Chapter One: The First Strike
During the 1001st Summer Sun Celebration, Princesses Celestia and Luna vanished, temporarily leaving Princess Twilight Sparkle as Equestria's sole remaining princess.
Five years later, inspired by this event, and having ascended to the highest position in the nation as Sovereign Ruler of Equestria, Twilight wrote the Royal Succession Act, enshrining in law the procedure for selecting a new ruler, in the event she, along with any or all of her viceroys, were incapacitated or killed.
Shortly after, the Royal Guard prepared a detailed procedure for executing this law, called Contingency One. Part of the procedure required, during any event in which the entirety of Equestria's elite is in attendance, for one government minister in the line of succession to be excused, and taken to an undisclosed location.
In the event of a catastrophic attack on the nation's leadership, this pony ascends to the rank of princess and becomes the new Sovereign Ruler of Equestria.
They are known as the Princess of Last Resort.
The wooden floorboards creaked under Apple Bloom's weight.
She looked around and reminisced. There was a time when this room was covered with posters and photos. Various tools and equipment were stored here. Her little podium in the back of the room.
But now, the old Cutie Mark Crusader Clubhouse was empty. All their old things, they took with them. Now it was just a plain wooden treehouse.
She always assumed someone would take over the Cutie Mark Crusaders after they were gone. Somehow, the group they founded would continue, and in a way, it did, just not in Ponyville, and just not here.
But despite the fact that the room was now empty, the memories she had were still here. When they first rebuilt the clubhouse, when they conspired to speed up the Zap Apple harvest, when they were taking care of six pets after Spike foisted the responsibility onto them, and there was the time they brewed a love potion and dosed their teacher and Apple Bloom's big brother... not all the memories she was proud of.
Then... one day... came the day all three of them had been looking forward to for most of their young lives. The day they got their cutie marks. Part of Apple Bloom always worried that things would change between the three of them once that happened. Three fillies brought together by their blank flanks, would suddenly begin to drift apart. But that didn't happen. They remained friends and continued planning their weekly antics in this very room.
But eventually, they did begin to drift apart. Not by some kind of emotional angst, but by circumstance. Scootaloo began her work with the Royal Guard, which meant she had to move to Canterlot. Sweetie Belle's music career took her all over the nation, so she had no reason to remain in such a small town.
And Apple Bloom?
Well, she stayed in Ponyville for a few months after her friends left. Part of her assumed she'd continue working on the farm. But she never felt happy there.
It was Applejack's suggestion... government work... help to manage the day-to-day operations in the Ministry of Agriculture and Waterways.
That's how it started... many years ago.
Now, she was running the whole ministry, and it made her happy.
But that happiness ended that morning.
Now she was here, back home, in Ponyville, wishing she could just go back. Relive those heady days of searching for her special talent with her best friends. Back before things got so complicated.
She scoffed. "Naivety," she said.
She knew her life was better. She knew she was happier. But she also knew she couldn't let that happiness go away. However, clinging to the past wouldn't save it.
But was it her job that made her so happy? Would losing that really make her lose everything?
Her thoughts were suddenly broken by a knock on the doorframe. "Ma'am?"
She turned around.
"You alright?" Asked Captain Bright Side.
She smiled at her friend, occasional confidante, and current bodyguard. "I'm fine, thanks."
"You sure?" he continued, stepping into the room. "You don't seem that 'okay.'"
"I'm fine," she replied. With an attempt at bringing a 'calm' tone to her voice.
He nodded, briefly, before just coming out and saying it. "I don't think you're naive."
She took a step back. "Were you eavesdroppin'?"
"It's my job, ma'am."
"Is it?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, ma'am."
She just stared at him for several seconds.
"I'll just wait outside, ma'am."
She looked around the empty clubhouse. "Wait," she said.
He stopped in the doorway.
Taking one last look at the place, she decided to let it all lie. "Let's get outta here," she said.
Bright Side smiled and said, "Yes, Ma'am."
They quickly left the clubhouse, and trotted through the orchard, leaving Apple Bloom's memories behind.
Sugar Belle levitated another dinner plate through the stream of water, before placing it in the drying rack.
It had been a long evening. Longer than she expected. Of course, she was happy to see her sister-in-law again, and her nephew, but the commotion surrounding their arrival wore her down.
Since the royal guards first arrived to inspect the house, it had been draining. It started with their security enchantments on the windows and doors. Enchantments that had the bizarre side effect of attracting all the dirt that she had already spent that morning cleaning off.
Then there was the food. They had a special pony whose job was to specifically inspect any food Apple Bloom was going to eat. As if they were worried Sugar Belle would try to poison her sister-in-law.
And this was hours before she even arrived. But what confused Sugar Belle most was the following question: Why?
When they last got together for Hearth's Warming, there wasn't this much commotion. There was no royal guard detail, inspecting every crumb from the dessert. What was special about this occasion that made it different from every other?
The only answer they gave her was about something it being a precaution. Apple Bloom was assigned as the Princess of Last Resort, and during this time she had to be given the same level of security afforded to the Princess and Viceroys in Canterlot.
It still didn't make a whole lot of sense to her, but they refused to give her any further information. Something about it being 'classified.'
She dropped the last spoon in the drying rack, quickly turned off the water, and gazed at the empty sink. Nothing left to do now, but relax.
"Everything alright?"
She turned around and saw her brother-in-law, quill in hoof, paused over some type of document. All the papers she saw scattered across the kitchen table barely phased her. But her thoughts of having an apple pie were quickly dashed. Because she didn't want to ruin what she was sure were important records.
But then another thought entered her head: "... Screw it."
"I'm fine," she replied. Sugar Belle quickly opened the fridge door beside her and pulled out a full pie she baked the day before.
Pip quickly pulled the documents out of the way, so she could place the pie on the table.
"It's been a long day," he explained, as she cut a single slice.
"Yep..." Sugar Belle replied. She placed the slice on a freshly-cleaned plate, and quickly threw the pie back in the fridge, before sitting down with her little snack.
But she didn't start eating. She just stared.
"Is it always like this?" she asked.
Pip looked up from his work. "Like what?"
"Guards watching you at every turn."
He gave a slight laugh. "No," he explained. "Unless we're spending time with Applejack, in which case, yes."
The pie floated in the air. She looked at it, and slowly moved it to her mouth, before taking a single bite.
... It was good.
The door opened, and two ponies trotted through.
"Hey, darlin'," Apple Bloom said, trotting toward her husband.
"'Allo," Pip replied before giving his wife a kiss. "Everything alright?"
"Better now," she replied. Apple Bloom looked over at Sugar Belle. "You got pie," she said. "I want pie."
"I'll get it, ma'am," Bright Side responded, trotting over to the fridge.
Sugar Belle rolled her eyes, assuming he would have to call on a whole brigade to inspect a single slice of pie.
"Grab me a cider as well," Apple Bloom said, as she sat down next to her sister-in-law. "So," she asked. "We never got a chance to catch up. How is everything?"
"It's fine," Sugar Belle replied, taking another bite.
Bright Side levitated a slice over to Apple Bloom, along with a green glass bottle, already opened.
She took a fork full of the pastry and began eating.
"I'll be upstairs ma'am," the captain explained, leaving the trio alone.
"So," Sugar Belle began. "I still don't understand why all this is happening."
"Why what is happening?" Apple Bloom asked.
"You, coming here, with all these guards, when you should be at the Friendship Festival in Canterlot."
Apple Bloom frowned. "It's a little complicated," she explained. "They just need me here in case something goes wrong. On the off-chance some crisis happens and I'm the only one left, I'm supposed to take over."
"Take over what?"
"Equestria."
"Wait," she said, putting her fork down. "You're saying you'd become princess?"
Pip quickly interjected. "It's a little more complicated than that, but basically, yes."
"Sounds like a real honour," Sugar Belle responded.
Apple Bloom's head went down as she started shifting her fork across the bits of food on her plate. "Not really," she replied, with a tint of melancholy in her voice.
"Why not?" she continued. "If they trust you enough to take over-"
"You don't actually think anyone thinks something's going to happen, do you?" Apple Bloom responded, slightly incensed. "Twilight just wanted me out of the way for the festival."
Suddenly, Bright Side appeared at the bottom of the stairs. "Ma'am," he said, interrupting the conversation. "Apple Seed is not in his room."
Pip spoke up. "Uh-no, he's in town."
"What!?" Apple Bloom and Bright Side exclaimed, almost as if they choreographed it.
"He was really upset he couldn't be with his friends, so I let him go into town for the celebrations."
"Alone?" Apple Bloom asked.
"No, Big Mac is with him." Noticing Bright Side was about to say something, Pip stopped him. "And one of your guards, Golden Wing."
His wife grimaced. "We're not supposed to draw any attention while we're here."
"I wouldn't worry about it," he explained. "He left his cape behind." Then a spark of realization hit him. "Though you are right, he is your son."
Apple Bloom took another drink.
Apple Seed ran through the crowds. The moon illuminated his path. Straight toward the funnel cake stand.
He ducked and dodged, and moved as fast as his hooves could carry him.
Pushing past an orange pony, he finally arrived at the booth, and screamed, "Funnel Cake!"
"Think you could wait your turn, kid?" a voice spoke up from behind him.
He turned his head and instantly recognized the pony before him. "Oh, hi Aunty Scooty."
Scootaloo looked up at the ponies in the booth. "Make it two, actually," she said.
"No prob," the unicorn behind the counter replied.
"So," Scootaloo continued. "Aren't you supposed to be at the farmhouse?"
"Dad said I could come," the young foal replied.
"Well, in that case, where's your-"
Just then, a blue blur appeared between them.
"Ah! There she is."
"What happened to 'not wandering off'?" the sudden pegasus asked.
"Yeah, you gotta watch this kid, he's fast."
Golden Wing turned around. Raising a wing to protect her charge.
"Name's Scootaloo," she said, holding out a hoof. "We met on the train."
"Uh... Yes-yes, yes we did, ma'am," the guard responded, relaxing slightly. "Sorry."
"It's alright," she said with a laugh. "Protection detail can make you paranoid, I know."
Before the guard pony could ask what she meant, a cheerful voice rang out next to them. "Here you go," Pumpkin Cake sang, as two funnel cakes levitated Scootaloo's way. "That'll be four bits."
"Yeah," Scootaloo replied, digging the cash out of her saddlebag, and tossing it to the pony behind the counter. She grabbed the two plates and attempted to pass one to Apple Seed, before stopping herself. Turning to look at the young colt's protector, she quickly explained, "It's safe."
Slightly hesitant, Golden Wing took the plate and sniffed it slightly. She then grabbed a fork off the counter and quickly took a tiny morsel, tasting it to confirm its safety.
"Hey, that's mine!" Apple Seed protested.
She passed him the plate along with a fresh fork, mostly satisfied it was safe.
"You're new to this job, aren't you?" Scootaloo asked.
Slightly shocked, she just nodded.
Scootaloo laughed.
"How could you tell?"
"You're way too nervous," she explained. "Part of this job is not attracting attention, and nerves are a sure-fire way to do that." Scootaloo waved her hooves, "Just relax, you're doing fine."
Golden Wing exhaled, "It's the first time I've had to handle protection detail on my own."
"You'll be fine. You wouldn't be here if they didn't think you could do it."
She raised an eyebrow, "How do you know that?" She asked. "Aren't you the Minister's Chief of Staff?"
"That I am," she replied with a smile. "But I used to be part of the royal guard. Did a round on the royal protection detail myself. Wasn't easy."
Golden Wing nodded in understanding when suddenly, an out-of-breath stallion finally caught up with them.
"Hey Mac," Scootaloo said, as the farm pony tried to recover. "I'll leave you three to it. Have fun, little guy."
"Thanks, Aunty Scooty!" Apple Seed replied.
She smiled and trotted off.
All Scootaloo wanted was to enjoy herself. She didn't want to worry about work, or politics, or royalty, or government crap, or... anything. She just wanted to relax. Which was the reason she was here in the first place.
All the stress of the past week; all the anger and the bitterness, she left behind in Canterlot. Which is why she was grateful to hear Apple Bloom was heading to Ponyville for the day. She knew she could take the opportunity to tag along, as an essential part of the Minister's staff, who needed to go with her. At least, that's what she was ready to tell the royal guard, but they didn't seem to care. They just let her tag along, having booked an entire carriage for the train trip down, they didn't mind if an extra member of Apple Bloom's staff joined them.
So, she was able to leave her home in the bustling city of Canterlot for the relaxing village of Ponyville. And as the pumping dubstep music echoed from the other side of the square, she trotted through the crowd, looking for something to do. Maybe she could socialize with some familiar faces. But the thing was, she didn't recognize many ponies in this town. It was clear to her that Ponyville had changed in the years since she was last here.
She took a bite of her funnel cake and wandered through the crowd.
As she trotted through the square, trying to find a pony she recognized, her thoughts turned to regret. Leaving Ponyville for Canterlot wasn't easy. But at the time, it felt like the best thing she could do. How often does a pony get the chance to join the Royal Guard? And it was all thanks to one particular Viceroy. With Rainbow Dash's help, she was able to quickly get the necessary security clearance and was well on her way to becoming one of the greatest guard ponies in the force. But she had to leave Ponyville behind to do it, and the truth was, she did miss this little town. Because despite all its flaws, it had something that she quickly came to miss while in Canterlot. It had friendliness and warmth. It actually felt like a community. It felt like a home.
It was at that moment, Scootaloo finally noticed something. Something she recognized, a grey pegasus stallion with blue hair. He had grown quite a bit since she last saw him, but he was still as recognizable as ever.
She quickly ate the rest of the pastry and threw the plate in a nearby trash bin before trotting toward him, and as she got closer she could clearly see he was not alone. But Scootaloo wouldn't let that stop her.
She trotted toward them, and once she got close enough, began to slow her pace.
"Rumble!?" she asked, slightly unsure, while trying to remain audible over the music.
He turned toward her. "Scootaloo!?"
"Hey!" she screamed. "It's been a long time! How are you!?"
"Really good! When'd you get back in town!?"
"Just this afternoon!" she turned to the pony beside him. "And... um..." Her name escaped Scootaloo's brain. She examined her memory. Glasses... curly hair... candy in her cutie mark... she used to hang with Apple Bloom... What was it... "Twist!" she screamed. "How's it been!?"
"Awful!" she replied. "The candy store is barely hanging on, and I got competition coming in from Fillydelphia!"
"You could just merge with Bon Bon's store!" Rumble explained. "Like she offered!"
"I'm not letting her take half my profits!"
"Even though you'd take half hers!"
"I don't want half of her sorry excuse for a sweet!"
Scootaloo could tell she wandered into some kind of disaster zone. So she tried to avoid it. "And you, Rumble? How are things?"
"Working with the mayor now!" he explained.
"Great!"
"What about you!?" He asked. "Heard you ended up with the Royal Guard and-!"
"No, no, not anymore!" she explained. "I'm actually at the Ministry of Agriculture and Waterways!"
"Agriculture and Waterways!?"
"Yeah!"
He paused. "Really!?"
"Yeah!" She got confused. "Why!?"
"It's just... you don't seem like the 'farm' type!"
"I'm not!"
"So you're with the Waterways!?"
"Maybe we should go somewhere quieter!" Twist interjected.
"That sounds like an idea!" Rumble concurred.
Sugar Belle adjusted the tuning knob on the radio. Trying to find the appropriate station.
A few metres away, Apple Bloom was just finishing her bottle of cider, as Pipsqueak was clearing the kitchen table of paperwork.
"You couldn't leave your work at home, could ya?" his wife asked.
He smiled at her. "A few problems came up in the Redheart case," he explained. "And given opening arguments are in a matter of days, I didn't want to waste any time."
Apple Bloom laughed, before looking across, into the sitting room, where Sugar Belle was tinkering.
"What's goin' on, Sugar Belle?"
She looked up, "Twilight's speech starts in a few minutes, I thought I should put it on."
Apple Bloom shook her head, before taking another swig.
Pip whispered across to her. "I know you're upset, but you're still the minister," he explained. "Might be worth-"
Apple Bloom held up her hoof. "I know," she said. "Just... give me a minute." She swirled her bottle around, before taking another drink.
Static proceeded out of the sitting room, interrupted by brief moments of speech, before finally settling on a single, stable, sound.
Light music emanated from the radio, accompanied by the voice of a young stallion, explaining the events of the day, "-th annual Friendship Festival, right here in Canterlot."
Pip packed away the last of his work, before closing up his work bag, and trotting toward the sitting room; as Apple Bloom finished the last of her beverage, and slammed the bottle onto the table, before quickly trotting to the nearby fridge, grabbing another bottle, and following closely behind her husband.
"The day has been filled with song and celebration at this joyous event," the voice continued. "Performers from all over Equestria are here. We already heard Sapphire Shores performing her new song, Shine in My Heart; and later tonight, Songbird Serenade we'll be taking the main stage with her new single. But before then, in a few moments, we'll hear from her Royal Highness, Princess Twilight Sparkle, making her speech to the nation."
Sugar Belle sat down on the nearby couch and magically grabbed some popcorn from a bowl sitting in the middle of the coffee table. Munching on her little snack, she looked toward Apple Bloom, popping open her second bottle of cider, and sitting in an easy chair on the other side of the room with a gloomy look on her face. Once Sugar Belle swallowed, she quickly asked, "Alright, did something happen in Canterlot?"
Apple Bloom looked up, squirmed a bit and said, "I don't wanna talk about it."
Before her sister-in-law could press her, the radio spoke up. "And now, Her Most Royal Highness, Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria."
A few moments of silence before a familiar voice came over the airwaves, "My Little Ponies... Today is a joyous occasion. The Friendship Festival has been a tradition in Equestria for many years, and this one has been our most successful yet, with ponies and creatures across Equestria celebrating in every major city in this nation. But success in friendship isn't about quantity. It isn't about the number of friends you have. It's about the strength of those friendships. The bonds we all share..."
Apple Bloom took another drink.
"So, what do you do for the mayor anyway?" Scootaloo asked.
"I'm a speechwriter," Rumble replied.
The three of them had left the busy crowds and found a small restaurant on the edge of town. It was quite a modern place, with sleek designs, modern materials, and a black and blue colour scheme. Scootaloo found it very comforting. They sat at a glass table, next to the big windows running from floor to ceiling that dominated the restaurant facade, each sipping on various cocktails.
"Cool, so did you write her big speech for today?" She continued, with genuine curiosity.
"Yep!-Well... I wrote part of it-well... a bit of it-well... one line..." he explained, with slight shame.
"Yeah, I don't think she trusts you enough," Twist responded.
He shook his head. "You know, I don't get it, I am good at this job."
"I think you're brilliant!"
"But... it's not the mayor, I think it's Simple Scribe. He keeps overlooking me for assignments. I'm starting to take it personally."
"Well, I mean, maybe it's like a cycle," Scootaloo explained. "You'll get your turn. How many speechwriters are there?"
"Three."
She stalled. "Eh... you're right, it probably is deliberate."
Rumble scoffed and hung his head. "Thanks," he said, somewhat sarcastically.
Scootaloo paused. "I know what it's like. To feel like you're not appreciated like you're just a cog in a machine."
Rumble looked at her. "What do you do about it?"
"I don't know if there's anything you can do... other than prove them wrong. You just gotta wait for your opportunity."
Rumble nodded.
"But enough about work! Let's talk about something else," Scootaloo said, excitedly. "So, what about you two? What's going on? You dating or something."
The two ponies, sitting shoulder to shoulder, looked at each other, and looked back at Scootaloo, before Twist said, "Yeah, how can you tell?"
Scootaloo smiled.
Apple Bloom relaxed, only paying tangential attention to Twilight's speech.
"As Equestria grows as a nation, we need to set an example amongst our neighbours and friends."
She took another sip.
Sugar Belle looked across the room, seeing the misery apparent in her sister-in-law's face. "Alright, something happened in Canterlot," she said. "Just tell me what it is!"
Apple Bloom took another sip of cider, and said, "I'll tell ya later."
Twilight's speech continued. "-importance of family. Because the future of Equestria lies with our children... And we must ensure that future is safe, secure and prosperous."
"Basically said 'safe' twice," Apple Bloom interjected.
"We must ensure our children are given the best tools and the best chance at making this nation better. These tasks before us are not simple. But we can overcome them. Equestria is a nat--n of----tzzzzz..."
As the radio cut out, playing only static, Apple Bloom's ears perked up. Sugar Belle walked up to the radio and began fiddling with the dial, trying to get the speech back as her sister-in-law got to her hooves. "What's happening?" she asked in confusion.
"I can't get the speech back," Sugar Belle explained.
Just then, off in the distance, a small explosion sounded from the northern end of the farm. "What was that?" Apple Bloom asked.
But Apple Bloom had no time to consider it as Bright Side, along with another guard pony, ran downstairs, causing quite a commotion. "Ma'am?" he said, addressing Apple Bloom. "I'm afraid there's been a situation, we need to get down to City Hall."
"What?" Apple Bloom asked. "What kind of situation!?"
"We're not sure, ma'am."
"What do you mean, 'you're not sure'?"
"Ma'am, you'll have to come with us."
"Just explain what's goin' on."
As Pip watched this commotion unfold, his eyes began to drift, and he noticed one of the east-facing windows, covered in a curtain. But through the curtain, he saw something, something new, a glow he couldn't explain. Pip nervously approached the window, raised his hoof to grab one end of the curtain, and threw it to one side.
Far in the distance, he could see Canterlot Mountain, and normally, he expected to see the City of Canterlot, a prominent landmark, built into the mountain's side. But that's not what he saw. Where Canterlot once stood, he could only see a bright ball of light, being encased by the Canterlot City Shield. Apple Bloom slowly approached behind her husband, looking out the window, Bright Side and Sugar Belle following suit.
Everyone knew what they saw, what it meant, and it haunted them to their core.
All that energy contained in one spot, encased by the City Shield, holding onto that power tightly, would create a heat that would cause nothing but devastation.
The reality was impossible to deny.
Canterlot had been incinerated.
Canterlot had been destroyed.
Author's Note
The author would like to personally thank run.trivena, computerneek and Averie Autumn for their help in preparing this story for publication.
Chapter Two: The Next Move
Canterlot... the shining city on the mountain... the capital of Equestria... the sparkling jewel of the District of Everfree.
Canterlot was the beacon of modern civilization. The mecca of knowledge, culture, science and art for all of ponykind. The worldwide centre of egalitarianism. A city where everycreature was treated as an equal.
But that was then... now? Canterlot was a fireball of destruction. The most magnificent city in the world was now reduced to ash. A population of nearly a million was on this day reduced to zero. On a day where Canterlot also had the biggest tourism boom of the year. Ponies and creatures from all over Equestria and the world had gathered there... and they were now gone.
But all that was in Apple Bloom's head was white noise. She couldn't think... she couldn't talk... she couldn't even breathe... because she couldn't believe any of this was real.
"Ma'am?" A voice in the distance. Didn't matter. What could matter in this world? "Ma'am!" Everyone was dead... everyone she loved or cared about was dead... "Apple Bloom!" Bright Side shouted, pushing her in the shoulder and bringing her back to reality. "We have to go!"
Bright Side grabbed Apple Bloom's foreleg and led her out of the house. Pip looked around, as he tried to process the situation, when one of the guard ponies approached him. "Sir, you need to come too."
"Yeah," Pip replied, nodding. He followed the guard pony outside, but paused at the door, seeing his son's Cutie Mark Crusader cape hanging from the coat rack. He quickly grabbed it and exited the farmhouse.
Once outside, he saw the royal carriage, which took them to the farm house in the first place, still parked out front. Bright Side stood there, holding the door wide open, and waiting for Pip. He quickly piled in, and sat down on the plush seat across from his wife, who he could see was clearly in shock.
He reached over and put his hoof on top of hers. "Apple Bloom... it'll be fine. Everything will be alright," He explained. But he could tell she didn't believe him.
Bright Side closed the door behind Pip, securely locking his charges for transport. He approached the front of the carriage. "Get them to City Hall, no delays."
The two drivers saluted their Captain, and said, "yes, sir!" Before quickly moving at top speed into Ponyville.
Bright Side watched them leave. He then turned to his guards and gave his orders. "Alright, we need to secure the farmstead."
Suddenly, he saw one of his sergeants approach him. "Captain!" The pony said with a salute. "We think there was an explosion in the north field."
"You think?" Bright Side asked, as Sugar Belle approached behind him. "You don't know?"
The sergeant continued, "Some of our guards reported bright lights in that area, possibly a fire."
"What!?" Sugar Belle exclaimed.
Bright Side ignored her, and instead gave his orders. "Go investigate, find out exactly what it was."
Sugar Belle spoke up, "I'm coming with you."
"Ma'am, you'll need to stay here in the farmhouse."
"This is my farm! If there's a fire, I need to be there."
Suddenly, their argument was interrupted by a loud, earthshaking sound neither of them expected; The sound of cracking glass.
Scootaloo was still in the restaurant, chatting with Rumble and Twist. Rumble had his hoof around Twist, and the two of them were snuggling up to each other, which Scootaloo found adorable, as they told her about their first date.
"His face was covered in mustard," Twist explained.
"Alright!" Rumble exclaimed with a mixture of embarrassment and exasperation.
"He looked like a complete idiot! And that was the moment I knew I found the one." She nuzzled her coltfriend affectionately.
"So, you're attracted to idiots," Scootaloo declared with a smile.
"Well, before him I was dating Snails, so... yeah... need a way to feel superior," Twist explained with a laugh.
Before Rumble could rebut, he was interrupted by an unusual sight, as the plaza outside the restaurant suddenly got a lot brighter. They all turned their attention outside.
Scootaloo was perplexed. "The sun just set three hours ago, why would it be back up?" She got up and proceeded outside, Rumble and Twist following close behind.
The moment she stepped outside, she knew something was wrong, the music from the celebrations had stopped, and she could sense fear in everyone's voices, and the moment she got out from under the building's awning, she knew why. She looked up at Canterlot Mountain, at the city she had been calling home for the past 12 years, and saw that it was gone, replaced with a glowing sphere of fire and light. She was horrified... and her mind quickly went over the ramifications.
"What the hay is that!?" Rumble exclaimed.
"I don't know!" Twist replied.
"Where's Canterlot!?" a voice in the distance cried.
"Is this fireworks!?" another voice inquired.
But none of that mattered to Scootaloo, because she knew exactly what this meant. She turned around to face her friends, and said, "I have to go... take care of the bill for me? I'm sorry!"
But as Rumble watched her take off, he could only think of one thing... "I think I need to get to work."
"What?" Twist asked, baffled.
He kissed her, intensely, for a good five seconds before separating. "Go home, stay inside," he quickly explained. "I'll be there tonight. I love you."
Rumble took flight, straight to Ponyville City Hall.
Scootaloo wasn't exactly the best flyer... in fact, she was terrible. Part of the reason was because her wings didn't actually have the strength to keep her in the air for more than a couple minutes at the most. But it didn't matter at this moment; she needed to find them. She glided over the party-goers, most of whom were focused on the new light in the night sky. She scanned the crowd as best she could, looking for the most prominent pony among them: Big Macintosh.
Her eyes scanned, but her wings were getting weak. She knew she could not stay up for much longer. Then, she saw him, staring at Canterlot Mountain in horror, she flew straight toward Big Macintosh, but found she was having a hard time slowing down. As she fell toward the stallion, she saw the two she was really looking for, Apple Seed and his bodyguard, standing right in front of Big Mac. Apple Seed clinging onto her for dear life... and Scootaloo was about to hit them.
She tried her best to slow down, but knew it wouldn't be enough. "GANGWAY!!!" she screamed.
As the trio quickly moved out of Scootaloo's way, her hooves landed in the dirt, hard, and started sliding across the ground, while spinning to face the group. Scootaloo's slight panic was still apparent, but she quickly styled it out. "Woo! That was a harder landing than I wanted."
"Aunty Scooty!" Apple Seed screamed as he ran up to her. She grabbed him in a tight hug.
Golden Wing walked up to her. "You know what this means?" she asked.
"I wish I didn't," Scootaloo replied.
"We need to get to City Hall."
"No," she interjected, tapping Apple Seed's head. "We need to get to City Hall." She pointed to Big Mac and Golden. "You need to find the blacksmith, get him to open up and start the forge."
"What?" Mac said, obviously confused.
"No no no," Golden objected. "I'm Apple Seed's bodyguard, I'm staying with him."
"You're also Big Mac's bodyguard," Scootaloo explained. "Right?" She turned to the stallion. "Mac, you need to get the blacksmith to open up, who ever he is."
"She..." Mac explained.
"Whatever! We need to split up, so I take Apple Seed, you take Mac. He'll be safe! I'll protect him with my life."
"Why?" Golden said, exasperated and confused. "And why does Big Mac need to do it."
Scootaloo looked at the two of them and decided to just come out with it. "He knows Apple Bloom's hat size."
Golden raised an eyebrow. "You're thinking a bit too far ahead, aren't you?"
"And you're not thinking far enough."
Just then, their conversation was broken by a loud, earthshaking sound neither of them expected; The sound of cracking glass. The two pegasi looked up at where Canterlot used to be, and saw the still-intact City Shield starting to break. Large cracks began to form in the sphere, spreading throughout its structure, the sounds grew louder and louder... until...
The City Shield shattered, and all the energy that it held back was released. Scootaloo saw the energy wave spread out, and it was heading straight toward Ponyville. She quickly grabbed Apple Seed and turned away from the blast wave, as Golden Wing wrapped her wings around the two of them, and Big Mac used his body to shield all three. A half-second later, the wave hit. Their ears were hit hard, like a bomb going off. The wind burst through the town blowing several ponies off their hooves, and across the plaza. But the heat was the most obvious effect. Searing heat, not enough to burn, but enough to singe. It suddenly felt like it was a bright midsummer's day during the most brutal heat wave in Equestria for the five seconds the blast ran through the city. But it was a dry heat.
As the blast died down, the four ponies separated, and observed the carnage around them, everypony was crying, many were in a panic, but Scootaloo ignored all that, and just looked up at what used to be the city she called home. What remained of Canterlot was now clearly visible. The city's foundations, walls, and the castle pinnacles were all intact... for about three seconds. Because without the City Shield holding the energy in place, the ruins of Canterlot had nothing holding it together, and so Scootaloo witnessed what remained of her home crumble into the valley below with a devastating crunch.
If there was any doubt in Scootaloo's mind before now... it was erased.
"Find the blacksmith..." she said, in absolute shock. "Find the blacksmith!" She grabbed Apple Seed and put him on her back. "I'll get Apple Seed to City Hall!"
At this moment, Golden Wing couldn't be bothered to argue, she just nodded. And as Scootaloo ran through the streets with her charge, she just turned to Big Mac and asked him the most crucial question: "You know where the blacksmith is?"
He frantically looked around the plaza, and replied with a quite simple, "Nope."
Apple Bloom's head was ringing. The impact from the fallen carriage knocked her out for a bit. She was lying on the side of the carriage, her husband sprawled out across from her.
"Pip!" she shouted, shaking him awake.
Pip came to rather quickly. "What happened?" He asked, somewhat distressed.
"I dunno!"
"Ma'am!" came a voice from outside. The door handle started jiggling. "Are you alright in there?"
"We're fine!" Pip shouted. He turned to his wife. "Wait here." He tried climbing up to the door. Realizing he was struggling, Apple Bloom decided to give her husband a boost. He flicked the latch, unlocking the door, and the guardpony atop pulled it open.
Peering inside, the guard turned back to his colleague. "They're alright."
Pip took one hard jump off his wife's back, and grabbed the doorframe, climbing up, and out.
"Sir, you'll need to stay inside," the guard said.
"Not a chance," he replied. Pip took in the surroundings, they were still on the road into Ponyville, the carriage was knocked back and over, and now laid on it's side, off the road, nearly into the trees. He looked toward Ponyville, and in the distance, he could see Canterlot Mountain. The glowing sphere had now gone, and all that was left of Canterlot was small amounts of foundation embedded into the rock face. Any doubt he had to the gravity of the situation was tossed away.
"We need to get back on the road!" the guard pony shouted.
Pip looked into the carriage, and saw his wife looking up at him. "Hold tight, darling," he said as he closed the door. Pip jumped off the carriage, and landed on the road.
The guard pony got into position on the other side of the carriage. "Honeydew," he said to his partner. "Keep a lookout."
Pip put his hoof on the brawny earth pony's shoulder. "I'll do it, you help him," he explained.
Honeydew ran to help his partner. As they pushed the carriage, Pip watched the road, both ways, looking for any sign of danger to his wife as he slowly started to realise: he had always seen Apple Bloom as the most important mare in Equestria. In fact, in his eyes, she was the most important mare in the world. He absolutely loved her and would do anything for her. But right now, that wasn't just his opinion, but an absolute reality. Apple Bloom was now the most important mare in all of Equestria... and it terrified him.
As the blast died down, the spherical golden shield around Bright Side lowered, and he stood up from his position, as he used his body to protect Sugar Belle, who was huddled in a ball and slowly getting up. They looked in the distance, and could see Canterlot crumbling and tumbling down the mountainside.
Bright Side got to work. "Alright!" He yelled to his ponies. "I want this farmstead impregnable!" He saw Sugar Belle march off. "Ma'am!" he shouted after her.
She turned around and started walking backward. "Just try to stop me," she said, daring the unicorn.
He realised he couldn't. "We'll meet at City Hall! Sunny Staff, go with her!" One of his pegasus guards saluted and flew after Sugar Belle as she nodded in affirmation and ran to the north field.
Bright Side looked at the area around him, several of his unicorns were casting additional protection spells around the farmhouse, and reinforcing the ones that were already there, as others were planning a perimeter defence for the entire farm. He knew this was going to be a long night.
The energy wave hit. Blasting Rumble through the sky, well off course. The burning heat surrounding him caused him to suddenly find himself covered in sweat. As he tumbled through the sky, he could feel his feathers clinging together with sweat, making it harder to fly. As he started to fall, he quickly tried shaking the moisture from his wings. As they started to fluff up again, he used his momentum to do a recovery dive, and swung himself up and back into the air. Catching his bearings once again, he looked around, and tried to figure out where City Hall was... and where he was. He turned around, and saw the distinctive roof of City Hall far in the distance, dwarfing the surrounding buildings. He flew toward his destination.
Scootaloo arrived at City Hall, to see that the entire building had been locked down. Guards had surrounded the entire building, and would not let any pony inside, no matter how much she pleaded.
"I'm the Minister's Chief of Staff!" Scootaloo pleaded. "I have her son, you have to let me inside!"
"Sorry ma'am, no unauthorised personnel," the guard pony explained.
"You don't understand, she was the Princess of Last Resort, tonight. She's going to need me. She's going to need her son!"
"Ma'am, I have my orders."
Scootaloo was at a loss.
"Does this mean we're not getting in?" Apple Seed asked as he clung to her neck.
She sighed deeply. "No, it just means it may be a while."
The empty darkness of Silver Hammer's storefront was not expected to be broken for another few days. The Friendship Festival was going to last all weekend, and Silver was planning on participating in the festivities... but recent events threw those plans to the wind. Which was why she was not happy at this moment.
The lock jiggled, and Silver Hammer quickly burst in. "I don't know what this is about, but it better be good!" she exclaimed as Big Mac and the random pegasus she never met before followed her in. She quickly marched into the back room, and began the process of starting the forge.
"Look, we just need you to start everything up for now," Golden Wing explained. "There's a strong likelihood we'll need to make use of your services."
"Strong likelihood?" she said, slightly incensed. "So you don't even know!"
"The royal purse with compensate you for your time."
She grumbled and wandered into the back room.
"We also need to know what kind of precious metals you have on-hoof. Gold, silver that kind of-"
"GOLD!?" she came out again. "This is a blacksmith. We don't have gold. You want gold, go to a goldsmith."
"Does this town have a goldsmith?"
Big Mac stepped up to them. "Nope," he said.
"There's one in Canterlot," Silver explained without thinking.
"Well," Golden rebutted. "That's not an option, is it?"
"Look, the most precious metals I have are probably bronze, iron, nickel... I also have a carbon steel that could work."
Golden put a hoof to her face in exasperation, realising that they were out of luck.
But Mac just smiled and said, "Perfect."
The royal carriage arrived into Ponyville proper. Apple Bloom sat on the plush seating, looking down, still in shock with what just happened, and what Pip just told her he saw.
Canterlot was now a pile of rubble at the bottom of Eternity Valley. Her home was gone. Not just her home, her friends, her colleagues, her employees... her sister...
A part of her still had hope. Maybe Twilight survived. She had a teleportation spell, maybe she got everyone she could, including Applejack, out of the city before it was destroyed.
But if so... wouldn't they have heard from her? Wouldn't she come to tell them she was alright?
The carriage slowed to a stop, and a knock came at the door. Pip opened the latch, let the door fall open, and just as he was about to step out, he stopped himself. Turning to his wife, he gestured to allow her to exit first.
Apple Bloom got to her hooves, and proceeded outside. They were in front of Ponyville City Hall, which she saw had undergone several modifications since she was a little filly, having been greatly expanded to support the growing city. Apple Bloom looked around, crowds had gathered around the building, being held back by dozens of guard ponies, and supported as well by dozens more local police ponies. She wasn't sure if it was curiosity, desperation, fear, or something more sinister that drew these crowds, but she knew she was glad for the security.
Apple Bloom focused, and as she was about to enter the building, she heard a very familiar voice cry out, "Apple Bloom!!!"
She turned to look, and saw her best friend, Scootaloo, waving her down; and clinging tightly to Scootaloo's neck was her son, Apple Seed.
Apple Bloom was shocked and excited at the same time. "Scootaloo!" she said, taking a step forward, before a hoof came out to stop her.
"I'm sorry ma'am," the guard pony said.
"My son is over there!" Apple Bloom exclaimed, with traces of annoyance, anger and fear in her voice.
"Hey!" he shouted, getting the attention of the police pony who was blocking Scootaloo from entering. "Let them through."
The police pony relented, and raised the cordon tape, allowing them to pass.
The moment they stepped past the tape, Apple Seed had jumped off Scootaloo's back and ran toward his mother while shouting, "MOM!!!" With Scootaloo following close behind.
Apple Bloom gave a welcoming hug to both her son and her best friend. "I'm so glad you're safe," she cried.
Scootaloo whispered in Apple Bloom's ear the one thing she wasn't willing to admit before now. "Everypony's gone, Apple Bloom."
Apple Bloom squeezed her friend a bit tighter. "I know," she whispered back.
"Ma'am," the nearby guard pony said, as he gestured to the front entrance of City Hall. Apple Bloom broke the hug and tried to compose herself.
"Hey, squirt!" Pip said, stepping down from the carriage.
"DAD!" Apple Seed exclaimed, giving his father a big hug.
Pip broke the hug and said, "Oh, and I have this." He reached into the carriage, and pulled out a red piece of fabric.
Apple Seed recognised it instantly. It was his Cutie Mark Crusader cape! He gasped, with a mixture of joy, amazement, and shock! He was so happy to have it back! His father wrapped the cape around him, and tied it off.
Apple Bloom smiled at this display, before turning and entering City Hall with her best friend at her side.
As they entered the building, they could see it was pandemonium. Ponies everywhere were flying about in a near-panic. Absolute chaos dominated the scene, but there was a sort of order to the madness. Everypony had their tasks, and they were doing their best to get them done. But she knew they were all stressed. None of them had prepared, in any sense of the word, for a moment like this.
Apple Bloom scanned the room, and at the far end, she saw a very familiar pony, a pony she knew from long ago. A pony she was informed, was now the Mayor of Ponyville.
The mayor was intently talking to one of her employees, as she suddenly noticed the new arrivals. She waved at them, before finishing her conversation, and sending the employee on her way.
As the mayor approached, Apple Bloom got nervous. She took a deep breath.
"Minister!" The mayor said in greeting, holding out a hoof.
"Mayor Cheerilee," Apple Bloom replied, responding with a hoof bump.
"It is my honour to welcome you to Ponyville, and I just want you to know, my staff is your staff, anything you need, it's yours."
"Thank you, that's very kind."
"It's my duty, ma'am," Mayor Cheerilee replied. But now that she did, her gaze began to soften. "Well, now that the formalities are out of the way... it's good to see you, Apple Bloom," she said with a smile. "And you too, Scootaloo... and Pip! You've all grown so much."
"Yeah," Apple Bloom explained. "Time does that."
The mayor laughed. "It has been a while... so good to see you all again," but her smile faded. "I just wish the circumstances were better."
"Yeah..." Apple Bloom replied, somewhat melancholy.
Cheerilee hesitated for a bit before just doing what she really wanted to do. "Oh, come here!" She said, grabbing her former students in a big embrace.
They all hugged each other, holding it for several seconds. As they separated. Apple Bloom noticed her son, clinging tightly to his father's back, looking at her with absolute confusion. "Cheerilee, this is my son, Apple Seed," she said, introducing the two. "Apple Seed, this is Cheerilee, she was our schoolteacher when we were around your age."
He looked at the mayor and just said, "hi..."
"Sorry," Apple Bloom said. "He's not normally this shy."
"He's probably in shock," Cheerilee explained.
"So..." Apple Bloom said, trying to get the conversation on track. "Mayor, huh?"
Cheerilee scoffed. "Yeah... it's a long story. Ask me about it later, we have work to do." She turned around and shouted, "DT!" getting the attention of a pink earth pony and waving her over. As she approached, Cheerilee introduced them, returning to formalities. "Minister, I believe you already know my Chief of Staff, Diamond Tiara." She turned to face DT. "Anything she needs, get it to her."
Diamond Tiara nodded, "Got it."
The mayor then left them behind, to focus on other tasks.
Apple Bloom softly smiled at her old friend, who softly smiled back.
"So... what do you need?" Diamond Tiara asked, getting straight down to business.
Apple Bloom stood there. "I... I'm not sure," she replied, because the fact was, she had no idea what to do, or any idea what any pony expected her to do. She was the Minister of Agriculture and Waterways. She wasn't ready for this. She wasn't prepared for this. Her mind was a complete blank.
Thankfully, Scootaloo's wasn't. "We need information," she said, taking charge. "Ponies are panicking outside, and I doubt Ponyville's that unique. Status reports on every major city in the nation, whatever you can get me. Also, we need to find Twilight and the Council, if there's any chance they're still alive, we need to know."
"I think the Royal Guard is dealing with that," Tiara replied, as she wrote everything down in her notepad.
"Good, we also need to contact the military. Whatever's left of the brass, we need to get them here, now!"
"I don't even know where to start on that one, but I'll find out," DT said as she continued to furiously write all this down.
"Finally, media control. We need to get on top of whatever's being reported, and most importantly, we need to let it be known that no matter what, Equestria still has a government. And we need them here, to broadcast a speech Apple Bloom will be giving in about 2 hours."
Apple Bloom looked at her. "Two hours?"
"Trust me," Scootaloo said with a smile.
Diamond Tiara turned to Apple Bloom and asked, "Minister... you okay with this?"
Apple Bloom, somewhat unsure and still somewhat overwhelmed, just nodded.
"Alright..." She said as she finished writing. "And one more thing..." she smiled. "It's good to see you all again." Diamond Tiara then left the scene and got to work, coordinating the army of civil staff at her disposal.
Apple Bloom turned to her best friend. "You got all that out pretty fast, you were prepared for this."
"Let's just say I had some time to think," Scootaloo said, somewhat unsure of herself.
Apple Bloom's head was racing. "Do we even know who did this?" she asked.
"Look, regardless of everything else, that's the kind of thing that'll take time, we have bigger problems right now," Scootaloo explained. "Alright, I'll contact the Director of RISE, get the ball rolling. She'll be our best bet to get any intelligence on this."
"Right... good..." Apple Bloom sighed, "I just don't know what to do."
"Hey, that's why you have me," she said with a smile.
"Where's Big Macintosh?" Pip asked.
The two girls looked at him.
"Wasn't he with Apple Seed?"
"Oh, yeah," Scootaloo explained. "I met up with them and that guard pony they were with. I sent her and Mac off to find the blacksmith."
"Why?"
"Just in case."
"In case of what?"
Scootaloo sighed, "Don't worry about it."
But as Apple Bloom watched this exchange, she knew exactly why Scootaloo did it... and at that moment, it suddenly struck her, the gravity of the situation they, and the whole country, were in. Because there were 23 ponies ahead of her in the line of succession, and there was the likely possibility that all 23 were in Canterlot, and did not somehow escape.
If that was true, all they had to do was wait for confirmation. At which point, someone would tell her, and Apple Bloom would become a Princess, and have to rule over all of Equestria.
And it terrified her.
Sugar Belle arrived at the north field. Several pegasus guards were already dealing with the fires, holding rainclouds and blasting the flames away. But it was what she saw ahead of her that she found the most curious. In front of her was the old Cutie Mark Crusader Clubhouse, where Apple Bloom and her friends spent much of their time as fillies, and the fires led straight to it. She could see a scattering of broken timber, and as she got closer, she saw where it came from: A massive hole had been blasted out the side of the clubhouse. Nearly the entire western wall was just gone.
As Sugar Belle got closer, she could feel the heat still lingering. She stumbled inside the clubhouse, through the front door, to find the source of the carnage. Her eyes scanned the floor, where she saw a streak of blackened floorboards, all leading to the true source: Lying in the middle of the clubhouse, was a pony she could not identify, because all that was left was their blackened and charred remains.
Sugar Belle was horrified, but at the same time baffled. Where did this pony come from? And what happened to them? As she got closer to investigate she saw a puddle of vomit on the ground. She suspected it happened after the fires started, since it was still liquid, and oozing.
Sunny Staff entered the clubhouse behind her, along with another guard pony.
"Oh my stars..." Sunny said, in absolute disbelief.
The other pony was quite blunt about the situation. "We're getting a body bag to transport the remains. I don't know what happened here, but we'll run a full investigation."
As the guard pony talked, Sugar Belle got closer and examined the blackened form. She couldn't identify the gender, but could tell it was a unicorn. The horn on their head was a dead giveaway. Their mane and tail were both burnt off, and there was no easy way to identify the colour of the pony's coat, the damage to their flesh was absolute, and she certainly couldn't spot the pony's cutie mark.
But as she examined the body she noticed something she was certain no one else did: The pony's chest was moving.
"They're alive..." she said quietly, barely a whisper. She watched the pony's chest a bit longer, and the more she watched the more certain she was. "They're alive!!!"
"What!?" Sunny cried, in absolute disbelief.
Sugar Belle was certain. She turned her head and screamed, "GET A MEDIC!!!!"
Author's Note
The author would like to personally thank Averie Autumn for her help in preparing this story for publication.
