing back up and addressing the white alicorn down another corridor. This particular hallway held many doors leading to executive command offices, security, debriefing rooms, interrogation rooms, and more that dealt with more serious matters that weren't displayed to the public eye. Celestia looked down at StoneHeart while they walked, with his two majors tailing behind.

"I see our plans have not faltered...yet," she mentioned, looking straight ahead before the unicorn could look up at her.

"Of course, I have my guards at every exit and extrance there is in Canterlot. There may be no interruptions, I guarantee it,".

"We shall see Sergeant, but if you fail to protect me-".

"It won't happen, your highness,".

Celestia cast a glance down to him, causing the stallion to look away. They kept walking in silence. For about five minutes, no pony talked. It had seemed peaceful for the first few minutes, but quickly turned into an awkward silence. Being the talkative and fun kind of pony, Celestia disliked the idea of the word "awkward" in general. Breaking the silence, StoneHeart spoke as they neared a set of doors.

"It's just through this way. We have eyes on the skies, and a current spell cast that disables all but our unicorn magic. In addition, my stallion's have protective chest gear against any earth pony attacks. Security is a priority at this time, you can't be too careful,".

"For once StoneHeart," she looked down at him and smiled. "You've impressed me,".

StoneHeart took a double take before blushing and proceeding forward. Through the doors was an open platform where a carriage sat. But this carriage was unlike any seen before. A roof was displayed over it, which had never been done before, as well as reinforced steel to help it withstand attack. The stallions pulling the carriage itself were dressed in P.H.T.F armor, to protect them from any magic or damage. Ina a sense, the whole thing looked like it came from the comic books Celestia rarely found Twilighy read as a filly.

Twilight...

The name flashed through her mind and was gone. Though Celestia didn't know why it had happened. Twilight, long after ascending into alicornhood, was one of the key factors in making the princess's new law stand. For several weeks now, attacks on many Canterlot forces and property have been made, all linking to much dislike for the new law. This law, having effected many other towns outside of Canterlot, created difficulty for the government to continue work, as countless threats have been made against the Pony Law Making Body. As examples, life size plushies of employees were displayed hanging from a tree with each note attached to their torso saying:

Down With Celestia.

The scariest part of all, some of Twilight's friends have been known to take part in these riots. Tonight was a night that involved careful eyes and tight security. If anything were to go wrong, the whole plan would fall apart. In about an hour, Celestia was expected at the Hall of Unicorns near FillyDelphia. There, a meeting of many law making bodies would agree to pass the new law. Once this was done, all the riots and threats would end.

StoneHeart ordered the two other unicorns who'd been following behind them to open the carriage doors and escort the princess in. As she sat down, Celestia noticed the seats weren't that comfortable. *Oh well. With a thud, the doors were closed once StoneHeart entered the carriage and sat down opposite to Celestia. The sounds of chains could be heard rattling outside, and they were off. No windows on the carriage meant there wasn't anything outside breathtakingly amazing to observe, so the alicorn reframed from looking both ways. Again, Celestia was driven back into an awkward silence while being alone with StoneHeart. The carriage rattled slightly from time to time, but aside from that, it was a rather smooth and calm trip. Celestia could feel the sound of something shuffling besides her, and turned over to see StoneHeart sitting next to her, looking up.*

"Sometimes I wonder what would happen if Canterlot fell," he quizzically said, glancing up at her, then the roof. "All that power in a single city; gone. Imagine the chaos that would ensue! The whole world of Equestria would fall apart!" the stallion continued, talking about all the possible outcomes involving the city of Canterlot being destroyed.

"It is a riveting but scary thought StoneHeart," Celestia stopped his rant short and started her own conversation for once. "But it isn't any more important than me getting to that meeting *alive,".*

The unicorn general gulped, slightly feeling a nervous shiver crawl up his back. Of course, he respected Celestsia greatly, but in all seriousness, she terrified him. Before he could say another word of reassurance or respect, the carriage was suddenly jolted. The impact sent StoneHeart tumbling into Celestia, their faces getting too close for comfort before scrambling back up.

"What was-"

Another strike. The carriage was shaking and rumbling as if it was being dragged along a bunch of rocks. StoneHeart tried his best to stay still, but the sudden movements and unexpected jerks sent him off balance. However, Celestia used her magic to hold them in place as the carriage was being attacked.

"WHAT IN MY NAME IS GOING ON OUT THERE?" Celestia yelled, receiving no reply but more thuds and strikes against the carriage's armor.

Finally, the attacks stopped. Silence. No more rumbling or shuddering. Just...silence. Suddenly, an almightily force of power struck the roof of the carriage and sent them spiraling to what appeared to be the ground. Celestia and StoneHeart were pressed against the top, as gravity was taking an all time toll upon them in their descent. Panic, Confusion, and Frustration all bubbled inside the princess. Her temper; short fused. She could do nothing to stop the carriage from falling from the sky, and feared that she would either be late to the meeting, or dead...