It was the eve of the royal palace incident that would spark a civil war that would ravage Equestria for years and drench the soil in our life fluids. When ponies would turn on one another and friendship would fail. When the bat ponies would fight for their freedom and equality.
*** *** ***
“...can get the defensive line of forts at the changeling border completed before…war of attrition… several key fallback points along the rivers…”
I wasn't paying attention at all to the briefing being given by Blueblood. There was no need to. Much greater things were going on that required my attention.
I glanced across the dimly lit and cigarette smoke filled room at my good friend and confidant, General Silver Rush. My violet eyes met her fiery steel ones in silent agreement.
I glanced at the scar on her forehead, located just below the base of her horn, which peaked out just slightly below her steel gray mane. She got that scar several years back from a fight with a small group of griffon mercenaries. She was the right mare to have on my side for what was about to occur.
I briefly turned my attention back to the presentation. General Soarin was speaking now, saying something about establishing airfields near the Changeling border and the current situation outside of the royal palace with all of the bat lovers. Again, my mind was focused on other things.
I idly fidgeted with my uniform as I waited for a signal from Rush. I hated waiting.
“You paying attention there, Admiral?” I heard Soarin ask through my clouded mind.
I looked up and over at him as he stared at me with a cocked eyebrow.
“Yes, I am… I was just thinking about how nothing has been mentioned about the Navy yet. We’ve spent the last few years building up our fleet. The changelings stand no chance of beating us at sea, and our inland reach of seapower can turn the tide on the land.” I stated. I couldn’t give a damn about any of this. It didn’t matter at this point.
I heard a cough from my left as Admiral Madoor Stronghammer stood up from her seat and nodded at me. “I concur with Admiral Lightning Strike. If your plans for the war with the Changelings don’t include the Navy, I think you’re making a huge mistake. Our new fleet of Aircraft Carriers is ready. We can provide inland support.”
I nodded in agreement. “She’s correct. I was just given command of the Luna sea task force, but it’s being refitted in Manehatten at the moment. Once that’s finished, I can oversee the inland support myself. Our flyboys are itching for a fight.”
General Soarin and Prince Blueblood glanced at each other and then at me.
“Good idea, Admirals. We will make the appropriate change in the plans. How soon can the Task Force be ready?” Blueblood inquired.
“Three months at the earliest, 5 months at the latest. This is a massive overhaul that most of the ships are getting.” I answered, laying my hooves out before me.
“You have two months. Get it done.” He ordered me.
I could feel a vein waiting to burst in my forehead. Why that spoiled rotten scumbag of a Prince was given command of the entire armed forces of Equestria, I have no idea. At least he won’t be in command when the Changelings do attack, that’s for damned sure.
“Thank you, your highness…” I made sure there was a hint of mockery in my voice.
I was just about to let him continue when Silver Rush flicked her ears a couple of times out of the corner of my eye. It was time.
“... If you’ll excuse me, I need to attend an important meeting with General Silver Rush and a few attaches from New Mareland. Good day.” I moved off of my seat and bowed slightly in the general direction of Blueblood.
“Of course. Good luck with them.” Blueblood commented as I turned and left with Silver Rush at my side.
I didn’t even bother to say anything else back to him as the doors shut behind us and Silver Rush levitated a large concrete slab out of the wall and wedged it against the door. That would slow down the high command.
The hall that stretched out before us was a long and narrow concrete one, built beneath the royal palace. These passageways and rooms were built hundreds of years ago and served as a refuge for the royal family in the event that Canterlot came under siege from a hostile force. Now they served as the headquarters of the combined armed forces, although the Navy still preferred their largest port in Manehatten. The tunnels were practically a ghost town, because most of the guard was up at the courtyard monitoring the situation of the protests outside the gates.
Our hoofsteps echoed across the concrete as we made our way up a set of darkened stairs. I had to be careful not to trip. Silver Rush looked more determined than ever.
“The guard will open the gate soon to let the bat ponies and their supporters into the palace courtyard. We must hurry.” She informed me.
I pulled my hidden sidearm out of my wings and turned it over in them. It was given to me by Luna just before her arrest and imprisonment in the Canterlot dungeons, to be used for just this day. I pulled out the magazine a counted my rounds. Seven. I put the magazine back in and racked the slide.
“Of course. I will break the Night Guard out of their barracks, you secure the train station with your ponies. We must act right as chaos breaks out at the palace.”
Silver Rush glanced at my weapon. “Let’s hope you don’t have to use that.”
I put it back in my wing and nodded slowly. “Here’s hoping. I’m not a killer.”
We came upon two divergent paths leading opposite ways, one way leading to a secret passage into the guard barracks section of the royal palace, and the other leading to a hidden but well guarded doorway into the city.
Silver Rush and I shared a glance and a hoofshake.
“Good luck, Lightning. Long live Luna.” She commented as she stared into my eyes.
“Thanks. Stay safe up there. Long live Luna.” I responded.
We both turned our separate ways. I picked up the pace and began galloping down the passageway, drifting around corners as I tried to remember the path I needed to take. We only had one shot at this, and this plan was rushed into production just a week ago.
I threw open a door at the top of a staircase that lead into the palace. I stopped and straightened my uniform in the reflection of a window that looked out on the courtyard. Beyond the wrought iron fence was a giant crowd of pissed off ponies and bat ponies alike, waiting in the gently fallen snow. Peacefully waiting.
I started briskly trotting down a well lit and carpeted corridor, past several stained glass windows. I opened a large set of double doors that lead to Luna’s section of the palace and immediately took a path off to the left that lead to the barracks of the night guard. They had been locked down in their barracks ever since Luna was arrested. It was time to break them out.
I peered around a dimly lit corner. Two royal guards stood at attention in front of the door to the barracks, and heavy steel chains kept the doors locked shut. The two guards were armed with rifles, and they looked like they were itching for somebody to try something.
One of the guards, the one to the right, was a part of our plan. His name was Steady Spell.
I started my slow and gentle approach so they wouldn’t suspect a thing.
“Halt!” The one on the left bellowed. “Nopony may enter the barracks of the Night Guard without orders from her royal Highness, Princess Celestia.”
I stopped in my tracks. “I have orders from Princess Celestia. She has asked me to bring Captain Midnight Blossom to her for questioning.”
I pulled my orders out of my coat pocket that was marked with the royal seal and Celestia’s signature. Of course, this paper was forged, but the guards wouldn’t know.
Steady Spell levitated the papers out of my wings and looked them over for a second. He glanced up at me and made a slight wink. “Looks good to me. Hope that traitorous bastard is hung.”
I took my orders back and didn’t even bother to acknowledge that last part of what he said.
Both of the guards levitated keys out of their armor and undid the locks on the chains that had bound the door shut. They levitated the chains out of the way and opened the door for me.
I stepped into the barracks of the night guard, and the situation was surprisingly calm. The very spacious and quite dark barracks was as quiet as a church mouse. Bat ponies and night guards were milling about the place, cracking jokes, reading, writing, or polishing their armor. Their racks were well kept, and I didn't see a single thing out of order. They were just continuing on with life as if they weren't under house arrest.
Inside the fishbowl, a nickname for the well lit office with large, almost fishbowl like windows that was built into the wall of the barracks, was Captain Midnight Blossom and a guard pony I didn't recognize. They were sitting down at a table, talking as they looked out at the barracks compartment.
I knocked on the door as I entered, and both ponies stood and faces me.
“Good evening, Sir.” The unknown guard pony said to me. His green eyes behind his helmet stared into my own eyes.
“Good evening. I'm here to escort Captain Blossom to Celestia for questioning.” I curtly stated, making it clear I didn't want to talk.
“Of course, sir. I'll cuff her right away, just one moment.” He quickly replied, beginning to turn around to cuff Captain Midnight Blossom.
She made eye contact with me and I could just see the questions in her eyes. I motioned to the guard pony with my eyes, and I could see the understanding in her eyes.
As the guard pony levitated handcuffs off of a desk by the window that looked out into the whole barracks, I pulled out my pistol and whacked him in the back of the head with it.
Even in my older age, the force of the gun slamming hard into the back of his helmet resounded with a sickening thud, and he collapsed in a heap at my feet. I stepped back from his unconscious form and holstered my pistol.
Midnight Blossom looked at me in curiosity.
“Not bad for an old pony.” She mused.
“I'm only 54. Quit making me feel old, Captain.” I groaned.
“Still, impressive…” She trailed off. “So, are we getting out of here?”
I nodded quickly and pointed out the window. “Yeah. We don't have time to pack, tell your ponies to hoof it, we're taking a back way to the train station so we can get the hell out of here.”
“Yes Sir.” She bolted out of the fishbowl and started barking orders to her ponies.
I slipped out of the fishbowl and made my way to the door leading out into the corridor where the two guards stood.
I slipped a piece of paper out of my uniform and slipped it under the door, signaling my guard on the other side.
For a few seconds, there was silence. Then, I heard what sounded like a sack of metal plates hit the ground hard, and I knew the coast was clear.
I opened the door and looked down to see the unknown guard pony slumped over on the floor. I looked up at Steady Spell.
“Nice work, Steady. Did he know what hit him?” I inquired, poking the body of the unconscious guard.
“No Sir, he did not.” Steady replied steadily and coolly.
“Good…” I nodded my head a few times. “We need a source on the inside. Lie down, act unconscious, and wait here until either he wakes up or another guard patrol comes along. Keep us informed of what happens in this castle. Can you do that?”
“Yes Sir. I'll do my best.” Once again, cool and steady.
“Excellent.” I laid a hoof on his shoulder. “When this is all over, I'll make sure you get the recognition you deserve. A loyal soldier of Equestria, fighting for equality and freedom.”
“Just doing what needs to be done, Sir.”
I admired the stone cold dedication that Steady Spell had. He was, in my eyes, the perfect soldier. Fighting for what's right, even if it means fighting your own brothers and sisters.
*** *** ***
I could feel my heart racing as my hoofsteps across the cold and snow covered cobblestones echoed in my ears. The streets had been empty, perfect for our little dash to the station. The train station was just up ahead, and it looked like Silver Rush managed to take command of it and fortify the position. Our train out of here was waiting and ready to go, filled with supplies and ponies willing to fight for our side. It would only be a few minutes until word would reach Celestia about what happened.
Our group of about 90 bat ponies raced up the steps of the station and into the sights of the defenders.
“We're here, General!” I called out loudly, panting as I did so. My body was too old to be running around doing this shit
General Silver Rush turned around from the conversation she was having as I reached her. The rest of the ponies behind me, including Captain Midnight Blossom, began to board the train quickly and efficiently.
“Excellent work, Admiral. Take a rest on the train, you’ve earned it. We'll be all loaded up and ready to head out in just a few minutes.” She informed me, turning around to start giving orders, but stopping dead in her tracks when she saw a rifle pointed at her.
One of her ponies, a sergeant by the rank on his uniform, was standing right behind her, holding a rifle to her chest.
The rest of her ponies pointed their rifle at the sergeant, so I quickly whipped out my pistol and pointed it dead at his chest, feather on the trigger, itching to fire.
“The hell are you doing, dipshit?” She bellowed. “You have a problem following orders?”
The pony in question pushed the barrel of the rifle against her chest.
“This is treason, General! Those… things, are our enemies! Luna has corrupted you, General!” He shouted at her. He was quite brave, but stupid to do this.
“They’re fellow ponies, Sergeant! They still deserve the same rights at everypony else!” I pleaded with him. “Don't do this, boy. Walk away.”
He turned his attention to me. “Oh, so the one that called Changelings monsters is giving me a lecture, huh?”
My facial features darkened when he said that.
“They are monsters, boy! Their only goal is to suck the love out of everything they can. The bat ponies are just like you and me! They only want to be our equals, like they deserve to be.” I snapped back.
“They were monsters created by Nightmare Moon. They should all be wiped out like the scum they are!” His raw anger was showing. I needed to calm him down.
“Listen to me, sonny. Bat ponies have done nothing wrong. Don’t judge them by who created them, and don’t listen to all of those nonsense rumors about them sucking blood or some other crap. Just give them a chance. They’re good ponies, like you and me.” I calmed my voice down and slightly lowered my pistol.
“A good pony wouldn’t betray Celestia!” Clearly my efforts weren’t working.
“A good pony would do what’s right, not what Celestia wanted. She’s an old hag who doesn’t care about the bat ponies, so we’re doing what’s necessary to give them the equality they deserve, even if that means a civil war.”
He pressed his rifle into Silver Rush’s face prompting me to raise my pistol again.
“You admit it? You’re a traitor? Do you!?” He questioned me.
“If you want to call us that so you can sleep easier at night, then yes, we are traitors, right, General?” I prompted Silver Rush.
“I suppose we are.” She answered in an honest and calm voice, trying not to provoke the wrath of the Sergeant.
For a moment we all held our breath, waiting to see what he would do.
“Then die for it.” He coldly stated.
Before I could fire, I watched in near slow motion as he pulled the trigger, sending a bullet right into the head of General Silver Rush, killing her instantly.
I rapidly started pulling the trigger on my pistol, putting round after round into the head of the Sergeant before his body fell to the ground, even firing off two rounds after he hit the ground, emptying the magazine, my teeth clenched and hatred in my eyes.
I stared at my pistol for a second as I realized what I did. I took the life of another pony. I… killed somepony. I almost felt sick, but I didn’t have time for that.
“Silver” I cried out as I knelt down next to the fallen form of Silver Rush, inspecting her. The bullet went right between her eyes and out the back of her head. There was nothing I could do. My best friend in this world was dead, and I could have done something to stop it. I needed to do something.
I stood back up quickly, looking around and pointing at the first two soldiers I laid my eyes upon.
“You two, get her into the train and in a bed, now! Move!” I ordered them, my voice clear and calm, yet underneath I was a mess of emotions.
“Yes Sir!” They both responded in unison as they slung their rifles on their backs and ran up to carry Silver Rush off to the train. Without me even giving the order, a medic ran past me and into the train car, clearly going to set up a triage area, but even he must have known how pointless it was going to be to try and revive somebody who was shot in the head with a rifle at point blank range.
I looked around at the rest of the ponies on the platform. They were shaken, shocked, and a little bit confused.
“Well? Come on, get on the train. We’re leaving, now! Get your asses in gear!” I barked at them, giving my voice a clear sense of urgency.
They all immediately formed up and started to board the train while I stood still in my spot, looking down at the body of the soldier who shot Silver Rush. He threw away his life so stupidly, and in doing so, took the life of a fantastic individual. The war would be harder on us now.
I felt my heart tear in two at the sight of Silver Rush's blood seeping into the light layer of snow on the wooden train platform.
I felt something wet on my face, so I tried to wipe it away with my sleeve. It came back with red spots. I looked down at my uniform and noticed I was speckled with Silver’s blood. I shuddered at the thought of wearing my dead best friends blood and how it was staining my snow white coat. I needed to get cleaned up as soon as possible.
In the quiet moment I had to think, I contemplated what my life would have been like if I hadn't gotten into this mess. Maybe in 15 days I could have been celebrating Christmas with my wife in Las Pegasus. No, I had to keep my mind on the task at hand. The bat ponies needed to be freed.
I looked up at the palace for a moment, just as the fighting started in the courtyard. Even from here I could hear the roar of machine gun fire and the screams of ponies in the distance. The muzzle flashes in the distance made my hair stand up on end.
Several soldiers turned to watch the action unfold, some murmured to each other.
“Keep your eyes forwards, boys. We need to get out of here as soon as possible. Stay focused.”
They begrudgingly turned their attention back forwards as they continued to board.
About a minute later, they were all boarded and situated. I flew to the front of the train and stood on top of the main engine.
“Let’s get out of here, conductor. Get us to Manehattan, and don’t slow down for anything!” I ordered to him below.
I heard a loud “Sure thing.” and I could feel the rumble of the coal engine beneath me roar to life as the brakes on the train were released and fresh coal began to burn.
I flew back down into an open roof in one of the carriages and adjusted my uniform as I began to tour the train. Some Soldiers were cracking jokes to pass the time, some were trying to process what just occurred, and many were worried about what happened in the courtyard of the palace. I was trying my hardest to be a beacon of authority and calm in the tumultuous storm that was brewing in the train, but inside I was hurting. My best friend was dead. There’s no bringing her back from a bullet to the brain.
I kept replaying the moment of her death in my mind over and over again as I paced around the train, trying to think of what I could have done to save her.
I could have just fired and shot him… No, he might have pulled the trigger. Why did it have to be her? It should have been me that died.
I snapped back into reality as I realized that I still had to clean the blood off of my face.
I found my way into a tiny head, head being the naval term for bathroom/restroom. I closed the door hatch behind me and put my hooves on the sink and started to breath heavily, pissed off with myself. I looked up at my reflection in the mirror and glared at it. My coat was speckled with blood, and it appeared to be drying. That was my best friends blood. I could have stopped it!
I swung my hoof into the mirror, cracking it. I swung again. And again, and and again, and again until it shattered. Shards of glass cut my hoof, but I didn’t care. The pain was nothing compared to the emotional slaughtering that was going on in my soul.
I probably stayed in there for a good minute before I came out, my face still bloody, and now my hoof was bleeding too. Again I kept my cool for the ponies around me.
After a few minutes, murmurs began to spread around the train. Several ponies started to point out the windows towards Canterlot. I flew up out of a hatch and onto the roof, where I could get a clearer view. The biting cold wind did little to deter me from looking up at the dark moonlit sky, trying to make out what the others were looking at.
I saw a swarm of bat ponies following a large dark shape in the sky, and they were headed right for us.
“Luna. She has escaped.” I commented to myself.
I poked my head down the hatch and into the carriage below.
“Luna has arrived! Make yourselves presentable! Honor the Princess of the Night!” I bellowed.
A cacophony of voices of NCO’s followed, ordering their subordinates to stand and make themselves presentable.
I poked my head back out and watched as Luna and her followers came gliding down, but I noticed something odd. Luna’s coat was darker than usual, almost black, and her mane was even longer than before.
“Nightmare Moon. Alrighty then…” I murmured to myself, slightly concerned at her transformation.
She landed before me and I bowed in her presence. Her bat ponies flowed into the carriages from the hatches in the roofs of them.
“Your highness.” I addressed her.
“Admiral Lightning Strike. Rise.” She commanded me.
I rose to my hooves and looked up into her eyes.
“The Night Guard and dozens of soldiers are aboard the train. They’re willing to follow and fight for you.” I reported to her.
“Where is General Silver Rush? Is she below?” She noticed the blood on me and my bleeding hoof. “Goodness, Admiral. Is that your blood?” She sounded genuinely concerned for my well being.
I expected Nightmare Moon to be a little more… well, evil. Perhaps her only change was in appearance?
“It’s not mine, well most of it… General Silver Rush… She… didn’t make it. She was shot by a soldier loyal to Celestia…” I looked down at my hooves.
“I’m sorry, Admiral. I know you two were close.” She empathetically said to me as she lifted my head to look into her snake like eyes. “She died in the line of duty, honorably serving in the best interests of pony-kind. She will be given a state funeral and remembered as a hero who died fighting tyranny.”
I genuinely smiled at that. “She would like that.” Then it faltered.” But her sacrifice won’t mean anything if we lose.”
“Then we must win.” She informed me. “No, we will win. Nothing will stop us in our quest to free my children of the night and give to them what was denied for a millenia.”
“It may take months or years, but they will be given their equality.” I declared.
“I knew I liked you for a reason…” She mused. “Now, I will see my ponies. They need to know our cause and our will. They need to know why we will fight until we win or die trying.”
“Right this way, er… Nightmare Moon?” I asked.
She chuckled. “Empress Nightmare Moon is just fine, Admiral.”
I hopped down into the silent carriage, facing aft towards all of the ponies waiting to set their sights on Nightmare Moon. I cleared my throat.
“All bow in the presence of the Ruler of the Night and mother of the bat ponies, Empress Nightmare Moon.” I announced as loud as I could. All ponies in the cart bowed as Nightmare Moon landed behind me. I turned around and bowed to her for a moment before returning to standing and facing back towards the train full of ponies who rose, waiting to hear the words of their leader.
With a voice as strong as steel and as deep as the oceans, Nightmare Moon made her speech.“My little ponies, we are not traitors to the rest of Equestria, like my sister would want you to think! We are doing what is right!”
She continued on, her voice full of hope and unwavering certainty. “We will free my children, the bat ponies! We will not fail! We will fight in the skies and on the ground, on the ocean’s surface and her treacherous depths, and we will never surrender! We will not stop our struggle until all ponies are made equal, no matter their class, race, or gender! We shall never cease our fight, and we shall win, no matter the cost! Freedom is never free, and our blood will spill across the land, but that blood will give Equestria a new rebirth into a land that is truly worth being called a land of the free! We will never forget the sacrifices of those ponies who have lost their lives to get us this far! History shall never forget General Silver Rush and all of the ponies who lost their lives in the Canterlot palace courtyards today!”
In the roar of the cheers and stomping of hooves, I heard nothing. My mind was focused on Silver Rush. She would want me to give a rousing speech at her funeral, but I’m not sure I can out do Nightmare Moon.
As the roaring cheers and stomping of hooves started to die down, I looked out the window towards Canterlot, and only one thought echoed in my mind.
I shall return.
~Vice Admiral Lightning Strike, December 10, 1008.
