The Invasion

She stood, rigid as a stone, yet with the grace of many swans. It seemed that the kind zebra’s words had shaken her to the core. But even through all of that, there still existed some kind of foreordained power. It was almost as if she’d been placed here by a force unknown to ponykind for these very moments. She emerged from her own sense of security and blossomed into a true leader on that day. A day that would go down as the darkest in Equestrian history. A day where we’d all be damned to a new regime of hell, and a day where we would discover everypony’s individual strength and intellect. It was all catalyzed by the purple angelic being standing in front of me, unsure of whether to cry or angrily begin ordering ponies around. I could read her face like one of her many books, and I could see that she needed a friend in that moment. But before I could place a consoling hoof on her shoulder, she spoke.

“What am I going to do?”

The question finally tumbled out of her mouth like a river uncertain of its own direction. Should it turn to the left or to the right? Should it move north, south, east, or west? Which path was the right one? All of these questions flooded Twilight’s face, and it was so odd to see her this indifferent. I reasoned that winds of tornadic proportions were flooding through her mind, and a chaotic spirit had taken hold there. But on the outside, she remained somewhat stoic. It was such a sharp juxtaposition between the pony I knew and the pony I saw standing there that it nearly knocked me over. I was frightened for her internal constitution, as the young princess had never seen war before. Hell, nopony in Equestria had seen war since the days of The Third Alicorn, 200,000 years before this. Then, it had been Saddle Arabia, and they’d been soundly defeated. Now, it was the zebras, whom we had always been on friendly terms with.

“You’re sure of what you said?” Twilight asked Zecora.

“Yes, I am sure of the rhyme I spoke; as sure as the woods are filled with poison joke,” Zecora said.

Twilight sighed and her ears drooped. She suddenly looked very tired. Even though she was nowhere near senior citizenry, she took on the impression of the elderly. Her lip quivered and now I could tell that the aforementioned river was close to drying up altogether. We needed that river in these moments. The forests, fields, meadows, cities, and towns of Equestria needed her strength giving water. She was a rock to everypony, only she looked as if she were going to crack and tumble down the mountain of self-doubt. While all this ran through my mind, I trotted over and placed a hoof on her shoulder. It was the softest of touches, as I did not wish to disturb her very much. But then, I felt her hoof come into contact with mine and sparks of warmth shot through my being. It was in that second that I managed to convince myself that everything would turn out alright.

She looked at me with tear stained eyes, though glimmers of their normal joy shone through. “Thank you, Trundle,” she said, “I needed that.”

“You’ll lead us through this,” I said with confidence and a sudden outpouring of my secret love for her, “I know you will. We’ve been through so much in the past.”

“But we’ve never been through a war!” Rarity shrieked.

“Rarity, this is no time for hysterics,” Twilight said, “it’s time for action. I want you to evacuate Ponyville. Get everypony out, especially the mares. If these zebras are anything like Zecora said they were, then every single female pony in town is in danger. That includes the fillies.”

“But-I-er-I-“ Rarity stammered.

Twilight trotted over and put both front hooves on the fashionista’s face. “I know you can do this. You’re an excellent organizer! Equestria needs you, Rarity, and so do I. Please, get our friends to safety!”

Rarity looked at the floor for a moment. “I…I’m not sure I can, Twilight.”

“Listen, Rarity, if you don’t do this, Sweetie Belle could very well be targeted!”

The mention of her beloved sister seemed to start a fire in the designer. She pawed at the ground with an angry hoof, and her face contorted with rage. It became very obvious that the mere thought of Sweetie being taken advantage of sent her over the edge. I thought to myself that it was a complete shame that it took that amount of suggestion to turn her over to the idea. She should have done as Twilight ordered from the moment the words were spoken! Not only because Twilight was in charge, but also because Rarity should have cared for her friends more than that. But, then I reminded myself that this was an extremely frightening situation. Rarity was probably shellshocked by Zecora’s warning, and the announcement of the impending invasion.

“Your Majesty!” Squire Knight suddenly barked.

“Yes?” Twilight asked.

“It has begun,” Squire said with a solemnity that could only be matched by the gravest funeral, “they’ve attacked Manehattan.”

“How ever did you know that?!” Rarity asked.

Squire pointed to his ear, where a two-way radio was situated. Rarity blushed deeply. It was well known that, aside from her affection for my own brother, she carried a deep amount of care for Twilight’s captain. She seemed embarrassed at having forgotten the new radio technology that Twilight had implemented after her last trip to the human world. It made getting messages between guards and security that much easier. Twilight had also pioneered television in Equestria, and it had become a very popular medium. So, it was only natural that we flipped on the screen in Twilight’s room. What was there…shocked us.

Cameras had been trained on Manehattan, where dozens of fires were burning. Ponies were running for their lives as zebra warriors chased them down. They did not spare any stallion, slicing their throats with ragged violence. I shook with fear as they galloped up and down the street, kidnapping mares and fillies and dragging them off to a fate that I did not wish to conjure up. They would break into skyscrapers, smashing through security guards like they were rag dolls. We couldn’t see what happened next, but the explosions told the story. The tallest buildings in Equestria collapsed onto the street, trapping ponies and burning many alive. The zebra warriors, however, would get out in the nick of time before moving on to their next target. Twilight quickly hit the remote, shutting the horrifying pictures off and giving our minds some much needed mental oxygen.

I will never forget her words as she turned and stared gravely. There is a saying, “Tartarus hath no fury like a princess scorned.” I was dealing with a scorned princess. Anger blazed away in her eyes, silently vowing vengeance on these evildoers that had harmed our home. Sadness was mixed in with them, as she grieved for the ponies caught up in the violent act of terror. Tears formed at the edge of her eyes, but determination ruled supreme in her presence. I felt a million times stronger standing there with her. Once again, I felt that everything would be alright.

“We are at war,” she said softly, yet firmly, “and we shall snuff out this evil that has been waged against us.”