Chapters Dmitry Mikhailovich Gorbunov Tsar Bomba test site Novaya Zemlya. Soviet Union
Dmitry Gorbunov walked into the large warehouse where the two nuclear weapons of the Soviet Union, the Tsar Bomba and Tsar Bomba II, were stored. Gorbunov was an Lieutenant General that worked in the KGB 9th Directorate, and was here for a final inspection before the two nuclear bombs were to be detonated. He watched as Yuri Borisovich Khariton, member of the USSR Academy of Sciences and head of the team that assembled the bomb. walked to him.
"Hello, Comrade Lieutenant General, I am here to show you the weapons that shall be used to show the might of the Soviet Union." Khariton saluted as he spoke.
"Yes, please, enlighten me, Comrade Academician." Gorbunov said.
The two walked into the first room, in which the lesser Tsar Bomba was stored, ready to be used in a few days time in an air burst several hundred miles north. Gorbunov looked at the large bomb in wonder, though he didn't let Kharitov know what he was thinking.
"Is everything satisfactory, Comrade?" Kharitov asked.
Gorbunov looked away from the underside of the bomb he was looking at, and nodded. "Everything seems to be of order, Comrade." he said cheerfully, or as cheerfully as you would normally hear from a KGB agent." Let's take a look at the other bomb."
The two men made their way out of the room with the lesser Tsar, and started to walk .towards the room containing the more powerful bomb.
Khariton looked to the emotionless Gorbunov. " You're so lucky to have a base in Arkhangelsk. At least there temperatures go above freezing." he joked.
Gorbunov ignored him, and continued walking. Kharitov was about to say something else to him when a bright light flashed from the door containing the second bomb.
"What the hell was that?" Kharitov exclaimed. Gorbunov had already pulled out a gun, a Makarov pistol, from its holster. " Stay back." he ordered.
Kharitov did just that, as Gorbunov rushed to the door of the room. He counted to himself before entering the room, and shouted, "KGB!" to intimidate any would-be attackers, though there were none to be found.
He looked around the room. Nothing seemed to be amiss... except for the second Tsar Bomba, which wasn't sitting in is usual place in the center of the room.
" Where in the HELL is the bomb!" Gorbunov and Kharitov both exclaimed.
Nikita Khrushchev Moscow, Soviet Union October 26th, 1961
Nikita Khrushchev sat down at his desk, trembling with anticipation. The Soviet Union's most powerful nuclear weapons were to be deployed on an island to the north of the country, and he hoped the nukes would continue to convince the world of the Soviet Union's almighty power and deserving of respect.
He was interrupted in his reverie by a knock on the door. No one usually interrupted him unless it was urgent, so he let the person in. It was Alexander Shelepin, current chairman of the KGB. He immediately started in.
"Comrade General Secretary, we have a problem." Shelepin said worriedly.
Khrushchev gave him a cautious look. " What is it, Comrade Chairman? Does it involve our nuclear weapons?" he asked.
Shelepin opened his briefcase and set it on the General Secretary's desk. "Yes it is, Comrade, I'm afraid. This involves the nuclear weapons that are to be tested on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago." he explained the situation in full detail. As he explained, Khrushchev was getting noticeably redder in the face, both with worry and rage. Mostly rage.
" How in the fucking hell could we lose a goddamn NUKE ! Only a fool could let such a thing happen!" he bellowed with rage, quaking hard enough to be noticed by Shelepin.
"Sir, we must let you know, though, that the bomb was there when they-" Khrushchev cut him off angrily.
" DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND THE GRAVITY OF THE SITUATION ? Our most powerful nuclear weapon, the most powerful nuclear weapon IN EXISTENCE ,is fucking MISSING !" he shouted.
Shelepin stared up at the General Secretary in fright as Khrushchev's unexpected rage. " Sir, what do you propose we do?" he asked, voice shaking.
Khruschev turned and sat down at his desk, exhausted. " First thing's first: no one knew this second bomb ever existed. I want all documents with mention of the second bomb destroyed. Secondly, the testing of the remaining Tsar Bomba is to continue as planned. Finally, I want a nationwide search for the bomb to be initiated, though it must be done in absolute secrecy. Do you understand this?" he asked.
Shelepin nodded, " Don't worry, Comrade, I'll get on it."
"You had better, or else I'll find a new KGB chairman that will do better." Khrushchev said coldly.
The Tsar Bomba was tested as planned on October 30th, 1961. Most documents relating to the second bomb were destroyed, however, not all escaped destruction, and Nikita Khrushchev was force to acknowledge the existence of the bomb, though said it wasn't safe to test. Alexander Shelepin was quietly removed from his post as chairman of the KGB on November 13th, 1961.
Daring Do San Palomino Desert, Equestria
Daring Do trekked through the sands of Equestria's largest desert. She was currently searching for the elusive Karkadann Amulet, thought to have been lost in the San Palomino deserts a thousand years before Equestria was ever founded.
She looked up as she saw a moving shadow, but only realized that it was one of the Pegasus Wonderbolts that Princess Celestia had appointed to accompany her during her travels. The Princess decided to give Daring Do official Wonderbolt protection after the recent incident at the Fortress of Talacon, despite her protests that it wasn't needed.
Why does Princess Celestia not see that I don't need their protection at all?" she thought to herself. One good thing about it was that they usually stayed far enough in the sky that it at least created the illusion of being alone.
Suddenly, a bright flash emanated from thirty feet in front of Daring Do. She immediately rushed towards it, knowing that her Wonderbolt protectors would be closer by now.
"What is it?" she asked herself. She was looking at the object, a large shiny metal shaped like a oval. As she continued investigating, she noticed a strange printing on one side of the machine:
"Пункт AN602 "
Daring Do looked to her Wonderbolt protectors, and waved them down. They landed right in front of her with a thud. "Yes, Ms. Do." the two said in rigid military fashion.
"Do you know what this is?" she asked them. One of the Wonderbolts, a young stallion with a green coat and purple mane answered, "Ms. Do, it looks to me like a bomb."
Daring Do looked at him in surprise. "I thought the only country with any kind of bombs was Saddle Arabia!" she exclaimed. She was referring to the Saddle Arabian bomb corps, which was the only one of its kind on Equus and was first put to use several years before in the Arabian war against the Zebra Empire.
The other Wonderbolt, a pretty young mare with a tan coat and brunette mane replied, " I believe Princess Celestia would be most interested in seeing this bomb."
Daring Do nodded, "Yes, she would. You guys can get other Wonderbolts to take the bomb and I'll continue my search alone.". She hoped they would take the bait and leave her alone.
Unfortunately, the mare pointed to the stallion and said, "You can go back to base and gather others to take the bomb. I'll stay with Daring Do."
Daring Do sighed. "Can I never catch a break? the adventurous pony asked herself.
Princess Celestia Wonderbolt Academy
Princess Celestia's chariot landed on the small runway used for the training of incoming Wonderbolts. However, today was the day of an important visit, and as such, the Academy had been cleared of trainees, moved to another location, in preparation for the arrival of the Princess.
She stepped out of the chariot as Spitfire, leader of the Wonderbolts, rushed out to greet her.
"Good morning, Your Majesty. Welcome to the Wonderbolt Academy", Spitfire said as she bowed down humbly.
The Princess nodded. "Thank you, Spitfire. I trust that everyone has been gathered for the conference?"
Spitfire stood up again after bowing. "Yes, Your Majesty. Captain and Prince Shining Armor has arrived, along with the Head of the Saddle Arabian Bomb Corps, Hoofazad Yak."
The two trotted into the main building to the mess hall, which had been converted into a conference room as soon as Princess Celestia had called the meeting shortly after the Big Bomb, as they had started calling the Tsar Bomba, was safely stored away in an undisclosed location in the Crystal Mountains.
The hall had a long table with a lot of very important ponies in the group. Prince Shining Armor sat in the seat closest to Princess Celestia. Soarin' sat at the table as well, as the second in command for the Wonderbolts. A few other assorted military leaders sat either in Royal Guard armor or in Wonderbolt uniforms. The only pony that seemed out of place was a stallion standing near a projector idly. He was very tall, though not as much as Celestia, he was taller than the average stallion.
"That must be Hoofazad Yahk " Celestia thought to herself as she and Spitfire settled into their seats.
The Princess watched as everypony stood up and bowed the second she sat down. When they sat down, she rose to her full height to address the group.
"Good afternoon, my little ponies. I gathered you all here today to discuss the newly discovered bomb we found in the San Palomino Desert. First, we will gather what we know already." She glanced at Hoofazad Yahk, and introduces him. He walks to the projector and inserts an image into the projector.
"Hello, everypony. This is a picture of the Big Bomb in storage. As you can see, it is far larger than any of the bombs that Saddle Arabia has manufactured." He slides another picture in. "However, from what we have detected, this bomb has absolutely no trace of magic inside of it. We have determined that the large size of the bomb may only be compensating for the lack of magic inside of the bomb"
Shining Armor interrupted with a question. "Excuse me, Mr. Yahk, but what do you mean exactly? Are you saying that the bomb is only as powerful as a regular bomb just because it doesn't have magic?" he asked skeptically.
Yahk replied, "Not exactly, Captain. We, that is, the bomb experts in Al Hoof believe that this bomb, while significantly more powerful than one of our regular bombs, it is not as powerful as it could be with magic."
Celestia watched the discussion continue before her as they talked about the power of the bomb. In amusement, she noticed that Shining Armor and Hoofazad Yahk seemed to develop a small rivalry in terms of what to do with the bomb. Spitfire then chimed in with her opinion.
"Shining, if this bomb doesn't have any magic, then there is no way it could be very powerful." she said indignantly.
"I can't believe this!" Shining Armor exclaimed. "Just because something doesn't have magic doesn't mean it isn't powerful! Look at our train system, we don't use magic for it, but it is still our most valued form of transportation!"
Some of the other Wonderbolts and Royal Guardsponies started to talk among themselves. Some agreed with Shining Armor, while others supported Spitfire point of view more.
Celestia finally rose to her full height, bringing a hush amongst the ponies. " I believe we all have differing opinions as to what we must do with the Big Bomb." The ponies nodded. " Therefore, I bring to you all two options."
"The first is relatively simple. The bomb will remain in storage in the Crystal Mountains. We will leave it until such time as it may be needed, perhaps in a time of war, or some other purpose."
"The second option will be slightly riskier, but it shouldn't be a big problem if we're careful. We will give it to a civilian contractor, who will use it to assist in the demolition of a large building, in case it is more powerful than we expect."
The table of ponies went into an uproar, immediately discussing the possible effects of either of the two options. Shining Armor shouted aloud in surprise, " Your Highness, you can't possibly be considering giving it to civilians!"
Celestia nodded. "I would make the necessary precautions. Like I said, it will be in a large building. That will keep the danger to civilians at a minimal. We would also clear the area by two blocks if necessary."
"Now, I believe we must make this decision binding. For that, I wish for all of you to take part in this vote for the two options that I have given."
The group of military ponies pulled out slips of paper from their saddlebags, and wrote either a 1 or a 2 on them. Hoofazak Yahk was the only nonparticipating pony in the vote, as he was a foreigner and thus unable to take part by law.
Celestia gathered the slips, and had them dumped in a small bin. Then, she used a magic spell to sort the votes through, and the answer was determined after a minute. She rose high, once again, and declared to the group.
"Option 2 has has a narrow win, with 12 out of 22 votes towards it."
Spitfire grinned smugly to Shining Armor, and said tauntingly, "I guess the Princess trusts my decision more than yours, huh, Captain?"
Shining Armor glared at her.
Rarity Canterlot Station T-2:04:00 TO DETONATION
Rarity looked out the window as the station came into view. She and all of her friends were going to Manehattan so they could all see a concert by Countess Coloratura, which they felt was an opportunity for a surprise reunion with the celebrity who had visited Ponyville not long ago. However, Rainbow Dash was unable to come, because she was to start security preparations in Canterlot for the upcoming Big Bomb detonation at the future site of Trot Tower Canterlot.
The train screeched to a halt. "First call, Canterlot Station!", the conductor shouted.
Ponies started to leave their seats as more came into the train. Rarity watched as Rainbow Dash stood up from her seat, gaining the attention of the rest of her friends
"Well, I guess I'll see you all later, then." she smiled at the group. Pinkie Pie jumped up from her seat and gave Rainbow Dash a big tackle-hug.
"We'll miss you, Dashie!" she shouted excitedly as she squeezed Rainbow Dash in a strong, choke-inducing grip, prompting Rarity to give her a sideways glance. "Pinkie Pie, darling, you act like you'll never see her again." she chuckled.
Pinkie Pie nodded, giggling. "I know, but you know I miss all my friends when they're gone for a long time!", she exclaimed excitedly, earning some curious glances from other passengers. Applejack looked past Pinkie to Rainbow Dash, who was released from her hug, and grimaced sadly.
"It's too bad ya'll have to miss seeing Rara again, Dash." she said. Rainbow Dash nodded. "I know, Applejack, but the Princess called me here personally, so there's nothing I can do about the concert." she said.. "Sorry."
Rarity watched the conversation. Something started to dawn on Rarity, one that made her feel almost stupid for not realizing it before. "Rainbow Dash will be going into Canterlot without any of her friends to accompany her. How sad! " she thought to herself. She looked at the bright Pegasus pony in her Wonderbolt gear, and decided what she had to do. "Rainbow Dash, I'll come into Canterlot with you." she said in a tone of voice that didn't take no for an answer.
Rainbow Dash, even so, tried to dissuade her. "No, Rarity, you don't have to do that. I'm sure I'll be fine." she said.
Rarity shook her head. "Don't be ridiculous, darling, I certainly don't want you to be alone while you're up here, securing the bomb zone."
Twilight Sparkle looked over at Rarity and smiled. " Rarity, that's very kind of you." She then looked at Rainbow Dash and whispered, "You know she's gonna come anyway, whether you like it or not."
"Last call, Canterlot Station!", the conductor shouted.
"I heard you, Twilight." she laughed and turned her head to Rainbow Dash. "Let me get my things, then I'll join you." she said, still chuckling.
Rainbow Dash nodded, "Thanks, Rarity." she said gratefully.
The two rushed out, luckily before Pinkie Pie could give Rarity a death-hug. Even so, she along with her other friends waved goodbye as they stepped on the platform. Fluttershy, Spike, and Starlight Glimmer were in the food cart, and so weren't there to see them off the train.
Rarity looked out as the train pulled out of the station. "I'll be at the Canterlot Boutique, checking up on things, and I'll meet you in a few hours. I hope that's alright?" she asked Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow Dash waved it away. "Naw, it's cool. I gotta go, anyways." she said, and punctuated it by flying away instantly. Rarity watched the streak of rainbow, not knowing it would be the last time she would see her friend.
Iron Hammer Trot Tower Demolition Site T-1:23:00 TO DETONATION
Iron Hammer stood erect in front of the entrance to the demolition site. He was a Royal Guardspony who had been appointed in a select group of Guards to monitor the delivery of an important package. When he had asked his commander what the package was, even the commander hadn't been cleared to know, so Iron knew this was a very important job to do.
However, it still irritated him that he had only a folder to give to the stallion running the demolition. It was labeled "Classified Equestrian Royal Guard Information: For the eyes of CEO Mogul Trot ONLY!" If he even so much as peeked in the folder, he would be arrested and sentenced to life in prison.
Soon, a Wonderbolt walked up to him. She saluted and introduced herself. "I am Rainbow Dash, Element of Loyalty and Wonderbolt Reserve Private.".
Iron Hammer did a double take. "Rainbow Dash? I didn't think I'd meet someone so famous as you here." he gestured to the rotting spa that was to be demolished. "Why are we here delivering a package to Trot? Doesn't Princess Celestia have better things to do than deal with a buisnesspony?" he asked her, his curiousness overcoming his soldier's spirit of silence.
The Element of Loyalty looked him up and down, and said, "Sorry, can't tell ya.". She grinned, almost as if she actually enjoyed keeping the secret from him, though he believed she didn't actually know what was going on.
Soon, the carriage containing the package arrived. Several Guardsponies and Wonderbolts alike were helping transport the large box, which seemed to be struggling just holding what was inside of it. However, it was not Iron Hammer's job to help, it was just to deliver a folder of classified material.
Evidently, it wasn't the Element of Loyalty's job either, as she took one glance at the group of ponies lifting the package (not without the help of several unicorns in the group) and, shouting encouragement, flew higher in the sky and looked around her, signifying her status as a lookout.
Iron Hammer, satisfied that the package was arriving, walked into the demolition site. He went to speak to the CEO in his temporary office in a mobile carriage out of range of where the demolition was to take place.
When he walked in, the CEO was less than pleased to see him walk in without knocking. " Who gives you the right to disregard manners and just waltz into my office like a degenerate changeling?" he barked angrily.
"Please, sir, that's an insult to the changelings. " he thought to himself. Outside, he said, "I apologize, Mr. Trot, but there is a package outside that Her Highness Princess Celestia has given to you as a small gift." he exhaled. "I have not been told of what it it, though."
The CEO suddenly perked up. "A gift? Of what sort?" he asked, now intrigued.
Iron Hammer mentally sighed. "If you'll come this way, Mr. Trot-" he started to say. However, the CEO was already up and practically running to see what the "present" was, and why the Princess had sent him one.
Iron decided to follow him. "This may get interesting." he thought to himself, grinning outwardly.
Fluttershy 130 miles northeast of Canterlot T-0:05:00 TO DETONATION
Fluttershy watched the trees rolling by on the landscape as the train chugged farther from home, and closer to Manehattan. She had only been away from her cottage in Ponyville for a few hours, and she already missed it. Sighing, she looked away from the window, and looked at Starlight Glimmer, fast asleep, and had earlier attempted to start reading a book and was rewarded with motion sickness.
"Um, Starlight?" she nudged her. "Starlight, are you awake?"
Starlight rolled over in a groan, and soon roused awake. "Hey Fluttershy, what do you need that means I need to wake up?"
Fluttershy blushed, "I'm so sorry, Starlight, I just have no one else to talk to right now." she said sheepishly. Starlight looked at her, suddenly feeling more awake and alert at the statement.
"I'll talk to you, Fluttershy. What's bugging you?" she asked in a kind tone.
Fluttershy looked out the window and sighed. "I wish I could have been able to take Angel with us. He's never been to a real concert before.", she half-muttered, just barely loud enough for Starlight to hear.
Starlight grimaced. The only reason that Fluttershy hadn't taken Angel was because nopony else wanted to put up with the bunny for the long trip. When Fluttershy had started preparing for the trip, Starlight, with quiet support from her other friends minus Applejack, told Fluttershy that pets weren't allowed at the concert, which was a blatant lie. She had no idea what to say, so she instead looked out the window.
A minute passed. Starlight finally decided to say something to Fluttershy, having thought of what she wanted to say to the timid mare.
"Well, Fluttershy, I'm sure you'll have fun with your other friends too, right?" she asked cheerfully.
Fluttershy looked at her, and gave a wide grin. "You're right, I'll still have fun here. It'll be exciting to see Rara again. I can't wait to introduce you!" she said happily.
Starlight grinned back. "Yeah, I can't wait to see her either. Or the rest of Manehattan, in fact." she replied.
"Wait, you've never been to Manehattan?" Fluttershy asked. Starlight shook her head. "Well, it's too bad, Rarity would love to take you all over Manehattan and see everything in the city." she smiled.
Starlight looked out the window, and was joined by Fluttershy. They looked towards Canterlot, unaware that by doing this, it would be the last thing either of them would ever see.
"Too bad." Starlight said.
Princess Celestia Canterlot Castle T-0:02:00 TO DETONATION
Princess Celestia walked out onto her balcony, wanting to get a bit of fresh air during a quick break. Her quest for privacy, however, was not going to happen, as her sister sat along the balcony as well.
Celestia sat down next to Luna. "Sister, whatever are you doing out here alone?" she asked curiously. Princess Luna answered immediately, "The same reason you're here, for privacy.".
Luna gestured out to the Canterlot skyline. From where they were seated in the castle, they had a broad view of everything as far as the eye can see. This is one of the many reasons that this balcony, and by extension this part of the castle as well, were both sister's favorite part of the castle.
She spoke up. "I am certainly not looking forward to meeting with the Duchess of Maretonia. I try to be nice around her, but she's naturally a very rude mare. How do you handle it?" she asked her sister, who was happy to supply the answer.
"Well, in situations such as that, remember that she is here for her country and not herself." Celestia began. "But remember to remain calm and not lose your temper around her, too."
Luna laughed aloud. "Perhaps I could set her up on a date? With a certain Prince Blueblood?" she snickered.
Celestia shook her head. "Luna, the Duchess is insufferable, but setting her up with Blueblood's cruel and unusual punishment, is it not?" she smiled to remind herself that she was joking.
The two princesses looked out over the skyline. They could see where the demolition site was at , and when it was done, The Trot Tower would be the 2nd tallest building in Canterlot.
Luna smiled. "Perhaps, sister, we can learn-"
The Princess of the Night was interrupted, in her last words, by an enormous flash of light.
Author's Note
"Now I am become Death, Destroyer of Worlds."- J. Robert Oppenheimer, after the first atomic weapon on Earth detonated in a desert in New Mexico.
Twilight Sparkle 135 miles northeast of Canterlot
Twilight Sparkle's head jerked up when she heard the massive explosion. She looked in the direction that the sound came from, but all she noticed was Fluttershy and Starlight Glimmer. Starlight had fallen on the floor after she glimpsed the nuclear fireball, and she was holding onto her face and screaming "MY EYES! I CAN'T SEE! IT BURNS !". Fluttershy had fainted as soon as Canterlot exploded into nuclear oblivion, so she wouldn't realize she had been blinded until she woke up in a few hours.
Twilight looked around her in shock, because there were other ponies blinded by the blast. Many were panicking, and running about, bumping into things, or other ponies. She looked out towards Canterlot, where a massive mushroom cloud had just finished soaring into the sky higher than anything she had ever seen.
"Dear sweet Celestia!" Applejack shouted. "What in tarnation just happened?"
Twilight gestured to the blinded ponies. "Applejack! Pinkie Pie!" she called.
Both ponies turned their attention to her. "What should we do to help?" Pinkie Pie asked tentatively. Applejack nodded to show her support.
"I need you to gather these blinded ponies and sit them down, calm them. I'm gonna stop the train." Twilight said, now determined and taking charge of the situation at hand. Applejack and Pinkie Pie nodded, and rushed past her to the other ponies.
Twilight rushed out of her seat and started for the front of the train. She passed the food car and two other passenger cars, where both showed the same story as her own cabin.
"I'm stopping the train, everypony. Sit down and be careful!" Twilight commanded as she ran through. She walked into the front of the train, where she let out a horrified gasp.
She was looking into the coal burner, where the conductor lay, still burning and lightly moaning. He had been blinded like so many other ponies, and he stumbled around in a panic. He fell into the fire, unable to get out. He died just as Twilight noticed him.
Twilight gagged at the burned corpse, and turned her head away. She then noticed the emergency brake, a rope hanging on the wall in front of her. She reached out, and pulled the cord.
The train halted with a sudden screech. Ponies throughout the train were thrown about as the train stopped without warning of any sort. Twilight grabbed onto a hoofrail that was bolted into the wall, and so avoided falling onto the floor. After the train finally stopped, she sat down on the floor anyways, and started to cry.
"What in Equestria am I gonna do without Celestia or Luna......and Rarity, Rain- " she stopped thinking about it, as she realized in horror that there were too many ponies she knew to name.
Princess Cadance Crystal Empire
Princess Cadence was sitting on her balcony discussing matters of trade with the Duchess of Maretonia when the nuclear bomb went off in Canterlot. She immediately stood up, and recoiled in horror when she saw the enormous mushroom cloud soaring high in the sky. The Duchess had already fainted.
"DEAR SWEET MOTHER OF HARMONY, WHAT THE HECK IS THAT? "she screamed.
The Princess watched the scene unfolding before her in stunned silence. Down below, ponies were in a panic, running around in no distinguishable pattern. Suddenly, a new noise befell the Crystal Empire: the sound of windows shattering. All across the Empire, old and poor-quality windows broke as the shock wave hit the city. The Duchess lifted her head, but fainted once more. The Princess picked her up and lifted her inside with her magic.
When she walked in, two Royal Guardsponies walked in at the same time. One of them stepped up and said, "Prince Shining Armor is calling an emergency meeting of our military leaders in the Belowground conference room, Your Majesty."
Cadence winced. The Belowground conference room was a room that was originally built as a rendezvous point for the Equestrian government in the event of a changeling invasion, or some other disastrous calamity. It had never been used up to this point, and disasters that had befallen were so it couldn't have been reached. The destruction of Canterlot would see it's first use.
"Alright, but make sure to keep the Duchess safe." she ordered. "In fact, prepare a chariot to send her back to Clopje. I'm sure the Maretonian royal family must be worried sick about her."
The soldiers nodded. "As you wish, Your Majesty." they said together, and they bowed low in respect.
Cadence walked out into the hall, where more soldiers were there to escort her. She was led down the stairs to the ground floor, and was then taken to a small office.
"Why did you take me in here?" she asked, raising an eyebrow in suspicion. "Aren't we going underground?"
A uniformed Royal Guard general walked into the room. He stood up respectfully and saluted her. "Your Majesty, I will serve you as you please. Do you have any orders for me?" he asked while saluting.
"At ease, General." she chuckled lightly. Even in the face of danger, she couldn't be unpleasant. "Show me to the Belowground conference room, if you will?" she now asked of him.
The general nodded, and led the princess down the staircase. It took a few minutes, but they soon reached a door at the bottom. The general grimaced as he opened the door.
"Here we are, Your Majesty." he gestured to the other ponies sitting in various chairs. They all turned around and stood up respectfully as she walked into the room. Shining Armor, who was at the podium in the back of the room, let out a sigh of relief. He had been under immense pressure, and seeing his wife helped soothe him.
Cadance sat down, and Shining Armor looked at the table. Some of the generals weren't here, either because they were sick or were radioactive ash. He started to speak out to the group.
"Today, we face a crisis greater than anything Equestria has ever faced. Several minutes ago, Canterlot erupted in flame. From what we saw, Canterlot is likely completely destroyed." The group of ponies gasped, even though the news didn't surprise them.
"The cause of the bombing is likely to be the Big Bomb that was to be detonated at noon, around the time Canterlot exploded." Shining Armor continued. Spitfire stood up, with a look of fire in her eyes.
She shouted at Shining Armor, "Captain, I don't believe you! Taking a tragedy and using it for your own political gain? You're a sick monster!" she turned her head to the other military ponies, some Wonderbolts, and some Royal Guardsponies. "The explosion could have been any number of things. Just because the Captain hated our decision doesn't mean he can blame us, now does it?"
Shining Armor said quietly, "My sister died in the blast, Spitfire."
Spitfire turned and faced the Captain. "What did you just say?" she asked, slightly apprehensive.
Shining screamed out angrily, 'My sister, Princess Twilight Sparkle, died when Canterlot did! Our sources show she was in the city when it burst into flame! It was because of you , Spitfire, that thousands of ponies are dead! Three princesses are dead because of your
Spitfire looked stunned at the vicious attack handed down by the Captain. She hung her head low, and spoke up,"I'm so sorry. I didn't know that-"
"GET OUT OF THIS ROOM! " Shining Armor bellowed. Spitfire flew out of the room in a hurry, wanting to face the Captain's wrath. Shining then spoke up to the group, "We will meet again in a half hour. Please, leave."
The group dispatched quickly, intent on sending out orders. Shining looked at his wife, and asked her, "You know what the worst thing is about this?"
She shook her head. "What is it?" she asked him.
He spoke morosely, "Twilight was gonna go to a concert in Manehattan with her friends, but her train never arrived. We had to assume she got held up back in-", He couldn't go on, as he started to cry.
Cadance walked over to him, and pulled in into a hug. When he had started to settle down, she murmured into his ear.
"We'll get through this. By Celestia, we'll get through this."
Countess Coloratura Lower Manehattan Medical Center
Rara had never been more exhausted in all of her life. For hours, the Royal Guard were bringing in ponies that had been blinded by the Big Bombing, as the event was being called. The news that many more ponies were coming in, and the fact that patients clogged every hospital in the city, both depressed and exhausted the singer, who volunteered to work at the hospital and help as much as she could.
Her supervisor, Green Bow, looked down at his clipboard. "Rara, you've worked here harder than any of the other doctors here, and that's saying a lot." he commended her. "But you should take a break, or you'll wear yourself out."
She looked at him in shock. "Leave? I can't do that! There's still so many ponies that need taken care of, and there's still more coming in!" she exclaimed.
He nodded. "Yes, I know, but if you don't rest at all, you won't be a very effective doctor, now will you?" he asked her.
She almost started to argue back, but then thought better of it. Finally, she said, "I see what you mean. However, if I may, can I at least help one more patient? I feel I still need to help where I can.". She gave him a pleading look, knowing it usually won over many ponies.
Sure enough, her boss sighed. "Alright, one more patient can't be too much." he looked through his files. "You can check down room 102. They need some more pain relieving spells." he gestured toward the direction of the room. Rara hugged him and squealed, "Thank you so much!"
She walked down to room 102 ready to give her spell. Most of the ponies in most of the hospitals had just been unlucky enough to be looking towards Canterlot when it was destroyed, so she knew most likely that she would see more of the same. Sure enough, when she walked in, the stallion had a large strip of gauze over his eyes. Rara soon realized, completely shocked, who the stallion was.
"Svengallop ?!" she exclaimed. Svengallop turned his head in her direction, and was equally shocked. "Countess Coloratura ?!" he exclaimed.
Rara walked up to him, tentatively. "Alright, Svengallop, I'm going to give you a pain relieving spell. Is that all right?" she asked him. Svengallop muttered, "Whatever."
The spell was quick and easy. Svengallop soon drifted to sleep, one of the side effects of it. Rara rushed out of the room. Green Bow noticed the look of surprise lingering on her face. He quietly asked, "Did you know that patient?"
She looked at him, startled. "How did you know?". He chuckled. "When you get to be my age, you just know."
She smiled, then the smile disappeared as she said, "Yes. That was my old manager. Svengallop."
Green Bow nodded. "I know who that is. He quit, or was fired, or something. I never really followed you, but my grandfoals love you to death." he smiled, remembering. "Perhaps you should go now. You saw your patient, now you can go get some rest." he said.
She nodded, "Yes, I better. Thank you.". She turned around, and walked right out of the hospital, to her hotel room.
Spitfire Wonderbolt Academy
"Do you think you have what it takes to be a Wonderbolt? I don't think so." Spitfire growled out to the group of privates being trained. She was not normally a very kind mare when she worked at this job, but today she was unpredictable. At one point, several Wonderbolts had had to pull Spitfire off a young private who had fallen out of place in line.
"You all here, you're just worthless scum. Understood?" she shouted angrily. The privates stood up straight. "Yes, ma'am." they chorused.
"Dismissed." she muttered. The other ponies trotted away, relieved their torture session had ended. Spitfire herself chose to return to her office, where a nice bottle of punch stood waiting for her. As she walked, the events of the past week continued to haunt her.
So far, every pegasi sent out over Canterlot continue to report that the area is still unsafe to walk in. What little was left of the infamous Everfree Forest was a smoking ruin, Canterlot and it's mountain were a pile of glowing rubble, and the only surviving structure was the Rainbow Friendship Castle, and even then it was a bare shadow of what it had been pre-Bomb.
Spitfire trotted into her office and locked the door. She turned around, and flew to her chair. She had been contemplating this decision ever since yesterday's conference, and she would finally carry it out.
She opened a drawer and pulled out a pencil, paper, and an envelope. When she had what she needed, she started writing a letter. The letter was relatively short, but it had all the important points scribbled onto it.
Once she had finished, she set in on the table in front of her. She wrote out SOARIN' in big, noticeable letters on the front of the envelope. Fully satisfied with her work, her eyes glanced to a small framed picture. In it was a picture of her mother, smiling back at her and tormenting Spitfire, knowing her mother, and most of her relatives, died in Canterlot.
Spitfire didn't even notice she was crying until her tears started rolling down her furry cheeks. As she cried, she finally decided to stop procrastinating, and do what she came in here to do.
Opening a drawer, Spitfire pulled out a gleaming knife. It was very prized in her collection, having been worth over 10,000 bits and never being used. Until now .
Within two minutes, Spitfire, Commander of the Wonderbolts, was dead by her own hoof.
King,Queen,Prince, and Princess
King Haakim Al Hoof, Saddle Arabia
King Haakim looked down from his throne in disgust at the pony trembling before him. He was currently sentencing subjects of his kingdom accused of treason, and the pony below him had been accused of selling secrets to the Changeling Empire.
He glowered down and his voice boomed as he said, "You, Anid, have been accused of treason against the King. What do you have to say for yourself?"
The pony before him blurted out, "I'm sorry, Your Highness, you must be mistaken. I would never do something as-" the pony trailed off, and realized his mistake all too late. Soldiers aimed their spears at him as the King's face turned red as a tomato in rage hotter than Celestia's sun.
"Do you dare accuse me, the King himself, of making a mistake ?" he asked coldly, on the verge of screaming. Before Amir could answer, the King swung his gavel and proclaimed, "This pony shall be sentenced to death by the guillotine for treason against the peace-loving Kingdom of Saddle Arabia!".
Amir screamed and cried as soldiers hauled him out of the palace. King Haakim heard his screams, all until they were cut off by the inevitable banging and crunching sound of the guillotine.
The King sighed, took a drink from his coffee, and called on the next pony to be brought in. He was bored with the work. He considered simply having the treasonous ponies executed, but he decided eventually that seeing the king give the death sentence would intimidate those subjects that would do him harm. He saw the next pony dragged in, and nearly spit out his coffee.
"Hoofazad Yahk ?!" he exclaimed. "What could my number one bomb expert in the Bomb Corps have possibly done against the Kingdom?"
The once-important stallion hung his head as a guard, holding a stone tablet, began to read off his crimes. "Hoofazad Yahk has been convicted of treason for assisting in the harm of an important ally of the peace-loving Kingdom of Saddle Arabia, specifically, advocating the use of the Big Bomb that destroyed Canterlot, killed thousands and destroyed most of Equestria's royalty."
The king looked at Yahk in shock, and murmured, "By Celestia, what were you thinking?". Hoofazad spoke up to the king, and cried out, "Your Majesty, I never thought the bomb could do something so terrible as to cause so much horrible destruction! Please, spare me from your wrath and have mercy on me!"
He looked at the king hopefully, as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. The king was unsure of what to think. Hoofazad Yahk had forever been a faithful member of his inner circle, and his position as head of the recently developed Bomb Corps had in fact been a reward for his continued loyalty. Finally, the king spoke up.
"Since you have been loyal to me for many years, perhaps I can spare you." Hoofazad looked at the king gratefully. "Therefore, you will be granted twenty years of hard physical labor."
Hoofazad's grateful smile immediately dropped. Hard labor in Saddle Arabia had always been known as the Slow Death Sentence, and many that were sentenced often killed themselves in less than a year. He was hauled off by the guards as he screamed and cursed, all while crying hard.
King Haakim sighed. Just another boring day for him as yet another pony was hauled before him.
Queen Chrysalis Chrysopolis, Changeling Empire
The Queen was in her garden when her messenger, Cellanost, rushed in with a big smile on his face. She looked at him angrily. Noone was supposed to interrupt her while she was alone in her private garden, so how dare this fool disobey her rules?
"Why have you disturbed me, Cellanost? There had better be a good reason, or your hide will be dumped into the ocean!" she snarled.
Cellanost pulled out a memo, recently received from the delegation from Maretonia. "Your Highness, we received this message from the Maretonians. Canterlot has been utterly destroyed!" he said cheerfully.
Chrysalis stood up immediately in shock, and then narrowed her eyes. "This had better not be a prank of some sort. If so, somepony will regret it." she muttered.
She levitated the memo from Cellanost and started to read. It said;
Queen Chrysalis,
As one of the only nations willing to maintain diplomatic relations, we believe it is our responsibility to share with you some news about the nation of Equestria. Our Duchess recently arrived back at Clopje, and reported that the Equestrian capital of Canterlot, and surrounding areas, were completely destroyed. The nature of the destruction indicates the origin was the bomb exploded as a demolition tool, and not of any magical origin. Our "associates" will continue to send data as it becomes available.
From the Royal Family of Maretonia in Clopje
The memo was accompanied by some photographs, filched from Equestrian classified files, showing images of Canterlot after detonation, in which nothing remained of the city. Chrysalis knew the Equestrians had found a bomb in their desert, so she wasn't surprised that they had used it wastefully. What surprised her, however, was the scale of the destruction it caused. She smiled.
Her messenger coughed. Chrysalis looked at him, and he said, "Our general has asked whether or not we should attempt an invasion of Equestria, considering their newly weakened state."
Chrysalis thought for a moment, considering. On one hand, defeating Equestria was something she had been longing for a long time, and her predecessors had also longed for it. However, if she were to take Equestria now, she would have to deal with the wounded and blinded ponies that were likely to be a problem.
Finally, she told Cellanost, "Tell the general to hold off on an invasion. I won't rule it out, however, I believe we should wait for a period of time. But, I would like our spies to collect information within the bomb zone. Perhaps we could harness some kind of bomb power similar to what destroyed Canterlot." she grinned as she said this.
Her messenger nodded. "Right away, Your Majesty." he said before walking away.
Shining Armor Crystal Empire, Equestria
Shining Armor was sitting at his desk when he received a knock on his door.
"Come in." he yelled.
Soarin' walked into the room, distressed. Shining Armor looked at him unhappily. "What's happened now?" he asked, grumbling to himself.
Soarin', taking no notice, blurted out breathlessly, "Your Majesty, Spitfire is dead!"
"What?!" Shining exclaimed. "What happened?"
"Her door was locked," Soarin' began, "so I kicked it in. She killed herself with a knife. She left a message, though.." he pulled it out of his saddlebag. "Sir, before she died, she resigned, then promoted me to her position in the letter. I am officially the Commander of the Wonderbolts, with your approval."
Shining leaned back into his chair, exhausted. An hour ago, reports of more ponies with some kind of sickness being moved into hospitals across the country were starting to come out. Doctors, medical supplies, etc. were running in short supply, and Shining had sent out emergency messages across the globe for assistance. On top of that, he was now in charge of the country, with his wife in labor and unable to fulfill her duties as Princess. He turned to Soarin' and nodded. "Soarin', give me the paper and I'll sign."
He signed the paper, and with that, Soarin' was the official Commander of the Wonderbolts. He stood up straight, and asked, "Sir, what are my first orders as Commander?"
Shining handed him a memo, which he had intended to send to Spitfire. Too late now. "Soarin', we need Wonderbolts to the Canterlot site immediately. Debris from the bombings is drifting out to the east, towards Fillydelphia and Baltimare. We need to get it in control, and soon." he said grimly.
Soarin' saluted the Prince, and with that, the new commander flew away to give orders. He had scarcely managed to sit back in his chair when he received another disturbance, in the form of Discord.
"Hello, my good chap, how are you doing on this lovely day?" he asked kindly. Despite Discord's cheerful demeanor, it was obvious to Shining that the draconequus wasn't so happy as he was showing himself to be.
He asked Discord bitterly, "Did you not hear? Canterlot's gone and my sister's dead."
Discord laughed . Before Shining could reach over and strangle him with his bare hooves, Discord said, "No, I believe you are wrong on that count, Your Highness. Twilight is actually alive and well. Okay, not well. But alive."
The Prince perked up. "Really? Twily's alive? But how?" he asked.
Discord snapped his fingerclaws, and suddenly, they were sitting by the end of a stopped train. Shining looked at Discord, confused.
"Alright, what are we doing here?" he asked. But before Discord could say anything, Shining's question was answered when a certain alicorn princess walked out of the cabin door of the train.
Twilight Sparkle was looking at her brother and Discord in shock.
