Equestria Liberation Front

Scootaloo gnawed on the end of her pencil as she watched Cheerilee mark out lengths of mathematical formulae out on the blackboard. Beside her, Apple Bloom was diligently scribbling out notes. The filly wasn’t the best when it came to reading and languages, but she more than made up for it in math and science. To the other side, Sweetie Belle was doodling hearts in her notebook and staring off into space, probably daydreaming about the newest teenage heartthrob, Pretty-Boy-What’s-His-Face.

With a resigned sigh, Scootaloo slouched a little lower in her chair as the teacher’s voice took on a dull drone. As if it was a magnet, she felt her eyes drawn to the window and the outside that lay beyond. She didn’t want to be in this stuffy old classroom, learning things she’d never use. She wanted to be out there, zooming around on her scooter, making trouble, and risking diabetes at Sugar Cube Corner. It was such a nice day out, too. Spring was on the horizon and the weather was warmer. Fresh buds and bright green spring grass were in abundance along with the scents and sounds of a town coming alive after a long, cold winter.

“Scootaloo!”

She snapped to attention to find her teacher glaring at her. “Wuh?” She mumbled around the pencil.

“Since you know the subject so well that you don’t feel the need to pay attention, perhaps you can explain to the class how to solve for ‘x’.” Cheerilee challenged, crossing her arms.

Scootaloo’s ears fell back and she began to feel a little ill as she was called out. Standing up, she made her way to the board, feeling like a prisoner walking those final steps to execution. As she stepped up to the chalkboard, she heard something. A low thud, almost the sound of thunder. She froze as she strained her ears.

“We’re waiting.” Cheerilee urged, her patience reaching its limit.

“Be quiet and listen!” Scootaloo snapped, earning a harsh glare from the normally easy-going schoolmarm. “I thought I heard something.”

“A nice try, but you’re not going to escape after-school detention that easily. You’re going to be writing ‘I will not disrespect Miss Cheerilee’ until I say otherwise.”

“Actually, Miss Cheerilee, I heard it, too.” Apple Bloom pointed out. “A noise kinda like thunder.”

There it was again, closer and louder. The school trembled slightly and several pairs of eyes, including the teacher’s turned toward the window. From the part of town that was visible, black smoke had begun to rise.

“Scootaloo, please take your seat.” Cheerilee said, a note of urgency in her voice. “The rest of you, stay here while I find out what’s going on.” With that, she hurried out of the classroom and into the hall.

“What do you think it is?” Sweetie Belle hissed as Scootaloo returned to her desk.

Apple Bloom shrugged. “Dunno. Whatever it is, it sure has Miss Cheerilee spooked.”

“Maybe there was a grain explosion over at Sweet Apple Acres.” Diamond Tiara threw in her two bits with a sadistic grin.

Scootaloo flushed as Apple Bloom paled. “Don’t even joke like that.”

“I’m just saying, it’s possible. Isn’t that, like, how her parents died?”

Scootaloo’s nostrils flared. “You’re dead!” She lunged at Tiara, who screamed as she went down. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle worked to lift the infuriated Scootaloo off of Tiara while the pegasus filly tried to throttle the life from the brat.

The door slammed as Cheerilee burst back into the room, slammed the classroom door behind her, and fumbled to lock it. “Everypony get under your desks! Quickly!”

“Miss Cheerilee, what’s happening?” Sweetie Belle asked as they all crawled beneath their thin, wooden shelters.

Cheerilee paused in pushing her own desk against the door long enough to reply. “Don’t worry. Everything is going to be okay.” She positioned the desk against the door and took shelter beneath it. “Everybody stay quiet.”

Scootaloo shivered as the sound of explosions and screams leaked in from outside. She almost wished for the lesson to continue, if only to block out the sounds. The noises grew to a dull roar as whatever was happening approached the school. Occasionally, a whimper from somewhere in the classroom caused her to turn her head, but she just waited in silence. The sounds from outside shifted, becoming louder and clearer. She could now make out words: praying, crying, begging. The rattle of metal on metal marked the rhythmic hoofsteps of whatever was coming.

And if the din was any indication, there were a lot of them.

The door rattled as whoever it was wanted in. With a gasp, Cheerilee jumped out from under her desk and threw her weight against it. Whoever was on the other side chattered back in a foreign language, a harsh, guttural tongue punctuated with chirps and whistles. Both the desk and teacher lurched as the invader threw its weight against the door.

“Leave us alone!” Cheerilee shrieked as she shoved back. Whatever was on the other side shoved again, trying to gain entrance. Cheerilee looked around the room, eyes wide with desperation, before locking onto the window. With a look of grim determination, she sprinted across the classroom, vaulted a desk, and shattered the glass with a hoof. “All of you, outside, now!” She gestured wildly before returning to her post at the door.

Nobody moved.

Whatever was outside doubled its efforts. Cheerilee looked on the verge of tears as she stared at her unmoving students. “Go! Now!”

The door cracked and came partially open. Nothing could have prepared Scootaloo for what she saw on the other side. It was huge and covered in steel armor. The armor hid most of what was inside, but she could see a pair of bright, yellow eyes staring back hungrily. It reached through with a talon, trying to grasp at the door.

Cheerilee screamed and pushed with strength born of terror. The door slammed on the offending appendage as the creature on the other side roared in pain and rage. The wood of the door cracked and began to warp as the creature beat against the door.

“Get out of here!” She screamed.

That broke the spell. Everybody bolted for the open window. Scootaloo was the first out, closely followed by her two friends. The safety outside of the school was questionable, but it left them with easy exits.

The previously clear sky had darkened with clouds, allowing the invaders to surprise and swarm escaping pegasi. Below, ponies were trying to fight back against the onslaught, but were rapidly losing ground. These were farmers and shopkeepers, not soldiers. A few who had done a tour with the Guard were trying to marshall the rest with bellowed commands, but they were among the first to fall.

Scootaloo reached back and grabbed her friends’ hands before sprinting off. “We need to get out of here.”

“But, where are we gonna go?” Sweetie Belle protested.

“Dunno. Anywhere but here.”

“Maybe we should go to Rarity’s or Twilight’s. They can help us.”

“What, back into that mess? We’ll get caught before we make it half way.”

“We can go to the clubhouse.” Apple Bloom suggested. “That way, my sister can find us when this all blows over.”

“I don’t think this is going to blow over anytime soon, but it’s better than nothing.” Scootaloo replied as they turned in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres.

“Wait, what about the others? What about Dinky, and Twist, and Pipsqueak?”

“We can’t go back. It’s too dangerous.”

“We can’t just leave them!” Sweetie Belle cried.

“There’s nothing we can do for them.” Scootaloo replied as they climbed the split-rail fence that surrounded the Apple family farm.

x----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------x

The sounds of battle were nothing more than a distant rumble as Scootaloo pulled the ladder down. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were in the farmhouse getting supplies while there was still time. She didn’t know how long it would take the invaders to make it out that far, but she was willing to bet they’d be there soon.

The clubhouse was tiny. It would be a tight fit for three small fillies, but it was hidden and out of the weather. Most importantly, those that mattered knew where it was. When help came, it would know where to find them.

“Hey, Scootaloo, help us up.” Apple Bloom’s voice rose up from below, almost scaring the life from the pegasus filly. She poked her head out of the door.

“Do you wanna keep your voice down? We’re trying to stay hidden here!” She hissed back.

“Sorry.” Apple Bloom replied in an exaggerated whisper. “We got a lot of stuff here.”

She dropped down to the ground. “Whaddya bring?”

Sweetie Belle began to pick through the provisions. “We’ve got blankets, pillows, flashlights and batteries. There’s some food and water.”

“Nothing perishable. We might be out here a while.”

Sweetie gave her a look. “We know. We were in the Filly Scouts. Anyway, how long could it take for them to get to us? I’ll bet the Princesses have already dispatched the Guard.”

Their attention turned back to the town, pillars of black smoke rising up into the cloudy sky. From this distance, the explosions were little more than dull pops. At least, they couldn’t hear the screams. Groups of invaders, now little more than dark pinpricks in the sky, kept descending through the cloud cover.

“What are we going to do do?” Sweetie whimpered.

Apple Bloom turned to face them both. “There’s not much we can do.” She admitted. “We’ll hole up here for a few days, a week at the most, and see what happens.”

“That’s your big plan? Wait and see? Our sisters are down there and who knows what is happening.”

“If you have a better idea,” Scootaloo retorted, “let us know. We have no combat training, no weapons, and no information. If we sneak down there and get caught, then there’s nothing they can do for us. If they’ve been captured, then there’s nothing we can do for them. If we go down there and they come up here, looking for us, then there’s nothing that can be done. Remember Filly Scouts? When you’re lost, you need to stay in one place so you’ll be easier to find.”

Sweetie sat down with a heavy sigh. “I just feel like we need to do something other than sitting around here.”

Apple Bloom knelt down and put a consoling arm around the unicorn. “Sitting around here is about all we can do and it’s got to be enough for now. Tell ya what we’ll do. We’ll give it a couple of days, wait for everythin’ to calm down a bit, then sneak down there and see what’s goin’ on.”

“I guess,”

Bloom looked to the pegasus. “Scoots? Any problems?”

Scootaloo shook her head. “Nothing comes to mind.”

“Alright, it’s settled. Let’s put this stuff away and get some rest.”

“But it’s only the afternoon.” Scootaloo objected.

“Right, but we have most of what we need and we don’t want to venture too far in case somebody comes for us or we need to hide quick. Besides, it’ll be easier to stay hidden and listen for trouble if we stay quiet.”

“We should post a watch.” Scootaloo suggested. “You know, somebody to look out for trouble or whatever.”

“What happens when we run out of food?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Did ya notice we’re on an apple farm?”

“Yeah, besides, we won’t even be out here that long. Why, I’ll bet Applejack, and Rarity, and Rainbow Dash are already looking for us. Pretty soon, this’ll all just be a bad memory.” Bloom proclaimed with a bright smile.

It took a few trips to get everything into the clubhouse, before they raised the ladder and shut the door. Once inside, each retreated to their own corner and their own thoughts. Scootaloo sat near an open window, listening to the sounds from the town below. Now there was only the occasional boom, but she couldn’t make anything out through the trees. The air reeked of smoke, which created a very disturbing contrast with the omnipresent scent of apples.

x----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------x

Three days.

They had sat around the clubhouse for three days, jumping at every odd sound, driving themselves insane with worry, and with nothing more than low food supplies and frayed nerves to show for their trouble.

“Nobody’s comin’.” Apple Bloom muttered, wrapping her arms around her knees.

Scootaloo peeked out of the window. “The town’s been quiet for a day now. Do you think it’s over?”

“We can only hope, but, if it is, why hasn’t anyone come for us?”

“Maybe they’re dead.” Sweetie Belle suggested in a low, depressed mumble.

“Don’t talk like that.” Apple Bloom chastised. “I’ll bet they’re down there cleanin’ up or lookin’ for us.”

“Then why haven’t they come?”

“Well..I’m sure there’s a perfectly good reason. Maybe the road’s blocked, or they’re needed in Canterlot, or maybe there’re a lot of ponies hurt or trapped and they’re tryin’ to get ‘em out.”

“I understand that, but wouldn’t they want to make sure we’re safe?”

“Well, yeah, but-”

“Then why haven’t they come?” Sweetie Belle cried.

Scootaloo let out a harsh sigh. “Listen, regardless of what’s going on down there, we need to make a move and we need to make it soon. We can’t stay up here forever. Now, what we need right now, more than anything else, is information. I think we should go down to the town and see what’s going on.”

“Ain’t that a little… y’know...dangerous?” Apple Bloom objected.

“Do we have any other options?” Scootaloo raised her hands in a shrug. “We can’t stay up here forever and we need information so we can plan our next move. We’ll need to be careful and quiet to make sure we’re not seen unless we’re certain it’s absolutely safe.”

“How far in will we go?” Apple Bloom asked.

Scootaloo took a moment to think. “Well, I’d like to go as deep as Sugar Cube Corner, but only if it’s safe enough. As far as we know, we’re alone. I don’t want to risk any of us getting caught.”

“And if it’s not safe? What then?”

Scootaloo bit her lower lip. She hadn’t really thought up a plan beyond avoiding capture and surviving another day. “I dunno. I haven’t thought about it. Hell, I’m a school filly, not a general.”

Sweetie Belle stood and went to Scootaloo. “It’s okay. We’re all under a lot of stress. We’ll go down to the town, see what’s going on, and come back up here to plan our next move.”

Scootaloo nodded. “Don’t pack much. We’ll be coming right back. Let’s just be quick about it.”

Taking only a few bottles of water, they began the slow and careful trek down to Ponyville. They darted from cover to cover, making sure to limit their exposure. Every odd bit of movement sent them scurrying for what meager shelter they could find, hoping that it wasn’t danger that had finally found them.

Ponyville had changed much while they had been in hiding. What was once a peaceful rural town now more closely resembled a military base. Checkpoints had been set up at each road into town and walls were being constructed around the perimeter. Armed guards marched between the checkpoints while others patrolled the skies.

Parts of the town were still visible through the incomplete walls and what they saw chilled them to the bone. Stallions and mares were being segregated and chained together. Some were loaded into armored wagons and taken away while others were being led off into different parts of the town.

“Sweet Celestia.” Apple Bloom breathed.

“This is bad.” Scootaloo agreed.

A moderately-sized group comprised of both stallions and mares had been gathered in the street. One of the armored invaders strutted back and forth before them.

Scootaloo caught a glimpse of a large tawny wing. “Gryphons?”

“What?” Apple Bloom asked.

“I think that’s a Gryphon up there. I thought we had a treaty or something with them.”

One of the mares managed for fight free of the guards and make a break for an opening in the wall. The Crusaders found themselves rooting for her as she fled as fast as her hooves would carry her.

Which wasn’t fast enough. One of the guards patrolling along the wall drew his sword and swung, cleaning decapitating the mare. Her body slumped to the ground while the top half of her head spun away into a nearby field. Apple Bloom clamped a hand over Sweetie Belle's mouth as she let out an involuntary scream.

“Hoshitshoshithoshithoshit.” Scootaloo chanted under her breath.

The massive guard wrapped a talon around the hoof of the mare’s corpse and dragged it back to the group. He lifted it high in display causing many of the assembled to flinch away.

“Do you see now?” The first Gryphon proclaimed in a hissing voice. “We have liberated you from the yoke of the tyrannical Alicorns, yes, but we cannot tolerate dissent. Obey us and you will be treated well. Defy us and death shall be your punishment.”

A pale Apple Bloom turned to her friends. “I think we’ve seen enough. We need to get out of here before they find us.”

“But what about Rarity and Twilight and all of the others? Your sister might be down there.” Sweetie Belle protested.

“I don’t think there’s anythin’ we can do for them. Either way, we know what’s goin’ on now. We need to get back to the clubhouse in a hurry and figure out what to do next.”

They retraced their steps, moving carefully to avoid detection.

“What do you think happened?” Sweetie Belle asked in a hurried whisper.

“Weren’t you paying attention? We’ve been invaded by the Gryphons. Everypony we’ve ever known is now at the mercy of those...those thugs.” Scootaloo snapped back. “We’re all alone now.”

“Not exactly.”

“What do you mean, Bloom?”

“Think about it. Who do we all know who lives nearby, could help us, and doesn’t go into town that often?”

“Damn it, Apple Bloom, we don’t have time for this.”

She let out a ragged sigh. “Zecora.”

“Zecora! Of course!”

“Will you two keep your voices down?”

“Sorry, but do you think she can help us?”

“Either way, she needs to be warned.”

They changed course, making for the dark and foreboding Everfree forest. The trees appeared even more malicious to the trio now that they knew there was no place for them to return to.

Apple Bloom led them down a narrow path that looked like nothing more than a game trail. They moved in silence, constantly looking over their shoulders for pursuers. The thick canopy of the forest kept most of the evening sunlight at bay and the forest grew gradually darker.

To the East, the moon began its trek through the sky as the sun vanished to the West.

“The moon and the sun are still going. Maybe the Princesses are still free,” Sweetie Belle offered.

“Maybe but I think that, with Ponyville overtaken, they have bigger things to worry about.” Scootaloo stumbled over an exposed root. “I can’t see a damn thing.”

“Don’t worry. We’re almost there,” Apple Bloom reassured them.

In the distance, a Timberwolf let out a howl, which was soon answered by another, then a third.

Sweetie Belle shuddered. “I don’t like this place. I don’t like this place at all.”

“Better than what’s going on in town.”

“Why does Zecora have to live in here? Why couldn’t she live in town like every other pony?”

Apple Bloom snorted. “Count your lucky stars that she does, otherwise we’d be hip-deep in trouble.”

There was a roar and a yelp in the distance. All three fillies froze for a moment.

“Sounded like a Manticore.”

“That sounded like it found a Timberwolf. We should hurry before anything finds us.”

“How has Zecora managed to live so long out here without being attacked?”

Apple Bloom shrugged. “She’s really good about hidin’ her presence and all. She still gets attacked every once in a while, but she’s really good at fightin’. She told me that fightin’s really important in Zebrica on account of bandits and soldiers.”

“Is that why she left and came here?”

Apple Bloom nodded. “Eeyup, and some other stuff. She wasn’t real specific.”

The lights of Zecora’s hut came into view as they crested a hill. Apple Bloom let out a sigh of relief. The trio hurried down the narrow path to where the hut sat, snug against a massive old oak.

Apple Bloom was the first to reach the door and began to knock insistently. “Zecora. It’s Apple Bloom. Are you here? Please, open up.”

The door swung open to reveal the tall and slender zebra, who immediately wrapped the filly in a tight embrace. “My little friend, so good you are here. Your fate was something I had begun to fear.”

“Zecora. We need your help. Somethin’ terrible has happened in town.”

Apple Bloom was hushed. “Quickly, come inside. Danger lurks and there are few places to hide.”

The three fillies scurried through the door and deposited their meager possessions along the wall.

“There’s an army in town,” Apple Bloom hurried to explain. “There’s a lot of ponies in trouble and mah sister’s missin’.”

“Mine too.”

“And Rainbow Dash.”

Zecora let out a heavy sigh. “I had hoped such things I had left in my past. Even still, I did not expect this so fast. I know what has happened in the town, but I do not expect help from the crown. The land of Equestria, it seems, has fallen and is now in the grip of a power most foreign.”

“But who would do such a thing,” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Equestria has many enemies that seek a way in like a terrible disease. The defenses have worked until such a fateful day when, like any illness, they found a way. There is little I can do to repel this attack. I have no power to push these invaders back.”

“So, what are we going to do?”

Zecora’s mouth set in a grim line. “We must be patient and bide our time. Our allies will aid us when the moment is prime. The most we can do now is hope for the best and we must all seek some much needed rest.”

She moved about the room, snuffing candles until the hut was lit only by the fire under the massive cauldron.

“We can’t sleep now. Ponies we care about are in danger, maybe dyin’.” Apple Bloom protested. “We gotta do somethin’.”

Zecora fetched spare blankets from a large chest and distributed them among the fillies. “There’s little we can do save wait and pray, young Apple Bloom. Perhaps, some day, when the time is right. We will strike back with all of our might.”