The Fall of Canterlot

Chapters

I. The Fall Part I
II. The Fall Part II
III. The Days After
Interlude: The Cave
IV. Rising Tensions

I. The Fall Part I

The Fall Of Canterlot

The Fall: Part I

Space, as Twilight Sparkle would be quick to inform anyone willing to listen, was a vast, empty wasteland. While stars, planets, and nebulae may catch a pony’s eye or turn a griffon’s head, most of space was just that: space. Empty. So empty, in fact, that an object such as a comet or asteroid sent adrift for whatever reason might drift through space for thousands or even tens of thousands of years before impacting anything. That is why interstellar civilizations that used mass accelerator weapons took utmost care in ensuring accurate gunnery. But every once in awhile, they miscalculate. Or they simply miss. Or misfire. The result is the same: a slug of metal whisking through space at absurd speeds, off to hit some poor innocent world years down the line.

One such slug entered Equestria’s solar system just a few years after Princess Luna’s return. It was a small slug, as such weapons came, only twenty kilograms. It traveled at just over one percent of the speed of light, or three million meters per second. It had been traveling for tens of thousands of years, crossing thousands of light years in the process. The empire that fired it was long gone in some great cataclysm. It had passed through only a few solar systems before Equestria’s, though never close enough to be captured by the star’s gravity. Had Equestria’s solar system been a normal one, it might’ve passed right on by.

The Equestrian planet had an unusual orbit: a perfect circle around its sun. Equestria’s moon likewise held a perfect orbit around its mother planet. Even the planet’s rotation was perfect, exactly twenty-four hours in length, with nary a millisecond more. All were the results of pony society, magic exerted to control and perfect the environment to such a degree as to ensure perfect seasons and tides. But such perfection is not without its flaws.The Equestrian interference played havoc with gravity in the rest of the system.

Gravity is a harsh mistress. As it passed through the chaotic gravity fields, the slug’s course was altered, ever so slightly, just enough that it would directly cross the planet’s orbit, at the worst possible time.

Nothing lasts forever. The slug’s time--and Equestria’s--had run out.

Canterlot, five minutes before The Fall.

Celestia sat comfortably in her squashy armchair at the dining table of her private dining hall. A wonderful breakfast spread over the table. The air filled with delicious smells of pastries, fruit, and other dishes. A large mug of coffee swimming in cream and sugar steamed in her field as she raised it to her lips. Breakfasts were one of the few times every day where she could relax and let her mask of royalty slip away. It was also one of the rare times she got to spend with Luna on a regular basis. They had wonderful chats. Most of the time.

Luna sat across from Celestia in an armchair of her own, slumped in exhaustion. She nibbled at her eggs and hay hash browns with an unusual reluctance. Her lips were drawn back in the snarl Celestia knew she only ever made when she was angry about something. Which was often.

Celestia set her mug down. “Rough night?”

Luna growled a wordless noise of frustration. “Discord,” she seethed.

Celestia closed her eyes, letting out a tiny sigh. Of course. Discord had arrived last night with Spike and Starlight Glimmer. Why he had insisted coming along she couldn’t understand, because their visit wasn’t really about them. They had brought the book used to communicate with Sunset Shimmer. She dearly missed her former student, but she would never force Sunset to meet with her before she was ready. Luckily for Celestia, Starlight had recently made friends with Sunset and, after some cajoling, finally talked Sunset into at least making the first step in communicating with her former mentor. Celestia had been looking forward to this for a long time, but one doesn’t live for over a thousand years without learning the value of patience. Discord, however, had a habit of trying her patience like nothing else. “What has he done this time?”

Her sister grumbled, “He interrupted my Night Court in the early hours of the morning, claiming to be bored. When I dismissed him he acted like a spoiled colt. He’s still whizzing around the castle gardens. He thinks it funny to bewitch the statues to chase the staff around and demand pony rides.”

Celestia couldn’t help but titter a bit at the mental image. At Luna’s look of betrayal though she cut it off. “That is quite foalish of him. I’ll order the Guard to make him stop.”

“Don’t bother,” Luna groaned. “He won’t listen. Starlight will distract him eventually I am certain.” She dropped her fork to her plate with a clatter. “Sometimes sister I think we were too hasty in allowing his ‘redemption.’” She conjured up air quotes with her magic on that last word.

Some days, Celestia couldn’t agree more. Still. “He has been a valuable ally. Without him we would both be in a Changeling cocoon right now.”

“I am well aware of that, sister. It is the only thing that has kept me from putting him out of our misery for…good.” She trailed off, leaping to her hooves and casting her gaze around the room. Her horn lit, her field moving all over the walls.

Celestia stood. “What is it?”

Luna opened her mouth as if to speak, then shut it again. After a moment, she said, “I am… not certain.” She waved a hoof in the air. “Something is...amiss.”

Celestia inclined an eyebrow. Her sister was not normally so vague. Curiosity piqued, she lit her horn and sent out a probe of magic, seeking out anything unusual. Any strange magics, or an odd presence. At first she could sense nothing. She turned her attention to the sky above, where her Air Cavalry patrolled.

Then she felt it. Her eyes burst wide in shock. “What is tha--”

She never finished her sentence. The slug seared through the atmosphere in an instant, leaving a trail of fiery plasma in its wake as it plunged directly into and then through Canterlot castle, burying itself deep beneath the mountain. The force of its passage was like nothing Equestria had ever experienced, on a scale far outweighing the greatest of Celestia's army’s artillery pieces and the wildest dreams of her sorcerers, far exceeding even her own power. The explosion was equivalent to thirty-eight kilotons of TNT, three times the size of a nuclear weapon that, in the human world, had devastated the city of Hiroshima.

Celestia and Luna, as alicorns, were virile, enduring creatures, each tougher than dozens of the average pony. They could withstand blows that would shatter the strongest earth pony with just a bruise. Their magic, tapping the power of the sun and moon themselves, leant them an ability only other alicorns--and Discord--could match. They had lived for over a thousand years with nary a sign of aging past young adulthood, and they seemed well on track for living thousands more. But they were not invincible. Celestia had been defeated in single combat before, against Queen Chrysalis. Both had nearly fallen in the winter storm wrought by Flurry Heart’s shattering of the Crystal Heart. Both had been captured by Discord’s plunder vines, and then again by Queen Chrysalis. And while they might have been able to weather the strongest spell fired by Twilight Sparkle on her strongest day with little more than a scratch, they were no match for an explosion of nuclear proportions. Their resilience only meant they took seconds to die rather than milliseconds.

Within the first second of the explosion, as the forces ripped her body apart, Celestia drew upon her magic to defend herself, tapping the sun. Luna and, out in the garden, Discord likewise drew upon their own power, instinctively raising it in protection. Any shields or energy fields raised collapsed in milliseconds. As their bodies unraveled, so too did their magic. By the third second, they were annihilated, the remnant magic spiraling out of control, feeding the explosion like spraying gallons of gasoline onto a raging fire. The explosion gorged on the magic, increasing from thirty-eight kilotons to an astounding sixty. The unstable magic changed the shockwave from a mere, if deadly, pressure wave into one of destruction at the molecular level, with a fireball to match.

The shockwave rippled through Canterlot, disintegrating ponies where they stood, ripping apart buildings as if they were tufts of cloud. By the fifth second, the Castle’s extensive wards, designed by Starswirl the Bearded and added to over the centuries by thousands of unicorns--not to mention Princess Celestia--had failed entirely, transforming the crown jewel of Equestria’s architects into little more than charred bits of rubble no larger than pebbles.

Canterlot had been built in a series of tiers. While only the Castle was visible from nearby Ponyville, the rest of the city sprawled across the mountainside and on the plateau of the Canterhorn in tiers descending from the Castle. First the Noble Tier, their residences and marketplaces, high-class restaurants, libraries, museums, and Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. Then the Merchant Tier, so called because most of the real business in the city took place there. Most ponies resided there, as did Canterlot University. Finally, the Common Tier. This was where the lower income ponies worked and lived. Canterlot Castle itself had held the barracks for the armed forces, the airship docks, and the Canterlot Archives. As befit the nation’s capital, Canterlot boasted a massive population for its size of one hundred fifty thousand, all squeezed within just twenty-five square kilometers of precious little landspace.

The explosion hungrily ate its way through the Noble Tier by the seventh second, tens of thousands of self-important windbags and charitable ponies alike evaporated on the spot. By the ninth, the Merchant Tier had fallen, thousands of innocent tourists of all different species from around the globe dying just as swiftly as the locals. The ponies in the Common Tier had just enough time to scream in agony from the flash before they too ceased to exist. The fireball’s spread ended there.

By the twelfth second, the military airships around Canterlot overheated, their gasbags exploding, ponies mercifully only suffering from their third-degree burns for a few seconds before their broken ships careened into the mountainside or disappeared into the all-consuming fireball. In the thirteenth, the entire Wonderbolts team, training for their next big performance, were torn from the sky like an angry foal ripping her toys with her teeth.

The shockwave continued its spread, ripping apart the mountainside. Not all of the stones were obliterated. Much of it was flung kilometers away as far as Ponyville, just twenty kilometers from the mountain.. By the thirtieth second, the primary shockwave had finally spent its energy, after having atomized everything and everyone in its path. Secondary shockwaves manifesting as earthquakes spread out just as far as the ejecta, shaking Ponyville and any other settlements apart.The remnants of Canterlot, Equestria’s mightiest feat of engineering and arcane wonder, collapsed at one minute after the explosion. Any settlements at the base of the mountain, along with the entire rail interchange system, were smashed to pieces by the falling debris.

The flash was visible as far north as the Crystal Empire and as far south as Baltimare and Las Pegasus. Any pilots of airships on approach to Canterlot were flash-blinded, leading to hundreds more exterminated as the airships unceremoniously landed with far too much force. Those poor souls unfortunate enough to be looking directly at Canterlot when it exploded were rendered permanently blind. All others as far thirty kilometers suffered various amounts of temporary flash-blindness. Fortunately for the inhabitants of Ponyville, they were far enough away that nopony suffered burns. Unfortunately the sound following the flash still deafened many of them, a few permanently.

Within just a few moments, Equestria’s government, its diarchs, its most valuable collection of knowledge and lynchpin of its armed forces were erased from existence. The planet had lost its primary caretakers. All societies across the world would be upended in the days to come.

~*~

Ponyville, Ten minutes after The Fall.

“...wilight! Yo...ay suge..be?”

Twilight Sparkle groaned as she gradually resumed consciousness. The sound that awoke her was fuzzy at best, as if wads of cotton were stuffed in her ears right alongside the ringing bell that wouldn’t stop. Somewhere nearby somepony was screaming “My eyes!” over and over. Her head ached fiercely, pain beating a rapid tattoo in her skull. Blood ran down her forehead into her eyes, obscuring her vision. She blinked furiously to get it out, trying desperately to see anything at all past the spots in her eyes. “What happened?” she murmured, even her own voice distant and faded.

Applejack’s features emerged, indistinct but at least visible. She said something Twilight didn’t understand.

“What was that?” Twilight said.

Applejack increased her volume to something resembling audible. “Ah said, are you alright?”

“Um,” she mumbled, blinking. Gradually, her sight returned, if fuzzy, revealing the Friendship Castle dining room around them. Or rather, what was left of it. Some sort of massive, still-steaming rock had torn a hole through one wall near the ceiling, smashing through the floor on the other side of the room. Crystal chunks and shards of glass had flown everywhere. Not a single window remained intact. The table was coated in dust and debris, the breakfast she’d taken an hour to prepare completely ruined. The debris spilled out into the hallway, one of the twin doors torn from its hinges, the other hanging loose. Dust clouded the air. Looking around, she finally saw it was Rarity who was still screaming, if quieter, her hooves clutched to her face. Fluttershy had one wing wrapped around her, and appeared to be cooing softly to calm her, though Twilight couldn’t make out anything through the ringing in her ears. Both sported numerous cuts, some bleeding lines of angry red that stained their coats. Applejack’s stetson lay discarded on one of the broken chairs. The strap holding her mane’s ponytail together had snapped, leaving her with long locks of blonde cascading around her face in a manner thoroughly unlike the rough and tumble cowpony. She looked down at herself and spotted the sizable chunk of crystal that must have hit her head and knocked her out, judging by the smear of blood. Her coat sported many trails of blood and she could feel plenty of bruises. And possibly a cracked rib, judging by her breathing.

Taking a breath and wincing at the sharp pain that came with it, she struggled to her hooves. “I’m not doing great, but I’ll be fine,” she answered. She looked at Rarity, who had thankfully quieted entirely. “What in the world happened, Applejack?”

Applejack’s voice came through more clearly as the ringing in her ears slowly subsided. “I dunno. There was the biggest flash of light Ah’ve ever seen in mah life; thank goodness I wasn’t lookin’ out the window like Rarity. Then there was the loudest roar Ah’d ever heard, and that rock came through the wall and everythin’ fell to pieces.”

Twilight had to think that through for a moment before responding. “An explosion?”

“Ah’d assume so,” Applejack agreed with a nod. “Bucked me harder than Big Mac applebucks trees. Ah blacked out for a sec and when Ah came to you were lying there all quiet.” Her eyes glistened with moisture as she raised a back hoof. “Ah was afraid for a minute that you were dead.”

Twilight quaked, her stomach twinging with nausea. While far from her first brush with death, it hadn’t gotten any easier over the years. “Thank goodness that didn’t happen.”

“Listen, Twi,” Applejack said, blinking away the dust in her eyes, “Ah’m gonna try to find a first aid kit for Rarity. You okay here for now?”

Twilight nodded. “Yeah, sure. Go ahead. There should be one in the lab. Head down the corridor, take a left, second door on the right.”

“Got it.” Applejack trotted away.

Twilight stepped gingerly over to Rarity and Fluttershy, trying to avoid stepping in the glass. “Hey girls. How’re you feeling?”

“Twilight? Is that you?” Rarity said rather loudly, her head whisking all over trying to find Twilight’s voice. “I can’t see you. I can’t see anything!”

Fluttershy continued cooing, little soft noises that Twilight found surprisingly soothing given the circumstances. “Ssh now. You’re going to be okay, Rarity.” Even as she spoke, though, she looked up to Twilight with tear-filled eyes and shook her head.

Twilight frowned, nodding. She understood all right. If Rarity had been looking directly into the flash, her chances were, well, minimal at best. Twilight shuddered again, fighting with her emotions to stay calm. “Yes Rarity,” she said to add to Fluttershy’s efforts, even if she didn’t really believe her own words. “You’ll be fine.” Rarity didn’t respond. She sniffled, sobbing in an unusually-for-her quiet way.

Twilight gave Fluttershy a pointed look asking if she was okay. Fluttershy waved a wing to say “Yes, I’m fine, don’t worry about me.”

With more careful steps, she inched her way to the nearest window. The dining room squatted along the north wall of the castle. On most days the view of Canterlot was absolutely gorgeous, with the waterfalls cascading down the side of the mountain, the castle shining in the sunlight. Reaching the window, she took one look outside and her lower jaw almost detached from her skull.

Canterlot was gone. A giant mushroom cloud of oily black smoke tinged with sickening green and violet rose above the remnants of the mountain. A good third of the entire mountain was missing. A great cloud of dust obscured the base of the mountain. Here and there she could see other plumes of smoke from crashed airships. One wreck, less than two hundred meters away, burned with a smell of cooking meat that threatened to force her to void her stomach.

Twilight’s brain froze up. She sputtered wordless noise. “What-what I-I-I what happened?!” she finally screamed. Then her eyes widened and she took in a deep, shuddering, painful breath. “Spike,” she whispered. “Spike was in Canterlot.”

“Spike was in Canterlot!” she repeated in a shout. Her wings beat rapidly as she quaked, shaking her head back and forth repeatedly. “Spike… Starlight… The Princesses! My parents! No no no no no no!”

“Woah there, sugarcube, simmer down!” Applejack shouted in turn as she galloped back into the room, first aid kit snugly resting on her back. “Panic ain’t gonna help anypony.”

“B-b-but A-applejack, Spike was in Canterlot!” Twilight retorted, tears streaming down her face, mixing with the blood from the cut on her forehead into a red-stained mess. “He went there with Starlight! I… I… no...” Her whole body shook, knees knocking together. She collapsed into a limp heap and vomited, filling the air with a foul stench.

Hoofing over the first aid kit to Fluttershy, Applejack wrapped her forelegs around Twilight in a firm embrace. She picked up a piece of torn tablecloth and used it to clean Twilight’s muzzle. “Listen, Twi. Listen to me. There ain’t nothing we can do about that, ya hear?” Her eyes filled with tears. “There ain’t nothing.”

“Spike…” Twilight stammered between sobs. “He’s dead, Applejack! Spike’s dead! So’s my parents, and Starlight, and--and--”

“Look.” Applejack let go of her body and took her head in hoof, looking directly into Twilight’s eyes. “We don’t know that yet, okay? We don’t. Know. A thing. We just gotta… Ah don’t know what but we shouldn’t fall apart.” She gestured to Rarity, then to the window. “We’ve gotta worry about what’s right here. Ponyville’s gonna need our help. We, we can grieve later.”

Twilight took a shuddering breath, gulping. She brushed away her tears, though a few still dribbled out. Not much she could do about that. “Yeah, yeah you’re right Applejack. Sorry, I just--” she cut herself off, taking the knowledge of her family and friend’s probable deaths and shoving it firmly into a box in her mind, locking it away. She wasn’t going to let herself think about that anymore for now. At least, she’d try anyway. It was worth a shot.

“S’allright, sugarcube.” Applejack let go of Twilight. “Hey Fluttershy, Rarity, let’s get to the hospital. Ya’ll need more’n just first aid.”

Rarity climbed shakily to her hooves, then took one step and promptly collapsed again. “I can’t see,” she mumbled with a sob.

Applejack blew out a sigh. “Right. Here, Ah’ll uh, Ah’ll carry you.” Normally Rarity would have fiercely resisted any such notion. With her sight gone however, she simply mumbled assent and, with the help of Twilight’s field, rested on Applejack’s back. Her grip on Applejack’s withers was weak and frail. “Ready? Alright let’s head on out,” Applejack said.

The quartet trudged through the castle towards the front gates. As they passed through the corridors, Twilight noted other damage. Glass was scattered everywhere from broken windows, plenty of books and knicknacks had been knocked off of shelves, and there were two more holes in the wall, complete with smoking rocks in the floor.

The entry hall, thankfully, was almost totally intact, with only the ever present glass to show any hint of anything wrong. That let Twilight relax a very tiny scosche, which lasted right up until the doors opened. For the second time her jaw dropped. Fluttershy let out a quiet gasp. “Woah, nelly,” Applejack muttered..

Ponyville was an absolute wreck. Most of the ejecta from the explosion had landed further out over the town, smashing plenty of houses and business to pieces. What the ejecta didn’t hit the earthquakes did. A small airship had crashed into Town Hall, the whole structure collapsing in on itself. Fires burned here and there, some roaring, others mild. The weather pegasi rushed back and forth with clouds to douse any flames, stemming the tide so they didn’t consume the rest of the town. Everywhere she looked she could see ponies helping other ponies up, bandaging wounds or helping them to a place to sit safely. Many were distraught; she could see at least four mothers bawling their eyes out over the shattered remnants of their homes, and there were certainly others she couldn’t see.

She looked in the direction of Ponyville General, and let out a curse. The hospital had taken no less than three direct hits, and flames--most likely from burst oxygen tanks--were swiftly taking care of the rest. She could see the patients had been evacuated, but how many were still in there? How many had died?

How many?

How many…?

~*~

Somewhere outside Ponyville, forty minutes after The Fall.

Rainbow Dash lay crumpled on some nondescript stretch of grassy plain. Her Wonderbolts suit was ripped to shreds, her right wing hurt like a rutting docksucker, and she was pretty sure bones weren’t supposed to stick out of her leg. She couldn’t see a damn thing past the spots in her eyes. The pool of blood under her probably wasn’t a good sign either. “Rutting Tartarus…” she cursed. A little part of her mind that spoke with Fluttershy’s voice urged her not to curse. She told that voice to shut the rut up.

She attempted to stand, but the instant weight was placed on her broken leg she belted out a scream. “Ooohkay,” she said shakily as she collapsed back onto her stomach, the taste of bile filling her mouth. “Not doing that again.”

She took a moment to blink away the spots. She raised her head as much as she could, glancing behind her at the devastation wrought on Canterlot. Or what she could see of it from the ground anyway; she mostly saw huge clouds of dust and smoke. She pointedly did not look at her tail, which had been burnt to a fleshy stump. Or her rump which was covered in burns. Or her messed up all to Tartarus wing. “What the hay happened?” she muttered. She didn’t remember a single thing other than some flash and sound, and then she was flat on the ground, coated in dirt. “Are we under attack?”

She scanned the sky, but didn’t see anything except more smoke. “Hope not, anyway.” Not like she could do anything about it.

Blowing out a sigh, she raised her good foreleg to her ear, poking at it. “Come on, come on, where’s that stupid--there it is.” She hit a button on her wireless earpiece. “Calling Wonderbolts, any Wonderbolts, this is Rainbow Dash, please respond.” She heard nothing but buzzing static. With a grunt of frustration she hit the too tiny dial to switch to the Equestrian Air Cavalry channel. “Calling Air Cavalry, anypony, this is Wonderbolt Rainbow Dash, please respond.” Still more static. She tried channels for the Royal Guard and Army but got nothing. With a muttered curse she flopped her hoof to the ground. Stupid portable earpiece was new technology anyway; the explosion had probably fried it.

Or, that little Fluttershy voice in her mind pointed out sensibly, everypony was dead. But she didn’t want to think about that. Definitely not think about that at all. No she’d rather just thank her lucky stars that she’d been racing to her home to get the folder with the new flight routines she’d been looking over. Never in her life was she more happy she’d left something behind on accident.

Okay, okay. She had to assess her situation. She was injured. Couldn’t walk. Couldn’t fly. No supplies. And her wireless either wasn’t working or couldn’t reach anyone.

Assessment: royally screwed.

“OHMIGOSHRAINBOWDASHISTHATYOU?!”

“Oh thank Celestia,” she muttered. She tried to look but her gaze was abruptly filled with pink curls and pink coat.

“Oh my gosh it is you oh thank goodness I’ve been all over looking for you I was out on a walk cause sometimes I go on walks in the morning on my day off and then I heard the BIG BOOM and the earth shook all over and I fell over but I got up and I was all ‘Oh my gosh, Rainbow!’ but I knew you’d probably be coming back for that folder because I know you silly I knew you’d forget it so I looked for you at your house but you weren’t there and--”

“Woah, woah, Pinkie Pie!” Rainbow interrupted, doing her level best to shove a hoof in Pinkie’s mouth to stem the tide. “Ease up.”

Pinkie took a deep breath and let it out. “Right, right sorry, I was just so worried because I was afraid you might’ve died and--”

“Yeah, yeah, we get it, Pinkie. I’m not dead. Yet.” She grimaced, trying to put on a brave face. “I’m just, you know, kinda banged up a bit. No biggie.”

Pinkie knelt down to look her all over, shock and disgust etched all over her features. “A bit?! Rainbow Dash you really need a doctor! Like right now!”

Rainbow winced as her various aches and pains reminded her they were there. “Yeah. That’d be nice. Maybe a bucket of aspirin too.” She shook her head. “Look, Pinkie, I can’t walk. Can you help me?”

With a wiggle and whirl of her flexible body Pinkie had Rainbow hefted up squarely on her back. “Can do! Let’s get you to the hospital!” After some fumbling and nearly falling off a couple of times, they were on their way. “So what’s going on anyway?” Pinkie inquired.

“Not a clue, Pinkie,” Rainbow replied. “I was hoping you knew. Did anything happen to Ponyville?”

Pinkie shrugged, almost bucking Rainbow Dash off in the process. “I dunno. I was outside it when Canterlot went boom. I’m kinda actually pretty nervous especially for the Cakes but I didn’t want to leave you hanging because I just knew you’d be around and you’d be hurt and I was right and I’m babbling again sorry.” She shut her mouth with a sheepish grin. She clammed up for the rest of the short trip.

Rainbow Dash gaped at the destruction wrought in Ponyville as they trotted through. “Good grief this place is a mess,” she said.

Pinkie, for her part, kept looking around, slowing to almost a crawl. “Ooooh,” she moaned. “This is so bad…”

“Focus, Pinks.”

Pinkie nodded, though she continued to move at a snail’s pace. “Right, sorry.”

Rainbow let out a string of curses that had Pinkie’s ears drawn flat against her skull when the hospital came into view, thoroughly ruined and on fire. “Rrgh, can’t anything go right today?” she growled.

“Rainbow Dash! Pinkie Pie!”

Rainbow glanced around, spotting Twilight and the others just outside the castle. She let out the breath she’d been holding since they entered town. “Hey girls. Nice to see you--ow, Twilight, watch it!” She weakly pushed Twilight’s attempt at a hug away.

Twilight’s cheeks bloomed red, then green as she realized the scope of Rainbow’s injuries. “Oh goodness what happened to you?”

Rainbow grimaced. “I think I caught the edge of the blast. I think. I dunno, it’s all kinda fuzzy. Can’t think. Every rutting part of me hurts too much like horseapples.”

She wasn’t certain but Rainbow thought she heard Fluttershy mumble, “Language.” Real or imagined, she rolled her eyes in amusement at real life imitating her imagination.

“There any chance I could, ya know, see a doc anytime soon?”

Fluttershy pointed to a pair of ponies a short distance away: Rarity, with Nurse Redheart. Redheart was given Rarity a thorough examination, or as much as she could with her spare medical bag. “She should be done soon, I think.”

Rainbow winced. “She was looking at Canterlot when it exploded, wasn’t she?” Rainbow knew from plenty of experience as a Wonderbolt how painful flash-blindness could be. Even she had caught some of it for a few moments and she’d been flying the opposite way.

“Eyup,” Applejack muttered. “Hopin’ Redheart can do somethin’ but Ah ain’t holdin’ mah breath.”

Nurse Redheart concluded her examination, asking Rarity to wait patiently. She trotted over to the others, only taking a brief moment to gasp at Rainbow’s condition before she rushed to examine immediately. “So what’s the story, doc?” Rainbow asked. “She gonna be okay?”

Redheart frowned as she poked and prodded Rainbow. Answering distractedly she said, “Honestly? No. She’s blind, permanently. Her retinas were completely burned out. There was an optometrist in Canterlot working on some experimental treatment that might’ve been able to do something about it, but, well. You know.”

Pinkie burst into tears. Fluttershy sobbed quietly. Twilight and Applejack exchanged sorrowful looks. Rainbow just grunted. “Figures. So who’s gonna tell her?”

Nopony spoke for several minutes. After she finished sobbing, Fluttershy said, “I-I’ll do it. She deserves to know.” No one objected, so she walked over and spoke quietly with Rarity. It didn’t take long for Rarity to burst into fresh sobs, collapsing onto Fluttershy.

“P-poor Rarity,” Pinkie said.

“Yeah,” Applejack agreed with a sniffle.

With a sigh, Redheart stepped back from Rainbow to rifle through her medical bag. She withdrew a bonesaw, to Rainbow’s horror. “Uh, doc, what’re you gonna do with that?”

Redheart didn’t respond. With a nod to herself she put the bonesaw back in the medical bag, closed the bag, and tossed it up onto her back. “Princess Twilight, do you have somewhere clean I can do surgery in? And antiseptics, anesthetic, and bandages, if you have them. The hospital supply was destroyed in the fire.”

Twilight took a moment to think. “My lab might work. It should have a large enough table. But we won’t need any antiseptics or anesthetic. I know a few medical spells that’ll cover those.”

“Good,” Redheart said.

“Hey, hold it, doc!” Rainbow interrupted, shoving her good hoof in Redheart’s way as much as she could from her position on Pinkie’s back. “What’re you going to do?”

Redheart blew out an exasperated sigh. “Look, Rainbow Dash, I’m going to be blunt. I can’t do anything about your leg or your wing without a hospital, nevermind your burns. Canterlot’s gone, Ponyville General’s gone, Cloudsdale is near Vanhoover right now, and no train’s getting to Manehattan or Fillydelphia with the tracks out. If I don’t do something--and soon--your wounds will turn gangrenous and you’ll die. Horribly. I’m going to have to amputate. The wing and the leg.”

“What?!” everyone shouted in unison. “No way, nuh uh,” Rainbow added. “Not happening! Not in a million years!”

“Then you’re dead,” Redheart said plainly. “I’ve got about a thousand other ponies I could be seeing to right now, Rainbow. Only two other medical staff from the hospital survived. So either you come with me, get on the table, and I save your life, or you can die. Your choice.”

Applejack scowled. “That’s mighty cold of you, Redheart.”

Redheart’s stern demeanor lasted a second more, then cracked. Her ears flattened against her skull and her cheeks bloomed. “I know. I’m sorry. It’s just, I… I knew so many ponies who’ve…Anyway, I’m just trying to stay calm and do my job.”

Applejack’s scowl faded. “Yeah. Ah hear ya.”

Rainbow screwed her eyes shut. “Is there really no other way?”

“There’s gotta be!” Pinkie added with a wave of her forehoof. “I mean everypony from here to the Crystal Empire must’ve seen the big boom so somepony’s going to send help maybe Princess Cadance will send help I mean the military’s gotta do something right this is a national emergency!”

Fluttershy returned to the group with Rarity by her side at every step. “I agree with Pinkie,” she said.

Redheart’s mouth twisted into a half frown. “But we don’t know how long that might take. All our telephone lines ran through Canterlot and the only wireless we had was in the hospital. We’re cut off.”

“No, wait, we’re not!” Twilight said with the first smile, if tiny, she’d had all morning. “I have a wireless set in my lab. It’s not the latest model, but it’ll do.”

Applejack raised a hoof, her face grim. “Uh, Twi, is the wireless doohickey some kinda black box with little light bulbs and wires all over it?”

“Vacuum tubes,” Twilight corrected, “but, yes. Why?”

“It was on the floor,” Applejack replied. “Ah saw it smashed to pieces under some of your textbooks.”

Twilight’s smile vanished. She sank to the ground. “Oh. So much for that.”

“But, um, surely Princess Cadance will still send help.” Fluttershy pointed out.

“She’s gonna have to,” Rainbow said. “Look, Nurse Redheart, no offense, but I don’t want you cutting me up if the Army or Air Cavalry are gonna swoop in with paramedics. Twilight, you can put me under till they show up, yeah?”

With a sigh, Twilight stood. “I think so. But it’s risky. You look like you’ve lost a lot of blood.”

Rainbow gritted her teeth. “Just do it, damn it.”

Twilight glanced to Redheart, silently asking her for her opinion. At Redheart’s hesitant nod, she said, “Fine. Pinkie, can you take her to one of the guest rooms?”

“Okie dokie lokie!” Pinkie said.

“Um, Twilight, darling?” Rarity interrupted before Pinkie could leave.

Twilight started. She’d almost forgotten Rarity was there. She looked to Rarity, her stomach and heart twinging at the sight of Rarity’s burnt out eyes. “Yes, Rarity?”

“May I request to live here in the castle for the next while?” Rarity inquired in a quiet tone. “I… I don’t think I could find my way in the Boutique without being able to... see.” Tears streamed from Rarity’s eyes as she said the last word.

Twilight took a moment to think before answering. “Yes. In fact, I’d like all of you to, until further notice.” She tilted her head with a twisted frown. “I’m going to need your help. Ponies are going to be looking to me to lead in this time of crisis. I don’t like it, but they will anyway. So, with that in mind, Applejack, do you think you can go around and round up your family, the Cakes, and Sweetie Belle?”

“And Scootaloo,” Rainbow pointed out. “Don’t forget Scootaloo.”

Applejack drew herself up, nodding. “Will do, Twi. Ah’ve been itchin’ to check on mah family anyways.”

“Thank you,” said Twilight. She turned to Pinkie. “Pinkie, after you drop off Rainbow, I’d like you to work together with Nurse Redheart to organize the town, get everypony who needs it medical help and shelter. We can probably set something up in the castle ballroom, after it’s cleaned up. Try to find the Officer Blue Badge, if she’s still alive. And the mayor too.”

Pinkie grinned, tossing off a jaunty salute. “Yes sir ma’am sir!”

Twilight let a bit of her smile return to her features. “Fluttershy, can you please look after Rarity and Rainbow?”

Fluttershy gave a shaky nod. “Sure. I can do that.”

“Right. Okay ponies, let’s get moving.”

~ * ~

Crystal Empire, three hours after The Fall.

Cadance’s day so far sucked.

It wasn’t a phrase she liked to use, or even thought most of the time. But now and then she just had to let loose with the profanity, at least in her head. And this situation called for it.

Her day sucked.

She slumped at the desk in her study, not trusting herself to be in public at the moment. The Empire was on the verge of mass panic. Everyone had seen the flash from the south, like a new sun rising before slowly fading out. Everyone had heard the distant rumble that went on for far too long. She’d had her Crystal Guard try raising Canterlot on the wireless straight away, but there was no answer, from anyone. The channels had been completely scrambled in static. It took Shining Armor a good hour before he finally contacted somepony, the Air Cavalry’s 64th Tactical brigade stationed at Fillydelphia Aerodrome. They’d relayed a few scarce details; as she had suspected the flash came from Canterlot. They promised to dispatch their fastest scout airship straight away.

Since then, with the wireless cleared and phone lines rerouting through Manehattan’s emergency backup hub, she’d fielded call after call from mayors and duchesses and barons throughout Equestria, all demanding answers they couldn’t get from Canterlot and that she couldn’t give them. She told them all the diplomatic version of the same thing: sit down, shut up, and wait.

She eyed the telephone on her desk with suspicion. She’d never liked them very much when she first saw them in Canterlot, as a filly. They hadn’t gotten any better since. Telephones thrived on making ponies miserable, something that she as the Princess of Love couldn’t stand. Today’s experiences had only cemented her feelings. Mercifully it hadn’t rung in at least fifteen minutes.

Of course as soon as she thought that it fired off a loud briiiing! Briiing! With a sigh she took the phone in her field and lifted it to her ear. “Yes, Chartreuse. Who’s calling now?”

Chartreuse, her secretary in charge of screening her calls--a thankless job that Cadance wouldn’t wish on her worst enemy--answered with her dulcet Trottingham tones, “Brigadier General Arend Vogel from Fillydelphia for you, mum.” Chartreuse liked using ma’am, or mum as she pronounced it, rarely if ever using Cadance’s official address of your highness. Cadance was grateful; she heard enough of that from everypony else as it was. “He says he has news.”

“Thank you, Chartreuse. Please put him through.” She held the phone away from her ear for a moment, taking a deep breath. She raised a hoof to her barrel and pushed it away as she exhaled. Her practiced Royal Smile graced her features as she placed the phone back at her ear and said, “Hello, General. I understand you have news?”

“Yes, your highness,” he answered in deep, kindly voice with a clipped Germane accent. She could feel the salute he was surely giving right through the telephone wires. “Colonel Avalanche just filed a report over the wireless a few moments ago.. I-I’m afraid it’s quite shocking, your highness.”

She repeated her anxiety-soothing gesture. “Please, go ahead.”

She heard him gulp. “W-we must report Canterlot has been completely destroyed.”Even though she’d expected to hear that, from everything she’d seen and heard, those words still caused her heart to race. “Destroyed how?”

“Unknown. Avalanche only performed a cursory examination. An entire third of the mountain was totally obliterated, and there was a massive mushroom cloud fading above the site. The city may have collapsed to the ground below. He was unable to approach close enough to determine that for certain; the site was far too hot. A basic thaumic reading indicated massive amounts of unstable thaumic radiation. How much of that has spread and how far, we don’t know, but it’s strong enough to be lethal on its own.”

Bile rose in Cadance’s throat as her whole body shook from icy fingers of fear running down her spine. It took her a couple of moments to recover enough to inquire, “Was there any sign of the Princesses?”

“N-no y-your highness,” General Arend responded, his voice aquiver. “Colonel Avalanche speculates…”

“Speculates what, General?”

“He speculates the Princesses are dead. Your highness.”

If Cadance wasn’t already sitting down she would have fallen into her chair. As it was she collapsed onto her desk, only barely still clutching the telephone in her field. General Arend’s words, in prior centuries, would have been taken as outright blasphemy by many who worshiped Princess Celestia as a goddess. Though worship of the Princesses had fallen out of practice save for fringe cult groups a century before Cadance was born, the notion of the Princess’s immortality still held sway. Celestia especially. She was the Unconquered Sun, to quote one of her many lofty titles she so rarely used. She had lived for a thousand years and more, as Cadance hoped to do. She couldn’t die. It was impossible!

But Cadance knew all too well, more than anypony alive save for her sister-in-law Twilight, just how alicorn life was no less fragile than any other life. When the General said the Princesses were dead, she knew, deep down in her heart, it was true. They were in the Summerlands now, enjoying the endless plains of sweet grass.

“Your highness? Are you still there?”

Cadance started. She lifted herself from the desk. “Yes.” She paused a moment to think. “General, do you know off hoof who is the highest ranking officer not stationed in Canterlot?”

His reply was immediate. “That would be Major General Stoneborn of the Army in Los Pegasus, your highness. If she wasn’t in Canterlot at the time.”

“Thank you.” She took a deep breath, then performed her anxiety-soothing gesture. “I need you to spread the word to everyone under your command, General: until further notice, Prince Shining Armor will be assuming command of the armed forces.” She didn’t like saying that without Shiny’s approval, but in this case she knew he’d agree on the spot.

“Yes, your highness! Any other orders?”

She nodded, forgetting for a moment he couldn’t see her. She rolled her eyes at her own silliness. “Yes. As soon as you can I need you to take your brigade to Ponyville and place yourselves under Princess Twilight’s command. Ponyville is likely in desperate need of medical supplies and doctors, so take as much emergency stores and medical personnel from Fillydelphia as you can. Once you arrive, please ensure Princess Twilight is put in contact with me straight away.”

He coughed, clearing his throat. “Um, with respect your highness, Ponyville is not equipped to support us. The rails were destroyed, and there’s no aerodrome, no barracks, not even a berth tower.”

Cadance drew herself up and put all her Princessly authority into her response: “Then build one. And rebuild the rails while you’re at it. Do what you have to, General. If the Colonel is correct and the Princesses are dead, then Twilight Sparkle is the only other Princess of Equestria, and that makes her the number one priority. Is that clear?”

“Yes your highness,” he answered immediately.

“Good. Dismissed.” She hung up. After a moment to think, she picked up the phone again. “Chartreuse, can you please have Shining Armor sent to my study at his earliest convenience?”

“Right away, mum.”

She hung up the phone and waited. Shining arrived a few moments later, panting just a bit from his gallop. “Yes, Cadance?” She told him about the call. Upon hearing the news, he managed to pale beyond the white of his coat. “Are you sure, hon?”

“I’m certain, Shiny.” She nuzzled his barrel, letting herself sink into him, drawing support and strength. “It’s just me and Twilight now.”

“Twily’s going to love that,” he said dryly. He sighed. “Goodness, Cady. This is a disaster. How’s Equestria going to hold together without Canterlot? The stock market’s going to crash overnight, if it hasn’t already. If we’re not careful it’s going to be every city and duchy for themselves.”

Cadance snuggled deeper into his chest. “I know, Shiny, I know. I can’t govern from the Crystal Empire forever either. Not by myself. It’s just too distant from the rest of Equestria.”

Shining snorted. “Yeah, and if I know Stoneborn, she’s going to fight us every step of the way. She’s a diehard Celestia fanatic, total old school. She hated Princess Luna for daring to be an alicorn like her sister. And you. And Twilight. Same reason.”

She made a disgusted face. “I know. I met her once. She looked at me like I was some scum she had to wipe off her hoof. Do you think she might attempt a coup?”

Shiny raised his eyebrows. “No. Like I said, she’s a Celestia diehard. She favors the monarchy. She’ll probably be ecstatic that the Council and the National Assembly are toast. That’s assuming she doesn’t just keel over upon hearing Celestia is… dead.” He shook all over as he spoke the dreaded word. “No, she’ll follow you, in the end. She’ll just be a complete dockhead about it the whole time. If we have anyone to worry about from the military, it’s Admiral Typhoon.”

She blinked. “Who?”

“Typhoon. She’s the admiral of the ERN Princess Celestia carrier group. She’s based out of Baltimare.” His expression darkened. “Which means she’s fiercely loyal to Duchess Seafoam, and you know how she is. She’s gone on record with the Council dozens of times in protest of every decision Princess Celestia’s made since Luna’s return. She especially hated Twilight’s ascension. She’ll follow you if you govern alone, I’m sure, but if Twilight joins you she’s going to be a huge problem. Especially since Typhoon commands Equestria’s only squadron of naval airships.”

“Wonderful,” Cadance groused. “As if Twilight wouldn’t join me. I can’t run the government on my own, Shiny. I need her.”

“I know, I know,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to leave Twily out either. We’ll just have to be prepared for Seafoam to make a move, is all. And about a million other things.” He squeezed his eyes shut in a wince. “Ugh, like the yaks. Or Maretonia. Or the zebras. Or the minotaurs. Or any number of other countries that might take Equestria’s weakness as a sign to attack. We’re going to have our hooves full, hon.”

Cadance nuzzled him, planting a kiss on his cheek. “That’s why I’ve put you in charge of the military, Shiny. I know I can count on you.”

He grinned cheekily. “Well, yeah. I was Captain of the Royal Guard. How much harder could the whole military be?” He gave her a kiss of his own, slow and lingering. “Listen though, you’re going to have to address the nation. Everypony in Equestria’s either panicking or worse. They need to hear from their Princess or there’ll be complete chaos.”

Her lips twisted into a heavy frown. “Riots?”

Shining nodded grimly. “Yup, at the very least. I hate to say it but we’re going to have to enact martial law, and soon.”
“Martial law hasn’t been used since the last great war with the minotaurs hundreds of years ago,” Cadance retorted. “Most ponies won’t even know what it means anymore.”

“I know, hon.” He cast his eyes to the floor. “It’s not something I’d suggest lightly. But we’ve got to face the facts. Canterlot was everything, Cadance. The phone lines, the rail lines, the primary wireless hub, the home of the government, of the military! We’re damned lucky the economy is primarily run through Manehattan or else we’d be in a state of total collapse.” He slammed his hoof on the floor. “A lot of hard decisions need to be made. Now I’ll be there with you and Twily, every step of the way, but we need to act. Fast. Or else Seafoam and who knows how many others will act for us.”

Cadance sighed, plopping her rump on the floor. She ran her forehoof along her temple, to ease the growing headache drumming in her skull. “Right. No, you’re right, Shiny.” She gave him a wry grin. “I already knew that. I just, just needed to hear it from you. It helps.”

Shiny wrapped a hoof around her, holding her close. “I love you, Cadance.”She chuckled. “Love you too.”With a final extra squeeze he let go. “Alright, like I said, we’d better move. I’ll get Stoneborn on the horn and start organizing the Army and whatever’s left of the Royal Guard. You should get started on that address.” He gave a wan smile. “Gonna have a lot of sleepless nights.”

“You and me both, Shiny.” She blew him a kiss. “Good luck.” He gave her one last peck on the cheek and left the room.

She slunk over and sank into her cushioned arm chair. Good luck indeed. She turned her eyes up to the ceiling. “Aunt Celestia, wherever you are, I… I hope you rest in peace. Please, wish us luck.” She sighed. “We’re going to need it.”

Author's Note

Hello, and thank you for joining me on this ride! This inspiration for this story, as some of you may have suspected, came from this amusing conversation you can overhear in Mass Effect 2. The idea just struck me one day out of the blue while I was listening to the clip, and grabbed on tight. I've had a blast writing this story so far, and I hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I have writing it. Thanks a bunch. :twilightsmile:

Also, if you're wondering whether or not I enjoy putting characters I love(and I do love them all) through pain and misery? The answer is oh hell yes. :trollestia:

II. The Fall Part II

The Fall of Canterlot

II.

The Fall: Part II

Ponyville, five hours after The Fall.

Rarity squatted on her bed in the castle, curled up in a ball. Her face--she presumed, anyway--was smeared with scores of tear stains. Her eyes were dry, the tears long since spent. A thin strip of gauze wrapped around her eyes and head, the most Ponyville could spare from the meager remaining medical supplies. The bruises covering her back and rump, obtained when the pressure wave flung her from the window, ached fiercely. The various cuts across her face, forelegs, and chest had all been expertly cleaned by Fluttershy, but went unbandaged. She presumed they had scabbed over, because she couldn’t feel them bleeding. Presumed, because she couldn’t see.

She was blind.

She still couldn’t process it. After the initial shock had faded, a cold numbness gripped her, body and soul. Rarity was many things. Melodramatic, impassioned, visionary, artistic, graceful. Oh she’d spent many nights devouring her way through tubs of ice cream. She’d had rapid mood swings. She could fill Ponyville’s reservoir for a day with the gallons of tears she’d shed. But one thing she’d never been was depressed. She always bounced back from any mistake or disaster, returning to her usual joyful demeanor. The very thought that a pony couldn’t do that, why, it was just something she never thought she would understand.

She did now.

She didn’t want to see her friends, outside of Fluttershy. She especially didn’t want to see her family; she’d all but hurled Sweetie Belle at the door when the filly tried to visit her earlier. She didn’t want food. All she wanted was to lay in bed.

Forever.

What else could she do with her life now? Without her sight, she couldn’t sew outfits. She couldn’t see the stitches, or the colors, or the shapes. She couldn’t design. Couldn’t create. Not even with her magic. Her control over her field was sublime, but no telekinesis was a substitute for sight when it came to fashion design. Oh with practice maybe she could use it to sew something simple, but with what colors? What fabrics? She would never be able to tell, and she wasn’t about to make the faux pas of stitching a scarf of lurid pink and mustard yellow or anything like that.

“Oh just listen to me,” she muttered. “Worrying about colors. How silly. As if that’s my biggest concern.”

The Carousel Boutique had been amongst the casualties of Ponyville homes and businesses. The whole thing collapsed in on itself like a tent without stakes when the earthquake rumbled through. Thankfully Sweetie, who had been staying with her while her parents were off visiting friends in Whinnyapolis, had already left to have breakfast with Scootaloo at Sugarcube Corner. And her boutique in Canterlot died with the city.

Her breath hitched in her throat as she spared a few thoughts for poor Sassy Saddles and the rest of the Canterlot fashion community.

She still had her Manehattan boutique, of course, but, again, no eyesight. No point. She didn’t want to move to Manehattan. She liked the small town atmosphere of Ponyville. It was her home. Plus Manehattan was perhaps the worst place in Equestria to move to while blind. Just one misstep and blam there goes your body splattered on the asphalt from a passing carriage.

Maybe that wouldn’t be so bad. Manehattan did have some of those new ponyless carriages. Motorwagons, they called them. Some mare from Ponyville had gotten rich off the design after seeing the idea in action with the Flim Flam brothers visit a few years ago; she couldn’t recall the name. Not that it mattered. Those motorwagons were very fast. It would be quick.

The clop of hooves on crystal interrupted her thoughts. After a moment a weight sank into the bed. “I’m back,” Fluttershy announced. “I brought you a sandwich, if um, if you’re ready to eat.”

“No thank you,” Rarity replied automatically.

She heard Fluttershy sigh mixed with the clatter of a tray on a table, then her forehoof was in Fluttershy’s grip. She was so gentle, like an angel. “How are you feeling?” the pegasus asked.

The words spilled out before Rarity could stop herself. “I wish I was dead.”

“W-what?!” Fluttershy yelled. The bed shook from shifting weight.

“I wish I was dead,” Rarity repeated, now happy to get it out there. “I wish the explosion had killed me.”

“No!” Fluttershy retorted with a voice of solid steel.

Rarity recoiled, falling against the wall. If she still had her sight she suspected she would be getting a face full of Stare right about now. “B-b-but--”

“I said no!” Fluttershy repeated. “Don’t say that! Don’t even think that!” She collapsed onto Rarity, wrapping her forelegs and wings around the unicorn in a grip far tighter than before. Wetness soaked into Rarity’s shoulder. “I’m already losing Rainbow; I don’t want to lose you too!”

That finally cracked Rarity’s shell of misery. She lifted one foreleg and placed it on the pegasus’ shoulder. “What do you mean,” Rarity said in an attempt at a soothing voice. “I-I thought Rainbow was--”

“She’s dying!” Fluttershy said, shaking all over. “Her wounds started bleeding again an hour ago; I’ve changed her bandages three times since then! They’re all purple and green, infected with something I’ve never seen before. Twilight said it was some kind of magic poison. There was nothing she could do!” Rarity’s shoulder shifted from soaked to outright drenched. “She said it might already be too late for anyone to help…”

Rarity squeezed Fluttershy tight, running a hoof along the gentle mare’s withers. With her other hoof she felt for Fluttershy’s face. She planted a delicate kiss on Fluttershy’s forehead. “Now darling, please, we mustn't lose hope,” she said. “Rainbow Dash would never give up on us. We shouldn’t give up on her.”

Fluttershy sobbed quietly against her for a few more minutes. When her tears subsided, she sniffled, pulling away. Rarity imagined Fluttershy was smiling. “You’re right Rarity. We shouldn’t lose hope.” After a moment of quiet, she added, “And neither should you.”

A sheepish smile graced Rarity’s features. “Touché,” she whispered.

Shouts thundered into the room through the broken window. Rarity started, slipping down the wall onto her side. The words were indistinct with far too many ponies shouting far too many different things. “What is it? What’s going on?” she asked, fumbling for a hold to lift herself back up.

“I don’t know,” Fluttershy said. The wind of pegasus wing flaps whooshed over Rarity’s face. “I can’t--oh! Oh my goodness!”

“What, what?!” Rarity shouted, squirming her way across the bed towards the window. She flicked her ears around, straining to hear something, anything. Over the shouts, she thought she caught the faintest whisper of… buzzing?

It grew louder, adding whirs and the occasional thrum that shook her inside like one of Vinyl Scratch’s electronica pieces. She let out a gasp. A tiny wisp of hope darted into her breast. “Is-is that what I think it is?” she asked with trepidation.

“Yes!” Fluttershy squeed. She dropped onto the bed and wrapped her forelegs around Rarity once more. “It’s the military! They’re here!”

~ * ~

Ponyville, five and one half hours after The Fall.

Twilight Sparkle stood at the front of the crowd milling outside her castle gates. A dozen airships filled the skies over Ponyville, small and sleek scoutships, Twilight recognized, though there were far fewer ships total than she would have expected. They were painted various shades of sky blue, white, and grey, the better to camouflage them in the clouds. Banks of weapons glistened in the sunlight. Their engines pulsed with charged magic, though a few also belched plumes of smoke. Along the side of each airship, under the name, the words “64th Tactical: Screaming Eagles!” were painted with bold strokes of black across a dark blue roundel with a stylized eagle in flight. As they approached, several drifted slowly to the ground.

Streams of pegasi and unicorns riding pegasi pulled carriages poured out like swarming ants. These were not the Royal Guard, with their ancient ceremonial plate mail and spears. These were professional soldiers, each dressed in camo wear befitting their roles aboard ship. While some carried crates in their hooves and packs slung over their back, others sported lengthy rifles or short bullpup carbines, all gleaming with their thaumic charge crystals. She saw unicorn horns sparking with prepared spells and pegasi with bolts of static humming over and between their wings, ready for any combat. They landed with utmost professionalism, officers barking orders as they swiftly flowed around the crowd and into the town. A pair of particularly mean looking pegasi took up positions on either side of Twilight, eyes scanning the crowd for any sign of trouble.

Before Twilight could speak, another soldier with the bearing and uniform of a general swooped out of a parked airship, landing before Twilight with a bow. To her utter surprise the general was a griffon. An officer saber was strapped to his waist, and a pistol hung in a holster just under his wing. His perfectly groomed crest framed his face with lines of forest green shifting to grey at the tips. A few wrinkles marred his otherwise elegant, gentlecoltly face. As he stood, his eyes bored into Twilight’s like cold iron, showing no hint of cataracts despite his age. He lifted one claw in salute. “General Arend Vogel reporting as ordered by Princess Cadance, your highness!” he announced in a voice rife with clipped Germanic tones.

She gave him a royal nod like she’d seen Celestia do in acknowledgement. He dropped the salute. “It’s good you’re here, General,” she said, drawing herself up. “We have a lot of wounded. Rainbow Dash is among them; she’s in a guest room with severe thaumic poisoning, injuries, and blood loss.” Her voice shook. “She’s near death.”

Arend nodded to one of his subordinates, who howled orders to the paramedics scattered amongst the soldiers. They broke out supplies. “Where to, your highness?” the subordinate inquired.

Twilight looked to the crowd. “Scootaloo!” she called, spotting the teenage filly with her fellow Crusaders. “Can you take these ponies to Rainbow Dash?”

“You got it Twilight!” Scootaloo said, tossing off a passable imitation of a salute. She and the paramedics disappeared into the crowd.

Twilight turned her gaze back to Arend. “General, with respect, what took you so long? Where’s the rest of your brigade?”

Crimson bloomed lightly on Arend’s features. “Princess Cadance had us scout the area first to see what exactly happened; only then did she order us here. I came with my fastest ships. The rest of my brigade is either taking on supplies for the transfer or already on their way, including my command ship.” He presented her with a document. “Princess Cadance has ordered the transfer of my brigade to Ponyville. We’re to be stationed here until further notice, under your command.”

Twilight looked it over. The document bore clear signs of her brother’s writing style, laying out their orders. Her mouth twitched as she read. “I see,” she said after a moment. She hoofed it back to him and he placed it inside a vest pocket. “I’m afraid Ponyville isn’t used to a military presence. There’s going to be a period of adjustment.”

“As there will be for us all, without Canterlot,” Arend said dryly. “Your highness, Princess Cadance requested you contact her as soon as we arrived.” He gestured to the airship parked nearby. “If you would come with me, please.”

Twilight looked to the crowd. Spotting Applejack, she mouthed, “You’re in charge.” Applejack gave her a nod. She turned back to Arend. “Alright. Lead the way.” As they walked, she added, “One thing though. Please drop the ‘your highness.’ I, uh, I don’t like it very much.”

He chuckled. “As you wish, ma’am.” He gave her a kind look, eyes twinkling. “If I may say, I understand the feeling. I was an enlisted for the first twenty years of my career. Being called ‘sir’ still confuses me from time to time.”

Twilight didn’t care much for the ma’am either, but she didn’t object. She understood all too well from having Shining Armor for a brother that respect for superiors simply couldn’t be dropped entirely, no matter the circumstances. “Thank you,” she said.

They reached the wireless room of the airship. A pegasus with a fairly large headset on her head looked up to them from her seat at the console. “I have Princess Cadance on the horn for you, sir,” she said to the general.

Arend nodded to Twilight, who sat in the other chair, pulling a microphone close with her field. She scanned the console, found the transmit button and hit it. “Cadance? It’s Twilight,” she said.

Cadance’s voice boomed from the speakers, laden with crackling static. “Oh thank goodness, Twilight. It’s so good to hear your voice. Are you alright? Is everypony okay?”

Twilight winced. “We’ve had a lot of damage and injuries, and some deaths.” She relayed a few of the details, including the condition of Rarity and Rainbow. She pointedly did not mention Spike and Starlight, or her parents. She was still keeping that locked away in a box in her mind, lest she fall apart.

Cadance let out a wordless noise of dismay. “I’m so sorry, Twilight. This is such a disaster. Did you witness anything to explain why Canterlot exploded?”

“No,” Twilight sighed. “I didn’t even realize what happened at first. A piece of debris knocked me out for a few minutes.” At Cadance’s gasp, she added, “But I’m fine. Just a headache. And body aches. Aaand a cracked rib. But really I’m fine.”

“Okay,” Cadance said, her voice betraying her disbelief. “Listen, we don’t have much time. I’m about to address the nation over the wireless. But I wanted to talk to you first.” A burst of static obscured most of Cadance’s words after that.

Arend glared at his wireless pony, who fiddled with the controls. “Sorry sir,” she said after a moment. “It’s all the radiation. It’s blocking the signal north.”

After a few minutes more the static faded and Cadance’s voice came through again. “Twilight?”

“Yes, sorry, we lost you for a minute there,” Twilight said. “What were you saying?”

Cadance sighed. “I’ll sum it up: I need you to lead the government with me, Twilight.”

Twilight’s face twisted into a severe frown. She’d expected this, of course. It was why she took charge in Ponyville. She held up one of her wings, glaring daggers at it. Sometimes she wished she’d never Ascended. There was a very good reason why she never had any “Twilight Guard” or staff of her own before the explosion. “I don’t like it,” she responded.

“I know, Twilight, I know,” Cadance said in a weary tone. “I’d like you to come to the Crystal Empire by no later than tomorrow evening. I have to go; please make sure you listen to the address. It’ll be on all stations.”

Twilight nodded “I will.” The connection closed with a pop.

~ * ~

Crystal Empire, E-WCE wireless station, six hours after The Fall.

The Crystal Empire wasn’t like the rest of Equestria. It was a thousand years out of date. Adopting the new technology of the past millennium took time. As such, while the palace was equipped with a military-grade wireless transmitter, mostly for emergency purposes, it was insufficient for the scope of address Cadance was about to perform. Fortunately, the Crystal Empire did have a wireless station, for local and national news and music. Cadance had insisted on its inclusion when she took over leadership of the Empire. While there still weren’t very many wireless sets in pony’s homes, the E-WCE broadcasts played over the new speakers lining the streets of the palace and business districts. Many crystal ponies, eager to hear about the rest of Equestria, often sallied into nearby parks so they could listen. The streets and parks were filled to bursting, almost everypony in the entire city crowding to hear Cadance’s address.

Princess Cadance herself sat twitching in a chair in the broadcast booth, right next to the news anchor, an earth pony mare from Vanhoover wearing a pressed suit. A uniformed soldier stood nearby, a carbine gripped in her field. Aids and technicians bustled around with a tense haste to their steps. “On in twenty,” called a crystal pony stallion.

Cadance glanced one more time at her speech. Her speechwriters had worked triple time to get it finished as quickly as possible, and it showed. She frowned at the poor phrasing some of the lines held, in particular the opening of “My little ponies.” No need to condescend the masses. She’d have to adjust on the fly.

“Five, four, three, two,” the crystal pony counted down, then pointed a hoof at the news anchor.

With a solemn expression the news anchor opened up, “Live from the Crystal Empire, this is E-WCE news. I’m your host, Cranberry Kite. We’re continuing our special coverage of the disaster in Canterlot. Princess Cadance has finally come forth with an address on the situation. She’s with me in the studio now. Welcome to E-WCE, your highness.”

“Thank you, Cranberry,” she replied on automatic. She had to perform her anxiety gesture to soothe her trembling nerves. With a last relaxing breath she lifted her papers and began to speak.

“My fellow Equestrians, I bring you grim news. There have been many rumors regarding the situation in Canterlot since this morning. I’m afraid I must confirm the worst of these rumors. At 7:20 AM Canterlot Standard Time, an explosion ripped through the city. It was completely destroyed. Canterlot is no more. While we do not know precisely what caused the explosion, we do not believe this was an attack by a foreign nation. I must also say that at this time there has been no sign of Princess Celestia or Princess Luna since the explosion. We believe…” her breath caught in her throat. She lifted a glass of water in her field and took a swallow. “We believe that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna have passed away.”

Shouts and gasps filled the studio. Even the unflappable Cranberry had a look of utter astonishment on her face. Cadance continued, “I know this comes as a shock. It shocked me as well. Unfortunately, it is the truth. Equestria is currently without a government except for myself and Princess Twilight Sparkle.

“This is a disaster like nothing Equestria has ever seen. Hundreds of thousands are dead, hundreds more injured in neighboring settlements. Our capital city, the hundreds of years of culture, of knowledge, has been taken away from us. Our Princesses are gone. This is a day that will live in infamy for all time. I am declaring today and tomorrow as national Days of Mourning for those we have lost.

“But we must stand together. We are Equestrians. We must be firm, and resolute. As such I am declaring an indefinite suspension of any and all remaining elected officials on the national level, and along with Princess Twilight will be utilizing emergency powers to take complete control of the government.

“I must also declare that until such time as the current crisis has passed, I am enacting martial law across the nation. A curfew will be in place in every city, every town across Equestria. Nopony without authorization will be allowed to wander the streets after sundown. Any who are found without the proper papers will be arrested; those who resist will be shot.” The shouts filling the air around Cadance turned furious. The soldier raised her weapon, aiming it around and the shouts fell silent. “This is not something I would institute lightly, or at all if I had any other choice. But we must maintain order in this new age of Equestria without Canterlot. We cannot allow Equestria to dissolve. We will survive.

“I ask you, all of you, to be strong. We must not lose hope or faith in Equestria. We must work together, to ensure our future. Our children, and our children’s children should be able to look back upon the coming days and see that we did not give in to chaos and destruction, but maintained the bonds of friendship and harmony that define the best of Equestria and her people. Thank you.”She dropped the papers to the desk. For several minutes silence reigned in the studio. Everypony stared at her, various expressions of horror, anger, and to her dismay fear on their faces.

After a few tense moments Cranberry Kite managed to recover her professionalism enough to speak. “That was Princess Cadance with her address. We are taking a break; we’ll be back with analysis and more after this.” She waved frantically at the technicians, who cut the broadcast. Somber orchestral music replaced it. She turned to Cadance with a glower. “Martial law? Shooting ponies? Are you serious?”

Suppressing a growl, Cadance elected to return the glower with one of her own, Princess-level strength. “Thank you, Cranberry Kite, for allowing me to use your studio.”

Cranberry rolled her eyes with a disgusted sigh. “Of course, your highness. I serve at the pleasure of the Princess.”

Beneath her glare Cadance seethed, but she refused to give in to the temptation to retort. Instead with a nod, she left, making for her carriage. Cranberry had every right to be angry, after all. The very idea of martial law was anathema to peaceful, harmonious Equestria. She imagined--no, she knew, ponies everywhere would feel the same. All across Equestria, under orders passed down from her husband soldiers were marching in the street. In the larger cities they cooperated with local police; in the rest they simply took over the role. It would take some time to work everything out, of course. Plenty of ponies had night jobs, many of which were vital, such as water treatment. But so many other businesses, such as night clubs, or bars, would wither on the vine. These businesses added many millions in taxes to the national budget each year.

Cadance winced as she recalled just how badly the loss of Canterlot upended the government’s finances. Because Equestria had only recently begun moving to a fiat standard for its currency, Canterlot still held billions in gold bullion and other assets. All lost now. They’d have to assemble what they could from tax records and collections in Equestria’s member states. No emergency funds, because of course Equestria put everything in Canterlot.

It made sense at the time, Cadance mused. Canterlot was the heart of Equestria, at the center of the country. Any attacking force would have to come from either coast, through the icy mountains of the Yaket Range or the heat of the Macintosh Hills. Equestria’s Royal Navy patrolled the coasts, the Royal Army stood ready in the south and the Air Cavalry patrolled the north, so nothing would get through without Equestria knowing about it. There were possible means, such as teleport spells, or those horribly ear-piercing screaming devils they called rockets being developed in the San Palomino desert, but even those were anticipated, with wards and unicorns actively scanning for hostile magics. Besides, no country save for the zebras had managed to develop anything close to Equestria’s rockets, at least so far. Certainly not with an explosive payload capable of wiping out a city.

Cadance still didn’t understand how that was even possible, at least not with Equestrian technology and magic. Late at night, the first time Twilight had returned from the human world after the Fall Formal, they held a fascinating conversation where Twilight told her all she’d learned about human history. The humans had developed something they called the “atomic bomb,” a device that used the separation of atoms to level whole cities. Twilight, to Cadance’s horror, had explained she’d taken the time to learn the math behind such a device, though she was immediately forbidden from ever discussing it or trying to duplicate it. The very thought of such a weapon gave Cadance nightmares for weeks afterwards.

But she’d told the nation they weren’t under attack for a good reason. There’d been no message, no note, not a peep from the borders. Even the yaks were calm and sedate before the explosion. Or, The Fall, as some of the ponies around her palace had started calling it. She suspected everypony in Equestria would be calling it that within a week. It was an apt name. She only hoped it wouldn’t be the prelude to the fall of all of Equestria.

~ * ~

Ponyville, nine hours after The Fall.

Twilight slumped in her throne chair at the cutie map table, exhaustion overtaking her. The days stresses wore away at her energy levels, taking their toll. She hadn’t been this tired since before she Ascended. She had to take a few moments to just sit and rest.

She peered over at her new bodyguards, making a face. They stood stone stiff, rifles at the ready, faces blank of emotion. The two pegasi soldiers formed one shift of a full detail of eight ponies General Arend assigned to her for “her safety in these troubled times.” Twilight, who’d fought and won in many life-or-death situations, including combat against a giant centaur who possessed the magic of all of Equestria, didn’t think she needed any protecting, but there was no arguing with Arend on this matter. “There could be a sniper,” he had said. “Or an ambush. Or a mob.”

Whatever. She fell over the table, smushing her face into the empty platter of pastries she’d consumed. The empty coffee mug that came with fell over, crushing Vanhoover. Her eyes closed. She just wanted to sleep. Yes. Sleep.

The door cracked open, revealing General Arend. “Princess, may I have a word?”

Twilight bolted up in her chair, heart racing. She brushed off the crumbs coating her face and coughed, assuming a more royal demeanor. “Of course, General.”

With no comment save a raise of his bushy eyebrows, he approached the cutie map table, sitting across from Twilight. He withdrew a set of documents from his vest and scooted them over. “I have the full damage assessment and casualty reports for Ponyville.”

She took one look at the summary and groaned. “Over seventy percent loss of all homes and businesses?”

Twisting his beak, Arend nodded. “Ponyville, like Canterlot, lies far away from any fault lines. It simply wasn’t built to handle form of earthquake, explosive aftershocks or otherwise. If you’ll excuse my candor, ma’am, I think you should count yourself lucky your weather pegasi prevented the fires from spreading and consuming the rest of the town.

“Well they are one of the best weather teams in all of Equestria,” she commented. She peered down the list of destroyed businesses, wincing at every name she recognized. Carousel Boutique in particular tugged at her heartstrings. “Oh thank goodness,” she whispered when she saw Sugarcube Corner and Sweet Apple Acres were not on the list.

Next was the casualty list. The taste of bile filled her throat as she read the unfeeling numbers. Over twenty-five percent of all ponies living in Ponyville were either deceased or unaccounted for. Ponyville had a population of over three thousand ponies; that meant close to eight hundred of them perished. The list of names wrenched her heart with a vice grip. One in particular caught her eye: Mayor Ivory Scroll. She’d been found unconscious from a severe head injury. She never woke up; her brain hemorrhaged and she’d bled to death internally.

She tossed the report aside. It was too depressing. Seeking to focus her mind on other things, she laid her hooves on the table to get Arend’s attention. “How are troops settling in?”

“Most of my forces have arrived,” Arend answered. “Some of the cargo support ships stayed behind to take on more construction supplies and volunteer personnel from Fillydelphia civilians. They should arrive by 0900 tomorrow morning. Most are hot bunking on the landed ships for now. We will only be constructing a barracks after we have sufficient shelter for the displaced citizens.”

“Thank you, General,” Twilight said with a grateful smile. “Everypony will appreciate that very much.”Arend nodded respectfully. “Of course, ma’am. Now, about your trip to the Crystal Empire, I’ve already made preparations with Colonel Avalanche. He will be leading my forces in my absence.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “You’re coming along? Why?”

“Princess Cadance put me under your command, ma’am,” Arend said. “Given the current crisis I feel it is best if I am at your side as much as possible, to help coordinate between the government and the Air Cavalry. Colonel Avalanche can handle any issues that come up.” With a wry twist to his beak he added, “And, to be frank, to add legitimacy to your rulership. The leaders of Equestria’s member states will have serious doubts of your ability to lead. Seeing a general with you should help alleviate that.”

Twilight’s smile transformed into a grimace. “Right. Politics. Of course.”

“The sentiment is duly shared, ma’am,” said Arend. “In any case, my command ship is standing by, ready to depart immediately.”

The alicorn scowled. “I’d really prefer not to leave Ponyville until Rainbow is out of surgery.”

Giving her a look of remorse, he replied, “I understand, ma’am, but she may not be out for hours yet. My ship is fast but it will still take us roughly twenty-six hours to make the trip; any further delays will only hurt you and Princess Cadance dearly in the long run.” He stood, placing a claw on the table. “My doctors will report by wireless as soon as she’s out, that I promise you.”

“Alright, fine,” Twilight said. She had no energy to argue. “Just give me a minute with my friends first, please.”

Arend lifted a claw in salute, pivoted, and made for the door. She followed, calling out to the crowded ballroom for Applejack and Pinkie. Asking them to follow her, the three made for Rarity’s room. Her bodyguards trailed behind, waiting just outside the door.

They found Fluttershy snoozing atop a sleeping Rarity, wings spread out to cover them like a blanket. Pinkie broke out in giggles at the sight. “Awww, they’re so cute!”

Twilight and Applejack exchanged an amused look. “Fluttershy, sugarcube, wake up now,” Applejack said, shaking the pegasus’ shoulder.

“Huh?” Fluttershy murmured. She sat up, rubbing at her eyes. “What---eeep!” Her face bloomed with red as she shot out of bed, zipping to the other side of the room. “It’s not--oh gosh oh no it’s not what it looks like everypony!”

Twilight chortled. “It’s okay, Fluttershy. It’s been a long day for all of us.”

Fluttershy scratched her head, eyes cast to the floor. “Oh, um, right. Yes. It has.”

“What’s going on?” Rarity asked with a yawn. She sat up, pointing her head in their general direction. “Hello? Who’s there?”

“It’s us, Rarity,” Twilight answered. “How’re you feeling?”

Fluttershy blanched and shook her head rapidly. “Don’t ask her that!” she whispered in Twilight’s ears. “She’s been very depressed all day.”Rarity flumped back onto her pillow. “Fine, darling, just fine. Never better. This is the best day of my life.”

Twilight grimaced as Fluttershy slapped a hoof to her face. “Is it… is it okay if we talk?” asked the alicorn.

Rarity waved a hoof in her general direction. “Sure, sure, go ahead.”

With some trepidation Twilight took a seat on the bed next to Rarity, waving the rest closer. “Girls, I’m leaving for the Crystal Empire. Tonight. I’m not sure how much I’m going to be seeing of you for the next, well, I don’t know how long. You all heard the broadcast.” Everyone gave her a sad nod. Cadance’s broadcast had been replayed over the speakers in the Friendship Castle ballroom. “I’m one half of the government now. Ooooh. I never wanted anything like this!”

She sighed, placing her face in her hooves. “But I’m a Princess. Equestria needs me. I don’t know how long this trip will be, or how many more I’ll have to take. I’ll probably be bouncing between Ponyville and the Crystal Empire all the time until we can figure out a more permanent solution.” She raised her gaze to give a pointed look. “I’m going to be counting on you, all of you, to watch over Ponyville for me. Even with the help of the General’s soldiers it will be a long time before Ponyville recovers. Applejack, I have a special role in mind for you, if you’re willing.”

Confusion traced a path across Applejack’s features. “What’s that, Twi?”

“Ivory Scroll passed away a couple of hours ago. Her injuries were just too severe.” Everyone let out tiny gasps of dismay or whispers of “Oh no.” She continued, “Ponyville needs a mayor. I’d like to appoint you.”

“What? Me?” Applejack shouted. She thumped a hoof to her chest. “But Twilight, Ah don’t know the first thing about bein’ a mayor. And Ah have to worry about mah farm! Ah’m alright with stayin’ in your castle for a while but eventually Big Mac and Granny are gonna want to return to Sweet Apple Acres and they’re gonna need me to help.”

“I understand,” Twilight responded, “but you have the trust of the entire town, and I know I can rely on you to make the right decisions. Everypony is afraid of the military because of Cadance’s order for martial law, so that’s why I need somepony I can count on to rein in the panic. I’ll make sure there are plenty of farmhooves available to cover any shortage of labor for Sweet Apple Acres, and you will have final say in any and all decisions in Ponyville. The colonel will report to you.”

Applejack bowed her head. “Alright, Twi, Ah guess Ah can’t argue with that. Ah’ll be sure ta make you proud.”

Twilight wrapped a foreleg around her in a brief hug. “Thanks, Applejack,” said Twilight. “Now, the rest of you will be assisting Applejack in whatever roles she needs you to fill. Yes, Rarity, that includes you; I know you’ll need time to heal but Applejack will need your advice for diplomacy and politics.”

“I-I’ll do what I can,” Rarity muttered. Twilight patted her hoof in a comforting gesture.

“Hey, what about Rainbow Dash?” Pinkie exclaimed, hooves flailing wildly in the air. “Is she okay?”

“She’s still in surgery,” Twilight said. “The doctors think she’ll pull through, but it could still be hours before we know anything for sure.”

“Oh, she’ll pull through alright,” Pinkie declared. “Dashie’s too awesome to kick the bucket!”

“I hope you’re right,” Fluttershy said in a shaky voice.

Twilight stood, waving everyone together for a group embrace. The warmth of the hug filled Twilight’s heart with a breath of fresh cheer. “I love you girls. You’re the best friends in the world.”

~ * ~

Crystal Empire, eleven hours after The Fall.

My parents are dead.

The unwelcome thought flitted into Shining Armor’s mind for the umpteenth time. As he did every time he used his military training to shove that thought back in the darkness where it belonged. Can’t think about that. Have to work. Have a job to do.

He fiddled with the dials on the palace’s wireless. “Baltimare Naval Base, this is Shining Armor, please respond,” he said into his headset. Static filled his ears. “Damn it.” The wireless was still on the fritz from the thaumic radiation. The Crystal Empire’s location to the far north of Canterlot meant all signals invariably traveled through the destroyed city’s former location. Reception was spotty at best, and would likely be so for weeks. Until they could secure the phone lines through Manehattan from interception and spying, this was the military’s only reliable means of communicating.

He adjusted the frequency and tried again. “Baltimare Naval Base, this is Shining Armor, please respond.”

“Reading you, General Armor,” replied a voice on the other end with an undercurrent of static. “Patchy, but reading you.” With Cadance’s decision to put Shining in charge of the military, he’d decided to switch titles. Ponies would cry nepotism otherwise. They still would, but in fewer numbers and, more importantly, the officers under his command would be more willing to trust him as a general than as a prince.

My parents are dead.

Scowling, he flung a hoof in the air to push the thought away and ordered, “Put Admiral Typhoon on the line.”

“Yes sir.”

After a few moments of unpleasant static, another voice boomed in his headset. “Yes, General?” Admiral Typhoon’s voice rang with a thick Baltimare accent, deep as the ocean. It could almost be called sultry if it weren’t as cold as the ocean too. “What is it?”

He ground his teeth at the disrespect, but said nothing. Typhoon was a special case and he had to handle her delicately. “I need your readiness report. You were supposed to send it in three hours ago.”

My parents are dead.

“With all due respect, General,” Typhoon retorted, meaning anything but, “my sailors have their hooves full with patrolling the streets. Baltimare has already seen two riots in Jennyville.”

He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to think past his distracted mind. Jennyville, Jennyville… it was a donkey neighborhood. Baltimare had a sizable donkey population, the largest anywhere in Equestria outside of Manehattan. He clenched his hoof. The donkeys of Baltimare were also the most oppressed minority in Equestria. Duchess Seafoam took every excuse she could to stomp their faces into the dirt. The Fall gave her all the excuse she needed. Those “riots” were probably just peaceful protests.

My parents are dead.

Gritting his teeth, he replied, “I understand that, Admiral, but I need you to have your fleet ready. Equestria is vulnerable. We’re weak in the eyes of the world and we need to be ready to stave off any attack.”

“Believe me, I am well aware of that,” Typhoon replied, her voice heaped with scorn. “But the Duchess has set securing Baltimare as my first priority. I’ll be sure to contact you as soon as my fleet leaves port.” The connection popped closed.

With a frustrated groan he ripped off his headset and threw it at the table. “Damn that mare,” he growled.

My parents are dead.

Shining roared, bucking his rear hooves into the wall, cracking the crystal. He grunted in pain as shards sliced through the frog of his left rear hoof. Blood oozed from the wound, leaving a line of red as he stomped his way over to the desk on the other side of the room, plopping into the chair.

Cadance galloped in from the next room, out of breath. “Shining, what’s going on--oh my goodness you’re hurt!” She disappeared, returning with a first aid kit. “Here, let me help. What happened?”

“I’m fine,”he spat, shrugging her off.

Cadance narrowed her eyes to mere slits. “No you’re not!”

“I’m telling you, I’m fine!”

“No, you’re not!” Cadance repeated. “What in Equestria is wrong with you, Shining?”

“My parents are dead!” he shouted.

The alicorn recoiled, falling to the floor. “Shining, I…”

“My parents are dead,” he repeated softly. He shook all over, clenching his forehooves to his chest. “My parents are dead.” Tears streamed down his face, soaking his coat. “My parents are dead…”

Tears came to Cadance’s eyes as she leapt to her hooves and hugged him tightly. “Oh, Shining, I’m so sorry.”

He clung to her like she was a lifeline, finally crying the tears he’d held back all day.

III. The Days After

The Fall of Canterlot

III.

The Days After

64th Tactical Command Ship Eagle’s Wing, twenty hours after The Fall

Twilight lay huddled under blankets in the bed of the Princess Suite. She tossed and turned, unable to find a comfortable position. Images of her parents, of Spike and Starlight flitted through her mind, filling her thoughts. No tears came to her eyes; they were spent many hours ago.

Chime! Chime! Chime!

Twilight shot straight up, banging her head on the metal ceiling. She held a hoof to her head, groaning. “Stupid grandfather clock,” she growled. In a huff she landed, her field opening the casing to the clock. Her field sought out the click spring and removed it. The clock ground to a halt.

Smiling in satisfaction, she sat on the bed, lifting the blankets in her field. Her stomach promptly rumbled. With a sigh, she stood up again and made for the galley. Military rations weren’t much but maybe she could scrounge up something edible.

As she entered the galley, she saw Arend hunched over a table, taking bites out of a sandwich. “General?” she said.

“Princess?” he replied around a mouthful of ham and cheese. He swallowed and set his sandwich on his plate. “I wasn’t expecting to see you this late.”

“Couldn’t sleep,” she said. She laid eyes on his sandwich and her stomach growled. “Anymore where that came from?”

Arend chuckled. “Certainly. My ship’s cooks have gone to sleep for the night, but there should still be something prepared.” He got up and disappeared into the kitchen, returning soon with a couple cucumber sandwiches and an orange. “I hope this is acceptable.”

She snatched the food out of his talons and wolfed it down. Crumbs and orange juice dribbled down her chin. “Sorry,” she said after swallowing the last bite. “I’m messy when I eat.”

He chuckled again. “Don’t worry, ma’am, I saw much worse when my children were infants.” He ducked back into the kitchen for a moment to grab a bottle and two glasses. “Since neither of us can sleep, it seems, would you care to sit with me and share this bottle of whiskey?”

Twilight eyed the bottle. She rarely drank outside of the occasional glass of wine and tankard of Sweet Apple Acres cider. But her family was on her brain far too much this evening. Dulling the pain sounded wonderful. “Sure,” she answered.

They sat and he poured their glasses. He took up his glass and held it up for a toast. “To the fallen.”

She lifted hers in her field to clink against his. “To the fallen,” she agreed. She downed the shot. Her eyes burst open and she started coughing. “Woah, that’s strong!”

He grinned cheekily. “Yes, I prefer whiskey that doesn’t pull its punches.” He poured her another glass.

She took this one more carefully with gentle sips. The booze burned as she swallowed. A gentle buzz washed over her. “I’ve been wondering, General,” she said. “Your last name is Vogel, right?”

He inclined an eyebrow. “It is.”

She took another drink of whiskey. “So are you, by any chance, related to Celestia’s bodyaide Gretchen Vogel(1)?”

He stiffened. Cold iron replaced the friendliness in his gaze. “Yes,” he growled. “She was my granddaughter.”

Uh-oh. Twilight let out a nervous laugh. Before she could stop herself, she asked, “I, um… was she in Canterlot when--”

Arend squeezed the glass in his talon until it cracked. Whiskey leaked all over his claw. “She was.”

Guilt hit Twilight like a punch to the muzzle. Her mouth flattened into a straight line.“I’m sorry…” she said. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

His eyes stared into hers and she locked up, frozen like prey before a predator. Primal, deep fear squeezed her till she choked. Her horn lit with a prepared shield spell, her wings flaring in an instinctive attempt to look more like a threat.

Then he blew out a sigh, setting his glass down. “I apologize, Princess. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

The spell blew out. Twilight held a hoof to her breast, both to steady her breathing and calm her racing heart. “No, no, it’s okay. I’m okay.” She flashed him a sheepish grin. “I scare easy.”

“Good to know.” He frowned at his now useless glass. He ducked into the kitchen to grab another. Sitting back down, he grabbed the bottle, poured himself another shot, and slammed it back. “Gretchen,” he said, refilling their glasses, “was my favorite member of the family. I know I’m not supposed to play favorites, but, well…”

Twilight leaned forward, her brow furrowing. “What was she like? I-I mean, really like. I only met her a few times and it was never an informal setting.”

A wan smile graced Arend’s beak. “She was… spirited. Much like myself at her age. So fiercely independent. She believed in us, in the griffon people, more than any other griffon I’d ever met.” A couple of tears dripped down his face. “I… she never once used my connections to help her. She paid her own way through university and through her warrior training. She became Princess Celestia’s bodyaide entirely through her own merits. I was so proud…”

Twilight reached out a hoof to set on his claw. “As you should be,” she said.

Arend sat up in his chair, taking a deep breath to regain his composure. “Thank you,” he said. “She was my pride and joy. After her parents--my daughter and her wife--died, Gretchen was all I had left. I’d already lost my son, and my own wife, many years back.” He smiled ruefully. “And now there are no more Vogels. I’m the last.”

“I’m sorry,” Twilight said, not knowing what else she could say. She took another sip of whiskey to hide the sorrow crawling over her face. To think I was afraid of him, too. Poor guy.

“No, no, it’s alright,” he replied. “I’d already accepted that a long time ago. Gretchen told me all the time, ‘Opa, I don’t want children.’” He chuckled dryly. “No, my line was doomed to end from the moment she was born.” He drank some whiskey. “So, Princess, what about your family? I don’t believe I ever met the Sparkles.”

“My parents?” Twilight whispered. The words brought fresh pain to the wound in her soul. Determined to dull it, she drank her whole shot of whiskey before replying. “They, err… you wouldn’t have. My parents weren’t even nobility before I Ascended. Dad was a book binder, and Mom was an author. It took almost all the money they had just to put Shiny through military school. I ended up with a scholarship after my, uh, dramatic entrance exam.” She smiled at the happy memory, but after a moment her smile twisted. “They were so proud of me that day. My dad bought me ice cream every day for a whole week. My mom, she kept wanting to write stories about me. I always told her no; I was too embarrassed. Then came my wings and my coronation and if it wasn’t for Spike, I…” Tears came to her eyes. “Oh Spike, I-I never really told him how much I appreciated him.”

“He was your dragon, yes?” Arend asked gently.

She chuckled mirthlessly. “Not exactly. He was more like my… my little brother. Or-or even a son; I mean I did hatch him myself. Maybe if I’d been older I would’ve been his mommy. But I was way too young for that, so the Princess and Mom helped take care of him.” She sniffled, rubbing at her nose. “But I-I never told him that. I don’t think I ever even said I loved him. I spent too many years taking advantage of him to the point where ponies usually thought he was my familiar or something. I only ever called him my number one assistant; he liked that so I thought it was enough.” She broke into sobs, clutching her face in her hooves. “Spike… I’m so so sorry…”

It was Arend’s turn to set a claw on Twilight’s hoof. “I’m sure he knew, in his heart. Family usually does.”

She clutched at his claw like a lifeline. “He was so good to me, even when I didn’t deserve it. I was such a jerk for so long.” She fell against the table, knocking over her empty shot glass. “I’ll miss you, Spike…so much.” Twilight laid on the table until her tears were spent. When she could she lifted her head. “Thank you, General, for listening.”

Arend gave her a warm smile. “Of course. That is what friends do, is it not?”

“Friends?” She sat up, holding a hoof to her chin. After a moment, she nodded with a watery grin. “Yeah, friends. I’d like that.”

~ * ~

Ponyville, morning, one day after The Fall.

Applejack fiddled with her new mayor’s badge as she surveyed the view of Ponyville from the castle’s main entrance. Dozens of newly erected ramshackle cabins littered the land from the castle to the ruins of what had once been Market Street. None of them possessed cooking or cleaning facilities. Several field kitchens had been set up to provide food, with long lines of ponies waiting to receive their meals. As for bathrooms… until the soldiers could get the emergency sanitation facilities erected, ponies were making do with ducking into the castle (the only building left in Ponyville with running water and electricity, the earthquakes from the explosion having ruined the lines like everything else) and waiting up to an hour just to piss, or the lines of latrine trenches. She’d asked Colonel Avalanche to let some ponies aboard the airships to use their bathrooms but the Colonel outright refused, citing security reasons. “I don’t want to see anypony going postal with one of my guns,” he’d said, and Applejack had reluctantly agreed. Things were bad enough as it was. Especially with that stench.

Nose wrinkling in disgust, Applejack made her way indoors, where the smell improved. If only just. There were still plenty of ponies camped out inside the castle’s ballroom, their unwashed bodies combining into an odor not even Rarity would import as a perfume. With a smile and a wave to the few ponies who looked her way, she departed for her family’s guest room. Being one of Twilight’s closest friends had some advantages. Even if they made her stomach twist at the unfairness of it.

“Well good mornin’ Applejack!” Granny Smith squawked from her rocking chair.

“Hey sis,” greeted Apple Bloom, only briefly raising her head from her bowl of oatmeal.

Applejack trotted in and took a seat at the table next to her little sister. “Hey ya’ll. Where’s Big Mac?”

“Oh, he’s with Miss Cheerilee,” answered Apple Bloom. “They’re tryin’ ta put together some kinda lesson plan for the foals somewhere in the castle, since the schoolhouse was wrecked and Miss Cheerilee lost all her books.”

“‘The foals’ includes you, hon,” Applejack said, poking her sister in the shoulder.

Apple Bloom stuck out her tongue. “Not for much longer! Ah’m thirteen, Applejack! Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle and I’re helpin’ ponies with their cutie marks more’n we’re in school these days.”

“And Ah done told ya,” Granny Smith said, “yer not gonna skip school! Yer gonna be the first Apple in college, mark mah words.”

The teenager scowled into her oatmeal. “What college? Canterlot’s gone.”

Applejack blew out an exasperated sigh. “Apple Bloom, please. Ah know you don’t want to be a farmer forever. You’ve only told me like fifteen times. ‘Sides, there’s plenty of schools out there.”

“But Miss Cheerilee said the economy’s all ruined now ‘cause a Canterlot,” Apple Bloom retorted. “The schools’re all gonna run outta money.”

Applejack groaned. Better have a talk with Cheerilee later. “Listen, hon, that’s not what Cheerilee meant. Things’re just gonna be tough for awhile. You’ll see; Princess Cadance and Twilight’ll have everything fixed up quicker than a two-bit rodeo jockey losing in the Appleloosa rodeo!”

“Sure. Right,” said Apple Bloom, rolling her eyes.

The cowpony turned mayor hugged her sister tightly. “Ah promise, Apple Bloom. Ah’m gonna do whatever it takes to make things better.”The filly grunted. “Ah know, sis, Ah know. Ah’m just…things’re bad. So many ponies we knew’re dead, and it’s… it’s just awful.”

“Sure is,” Applejack agreed, “but you know what? Ah’m proud of you.”

Apple Bloom’s face twisted up. “Proud? Why?”

“You and your friends’ve been really mature about everythin’. Ah saw the way ya’ll were helpin’ out yesterday, runnin’ all over the place fetchin’ things for the nurses and deliverin’ food.” A smile split Applejack’s muzzle. “Just a year or two ago ya’ll would’ve just been hidin’ under a table or gettin’ underfoot makin’ things even worse. You’re growin’ up, sugarcube.”

Apple Bloom wiggled out of her grasp and leaned back with her forelegs behind her head. “Well yeah, sis, Ah’ve been tellin’ you Ah’m not a baby anymore for awhile now.” She winked.

That startled a burst of laughter from Applejack. “Guess you have, hon. Guess you have.”

A rapid knock rattled the door. “Hey, Apple Bloom!” shouted Sweetie Belle, sticking her head inside the doorway. “You up yet? Nurse Redheart needs our help.”

Apple Bloom bounced off the chair. “Yup, Ah’m comin’.” She disappeared into the corridors.

Applejack stood, pushing her chair into the table. “Well,” she said, her lips pressed together, “Ah guess Ah better get goin’ too, Granny. Duty calls.”

“Wait just a minute there, Applejack,” Granny Smith said. She waved her granddaughter to her side.

Applejack promptly obeyed her grandmother. “What is it, Granny?”

The Apple family matriarch looked straight into her eyes. “Ah want ta know what’s gonna happen to our farm.”

Applejack’s eyes darted back and forth, sweat beading on her brow. “Granny, didn’t Ah tell you? The farm’ll be fine; the Colonel said so in his report! Ah’m gonna--” Granny Smith’s hoof landing on her shoulder silenced her.

“Don’t lie ta me,” Granny Smith said, her voice falling to a dangerous low. “Ah saw the smoke from the north field. Ah know it ain’t bein’ looked over by anypony right now, and Ah know it ain’t in good shape. So you tell me, Applejack.” Granny poked her hoof into Applejack’s breast. “What’s happenin’ to our farm?”

Applejack sighed, bowing her head. “Ah’m sorry Granny, Ah just didn’t want to worry you.” She raised her head, her eyes meeting Granny Smith’s. “The farm’s lost a lot of trees. Most of the north field was wrecked from fallin’ rocks. A few landed in the sheep pen and, well, we lost most of them too. But the rest of the fields are fine, Ah promise. So’s the corn and the pigs, and the celery and grapes. So Ah’d say we’re doin’ pretty good. Better’n most of the farms round here; Golden Harvest lost everythin’ in the fires, and… a lot of others lost their lives along with their farms.”

“Hmmph.” Granny stuck her nose up in the air. “And what about the zap apples?”

Applejack grimaced, biting her lip. “They’re uh, they’re gone too, Granny. All of ‘em.”

“Oh. Fiddlesticks,” Granny scowled. Her features softened. “Thank ya kindly, Applejack, fer tellin’ me the truth. Ah don’t want you hidin’ anythin’ else from me, ya hear? Ah ain’t spry as a spring chicken but Ah ain’t got one hoof in the grave neither.”

Applejack flashed a sheepish grin. “Sure thing, Granny.”

“Good mare,” Granny replied. “So who’s gonna look over the farm fer us?”

“Well, right now the Colonel’s got ponies posted ta guard it, so nopony loots it,” Applejack said. “Soon as Ah can get him to do it he’s gonna get some Apple family ponies to fly out here and work the farm. Keep it in the family.”

“Hehe, now that’s what Ah like to hear,” Granny grinned. “Ah’ve held ya up enough, Applejack; you go on now. Git.”

Applejack chuckled. “Yes ma’am,” she said.

~ * ~

Crystal Empire, evening, one day after The Fall.

Arend Vogel stepped off the landing deck of the Eagle’s Wing onto the balcony high atop the Crystal Palace. Princess Twilight followed him close behind, along with her troop escort. He surveyed the view of the city as he walked. The sung hung low on the horizon, dipping below the edge of the mountains to the west, framing the city in a wan orange glow. The moon had already risen, as though fighting with the sun for the sky. He shook his head at the unusual sight. Other than the day before the Summer Sun Celebration two years ago, nobody alive had ever seen the sun and the moon in the sky at the same time. It just didn’t happen. “Scheisse,” he muttered.

General Shining Armor awaited them inside. “Sir,” Arend said, giving the General a firm salute.

Twilight Sparkle, grinning from ear to ear, leapt onto the General. “Shiny! Oh I’m so glad to see you!”

General Armor laughed. “Nice to see you too, Twily.” He wrapped a foreleg around her. In a more somber tone of voice, he said, “I’m sorry about Spike.”

“Yeah,” said Princess Twilight, her head low. “Me too.”

“But we can talk about it later,” Armor said. “That and… other things. Please, come with me. Cadance is waiting in her office.”

They walked through the corridors. Arend’s eyes darted back and forth as though he were watching a tennis match, staring at all the crystal. “This palace is amazing, sir,” he commented.

“You get used to it,” Armor replied.

They reached Princess Cadance’s office in short order. He bowed deeply in respect, his eyes square to the floor. This was the first time Arend had ever met Princess Cadance and he wanted to make a good impression. Or at least a better one than he had over the wireless.“Please, rise,” said the Princess of Love. She held out a hoof. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person, General Vogel.”

He raised his eyebrows before taking the hoof in his talon. “Likewise, your highness.”

The two Princesses exchanged greetings, then everyone settled down in seats at the office’s table. “So, to business,” Princess Cadance said. “Shining was just about to show me the Manehattan Time’s headline story. Shining?”

General Armor nodded, his horn lighting a crystal on the center of the table. An illusionary image of the newspaper sprang into being. Arend’s eyes narrowed at the bold headline. The picture beneath was a black and white photo of Manehattan’s Time Square, with ponies lying in pools of blood, their bodies riddled with holes.

“It’s… pretty bad, I won’t like,” Armor said as he began to read it aloud:

RIOT! DOZENS DEAD IN THE STREET! HUNDREDS MORE ARRESTED!

By Mild Manner

Yesterday, Princess Cadance shocked the nation when she announced that our fair capital of Canterlot was destroyed, as were our Princesses, and she was instituting martial law. The news sent waves of anger throughout the city. Witnesses stated there may have been thousands of protesters pouring through the streets. Most gathered in Times Square; vandalism and looting was reported throughout. Soldiers from the 22nd Infantry arrived on the scene; a witness had this to say:

“...really big cannons, like huge hoses, firing off tons of water….shooting spells and ponies were falling...crowd went completely nuts! ...swinging baseball bats and two by fours. I was frightened out of my mind!”

Another witness reported the soldiers opened fire: “...all I heard was some big voice screaming ‘Open fire!’ and...explosions and screaming...saw ponies falling over, bleeding...was so scared I just ran and ran and ran.”

Other witnesses reported many of the protesters fled to Battery Park, where soldiers and police arrested the lot. There is no word yet on the exact numbers but witnesses claimed dozens were killed and hundreds arrested. This reporter personally spoke to Mayor Brandy Rose(2), who stated:

“I am shocked beyond belief at the tragedy that has befallen our great city. This loss of life is unconscionable. I want to express my deepest sympathies for those who lost friends and family, and I will be personally investigating the cause of this disaster. The ponies responsible will be punished to the fullest extent of the law.”

General Bastion of the 22nd Infantry was unavailable for comment.

“Celestia im Himmel!” Arend gasped.

“Oh my gosh!” Princess Twilight squeaked, her face tinged with green.

Princess Cadance paled. “This is not what I meant when I told the military they could use force! How did this happen?”

The General scowled. “I’ve already spoken with Bastion; she suspects it was the major in charge of the Times Square detail. She’s cooperating with local police to investigate.”

“She’d better,” growled the Princess of Love. “I don’t want to see anything else like this happening again.”

“You can be assured, your highness,” Arend replied firmly, “that my soldiers will never lose discipline in such a manner.” The very thought stirred a fire in his belly. The discipline of Equestrian soldiers was unparalleled on a global scale. They were defenders of innocents, not butchers.

“Good.” Princess Cadance took a deep breath. “Shining, I think you said you had something else to show us as well?”

“Yes,” answered Armor. He withdrew the newspaper and replaced it with a single page document. “This is a transcript of a sermon delivered by High Priest Silver Cross, in Baltimare, just over an hour ago. An Army major attending sent this transcript to me over the wireless.”

Cadance has told us, from her cold winter throne in the Frozen North that our Sun, our glorious Princess Celestia, is dead. That her sister, our dark and wondrous Princess Luna, is dead. I say this cannot be, ponies! This cannot be! They are the Sun and Moon! Eternal is Their reign! They will always watch over us, for how else would the Sun and Moon continue to rise and fall in the sky, if They were not leading them? Even should Their avatars among us fall, They will never die. They live on, in the heavens! They have simply returned to Their rightful positions as our Goddesses of the Day and Night!

I say this, ponies. I say this: we will never let anypony dare tell us different. Harmony must be maintained! Look, ponies, at the soldiers in the streets! Look upon those who would aim weapons at us, who would shoot us for daring to enjoy Luna’s Night! Those who have slaughtered our fellow ponies in Manehattan! Cadance would have you believe she is doing right for Equestria, for our holy nation! That Canterlot’s destruction was a mere accident, a fluke of nature.

But she is wrong, ponies, oh yes. She is wrong. The destruction was a sign! Celestia and Luna struck down our capital for our sins! We have lost our way, ponies. We do not honor our Goddesses. We allowed two vile, wretched ponies to become alicorns, in mockery of the form of our immortal Goddesses! We allowed them to consort with the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony himself! It is our own actions that have brought us to where we are now! Equestria has fallen, ponies! We are sinners! And we were fools. Fools who had forgotten our true way.

But we will no longer walk that path! We will honor our Goddesses! I call upon all cities and towns in Equestria, to follow me, to join me in prayer to our most heavenly Goddesses. That we beg forgiveness for our sins! That we will always praise Them and honor Them, each and every Day and Night! And that we rise up against those deceivers, those windigos in pony skin, those who would claim to be like our Goddesses. That we refuse to follow their discordant ways! That we follow only those who believe, as we do, in Harmony! In our Goddesses! In Equestria!

“So ein Misthaufen!” Arend said, slamming a claw on the table. “This is absurd, General.”

“I’m not a windigo,” whispered Princess Twilight. She trembled all over, her wings shaking like falling leaves.

Princess Cadance wrapped her in a firm embrace, then said, “Is there anything we can do about this, Shining?”

General Armor shook his head, jaw clenched. “I wish. Free speech is a basic right under the original Friendship Accords that brought the various states into Equestria. Even if it wasn’t, Duchess Seafoam endorses his views; she was in the crowd and was one of the loudest voices crying ‘Amen!’ according to the major. Silver Cross is free to preach whatever the hay he damn well wants.”

“And if we arrest him,” Arend said, “we would make him a martyr.”

“W-wait a minute,” Twilight Sparkle said, her voice aquiver. “I don’t understand. W-why does the Duchess matter?”

Princess Cadance and General Armor exchanged a knowing look. Arend tuned out the resulting explanation; he knew damn well who Seafoam was. She’d been the one up in arms over a griffon joining the Royal Army. She’d been the one in the Council blocking his advancement at every turn when he became an officer. She’d been the one dragging out his interview for General, asking pointless question after pointless question, just to make the experience worse for him. His stomach clenched, jaw tightening as the veins in his neck bulged. His talons opened and closed as though squeezing Seafoam’s corpulent neck.

“Wow, this is bad!” Princess Twilight shouted, bringing Arend back to attention. “Really, really bad! Equestria’s going to fall apart if we don’t do something!”

Princess Cadance set a hoof on Twilight Sparkle’s shoulder. “Calm down, Twilight. Seafoam won’t start a civil war overnight. We still have plenty of time to settle things peacefully.”

“Right,” said Princess Twilight with a nervous laugh. “Sorry.”

“General,” Arend said, looking to Armor. “Do we have any contingency plans in the event we are… unsuccessful?”

General Armor shook his head. “Not yet. I have Stoneborn working on it.”

“In the meantime,” Princess Cadance said, “We have a lot of work to do.”

~ * ~

Ponyville, morning, five days after The Fall.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Noise. Lots of noise.

Pain.

Rainbow Dash’s eyes fluttered open. Spears of light assaulted her eyes and she squeezed them shut, grunting. Dull pain filled the rest of her body, especially in her right foreleg and her right wing. “H-hello?” she ventured, her voice hoarse as though she’d gargled with gravel. “What, what happened?”

“Rainbow Dash! You’re awake! You’re finally awake!” squeaked a familiar voice.

Rainbow risked opening her eyes a few centimeters, spotting a shock of mulberry mane. “Scootaloo? Izzat you?”

The filly flopped onto Rainbow's belly, giving her a painful hug. “I’m so glad you’re awake! I was afraid you’d never wake up again!”

“Ow, stop it,” Rainbow complained. She tried to raise her right foreleg to push Scootaloo away, but nothing happened. “That hurts.”

“You’d better let her go, Scootaloo,” said another voice. Rainbow opened her eyes the rest of the way, revealing the crystal walls of a room in the Castle of Friendship around her. She laid in a comfortable bed, a blanket draped over her. Several machines beeped at regular intervals. An IV was taped to her left foreleg, a few other sensors dotting her body, making her itch. Something was hooked up to her rump. She tried not to think about that one.

“Sorry, Doctor Triage,” Scootaloo said, pulling away to sit on a chair.

The other voice belonged to a pale blue earth pony with a dusty brown mane, clad in a doctor’s smock over BDUs. “It’s good to see you awake, Rainbow Dash. You’ve been out for almost five full days.”

Rainbow Dash frowned. “Wait, what? I don’t get it; what happened, doc? Why do my leg and wing hurt so much?”

The doctor bit his lip before replying. “You might want to see for yourself.”

She tried to hold her leg up to her eyes, but nothing happened. Gritting her teeth, she tried again. And again. Finally, with a snort she raised up her head, gripped the blanket in her teeth, and pulled it away.

As she stared at the stump where her leg was supposed to be, jaw wide open, her memories from before she went under returned with a vengeance. “What the rutting hay, doc?!” she shrieked. “Where is my leg?! If I’d wanted it cut off I’d’ve let Redheart do it from the start!” She rolled over to look at her wing; as she suspected it too had been amputated, eliciting a fresh stream of curses.

Scootaloo’s ears flattened against her skull. “Please stop yelling,” she said.

The doctor looked down his nose at Rainbow. “Rainbow Dash, calm down or I will sedate you.”

With a growl, Rainbow shut her yap. “This is such a bunch of horseapples,” she groused. She tried to cross her forelegs over her chest but with only one foreleg and a stump it didn’t have the same effect she was used to.

“Thank you,” Triage said with a roll of his eyes. “Now, to answer your question, there’s a very good reason why we had to amputate.” He stepped over to one of the machines, a bulky oblong box with a tank of fluids hooked into her IV line. “This is a dialysis machine. They’re normally used to facilitate or in some cases replace kidney function in ponies with kidney disease. But we’ve jury rigged this one for something else entirely.”

Rainbow Dash glared at him. “For what?”

He pressed his lips together. “You have severe thaumic poisoning. So severe that it’s a wonder you didn’t die instantly. It’s a particularly nasty variation of thaumic radiation we’ve only ever seen a few times in laboratory testing of new weapons technologies. If Redheart had amputated you before we arrived, the radiation would have killed you within the hour.”

Her face paled. “Oh. That’s uh, that sounds...bad.”

“Believe it,” Triage replied. “In the body, this kind of radiation is self-sustaining for some reason we don’t yet understand, which renders any normal method of treatment completely useless. In your case, the radiation was most heavily concentrated in the wing and leg, but there is a smaller source lodged in your spine. We’re using the dialysis machine to remove it, but the process is incredibly slow. We had to amputate to prevent the machine from being overwhelmed.” His eyes grew cold. “Be very glad we were ordered to do whatever we could to save you. I had to devise this method on the spot; if it had been up to me I’d have declared you too injured to save.”

Frustration and fear warred with gratitude in her heart. “...thanks. I guess,” Rainbow said.

He blew out an exasperated sigh. “You’re welcome. Like I said though, the process is slow. You’re going to be cooped up for at least a few weeks.”

She grimaced, sinking into the bed. “Ugh, really?”

“That’s why I’m here!” Scootaloo blurted. “You won’t be bored with me around!”

Her mouth twisted into a half smile. “Thanks, squirt.”

Triage made to leave, but Rainbow Dash held out her forel--her stump. “Hey, doc, wait up.”

“Yes?” he asked, not even looking back over his shoulder.

“What’m I gonna do after I get out of here?” She drooped, her lips quivering. “I can’t fly anymore, doc. I can’t even walk.”

He sighed, turning around to face her. “I’m guessing you won’t settle for a wheelchair?”

“Are you kidding?” She snorted. “No way!”

Triage set a hoof to his chin. “Well there might be something, then. It’s classified so I can’t tell you the details, but given who you are, I might be able to convince General Vogel to look into it. It’s… like I said it’s classified so I can’t make any promises.”

“Anything’s better than a wheelchair, doc. Thanks,” she said, flashing her trademark cocky grin.

“Sure,” muttered Triage as he left the room.

Rainbow Dash flopped onto her pillow. “Jeez,” she muttered, “this is worse than the last time I was stuck in a hospital. At least then it wasn’t for weeks.”

“Are you okay, Rainbow?” Scootaloo asked.

Rainbow snorted at first. Then she chuckled. The chuckle transformed into a giggle, then a guffaw, then an all out belly laugh that had her twitching all over the bed. “No,” she finally answered after calming down. “Not really.”

Scootaloo placed a hoof on her shoulder. “Anything I can do?”

Rainbow Dash’s eyes flitted over the room, locking onto a copy of her favorite board game. “A game would be cool.”

“Sure thing!” Scootaloo bounced over to retrieve the board game, scooting her chair and a table over to Rainbow’s left side. Soon they were immersed in the game.

Author's Note

(1) Gretchen Vogel comes from my story The West Tower.

(2) Brandy Rose is the sister of Whiskey Rose, also from my story The West Tower.

Interlude: The Cave

The Fall of Canterlot

Interlude

The Cave

Unknown location, eight days after The Fall.

Her horn ached as she chiseled another line into her marking rock, a large, cracked boulder standing in the open. Moisture dripped from the cavern’s ceiling, fiercely cold against her patchy coat. She shivered, her stomach turning flip-flops with ever-present nausea. She rubbed it with a hoof in an attempt to soothe it, sloughing off some coat hair in the process. Finishing, she sat back, admiring her work. Eight lines now. Eight days since she’d woken up in this cave, with no way to the surface. No memory. No clue of who she was, or why she was here. Or even where here was. She remembered a few things, here and there, scattered details. Snatches of imagery of faces or places. A familiar scent. But nothing coherent.

A wave of nausea rolled through her. She sank to the moist cavern floor and curled into a pathetic little ball, rocks poking into her skin. She’d been like this ever since she woke up. Nauseous, severe body pains, hair falling out, falling unconscious, anxious… the list went on. She knew this wasn’t normal. It didn’t feel normal. She remembered enough to know that.

The nausea passed. Only a minute or so this time. A new record. Maybe she was getting better. Taking a deep breath, she uncurled and stood. She had duties to perform.

She trotted at a sedate pace to her shelter. When she awoke she found it nearby, a one-story structure of aged, cracking stone and mortar. A faded image of a sun with eight spokes covered the wall above the doorway. Once, a wooden door had stood there, but she found it fallen over into several pieces, much of them rotten. A few lanterns full of smokeless flame burned in sconces set all around the outside and inside of the building, providing a sphere of light in an otherwise pitch black cave. In the remnants of old rotten crates and intact urns of ceramic and stone she found blankets, a spear, a flint and steel plus tinder for a fire, and some food. The food was carefully preserved with spellwork on the urns, keeping it fresh even after however many years the building had been abandoned. The spear was likewise preserved with a small gem encrusted at the base of the head. While she’d found no water, there was an underground stream not too far away she could source it from.

Inside, inside was why she bothered to keep herself alive despite her suffering. She had a friend.

He was there when she woke up. She smiled at the familiar sight. He was familiar. His face appeared in her flashes of memory. Like with herself she didn’t know his name, or anything about him, except that he was suffering, like her. Unlike her, he was unconscious. Her mind wanted to call it a coma; he hadn’t woken up once. He just lay there, breathing softly, sometimes wincing or letting out grunts of pain. She did what she could for him, feeding him little scraps of hay and oats, some water from time to time.

But they were running out of food. The supply had been minimal to begin with. She’d have to fish the stream, even though the thought turned her stomach. Food was food and without food neither would survive.

She checked him over. Still no sign of awakening. Reaching for the food urn with a hoof she gingerly removed small mouthfuls of food with her field, one at a time. She’d learned early on any attempt to use it for anything larger or more complex filled the air with sparks and her head with white-hot agony.

After feeding and watering him, she took some food for herself. Not that she could eat much. The many stains of vomit scattering the shelter proved that. It was a wonder to her that her friend appeared not to suffer the same thing. Whatever was making them sick, he could withstand it better.

So why was he in a coma? It was a question she’d asked herself many times, but without her memory she’d never be able to answer it.

Searching the shelter, she found her spear and took it in her mouth. She also donned her makeshift saddlebag she’d made from a tied blanket. With careful, slow strides she made her way to the river, lighting her path with her horn. The river babbled and chuckled its way through the darkness. Listening carefully she heard the occasional splash signifying fish were present. She’d seen them before; sightless, ghostly white creatures. Not even a griffon would find them appetizing. Her light wasn’t bright enough to see them by. She’d have to hunt with sound alone.

She wasn’t sure how long she laid there, occasionally poking the river with her spear. Measuring time without the sun was next to impossible; she only kept track of the days because of her sleeping periods. Eventually she did catch a fish. A single, solitary fish, barely the size of her forehoof. She wanted more, but she was just too tired. She needed to rest.

She trudged her way back to the shelter and collapsed onto her pile of blankets. She didn’t sleep; she dared not sleep too often lest she lose all track of time completely. So she lay there, her mind churning. She used times like these to try to remember something, anything. The usual images flashed through, without meaning. The image of a purple mare recurred most often, someone precious to her. Maybe her lover?

Her stomach rumbled. She needed to cook that fish.

Crawling to her hooves she took out the flint and steel, lighting a fire in the shelter’s hearth. She speared the fish on a long, thin piece of stone and set it atop the fire to cook. Soon the shelter was filled with the scent of roasting fish.

Her friend snorted in his sleep. Startled, she rushed to check him. Shock etched across her features as he rolled back and forth in his makeshift bed, mumbling words she couldn’t quite make out. Then he really surprised her.

He opened his eyes.

She fell on her rump, eyes wide as dinner plates. Her heart beat a rapid tattoo in her breast. “H-hello?” she said, her voice cracking from disuse.

He blinked, sitting up and looking around. “Ugh, my head,” he groaned. “What happened? Where am I?”

She risked reaching out a hoof in greeting. “You were unconscious.”

His eyes narrowed as he focused on her. He cocked his head to one side, and then another. “Starlight?”

Her mouth fell open. Her name. He knew her name! The sound of her own name unlocked a small piece of her memory: a name for her friend.

“...Spike?”

Author's Note

Surprise! :rainbowlaugh:

IV. Rising Tensions

The Fall of Canterlot

IV.

Rising Tension

Ponyville, morning, two weeks after The Fall

Pinkie Pie merrily pronked through the shantytown surrounding the castle on her way to the newly rebuilt train station. Ponies waved as she passed; she waved back, exuberantly greeting each by name. Her hair bounced, curly as ever even as the humid air of the late summer morning soaked her coat. No weather could ever douse her earth pony magic, not with its unbreakable connection to her emotions. If she was happy, her hair was happy, and that was that.

“And I sure am happy!” she chortled to herself. “Maud’s coming to Ponyville today!” It had been Maud’s graduation the week before. Pinkie couldn’t attend; she still had too many duties taking care of the injured and sick ponies after Canterlot exploded. So she sent her love via letter(paying four times as usual for a slower delivery) and had just received a letter back saying Maud was coming today!

“I wonder why though,” Pinkie said. “She didn’t say! I hope it isn’t that she wants to move to Ponyville… iiiiit’s not in good shape right now.”

Up ahead the station--built with three platforms now, two dedicated for use as supply lines for aid relief and the military--bustled with activity. Train whistles blew as engines steamed in, their cars laden with cargo. Military ponies lined up to unload supplies as quick and efficient as any pony Pinkie had ever seen, while others patrolled, guns at the ready. Other trains, bound for destinations all about Equestria, rumbled past on the two bypass lines while many more waited patiently for their turn. Thanks to a detachment of Army engineers that tagged along with the 64th and as many Ponyvillians as were willing, the rails were rebuilt so fast that Ponyville was rapidly becoming the hub around which rail traffic in Equestria turned. For now, anyway. Applejack had told Pinkie the military were erecting a much bigger and better hub somewhere outside of town, but it would take months to complete. Equestria’s rail system, while not exactly on time, at least let ponies ride from coast to coast again.

She arrived, dancing about the platform, cheering. Her eyes ran down the train schedule written on a large chalk board, spotting the train from Quarryville, the nearest city to her parent’s rock farm. It was scheduled to arrive an hour and a half ago, which hopefully meant Maud would be arriving any minute. So she bounced about the platform, humming to herself as she waited patiently.

When she’d just about reached the end of her patience--about five minutes, a new record--a shiver ran down her left forehoof, the frog itching. At the same time her right rear hoof trembled. She gasped, her gaze darting about. “Oh no!” she cried. “That means something sad is about to happen!” Her mouth twisted into a frown. “Woah, been feeling that way too much lately.”

“Pinkie? What are you doing here?” asked a familiar voice behind her.

Pinkie whirled to see Trixie standing there, a large suitcase floating in her field. Her cape was draped askew, full of wrinkles and ruffles, the clasp half open. Her hat hung off one ear, bent over in the middle. Her eyes were red and puffy, her cheeks lined with tear stains.

“Woah, are you okay, Trixie?” Pinkie asked, rushing over and holding out her forelegs for a hug. “What’s wrong?”

Trixie’s lips trembled. She glowered at Pinkie, opened her mouth as if to say something, then shut it again. She fell into Pinkie’s outstretched arms, slumping against Pinkie’s chest. “I’m… I’m leaving Ponyville,” she murmured into Pinkie’s chest fluff.

“But, why?” said the earth pony. “All your friends are here!”

“Yeah,” Trixie muttered. “Except one.”

Even Pinkie, who’d been declared “the thickest head in all of Ponyville!” by Rarity on three separate occasions, understood this. She squeezed Trixie against her chest, ignoring the sound of choking that resulted. “Oh, poor Trixie. I miss Starlight too! But that doesn’t mean you should leave your friends, silly! We’re here for you, whenever you need us.” She let Trixie go and patted her head while the unicorn gasped for air.

Trixie scowled, gently pushing Pinkie’s arm away with her field. “Yes, so I’ve been told, by all of you. Many times. But Starlight was my first real friend, and I… I just wish to start over, somewhere far, far away.”

For several moments, Pinkie lay silent. She didn’t move, or speak. She just stared, the look in her eyes distant and far away as though she were lost in memory. Finally, she held a hoof to her breast. She smiled. Not a happy beam or a playful smirk or any of her usual shenanigans-promising grins, but a warm, kind smile, lifted right out of Fluttershy’s playbook. “I understand. I felt that way once too, you know. It’s why I left the rock farm. Granny Pie died, right after I got my cutie mark, and I… I just wanted to leave. So I came here, to Ponyville! The Cakes took me in and I’ve been here ever since.”

Her smile faded a touch at the edges. “But I still visit my family. I haven’t forgotten them. How could I? They’re some of the best ponies you’ll ever meet! My parents ask me to stay longer every time I visit, too. They miss me a lot. I’ll miss you too, but if you gotta leave, you gotta leave. I get it.”

Trixie blinked, head cocked to one side. Her hat fell to the ground. “Who are you and what have you done with Pinkie Pie?”

Pinkie giggled. “Oh you.”

Trixie harrumphed, but Pinkie caught a hint of a smile gracing the unicorn’s face before it faded. “So, why are you here anyway, Pinkie?” Trixie inquired while she picked up her hat. “You never answered my question.”

“Oh, I’m waiting for Maud. She’s my sister and--look, there she is!”

A train chugged into the station, carrying cars of passengers. Maud Pie waved out from the nearest car window. She disembarked in what for Maud was a rush. “Pinkie, hi,” she said as she approached.

“Hi Maud!” Pinkie cheered as she gave her sister a hug. “Is something wrong? You look a little worried. Is it Boulder? Is he okay?”

“Boulder’s fine,” Maud answered. She cast her emotionless gaze on Trixie. “Who’s this?”

“This is Trixie,” Pinkie answered before the unicorn could open her mouth. “She’s another one of my friends.”

“I see.” Maud held out a hoof to Trixie. “Nice to meet you.”

Trixie hesitated, then gave Maud’s hoof a light bump. “I’m… happy to make your acquaintance. You’re not what I expected from a sister of Pinkie.”

“I get that a lot.” Maud’s gaze returned to her sister. “We need to talk.”

“Talk? Uh, okay, sure!” Pinkie let out a nervous laugh. Whenever Maud wanted to talk something was very wrong indeed. “What is it?”

Maud waved Pinkie over to a nearby bench. When Trixie made to follow, she said, “I need to talk to Pinkie alone.”

“Of course,” Trixie said, looking away and casting her eyes to the platform floor. “I’m sorry.”

“Aw Maud it’s okay, whatever you have to say you can tell Trixie too!” Pinkie said. Trixie’s eyes lit up, if only for a moment.

Maud’s flat line of a mouth tilted a centimeter downward. “Fine.” After Trixie joined them on the bench, Maud turned to Pinkie. “Something’s wrong with Mom and Dad.”

Pinkie clapped her hooves to her face. “Oh no! Is Mom sick? Is Dad sick? Did they get hurt? Did they get crushed by fallen rocks?!”

Maud pressed her hoof to Pinkie’s mouth. “Quiet. Please.” She took her hoof away.

Pinkie’s cheeks bloomed with red. “Sorry.”

“Mom and Dad aren’t hurt,” Maud continued. “You’ve heard of Goddess worship?”

Pinkie shivered, gagging. Everyone had by now; the new religion out of Baltimare was taking the nation by storm. Tens of thousands of ponies had already converted, with thousands more every day. And they all cried for the overthrow of the ‘false alicorns.’ They’d even adopted a symbol they all wore as amulets or lapel pins: a half sun and moon in gold and silver colors. “Yeah, they’re really creepy. And scary. They’re screepy!”

“Not to mention crazy,” Trixie added. “I cannot believe anyone would fall for such tripe.”

“Crascreepy?” Pinkie ventured.

Maud’s mouth twitched. “Mom and Dad have converted.”

“WHAT?!” Pinkie screeched, hooves flailing wildly in the air. Ponies all over the train platform stopped what they were doing and stared, though a few of the locals muttered “Oh it’s just Pinkie” under their breath.

A pegasus soldier carrying a rifle approached. “Is something wrong here?” he inquired.

“Yes, something’s wrong!” Pinkie shouted. “My parents have--”

Trixie slapped a hoof to Pinkie’s mouth. Her eyes widened just a hair as she saw the pegasus was wearing a Goddess symbol on a chain under his uniform shirt. She grinned sheepishly at him. “Please, don’t listen to her, um, sergeant. Everything is fine. I promise.”

The soldier narrowed his eyes. “Better be,” he grumbled as he returned to his patrol.

“Thank you,” Maud said to Trixie with a slight upward twitch of her mouth. She turned back to Pinkie. “Please be more careful.”

“But, Maud,” Pinkie exclaimed, though this time she kept it at a reasonable volume, “this is really bad! Mom and Dad are super pushy; they’ll totally force their beliefs on Marble and Limestone! You know how Limestone is; I love her but she can be really angry sometimes. She might hurt somepony!”

“I know,” Maud answered. “That’s why I came. I need you to come back with me. Together we can convince them to stop believing.”

Pinkie nodded, with a confident grin. “Absoposilutely!” Her grin slipped away. “But, I’ve been really busy here. Applejack needs me.”

“Applejack understands family, Pinkie.”

Pinkie held out one hoof and bopped it with her other hoof. “Right, duh. I knew that. I’ll just go tell her and get my stuff and then we can be gone in a jiffy!” She hopped off the bench, rearing up for a pell mell gallop.

“Um, wait, please,” Trixie called, stopping Pinkie in her tracks. “May I come along?”

Maud blinked at her. “Why?”

Trixie flushed. “I’ve worked for your parents before, on the rock farm. They know me; I might be able to help.” She held up the suitcase. “And I was headed to Los Pegasus anyway. Quarryville is on the way.”

“I knew it!” Pinkie sang. “I knew it was my family’s rock farm you worked at. And you never told me, silly.”

“Oh. ” Maud looked to Pinkie, then back to Trixie. “I’m okay with it if you are, Pinkie.”

Pinkie’s smile stretched from ear to ear. “That’d be amazing!”

~ * ~

Afternoon, Ponyville, two and a half weeks after The Fall

Fluttershy traipsed through the castle corridors, her hooves clacking on the crystal floor. Apart from the bathroom lines few ponies hung around the castle anymore, thanks to the military erecting sufficient shelters. Fluttershy liked it that way. Quiet was better. She didn’t get much quiet these days, with the construction, or ponies arguing over who cut in line. So she savored it where she could find it.

She passed through the front entrance into the afternoon sun. A mailpony, not a local, judging by the unusual uniform she wore, stood sighing, tapping her hooves on the ground. “Um, hello?” Fluttershy greeted.

The mailpony rolled her eyes. “Finally,” she said with a thick Bucklyn accent. “Been waitin’ fah hours, feels like.” She ducked her head into her saddlebags and emerged with a copy of the Manehattan Times. “Here’s yah newspapah. Ten bits.”

“Ten bits?” Fluttershy repeated, quivering. “But that’s even more than yesterday.”

“Don’t care,” the mailpony answered. “You gonna pay or what?”

Closing her eyes, Fluttershy took a breath, then opened them again. “No. I paid eight bits yesterday and that’s all I’ll pay now.”

With a scoff, the mailpony forked over the newspaper. “Fine, whatevah. Here.”

Fluttershy counted out eight coins, hoofing them over. “Thank you.”

The mailpony took off without another word, soaring eastward. With a happy little grin to herself, Fluttershy stuffed the newspaper under a wing and headed back inside. She wasn’t going to let herself be pushed around.

Her grin fell away as she contemplated the price. Even eight bits was absurd for a newspaper. Inflation had hit the economy like a freight train, driving prices to record heights. Before The Fall she wouldn’t have paid two bits for a newspaper from Manehattan. She thanked her lucky stars she didn’t have to pay for her own food, since she lived in the castle and was technically a part of Applejack’s staff. On her meager government stipend as an animal caretaker for the forest and with what few bits ponies doled out when took care of what the vet couldn’t, she’d have been destitute within a week, even if she sold off all the property that came with the cottage. (For who else would want property on the edge of the Everfree?) She’d starve on the street, as many ponies were undoubtedly doing around the country. The government used to run shelters all over so that there wasn’t a single homeless pony anywhere, but most of those shelters were shutting down now, thanks to the loss of Canterlot. The thought of a pony freezing to death from exposure at night tore at her heart.

With a sigh, she made for the guest rooms, knocking on Rarity’s door. “Rarity? I’m back.”

“Coming!” After several long moments, Rarity’s field took hold of the knob and opened the door. Rarity wore sunglasses, hiding her eyes now that they no longer needed bandages. Her field passed along the floor to Fluttershy’s face. “Hello, darling,” she said with a trace of cheer. “Come in, please.”

Rarity turned, her field scanning the floor as she took slow steps to the couch, sitting in it after carefully checking it over to ensure she wouldn’t fall to the floor by accident.

“You’re getting better at that,” Fluttershy said with a small smile. She joined Rarity on the couch.

“Well I’m trying, anyway.” Rarity shifted into a more comfortable position. “How much did the mailpony charge you?”

“She tried to charge me ten bits,” Fluttershy said, a trace of bitterness making its way into her voice. “But I talked her down to eight.”

“Either way it’s highway robbery,” Rarity sniffed, “but I’m proud of you, Fluttershy. You’ve come such a long way.”

“Um, thanks,” Fluttershy replied, her cheeks blooming.

“Of course. So, what horrible, wretched things are ponies doing to each other today?”

Fluttershy unfurled the newspaper. She winced at the headline article, squinting to avoid looking at the picture. “More ponies died in Manehattan.”

“More? This is, what, the fourth time now?” Rarity said.

“It looks like they were attacking the soldiers, with knives and… something the newspaper is calling a Bucklyn bomb.” She looked up at Rarity, her stomach twisting. “It lights ponies on fire.”

Rarity shivered in her seat. “Ugh, how awful. What a terrible way to go.”

Fluttershy narrowed her eyes. She sat up, bracing to counter any expression of suicidal desires. But after a moment, when Rarity showed no sign, she relaxed. She looked back to her newspaper. “It looks like the ponies who attacked the soldiers were Goddess worshippers; the mayor is asking Princess Cadance to make it illegal.” Her mouth twisted. “But Cadance can’t do that. Ponies have freedom of religion.”

“I wish she would anyway,” Rarity grumbled. “It’s like a cult.”

Fluttershy scanned the paper for other articles. “Duchess Seafoam has been holding meetings with the leaders of the other member states. She’s been giving speeches every day on how Cadance and Twilight should step down.” She sighed, pressing her lips together. “Poor Twilight. She hasn’t even come home yet because of all this mess.”

Rarity slumped in her chair. “I miss her too. I wish she’d at least call us, or send a telegram or a letter or something.”

“She’s probably too busy,” Fluttershy said with a sorrowful look. She looked back to her newspaper. “Oh, um, River Bends, the inventor of the motorwagon, is pulling out of Manehattan. She’s moving her business to the Crystal Empire. Says it’s more stable there.”

Rarity clapped a hoof to the floor. “That’s her name! It’s been on the tip of my tongue for weeks.”

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow. “Why’s that?”

“Oh no reason, nothing at all,” Rarity responded, waving a hoof dismissively. “Do go on.”

The pegasus hesitated. “You know,” she suggested, not for the first time, “I could get you a wireless set, so you could listen to the news. Applejack has several extra she borrowed from the military.”

“But that’s just not the same,” Rarity protested, like she had every time. Her horn lit, her field tracing to feel Fluttershy’s face. “Besides, I like when you read me the newspaper. It makes me feel less… alone.”

That was new; she’d never said that to Fluttershy before. Warmth filled Fluttershy’s cheeks as she scooted closer to give Rarity a hug. “I’m happy to help.”

“You’re a dear friend, Fluttershy,” Rarity whispered. “I don’t say that anywhere near as much as I should.”

The warmth blossomed throughout Fluttershy’s body. “Thank you, Rarity. You’re a dear friend, too.”

~ * ~

Crystal Empire, afternoon, three weeks after The Fall.

Duchess Seafoam marched through the halls of the Crystal Palace, chest out, nose in the air. Her delicate green curls, like so many bubbles of foam, bounced as she walked. Her elegant dress of burgundy and royal blue perfectly matched the gem-studded tiara atop her head. She wore a sash around her chest bearing the Goddess symbol in actual gold and silver.

Her personal attache, an earth pony mare like herself named Dusty Drafts rushed to keep by her side. “Must you walk so fast, your grace?”

“If you can’t keep up, Dusty,” Seafoam said with a scornful look, “I’ll find somepony who can.”

Dusty adjusted her glasses up higher on her muzzle. “That won’t be necessary.”

“Good.” Seafoam’s eyes scanned the crystal walls. The absurd material was everywhere. “Look at this place, Dusty. It’s so cold and heartless. A poor imitation of the glorious beauty of Canterlot.” She let out a laugh. “Just like the ponies who live in it.”

“Yes, your grace,” Dusty said automatically.

“Such a shame, Canterlot,” Seafoam said. “So much pony culture, our traditions, our sacred ways of life, gone in an instant. And these fools would rather send little toy soldiers to run around shooting ponies while accomplishing nothing of real value. Pathetic.”

“As you say.”

Soon they approached the palace throne room. The ornate doors--made of crystal, of course--were open. Guards clad in traditional plate armor stood at either side. Another pony at the door pressed a bugle to his mouth. “Now presenting Her Grace, Duchess Seafoam of the Duchy of Baltimare!”

Seafoam approached the throne, where both pretenders were sitting side by side. “Greetings, your highnesses,” she said, her voice dripping with venom. She held out a hoof to stop Dusty before the stupid mare could embarrass her by bowing.

The two fakers shared a look, though neither bristled at her disrespect, to her disappointment. “Greetings, Duchess,” said Cadance. “Welcome to the Crystal Empire.”

“Yes, it is so wonderful to be here,” Seafoam said without a hint of sincerity. “Let’s not waste our breath on niceties, shall we? Why have you called me here?”

Twilight coughed, clearing her throat. “Well, Duchess, you’re here because you’ve been, ah, causing a lot of problems. For us.”

“How direct of you,” Seafoam sneered.

“Well, you did say not to waste time with niceties,” Twilight shot back.

Seafoam chuckled mirthlessly. “So I did.”

“Duchess Seafoam,” Cadance said with the obedience-demanding stare of royalty, “you have been inciting violent riots with your rhetoric. Your endorsement of Goddess worship has resulted in it spreading like a wildfire, with devastating results to the fragility of Equestria’s current state of affairs. Your actions have directly led to the deaths of over one hundred ponies in Manehattan alone, and many more besides. You will cease these actions immediately.”

Seafoam burst into mocking laughter. “Or what, ‘Princess’ Cadance? You’ll strip me of my title?”

“Yes, we will,” Cadance answered.

“On whose authority?” Seafoam demanded, pointing a hoof at the pretender. “Yours? Twilight Sparkle’s? Neither of you have authority on the national stage; you never have.”

Now she was getting somewhere. Twilight Sparkle’s face burned crimson. “Excuse me, Duchess, but did you forget we’re Princesses?”

She sniggered. “Oh please. You’re not the Goddesses, may they reign eternal. You’re just unicorns with wings.”

“That’s it!” Twilight growled, leaping to her hooves. “I’ve had just about enough of--”

“Twilight, stop,” Cadance ordered, thrusting her hoof out in Twilight’s way. “Sit down.”

With a groan, Twilight flopped back down, folding her arms over her chest.

Seafoam chortled. She leaned over to Dusty, whispering in her ear. “Look at Twilight obey like the dog she is. Just like with Princess Celestia, she’s the shadow. Remember that.”

“Yes, your grace,” Dusty replied.

“Duchess Seafoam,” Cadance announced. “I will say once, and only once more: you will cease your actions and your disrespect to the throne, or I will strip you of your title and your lands.”

“No,” Seafoam said. “I will not obey the orders of a pretender.”

“Then by the power of my position as Princess of Equestria I hereby--”

“I don’t think so,” Seafoam interrupted. She grinned when she saw even Cadance was seething now. “Like I said, I will not obey the orders of a pretender. And neither will Equestria. I ask you to step down and allow someone who believes in our Goddesses to rule, as they intended.”

“Are you crazy?!” Twilight shouted, throwing her hooves up in the air. “Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were not Goddesses for pony’s sake! They were ponies just like you and me. That’s it.”

Seafoam scowled. “How dare you insult my beliefs?”

Twilight snorted. “Oh, sure, when you insult us it’s totally fine, but when I point out the truth--”

“What Twilight is saying, Seafoam,” Cadance said, glaring at Twilight for a moment before returning her gaze to the duchess, “is that we’re not going to give up our position. Equestria is on the precipice of disaster. Any change in leadership could tip us over that edge into total chaos. Surely, you must understand that.”

“So, you will not surrender the throne, and I will not give up my title,” Seafoam said. “It seems we are at an impasse. I suppose I have no choice, then.”

Twilight blew out an exasperated sigh. “Thank you, I’m glad you’re finally seeing rea--”

“The Duchy of Baltimare hereby secedes from Equestria.”

Seafoam burst with glee inside at the sheer shock she saw on the pretender’s faces. “You, you what?!” Twilight roared. “You can’t do that! There’s nothing in the Friendship Accords that lets you do that! It’s never happened in the history of Equestria!”

Seafoam nodded to Dusty. The attache pulled out a file folder of documents from her saddlebags and presented it to a guard, who took it up to the false Princesses. “As you can see, I am officially withdrawing Baltimare from the Friendship Accords, making our signature and its effects null and void. Without that, there’s nothing keeping us in Equestria.”

Cadance dropped all pretense of her royal demeanor. Her ears flattened against her skull. “No, please, Seafoam. You can’t do this. Please don’t do this. You’ll destroy Equestria!”

“Oh but you see, Cadance,” Seafoam smirked, leaning forward, “that’s the idea.”

“You’re insane,” Twilight blurted. “You’re completely, totally insane.”

Seafoam laughed. “No, I am perfectly sane. Insanity would be to preserve Equestria as it stands, a bloated, corrupt nation of fools and idiots. Insanity would be to allow the future of our children, of pony generations yet to come, to go without basking in the glory of our Goddesses. Insanity would be to let our culture wither away on the vine, to let pony blood be poisoned by donkeys and mules. I will be inviting any and all who wish to join me in remaking a new Equestria, a Holy Equestrian Empire! And then, ‘your highnesses,’ you will step down. Or I will remove you.” She pivoted on her hoof to leave. Dusty followed by her side.“

Wait!” Twilight called. Seafoam ignored her. “Please, wait!”

As Seafoam reached the door, Cadance shouted, “Guards! Arrest her, now!”

The guards immediately pointed their spears at Seafoam and her attache. “Halt!” one with the insignia of an officer gracing the front of his plate mail ordered. “You will come with us.”

“Dusty, if you would?” Seafoam said.

Dusty ducked into her saddlebags and retrieved a portable wireless earpiece. She hoofed it over to Seafoam, who placed it in her ear. “Colonel,” she said, “stand ready.”

“Ready, your grace,” crackled a voice through the speaker.

Seafoam turned to face the pretenders. “One order and my airship will unleash its full batteries on the city. Thousands will lose their lives. Try to stop me from leaving and I will give that order.”

Twilight burst into the air, her chest heaving, her eyes like little globes of fire as her whole body was enveloped in the glow of her magic. “You will not!” she ordered in the ear-piercing scream of the Royal Canterlot voice.

Seafoam just grinned. “Colonel, you may fire--”

“Wait!” Cadance shouted.

“Hold, Colonel,” Seafoam ordered.

Cadance lit her horn, her field overtaking Twilight’s like a bucket of water dousing flames. “Let her go, Twilight.”

The fire in Twilight’s eyes died. “But, Cadance--”

Cadance shook her head. “We can’t risk it. Let her go.”

The younger unicorn with wings floated down to her seat. “Fine. Fine! Go, Seafoam. Just… just go!”

Now Seafoam bowed, a mocking bow she filled with as much scorn as she could muster. “Thank you. Goodbye.” She inclined her head to her attache. “Come along, Dusty.”

“Yes, your grace.”

They trotted along at a leisurely pace. Seafoam gave the all-clear to her colonel, then said to Dusty, “That went perfectly, wouldn’t you say?”

Dusty’s mouth twisted into a frown. “If I may… was it really necessary to antagonize them so?”

“Of course,” Seafoam said. “You see, I knew they would respond to nothing less. As Silver Cross has preached, they truly are windigoes in pony skin.”

“Still,” Dusty replied, “I do not think it wise to imply war. You cannot believe we could actually win such a conflict?”

Seafoam inclined an eyebrow. “You ask me this while we’re still in the pretender’s stronghold? The very walls have ears, you fool.”

“My apologies,” Dusty said, her head bowed in submission. “I did not think before I spoke.”

“That much is obvious.” Seafoam’s earpiece let out a hiss of static. “Yes, Colonel, what is it?”

“Your grace, we’ve just received a transmission from Baltimare. They say it’s urgent.”

Seafoam scowled. “Well they can wait till I reboard the ship!”

”Of course.”

It took them only a few minutes to reach the airship. Like all modern military airships, it was a sleek, bulky affair, hunched over like a battering ram, over four hundred meters long. Unlike civilian airships which had wooden gondolas suspended under fragile balloons, military airships had their gondolas strapped directly to the underside of the balloon, with no open decks. Artillery ports, both explosive and magical dotted the gondola, alongside racks of machine guns to rake enemy fliers or pepper ground targets too fragile to need armor piercing shells. Bomb bays lay along the rear underside, with plenty of munitions to expend. Though it still used a helium balloon for primary lift, the balloon was wrapped in a skintight magical forcefield that rendered it as strong as steel plating while being light as a feather. Only another airship’s shells or a ground-based artillery piece of sufficient size could penetrate it, and even then with great difficulty, as the shield could be enhanced by unicorns on board. Massive propellers strapped to equally massive engines lay along the rear of the airship, able to propel it up to speeds reaching of up to two hundred kilometers per hour. Though most pegasi could fly faster with only so much as a stiff breeze at their backs, a single pegasus could not hope to assail an airship successfully, only outrun it.

Seafoam and Dusty strode up the metal gantry into the ship proper, the airlock closing behind her. “Dusty, please tell the Colonel to depart immediately.”

“Yes, your grace.” The attache rushed off to the bridge.

With that out of the way she made her way to the wireless room, waving the soldier on duty out. He left, closing the door “Yes, Chancellor?” she said into the microphone.

“Your grace,” her Chancellor replied, “We have a, err, unique guest, a griffon mare. She says she has a proposition for you.”

“A griffon?” Seafoam’s mouth twitched. She had little use for griffons. “What sort of proposition? Did she give her name?”

“No. She’ll only speak to you, in person.”

Seafoam harrumphed. “Arrogant. Oh, very well. Give her quarters. Cheap quarters, mind. No need to waste luxury on a griffon. I will meet with her upon my return.”

“As you wish.”

Seafoam closed the connection and departed to her cabin. As the airship’s engines thrummed to life and the massive ship whirled southbound, she sat at her desk, in a luxuriously comfortable armchair. Opening a drawer, she pulled out a snifter glass and a small bottle of brandy more expensive than the average pony’s yearly salary. She poured a glass and held it to her nose. The odor was intoxicating.

“To me,” she said, clinking her glass against the bottle. “To me, the future Empress of Equestria.” She took a sip; the flavor danced on her tongue, smooth and sweet. It brought a wonderful glow to her cheeks. She giggled. “Yes, Empress Seafoam. I like the sound of that.”