The Three Fists

The loud trotting awoke Luna. The princess struggled out of her bed and went to the throne room, ‘’It’s noon, Celestia is probably just attending her audiences and other duties, but how many…’’. She entered a great white hall, with stained glass, gold ornaments, bookcases of the finest wood, but six statues of the Elements stood out the most, capturing every detail, but there was more. Royal guards were glaring at her as she moved to the throne. Celestia was wearing her ornamented armor; a silver and gold breastplate, with many runes and a Sun in the middle, her legs and hooves were armored in the same manner, with the difference was the sides had pure steel blades. Luna’s heart was beating and her eyes were nervously looking at the guards. They had steel armor, but they were more armored as usual, their sides were fully plated, normally they were exposed. Celestia roared across the room: ‘’Luna!’’ Luna was filled with awe; the same tone was used about a thousand years ago in a life changing event.  ‘’I accuse you for conspiracy!’’ Luna’s eyes widened and she roared back in the same tone as one thousand years ago. ‘’Conspiracy?! Have you gone mad sister?!’’ Celestia slammed her hoof on the ground, a loud bang was heard and cracks were forming along the area of impact. ‘’You thought I didn’t see it?! You consorting with your Guards every day?! You thought I didn’t see the one who dropped hydra poison in my drink?!’’ Luna was shocked and appalled. She would never kill her own sister… Then it flashed to her, she wanted the throne to herself… Luna didn’t have the time to think for a reason before Celestia’s mighty voice echoed through the hall. ‘’Thus I DENY you as my sister! You will be executed for your treachery! SEIZE HER!’’

The Royal Guards dashed to Luna at neck breaking speed, she used her magic to slam them to the ground, breaking the ribs of a few, but incapacitating all of them. ‘’SISTER! Have you lost your mind?! Attacking your own sister?!’’ Celestia’s expression was stone cold, her horn started to glow and soon the Hall was filled with blinding light. Luna did the same, her horn glowing she started to form a ball of shadow, equalizing the contrast. Celestia shot her ball, Luna followed suit. As soon as the two collided Celestia’s engulfed Luna’s ball in an instant, growing even larger and made full contact with Luna herself. A tear fell from Luna’s eye, the ball made contact and the stained glass shattered into sparkling dust and the whole of Canterlot was looking at the Hall, like the sun itself was inside! After the light calmed down, Luna was lying on the ground, tears falling to the floor, she was burnt and her mouth was bleeding. Celestia grinned manically. ‘’Luna, I am sorry. But you were a burden. You only raised the moon and what then? Patrolling the night skies for what? You never attended court, you never composed any edicts, you never looked for the good of the people, you never had any friends and you never will. Above all you are inferior and weaker to me in every way imaginable.  You don’t deserve the honor.’’ As soon as she finished, she got up from her throne and walked slowly to Luna, savoring every step. Luna’s tears pooled and she turned her head to her Sister. ‘’Why kill me now?’’  She said with her last breath.  Celestia chuckled ‘’Dear Luna, you were Twilight’s favorite teacher… But she is long gone. They all are. I don’t know where the new wielders of the Elements are and frankly I don’t care. Their age has passed. Mine has begun!’’ She lifted her hoof up, to crush the life out of her sister, as her hoof descended; she was tackled by a shadow, falling to the ground.

She roared ‘’TREASON!’’ More shadows came into the hall, grabbing Luna and then made a hasty retreat out of the window. They were Luna’s Shadowguard, her small army of bodyguards. ‘’Capitan! She seems to be alive and breathing!’’ The Capitan was searching the land and sky for possible Royal Guards. ‘’Sergeants! Send word to the Cloudsdale, Ponyville and the Lunar Regiment to move to Everfree Forest!  Rendezvous at the Marsh!’’ They flew over the Apple Family Inc. This factory complex makes most of the building material, food and leisure items in whole of Equestria. In fact, the only other factories in Equestria are Ponyvile Industires and Canterlot Corporate Union. It was founded by Applebloom and it’s still run by her. But the workers have minimum wage and they work for 18 hours a day. On this particular day something was brewing in the lunch room…

‘’You know we can’t continue like this! We get one bit a day… ONE! And old Rusty there was working here for five years. He eats once every five days! I have enough of this! ‘’ Scowled the dark red stallion and moved his dark green mane from his violet-gray eyes. ‘’Okay, so maybe if we succeed this revolt of yours. What then?’’ A voice from the crowd asked. The stallion grinned. ‘’I sneaked into ‘Bloom’s office. I found a command from Celestia herself! The royalty demanded our wages to fall and the production to advance!’’. A voice asked ‘’you don’t mean to overthrow the Sisters?!’’ He roared ‘’Not only overthrow! We will make an elected council, so the people may rule!’’ This statement was applauded, thousands of workers started to shout, roar and scream ‘’POWER TO THE PEOPLE!’’, the whole factory was echoing from their mighty voices. The ponies stormed out of the lunch room, the speed and rage of their gallop was unmatched and second only to the old Pony barbarians, soon enough they encountered a guard patrol. They were ripped to shreds by the workers, their hooves tore through those stallions like savage timberwolves. The wave continued through the factory, destroying all opposition, until they encountered the guard commander and behind him there were about a hundred armed guards, if they can be called that way. The blooded horde stopped, their diabolical grins, shouts and screams would strike fear even in Celestia herself. They hid behind makeshift barricades of barbed wire, iron plates and sandbags, they were equipped with whips, flails, hot pokers and everything a torture room would have; not that the factory was actually a prison; torture was the only thing going on in the building aside from the work. But even with their arms their formation barely held together.

The commander shouted ‘’ Get back to work! Or we will discipline every single one of you!’’ Iron Back stepped forward. ‘’You are only powerful while fear is present. We are one now, we are united, we have no fear, we have only one goal.’’ The commander laughed at the stallion. ‘’A bunch of foals like you?! What are you going to do? Poke us?!’’ Iron Back chuckled. ‘’You think your threats mean anything?!  Workers, charge!’’. The thousands of workers descended onto the guards, it can’t be called a battle, it could be only described as a slaughterhouse. The guards were trampled; bones were playing, accompanied by the background vocals of cries and screams of pain, but the main attractions of this grim orchestra were the morale breaking, propagandist, and booming shouts of Iron Back. He was thrown into a fury beyond imagination, his hooves were tearing the guards limb from limb, he contributed to the instrumental bone breaking, by shattering every bone he could get his eyes on, his actions were taken as an example for the rebels. He was anger and hatred incarnated.  After that Slaughter, the commander was brought before Iron Back. He was shaking, crying, pleasing for his life. He knew he was before his executioner. He was violently thrown on the cold, blooded factory floor.  Iron Back was standing before him. He had a cold expression on his face. ‘’How does it feel, to be on the other side of the story? You tortured innocent, hardworking ponies and now you are going to repay your debt.’’ He motioned to two stallions behind him. The commander shuddered in fear, for they had whips, made from barbed wire and weighted with iron. ‘’It’s too late to repent.’’ He turned his head to the stallions. ‘’Make it last.’’ What followed those words was the peak of cruelty and justice. The whips struck the commander on the back, but weren’t retracted as normal, they pulled them over his back slowly and they enjoyed every second of it. Flesh was ripped off, blood was pouring from the oozing wounds. The screams and cries of the victim were deafening and they lasted for a good half an hour. But that wasn’t the end. The workers impaled the body of the commander on a barbed spike and stuck it before the entrance of the factory.  Iron Back addressed the workers before the oozing corpse. ‘’This is just the beginning! We will subjugate the Sisters! They will raise the sun and the moon, no longer will they rule over us! No longer will we be their slaves! Equestria will be ruled by the people!’’ The workers applauded and shouted approval. Soon the rebellion was spreading propaganda all over Equestria. They gained support in Ponyville, yet the populace of Canterlot was fully loyal to Celestia. Luna on the other hoof didn’t need support of the populace. She had the most elite soldiers, whose morale is never broken and they loyality was unquestionable, but they lacked the finesse of diplomats, to counter that she hoof picked ten of her guard and trained them in the art of diplomacy, speech and subtlety. They became the Shadowshroud.  But what most of them forgot, that what held Equestria safe was friendship and love. The mountains were howling and clouds were gathering at the borders.

War came to Equestria.