3questria

Chapter 1: Rude Awakening

Ironhoof Fortress, Equestria-Bleakmire Border

Year of Celestia 4017

Approx. 1700 hours

“My Lord!”

The crack of a whip silenced the red unicorn as a dozen armored ponies sat gathered around a huge oak-crafted table. At the head of the table stood Princess Celestia, her hair flowing even though no breeze blew through the castle. At her sides stood Twilight Sparkle, her newly appointed scribe pony, and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, her niece. A dozen royal guards surrounded the trio, eyeing the black-armored ponies warily.

Princess Celestia looked astonished at the sight of the unicorn that had just galloped in, and turned her attention to the dark figure at the far end of the table. “Lord? You call yourself Lord now, Onyx Blade? Is that how you see yourself?”

An amused chuckle escaped the dark figure, who leaned forward, revealing his face in the torchlight. “My dear Celestia, you know better than anypony of how knowledgeable I am in the field of equine hierarchy. You call yourself a princess, do you not? Then why should a faithful commandant of her majesty’s elite guard not be honored with such a title?”

“Don’t play games with me, Blade,” the princess growled. “And don’t mistake me for a buffoon. I know you have been conducting portal experiments outside of Equestria. Do not assume that the hostilities between Equestria and Bleakmire do not deter us from monitoring unusual events that occur in that region.”

“Unusual events?” the black pony said with honeyed innocence. “What unusual events? And portals? What sort of nonsense is this?”

“We’ve seen it,” Princess Cadence piped up. “The lights, the quakes, the magical fluctuations. All these signs point to portal activity.”

The pony called Onyx Blade, a black equine with a mane of bloodred hair, leaned back in his thronelike chair. “And what of it? Say that I was experimenting with portals, which is obviously my top priority, other than to keep the changelings off of the Equestrian border so as to not have another incident like the one at your wedding, Princess!”

“Don’t you dare!” the younger princess yelled, and a few of Blade’s ponies reached for their swords. Celestia held her back as Onyx Blade snickered.

“Oh, I see. Still angry about the unfortunate position of your husband?”

“That’s not relevant to what we’re talking about,” Twilight Sparkle said, though she was shaking with barely-concealed anger.

“I don’t recall anypony asking for your opinion on the matter, scribe.”

“You will address my subjects with the same respect I address you with, Blade,” Celestia said angrily.

“Respect?!” Onyx Blade stood up and stared at the trio, his single red eye full of rage, the other covered by a patch. “You come here unannounced, drawing attention from all sides, from the enemies beyond this border, and you preach to me about respect?! My dear Princess, you would earn my respect if you would tell me what you are doing here, compromising the security of all of Equestria!”

Tense silence followed the outburst, until Celestia finally spoke again. “We came for Shining Armor.”

Princess Cadence and Twilight stiffened, but Onyx Blade narrowed his eyes. “Spare me. Equestrian law dictates that…”

“I know what the law says,” Celestia interrupted. “I was there when the Law of Equestria was written.”

“Then you know, Princess, that any pony found guilty of war crimes is to be punished at the expense of his commandant, following a chain of appeals that can go to the Royal Court. But, as you have already found out many times, you are a conflict of interest. Your niece is Shining Armor’s wife! Your court scribe is his sister! He is being held under my custody until his trial can begin. Now why are you really here?”

“We are here for Shining Armor. The Canterlot Council has signed an affidavit for his release.”

“Release?!” Onyx Blade screamed, his eyes going wild. “You would release a criminal such as him into Equestria?! After what he did at Trottingham?!”

“There was never any evidence to link Shining Armor to that wildfire!” Cadence pleaded.

“On the contrary, Princess,” the commandant sneered. “There is plenty of evidence.”

“Enough of this!” Celestia snapped, startling both Twilight Sparkle and Cadence. “Will you or will you not release Shining Armor from this fortress?”

“I will not. Not until he is found guilty—or innocent—by a jury of his peers.”

“Then you violate the proclamation of the Council.”

“To Tartarus with the Council! And to Tartarus to you!”

“HOW DARE YOU!” Twilight screamed, preparing to fire a bolt of magic at the alicorn, but a look from Princess Celestia stopped and calmed her.

“You will not escape punishment for this foolish decision, Onyx Blade. The Council will see to your removal from the Equestrian Guard.”

“Will they?” Onyx Blade said, smiling cruelly. “Well, there may be no Council by the time they can come to a decision.”

The three ponies had turned around to leave, but at Blade’s words, Celestia turned around and gave him a look of utter loathing. But she said nothing as the three of them exited the grand hall of Ironhoof Fortress.

Blade’s smile vanished from his face, and he motioned for the red unicorn that had interrupted earlier.

“What is it?”

“My Lord, the Necromares are ready and the portal spells have begun. What are your orders?”

The smile returned. The Necromares were ready. His red eyes glittered.

“Tell the Robes to oversee the portal enchantment. Nothing must go wrong. Prepare the Necromares for invasion. We begin the attack today. All soldiers are to be dressed and geared for battle. The volunteers will not be armored.”

“And what of Princess Celestia and her escort, sir?”

Onyx Blade pulled an onyx blade from a sheath at his flank, forming a hand out of magic to grasp the evil sword with. His eyes, red with bloodlust, were cold.

"Oh, I have plans for the princess. Don't you worry."

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C.

April 9, 2015

1340 hours

Agent Michael Gallagher shifted uncomfortably in his starch-stiff suit, breathing slowly as his chest expanded outward, the cold butt of his gun pressing against his undershirt. He should have been paying attention to what President Sheldon was saying as he spoke to dozens of reporters on the White House lawn. Security had been doubled since Sheldon had decided he wanted to hold the conference outside. He was an outdoorsy man, born and raised in Montana, but outdoors wasn’t the best place to be when you’re the president of the United States. That’s where the Secret Service came in.

But Secret Service Agent Michael Gallagher was distracted by a dark cloud over the Washington Monument. A lifelong sufferer of ADD, Gallagher had been lucky to have even gotten into the army, much less the Secret Service. He could handle any gun and any situation, but small things often distracted him.

Like the cloud. It was blacker than night and it hovered over the monument, not moving even though a gentle breeze blew through the air. He didn’t think it was a rain cloud, but the way it just stood over the monument confused him, captivated him, distracted him from the duty at hand.

The President continued to go on about job growth and the recent turmoil in Latin America, and Gallagher’s focus switched from the cloud to the crowd, scanning faces and searching for potential threats.

A call came over his earpiece. “G-2, respond. Urgent.”

An urgent call in the middle of a presidential conference? “How urgent?” the agent replied quietly.

“G-2, this is Nexus, we have incoming reports of situations rising in New York and Los Angeles. Acknowledge.”

A cold shiver ran down Gallagher’s spine. “Acknowledged. What sort of situations?”

“G-2, this…uhm, hold on. We’re having communication troubles. Electronics are going haywire back at Nexus. Richmond and Philadelphia centers are also reporting signs of…”

Then static, so loud that it made Gallagher cry out. This started a chain reaction that culminated in the arrival of a dozen agents who swarmed the President as a few others broke off to join the crowd. Gallagher tore off his earpiece and addressed a nearby agent.

“What the hell’s going on? This doesn’t constitute a full extract!”

“New York and LA have been hit by something, and we don’t know…”

Thooom.

It was a sound like an explosion underwater, muffled but still violent enough to shake the world around them. As Gallagher looked for the source of the sound, a wave of energy pulsated from the black cloud, which had grown larger.

“Nexus, say again! Nexus, what is happening in New York? Damn it!”

“Everybody disperse! Right now!”

“Priority One is in custody. Ready for transportation.”

Sheldon had been taken back to the White House, where Gallagher imagined he was ranting and raving at his agents. The reporters were confused, and some of them screamed at the sight of the agents’ weapons. Gallagher was about to pull out his own gun when something caught his eye.

The black cloud was no longer a cloud, but now a throbbing, energy-ringed hole in the sky. As the agents watched in horror, the hole grew larger and larger, so big that the Empire State Building could fit through it without touching the sides. Then, suddenly, a cracking noise, followed by another, and before anybody knew what was happening, the Washington Monument broke into pieces and started to spin around as if it were caught in a hurricane, sending chunks of debris down the Mall and even as far as the Reflecting Pool. An incredibly loud bellow escaped the hole, rattling the ground and the agents, who were transfixed at the sight of the Washington Monument torn to shreds.

The hole contracted, and the pieces of the monument smashed together, forming a strange sculpture of quivering marble. Then, before anybody could react, something exploded in the hole and slammed into the place where the monument once stood, blowing up the chunks of the monument and sending its remains in all directions. A plume of fire billowed from the site where the proud monument had once stood, spreading across the lawn and throwing oily smoke into the sky.

A piece of monument slammed into the White House, and as Agent Gallagher ran for cover, another explosion ripped through the afternoon air, knocking him off his feet and shattering windows and trees all around. A black sedan smashed and rolled down Pennsylvania Avenue, on a collision course with the Secret Service agent. There was no avoiding it. He covered his head as a mass of black steel and glass crashed down on top of him, silencing everything.

Times Square, New York City

April 9, 2015

1410 hours

It happened even faster in the Big Apple. So many would later recall how much it reminded them of 9/11, with all the smoke, all the noise, all the fear and the pain and the uncertainty of what the hell was going on…

Such was it for Alex Andrews, a cab driver who likened himself to John Winger from Stripes: lazy, unmotivated, hateful of his customers, and always quick with a snide comment or razor-sharp comeback. However, when he saw a wall of black smoke bearing down on his cab, billowing from the spot where the Chrysler Building had once stood, he had no words, no quips.

He gunned the engine, throwing the cab into reverse and hitting several fleeing citizens along the way. He didn’t even look. He just kept backing up, hightailing it out of Times Square, desperate to escape the black cloud…

And then, out of the corner of his eye, a bolt of lightning smashed into the Empire State Building, and from the massive tower of steel came a black fireball. Not red. Not orange. Black. But it was fire, Alex knew that. Even from Times Square he could feel its heat. Moreover, the black cloud seemed to have stopped.

But Alex hadn’t.

Before he knew what had happened, he was sitting in his wreck of a cab, parked very awkwardly on a subway station staircase. He heard screams, roars, and shots. Somebody was shooting.

He stumbled from his wreck, tasting blood, and pushed through the smoke and haze, trying to find his way to the surface.

Outside Ironhoof Fortress

Year of Celestia 4107

Approx. 1900 hours

The trio of ponies walked away from the fortress feeling as though they should have done more, Twilight especially. Her brother had been locked up in Ironhoof Fortress for months, and she hadn't seen him since. It was even harder for Cadence, not hearing from her husband in so long. Even the company of Princess Celestia didn't cheer them up. Onyx Blade's guards eyed them hungrily as they climbed into the royal carriage.

"What will we do now?" Cadence sobbed. "My Shining Armor..."

"Nopony can just take another pony and hold him prisoner! Even we don't have prisoners!"

"That is because we don't have criminals, my faithful student," Celestia replied.

The purple unicorn frowned. "But then, what do we do?"

The princess looked out into the red evening sky, a grim look on her face.

"I don't know, Twilight. I don't know."

Ironhoof Fortress

“My Lord, the princess's convoy has left.”

“Good. And the portal?"

"It has opened in many locations, my Lord. Strategic points that will weaken the humans."

"And what of our...volunteers?"

"They are ready. More than ten thousand strong."

"Ten thousand will not be enough to crush the humans. What of the Necromares?"

"They are ready as well, my Lord. They yearn for flesh.

"Good. Their hunger will soon be satisfied. Unleash the ponies and the Necromares. Inform the Robes that they shall give no quarter. Let Earth taste the might of Onyx Blade.”

“Yes, my Lord.”