Diablo III: Fall of Equestria

When Starlight woke, the sky was still dark. Still half asleep, she pushed the covers aside and slowly go out of bed. She bumped her muzzle on the wall and the brief jolt of pain snapped her out of her morning fog. Starlight blinked the tears out her eyes and remembered where she was and what she was doing there. Across the room, Sunset was still asleep, snoring softly. Starlight went to the bathroom and checked the mirror, mostly to see if her nose was bleeding. Satisfied it was not, she spent a few moments brushing her mane and coat. “Now that we’re here, where should we even start?” she wondered out loud. The Crystal Empire was a big place and not exactly friendly right now. “If Twilight were here, she would rush right up to the castle and demand to see Cadance, or she would find some book that somehow was relevant to the current situation,” Starlight mused. She stopped brushing and rolled her eyes in the mirror. “Oh who am I kidding? She’d probably have a meltdown and Twilight as hard as Twilight has ever Twilighted.”

“Saywhutznow?” Sunset mumbled in her sleep. Starlight couldn’t help but chuckle. Sunset’s mane was a mess and she hadn’t bothered to open her eyes. She picked up a brush and started untangling her mane. When Sunset’s head dipped and she started brushing air, Starlight laughed. “Not a morning pony?” she teased.

“It’s right in my name,” Sunset muttered.

Starlight let out a sigh of content and put her brush down. “Ready to get the day started?” she asked.

“It’s almost over,” Sunset mumbled. She had stopped brushing her mane and was now brushing her teeth.

This brought Starlight up short. “What do you mean?”

“It’s already past noon,” Sunset replied with a yawn and spit in the sink.

Starlight’s eyes went wide and she zoomed out of the bathroom. Sure enough, when she looked at the clock, it was well into the day. “But where did the sun go?” she wailed.

Sunset emerged from the bathroom. At least her eyes were open now. “Probably because of the storm,” she said.

Starlight sat on the bed. Her mind was going a million miles an hour, but wasn’t finding any traction. “What should we do?” she asked.

“Get some food,” Sunset replied simply.

Starlight’s stomach gurgled in agreement and she blushed. “You don’t suppose anpony will recognize us, do you?” she asked and Sunset shrugged. “A disguise wouldn’t hurt.”

Starlight looked around. “Oh yeah, we don’t have our bag,” she said and her face fell.

“And we left our snowsuits in Onyxia’s little office,” Sunset added.

“I guess we don’t have any choice,” Starlight said. After locking the door and casting several privacy and protection spells, Sunset and Starlight cautiously went downstairs. As they were about to leave, the desk clerk spoke up. “A package arrived for you this morning.”

Sunset frowned. “How do you know it’s for us?” she asked.

The clerk raised an eyebrow. “It has your names on it and you two are the only patrons at the moment.”

“Oh,” Starlight said and went to the counter. The clerk pulled out a large bag and set it on the counter. “The immigration official you were with last night dropped this off,” he said.

Starlight opened the bag and looked inside. “Hey, it’s out snowsuits,” she said. After digging abound some, she pulled out a note and a small pouch. “’Good morning. Enclosed you will find your temporary residence papers, along with your first stipend.’” Starlight lifted out two pieces of parchment and handed one to Sunset.

“What else is in the bag?” Sunset asked while looking over her document.

“A small amount of bits,” Starlight replied, shaking the bag.

Sunset made a face and looked at the big bag. “I don’t feel like wearing that big heavy snowsuit around town.”

“Then don’t,” Starlight huffed. She thanked the clerk and took the bag. “We’ve got money now. Let’s just go buy some clothes.”

Sunset waited in the lobby while Starlight took the bag back to their room. Every so often, she would catch the clerk looking in her direction, and it was starting to make Sunset feel uncomfortable. Finally, he spoke up. “Refugees, huh?”

“That’s right,” Sunset replied.

The clerk made a face like he didn’t believe her. “Just where are you refugees from?” he asked.

“I don’t see how that is any of your concern,” Sunset said with a frown.

“Of course it is,” the clerk said, walking out from behind the counter. “It’s ponies like you that cause problems for the rest of us.”

Sunset was taken aback. “What is that supposed to mean?” she asked.

“You flee your country and come here, increasing our population, yet contribute nothing. You bring your problems with you, adding to the already rising crime rate. You get to stay for free in this in, and we give you an allowance from the government. Who do you think pays for all of your free stuff?” the clerk asked, slowly walking toward Sunset until they were muzzle to muzzle. “I’ll tell you. It’s me and every other Crystal Pony working honest jobs and paying high taxes, so that ponies like you can live on the Empire’s coin. The Crystal Empire is for the Crystal Ponies. All others get out.”

Sunset was shocked, not just by the clerk’s attitude, but the blatant racism he displayed. “Is that what you truly think, or just propaganda fed to you by King Sombra?” she finally asked.

“What does it matter what I think?” the clerk replied. “Since King Sombra returned, he has put the Crystal Empire on the path to becoming a true empire, just how it used to be.”

“Whether you agree with it or not, my sister and I are still guests to the Crystal Empire,” Starlight spoke up as she came down the stairs. She didn’t look very happy and Sunset was secretly glad to have some backup.

“Either way, I don’t buy your refugee story,” the clerk said. Starlight ignored him and pulled Sunset with her out the door. Once they were down the street, Sunset let out a sigh. “Thanks for coming to my rescue back there.”

Starlight continued to stare straight ahead with a scowl on her face. “We need to find Princess Cadance and fix this.” Sunset nodded in agreement.

Despite the hour, the streets were still eerily empty. The sun was a barely visible dot in the sky as the storm continued to rage. Before long, the unicorns were shivering from the wind. Starlight found a clothing store and they went inside. At first they were wary about repeating what happened with the inn clerk, but the mare in the store was rather cordial. Both Sunset and Starlight opted for fleece lined cloaks with hoods that covered their whole bodies. Like everything else currently in the Crystal Empire, the cloaks were a bland gray color. Sunset paid for the purchase and they left.

Feeling significantly warmer, Sunset and Starlight continued their tour through the city. “I don’t even know where to start looking,” Sunset admitted.

Up ahead, Starlight noticed a group of ponies. She gave Sunset a nudge and they headed in that direction. As they drew closer, Starlight could hear somepony speaking. She carefully picked her way through the crowd, taking care not to cause a commotion. In the center of the gathering, a stallion wearing a fancy uniform stood on a platform. “The time is drawing near, and King Sombra demands everypony do their part for the glory of the Crystal Empire,” he said.

Starlight glanced around. None of the gathered ponies seemed too excited over the stallion’s words. In fact, most looked tired and downtrodden. Nopony seemed to want to say anything until a single voice spoke up. “How much longer must we continue with this?”

The stallion frowned. “Who said that? Show yourself!”

The crowd parted, revealing an older mare. “King Sombra has already squeezed every last bit out of us. I can no longer afford to keep my business open because I can’t pay for new goods, and I have no customers because every pony of working age is sent to the mines, or conscripted into the army! How am I, or any other business pony supposed to support our families?” Heads nodded as the other ponies agreed with the mare.

The stallion narrowed his eyes. “Sacrifices must be made if the Empire is to succeed.”

“Sacrifices? Haven’t we sacrificed enough already?” another voice spoke up. “This winter storm has killed mine and every other farmer’s crop. How will any of us be able to eat with rising food costs and dwindling supply?”

“The Crystal Empire has always been a net importer of foodstuffs and processed goods,” the stallion pointed out. “Shipments have more than doubled since King Sombra returned.”

“Because less than half of the goods actually make it through the storm!” a pony shouted. The crowd was getting more and more agitated. Other voices spoke up and ponies began crowding around and jostling each other. The stallion nodded to the guars nearby and they lowered their spears to break up the crowd. During the confusion, Sunset and Starlight were separated. Starlight looked around frantically and accidently called out Sunset’s real name. She suddenly found herself in front of the stallion. He glared down at her and said, “Who are you?”

“I’m, uh, a traveler who was stranded by the storm,” Starlight stuttered.

“Let me see your documents,” the stallion demanded, holding out his hoof. Starlight fumbled around in her cloak and held up her letter. The stallion snatched it from Starlight and his frown deepened as he read. “It says here that you are on a temporary work permit.” He looked up at Starlight. “Why aren’t you working?”

“I…uh…guess I didn’t read that part?” Starlight offered with a weak smile. The stallion was unimpressed. “Refugees and freeloaders are scum and should be dealt with as such.” He leaned down threateningly in Starlight’s face. “You’d better be prepared to work for the generous benefits the Empire is giving you.”

Starlight glared up at the Stallion. She really wanted to give him a piece of her mind, but didn’t want to cause a scene, so she held her tongue. Sensing a small victory, the stallion sneered at her. “The guards will escort you to a work camp.” As she was led away, Starlight only had one thought on her mind: Where was Sunset?

After getting separated, Sunset had no choice but to go with the flow of ponies. She tripped on a loose paving stone and curled up in a little ball, hoping to avoid being trampled. She was kicked and stepped on a few times, but otherwise unhurt. When the crowd passed on, Sunset slowly uncurled herself and stood up. As she shook herself off and checked herself over, Sunset realized she was standing in front of the main gate to the Crystal Palace. Somehow in the faded light and depressing atmosphere, the castle looked cold and foreboding. The once colorful crystal had faded to dull colors, and Sombra’s black and red banner few from the tallest tower. Guards were posted by the gate, stoically deterring anypony without official business from entering.

“Hey! You there!” a voice called out and Sunset flinched. She turned to see a worn-out looking stallion gallop up and stop next to her. “Thank goodness I found you,” he gasped between breaths.

Sunset looked around and realized she was the only pony. “Who, me?” she asked and pointed to herself.

“Yes you,” the stallion said. “Come with me. You are very late and the Headmaster hates to be kept waiting.”

“Um, I think you have the wrong mare,” Sunset tried to explain, but the stallion waved her off. “Nonsense! If we don’t hurry, both of us will be in even bigger trouble than we are now!”

“I don’t-“ Sunset started, but he stallion ran off, dragging her behind. He led Sunset to a smaller side door and entered a narrow passageway. Sunset could hear noise echoing from up ahead and silently hoped she wasn’t being led to her death. They emerged from the tunnel into complete chaos.

Ponies were running around frantically, carrying stacks of armor, weapons, battle gear, cookware, and food. Off to one side, ponies sweat profusely working the armor forges. Next to them, other ponies shaped the metal into weapons and armor. On the other side of the large yard, ponies baked bread and other food items in portable kitchens. In the center of it all, a large Clydesdale pony oversaw everything and shouted orders. “Pick up the pace! We still need another hundred loaves of bread and fifty gallons of potato soup! The army isn’t going to feed itself!” A crash sounded from somewhere and the big stallion bellowed. “What in the name of Tartarus are you doing? Did you wake up this morning and bathe in a tub of lard? If any of those breastplates have so much as a scratch, you’re going to polish every one of them until my blind grandmare can see her reflection!”

He finally noticed Sunset and her escort. “You! Where the buck have you been all day!”

Sunset opened her mouth and was immediately interrupted. “Never mind! Get your sorry flank to the kitchens and start slingin’ bread like your life depends on it. BECAUSE IT DOES!”

Sunset decided not to argue and ran to the closest kitchen tent. One of the baker ponies noticed her arrival. “Hey! Get dressed and start pulling the bread out of the ovens.” Sunset quickly shucked her cloak, tied her mane back, and grabbed a smock. She ran to one of the giant ovens and started pulling bread pans out with her magic. Unfortunately, some of the loaves were a little too brown on top. “Be quicker next time!” the baker pony berated her. “We can’t afford to let any go to waste.”

“Yes sir,” Sunset replied and quickly got back to work. Everything was moving so fast, Sunset didn’t have time to question anything. Unfortunately, Sunset was a unicorn, this meant she could carry more and work faster. She thought her experience working in the mall sushi store would help, but Sunset was woefully unprepared for the sheer workload. She was constantly on the move, running from one place to the next. The constant yelling from the Headmaster pushed everyone to the limit with no end in sight. Sunset didn’t have time to think about what happened to Starlight.