The Age of Steam: Rise of the Earth Ponies
Act1: Chapter 1 AppleBloom´s school day
"It all began so distantly in the past, still, most of the knowledge was written down in the old books. So don't let yourself be fooled by the thought of time wearing away the truth. The knowledge survives yet, perfectly conserved. So listen closely, this might be part of the upcoming test."
Cheerilee paused for a moment to survey her class and then continued. "As we all know roughly one thousand years ago the three tribes of ponies moved from their home, to Equestria. The Pegasi had no troubles doing so, for they simply moved their great cloud cities. The Unicorns too had no problems, for with their magic constructing a new home was a breeze. We Earth Ponies on the other hoof had more troubles to contend with. Not only did the other tribes rely on us for food, but constructing our new homes without magic was no easy task. And with these difficulties came conflict, and like many conflicts this led to war. This war, known as The First War, was lost in a matter of days." Cheerilee looked up again and noticed Apple Bloom not paying attention to the lesson.
"Apple Bloom, is there a reason you're not paying attention? Is our history not interesting enough for you? Perhaps you would prefer extra lessons after regular classes. We can arrange that if you wish."
Apple Bloom, startled, looked up. "No Miss Cheerilee, Ah'm just, a bit worked up is all." Cheerilee nodded and said "I understand" then turned back to the class.
"Now, where was I? Oh yes, The First War. After our crushing defeat we were forced out of our lands and into hiding underground with nothing but our wits and will to survive. Fortunately Earth Ponies are hardy and we did survive, as you can clearly see. Our Ancestors found ores and water in abundance but power without magic was something we lacked. Luckily our ancestors' ingenuity came to their aid and led them to the use of steam power. With this technology they had found all the power they would ever need, and the construction of our homes underground completed in due time. We were finally independent of the other tribes."
The clock above the chalk board clicked to the hour and rang loudly. "Class dismissed. Have a nice day everypony." Cheerilee said. Apple Bloom immediately grabbed her things, throwing them into her saddle bag. She threw it over her shoulder and left the classroom, entering hallway carved entirely out of stone. A few lamps gave off a dim light as she walked past her classmates paying them no attention. She was too busy thinking about her sister, about her imminent deployment to the surface, about how she might never see her again.
She left the school deep in thought and entered the lift with everypony else. With a rattle and hiss of steam the lift began to move down. Suddenly the walls fell away to reveal an enormous cavern, brightly lit by a large tower in the middle. Apple Bloom didn't even glance at the view; after all, she had seen it many times before. The lift finally halted it's downward progress and moved onto a horizontal rail, heading towards the center of the cavern where the city lay. As the lift entered the city the metallic walls of the buildings began to block out the light and the lift fell into the relative shadows, lit only by the much dimmer street lamps of the city itself.
Finally the lift reached it's destination and came to a halt. As her classmates pushed out Apple Bloom was left with a new purpose. She headed away from her classmates towards the tower; it was here that she would find her sister. As she walked along the dimly lit streets she passed several speakers attached to pipes on the walls, spewing out propaganda about their glorious town and the success they would soon face.
As she arrived at the tower a guard intercepted her. "Halt. State your name and business." Apple Bloom grabbed her pass from her saddlebags and said "Ah'm Apple Bloom, and Ah want to see mah sister Applejack" The guard inspected the pass closely then waved her past.
"Very well, be about your business" Apple Bloom pushed the door open and walked to where the elevator would take her higher into the tower. As she reached forward to call down the elevator she noticed it descending towards her already. As it reached ground level a small bell rang, then the doors opened. Inside was a pink pony with flat, straight hair and rather fancy clothing. She was guarded by two Stallions. "Oh it's you Apple Bloom, what are you doing here?" demanded the pony.
"Uh, Ah'm here to see ma sister" said Apple Bloom nervously, for Pinkie Pie had taken a liking to war far more than many of the other ponies had, and there were many rumors of her interrogation techniques circulating, none of them pleasant.
"Well, I can't say I approve of you wandering round here, getting underhoot." said Pinkie "But last I saw she was still in the conference room" And with that she pushed past Apple Bloom, her guards following in her wake. Apple Bloom shivered and hurried into the elevator before it closed. She pressed the button for the 20th floor and stepped back. With a few clicks and a hiss of steam the elevator began it's upward journey. Finally it reached the 20th floor and the doors opened to a large room with several ponies round a circular table occupying the center. As she stepped out of the elevator a familiar orange pony spotted her and walked over. "Apple Bloom, what in tarnation are you doin' here?"
"I jus' wanted to visit you before you... leave..."
"Aw Sugarcube, there ain't no need fer that, ya didn't think I'd leave without sayin' goodbye did ya?"
"Well Ah guess... Ah guess Ah just wanted to make sure is all."
"Ya silly filly, tell ya what, come have a look at this" Applejack said, gesturing towards the center table.
Apple Bloom walked over and saw a map of the surface, carefully laid out on the table. "This here is the surface, an' that's where we're headed. Jus' think of it. Real sunlight, real weather, real trees, none o' this fake stuff we have down here." Apple Bloom looked back at Applejack, "But what if you it fails, what if we don't win..."
"Aw, don't say that Apple Bloom, course we're gonna win. After all, they don't know we’re comin', and what with all these here steam engines, Ah dare say they won't stand a chance."
"Well Ah guess so..." Applejack turned back to the others in the room. "Ah think we're done here everybody. Ya have your orders an' ya'd best see to 'em." she said, then turning back to Apple Bloom, "Ah think it's time we headed home, Ah still gotta say goodbye ta Big Macintosh." And with that they trotted back to the lift. As they travelled down in the lift Apple Bloom remained silent, not looking at her sister. Regardless of what Applejack said, she was still worried about this war, and more so about their chances of success. The silence between them continued as they walked home.
The Apple Family Orchards were definitely a sight to behold. Rows of trees surrounded by pipes and various apparatus, all designed to keep the trees healthy and alive and, though this process was nowhere near as effective as above ground would be, it sufficed. The two sisters walked down the main path, past the machinery and pipes, towards a large house not dissimilar to the top of a clock tower in design. Entering the house they were greeted by a large red stallion with a mechanical leg where his rear left leg should have been.
"Well hay there Big Mac, anythin' new?"
"Eenope," he stated.
"Any idea where Granny might be at?" Big Mac nodded to a door on his left, a stallion of few words.
Entering said door brought them into the house's sitting room. An exceptionally old pony was seated in a rocking chair; it was, of course, Granny Smith, the oldest member of the Apple family. "Oh, hello there you two. You really don't visit me enough these days Applejack, and I guess you'll be here to say goodbye then?" Applejack looked down at her hooves, "That'd be right Granny, though Big Mac'll still be here ta look after ya." "Don't be silly Applejack, I don't need looking after!" As they talked Apple Bloom began to nod off in her chair, eventually falling asleep.
The Age of Steam: Rise of the Earth Ponies
Chapter 2 morning in canterlot
The breeze is whistling around the purple mare’s horn. She lays there, her mane covering the moist grass she rested her head on, just staring at the stars above her gazing at the phenomenon’s above her head, only barely understanding the most simple of them. Her eyes scanned the sky, searching through the various constellations, some known to her and others unknown, as she murmed the names of those she could recall from time to time. She looks to the side for a moment, a city in the far distance with only a few lights visible in the dark of the night. She could see the trails of smoke rising from the chimneys, drawing lines in the sky. Yet she doesn´t know why she is here, lying in moist grass beneath her.
Suddenly the soil beneath her shakes, she gasps looking around as the floor tears open and she falls down into the darkness bellow. Her mind urges her to scream at the top of her lungs, but something wouldn´t let her do this; maybe her curiosity, or something else, made her turn around to face her destination.
A bright blue light greets her as she falls through a hole in the ceiling. What is forming in front of her defies anything she currently knows: a city built under the ground illuminated by a tower in the middle, made of brass, metal and steel. It just stands there proud and tall in that cave, as if mocking the best architects of Canterlot. She did not stop falling but, it feels like time is slowing down for the purple mare. Thousands of hoof steps can heard filling the cavern as she spots the citizens. All of them like ants walking through the streets, as she comes closer to the cavern’s bottom something seems off.
The citizens, something was wrong with them but she could not tell what. It wasn’t the way they walked or their clothing. They seemed normal until she realized none of them had horns or wings. Her eyes widened as she saw the town of earth ponies: those out of the old stories. The town was bigger than any she had ever seen. Finally she looks down at the approaching floor. With a loud scream she put her hoofs in front of her face, covering it and closing her eyes.
With a loud thud the mare lands on the floor covered in her blankets. She quickly poked her head out looking around. She was in her own room, covered in sweat from the nightmare. Peeking at the clock next to a picture of her family she knew that the five minutes of sleep she had left wouldn´t help her. While standing up she levitated the blanket onto her bed before she goes to her private restroom, talking to herself as the trotted. “Come on Twilight that was just a nightmare. A stupid old nightmare of old filly stories passed down by generations. There are no earth ponies.”
After her little pep talk she opens the faucet splashing some cold water over her face. After that, she dries herself before brushing her mane. Whistling a happy tune she finishes her mane and grabs her saddle bags leaving her room. Living in Canterlot castle has its advantages: breakfast with royalty, no pesky noises from the outside and no need to walk long distances.
A white mare crosses her path standing in front of her. "Oh, Twilight, darling, how are you? It may be a tad early for most to be awake this early, but for you, I am quite willing to make an exception."
“Oh. Good morning, Rarity, I am doing quite well, what about you?”
“Why I am fine, my dear, nothing to complain about except, well you know, having to wake up so early. I am not a Pegasus after all. It is their habit, not ours; well except for you, of course, with your royal duties and such.”
“You´ll get used to it after some time. And besides I don´t need so many candles to read my books.”
She smiles and both of the mares begin to walk down the hallway towards the conference room. Rarity smiles while opening the door for Twilight as both enter the round room. Luna sits at the end of the table smiling at the mares who sat down at the opposite end of the table to face her. The moon princess sits there looking at Rarity, pondering for a moment who she was.
“Thou art… Rarity, correct? The mare who performs the duty of decoration for the celebration?” The white unicorn blushes slightly and nods in agreement. “Would thou care to show us thy plans, subject?”
“What? Oh... of course, just a moment they are... here.” Rarity opens her saddlebags and levitates a few scrolls and figurines out, placing them on the table. She opens the scrolls and places them corner to corner before putting the figurines on display. “As you can see, your majesty, I´ve taken my task with the utmost degree of importance, and planned every detail of the big parade. Room for the attendees, parade staff, guards. I also wrote some suggestions for the pegasus fly master.”
The alicorn studied the map and position of the figurines, thinking of, for just a moment, how the festivities would happen. How the ponies will cheer and holler, smile and drink, watch and feast. This would truly be a memorable day in the history of Equestria: exactly one thousand years of peace. One thousand years ago they arrived, she and her sister, to this land. Finding the two tribes, the pegasy and unicorns. She stares into the void for a moment, before a strain of purple cut her vision. Twilight spoke.
“Uhm, Princess Luna? Is everything… alright?”
“Hmm? Oh, of course, we… thought for a moment. It seems thou hast even planned the route of our guards, Miss Rarity?”
“Yes, my princess, as you can see on these plans over… there” The white unicorn magically moved one of the parchments closer to the princess. “I´ve planned out the movement, I even assured that the guards will have no problem patrolling. As you can see, your majesty, I planned in a network of clean paths behind and through the crowds where some decoration will be placed. Through this the guards can extract any hurt ponies.”
“Well done, subject. With such planning the parade shall be magnificent. However, we do not comprehend one of thy works.” She held up one of the sheets showing a crude drawing of Rarity with the words best sister written beneath it. Rarity blushes deeply.
“My… sister must have drawn this and placed inside of my saddlebags. My apologies, princess.”
“It pleases us.” the princess responded. A squeaky and shrill voice comes from under the table “REALLY?” followed by a thud.
Whilst Rarity was still blushing, unable to move, Twilight lowers her head under the table and lights her horn to look around. She makes out a small white pony with pink and purple hair rubbing her forehead. She quickly runs out and towards Rarity hugging her right hoof.
“Did you hear it Rarity? The princess likes MY picture!”
“Well yes, but why is YOUR picture between MY plans?”
“I wanted to surprise you.” Twilight snickered as she sat idly, observing the situation and thinking again about her dream. Could it mean something or not? She finally took a hold of herself and responded.
“She most certainly did, Rarity didn’t she?” Rarity sighed and nodded in agreement before the young filly ran towards the balcony. The princess spoke again.
“Doth we have more items to discuss, or shall we copy thy plans so our sister may view them in Cloudsdale?”
“Well, thank you, princess, for allowing me to write them for you.”
Luna turned her head towards Twilight, who still seemed to be lost in her thoughts. She even leaned forward and rested her head on her hoof. She almost could hear the clicking of her thoughts.
“Twilight, what dost thou think about these plans?”
She snapped again out of it quickly lowering her hoof in slight shock. “Oh ohm…they are well thought-out and quite good…I think.”
“Something occupies thy mind, subject? Art thou used to be around our sister rather than us?”
“Oh, of course not, it is… nothing. I just slept bad.”
Before Luna could even open her mouth to speak to the slightly dazzled Twilight, a shrill voice once more was heard, this time however from the outside. The three mares turned their heads towards the balcony door before the silly filly rushed half inside waving them to come outside. Rarity gritted her teeth in mild anger and stood up walking to her younger sister, before Twilight followed them both. As she walked through the door she saw the sky of the early morning over Canterlot, a chill breeze lay in the air blowing gently over them as she noticed Sweetiebelle sitting on a stool next to a telescope.
“Big sister you have to watch through it! I aligned it right. Look, you can see Ponyville, the forest and even Dodge city.”
“And why, my younger sister, would I care for this?”
“They celebrate everywhere, and here we can see all the major towns. It’s like being at all of the parades at the same time.”
“Will you stop when I look through it?” The little filly nodded as Rarity twisted her eyes sighing before lowering herself to the telescope taking a peak.
“I can´t see anything.”
“One sec sis, I have to turn the valve to compensate the tan ankle.”
“Oh, quit it with your fancy mathematics and go on with it.” She smiled and quickly turned the valve before Rarity responded with a loud gasp.
“I can´t believe that they will let such… atrocious carts participate in the parade.”
She continued to grumble and her sister kept talking with her. Twilight walked over to the railing, leaning a bit over it and she looked over the city and its surrounding planes. She ponders for a moment before she notices a blue hoof on her shoulder.
“Twilight Sparkle, it was truly nothing that thou hath been pondering? Too many guards, or the way carts travel?”
“No, nothing with the parade it´s…I had a weird dream.”
“We all hath strange dreams; we know, for we art their guard.”
“Yes, but it was… really weird. Not as weird as a normal dream. It felt so real and I was honestly scared of what I saw. There were no monsters, no gruesome scenes, it was… something else. I was scared because I could not understand how, yet it seemed to work. “
“Many dreams doth not make sense if thou treat them normally. But what did thine eyes see?”
“A town made of brass and iron with a bright light in the middle pumping like a heart, but as cold as the night. And their citizens...”
“Thy dream could mean nothing, or everything. Do not worry, first we shall celebrate; afterwards, we may worry about thy dream.”
They both stood there for moment before looking over the railing and down at the preparing towns as the sun slowly rose, coloring the sky in a deep orange.
