The Equestrian Civil War

The next few minutes went very slowly as Pinkie Pie and Vinyl remained in the office, giving Applejack ample time to get away. Pinkie Pie anxiously looked over her M240B, while Vinyl sat down, and looked at the wall in front of her.

“Let’s go.” Vinyl got up, “We don’t know what’s headed our way.”

“Okie dokie loki!” Pinkie Pie jumped up behind Vinyl. “That sounds fun!”

“If only,” Vinyl muttered. She looked around at the office, and sighed, “Octavia’s probably cowering downstairs. Let’s get her, and get the hay out of here.”

Vinyl then went down the stairs, and found Octavia sitting in the fetal position with tears running down her face. There was dirt, sweat and blood all over her marred uniform, and her M4A1 was smoking.

“There were a few Republicans outside.” She said, “I shot them all. They cried out in pain, and I shot them again. I’m an animal, Vinyl. I can’t go on like this.”

She then hung her head into her arms, and began sobbing. Vinyl walked up beside her, and rubbed her shoulder. Pinkie Pie sat down in front of Octavia, and smiled.

“Hey, Octavia,” Pinkie Pie said, “Why are you sad? They’re dead, you’re not. That seems like something to be happy about!”

“But I killed them!” Octavia was struggling to regain her composure. “I’m losing it.”

“Hey, we’ve got to get going now, Octi.” Vinyl said softly, “And we can’t be heard. We need you to keep it together for now, and then when we’re safe, we can let it all out together, okay?”

Octavia sniffled, and nodded at Vinyl. Vinyl smirked, and helped her up. Pinkie Pie picked up her machinegun, and walked towards the door. The city was dead silent. It was weird hearing silence in the middle of the day. Pinkie Pie couldn’t help but wonder what was going on.

She walked outside the office building, and crossed the road cautiously. She leaned up against a destroyed tank, and waited for Vinyl and Octavia to catch up. Pinkie Pie looked out towards the east, where the ocean was, and where their headquarters resided. There was nothing for what seemed like miles.

Pinkie Pie nodded at Vinyl, and jogged slowly down the street. She was alert for any noises that could possibly be made. Footsteps, gunshots, explosions, engines, helicopters, she was ready to hear anything, but heard nothing. Pinkie Pie felt alone in the shell of a city. It seemed like everypony just dropped their weapons, and abandoned the city.

It was then that her comm link came alive with a male voice trying to be heard over the sounds of hundreds of ponies milling about and doing everything under the sun behind him.

“This is Colonel Ironclad,” she heard. Pinkie Pie stopped where she was, and listened to the rest of the message. “If anypony can hear this, you are to return to base for further re-tasking. Command has labeled the city of Jerhoofalem a lost cause, and has called for a complete withdrawal from the city. I repeat, if anypony can hear this…”

Pinkie Pie, Vinyl and Octavia stayed where they were for a few minutes trying to comprehend what they had just heard. They were leaving Jerhoofalem. It seemed that they would stay there forever, trying to beat back an ever-growing force. It was almost as if the heavens parted and the world was ending. They had just grown so used to fighting for this heap of rubble for close to three months now, and to hear they were suddenly leaving was shocking.

Octavia lit up, and smiled. “Are we going home, Vinyl?”

“I don’t know,” Vinyl said, “But let’s just focus on getting out of here, okay? Pinkie, take the rear. I’ll take point, and Octavia will be between the two of us. We don’t stop until we see Equestrian soldiers, okay?”

The other mares nodded as Vinyl took the lead, and began to jog faster down the large street. Pinkie Pie let Octavia go in front of her, and she took the rear. Pinkie Pie was still in shock; she had to throw a party for this when they get out of here.

The thought of throwing a party thrilled Pinkie Pie. Her mind drifted to the land of cakes and cupcakes, of party hats and lame party games. Pinkie Pie was exuberant, and she could jump to the moon and back if she wanted to.

“Oh, buck!” Vinyl hissed, and went down on one knee as they reached an intersection. “We’ve got a Republican patrol up ahead. If we’re careful, we can sneak past them, okay?”

Pinkie Pie smiled, and Octavia nodded silently. Vinyl raised her Uzi, and crept across the intersection. Octavia followed suit, and Pinkie Pie kept her machinegun aimed at the Republican soldiers. She knew she didn’t want to shoot another gun again, but what choice did she have?

They got across the intersection fine, until Pinkie Pie tripped on a brick lying in the street. She had been so concentrated on the Republicans she didn’t pay attention where she was walking. She lost balance, and shouted as she hit the street with a solid thump.

“Damn it.” Was all Vinyl could get out before the Republicans turned around and opened fire.
***

A group of four lone F-15 Eagles swept across the empty Jerhoofalem sky. Rainbow Dash focused on flying in formation, she always hated being so precise. Meanwhile, Snowflake was listening to what COLT had to say about why they were flying into Jerhoofalem, again.

“You are to provide close-air support to retreating infantry forces.” COLT explained, “We’re pulling out of Jerhoofalem, and we need to make sure we get every soldier out that we can. Intelligence tells us that there are a number of Shermane, Marekava and Stallion tanks in Republican possession. Take out as many as you can, to give everypony back home a fighting chance when they cross the pond.”

“Roger that, COLT.” Spitfire replied, “Alright then. Soarin’ and I will protect the north flank. Rainbow Dash and Fleetfoot will protect the southern flank. Don’t stray too far. There should be limited to no air resistance. Let’s show the rebs why we’re Wonderbolts, okay?”

The flight of four Eagles then split into two groups of four. Rainbow Dash took the lead of her group, with Fleetfoot in tow.

“Say, Fleetfoot,” Rainbow Dash said cockily, “Wanna see who can take out more tanks?”

“Oh, you’re on, Dash.” Rainbow Dash smirked at the reply. “Whoever loses owes the other a cider back home.”

“Alrighty then,” Dash said. “Let’s do this thing!”

They streaked across the sky, and watched as they saw hordes of Equestrian soldiers retreat down the streets. About half a mile away, there were dozens of Republican tanks and infantry pursuing. This was a perfect chance to rack up as many kills as Dash could. She was determined to beat Fleetfoot; she wanted that cider!

She hit the afterburners, and went into a shallow dive, aiming her nose at the Republican forces. As she made her first strafe run, she peppered the Republicans with gunfire, and with a barrage of missiles. She was saving her two thousand pound bomb for the big finale.

Explosions bloomed on the street below, and Dash counted six tanks down in her first strike. “Ha, beat that Fleetfoot!” Dash exclaimed over the radio. She pulled up, and made a shallow turn around the Republicans to watch Fleetfoot’s response to Dash’s strike.

Fleetfoot dropped his bomb immediately, and Dash counted four tanks down in the blast radius alone. She swallowed loudly as he took down another six with missiles and gunfire, along with an unknown amount of soldiers.

“Looks like I did, Dash.” Fleetfoot snickered.

“It’s not over yet, alright?” Dash said. “Beginner’s luck, I say.”

Dash leveled her fighter out, and flew towards a large column of tanks. She fired a dozen missiles and a seven-second burst of her machinegun at the column. Almost all of the eight tanks ignited immediately, and imploded in a beautiful fireball. Dash smirked as she was put ahead of Fleetfoot.

“No fair, that was my target!” Fleetfoot complained jokingly. “It doesn’t matter, I’ll still beat you!”

Fleetfoot then pounded the Republicans with such ferocity that Rainbow Dash left her mouth hanging open. Well, as much as she could inside her flight helmet. Fleetfoot let loose a flurry of missiles and gunfire, and eight tanks were left flaming when he pulled away. About half of all the tanks were down, and the Equestrian infantry was close to the extraction point, although Dash knew it wouldn’t stop there.

Dash was beginning to regret betting against Fleetfoot as she peppered the Republicans with her arsenal. This time, she dropped her bomb, and caught two tanks in the fireball. She destroyed another four before her missiles ran out. She cursed as she counted up her total: 20 tanks were credited to her, and Fleetfoot had claimed eighteen. This bet was going to be close.

“Oh look,” Fleetfoot said, “There seems to be five tanks left. And it just so happens I’m two behind and I still have enough ammo to do another run. You want to give up now, Dash?”

“Rainbow Dash never backs out of a bet!” Dash responded. “Go ahead, take them out. I’ll get you your damned cider. I hope you choke on it.”

Fleetfoot laughed as he hammered the remaining tanks with the rest of his arsenal. Dash grumbled as they all imploded, and she knew she owed him a drink. They formed up, and Fleetfoot was ecstatic.

“Thanks, Dash.” Fleetfoot said, “That cider better be cold.”

“Oh damn you, Fleetfoot!” Dash said, “Let’s just rearm and refuel, and take out the rest of those damned Republicans, okay?”

“But I don’t get to gloat?” Fleetfoot asked, “Harsh.”

Dash rolled her eyes as they flew towards the Princess Celestia.
***

Twilight Sparkle looked outside at what was left of Jerhoofalem as the AH-6 Little Bird flew towards the Princess Celestia. She was to be one of the first evacuated from the battlefield, as Celestia didn’t want one of the Harmony Bearers to die in this hellhole.

While there were still some firefights being fought in the streets, the city seemed relatively calm. This allowed Twilight to think about the Colonel she interrogated. Was she really indoctrinated, or was she just loyal? Twilight couldn’t believe that Applejack would just say those things aloud. It wasn’t like her.

Twilight sighed, and leaned her head on her hand. One thing she was certain of was that she needed to get out of here, quickly. There was only so much that a mare could take, and three months of urban warfare was not her thing per se. She would much rather be giving orders than following them. If she were, things might have been different.

Her thoughts drifted to her brother, Shining Armor. Was he alright? She figured he had to be taking a lot of heat from the Princess over this. She had seen Celestia’s rage, and she knew she did not want to be in her brother’s shoes right now.
The helicopter cruised on, and Twilight watched four F-15 Eagles streak across the sky. She observed the Wonderbolts emblem on one of them, and her undivided attention went to them. Maybe Rainbow Dash was with them!

How long had it been since she had seen Rainbow Dash, or any of her friends? Being a lone sniper had its drawbacks, Twilight figured. She watched as the four Eagles split up, and went their separate ways. Two of the jets flew over the helicopter, and began attacking what she hoped were Republicans. She watched the fireballs rise into the sky, and Twilight kept her eyes glued on the action.

“Ma’am, we’re nearing the DZ. You’re going to be dropped off there, and placed onto a patrol boat, and taken to the carrier.” Twilight turned away from the action to listen to the pilot.

“Can’t you just take me directly to the carrier?” Twilight asked, “It would be much faster.”

“Orders are orders, ma’am.” The pilot replied. Twilight sighed, and nodded. She turned back, and watched the jets again. She was captivated like a little filly. She had never wanted to pilot a high-tech flying instrument of pure death more in her life.

After two minutes of watching explosions in the distance, the helicopter leveled out, and landed in an open-air market close to the water. Twilight was snapped from her reverie, and grabbed her rifle. She placed it over her shoulder, and grabbed the handle of her door. When the Little Bird landed, she opened the door, and walked into the hot desert air. She was confronted by a young, scrawny Captain who looked way over her head.

“Name and rank, soldier,” the Captain ordered.

“First Lieutenant Twilight Sparkle, 76th Sniper’s Detachment.” Twilight saluted, and the Captain nodded.

“Alright, Miss Sparkle,” the Captain said. Damn it, Twilight hated being called that! “Hop onto this boat. You’ll be on the deck of the Princess Celestia in half an hour. Keep your head down, there are Republican snipers everywhere.”

Twilight saluted, and walked over to a rather large patrol boat. It was manned by two burly Earth Pony stallions, and they noticed when Twilight’s slender figure walked on board. They stared at her until she turned around, and sent a dirty look their way.

“Are we leaving?” Twilight asked, annoyed at the perverts. If they hadn’t been so perverted, she would have been slightly attracted to them.

“Well, uh, you see,” one of the stallions explained in a Lundy accent, “We’ve gotta wait for other high-value persons to get on board.”

“Oh, of course,” Twilight answered. She waited patiently, and focused on the pandemonium happening in front of her.
There were hundreds of Equestrian soldiers desperately trying to get onto any boat they could get their hands on. There were a few officers trying to corral them, but it was almost impossible to keep it orderly.

There were a few high-ranking officers that walked onto the boat Twilight was on. There were six Captains, four Majors, and three Colonels on when the Captain knocked on the boat’s hull, and the Stallions pulled it away from the harbor.

The rocking of the boat immediately made some of the officers seasick, and they leaned over the side as they vomited into the ocean. Twilight looked away, but could still hear them. She sighed, and shook her head.

It was about fifteen minutes before the boat came up against the carrier. There were rope ladders leading upwards to the lower decks, and Twilight was the first to climb up. It was daunting at first, but Twilight got the hang of it, and began to clamber onto the carrier.

Once she was onto the carrier, Twilight finally relaxed. The threat of dying was lowered substantially now. She was escorted to her cabin for the next few days until the Fifth Fleet arrived in Flankfurt. Twilight placed her rifle onto her cot, and was told she was wanted on the bridge. Twilight nodded, and was escorted up towards the bridge.

“Ah, Twilight Sparkle,” Admiral Wave Roller greeted as Twilight entered the bridge five minutes later, “It is so nice to see you, Fräulein.”

“Admiral,” Twilight answered as she saluted him. “I was told you wanted me?”

“Ja,” Wave Roller said, “I am correct if I say you are Celestia’s prized student?”

“Of course, Admiral,” Twilight said, “But I don’t see as to why that has any bearing on the situation…”

“I need help with logistics.” Wave Roller said bluntly, “I only have a few hundred free cabins, and there are almost half a million troops wanting to get out of Jerhoofalem. I need somepony who can help me make sure everypony gets a bed for this journey.”

Twilight’s eyes lit up at the request by the Admiral. It had been forever since she had been doing any organizing at all! She walked up beside the Admiral, and looked over an electronic document that the Admiral had set up.

“We have four hundred and thirty five available cots on the Princess Celestia,” Wave Roller explained, “And another three hundred sixty four on board our sister ship, the Prince Blueblood. We have to be able to make it up with our destroyers and cruisers.”

“This seems to be a daunting task, Admiral.” Twilight said, “A lot of these soldiers are going to have to be airlifted out if we want to get all of them out. There is just no way we can squeeze half a million ponies into this fleet.”

“You’re right,” Wave Roller said, “But this is all we have. And we can’t just leave them here. Celestia will have me fired and exiled. We are in quite a predicament.”

“That we are, Admiral.” Twilight said. But it was in predicaments where Twilight did her best. Besides, she had saved Equestria plenty of times before. Organizing the evacuation of half a million ponies was nothing compared to stopping Discord umpteen times.

Or so she hoped.
***

Rarity had been told that instead of flying directly to Manehattan, she would fly to Yuktobearia City Ibearia, drive to the Anterial City in the Vandeerlands, and fly to Manehattan from there. It would be too risky to fly into Manehattan directly from Stalliongrad.

Rarity had packed what little belongings she had in a small suitcase, and followed the suited stallions through the terminal, which was full of armed Republican guards. She was guided down onto the maze of runways, where Honey Song was waiting with a medium-sized private jet.

“Looks like you traded up, darling.” Rarity said joyfully, remembering the cramped plane she arrived in Stalliongrad with.

“These blokes have money flowing out their flanks, it seems.” Honey Song replied, brushing her mane from her eyes.
“So, shall we get going? It’s going to be a long flight to Yuktobearia City.”

Rarity sighed, and replied with a yes. Rarity climbed into the plane, and was relieved when the suited stallions did not come with her. She placed her suitcase near the door, and sat down at a reclining chair. Honey Song came in after her, and closed the door behind her.

“Right, then,” Honey Song, “We’ll be taking off soon, Rarity. Then it will be a six hour flight to Yuktobearia City. The weather there is cool, at fifty-four degrees, with a chance for showers.”

“It always seems like it’s raining in Ibearia.” Rarity said, “It must be quite depressing living there.”

“It rained a lot in Lundy, so you eventually get used to it.” Honey Song said, “Though it was relaxing to watch the rain fall on the streets with a cup of tea. Well, enough with that, Lightning Chaser and I will get this thing airborne, okay?”

Rarity smiled, and nodded. Honey Song turned around, and said, “Lightning Chaser, get this hunk of junk ready to fly!”

Rarity grabbed a novel she had taken with her out of her suitcase. Its title read The Rise and Fall of the Crystal Empire. She had been so very interested in the Crystal Empire since she had visited the Empire only about a year before.

How much things could change in a year shocked Rarity. In a year, Equestria went from a prosperous, peaceful superpower to a fractured and bloody state. Rarity had also heard of the prospects of a possible alliance with the Zebras and Bears. While she did not necessarily enjoy either’s company, with the notable exception of Zecora, she greeted the news positively. With nations recognizing the Republic, it could end this blasted war sooner.

The plane taxied onto the runway, and Rarity opened her book when Honey Song drove the plane down the runway, slowly gaining speed, until it lurched into the air. It climbed at a shallow angle, and after about five minutes, they were at cruising altitude, and Rarity was free to move around the cabin. Only she didn’t, because reading about the political war going behind the scenes of the Crystal Empire was much more entertaining.

According to the novel, King Sombra was not in line to ascend to the throne for a long while. So, he organized the assassination of a few of those ahead of him to hasten his waiting. Fearing for her life, the Crystal Royal Family sent Princess Cadence to be put under the guidance of her aunt, Princess Celestia, to avoid being put in the crosshairs of Sombra.

After three heirs to the throne died in one night, security in the Crystal Empire was increased drastically. Seeing as he could not murder anypony else, Sombra wrongly accused his father of the killings. This led to a schism in the Royal Family, and plunged the Crystal Empire into a fierce but short civil war, where Sombra emerged King of the Crystal Empire.

Free to do as he wished, Sombra closed the Empire’s borders to anypony who wasn’t a Crystal Pony. Then, Sombra drafted law after law that limited the freedoms of his subjects, giving him more power all the while. Within a few short years, Sombra had gone from a kind-hearted stallion to an authoritative dictator who wanted to rule over every prospect of life in the Empire.

Rarity was enthralled by the story of it all. She had never learned anything about the Empire like this before, because Princess Celestia and Luna’s explanations were very brief. Sombra was evil, and that Rarity and her friends should help Cadence and Shining Armor stop him from regaining power. Since returning, Rarity desperately searched for anything related to the Empire, and left empty-handed, until Twilight learned of her plight.

Twilight gave Rarity books about the history of the Empire before and during Sombra’s reign, the culture of the Crystal Empire, which included the food, lifestyle, and, the most important, fashion of the Crystal Ponies. Rarity could not thank Twilight enough, and devoured the cultural books, leaving only the history.

Rarity continued reading the book as she became more and more addicted to everything Crystal Empire. With almost unlimited power in the Empire, Sombra subjugated the Crystal Ponies into a totalitarian state, where everything in the Empire had to approved by Sombra, or it was condemned as heresy. Of course, there were a few brave ponies that resisted, though Sombra sent them to the gallows, to be set as an example.

With the main resistance leaders dead, the Crystal Empire settled into life that was ruled by Sombra. The citizens had to adore everything Sombra did, or they would risk being censured by the state, thrown into jail and ultimately being killed. This led to a fearful society, where neighbors accused neighbors of being rebels to gain respect from the state. Many had hoped that this would only be temporary, though Sombra had unlocked the secret to immortality using black magic. He declared that he would be King Eternal of the Crystal Empire.

The Crystal Empire was under the boot of Sombra for over a thousand years, until modern technology discovered what was going on in the North. While many had though the Empire had died, it just so happened that Sombra shut off the Empire to the world. Fearing for the lives of the Crystal Ponies, Princesses Celestia and Luna headed an international taskforce consisting of the Deer, Elk, Camels and Zebras to invade the Crystal Empire and remove Sombra from power.

The war lasted only three days. The antiquated army of the Crystal Empire shattered under the might of modern military technology. The international task force marched to the capital, and forcibly removed King Sombra from the throne, and installed Princess Cadence, the true heir to the throne. Cadence had also learned the secret of immortality, but she learned it through becoming and Alicorn, while Sombra used black magic to cheat death.

The novel then described how the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony journeyed to the Empire to protect it from King Sombra, who had escaped Equestrian captivity. He was eventually defeated when Princess Cadence activated the Crystal Heart, which had been extinguished since Sombra had taken power over a thousand years before.

Rarity closed the book when she had finished reading the two hundred page book. She looked out the window, and checked her wristwatch. Two hours had passed, with another four hours of flying before they arrived in Yuktobearia City.
Rarity sighed, and grabbed her sketchbook that she kept with her at all times. She opened the worn and old book to one of the last fresh pages, and grabbed a pencil. This was the book where she drew the very basic designs for her dresses, so she had something to go off of when she actually made them in the Boutique.

She drew up a basic idea for a dress idea she had. Inspired by the Crystal Empire, she designed a dress that was made of the finest silk, colored a very subtle magenta. The top was very basic, but she intended for all attention to be directed at the bottom of the dress. Along the skirt that went down to the ankles lay dozens of tiny crystals of every color that would reflect any light that struck them, giving the entire dress a magnificent luster. Rarity then listed the crystals and gems she would use for the dress. They would eventually include sapphires, emeralds, rubies, pearls, amethysts and quartz. Satisfied with her work, she placed the book away, and sighed. Only half an hour had passed, and Rarity decided to have a quick nap before they landed in Yuktobearia City. It would be a long drive from that city to mainland Ibearia, and then to the Anterial City in the Vandeerlands.

Rarity shut her eyes, and found that sleep found her easily.
***

The jeep hit a pothole, which awakened Applejack. She snapped awake, and remembered where she was. She was heading out of Jerhoofalem, where there were high ranking officers requesting for her in Damarescus, a three hour’s drive away from the ruined city of Jerhoofalem.

After months in that urban hell, Applejack could hardly find it believable that she was out of the city. She had grown accustomed to the fighting, and now she felt weird, driving down a road, and not being on the lookout for Celestial soldiers.

She sighed, and relaxed her tense muscles. She was getting out; there was no need to fear the Celestials any longer. She looked around inside the armored jeep, and found a Colonel, another Major and a one-star General. She breathed deeply, and looked out the window into the desert.

“You’re Major Applejack, aren’t you?” Applejack turned to see the General was striking conversation with her, “The Element Bearer of Honesty?”

“Uh, yes sir, Ah am Applejack.” She replied. “Wha’s th’ matter, did Ah go an’ do somein’ wrong?”

“No, no, not at all.” The old General chuckled, and went into a coughing fit. “I’m sorry, excuse me.”

“It’s quite a’ight, sir.” Applejack replied. “Was there somein’ ya wanted to say?”

“Yes, there was.” The General had a faded red coat, which looked pink. His mane had also faded with age, and was silky white. Wrinkles creased his face, and his speech turned “s” into “sh”. “You know how the fighting in Jerhoofalem went, you were on the front lines, am I correct?”

“Yes sir.” Applejack answered, “But Ah don’ see where you’re goin’…”

“Then you realize that many of our soldiers cracked under pressure and deserted en masse.” The General continued.

Applejack nodded, half of her initial battalion had deserted during the first two weeks of fighting. “I have correspondence from General Thunder Roller and Princess Luna,” the General coughed, and wheezed, but continued, “Saying there is a dire need for trained soldiers if the fighting were to continue and if we were to invade Western Equestria. They gave me free reign to find officers with combat experience to train these new recruits.”

“That’s nice an’ all,” Applejack said, “But Ah really don’ see why ya…”

“What I’m trying to say, Major.” The General said, looking directly at Applejack, “I would like you to be one of those officers. Imagine it, being in charge of a nice camp near the Marelaysian Jungle, no fighting, just training. I know quite a few officers who would jump at the chance, and I think you would too, Major Applejack.”

“Th' truth is, sir,” Applejack said, “Ah don’ think Ah am up to th’ task of trainin’ these troops…”

“Think of the propaganda you would cause!” The General exclaimed, “An Element Bearer, training the bravest of the Republic to rise up against the tyrant Celestia! If you aren’t doing it for the training, then you’re doing it for the cause.”
Applejack sighed, and looked at the General. He looked he should have died when Luna was banished to the moon one thousand years ago. He looked as giddy as a filly, and Applejack would hate to ruin this old stallion’s spirit.

“A’ight, Ah’ll do it.” Applejack sighed, “Where will Ah be assigned?”

“The camp is finishing construction outside of Ho Chi Mane City, Major.” The General said, “You’ll be staying in the city until the camp is completed. Here, have this file. It is a top secret file, and if you open it, there is no going back.”

Applejack nodded, and opened the file. Inside was a paper that read “Harmony Initiative”. Applejack was intrigued, and looked up at the General.

“It is an initiative started by the Princess,” he explained. “Premier Ivan and Chief Magistrate Zeboro have signed on. Currently she is trying to get King Gilliam of the Gryphon Kingdom to sign on as well. It is an initiative for an international battalion headed by somepony of your caliber. It will be manned by Ponies, Zebras, Bears and maybe Gryphons. This is mostly propaganda to show international will against Celestia, but we are determined to make sure you all don’t get blown to Discord when you step foot onto the Equestrian mainland.”

“Wait, somepony of mah caliber?” Applejack asked.

“Yes, your caliber, Major.” The General said, “And to show my determination, I will place you up for promotion once we reach Ho Chi Mane City.” He cleared his throat, and continued, “Now, back to the Harmony Initiative. This is not to just be infantry, and air forces are to be integrated into the Initiative. We have contacted Shadowbolt Squadron, and they, along with the War Horse attack helicopter Squadron have complied with our request. You will act independently in the field, only to take orders from myself, General Thunder Roller and Princess Luna herself.”

“A’ight, General…” Applejack said, not knowing the old pony’s name.

“Battle Bowler,” the old pony laughed, “Where were my manners? My name’s General Battle Bowler.”

“Ai’ghty then, General Battle Bowler,” Applejack said, thrusting out her hand. Battle Bowler shook it immediately. “We have a deal then.”
***

Fluttershy landed her Mi-28 Havoc onto the helipad after another attack run on the Celestials in Nipponi Island. Only now, instead of landing in Neighjing, she was landing in Hoofoshima. The Republican ground forces had broken through Celestial defenses, and were eating up Nipponi Island. It was predicted that Luna would possess the entire East in only a week or two at most.

Fluttershy took off her helmet, and rolled her head, reorganizing her mane, and opened the cockpit. She climbed out, and breathed the relatively clean air of Hoofoshima. It had averted the damage Jerhoofalem had sustained, and even before the war, it was a clean city, relying on nuclear power instead of oil or natural gas, much like the rest of Nipponi Island.

Fluttershy walked off of the helipad, and turned around when she heard Solar Chaser call after her.

“Flutter, wait for me!” He called, catching up. “You want to get a drink? We don’t have another sorty for another two days.”

“Oh, yes, that would be nice.” Fluttershy said. “It’s a beautiful day.”

“Oh, yeah, it is.” Solar Chaser said, acknowledging the cloudless sky. “I’m surprised Celestia still keeps the sun rising here.”

“That would be terrible!” Fluttershy exclaimed, “Then it would be night forever!”

“Which is what makes Luna different that Nightmare Moon, I guess.” Solar Chaser said, “Nightmare Moon would want eternal night, while Luna just wants an Equestria without Celestia.”

Fluttershy nodded, and asked, “I don’t mean to be a bother, but what about that drink?”

“Oh, let’s get going.” Solar Chaser said, “Come on, I know a great saké place in town…”
***

Cameras flashed, and Celestia blinked to avoid them blinding her. She walked slowly to the podium, while the National Anthem played. Even though the band playing it was phenomenal, all attention was directed to the Princess. The band stopped playing, and Celestia swallowed, then leaned towards the microphone.

“My little ponies,” Celestia greeted. “In Equestria’s great and long history, there have been more than quite a few crises. Discord, Nightmare Moon, the Crusades into Camelus, the discovery of the Changelings, the Great Equine War, King Sombra and now Princess Luna and her New Lunar Pony’s Republic have all plagued the peace and harmony of Equestria. And even though these problems seemed hard to come through, we pushed through, though with some difficulty.

“The same difficulty with crises can be seen as right now.” Celestia explained, “With Princess Luna in control of most of the Eastern portion of Equestria, many of you are growing concerned of a Republican invasion of Western Equestria. I will be honest with you, I am as well. And as a result, I am fortifying the port cities of Baton Hoof, Fillydelphia, Manehattan, Flankfurt, Marelin, Trottingham, Lundy and Las Pegasus for such an occasion.

“But there are some of you who ask why we don’t use the Elements of Harmony to end this insurrection.” Celestia said. She sighed, and said, “But the truth is, half of the Element Bearers: Applejack, Fluttershy and Rarity defected to the New Lunar Republic. This has caused me great heartache, and I am all the more determined to defeat my sister.”

She paused, and continued, “But such a task cannot be completed under these circumstances. As a result, I am suspending civilian habeas corpus, and placing the whole of Equestria under martial law until further notice.” There were gasps, and one reporter asked if any more freedoms would be impeded on.

“That depends,” Celestia said, “While we are under martial law, you may still speak your mind. Although, if you have Republican sympathies, you will be kindly escorted out of the country, we have no room in this time of great distress to have naysayers in the land. Any praise of the Republic will be dealt with.

“Effective immediately,” Celestia said, “The Kingdom of Equestria is no more. Now, the Solar Empire of Equestria and Ponykind remains. I, Empress Celestia the First, will assume the throne in Trottingham, the new capital. This new government will operate with myself as head, and the top leaders in the military and select government departments will be my personal advisors. You, my little ponies, will be expected to obey the laws of the land, or punishment will be swift and harsh. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and I am very desperate.”

Celestia stepped off the podium, and the reporters in the crowd shouted questions at her. She nodded at a Captain, who led military police to corral the citizens away from the City Hall. Celestia walked inside, and was greeted by Shining Armor and Princess Cadence.

“Is it done, Auntie Celestia?” Cadence asked.

“Yes, Princess Cadence.” Celestia asked, “And I shall be referred to as Empress Celestia or Your Highness.”

“Oh,” Cadence said, “Yes, of course, Empress Celestia.”

Celestia smiled, and stroked her niece’s cheeks. “I fear for your life here in the Solar Empire. I wish for you to return to the Crystal Empire, and bring news to the Crystal Ponies. I want to know if they are with us in our crusade against Luna.”

“Speaking of which, Empress,” Shining Armor said, “I have correspondence from Prime Minister Elton from Elkenburg and President Venus from the Vandeerlands. They are mobilizing their militaries, and have declared war on the Republic. Although,” he said, “We have also received declarations of war from the Zebras and Bears.”

“Insolent bastard races,” Celestia grumbled, “If the Bears so much as move across the border, blast them back to the Stone Age with the Orbital Friendship Cannon. Am I clear, General?”

Shining Armor straightened himself, and said, “Yes, my Empress!”

Tell me what you think! Wow, that was unexpected! Oh, who am I kidding? We all knew it was going to come to this, New Lunar Republic against the Solar Empire. Anyway, I know I short-handed Fluttershy, but I really felt like getting this chapter out, so I guess Fluttershy was the unlucky one. Also, Celestia becoming a tyrant was also kind of expected, because of the dire circumstances. Finally, Yuktobearia City is a pun of Yuktobania, a country in the Ace Combat video game series. So, next chapter: Applejack begins her new job, Fluttershy continues her mission in Nipponi Island, Rarity arrives in Manehattan, Pinkie Pie, Twilight and Rainbow Dash leave Jerhoofalem, while Nightmare Moon and Celestia are in command of millions of soldiers, trying to outdo the other. Who will be victorious in the end? Keep reading The Equestrian Civil War to find out!