Camaraderie is Magic

It had been several months since Celestia’s tyrannical takeover. For some time, a rebellion had been decidedly inevitable, but universally avoided out of fear. With a collective willpower finally having been gathered, the strategic and (former) political powerhouses of each of Equestria’s major cities had finally gathered in such a union.

Present at this meeting were Ponyville’s finest-Rainbow Dash, decorated flyer; Twilight Sparkle, known strategist; Fluttershy, expert on covert operations and infiltration; Pinkie Pie, famous for rallying troops at the Battle of Canterlot, an infamous skirmish resulting for Celestia’s initial bout of tyranny; Applejack, who served alongside Luna in the service of a small, ill-fated group of insurgents that had gathered near to the conception of Celestia’s Empire; and Rarity, who single-handedly designed and produced advanced armor and weaponry that would be utilized later, in the impending war.

The tension in the room had created a deafening silence that Twilight Sparkle finally found the bearings to break.

“Ahem,” she began, “I believe we all know why we’re gathered here today?” she made a quick scan of the room, searching for any form of reassurance. When she found none she continued, “Celestia’s Army has been on the rise since the Battle of Canterlot, and it shows no signs of settling. The time to act, if ever, is now while the Empire is still in its infancy while we still have a chance. If left unchecked, she will invade Ponyville, Manehattan, Fillydelphia, and the rest of Equestria, for that matter. On that same note, the sheer power of her army will reach unthinkable and irreversible limits, limits we could never consider combating.”

“Pardon me, but,” a pony from Manehattan spoke up, before Twilight could continue, “Are they not already at that limit? Do you honestly think we have anywhere near a chance at facing her? What do we have? A few ponies against her thousands strong ARMY?”

An uproar arose about the troubled ponies in the room. It was as if all of the tension; all of the unspoken uncertainties were revealing themselves at once.

“Please! Please settle down!” Twilight’s futile cries fell on deaf ears. “Please?”

“Everypony shUT UP!” There was a sudden eruption of sound, enough to cancel out all the others, from just beside Twilight. As the ponies who didn’t know her stared in fright, and the ones who did in shock, Fluttershy continued without missing a beat, “We are in the middle of a crisis here! If there was ever a time to be civilized and cooperate it is NOW. Celestia’s forces are far beyond ours, but it can’t be helped! Would you rather hundreds die or thousands!? We MUST take action NOW.” At the end of Fluttershy’s speech most of the ponies in the room had donned an embarrassed expression. With a satisfied expression, Fluttershy ended with a, “Thank you,” and a nod in Twilight’s direction.

Having been stricken speechless by Fluttershy’s display, Twilight simply uttered, “Applejack…the stand is yours.”

Applejack approached the stand tentatively, as if expecting Fluttershy to explode again. She then pressed a button located on a small device that had been resting on the podium. At her touch, the wall behind her erupted in color, revealing a map showing the path to the gates of Canterlot.

“Given my previous tactical experience servin’ in Luna’s Battalion,” she began, “Ah’ve been assigned the task ah preparin’ a plan of attack.” She paused here for effect, “Clearly, the up-front approach would be suicide. One does not simply walk intah Canterlot.” She pressed the button again, and this time an overhead map of Cloudsdale, the city in the sky, appeared. “Right now, Cloudsdale holds a whole bunch ah stategical value. Since it’s placed just above ah everywhere else, including Canterlot, it would be the ultimate base ah operations fer us. As I speak, an invasion is bein’ planned. Your help in this matter would be appreciated.” She paused and seemed to be giving the crowd before her a once-over before she finally finished with a tilt of her head and, “Twilight?”

Twilight had just begun to step up to the podium in order to dismiss the meeting when a the doors to the meeting hall were split apart violently and a frightened looking pegasus tumbled into the adjacent walkway.

With an urgent looking glare that never seemed to really focus, Derpy Hooves exclaimed, “The BAD ponies are coming!”

The relentless panic was back, with a vengeance. Hopeless to defeat the outburst, the Mane Six attempted to ignore it and gathered in a huddle.

"It looks like there might be no avoidin' some sort ah encounter this time." Applejack sighed, "Any ideas?"

"Zecora!" Rainbow Dash blurted. When she was met with a questioning glare, she elaborated, "We've gotta get a hold of Zecora! We could use her extensive knowledge of the Everfree forest to our advantage. Celestia's army know nothing of it-it'd be a perfect place for a base of operations, and a place to hold the civilians."

"That's...brilliant!" Rarity declared, " Rainbow, my dear, you truly are onto something here!"

"Alright, then its settled." Twilight interjected, "Rainbow, you and Fluttershy can inform Zecora and begin preparations for the civilians. Pinkie and Applejack, gather everyone you can find and begin the journey to the forest. Rarity, you'll probably need to gather your supplies in order to relocate them." after a quick glance among the circle revealed no further questions, Twilight ended with, "Move out!"

"Twilight, dear!" Rarity exclaimed as Twilight made a move towards the exit, "What, exactly, will you be doing?"

Twilight continued to face the door, as if to hide her reaction. "I've got...other things to attend to," she uttered cryptically.

Applejack, with an uncertain tone pushed further, "WHAT other things, sugarcube?"

"I'm just going to...gather some books...that will help us out some." Twilight replied with an uncertain register.

"Well...okay then. I guess I have no reason to doubt you," Applejack finally gave up.

Twilight began again towards the door, this time at more of a trot, with a guilty look upon her face that was hidden from her friends.

When she finally reached the exit, after a quick glance around to make sure she wasn't being watched, she teleported to her true destination...Celestia's throne-room.