The Story of Reik: The Communist Revolutionary: MLP

Chapters

Chapter 1: The Communist Manifesto
Chapter 2: Ponyville
Chapter 3: All You Have to Lose are Your Chains
Chapter 4: Comrades
Chapter 5: Operation Last Contingency
Chapter 6: The Streets of Canterlot
Chapter 7: Shock and Awe
Chapter 8: Princess Celestia
Chapter 9: Fight or Flight
Chapter 10: Falling
Chapter 11: Plans, Plans, Plans
Chapter 13: Applejack and the Inferno
Chapter 14: Fluttershy and Rarity
Chapter 15: Infamy
Chapter 16: Wrath
Chapter 17: Constitution of The Socialist Territory of Ponyville
Chapter 18: The Hammer and Sickle
Chapter 19: Means of Production
Chapter 20: Complaints
Chapter 21: The Commissariat
Chapter 22: The Vanguard Party
Chapter 23: The Proletariat
Chapter 24: The Farm
Chapter 25: Public Relations
Chapter 26: Into the Forest
Chapter 27: The Schoolhouse
Chapter 28: The Underground
Chapter 29: Towards a New Socialism
Chapter 30: The Barrier
Chapter 12: Infiltrating Ponyville

Chapter 1: The Communist Manifesto

“The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles. Freeman and slave, patrician and plebeian, lord and serf, guildmaster and journeyman, in a word oppressor and oppressed, stood in constant opposition to one another, carried on an uninterrupted, now hidden, now open fight, a fight that each time ended, either in a revolutionary reconstitution of society at large, or in the common ruin of the struggling class.”

THE COMMUNIST MANIFESTO, the small iron bound book rested at Reik's hooves. The words, practically memorized, flowed across the square in a perfectly rehearsed routine. “From each according to his ability, to each according to his need!” his strong voice carried across the square. As usual many a pony stared in utter confusion and awe and as usual, Reik was determined to continue. He was a revolutionary; He was in his element, this was his cause. “Celestia’s regime is the cause of stagnation in Equestria, why should the many feed the few? Why should the few profit and gain through the work and labor of the many? Think for a moment of a grand community, owned in common, where all ponies would be equal.” His grand address came to a sudden stop. Not due to fright or some other disability that he was well above. No it was the crowd. They stared at him with confusion, and barely suppressed embarrassment. Something suddenly snapped, his jaw clenched with suppressed anger. Without further words, address, and pause he closed the book, placed it into its tattered bag and began to follow the narrow stone street out of the village. As he left, many curious eyes followed him. They made no attempt to hide their stares, most of which were cast upon the red hammer and sickle that rested on his black flank.

REIK CONTINUED ALONG the dirt road, the sun slowly sank in the distance, casting long, claw like shadows across his path. He was used to this routine, attempting to inform the masses that current life, although good, could be so much better and then being ignored or laughed at. But today was different, he had never kept track of how many times he had been in this situation but this was the first time that he felt something other than humiliation and annoyance. The feelings of rage and malice were all that occupied his being. Since he was a colt, Reik had journeyed across this land, speaking in squares, homes and any other place where he could be heard. He had tried to help these ponies, tried to show them that the status quo could improve. In his vision for a new Equestria, workers could self-manage; there would be no classes, no superiors. He travelled across Equestria to arm his fellow pony with that most precious of weapons, knowledge, and what was he repaid with? What was his reward? Nothing, it sickened and angered him. But never once did he think to stop. His faith in his cause had always been strong. Stronger than any form of doubt or corruption: even his banishment had done nothing but strengthen his resolve. Reik continued along his path and quickly, he became lost in thought as he remembered the events that lead to his outcast.

REIK NEVER UNDERSTOOD why others needed to socialize. To him, it was a waste of time and energy. Why have others when you had yourself? His younger days were spent in his home studies, buried in books. Eventually, the writings ran out and he was forced to look elsewhere. His parents didn’t question or halt his departure, sometimes he doubted if they ever cared that he left. He traveled to one of the great cities that dotted Equestria. He didn’t bother to learn its name, or learn of the ponies that occupied it. All that mattered was its great library. Books and scrolls became his only companions. Reik never understood nor questioned where this lifestyle manifested; it had always just been a part of his life.

His lust for information was infinite; never did he dwell on one subject for too long. Science, history, math, he was familiar with each, but one particular subject had caught his attention. Social science and philosophy had taken up a large portion of his studies. Over time they became his only subject of interest. He was digging around in books regarding those subjects when she came for him; Celestia had requested in person that he become her political advisor for the royal castle. She apparently had been observing his progresses and studies. She said his skills and talent where unsurpassed by any other pony in the realm, and that his assistance would be greatly appreciated and benefiting. Reik could not remember a day where he had been happier. He must have smiled the entire trip to the castle.

The princess’s judgment had been impeccable. His skill in political science had proved invaluable, through negotiation and social organization, he helped Equestria flourish and thrive. But over the course of his occupation of office, after seeing the difficulties and problems that arouse under the current law, he began to feel the waters of doubt slowly rise.

Reik had seen a recurring problem in Equestria: the problem of classes. There were the oppressors, and the oppressed. The oppressor owned the means of production, the tools, the buildings, the products, and what have the oppressed? They were forced into poverty by the oppressor and where inevitably forced to rely upon the oppressor, else they fall into poverty. If only the many could work to feed the many, if they could manage themselves. Over time he began to design a new economic, social, and political system, a system that would solve all problems, where all would be equal. Over time, he wrote his observations into a small journal, one that he would soon dub, “The Communist Manifesto”. Over time, the notes became more and more heretical; especially the method of which his system would be established.

Revolution was the only option, the oppressor controlled all aspects of society, and the oppressed could never get their voices heard. The oppressed needed to be perfectly unified for the post revolution world, and what better way than in an armed organization? Revolution was the only road that led to a new Equestria that was run for the worker, and run by the worker. It was unfortunate but a necessity. But how to bring about the revolution? How to ensure its success? It was a curious task, to think of ways to bring about the downfall of the government he worked to uphold. But it had to be done, he loved his government but change was a must for it to properly serve the ponies under it. These where the problems he was contemplating when the guards came for him.

The royal guards where always suspicious of Reik ever since a small outburst of his regarding the current economy and possible, heretical, solutions. Over time, they became more and more direct about their suspicions. Eventually the guards felt it necessary to search his study; they came upon his journal and after seeing what was written upon its pages they charged him with inciting rebellion. His trial was short, the guard’s commander presented Reik with the journal and asked if the words within it where his. Reik proudly declared it was the truth, and was promptly forced outside the castle walls, banished and never to return. He demanded for an appeal to be heard by the princess, but his pleas where met with threats of imprisonment. With nothing but his small iron bound book he fled into hiding.

THE THUNDER BROUGHT Reik out of his sleep. It had been several hours since he stopped to make camp in the cave and the darkness of the night was at its denouement. The hastily built fire at the entrance of the cave was nearly exhausted. Reik felt a sudden spike of fear when he couldn’t locate the manifesto. He exhaled heavily when he found it a short distant from the mouth of the cave. He pulled the book into a tight embrace before drifting back to sleep. The book was dear to him, more than any other object or being, more than his own life. Someday it would change all of Equestria.

Chapter 2: Ponyville

THE REVOLUTION HAD begun, though the time for conflict and battle was not yet at hand, the time for plans and placement was in effect. To a more unprepared soul, this would be an impossible task, luckily though, Reik had drawn plans for a projected revolution, but he had only enough time to hide them from prying eyes before the guards banished him. Reik now only hoped that his plans and writings had survived his absence. But why now? Reik asked himself this question fairly often. Why begin the war when he could simply bide his time and wait for allies to gather below his currently empty banner? To him the answer was simple: his current efforts were for naught. They gained nothing, and were nothing more than a waste of time. It saddened Reik to know that his time in exile had been for nothing, it angered him that no one listened, it angered him that they toiled away doing the bidding of those who had never laid hands upon a working tool in the time of their meaningless existence. It was only logical to move the next step. It was still a daunting task, to infiltrate Canterlot, move through its labyrinth of tunnels and hallways, steal several papers, and escape all under the Princesses nose. Regardless of these truths, it was his only choice. He could not falter, he could not fail, and he would be merciless, he would die or succeed.

THE DAYS OF fall were near their end, and winter was quickly approaching. A chilling cold that could pierce a pony’s very soul had engulfed the land. It had been four days since Reik left the last village and the cold paired with his exhausted rations, dulled his sense of directions. Reik had given up trying to track his movement on Equestria’s roads and trails. He had given up wondering why he continued to walk, not that it bothered him, for the cold had long since numbed the burning pain in his legs. He stopped repeatedly, almost ritualistically, to check on the manifesto. It was the only item that occupied the tattered bag slung across his back, the weathered straps breaking constantly forcing him to tie and mend them on the road. He was a miserable sight, drawing many pitiful stairs from the few travelers that crossed his path. At times he joked with himself with the thought that these events where trials meant to test his conviction, meant to test his conviction and faith. Suddenly, on the fifth day of his pilgrimage, a stream came into view, its waters where as clear as the purest crystal and its waters lapped and sloshed with a sound that seemed like a loving lullaby to Reik. He broke into a run and collapsed at the rivers banks, sending small stones splashing into its depth. He satisfied his thirst at the river in a primal frenzy, barley getting enough air between mouthfuls of water to remain conscious.

After gorging himself on the rivers bounty, he looked upon its surface to examine himself. His reflection was freighting, his once clean and brushed black mane was now a greasy, tangled mess, similar to looking at a once well tamed yard turn into a non traversable maze. His blue colored tail lay in tatters of his rear like a ruined flag. His blue eyes were deep and bottomless, where once they contained sparks of intuition and intelligence, they held cruelty and malice. A sea of anger quickly rose in Reik; they had driven him to this state, they had done this to him. Reik plunged a shaking hoof into the reflection, not wishing to see the sight again, his jaw shivered with barley controllable emotion. Reik felt a single burning drip of anger, sadness, and doubt flow down his cheek. Reik pulled his head up, hoping these feelings he viewed as weak below him. The sight before his eyes pulled him out of his sinking pool of misery. Before him was a village, not large, but at the same time not small, thatched roofs covered many of the structures along with overhanging platforms jutting out from second and third story rooms. A snaking river flowed through the heart of the village. A large pavilion in the towns square and an extensive apple farm resting on a gentle rise where all that existed in terms of landmarks, above all this, a Pegasus could be seen weaving and rolling in the sky, casting a colored stream behind it. Even though this was the first time he had laid eyes upon this settlement, Reik felt a sudden feeling of warmth and welcoming, as if this village was calling to him to join it. But all these where not what lifted his hopes, no it was what lay beyond it. In the nearby mountain, resting on the mountain side, as if placed there like a mother placed her young in a crib, lay Canterlot, its great spires of white stone seemed to compete with each other as climbed higher and higher above its mighty foundation. The clouds seem to part and halt as they approached save for a thin and foggy haze that drifted between the castle and its viewer, the effect was mystical. Had the premise of his departure been more favorable, Reik may have felt some form of happiness. But Reik was only reminded of the hate and pain he had felt when he had last set eyes upon the fortress. Perhaps it had been a stroke of luck that he mishandled and gave up on tracking his movement. Perhaps his past ordeals had been a trial to test his faith he thought… perhaps. His right ear exploded with a sudden high pitched voice, he yelped and jumped at the ambush.

“HIYA, WATCHA DOIN, are you new here, I’m Pinkie Pie, this is Ponyville, I’ve never seen you, what’s that cutie mark, it looks silly, oh, you know who loves silly things, gummy you should meet gummy, who are you anyway?” The words spilled out of the pink pony’s mouth like water over a cliff. Reik turned to get a better look at the speaker. She stood in sharp contrast to Reik and the surrounding forest. Where he was dark, bleak, she was uplifting and cheerful. The air and light seemed to intensify with positivity in a small aurora around her. Her mane hung in an organized, all most planned, disheveled mess. Three small balloons where embedded upon her flank.

“Soooooo, watch doin, hmmmmmm, you don’t look like any regular pony I’ve ever seen, why are you here? Why are you talking to me? Wait, you’re not talking to me, why aren’t you talking to me? Her face inched closer and closer to his, like an interrogator. Her eyes seemed to bulge with the last few words. Reik was at a lost. He could not remember when he had last engaged another being in conversation that wasn’t relevant to communism or the revolution and his skills in casual conversation where severely lacking. Pinkie pie stared at him waiting for a response, her head cocked sideways and a cartoony look of accusation on her face. He needed to remain unseen, his remarks would need to be satisfying but at the same time not too differentiable from the other phrases she would hear throughout the day. Reik needed to be just another face in her thoughts, nothing more.

“Err… I’m”. Reik paused, searching his mind for its categories of believable false names. “Simon, and your right I’m new to this, um” he verbally staggered. “Ponyville silly” Pinkie interrupted. “Yes, Ponyville”, he rolled the word across his tongue rendering and memorizing the phrase, he quickly created a history to go with his name. “I’m visiting from my home town to check up on my grandmother. She is very ill and thought she could use some company”. Behind his calm expression, Reik was panicking, mental systems began planning for the contingency where she didn’t buy his ruse, and he chose which method of disablement would be most efficient and silent. Reik shifted his stance slightly to prepare for the planned attack. Suddenly, against all calculations and assumptions, the pink pony withdrew with a smile. “Ooooooookay, hope your grandmother gets better, should I come with, I can be quite helpful, I remember the other day I helped fixed two dozen broken arms on half a dozen squirrels. Wait, what? No it was the other way around, or was it that way around. Uh, what was I talking about? Oh no! I forgot to feed gummy!” Pinkie Pie immediately broke into a sprint through the river. Reik cringed at the thought of plunging into such freezing waters himself. Pinkie Pie crossed the body of water at an athletic speed and soon disappeared over a mound, her cries about forgetting to feed gummy echoing in the distance. To Reik, the echo lasted for much longer than was naturally possible. Reik made a mental note to avoid that Pony before setting on a path around the river towards Canterlot.

GEORGE STRUGGLED WITH the weight of the cart. He was too old for this; his bones ached with each step. The unnaturally cold afternoon air sapped his strength and with each step, he felt as if the distance between his home and current location grew instead of shrank. Ever since his son left their small farm on the outskirts of Ponyville for his schooling in one of the cities in Equestria, things on the old man’s farm had quickly deteriorated. Since his wife stooped working to care for their home, things only got worse. George could barley meet his weekly quota of his employer and suffered payment deductions regularly. Over time his once extensive farm shrank and shrank, swallowed up by those with superior organization and status. Now with winter approaching, he was barely getting enough food from his miniscule fields to put on his plate. The weight of the wagon finally overcame his ebbing strength and George collapsed. Perhaps he should just lie there, he thought. Maybe the world would forget about him, forget about his troubles and obligations. He cursed himself for entertaining such ludicrous thoughts, he had to continue, he had to stand up. The straps and buckles around George’s body fell away with a clinking ring. Perfect, he thought, now my cart is breaking as well. George turned to gather up the harness but instead was shocked to find them tied and fixed to the body of another pony, one black and lean, with cold calculating eyes and a tattered back slung across his back, concealing his cutie mark. “Who are you?” the words stumbled over of George’s old and weathered lips. Apparently Georges question sounded accusatory, for the black pony responded like a child would respond to a parent who questioned their actions. “I’m sorry comrade, I saw you here lying on the ground and wanted to aid you. Ill carry this to its destination, please, lead the way comrade.” George was suspicious of this pony, no one came to anypony’s aid in this wilderness, it was unnatural, and that term ‘Comrade’ it was alien and unknown to George. But he was glad to have the burden lifted from his shoulders, so he continued along the beaten trail leading to his home; the black pony carried the cart without objection.

George urged the black pony to step inside his home so he could properly thank him, give him some food, and even let him stay for the night. The black pony politely accepted the offer for food but insisted he had important matters to attend to. Once inside George sat him at their table and asked his wife to prepare the last of their bread and vegetables for their guest. “Sorry if I’m being impolite, but why do you seem so” the guest paused as if planning his verbal moves with great care, “distressed”. “Well, it began after Applejack first began to annex our farm.” George began on the long chain of events that lead to his current state of his miserable excuse for a farm and yet the guest listened with great intensity, like a son listens to his father’s rambles. “We were forced into this state, there was no other option he.” he finished, his head dropping as if a weight was tied around his neck. The guest nodded and spoke, “Im sorry to hear that, very tragic.” The guest spoke in a tone that hinted he may have also been in a similar situation; it was a comforting yet powerful tone. “Yes very sad, but I believe I can help you with your problems.” The guest reached into a bag at his feet as Georges wife arrived with bread and cooked vegetables and withdrew a small iron bound book. “Tell me comrade" that odd phrase again thought George, "have you ever heard of socialism?”

Chapter 3: All You Have to Lose are Your Chains

THE SUN HUNG like an eternal fixture in the sky above, but the falls cold overwhelmed any warmth the floating orb might bring. Reik had genuinely enjoyed his visit with the farmer George; it stirred feelings of warmth and positivity he had long since thought dead to his being to see face enlightened and cheered by his teachings and philosophy. It was a look he rarely came upon in his travels. The farmer’s wife’s meal sat well in Reik’s stomach; it gave him renewed strength and energy. Since his past ordeals and troubles, the visit at George’s farm seemed to relight the flames of faith and hope in Reik. He was reminded of the severity of his aim. His cause was real; its effects would be real. Though they didn’t stand physically beside him, Reik could feel the hopes and aspirations of the workers across all of Equestria resting and relying on him and the revolution. He felt unstoppable; he felt as if he could stand hoof to hoof against Celestia and every tool at her disposal. His hoofs felt lighter with each new thought of defiance and he even began to contemplate what he would say when he and the princess came face to face. But this new feeling of impunity did not trump his understanding and paranoia of the real world, which is why he ducked into the tree line along the trails edge as two royal guards came into view.

Canterlot loomed in the distance; Reik had made good time throughout the day. The sun was just beginning to wane and Reik calculated he could scale one of the less conspicuous paths up the cliff and infiltrate the castle by sundown. The trees were beginning to recede from the trails edge and small patches of grass quickly formed a border between the civilized trail and the primal forest. Reik quickly lost faith in his position as the guards’ approached and began ducking and weaving through the thick brush to find a new position. Branches and grasses quickly accumulated across his mane and a wicked branch lashed across is side, breaking the first layer of skin. A small gated house in a clearing came into view, it was one level and surrounded by a lush collection of trees and bushes which must have been a small garden. Reik stormed towards the gates entrance, appearing in the open for only a second. He went to ground amid the dense wilderness, crawling through the branches seeking a proper refuge. The wound at Reik’s side screamed in agony as grasses and dirt washed across it. The guards continued along the path speaking in hushed tones. Reik judged their distance to be fairly close be their voices. He continued to swim in the greenery as leaves stuck to his sweating form. Reik suddenly encountered a wooden panel; he looked up and found himself parallel to the house, right next to the door. He stopped a second to examine the houses details. Its owner, if it still had one, had obviously lost interest in keeping the place clean. Cobwebs hung in every crevice and opening, added with the dust and filth along the surfaces. The house appeared to be abandoned. The front door creaked into life, sliding inward.

“Get off my property! This house isn’t abandoned just yet!” The female voice was harsh and annoyed; this had evidently occurred in the past. One of the guards spoke, his voice was hinted with boredom, as if he too had gone through this routine before. “Ma’am, you eviction notice is already posted, you have two days left and I’m not seeing much progress in your leaving. I don’t want to force you out but I will if it comes to that.” There was a pause before anyone spoke, Reik assumed the two speakers where staring each other down. “I’ll be out of your hair in good time” The tone was laced with defeat and sadness; Reik had trouble believing that the same woman who had just spoken with such command and fury to two royal guards was now succumbing to their will. “Just make sure you’re gone when we come back” the guards exiting footsteps where soon lost to the dampening effect on the garden. Reik realized he had been holding his breath and exhaled. Reik silently rose and found his way onto a small path cut through the foliage. “And who might you be?” Reik turned to see the female pony staring at him from atop the houses stoop. Her mane was red and sleek, her brown eyes where laced with repressed sadness, she had clearly been crying recently, and a pair of wings rested on her mane. A thread and needle stood as her cutie mark. Reik’s mind raced for an answer, he could not allow himself to be exposed. He put on a wide smile and spoke, shaky at first, but firm by at the end. “I’m here to, err, to fancy your wares,” It was the product of necessity and panic but Reik mentally kicked himself for such a stupid excuse. He could already imagine this pony calling out to the distant guards, they’d come running back and he’d be lucky if he spent the rest of his days in a dark, empty dungeon. The pony raised a suspicious eyebrow. Reik cringed away, afraid to turn his head to look for an escape route lest she suspect something. “Fancy my wares? What are you, some kind of elite pure blood?” Her eyes bored into Reik searching for any sign of lying, had she been any good at reading body language, perhaps she would have seen through Reik’s deception. Reik took a shaking step forward. He took a leap of faith based on her cutie mark. “I heard that you where seamstress? It’s rather cold out here and I was wondering if I could acquire a coat.” The pony regarded him with an icy stare for several heart pounding seconds. “Your information is a little outdated my friend, I quit that job long ago.” A flash of emotion crossed her face. Reik had it a tender spot. “I can pay, are you sure you can’t help me.” Reik took several steps forward, careful not to venture to far so as not to look intruding. The pony relaxed her stance and spoke. “I suppose I could help you. Come in.” She turned and walked into the house. Reik quickly stepped into the home, eager to escape the biting cold.

The house did little to slow the airs chill. Reik’s breath still turned to steam in front of him. The houses interior held little improvement from its exterior. Cloths racks lined many of the walls, most of which were occupied by molding and old cloths. Several dusty sewing machines rested on a table near the rear entrance. A three way mirror with one cracked face stood silently in a corner. Had it not been for the homey qualities like furniture and pictures, Reik would have mistaken the building for a clothing store. Reik could tell the house and its owner had seen better days. He could tell she had once been very successful. “Hey, would this work?” Reik turned from his examination to see the female pony standing in the doorway to another room, behind her where stacks off cloth and sewing utensils. The coat she had selected for him was a modest one. It was grey with a red trim and had many pockets. It was dusty and Reik wondered whether or not it was made in this century. To him it was beautiful. “It’s perfect.” Reik stepped forward, examining the clothing. “Good, try it on and see how it feels.”

Iris watched as the black pony stepped towards the three way mirror to examine the moth ridden piece of garbage she had chosen for him. It was trash but it was the best she had. A sudden memory floated to her attention, a memory of a better time, a time when ponies formed lines out the door to buy her clothes. She pushed that memory from her thoughts; she didn’t need another breakdown today. She had things to do, things to pack. The eviction noticed clawed at her from the back of her mind. Where will I go? The thought pierced her conciseness and again she suppressed it with false ideas and hopes. She had friends in other places, she knew people along the road. She repeated that over and over, to convince herself it wasn’t over but deep down she knew it was a lie. She would rot on the streets, forced to live in the squalor and muck. “Iris” she snapped out of her thoughts and pack into reality at the mention of her name, the black pony continued to speak as he examined himself in the mirror. “’Iris’s fine clothes and accessories’. I heard it was the pinnacle of pony fashion. A monument to all clothing endeavors. Every city and village that I’ve been to, at least one third the population knew of your work.” He turned his head to face her. “Are you the great Iris?” She stumbled over her words, wondering how this pony knew of such things. “Y-yes, how did you? Who are you?” she stopped in mid sentence, the black pony cut her off. “I am Reik, but tell me how a pony as successful as you, fell into such disarray.” Her words were brutal and cold, they held no compassion. “Competition. My work fell out of fashion, the spotlight fell on another.” Reik was unimpressed, as if he had heard this story a dozen times. “Fell out of fashion, to whom?” Iris went over her memory searching for the name of the pony that brought her to this ruin. “Rarity,” Her voice was barely above a whisper. Reik tilted his head sideways, as if he too was searching his memory for any relevance that name may have. He looked back at Iris. “So you just rolled over and succumbed to this problem.” Iris suddenly felt a pinch of anger. How dare he insult her? How dare he demean her? He was not their when Iris and all her work was deemed ‘dull’ or ‘out dated’. He was not their when they closed her store and informed her of an eviction notice. “Who are you to insult me!” she took a step forward. Reik’s expression and stance remained unchanged. “What was I supposed to do?” Her voice became shaky; she could feel the tears welling behind her eyes. Her head lowered, she didn’t want this stranger to see her in such a weak and pitiful state. “Resist.” The voice was quiet, almost a whisper, it was calm and soothing. The tears seemed to retreat at Reik’s sudden change in tone. Iris looked up to see the black pony standing in front of her, his head lowered to so that they where eye to eye. In his eyes she saw strength and courage.
“All you have to lose are your chains.” The words hung in the air like a storm cloud. Iris suddenly felt empowered. He was right, what had she too lose? What more could they take away? For the first time since her descent into squalor she felt like she mattered, like she had value. She felt as if, perhaps, things could be different. Power and strength surged through her being, but where to direct this energy she thought. Reik smiled and snapped his head up towards a corner of the room. “I think I’ll also take that peaked cap, the one with the visor.”

THE COAT BILLOWED behind Reik as he advanced down the road. He pulled the coats collar tight around his neck. The mountain towered above him; Reik could see glimpses of the mountain path cut into the rock through the tree cover. Canterlot loomed high above in the distance on the mountain side. Unfortunately, he didn’t have enough time to fully explain and discuss communism. He did have enough time to persuade her to reconsider her departure. Somepony like her would be useful in a new Equestria. He even got a hold of some silk and fashioned a gold hammer and sickle on his black cap.

The trees where becoming less packed the closer he got to the mountains base and the temperature was slowly dropping. The sky was a bright orange, the sun hung just above the horizon like hawk above its prey. The trail became less defined as he ventured farther into the brush. Soon the only landmark guiding him was the mountain trail, it hovered above the trees and snaked its way down the cliff face. Reik finally came to a clearing. There was a small border running the length of the mountain’s base, forming a wide barrier between the forest and rock. Reik paused; his hoof hovered above just outside of the tree line. He withdrew it on impulse and sank back into the foliage scanning the twisting trail for any sign of occupation. Three guards suddenly appeared on the trail, as if materializing from thin air. Two pegasi and one Earth, they were slowly making their way down the mountain side along the trail. Reik gave a quiet moan at his hubris. He didn’t know the guard shifts. He gritted his teeth at the thought of his glorious revolutionary mission being foiled by one stray guard patrol. The trio stopped when they reached the bottom, the two pegasi guards turned on the earth pony. Although he could not hear their conversation, and although the earth pony towered above the two others, Reik could tell the pegasi where chewing him out. The earth pony lowered his head and shrank into the mountain side. He spoke very little and not very often, just yes and no. The two pegasi guards where vicious, their expressions and body language hinted deep frustration and anger. Eventually the conversation stopped and the two pegasi guards took flight, rising above the forest and soaring over Reik’s position. The earth pony hung his head and began marching up the trail again. When he was sure the earth pony was far enough up the trail he sprung from the tree line, running across the grass to get onto the trail and start he ascent. His eyes snapped up to the guard. He quickly turned his gaze forward again, what if he saw him? It didn’t matter thought Reik. Reik was soon on the trail, snaking his way up the mountain side. The path was only wide enough for one pony, a thin one at that. Out of fear he began hugging the wall, scraping the side of his coat against its face He was making good time at first, but soon the guard came into view and Reik’s heart sank. He immediately realized that the pony was too slow. It would be midnight by the time they made it to the top and by then another guard patrol might take this same path. Time was of the essence. The guard would have to be removed. It saddened Reik to do this. He wasn’t worried about the possibility of being caught, this far out, nopony would here a thing as Reik cast the guard over the edge and into eternity, no one would find his body either. No, it was the thought of taking a life to achieve his goals. Reik would to anything and everything in his power to topple Celestia but murder? Even to Reik that seemed cold and ruthless, he always knew a hostile takeover would be violent and he had gone over all the possibilities in his mind dozens of times, but now that the time had finally come, the decision to take this ponies life was at hand. For the good of the future it had to be done. Reik waited for them to reach the optimal height. He kept his distance until the final moment. Just as they came to a bend, he broke into a run. As the guard turned exposing his full flank Reik lowered his head like a ram and charged. Reik had heard stories of people freezing before they made a kill, he read extensively on those who had gone through a sudden soul searching before the final act. He felt nothing; it was all just another problem that needed a logical solution. His feet suddenly went out from under him. There was a loud crack and the ground around Reik crumpled away, falling into the trees below. Reik lashed out at the rocks surface, looking for purchase. His back hooves lost ground and where soon hanging over the edge, like the limbs of a limp doll. Reik found a small outcrop and clutched to it with an iron grip. For a moment everything stopped, all he could hear was the wind and his breath. Then a voice called out.

“Reik?” He looked up into the face of the guard he had aimed to kill. The guard looked down at him.

“Vladimir?” and then the outcrop too fell away, and he was cast into the cool evening air.

Chapter 4: Comrades

A SUDDEN PEACE fell over Reik. It was over, he had failed, and his mission was at an end. He would fall for several long seconds until he was smashed against the rocks below, he would be mangled beyond any form of recognition. It would be quick and painless. His body would probably be found by a random guard patrol and unceremoniously cast into an unmarked grave in the middle of some unnamed forest. Perhaps if he was lucky the manifesto would survive the fall, perhaps another pony would come across it and maybe his vision would endure. But such hopes where for naught, he knew it in his heart. The manifesto would, like Reik, be mutilated and destroyed in the plummet. He, his ideals, his work, and his revolution would end in the blink of an eye.

No that could not happen, it would not happen. This was a pointless death; his trials could not end here.

"Vladimir!" he cried out. His voice was full of desperation and pleading, but lacked fear or panic. Even on the brink of death his commanding voice still held supremacy over all other voices and sounds. The guard above him grunted and flung himself towards the edge, almost falling over the trail himself. He wrapped his legs around Reik's and bit down on the collar of his coat. Reik came to an immediate stop. His legs scratched at the rocks searching for something, anything to push up from. He quickly found a small outcrop and began pushing in an attempt to help the guard pull him back onto the trail. The guard growled, and began pulling as well. The two began to make progress, slowly inching their way back onto the trail. With one last groan, the guard pulled Reik from the edge, and back onto the mountain path. The pair collapsed on the narrow path, sweating and panting. Reik felt as his franticly beating heart would burst out of his chest. A sudden rush of euphoria overcame Reik and he spontaneously broke into sporadic giggles. The grey armor clad pony rose and towered above Reik; a shield cutie mark was proudly exposed on his flank.

"Reik… you idiot. What are you doing, sneaking up on me?" Vladimir's harsh accent gave his voice a cruel integrative tone. He towered above Reik, his armor adding to the image. "And what are you doing biting into my coat you dumb mule. It's already falling apart as it is." Reik said as he regained his footing, his tone was joking and dismissive. He brushed off his coat and looked at his old friend, grinning as he did so. "Good to see you too comrade, now tell me, why where you sneaking up on me?" Vladimir said with a grin. Reik spoke without pause, his grin growing into a wide smile. "I was trying to kill you I suppose." The two ponies held a long gaze before breaking into booming laughter.

REIK WAS DETERMINED to gain an ally, not a friend. He hated the term friend. It was associated with compassion, shared feelings, and other pointless terms Reik wanted to avoid. He needed some extra muscle if he was too move up on the social latter, yes he was political advisor to the princess but he rarely set hoof in the royal court. He spent most of his days shifting and digging through mountains of paper work. He lacked the intimidation factor, yes his mind was sharper than a unicorn’s horn but what use was that if no one would listen? He also needed somepony that could get rid of those pesky guards, they always met him at every corner, everyday, questioning and following him. Ever since his outburst at the economic advisor, that capitalist scumbag, the guards had been attracted to him like moths to a bonfire. He searched across Canterlot for a suitable candidate. By now his reputation as “that communist heretic with the strange cutie mark” might as well have been set in granite and no pony would answer his requests. He had all but given up and succumbed to the guards when he heard of the new arrival.

Vladimir stood apart from most royal guards. He was but an earth pony, but even so he passed boot camp with flying colors against his pegasi counter parts. He was a silent brute, answering few questions with short answers. When called into the quad for assembly he stood out like a giant among the guards. But what Reik liked most about him was that like himself, Vladimir was an outcast. Due to his lack of wings he became a focal point for abuse and insults. Reik would always watch from a distance analyzing and noting down his reactions. The data was not encouraging. Vladimir would always go about his business as if the insults didn’t matter, as if he didn’t hear them. One day that all changed. The guards cornered him, blocking his avenues of escape. Words quickly turned into physical attacks and a brawl broke out. Reik saw an opening, a chance to create a partnership. He jumped from his observation and charged into the fight. He quickly realized what a bad mistake that was, the political advisor had no place in a brawl between royal guards, and yet he stood by Vladimir’s side. A break in the fighting opened up, so the communist and the behemoth of a guard broke out of the fighting and fled through the streets of Canterlot. When the two finally stopped at a corner from complete exhaustion, Vladimir regarded Reik with a look of appreciation and suspicion. Reik smiled and extended a hoof, “Comrade?” The question hung in the air for several seconds. Vladimir smiled and bumped his own hoof against Reik’s. “Comrade” He said with a grin.

Vladimir fulfilled his purpose magnificently. Although their engagements with the guards became more sporadic, they left each fight with heads held up high, and one or two black eyes. Quickly the two became, and Reik was embarrassed to admit it, friends. The two soon reveled their pasts too each other. Reik told of his history of self-education and politics, while Vladimir told his tale of abandonment and sadness. Vladimir never knew his parents; he had lived in an orphanage in the far north for as long as he could remember. Soon, when he grew older, he left and became a worker in the northern factories. Life for Vladimir was difficult to say the least. Between roving bands of secret police and the unforgiving machinery, survival alone was a victory. Eventually, he escaped, a riot broke out across the town and he fled into the tundra. He walked south each day until his legs collapsed from under him. He didn’t know or cared where he was heading; all that mattered was that he was moving south away from the miserable excuse for a society behind him. He soon found himself at the gates of Canterlot and with no other path available; he turned to the royal guard. Soon Reik felt comfortable enough to show Vladimir his journal and the new plan for society on its pages. Vladimir, as a born worker, was enlightened by Reik’s plan. Without any aspirations or goals, he pledged to stand alongside Reik in the revolution. When Reik was banished, Vladimir felt as if he had lost a part of himself. Now seeing his old friend standing before him, he felt only elation.

“SO TELL ME, how has your vacation been? Did you get me a snow globe?” said Vladimir as they entered the guard house. The freezing wind was steadily increasing and Reik could see a storm brewing in the distance. The sun was just about to part from this side of the world, and a bright orange haze covered the sky. Reik and Vladimir had been walking for hours and they had finally reached the guard outpost. It was a small building meant for storage that rested on the edge of Canterlot. The wind billowed against the door as Reik tried to close it, with an annoyed grunt Vladimir bull rushed the portal and shut the door. As they entered the beginning of the massive snaking tunnels and hallways of Canterlot Reik felt a new sense of invigoration, he had made it into the castle. With each step he felt stronger; with each step Celestia looked weaker and weaker in his mind. He let Vladimir take the lead.

“Reik, that coat looks good on you, the hat as well.” Vladimir said “Yes comrade, I was thinking of making it the uniform of all officers in the revolution, imagine it, Commissar Reik, sounds official doesn’t it?” Reik responded. Vladimir chuckled and continued walking. Reik rushed to Vladimir’s side. “Excuse me comrade but did you remember to set the caches?” Vladimir rounded on Reik, a wicked grin set across his features. “Right this way comrade.”

SUGARCUBE CORNER ECHOED with the conversation of many ponies that had taken shelter under its roof against the blizzard. Pinkie Pie was busy giving a loud and vivid description of her day. Twilight looked over a paper strewn table, searching for important scrolls or books. Her head suddenly snapped up, she rose from her seat and advanced on Pinkie Pie. “What did you just say?” She said her face twisted into a grimace. The room fell silent at Twilights outburst, the billowing winds where all that could be heard. “Ummmmmm the part about feeding gummy, that part was interesting, you see feeding a toothless alligator is a lot harder than it sounds-“Twilight cut her off. “No, Pinkie the part about that pony by the river, the one with the odd cutie mark.” Pinkie cocked her head to one side, lost in deep thought.

“Mmmmmm, oh yeah, Sid, no it was Sam, wait no it was Simon, he was weird and that cutie mark of his was funny looking.” Twilight’s voice was filled with suppressed annoyance. “Yes what was his cutie mark?” Pinkie rolled her eyes in mock thought. “It was a hammer and some weird curvy thingy.” A note of panic seeped into Twilight’s voice. “A sickle?” Pinkie jumped slightly. “Yeah, yeah, how did you know, wait, where are you going?” Twilight raced across the room towards her table and started digging through the heaps of parchment mumbling frantic words of fear and warning as she did so. Spike stepped out of the slowly forming circle around Twilight. “Twilight, your freaking everypony out.” His words where slow and soft, like a mother speaking to its frantic child. Twilight shoved a quill and a blank piece of parchment at him. “Spike h-he’s back, we need to send a message to the princesses.”

Chapter 5: Operation Last Contingency

REIK BUMPED HIS head on the doorway as he entered the storage closet. He and Vladimir had just left the guard house and where now moving through the intricate passageways of Canterlot, slowly making their way to Reik’s study. After being asked about the caches, Vladimir led Reik along the hallways to a small doorway. The air was musky and thick with the smell of sulfur; it was obvious the room hadn’t been open for some time. With its contents filling the majority of the space, there was only enough room for Reik to walk halfway inside. Barrels and boxes were stacked to the ceiling; each one had a small cord leading out of it. The cord, which to the untrained eye appeared as no more than simple cord, came to an apex at Reik’s hooves, one needle thin strand of cord lead out of the room and into the hallway. Reik gently lifted the lid to a nearby barrel to examine its contents. It was filled to the brim with black dust, a small piece of cord poking out of the centers like a lone tree in a barren field. He carefully laid the lid back into place; he then cautiously exited the room, moving so as not to disturb the cords on the floor. After shutting the door he turned to Vladimir. “Where is the timer mechanism?” he asked as he began to walk down the passageway following the small cord with his peripheral vision. “It is in the study, as instructed, but why these caches comrade?” Vladimir said as he followed Reik. The flickering candles along the wall casted curious shadows on the carpeted floor. “Because my friend, this castle is a monument to the bourgeois class, and it will be nice to see it go down in flames, symbolic to the new era of socialism you might say,” Reik said proudly. He suddenly stopped and turned to Vladimir with a concerned look on his face. “Shouldn’t we be neck deep in royal guards be now?” he said. Vladimir continued ahead of Reik. “No comrade, the princess is having a banquet in another village. The guards that didn’t go with her are most likely patrolling the perimeter. Reik gave a sigh of relief and began following Vladimir through the snaking hallways. Although Celestia’s absence was certainly a stroke of luck, Reik was saddened that she would not be here to see his ultimate triumph and her downfall. They continued through the innards of Canterlot

Over time, a steady roar could be heard outside from inside the walls. The storm Reik last saw in the distance was now upon them. Reik and Vladimir where forced to move through the internals of the massive complex for the city streets and alleys where buried in snow from the blizzard. Reik was suddenly flooded with memories of his time in the castle. He saw corners and stretches of walls, to any other pony just parts of the building but to him, moments of revelation. He passed by the bench where he had first coined the terms ‘communism’ and ‘socialism’. He passed by the window that overlooked Ponyville. He was reminded of the days when he would gaze at the small community through the lenses of a telescope and observe its inhabitants go about their daily lives. Reik and Vladimir continued to move unmolested through the network of hallways like ghosts.

In a dark empty corner at the top of one of Canterlot’s shorter spires, they came upon the study. The door had a heavy coat of dust on its face, cobwebs hung loosely on the doorknob and hinges. Reik’s hoof hovered above the handle, the knob looked brittle and weak, and Reik inexplicably felt that the slightest touch would crumble the small apparatus to dust. After several long seconds he finally discovered the courage to turn the handle and enter the simple room that had once been his study, home, and haven.

The room was small. Triangular with the entrance at its bottom, a desk still covered with moldy and dusty papers on one side, a legless bed, its blankest and mattress lying in disarray as Reik usually left it each morning, and a massive window at its point. Books and papers covered every surface. Some lay open and he could see some of the many notes he had written into the margins. Reik paused at the entrance, as if entering would somehow disturb and defile the room that lay unchanged from the time he last saw it. The floodgates in Reik’s mind burst and emotion flowed out in an unstoppable wave. The smell, appearance, and even the ‘feel’ of the room hadn’t change. It pained Reik to know that it would all be destroyed in the firestorm that would sweep through all of Canterlot. He wanted to save it, anything and everything, the books, papers, and mementos, he couldn’t stand to let it all be lost. Vladimir as if reading Reik’s mind, broke the silence and stepped into the study. “Possessions comrade, all of them.” Reik snapped out of his disturbance, wiped at his watery eyes, and stepped into the room searching for the plans. He scanned through his mental cabinets of memories, trying to remember that day. He stepped through the door, heart racing. He paced his steps, moving as he did so long ago. He pulled open a hollowed out book that held the journal of plans and contingencies. Reik stepped up to the desk; a large book with a small box cut into all the pages lay open on its face. He withdrew it and… His memory stopped their, lost to the sea that was his consciousness. Reik became frantic, his revolution started to unravel in his mind. It was over, he was finished, he was- *squeak*. Reik paused and looked down. The panel of wood he was stepping on sunk lower than the rest. He withdrew his hoof which brought another dusty squeak. He looked up to find the smiling face of Vladimir looking at him. “Be my guest?” Reik stepped back. Vladimir rose on his hind legs; he hovered in that pose for several short seconds, correcting his aim. With a quick whoosh Vladimir brought his form down upon the plank of wood. The panel practically disintegrated under the guards strike. Reik coughed and wiped the wooden particles from his face before looking into the cavity at the floor. An evil grin spread across his features as he lifted the worn collection of pages from its resting place. “Operation Last Contingency” was inscribed upon its cover. Reik greedily flipped through its pages, skimming its contents. The sparks of memory brought upon by skimming the book brought the flames of revolution into life in his mind. Vladimir still confused roomed over to the desk pulled a box out from underneath it. “What is this comrade?” Reik looked up and nearly jumped with elation. He pranced over and pulled the top of the box and peered into the container examining its contents. The box held a collection of cords similar to the ones running through the castle connecting the caches, they where detonation cords, their one and only purpose to carry a flame to the many explosive caches hidden over the castle. Each one lead out of the box, and into a small hole under the desk, leading to each respective cache. At the bottom of the box, where all the wires met, was a metal alarm clock, transformed from its once innocent construction into a weapon of destruction, connected to a small priming charge. Reik grinned at the mechanisms, marveling at his own creation. He reached in and pulled two watches out of the box and fixed one to his hoof, and the other to Vladimir’s. Finally, with all other step complete Reik pulled a small paper weight from a drawer in the desk. The paper weight was a small black stone, nearly weightless yet crucial to his plans. “Comrade, I think you should tell me the plan now.” Vladimir said. Reik looked at him, confused and disturbed that he had not already informed the northerner. He turned on Vladimir, placing the pages into his coat pocket, and began. “Well, after starting the timer and then escaping Canterlot. We shall proceed to capture the elements of harmony with this.” Reik presented the small black stone. Vladimir stared at it in confusion. “What is-“Reik cut him off. “A memento from a diplomacy trip to the far east. With it we can wield the Elements as one magical entity. After obtaining each element from its host, we will use it to take control of the guards, relieve the princess and other unicorns of their magic, and ultimately conquer Equestria. Of course we will have to start small so as not to over extend ourselves, so for now we will focus on Ponyville.” Reik finished the lecture with pride, proud that he remembered the plan. Vladimir stared in utter confusion for several seconds before shrugging and asking what to do now. Vladimir cleared his throat. “Comrade, are you sure that, by these means, we will achieve the socialist state we desire?” Reik snapped his head a Vladimir, confused and surprised to hear the guard speak so coherently. “We can only hope Vladimir, it is the only option.” He turned and approached the wooden box. “Now comrade, we start the timer.” Reik pushed down on a small button on the timing apparatus attached to the collection of cords, the mechanism sprang into life with a loud ticking noise. Reik did the same to his watch. Vladimir followed suit. Reik suddenly froze; it dawned on him that the situation had just escalated. He had just condemned all of Canterlot to annihilation. As of now, he and Vladimir were officially at war. Reik smiled at Vladimir, adjusted his cap and turned to exit the room. Vladimir kicked the box under the desk and pulled a cloth over it. Reik suddenly stopped dead in his tracks when he heard a creaking noise as the doorknob started to turn. He took several steps back beside Vladimir who had immediately taken a fighting stance. The pair’s jaws simultaneously dropped when Princess Celestia, in the flesh, flanked by two guards entered the room.

THE WORLD HELD its breath. The greatest comparison took place in that tiny room atop the stump of a spire. On one side stood the revolutionaries, Reik and Vladimir, dirty and worn, who were ready to do battle against the status quo’s regime. On the other side stood Princess Celestia, wings outstretched in perfect symmetry, guards gleaming in ceremonial armor at her flanks, ready to defend their order’s civilization against those who’d wish its annihilation. The two sides stared at each other, each party just as surprised to see the other. Its over thought Reik, it’s all over. Celestia towered above all other occupants, her expression one of both shock and, Reik dared to think he saw, a hint of fear. Her appearance was contrary to the revolutionaries, pure and unblemished, the very air seemed to lose its grit and brighten around her. She seemed to have an aurora of command around her and Reik felt the urge to spontaneously bow at her presence. Her guards stood in silence at her side, unforgiving expressions of malice under their helms. Vladimir took a step backwards, the mere presence of the princess proving an effective form of physiological torture. Reik’s brain was working in over gear. He searched, judged, and planned numerous responses, attack, surrender, and flee. He went over each thought with great care in just a few seconds. His mouth opened and closed repeatedly, the words staying in his head as if they too were afraid of her. Celestia took a single, nearly nonexistent, step forward. Vladimir cried out “Flee comrade, flee!” He turned and jumped at the window. The glass shattered at his impact and Vladimir disappeared over the edge. For a second there was only silence, the rooms occupants shocked at the sudden turn of events. Snow and wind immediately swept through the room, sending the princess and her guards into disarray. Reik immediately took advantage of his opponent’s weakness and fled to the shattered window, shards of glass stuck around its edge giving it the appearance of a monsters gaping maw. He suddenly stopped, as if a string was pulling at his throat. He couldn’t leave like this; he was Reik the revolutionary, not some cowardly simpleton. He turned to find the princess practically upon him, her guards close behind her. “Reik” She spoke, her voice elegant and smooth, Reik suddenly felt a calmness rush over him. The short phrase was quiet barley a whisper but still the phrase commanded attention, even the mighty storm outside seemed to hush at her speech. With a mix of fear, courage, and pure insanity Reik puffed out his bony chest and roared.

“Pray to your vanity Celestia, the workers revolution is upon you!” With that he leapt over the edge after Vladimir.

Chapter 6: The Streets of Canterlot

ONCE AGAIN REIK plummeted. He didn’t doubt his decision to jump, it was the only way. Attacking head on was flat out suicide and surrender was not an option.

His cap immediately flew off his head, unfortunate he thought. The ground could not be seen through the blizzard and Reik guessed he had been falling too long for it to be survivable, he didn’t fully register that once again he was at deaths door, or was it that he simply didn’t care? He didn’t dwell on that thought. Suddenly, it was as if the center of the storm had embraced him in a freezing cold.

The snow cushioned Reik’s fall. He quickly began to sink in the white ocean and paddled franticly to avoid being lost in its depths. He came out of the mound onto a cobblestone path, snow filling the gaps in the masonry. Vladimir appeared at his side and pulled the black pony to his hooves. Reik looked up into the night sky in a daze. The worst of the storm was upon them, and visibility was reduced to barley one block. Snow was everywhere. Reik, after such a quick transition from the warm interior to the freezing exterior of the spire, broke into sporadic shivers. His bones rattled in their sockets. Vladimir, immune to all but the worst of winter’s arsenal pushed Reik forward. “Come on comrade, we are leaving!” Reik snapped out of his daze and fell back into reality. “Y-yes c-comrade, let u-us m-m-make our escape.” The words passed over chattering teeth. Reik glanced at his hooves. A black cap with a hammer and sickle sewed to its front lay, half buried on a pile of snow. He gathered it up, brushed off some excess snow and continued following Vladimir. The revolutionaries ran down the road against the storm, neither knew where they where or where they were going, escaping was their only objective.

“STUPID, STUPID, STUPID” Reik repeated the phrase in-between mumbles and chattering. “Pray to your vanity? That’s terrible, all the time I had to think about it and that’s what I come up with.” Reik and Vladimir made a sharp turn into an alley; the three pursuing guards overshot them and continued down the main road. “Comrade, it was fine, if they catch us we’ll be lucky to peel potatoes’ for the rest of our days.” Vladimir’s tone was one of urgency and annoyance. The pair slowed as the alley came to a dead end, as he ran Reik franticly scanned the walls for a ladder or staircase they could use to escape. Vladimir, instead of slowing, increased his velocity and crashed through a wooden door at the end of the alley. Seeing as all of these buildings will be rubble and ashes in a few hours it doesn’t really matter anymore thought Reik. He followed the grey pony through the splintered doorway. The building was small, just a straight hallway leading to another door with one staircase along a wall. Vladimir could be seen at the end of the hallways ramming the lock on the door, sparks flew as he smashed his armored head against the metal. Voices and hoofsteps could be heard up the stairs. “Who are you, why are you in my house?” roared an elderly pony as she stepped down the staircase. “I’ll call the guards on you robbers!” Reik was in little mood for subtlety. “Where might one find a flyer?” his casual tone was brimming with urgency. “Did you just break down my door? Why is that guard destroying my door?” Reik turned to Vladimir who had just finished his task, the lock lay in scrap at his hoofs. “Vladimir, would you be so kind?” Reik asked. Vladimir grunted and advanced on the old pony, she cowered against his towering form. “We are in a hurry you old mule.” His tone was dark. Reik had no doubt that his grizzled partner would snap the old pony in two if given the command. The old pony shrank under Vladimir’s withering gaze. “T-there’s one in a guard post down the street, o-on 3rd street. Please d-don’t hurt me.” Vladimir turned to Reik, awaiting an order. “Well, times-a wasting.” Reik said as he began to walk out the door and into the freezing street. “Oh you may want to leave this building seeing as the whole castle will be a bonfire in a few hours,” Said Vladimir with a cheery smile as he followed Reik out the portal.

Sirens were ringing up and down street and echoing across all of Canterlot as the pair raced down the narrow road. The snow fall was slowly decreasing but the visibility was still next to nothing. Reik’s coat dragged through the snow. “Comrade, I think we made a wrong turn at the last intersection.” Vladimir roared over the wind. “That was an intersection?” Reik responded. The blizzard quickly became attributed to at least three wrong turns since they left the old pony’s house. Reik pulled his watch close to his face and wiped away a quickly forming film of fog. The timer read nine fifty five. The operation had started around nine o’clock and they had been running for nearly an hour. Reik grinned. His plan was on schedule.

The timers were a crucial aspect of the operation. Every moment and aspect of the operation was planned by the hour and minute. Guard patrol schedules, cache detonations, optimal darkness for stealth, and guard response times, each one planned and accounted for. Reik was not fazed for their predicament in the city. He had given the plan schedule two hours In case of unexpected difficulties. But what scared Reik was that they were making no progress through the blizzard. The way things were going, they would have to continue banging on doors and interrogating civilians. Vladimir’s sudden cry of warning brought Reik out of his thoughts.

REIK GROANED AS a pair of guards descended from above and blocked their path. He eased his pace until he was behind Vladimir. The guard ordered them to halt, Reik wondered to himself if they ever honestly believed criminals would follow that command. Vladimir lowered his head exposing his pickelhaube helm he had acquired in Reik’s study. His old standard issue helm was, in a small act of defiance, cast aside. For a second Reik was overcome with nostalgia, he was reminded of those days long past where he and Vladimir would run through the roads of Canterlot, fleeing from guards no different than the ones pursuing them now. Reik grinned broadly, relishing the kind memory. Only one guard fully registered the threat the charging pony posed. Only one guard scrambled out of his path, the other was caught in his rampage. Vladimir ran the guard through; the spike on his helm made a mockery out of the guard’s armor and lacerated into his flesh. With a quick jerk of his neck, Vladimir casted the guard to the side of the road and continued down the street, specks of blood flying off his helm and staining Reik’s coat. As they turned down another alley Reik glanced at the downed guard, his ally was at his side pulling him towards an open door. Reik noted that the guard’s wounds were light, the pony would live. They disappeared as the revolutionaries turned around the corner.

“There, comrade.” Vladimir groaned as he made his way towards a section of wall along the road. As Reik followed he could make out a wooden sign attached to the stone wall. At first glance the sign appeared to be a crudely drawn grid pattern, but quickly began to make out labels, structures, and levels; he was looking at a map of Canterlot.

Reik scanned the map. His sudden stop brought an end to his endorphins and the piercing cold returned to his joints. His vision became shaky and his breaths became short and frequent. He closed his eyes and manually controlled his breathing. When he opened his eyes his vision stabilized enough for him to register the map. The city had gone through many alterations since his departure and where he expected to find alleys and courtyards he found walls and homes. Reik found 3rd street; it stood on the third level of the massive city. Due to Canterlot’s construction on the side of a mountain, the city was split into three levels. Each level was walled off from one another except for roadblocks constantly manned by guards. Their fall from the study sent them down to the second level and the main road leading to 3rd street was only two blocks from their current position. But how to remove the guards thought Reik. Sirens continued to echo throughout Canterlot, once the guards organized they would be finished.

“They must not be allowed to gather their numbers.” Said Vladimir as he pointed to a large structure on the third level marked on the map. “That is the guard’s headquarters. If we can knock it out they will fall into disarray.” Reik nodded in agreement. “But how?” he questioned. The two stood in silence, each formulating and scrapping plans to destroy to great building. Reik turned and looked up, in search of their target. The storm had subsided significantly and while snow was still falling from the heavens visibility was just enough to make out some of the towering spires of Canterlot. The guard headquarters stood as the second tallest spire, it tore into the sky before breaking off into two smaller spires connected via walkways. Windows began blinking with lights as the headquarters rumbled into life in response to the revolutionaries’ presence. Reik formed a plan and rounded on Vladimir, “Is there a cache nearby?” Vladimir looked at Reik, a look of curiosity on his face. “Yes, its-“He looked to the map for guidance, he pointed to a corner a block past their current location. “Here, but why?” Reik’s voice quickened. “Are there rockets or fireworks in it?” Vladimir thought for a moment, the majority of the explosives in the caches where either scratch built or stolen. He remembered when secretly raided Canterlot’s storage of celebratory fireworks. “I suppose some might be in their but-“A light bulb in Vladimir’s head flickered into life. A murderous grin spread across his face, “Yes, I think I stored some there.” Reik nodded and looked back at the map. “Take out the building and meet me at the guard post on 3rd street and remember” He fixed a threatening glare on Vladimir. “Try as hard as you can to not kill anypony, I’d hate to start a new society with someponys blood already on my hooves.” Vladimir gave a grunt that Reik assumed was some form of conformation. “With haste my friend.” Reik said before breaking into a run down the street. Vladimir was alone. He glanced back at the map, memorizing the layout one last time and charged down the road towards the cache. He relished the thought of destroying the guard headquarters.

Chapter 7: Shock and Awe

REIK LOST FEELING in his legs. The numbing cold regained its lost ground. He was moving though the alleys of Canterlot and his lungs burned with each labored breath. He was drifting in and out of reality, the cold was claiming him. He remembered his task, and forgot it, then remembered it again. He had just passed another guard patrol and his heart pounded with fear, without Vladimir he felt a strong sense of vulnerability. He stopped in the alley and slumped against a wall. If his memory was correct, and he doubted it was, then the guarded entrance into the third level was just beyond the exit of the alley. He withdrew the black talisman from one of his coat pockets and glared at it. He knew that until it held the elements of harmony it was nothing more than a simple rock, but Reik still found calmness in the thought that he still held it. He relished the coming hour when he would acquire the elements, and then unveil the true power of the now simple stone that lay before him. He felt a sudden rush of sentiment between himself and the inanimate stone. It was much like him in a sense, simple, unthreatening, and cast aside. But if given time, then they both could blossom into an existence that would rival nations.

“Who are you? Show yourself!” Reik half understood, half disregarded the command, he didn’t care anymore. He suddenly realized that he was running with the guards in close pursuit. He turned quickly came to the exit of the alley and was greeted with a sudden rush of freezing wind. He was in a courtyard, no he thought, a street, a big one. By the looks of the architecture, the road he was on now must have been a well used highway. He heard voices, distant at first over the sound of his beating heart. He turned to find a massive wall reaching high above all other structures built in its wake. Reik gazed in awe of the massive construction before discerning its purpose. It was one of the walls that separated the levels of Canterlot. At its base was a small gap, a beautifully decorated hallway leading to the third level, tall and wide enough for two carriages to pass each other without hindrance. Its smooth walls where carved with the likeliness of many heroic figures in proud poses, and one other. Who was that one Reik thought, tall, both unicorn and pegasi? Reik suddenly remembered again, then he forgot again, but with every ounce of mental power he latched on to a few crucial memories: Celestia, the caches, and then escape. He was warmed with a rising feeling of determination. Reik registered several beings on the road, crowding around a large gate that cut the tunnel in two. The ponies, Reik’s dulled reflexes now realized them to be guards where shouting at him. Reik stepped towards the roadblock empowered, by what he could not tell, but he walked as if Canterlot was his, and death to any that defied that claim. Slowly, Reik decrypted their voices.

“Halt” cried one.

“Who are you?” yelled another. At least twenty guards stood before him, one he remembered as the one that aided the fallen warrior Vladimir had dispatched. Their armor was crusted with sheets of frost; they stood in unnatural positions due to the restricted movement. They stood in an awkward position, apparently their superior had taken the day off, another fault with this backward society we live in thought Reik. Without their precious leader, all resemblance of society and order will come crashing down. A lone guard took a step forward as if he intended to apprehend him. Reik’s grin widened. If you capture me then I’ll just die a horrible and fiery death a few hours later, so what’s the point he thought to himself. He took a casual step forward. A short giggle drifted through the air.

“Stop, who are you, answer me now!” The guard was almost hysterical, he knew that a great shadow had fallen over Canterlot, but evidently his superiors had hidden the full truth. Reik thanked his gullibility. He displayed the talisman almost with a swagger. He smiled wide, much to the distaste of the guards who cringed with fear at the disturbing display.

“I am Reik, revolutionary, founder of communism, destroyer of fascism and racism. But you my frozen friend can call me the angel of death, for death is the only gift I will bestow upon you and the bourgeois class you devote your worthless lives to uphold.” Reik noted out of the corner of his eye the smoke trail hurtling across the dark sky. He looked up, holding the talisman above his head. Reik looked to a large spire, he didn’t remember its significance or its operation, all he knew was that it had something to do with his predicament. He also knew that it was the destination of the peculiar smoke trail.

“Death” the phrase hung in the air, unopposed, for several short seconds. Almost immediately, the sound of thunder rocked Canterlot. The roads, buildings and even the very air reverberated with the earsplitting roar. For a moment it seemed that the whole city would tear itself apart in a frenzy of chaos and madness. One of the two spires atop the guard’s headquarters disappeared in a shower of flame and rubble. Fire and brimstone raced across the sky, casting bright slashes into the horizon like a paintbrush on a black canvas. The falling snow closest to the explosion condensed and fell as water to the ground. The structure of the building groaned with exertion, the remaining tower listed to one side, poised to collapse itself. Stampedes of smoke and debris raced down the surrounding streets and alleyways. Flames residing in the ravaged stump of the severed spire flickered through the smoke. In the air, smoke mixed with snow and a gentle haze of soot enveloped the city. The smoke had only just begun to gather as Reik raced through the mob of stunned ponies, all of whom gawked at the annihilation of the monument to the royal guard’s invincibility and power.

VLADIMIR RACED DOWN the narrow road, searching for the cache, scanning walls and door for any form of anomaly that could hint the location of a cache. The snow fall had subsided to a more manageable level and Vladimir’s vision was now unaffected by the elements. But almost in a tradeoff, the freezing winds where whipping at him from every direction. Vladimir cursed reality, he cursed the bourgeois, he cursed nature, and he cursed the royal guards. He relished his rage, drawing strength and warmth from the burning emotion. He skidded to a halt, almost losing his balance on the slick ground. A small storage room lay before him. Old and unused, its entrance was barricaded with planks o wood and warning signs. Vladimir cursed again to the fools that had just made his task slightly harder. He turned and kicked at the door, his legs nearly broke as they missed and struck against the white stone of an adjacent wall. Vladimir roared into the freezing winds curse after curse in his native tongue. On a second try his back legs passed almost unfettered through the decaying wood. Vladimir stormed into the room, searching for the cursed rocket he had laid there so long ago. He tossed barrel after barrel aside in his search. Vladimir chuckled at the thought of what Reik would say, should he ever know how he had just treated the precious and delicate explosives. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a long thin tube tumble out from under a crate. He ceased his current assault on a locked container to examine the new item. It was stone grey, almost invisible in the damp storage room. It tip was rounded, its other end a gaping maw with a thin cord running out its mouth. Vladimir nudged the explosive to examine it further. He immediately withdrew his hoof when three fins extended from the side of the tube with an audible crack. Vladimir gazed at the odd contraption at his feet. He searched his stores of knowledge for any bit of information that might justify and explain such a reaction.

Almost instantly he remembered. Fins, yes that’s what they are called, thought Vladimir. He remembered one of the many celebrations he had attended in Canterlot. It was those fins that kept the fireworks traveling strait, and not hurtling out of control. He dragged the missile out of the room, disregarding any thoughts of caution. He laid the rocket in the snow and raced to the shattered remains of the door in search of planks that could be used to form some kind of stand or rack. He returned to the missile with a bundle of wood and began setting up his firing position. Vladimir dug two planks into the snow, forming an X styled rack, and gathered snow around the planks base for further support. He gently laid the rocket on the rack, not for fear of damaging the weapon but for fear of damaging his creation. Vladimir took in a sharp breath as the stand groaned slightly under the rockets weight. He waited several seconds, hoping the jumble of wood wouldn’t tumble down. The stand succeeded against the rockets weight and stood firm. Vladimir sighed lightly and looked up to examine his target. The tower was close, just four blocks away. Hitting the structure would be easy, doing so without taking lives though was different task altogether. Vladimir closed his eyes and consulted his memory for guidance. The tower broke off into two minor spires near its peak; Vladimir searched his memory for their significance. One he remembered was the quarters of the master of the guards. Vladimir repressed the urge to fire the weapon at that tempting target. The other, his memory strained for this last bit of knowledge. The archives, yes thought Vladimir, the records of all arrests, employees, and other legal records of the royal guard. Vladimir suddenly remembered how empty they were. The records where never occupied, maybe by one or two ponies a month visited the building. Vladimir turned to adjust the position, bobbing his head up and down, tracing imaginary lines from his position to the target; he adjusted for drop and wind. He rose, convinced of his works completion, and took one more satisfied look at his creation. His grinned suddenly dropped into a frown and he roared into the freezing wind. How will I light the fuse? He thought.

Vladimir tore at his armor, he was tired, he was angry, and he was annoyed. Every ounce of patience was gone. He ripped of a bolt from his armor; several pieces of the harness fell off in response. Vladimir tore is helmet of and held it close to the fuse. He began bashing the bolt against the side of the helmet, sounds of impact carried down the street. Vladimir shouted curses at the rocket as he assaulted the helmet. Sparks flew in every direction each time the bolt struck the helmets metal. On the fifth strike, a lone spark flew onto the rockets fuse; the spark caught flame and rushed up the cord. It was immediately snuffed out by a gust of frozen wind just as the cord entered the tube. With another cry of anguish Vladimir adjusted his body to a pointy where his form would serve as a shield against the biting wind. With a cry of defiance he set upon the helmet with a vicious gusto. The helmet groaned and bent under his unrelenting attacks, soon the headgear looked more of scrap than of some tool of protection. On the eighth assault the helmet finally came apart in a shower of sparks. Vladimir turned the broken, collection of metal near the fuse entrance. Suddenly Vladimir’s vision went white.
He rotated quickly and ran. The sounds of thunder and fire where booming behind him. The rocket had launched this he knew. He slammed into something hard and grunted in pain. His world was spinning, his ears where ringing and his vision were disabled, he wanted to cry out, lash out at whatever had done this too him, he was in chaos. Vladimir’s vision began to steadily return as he regained his footing, pushing up against the wall for support. The world just began to clear when another blinding light enveloped. Vladimir averted his eyes from its source, and began running. The ground shook, had he not been the one that caused such a disturbance, Vladimir would have guessed Canterlot had been dropped kicked by a monster. Added to his disoriented state, he stumbled and fell again. His lip split as his head connected with the ground. With the metallic taste of blood in his mouth and a sharp ringing in his ears, Vladimir’s crawled into an alley, desperate to escape, the madness he had wrought.

Chapter 8: Princess Celestia

CELESTIA PAUSED AS the castle shook. Her retinue of five guards stopped as well. Celestia’s attempts at magically assessing the situation, to locate Reik and the rouge guard she needed her magic, but that odd talisman the revolutionaries had when they escaped the castle was disrupting her attempts. It was as if a dark cloud hung over the entire city, where once she knew what was happening across her domain in every nook and cranny at all times, she was now virtually blind. The shacking subsided and Celestia’s guards looked to her for guidance, their eyes and expressions where laced with fear.

“The castle is under attack, have no doubt that that is the reality, but this city will not be undone by two of my stray subjects.” The guards nodded, their chests puffed with some sense of bravado. Celestia smiled, attempting to kindle some sense of courage in her subjects. Underneath the false mask Celestia was in panic.

Reik was back, he was finally waging his long sought after revolution. Celestia always knew he was attempting to gain followers, she hadn’t just sent him out of the castle and into the world without somepony to keep an eye on him. She assumed he would eventually give up and fall back into line with the rest of society, perhaps he might even be allowed after some time back into the royal court. She cursed herself for the way she dealt with the entire situation; she treated him like a mother would treat a wayward child, lost in phase. Celestia cursed herself again when she realized how much she was dwelling on the past. Reik did not understand the damage he was about to unleash, Equestria was about to fall into an era of darkness and repression and reminiscing about the past would bear no fruit. She gathered her thoughts. Two ponies appeared at the side of the travelling parade, one old and clad in an intricately woven night gown, Eric, the economic advisor. Beside him was a tall pony, bristling with muscle and armor, Max, the master of the guards. Both where flanked by the guards Celestia had dispatched for them.

“What is happening? Are we under attack?” Blurted Eric, he trembled with fear. Max flashed a look of annoyance at the shriveled pony. “Of course we’re under attack you old mule!” The two officials stared at each other, daring the other to make the first move. Celestia stepped between the two.

“Officials, the stability of Equestria is at stake, the only reason I called upon you two is because a veil has been cast over Canterlot, diminishing all forms of magic. Time is of the essence, the castle will be destroyed in only a few hours, I have already commanded that all guards that are not in pursuit of the revolutionaries to begin evacuations. Now be silent and listen.” The officials shrank with each word until each was but a sullen husk of its former state. Eventually Max cleared his throat and spoke.

“Who are we facing precisely?” Unlike Eric and Celestia, Max was employed after Reik’s banishment. Celestia answered, her voice was solemn. “My old political advisor, Reik. He was banished long ago for inciting rebellion, it was a forced decision that I regret.” Max’s expression sank, he had heard of this pony from the other ponies in the castle. He also knew who was with him. “Vladimir, one of my guards has gone missing an-” Celestia cut him off. “That is already established, since Reik’s banishment that guard has successfully arranged multiple caches of explosives across the city and they will be detonated in about two hours.” Max shrank at the response, slightly ashamed that one of his own had committed such an act. Eric regained his composure and stepped forward.

“Well, how far are we along in the evacuation efforts?” Celestia faced him. “The city will be cleared before the bombs detonate, of that I am sure.” Eric nodded and continued. “And what will become of Ponyville?” Celestia paused. She had gone over the situation multiple times, each time she hated her conclusion more and more. “They will have to endure. We do not have enough resources to evacuate them, and by the time we reach full strength, Reik’s plan will have reached fruition.” The three strongest figures in Canterlot stood in silence, a party of guards forming a circle around them. No pony objected, no pony even took a breath. It had been decided, they had just condemned an entire village to Reik’s wrath. The rolling wind outside the castles walls where all that could be heard. The guards along one edge of the defensive circle parted, bowing low as they stepped apart. The small purple form of Princess Luna stepped forward.

“Who is this Reik and why is he waging war against the castle?” her voice was similar to her older sisters, it commanded attention and recognition. Celestia approached her sister, comforted to see a kinder face than those who surrounded her. “He and his revolution are the ramifications of my mistakes. But you my sister will make the decisions for now; you will lead the citizens of Canterlot to saftey.” Every pony in the vicinity took in a sharp breath. Max advanced on Celestia. “What? Why will you not lead us, what is this?” His voice was shaky. “I will not abandon my subjects; I will not let them drown in my wrongdoings.” She waved away Max and Eric’s coming objections and continued to address her sister. “Can you accept these responsibilities Luna?” The princess’s younger sister wore a look of fear and confusion. Luna took a trembling step back. “Luna, we must all go through trials to prove our conviction and potential, I know you can do this.” Luna immediately removed her grimace and replaced it with a look of conviction, more in an effort to convince herself than for any actual reason. “Y-yes, I will do this, it will be done sister.” Celestia breathed a sigh of relief, happy to have at least one victory to be proud of. She approached one of the many stained glass windows that rested along the wall. She unlocked the mechanism attached the window and flung the panel open. A massive gust of freezing wind rushed into the hallway, causing many guards to break into sporadic shivers. “Guards, officials, sister, it has been wonderful having this conversation but unfortunately I must prepare for the occupation of Ponyville. Good luck to you all.” Celestia flung herself out the window and into the frigid winds. She fell for several seconds, relishing the freedom of falling. Her wings extended and caught the wind; she was flying, over, under, and around the twisting spires of Canterlot. She passed the burning ruin that was the guard’s headquarters. From above the city she saw ponies leaving their homes, guards ushering them along the avenues leading out of the doomed city.

Chapter 9: Fight or Flight

REIK CURSED LOUDLY and sharply drew his hoof away from the engine bloc of the flier. The unconscious owner of the dwelling groaned where he laid, several paces away near the door, right where Reik had left him. Reik, wanting both to keep his stealth maintained and to release some of his anger, scurried over to the pony’s prone form and gave him a sharp kick to the back of his head. The owners grew silent but Reik noted his continued breathing as he walked back to the flier. The air in the small garage was practically frozen and the moaning wind radiating from the bottom of the large retracting door taking up the garages back wall only added to the frigid motif. Reik continued his work on the flier’s engine, the vertical prop driven aircraft had three broken pistons out of its six. Reik had successfully replaced two of the pistons, which now lay in a hatefully discarded pile in a corner of the garage. Now he was working on removing the third piston. As he jerked and pulled at the cylinder, long ago forfeiting the old and broken tools, he heard the roar of a crowd outside. Quiet at first but growing in pitch. Reik froze in fear; visions of a massive mob dragging him through the streets of Canterlot to the steps of the keep filled his mind. The door was forcibly flung open as Reik rushed to hide his peaked cap. In the doorway stood a guard, young by his appearance and state of his shining armor hinted a recent recruit. Behind the guard Reik could see a massive parade of ponies marching down the street, Reik realized the city was being evacuated. Reik felt a small amount of warmth in his being, everything was going according to plan, but what of Vladimir, and he should have arrived by now.

“Sir, the city is being evacuated, gather what you need and follow the guards out of the city.” Reik suddenly registered that the guard was talking. He nodded sincerely. “Yes, thank you, err, you may leave I’ll only be a minute.” He casually stepped over to the workbench and pretended to gather the tools into a pile. The guard immediately turned to leave but stopped when his gaze fell upon the unconscious form of the houses true owner.

“What’s wrong with him?” The guard snapped, with both fear and suspicion in his voice. Reik turned from the workbench and stifled a gasp. He walked over to the sleeping pony, feigning concern. “Oh the poor old man must have drifted off; this new medicine he’s on really puts him out.” Reik spoke the planned back-story with ease; he had gone over the projected conversation in his head multiple times. The pony groaned slightly and twisted his limbs, Reik made a mental note of the infectivity of his non-lethal attacks. Reik, with the help of the young guard, pulled the pony to his shaking feet. Reik gave the guard an innocent and convincing tone. “Would you be so kind as to help him out of the city, I have things to prepare and he is in such a weak state.” Behind his mask of compassion, Reik was virtually radiating panic. Get out, get out, get out, his mind screamed, he glanced at his watch. Ten-twenty, the bombs were set to detonate at roughly midnight, Reik heavily doubted Vladimir’s skills in demolitions, so his life was not in immediate jeopardy but he was supposed to be on the ground by now, gathering the elements of harmony. To his relief the guard gave a crisp nod and took the old pony’s weight and began lifting him out the door. He turned to Reik before leaving and spoke. “Be quick, we need to escape, err, leave the city as soon as possible, oh, excuse me sir.” Reik grumbled to himself as he moved to shut the door. If the guards are that bad at hiding their own fear then it is a mystery how they would deal with a full on mass panic. Another issue with the status quo he thought to himself. As Reik closed the portal, a massive hoof shot out of the doors corner and blocked His attempt. Reik backed away as the door flung inwards. In the doorway stood a giant, Reik backed up to the tool bench, searching out of the corner of his eye for weapon to use against the intruder. The giant stepped into the dwelling and turned to shut the door. Reik took advantage of the giants pause and launched himself at him, more as a sign of defiance than a legitimate attack. The giant, still turned around, extended his back hoof to meet Reik’s charge. He was thrust back from the blow and sprawled out upon the floor. The giant turned and advanced on the prone pony. Reik breathed a sudden sigh of relief as his suspected attacker entered the light.

Vladimir gazed down at Reik, a confused look on his face. Reik chuckled and rose to his feet. The cold numbed his being.

“Sorry comrade, you frightened me.” He smiled and looked at his friend. Vladimir still held a confused look on his face. Reik paused and examined his friend. Vladimir was a mess. His helmet was gone and several aspects of his armor where either torn asunder or missing entirely. His front was covered in soot and he reeked of black powder. The black substance hung in clumps onto his mane. The area in and around his ears where caked in dried blood. Reik, immediately understanding the problem rushed to Vladimir’s side. He produced a stolen magnified monocle from his coat pocket. Before his passion for politics, Reik prided himself on the vast expanse of medical books in his study as a young colt. Although the ears were not specifically his forte, Reik had a decent understanding of what his comrade was experiencing. Reik peeled away flakes of the dark red crust and gazed into the ear canal. A ruptured eardrum became easily apparent. Evidently Vladimir had been a tad too close to the rocket during launch. The damage did not seem too severe, the damage would heal and Vladimir would hear again, but not after at least three weeks. Reik shook his head and looked to Vladimir.

“What is the damage comrade?” Reik cringed at his friends booming voice. Seeing this, Vladimir lowered his volume. “Will I be ok?” Reik nodded and told the grey pony that it would be at least three weeks, making sure to exaggerate lip movement so Vladimir could understand. The two stood in solemn silence, once again the revolution had hit a brick wall. Reik returned to his work on the flyer, lost in his own form of denial. Vladimir's head snapped up. He walked over to Reik and spoke, silently and loudly due to his impaired senses. "The aspects of harmony." Reik didn't break his gaze with the machine in front of him, the piston clicked as it left the engine block. "Elements, my friend, elements." Vladimir continued, unable to hear the remark. "They are magic, so could we possibly repair my ears." Reik paused. He looked to his friend grinning widely. "Vladimir, where would I be without you?" Vladimir looked at his friend oddly, Reik remembered his disability. He pointed to the flyer, signaling its functionality and the completion of his work. Vladimir climbed into the aircraft; his training in this particular vehicle during his stay in the royal guard would now prove its worth. Reik marched over to the far end of the garage and flipped a small switch located on the side of a control panel bolted to the wall. Upon his action the metal garage door creaked into life. It pulled above the entrance and disappeared into the ceiling’s framework.

The first thing to hit Reik was the wind, not nearly as strong as what it once was but still causing his bones to shake and rattle. But as if in some hidden exchange, in absence of the wind there was snow, it rained down on Canterlot in a slow motion monsoon. The garage sat on the outskirts of the third level, across a few blocks worth of roofs, Reik could see the great wall that represented the barrier between the great capital and the unforgiving fury of nature. Reik felt a twinge of sorrow at the coming destruction of the great city. He began to hope that the capital of his new nation would be even half as great as the one that spanned out before him.

“Comrade, time is a luxury we don’t have.” Vladimir’s remark pulled Reik from his thoughts and he reluctantly walked back into the garage. He pushed the machine out of the garage, just barley clipping the rotor blades on the exit as he did so. As Vladimir adjusted the controls and mumbled to himself in his own foreign language, Reik walked back into the garage to gather up his possessions he left on the workbench. The talisman sank into his coat pocket swiftly and was followed by a small dagger he had relived the old home owner of, served him right for attacking me with Reik thought. The design of the blade was vaguely familiar to Reik, it had popped up numerous times in his studies and the curved design shared by both the hilt and blade where interesting to him. A ‘Karambit’ they called it, a very common farming tool in the east. Reik gently placed the weapon into its sheath before placing it into his coat pocket. The door suddenly blew off its hinges and fell to the wooden floor as Reik placed the peaked cap on his head.

Apparently the old pony had come to his senses for the young guard Reik had left the old one with was standing behind the tall brute that broke down the door.

“Yes, that’s him, that’s the communist!” the young guard shouted, his voice cracked with suppressed panic, the secret was now officially out. Reik looked back at Vladimir, the grey pony had already started the engine and the rotor where spinning with such force that the shook the aircrafts frame. His comrade’s face pleaded with him to board the flyer. Reik didn’t take a single step backwards; he wouldn’t leave this city without giving his opponents something to legitimately fear. He was not acting out of hatred, every movement and thought was as precise as the gears of a watch. The karambit hissed as it left the protective sheath and the blade shined in the dim lighting. The brute charged Reik, roaring at the top of his lunges. Reik searched his memory for some ounce of useful knowledge. The memorized techniques and movements of the weapon he was armed with responded to the mental call. He mechanically sidestepped to the left and brought the curved blade into a slashing motion, Reik was pleasantly surprised as the blade made a mockery of the guard’s armor. Wanting to avoid unnecessary death, Reik targeted his enemies leg tendons, a wet tearing followed by a deep scream filled the room. The revolutionary had successfully severed the tendons in the guard’s forward and back legs along his right flank and the brute fell into a screaming heap onto the floor. Reik, disregarding the gasps of the guard’s allies, turned and fled to the flyer. Vladimir pulled hard on a cord next to the pilot seat as his comrade jumped onto the aircraft. Immediately, the machine quickly rose into the air, shedding the falling snow with its rotating blades.

The flyer zoomed across the buildings, nearly crashing into numerous smoke stacks or spires. The wind whipped at Reik’s face forcing him to turn his head away from the oncoming snow. In-between blinks and rubbing his eyes Reik could have almost make out a large white pegesus flying far off in the distance. Before they made it far enough out and it disappeared behind the snow and clouds, Reik looked back at the massive city he had once called home. The snow and clouds parted momentarily like strangers would part when coming upon a photographer in mid shoot. From where they flew, all three levels of the city stood out against the mountain, without the clouds and storm blocking the sight, intricate streets, widow, walkways, and buildings could be seen as clear as if it was mid day. For a moment he forgot the monuments imperialistic significance, all the memories of his past in the great city became devoid of anger and sadness until only happens and joy remained. The vision was magnificent and Reik committed the sight to memory.

Chapter 10: Falling

THE FREZZING WIND and the shaking aircraft was all that Vladimir registered. His ears stopped throbbing a few hours ago, or at least he assumed it was hours, maybe it was minutes, Vladimir had lost track of time since he lost his watch. Whether it was lost in the escape or during the flight he didn’t dwell on the subject for long. The world moved around him in a silent ballet, the snow fell in hushed rhythm with the vehicles vibrations and he soon found a sense of beauty in his new silent world. Vladimir didn't know whether to laugh or cry at his friend's work, if you could call it work, on the flyer's engine. Only five out of the six pistons had been replaced, the sixth merely vented smoke and fire and the other five groaned with friction due to limited lubrication. Vladimir could hear the old machine groan with pain. He secretly lamented for the collection of scrap they were flying on, it cried out for aid, for a pause in the unrelenting labor of flight.

"Quiet my dear, I promise I'll lubricate you and repair your pistons once we land." Vladimir felt a tap on his shoulder and reluctantly turned to see Reik staring at him with a look of concern on his expression. Vladimir felt his face redden. "Sorry to disturb you comrade, just err, talking to the machine." Reik nodded in understanding, this was not the first time the two had caught the other in extra ordinary behaviors and they had both become aquatinted with each other’s quirks. The black pony's attention flashed to his documents. Reik lashed out at the collection of papers occupying half of his seat. He pinned several pages with his hooves and continued his work, fumbling to himself as he did so.

Ever since their journey started, Reik had been studying the handbook for the operation. Vladimir saw Reik scratch out everything from short sentences to entire paragraphs and begin writing crooked notes in the margins. This practice brought great unease to Vladimir's thoughts. The mission was still a mystery to him; Reik's rather miserable description of operation last contingency did nothing to satisfy Vladimir's questions. As he went over this topic of doubt, his mind soon shifted to thoughts about his lack of hearing. When he first realized the disability he was lost in panic, he felt lonely and scared of this sudden turn of events and wanted nothing more than to cry out in anguish. He no longer cared about the mission; he knew it was doomed as he panicked over his ringing ears. When he made it to through the swallowing crowd and into the garage he was immediately comforted by Reik's diagnosis. His hearing would return in time and the thought of repairing them further with the talisman filled Vladimir with relief and comfort. Yes the mission was still on the brink of failure and his damaged ears only increased the scales against them but Vladimir’s relief would not be stemmed. The grey pony had a sudden thought as he examined their predicament. They were in the middle of a revolution, the likes of which would shape all of Equestria. They had just invoked the wrath of one of the most powerful beings in existence, and their so-called master plan was being re written this very moment but in spite of all these overwhelming factors, a deaf guard and an anti social politician had a legitimate chance at victory. If that one had told me that we might be situation like this when, I probably would have dismissed that little pony as insane, thought Vladimir. With a short chuckle, Vladimir focused on the task before him.

The dark sky spread out before him, endless and barren like being lost in the deepest cave. The snowfall had lessened significantly and visibility was beyond what Vladimir had expected. Vladimir peered over the edge of the flyer to get some sort of bearing. Below the duo, the ground raced past them, Vladimir piloted the machine along a twisting path, hoping it would lead him to whatever their destination was. As they moved above a snow covered field, the empty ground turned to foliage and the path they where tracking disappeared below a tree line. Vladimir was scanning the empty forest for a landmark or any other form of guidance as the engine bloc detonated in a haze of sparks and smoke.
It had lessened significantly since their departure, and visibility was much better than Vladimir had anticipated. He carefully leaned over to observe the land below him, below the flyer laid a dense forest, the top canopy of which covered by a thin layer of snow. A snaking trail moved along the terrain and the lamps and torches of weary travelers dotted the trail. The engine bloc detonated in a cloud of smoke and sparks as Vladimir wondered to himself why any pony would be out in such weather.

REIK JAMMED THE pieces of parchment into his coat pocket as he stared in surprise at the smoking engine. Three pistons had been immediately ejected from the machine and black smoke billowed out of the empty cavities. The remaining two pistons screeched in their sockets, metal scrapped against metal, sparks spat out of the wrecked machine in and singed Reik’s hat. The black pony looked to Vladimir in outraged shock as his comrade peered over the flyers edge, starring in bliss at the forest beneath them. Reik lashed at Vladimir, alerting him of the disaster.

“The engine just exploded you deaf fool!” He roared, disregarding his friend’s inability to register the insult. Reik stuck his comrade across the back of his head sharply. Vladimir’s head turned quickly, a look of anger suddenly turning to fear as he realized the status of the stricken craft. Vladimir and Reik shared a looked of pure, uncorrupted horror as the rotor blades came apart and was casted from the sky and into the dark forest.

Chapter 11: Plans, Plans, Plans

TWILIGHT’S THROAT BURNED as she charged through the Everfree forest, her hoofs screamed as they were assaulted by thorns and pitfalls. Zecora’s hut, the location of an emergency tribunal, appeared through gaps in the dark foliage. Twilight came to a slow stop, her chest rising and falling franticly. She tore the message from her bag and examined it for what she assumed must have been the hundredth time.

“Twilight, come to Zecora’s hut immediately, come alone.”

The words where scratched onto the parchment, enhancing the gravity of the situation. Twilight read the one line three times before replacing it back in her bag, she approached the dark hut. The darkness and freezing winds swallowed her. Twilight was afraid, terror held her in its firm embrace. She was no stranger to danger or harm, she had always placed the well being of her friends and Equestria before her own without question, but in those trials she knew what faced her. She knew her enemy, her knowledge of the threat was defined her strength. But this time her mind was blank, Twilight had known of the black pony that threatened Equestria, she had even spoken with him on some occasions, but she knew nothing of his strategies, his tendencies, his allies, or even the strange theory he created during his time in the castle. Twilight knew nothing, and the sudden lapses in her magical ability only added to her panic. Twilight felt as if she had already failed the task Celestia would charge her with. Twilight felt useless. She steadied her breathing, attempting to maintain some form of sense in her being, and stepped into the hut.

The air in the cramped hut was boiling, not in the sense of heat but in power, Twilight immediately felt a surge of energy. It was as if the veil that hung over ponyville had suddenly been lifted, Twilight sensed her magical potential rising, she felt lighter, and stronger, the sensation was intoxicating. Twilight, her mind still fixed upon the room’s aura, tripped over a bucket, announcing her presence to the huts two other occupants.

"Twilight, come here, I need to explain some things to you." Celestia's voice was solemnly calm, like she had just made a regretful decision. Twilight approached the princess, now noticing the hunched form of the zebra Zecora. The zebra sat at the base of a large cauldron that bubbled with an ever changing hue of colors. Zecora tossed random bones, rocks, and grasses into the container in-between incoherent mumbling in her foreign language. As Twilight approached the dark cauldron she saw Celestia casually toss a scroll into the liquid, the parchment burst into a blue colored inferno as it touched the pots contents, disappearing instantly. Celestia turned to Twilight, her eyes were devoid of the compassion and understanding they once held, instead they held only a grim determination and sorrow.

“Did you know a pony named Reik?” Celestia’s gaze was bolted to the small purple pony before her. Twilight gave a quick bow and cleared her throat. “Not really, I, err, we weren’t, uh.” Twilight’s shaking voice was cut off by Celestia’s “He was my political advisor for many years; during his time in office he created a new system of government which also included plans to overthrow me. Without my consent he was expelled from Canterlot and declared an outlaw. Now he is back to put those plans into action.” The cauldron let out a low grumble and in a flash of orange light, a small scroll was flung from the mix. The scroll drifted lazily in the air before being quickly snatched by the princess who read it quickly before letting out a long sigh. Celestia once again turned to twilight. “But tonight he not only infiltrated the castle, he escaped with documents and a magical talisman.” Celestia turned to a small desk along a wall of the hut and began writing on a piece of parchment, leaving her student to her own thoughts.

Twilight stood motionless, her mind applied her knowledge to the situation, holes where filled, questions answered, but more quickly where they replaced by more questions. “Why can’t I use my magic?” Celestia answered without breaking concentration on the parchment or the worn quill levitating over it. “Zecora tells me the talisman belonged to her kind. They locked it away in a temple but Reik must have acquired it during our visit to that land. I believe he is using the talisman to dampen any and all forms of magic in the vicinity of ponyville, luckily Zecora created this portal that counter acts the talisman and allows me to keep in contact with the outside world.” Twilight spoke as soon as the princess finished. “Do we know what Reik is planning?” Celestia finished writing the message and quickly tossed it into the cauldron. “No, we can only wait at this time.” Twilight continued her curiosity insatiable. “Why did you call me here?” Celestia didn’t face the purple pony, instead reaching for another scroll. “Because, my magic is limited outside of this hut, and even in here I don’t fully know what is going on. I will need you to return here as often as possible and keep me updated on the situation in Ponyville. Now go, warn the ponies in the village.” Twilight nodded proudly and turned to exit, eager to aid her distressing princess. She stopped in the doorway, one question remained. “Why did you stay, it’s incredibly dangerous for you to be anywhere near here.” Celestia faced Twilight, turning away from the cauldron and bringing herself to full stature. Even in such unremarkable conditions, to Twilight the sight was inspiring. “This was my mistake, I forced my kingdom into this strife, I will lead it out, I will not leave and subject my subjects to his wrath.” The words hung in the air, unopposed save for Zecora’s quiet chants.

IT IS ALWAYS easier to die, to succumb to fate and the choices of others. These where Reik’s first thoughts as he regained consciousness, he groaned loudly and tried to rise. The air, contrary to his assumption, although cold, was nowhere near the freezing winds he expected. The wooden floorboards creaked as he tried to get a decent footing.

“Welcome back to the realm of the living.” The female tone was calm and positive. Reik opened his eyes for the first time but they were immediately overwhelmed by light, he shut them in agony. “Let your eyes adjust.” The voice was closer, right next to him. For the second time, Reik opened his eyes, although not completely adjusted; they brought him back into the world. The room was familiar, cloths and silks hung in tatters everywhere. Dresses and coats lay in heaps across the floor. Sewing machines rested on a desk, covered in cobwebs and dust. A flare shot up in his memory. This was the home of Iris, the seamstress. Reik shifted his gaze to the female pony before him. She stood at his side; a slight grin on her face, her mane was red, a pair of wings rested on her flank, and a golden tail rested on her rear. A gear wheel was her cutie mark and a set of brass goggles concealed her eyes. Her mane was dotted with black spots and powder burns, she reeked of coal. To Reik she was a stranger. “You are not Iris.” The red pony removed her goggles, exposing her unblemished brown eyes. “I am Iris, you’re not one for remembering ponies are you?” Her tone was playful, as if they had known each other for a lifetime. “Iris had a different cutie mark; it was a thread and needle.” The red pony turned and began walking down a hallway. Reik followed at a distance, his caution took precedence over his curiosity. “A little bit of makeup can go a long way my friend.” Reik continued to follow Iris, the hallway ended at a wooden door. Iris began clearing piles of dresses from the doorway. “I didn’t know we were friends, and while we’re on the topic of questions, why is a pony with a cog for a cutie mark the owner of one of the most successful clothing shops?” Reik didn’t bother with subtlety, paranoia had saved him numerous times in the past and he was not about to abandon it in the midst of revolution. Iris responded with mock hurt. “For one that speaks of equality for all, you’re not very friendly.” She finished clearing the debris and rounded on Reik, her tone suddenly aggressive. “I saved you and your friend’s lives so be a little bit more respectful when you speak to me in my house.” She starred Reik down, Reik remained resolute. “I apologize, but in this situation, you must understand my caution.” Iris’s expression changed again to one of friendliness. “Better, now with regards to my cutie mark, I hate my profession, dresses, sewing, I hate it.” Reik looked upon Iris with curiosity. “Then why dedicate your life to it?” Iris turned towards the door, fumbling with a complex system of locks. “My mother was a seamstress, her mother was seamstress, and her mother was a seamstress. I don’t think a pony from my family would be welcome in any other profession.” Her tone was dismissive, as if this reality no longer fazed her. Reik continued his questioning. “Then what do you like? What is your calling?” Iris finished with the assortment of locks on the door and with a hoof on the doorknob, faced Reik, a subtle grin on her features. “Machines, I have more compassion for a single locking mechanism than a newborn.” With a small chuckle, Iris opened the portal and stepped through, Reik quickly following.

“No, no, no the government owns the means of production, and since the workers are the government, it is the workers that own the means of production.” Vladimir said with an irritated voice. The farmer George sat across from him at the small table in what Reik assumed was once the living room. Iris motioned for Reik to join the others as she went to inspect a pair of broken clocks. “Well Vladimir, I see you’ve regained your hearing.” Reik said calmly as he approached the two ponies; the sight of the large grey pony arguing with the small brown farmer made Reik chuckle. “Comrade, that talisman, it cured me, I don’t know how but it works!” Reik took his place at the wooden table. “That is good news, George; I didn’t expect to see you here.” The brown farmer shrank slightly at Reik’s attention.

“T-thank you, um, I found you and Vladimir next to the crashed flyer and, well, I couldn’t just take you into town, so I went to Iris, I knew she would have a solution.” Reik nodded in appreciation, bringing a proud grin from George. “How is your wife?” Reik asked. “I told her to leave Ponyville, I didn’t want her to be here if things go bad, but don’t worry she is safe.” George said, half mumbling. Reik turned to Vladimir. ”Well my friend, we’ve escaped the clutches of death, and our stealth is still intact.” Immediately remembering the plan, Reik checked his watch, eleven-thirty one. Reik’s heart virtually stopped.

“Comrade, is something wrong?” Vladimir asked, noticing his friend’s forlorn expression. “We’re out of time, we’re out of time, the revolution is failing, how long where we unconscious, no wait, that doesn’t matter.” Reik began pacing the room, panic slowly gaining more ground in his being. “Calm down, what’s wrong?” Iris had abandoned her work on the machines and entered the conversation. “The bombs, the caches, Canterlot will be a bonfire at midnight, its thirty minutes till midnight!” Reik practically screamed. Vladimir rose. “Canterlot is quite a ways away, there’s a blizzard out there and everypony except us is asleep, control yourself.” Reik was overcome with reason, they were right, the night had just begun and they still held the advantage. He must maintain composure, his strength was his mind, without it, he was doomed. “Yes, thank you comrade.” Vladimir sat, satisfied that his friend was once again calm. “But I must ask, Reik.” Vladimir’s tone was casual. “Where are our reinforcements?” Reik looked at Vladimir with pained confusion. “Our what?” he asked. Vladimir continued. “The army of revolutionaries you where busy gathering since your exile, when will they come into play?” Reik knew this moment would come eventually; better now than later he thought. “We’re it Vladimir.” The grey pony didn’t register the reality. “What?” he murmured. Reik tried, for naught unfortunately, to keep an inspiring and uplifting tone. “The four ponies assembled here are all that exists of the Communist party of Equestria.”

Chapter 13: Applejack and the Inferno

THIRTY MINUTES AGO: The cache located under the observatory was the first to detonate. The crumbling building was soon engulfed by the debris and dust caused by several minor caches around the great structure. Five seconds later, halfway across the Castle, what remained of the royal guards headquarters quickly disappeared in an artistic display of pure, fiery chaos. The falling masonry destroyed multiple, undetonated caches, disrupting the carefully planned network of annihilation. Within twenty seconds, the entire castle was shrouded in dust; it filled the air like a plague. If anypony remained within the doomed fortress, their lungs would quickly have shriveled and failed in such an environment. The empty and vacant streets away from the epicenter hummed with the distant explosions in an ironic orchestra.

Twenty Minutes ago: Although disrupted, the smaller chains of connection shared by the small caches continued. The great school of magic disintegrated as multiple explosives detonated simultaneously within the confines of its great structure. Several flying chunks of burning debris flew away from the school and into random parts of the city, like chunks of burning rock flung from a fierce volcano. Combined with the constant explosions from minor caches and the burning husks that where once magnificent buildings, a roaring symphony of destruction washed across the city, unending, eternal, and without any hint of dissipation. Thirty seconds later, the royal library was engulfed in flames. The red haze washed over the masonry and any texts the building previous occupants had been unable to save, soon the writings, desks, stairs, and bookcases disappeared and all that remained was the stone skeleton. The fires thirst for oxygen caused a massive updraft across the streets of Canterlot, air was swept towards the bonfire and small fire tornados appeared in the streets. The sudden rush of oxygen intensified the already massive fire. The city soon became engulfed in a firestorm, it rushed through the narrow roads and streets of the city, destroying all things in its path. The great gardens and forest scattered amongst the buildings disappeared in a great wave of red and orange. The great hedge maze was swallowed by a chocking black wave as the greenery slowly burned.

Ten minutes ago: The royal throne room and its surrounding extensions where the last to be destroyed, the fire alone could not breach the buildings stone defenses, and was kept at bay until the burning firestorm swept the city. The holocaust broke through the doors and windows in a grand tsunami of fire and smoke. Stained glass shattered, tapestries shriveled into ash, and the masonry of the great hall cracked magnificently. Nothing survived its indifferent rampage. Monuments, shops, shrines, homes, not one structure was sparred as the once great city blew itself apart. Smoke drifted above the pyre that was once Canterlot and the small black pillars born from fire united into one great cloud of smoke and darkness. The dark pillar climbed higher and higher into the sky, like an automaton, bent on achieving its objective. Soon, the black shroud blocked the generous light of the moon out completely and the surrounding area was cast into a further state of darkness.

APPLEJACK SNAPED OUT of her daze, she quickly scanned the surrounding area, cautious to anypony that may have seen her slacking. Applejack breathed a short sigh of relief when her search returned no cause for alarm. It must have been midnight and she had sitting on the outskirts of her farm for what she assumed, had been three hours. A few chickens had escaped their cope five days ago and where the culprits of numerous cases of stolen grain. She had eagerly volunteered to stay up and watch for the culprits for reasons she had long since lost recollection of to the cold. The weather looked to be the most frigid she had ever seen, and winter had just begun. With a quick shiver, Applejack adjusted her hat and continued along the path leading through the perimeter of her family’s farm. The apple trees seemed to mold together into an impenetrable wall whenever the tired earth pony tried to see beyond what lie directly ahead of her and Applejack soon lost faith in her search and turned around to begin the trek home. Applejack cursed her endurance. If I can’t find a few lost chickens, how can I manage to make it through the winter? She thought. With that last thought, her mind was full of problems, the chickens, Applebloom, the house, her friends; stress began to build up, as it usually did when her mind shifted into such a state of stress. But these occasions where common and just like all the other times, she calmed herself with the usual remark.

“Now you’ve been through worse, you’ve always faced it with courage and what not and there’s absolutely no reason I can’t do it again. Applejack realized she had spoken aloud and quickly turned her head to check for anypony that may have seen such an embarrassing act. Slowly realizing the silliness of searching for a witness in the middle of a frozen apple farm, the orange pony chuckled softly and continued on her way. The trail cut its way through the trees like a stake through dirt and the Apple family residence soon came into view through the brush, the structure seemed to glow with perceived warmth and Applejack felt a rush of calmness and comfort at its sight. With a gentle sigh of relief, she let her pace slacken. She stopped, her ears sharpened.

“NO, THAT IS not her, Apple-whatever it is, is yellow.” Vladimir said as he peaked over the boulder. The orange pony they had been stalking for the past ten minutes stood still a few feet from their refuge. Almost immediately he was kicked into submission by Reik.

“Quiet you fool, and get down before she see’s you.” Reik whispered sharply. Vladimir turned on him sharply and gave him a questioning look, adjusting his form as not to expose himself as he did so.

“Applejack is orange comrade; did you even read the manifest I gave you?” Reik’s tone had become increasingly urgent and easily annoyed since the destruction of Canterlot and his patience for the grey pony was being severely strained. With a mumbled curse he dug around in one of his coats pocket and produced the odd blade he had previously stole from the flyer owner and had used to mangle one of the royal guards. The black pony inched across the ground, dragging his chest across the snow covered dirt as he did so. Reik fumbled with the blade as he tried to find his preys reflection on the blades metal. Vladimir watched with a look of disgust until his patience could no longer be restrained. He rose to full height and marched ahead of his comrade, towards the orange pony.

“You would not last a day in the royal guard friend.” The grey pony whispered to Reik’s prone form as he trotted away from him, his hooves crunching the thin layer of snow beneath them. Silently, Reik replaced the blade to its pocket and closely followed Vladimir towards Applejack, mumbling to himself as he went.

APPLEJACK WATCHED SUSPICIOUSLY as a grey pony rose from behind a boulder, no, she discovered a second; a shorter, black pony following the larger one. Applejack was unnerved to see other ponies, ponies she had never seen, out in such weather and viewed them with warranted doubt. As they approached, Applejack could make out more and more details about the strangers. The grey one wore a worn and incomplete set of armor that had clearly gone through some trauma. A large cut ran down the, what Applejack assumed to be guards, lower lip and dried blood was collected around his ears. The Black one wore a large, similarly worn, great coat and a cap covered his head obscuring his eyes. Both of them where shivering and as they advanced, each expressed some kind of limp or similar restricted movement. While their appearance was crude and worn, they still brought about a great feeling of unease in Applejack. The orange pony realized they were advancing without sign of relent and with a short, instinctive adjustment of her stance, Applejack called out.

“That’s close enough partners.” She immediately regretted the fearful tone her statement but regardless, she held her ground. The pair immediately stopped at the command, they stood silently several yards from Applejack. After a short pause the two became lost in whispers to one another. The grey one spoke quickly but with purpose while they black one talked much quicker and with obvious concern. Applejack watched with a slowly growing sense of curiosity, she took a slow step forward and called out again, the frigid wind made her jaw shiver, slowing her speech. “Anything important you fell’ers wanted to talk about?” The two strangers snapped out of their personal argument and eyed the orange pony as if for the first time. The grey opened and closed his mouth as if to say something, yet no voice was heard. With an audible grunt, the shorter black pony pushed his partner aside and advanced ahead of him. The black pony called out in a grim tone full of urgency and devoid of positivity.

“Would you happen to know a pony by the name of Applejack comrade?” The last word caught Applejack of guard, she had never heard the phrase and although the black ponies accent was similar to other ponies of the region, the way he spoke hinted at a foreign lifestyle, as if he’d traveled to many places, seen many things. Remembering he had just asked a question, Applejack answered hastily.

“I’m Applejack, can I help you with anything.” The grey pony’s eyes widened and snapped to his partner. The black pony lifted his head, exposing a thin grin, the kind of grin you’d see on a mischievous colt after a successful plot, and a pair of cold, calculating blue eyes. A sudden feeling of dread overcame Applejack, subconsciously, her mind outlined escape routes behind her, her heart rate quickened, and she extended a shivering hoof backwards. The black pony took a step forward, a still and sly step forward, his form stopped shivering, as if the cold lost all control over him. The black pony called out in an unforgiving tone as his ally cantered up next to him.

“None of that comrade, we’re on the clock if you didn’t know and running would only ruin it more so.” His voice was strong and assured, like that of a dictator. He dug deeply around his coat pocket until he produced a small stone. With his grin growing into a broad smile, he extended the stone towards Applejack. Silence, there was only silence as the freezing wind whipped across the farm and over the three ponies. The black pony stood for several seconds until his smile slowly formed into a grimace. He violently shook the stone and brought it close to his eye for some kind of inspection. Applejack, seeing a break in the stranger’s concentration, took manual control of her legs and ran. The last thing she saw before breaking into an all out charge, a pointless charge not meant for reaching a destination but for simply fleeing the villain before her, was the black ponies partner marching up and snatching the stone from the others hoof. Applejack ran franticly for several short seconds before collapsing to the ground in an unconscious heap.

“I-I’VE K-KILLED HER, I just killed h-her.” Vladimir said between incoherent mumblings. The smoking talisman that had just shot a blue beam of electricity at the fleeing earth pony sat in on his extended hoof Reik raced up to the collapsed pony and checked for signs of life. “What is this thing Reik, I just killed somepony!” Reik, after prodding Applejack in several locations snatched the talisman from the shaking hooves of Vladimir and examined it with much more interest than he had done with the prone being before him. “She isn’t dead comrade; the extraction must have either exhausted her or caused enough damage to force unconsciousness, most likely the former.” Reik said with a nearly positive tone. Vladimir exhaled strongly and sat next to his friend, who cradled the talisman in his hooves, the talisman that Vladimir now realized that was emitting small claws of orange lightning. “What just happened comrade?” Vladimir said quietly, eyeing the rock with wonder and awe. Reik rose quickly, his fatigue and injuries forgotten, he looked upon Vladimir with a broad grin. “We just captured the element of honesty my friend.” Before Vladimir could look upon the stone further, Reik pocketed the instrument; a faint glow could be seen through the fading fabric of the black pony’s coat. Reik immediately spoke with a tone Vladimir had not heard for quite some time, one of glee and determination. “the time for celebration will come my friend, but we still have work to do, one down five to go, do away with your fatigue for this revolution has only just begun, but first, help me with the body.”

Chapter 14: Fluttershy and Rarity

*No pony is going to take you seriously if you don’t get your hooves dirty my ignorant friend*

**So leaving an innocent bystander to freeze will somehow benefit my reputation, you’d make a brilliant advisor**

*I thought we agreed that there was no innocence in Equestria, just varying degrees of guilt.*

**I was pulled from the burning wreckage of a flyer a few hours ago so pardon me if I can’t recall a few of our conversations**

*Excuses, excuses, excuses, I was in that crash too and I remember it, but then again I can remember a lot of things you evidently cant*

**Like what?**

*Hmmmmm, Hermmmmm, how aboooout, a time when you weren’t a radical maniac that forgot what he’s fighting for.*

**You’re false assumption aside, I thought you always wanted me to fail, what’s with the sudden change of heart**

*Nothing in our physical and metaphysical world would please me more than to see you fail but this mess you’ve dug yourself into isn’t the kind of mess one can bounce back from.*

**If I wanted a mother I would’ve stayed at home**

Reik immediately repressed several memories of his parents and the short time he had spent in their home to the back of his mind.

*I saw that, don’t go suppressing memories just because you can’t deal with them, you’ve changed my friend*

**And this is coming from the pony-**

*Pony? And I thought I was the one who had no grip on reality*

**Metaphysical pony who can’t stay on one subject for more than ten seconds**

*For a pony so quick to call me on logical errors you just committed tu quoque, wait, so did I, or did I, watch out for that rock*

VLADIMIR STOPPED AS the black pony following him lost his footing and fell into the snow. His friend quickly regained his footing and marched into the lead. The grey pony noted the sudden reddening of his friend’s face, through embarrassment or the cold he could not determine. The wind lashed at the pair as they made their way away from the Apple farm and towards Ponyville. Vladimir’s voice broke the frigid silence.

“I don’t think that red pony at the farm bought my story Reik, I don’t like the way he looked at me.” Upon returning the unconscious Applejack to the Apple farm residence, Reik and Vladimir where met with the suspicious gaze of Big Macintosh, Vladimir despite Reik’s reassurance, was convinced their ‘Knocked out by a falling branch’ lie had been as effective as planned. Reik remained silent, as if locking out his friend. The grey pony worried for his smaller ally, his silence was foreboding and his constant references to his watch where unnerving. The grand scheme entered Vladimir’s thoughts and his voice sounded again.

“Comrade, which pony is next?” Reik nodded quickly and dug the manifest out of his coat pocket and unraveled it, his hooves failing to cooperate fully due to the cold. He spoke quickly, taking practically no breath between phrases.

“With Applejack we have five to go, unless the layout for this village has changed during my absence, and it most likely has, we should be near the residence of the dress maker Rarity, afterwards, the pony Pinkie Pie lives at the Sugar cube corner establishment, she would be the next logical point, anything to add friend?” Vladimir took several seconds to take in the quickly dealt information before responding. A few buildings began to appear through the wind as the pair entered Ponyville.

“Good my friend, but I think from now on we should stick to the shadows instead of marching down the streets, if we are to maintain our advantage.” Reik nodded as he returned the parchment to its pocket. He pulled his cap down to cover his features as the pair disappeared into one of many darkened alleyways.

“IM A DRESSMAKER not a coat factory, no pony buys dresses in the winter, this is a catastrophe!” Rarity moaned, as she lay huddled under her work desk. Her purple hair had become a tattered mess and her mane had become grimy during her time in this state of emergency. Fluttershy stood beside the desk, her head poking under the table every few minutes to calm her fearful friend.

“Everything is going to be fine, um, you’ll just-” Her hushed tone was cut off by another fit of misery.

“I don’t know what I’ll do, I can’t make coats, but I have to do something!” Another fit of tears followed this particular outburst and Fluttershy stood silently to the side, ignorant of how to deal with such a situation. Rarity had been in this state for the past week and no improvements had been made since but while others had written it off as but another phase of hers, Fluttershy had risen to comfort her friend in a time of discomfort. Now it seemed that the small act of kindness had been for naught. It was late, the weather outside looked less and less hospitable with each minute and her friends outbursts where the only thing keeping the silent pony from dozing off. Fluttershy slowly leaned under the desk and began humming a soothing tune she hoped, more out of desperation than practicality, would aid the miserable form of Rarity. The white pony’s cries only intensified as her friend sung the tune. Fluttershy abruptly stopped and rose from her kneeling position. Leaving her friend to her quiet whimpering, the Pegasus moved away from the desk and towards one of the large windows that occupied the buildings walls. Upon drawing back the curtain hanging above the portal, Fluttershy was met with the dark image of midnight in Ponyville. Snow was heaped in piles along the road and street lamps created pillars of light in the darkness illuminating the falling snow. Was it not for the context of her predicament, Fluttershy would have felt calm and relaxed. The falling snow had a peculiar effect on her; it was easing, almost like a silent lullaby. Fluttershy's head began to slowly lower until the whole frame collapsed and her mind drifted into the realm of sleep.

A sharp knocking tore Fluttershy from her slumber. Upon closer examination the room appeared empty. The yellow pony assumed that her friend had since gone upstairs. The sharp knocking resumed and Fluttershy scanned the room for its source. The timid pony sprang from her pose towards the door, fumbling with the knob as she tried to open the portal. Once the bolt was relived of its placement, the door swung open with the force of the wind. Fluttershy winced at the sudden rush of cold air but upon a short change of stance, the blast of wind became blocked by some unseen force. As her eyes readjusted, the small pony noticed the two ponies standing before her. A large one clad in broken, half complete armor, the one that was currently protecting her from the winters wrath and another shrouded in a dark cloak with a cap concealing his features. The two where shivering and said nothing. Fluttershy was at a lost. These ponies were clearly lost and in need of shelter but at the same time, they had an air about them of unease. Choosing kindness over caution, Fluttershy motioned the strangers to enter, which they complied with. As the pair entered the dwelling Fluttershy overheard them in deep conference with each other. They spoke in sinister whispers and flashed suspicious glances towards her as they advanced to the center of the room. When the pair stopped, so too did their conversation, the two parties faced off, staring blankly at each other. Fluttershy sunk under their gaze and the silence only added to the awkward motif. Finally the smaller of the two strangers stepped forward, he cleared his throat and spoke. Expecting a harsh, weathered, and smaller tone, Fluttershy was surprised to hear a strong, commanding, and determined voice. He was calm, his tone in no way reflected his appearance and the cold appeared to have no power over him.

"Is this the residence of the one named Rarity?" Asked the black pony. Fluttershy, shrinking under his intimidation, answered slowly and quietly.

"Y-yes, um, are-" The black pony quickly interrupted.

"My apologies, but where is miss Rarity, and if you don't mind, who are you?" Fluttershy whimpered quietly before answering. To her, the wind outside seemed to halt, intensifying the conversation.

"She is, um, up stairs and, I'm, F-Fluttershy." Before she even had time to wince at her own timidness, the two ponies shared a brief conversation before the shorter one parting from his friend. He walked past Fluttershy, as she was not there, or even if she was that she was just an obstacle. As Fluttershy watched the black pony continue away from her and towards the stairs, she noted out of the corner of her vision, the larger pony withdrawing a small stone from his possession.

Reik disregarded the sudden flash of light, the short squeal of terror, and the thump of a collapsing pony as he made his way up the stairs. The black pony smiled broadly on their stroke of luck, time was now just a lesser enemy in his grand plan. Reik's mind rested upon his current state of mind, he expected to feel a rush, perhaps a robotic form of efficiency when he stepped into this peculiar house, yet he felt nothing. He felt almost bored with the whole predicament. He compared it to arguing with someone you knew was but was still required to argue with.

*Funny thing about those arguments, because you're not as committed and devoted to the argument, you are already inclined to lose, but hey, you're the political mastermind*

Disregarding the internal thought. Reik rounded on the door he assumed to be Rarity's. The warrant for which was the sounds of dismay emanating from within. Tired of dealing with the ridiculous paradigms of his fellow ponies, Reik opened the door to its full extent and marched into the room.

The room was the definition of bourgeois idiocy to Reik. A fine crafted bed, an elaborate coach, and small aspects of her class strewn about the room. Then again, this is Rarity, who aside from Applejack is the embodiment of Capitalism in Ponyville. The white pony sprung from her position of misery on her couch and faced Reik. Her tone was well bred but, as Reik noticed, contained no reason to be respected.

"Who are you, who let you in, can't you see I'm in an emotional cataclysm!" Eager to put an end to the already annoying tone of his opponent and upon hearing the hoof steps of Vladimir approaching from behind, Reik asked the same question he had dispatched to all his past prey.

"Would you happen to be Rarity?"

Chapter 15: Infamy

TWILIGHT CURSED HER quickly fatiguing frame as she ran through Ponyville, stray citizens, street lamps, and other aspects of the village raced by in her peripheral vision as she fled into the settlements center. Only minutes ago, returning from her discussion with the princess and stopping at the apple farm, she had come upon the weakened form of Applejack. Once her friend awoke from what Macintosh described as an accident involving a fallen branch, the orange pony refuted the story as a lie and spoke of an attack, rather than an accident. She related the ordeal in detail to Twilight. The two strangers, the strange conversation, and ultimately, the enchanted stone they had used to strike her. Twilight listened with a grim interest, her hope dropping with each sentence until, upon confirmation that the two strangers were her strangers, she cried out in anguish.

As Twilight ran through Ponyville, she searched for some kind of purpose for Reik's actions. The details of the attack seemed pointless. What had he gained from it? What was the strange stone, and why was the rest of Ponyville aware of it all? Every other villain that had threatened Equestria had flaunted their superiority, success or some other aspect, but this 'communalist' or whatever he had declared himself to be, was different. Sugar cube corner snapped into view through the cold, its windows burned through the darkness with an orange haze. With lack of any better destination, Twilight was soon upon the door of Sugar cube corner, practically ripping the door from its hinges as she entered the establishment.

Every pony stopped their conversations, consumptions, and observations when the shivering form of Twilight stumbled thought the threshold. The purple pony gathered herself rather quickly and poked her head outside the door, as if searching for some kind of unseen threat, before slamming it shut. When she turned to face the building occupants, she was faced with a dozen ponies gaping in both confusion and fear. Suddenly conscious of her appearance, Twilight quickly brushed the mud and dirt and advanced into the crowd. She looked among the faces surrounding her for some kind of familiarity. Her small green assistant, Spike pushed between two observers to her side.

"Twilight, calm down. Now tell me, where have you been?" His voice was one of concern and disregarding his inquiry, Twilight spun around, her voice laced with urgency, and said.

"Spike, where is Pinkie Pie, and Dash, wasn't she here?" Stopping suddenly, Twilight realized how vulnerable they really where, if the attack was in any way coordinated then Ponyville had already fallen, Celestia was right, they would have to endure. Pushing the grim vision of failure from her thoughts, Twilight focused on the young dragon before her. He stuttered as he spoke, obviously confused and concerned.

“They’re both still here, where have you been, what’s wrong?” Twilight quickly moved to one of the buildings windows, scanning the outside world for this unseen enemy, mumbling incoherent phrases to herself. Spike stared at the purple pony, perplexed by her actions. Ever since she stormed out of Sugar cube corner some time ago, things had gone from weird, to just strange. The tremors, the sudden blanket of darkness, and now Twilight’s sudden state of panic. None of it made sense. Spike had tried coming up with some kind of explanation with the few details he had observed but nothing came up. A gleeful squeak from behind signified the approach of Pinkie Pie, flinching slightly at the surprising entrance, Spike turned to the pink pony. Pinkie, a noisemaker poking out the side of her mouth, had a look of positivity across her features, contrary to the expressions of those around her. She looked to Spike, then to Twilight, to Spike again, to Twilight once more, and back to Spike.

“Hey, why is she all in a rut?” Pinkie cocked her head to one side as she spoke, at an almost unnatural angle. Had he not been used to such oddities, Spike would have been disturbed. He looked at the pink pony with an expression of concern, one she did not share and evidently did not register. “Sooooo, why is Twilight all, um, hello Twilight?” Spike turned around to find a disturbed Twilight standing several inches from Pinkie, their faces virtually touching. She was breathing heavily and blinking inconsistently. Her voice was in a similar state of unease and disarray as the rest of her. “Where is Dash?” She asked, Pinkie cocked her head again, this time at a less extreme angle, hinting that the gravity of the situation was finally becoming apparent to her or maybe not, Spike had given up on determining what floated around in that mind of hers. “She’s over there in the corner, what’s with all the hubbub?” Pinkie responded, motioning to the far corner of the room. Before she could continue though, Twilight moved away, speaking to Pinkie between mumbling. “Don’t move, this is very important, stay put.” She moved through the crowd silently, towards Rainbow Dash. Pinkie looked to Spike, who in turn looked back to her with an expression of pure confusion. Pinkie shrugged and snapped her attention to the front door, her eyes and expression perked up suddenly.

“Oh look, someponys at the door!”

SCOOTALOO GRUNTED AS she struck the ground, her two friends Apple loom and Sweetie Belle looking down at her from atop the wooden platform in the dark courtyard she had fallen from. The young ponies still atop the short wooden tower called down to their friend if she had been hurt. The small, orange pony regained her ground and groaned.

“What are we even doing out here, I’m freezing my wings of!” Scootaloo cried out, the words drifting out in between shivers. Apple Bloom grinned widely and responded, her voice almost indistinguishable from the freezing wind.

“We’re trying predicting the weather!” Sweetie Belle immediately turned on the yellow pony.

“Wait, how exactly do we do that when we’re in the blizzard, and don’t we need some equipment for that?” Sweetie Belled said. Apple Bloom looked to the white pony, taking a short pause before responding. “Well, um, I don’t, err, you can’t go criticizing the plan during the actual plan, you have to wait till it’s over Sweetie Belle.” Sweetie Belle shook her head with a sense of annoyance, speaking after several frozen seconds. “Is it just me, or do we never think these things through?” Apple Bloom responded immediately, speaking quickly despite the cold. “We think these things through plenty, they just aren’t right for us.” The two quickly became lost in argument as Scootaloo looked on from below wondering whether it was annoyance or the frigid cold that had a greater grip on her.

“Pardon me little one.”

Surprised, Scootaloo jumped slightly and spun around to identify the voice. The orange pony was shocked to see such odd ponies, the shortest of the pair black and cloaked and the larger grey and clad in a sad excuse for armor, but even more so that they were able to approach without her knowing. The large grey pony swiveled his head from side to side, like a weasel sticking its head out of its hole. Scootaloo suddenly became aware that the ponies before her were strangers; she had never seen them around Ponyville, this and other disturbing aspects only added to her unease. The black pony shifted his stance and lowered his gaze on Scootaloo; his stare was one of condemnation and grimness. He spoke again, his tone one of command.

“Where is Sugar cube corner?” He spoke at a brisk pace and his speech was trained, like that of a bureaucrat. Scootaloo froze under his gaze, mumbling and digging her hoof into the ground. The large grey pony stepped forward, leveling his gaze at the young pony as well.

“We are in a hurry young one, where is Sugar cube corner?” His voice was dark and threatening, his intimidation snapped some form of sense into Scootaloo, who responded quickly at the statement. “D-down the street, it’s on the corner, c-can’t miss it.” Her words flowed over chattering teeth and with a grunt of acknowledgement, the grey pony marched away, towards edge of the courtyard and nearing the street, the fallen snow crunching under his hooves. As he did this, the black pony smiled, although the usually kind act only added to the stranger’s unusual theme. After a modest bow, he quickly moved off to pursue his partner, leaving Scootaloo alone to ponder the strange event that had just transpired. The freezing winds lashed at her flank, sudden shivers rocked her small frame. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, their debate concluded, called down to their friend. “Who was that?” Scootaloo took several seconds to register that a question had just been said, instead only standing in the snow dumfounded. Once realizing the inquiry, Scootaloo responded in a near inaudible whisper.
“I don’t know.”

*WOW, YOU’D BE great with kids, forget about revolution, and give teaching a try friend*
**Its late, I’m tired, and we will most likely be dead in the next few hours**
*Nah, Celestia would just dump you in a dungeon cell for the rest of your days, where you’d peel potatoes and count the cobwebs*
Disregarding the pointless remarks of the maniac lenity in his subconscious, Reik focused on the reality of the situation. The orange pony had been correct; Sugar cube corner grew as he approached it and Vladimir was already at the buildings front door. The wind died down for what Reik assumed to be the fourth time. The odd weather anomalies annoyed Reik at the most, and the activity of the talisman, which was now glowing slightly with the elements of honesty, kindness, was what the black pony assumed to be the epicenter of such oddities.

The wind intensified once more as Reik approached his larger friend, they stopped at the door, silently wondering what move to make.

“I heard voices, a lot of them, I don’t think a few villagers would be much of an issue but I assume that you would want to avoid a scuffle, correct?” Vladimir asked, moving his head closer to a window, trying to look beyond its frozen outer surface.
“Yes comrade, scuffles are ill advisable, let me do the talking but if things do turn sour, I will not be felled by a party of villagers.” Reik responded, adjusting his cap and coat into a more presentable appearance. Vladimir nodded but continued. “Talking, is there some elaborate back story I should be aware of?” Vladimir said casually. Reik grinned. “Oh no, the time for ruses is done, I will not hide our cause but if I can talk my way out of another fight, I’m taking it.” Vladimir nodded once more and opened his mouth to make a response but was silenced by the sudden opening of the front door of Sugar cube corner. At first the sudden increase of light blinded the pair, but in seconds their vision adjusted and they stood silently staring at the pink pony standing in the door way. Reik recognized her as the pony Pinkie Pie he had spoken with many hours ago. She stood smiling at the two before extending her head outside the building practically into Reik’s face and said.
“Hi ya, don’t I know you, um, yes, you’re that pony I met today by the river, Twilights been looking for you and-” Her high pitched speech was cut short by Reik. Although already knowing her identity, Reik felt he had to ask the obvious. More so for principles and showman ship than really for tactical purpose.
“Would you happen to be, or know a pony named pinkie Pie?” His voice was, like all the other times, calm and collected, like that of a confident predator. Pinkie smiled broadly, her ears flicked up and down in some random pattern and her tail twitched at its base but evidently the act went unnoticed by the pony. She spoke loudly and with a tone of curious positivity.
“Im pinkie Pie silly, don’t you remember me, but is that tall guy your frie-” Three seconds later, Reik casually stepped over the unconscious body of Pinkie Pie, a smoking talisman held by the grey pony at his side.

Chapter 16: Wrath

“PLEASE, EVERYPONY REMAIN calm, we are professionals.” Reik said as he stepped over Pinkie Pie’s prone form, Vladimir at his side still holding the smoking talisman. All the activity within Sugar cube corner ground to a halt as the pair entered, not a single voice was heard, and every pony near the revolutionaries took a step back until a large circle formed around the intruders. Reik looked over the face of every occupant, he didn’t know what either of his targets looked like but he figured that a dose of intimidation never hurt anypony. A few whimpers could be heard and a small grin spread across Reik’s face.

*Pleasure at the terror of innocents, you’re such a hero of the masses Reik*

**Their terror is a given, but soon they will see it was all necessary**

“Princess Celestia has fled, Canterlot is destroyed, and the rein of the bourgeois is at an end.” Reik took great pleasure in his speech. All those years, all those years of pain and suffering, all those storms he had faced; now they would all rain down this night. Franz was right for once, he did take a small essence of pleasure at the terror of the ponies before him, not enough to deem him a sadist he thought but enough to make him grin. Let them tremble Reik thought, if there was an honest worker among them then they would have joined him like George, Vladimir, and Iris, they wouldn’t have stood by silently as he was forced into exile, they wouldn’t have just watched as such a great injustice took place. Let this rabble of blind ponies tremble at the revolution, let them be afraid, for their entire existence is about to be turned upside down. Reik brought himself to full height, puffing out his chest.

“Now, where is-” Reik suddenly stopped, the names escaped him. He dug though the pockets of his coat until he found the manifest, lifting it out of its place and scanning its face, Reik cleared his throat and spoke again. “Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash, no harm will come to them I assure you all, I just require something they happen to have.”

TWILIGHT PANICKED AS she struggled to keep Rainbow Dash grounded. The blue pony squirmed under Twilights form, struggling to escape her grasp and lash out at the one who had attacked Pinkie.

“Let me go!” Rainbow Dash cried out. “Did you see what he did to her!?” Twilight wrapped her leg around Dashes abdomen, trying to keep her friend away from the ponies she knew very well where beyond what anypony here could possibly hope to combat. Dash struggled against the protective measure.

“Yes, but you can’t win this fight, none of us can, we have to-” Twilight was stopped in mid-speech by a sharp kick to her lower jaw. Dash escaped her friends grasp and raced over the crowd towards the intruders.

REIK SIDESTEPPED THE blue pony’s attack. Her hoof, extended in an aggressive assault, flew past his head, missing him by barley an inch. She swung around for another assault but before she could pull herself into a more advantageous position, she was on the ground. Her wings would not cooperate, they were numb and as she turned her head to examine the now useless appendages, she could make out a small incision along her back; it was just a small inch long cut between her wings. She turned her head to the black pony standing before her. The black pony didn’t address her immediately, instead wiping the crimson blood from a strange looking curved blade onto his coat. It was only after a very thorough cleaning that he finally pocketed the weapon and looked down upon the crippled pegasus.

“It’s been awhile since I looked over pony anatomy so my sincerest apologies if the cut was too deep.” Reik lowered his head until his and hers where but inches apart, he looked at her as if expecting an answer yet the blue pony lied before him motionless, a shocked grimace on her face. “Oh, it’s not permanent if you’re wondering; just a few cut tendons, nothing that won’t heal in a few weeks but now I’m getting a tad off topic, would your name happen to be Rainbow Dash?” Reik spoke in a kind and nurturing tone, ironic for the context of the situation. When the blue pony just opened and closed her mouth for several seconds, surprised and insensible he spoke again in the same kind tone. “Please, time is very much against me and my comrade, what is your name?” Rainbow Dash finally recovered some sense, in a state of shock and fear she answered, all thoughts of resistance cowered under the dominating emotion of fear. “Rainbow Dash, I-I’m R-Rainbow Dash.” Nodding with a smile, Reik brought his head up and looked to the tall form of Vladimir who had until now been standing near the door, keeping at bay any would be escapes. With a long nod, Reik turned his back to his comrade and faced the crowd. He spoke quickly and with a slightly threatening tone. “Where is Twilight Sparkle, I would like to avoid hunting her down, and I’m starting to think that is what I’ll have to, but if you’d like to spare us all the pain, please step forward.” A bright flash quickly followed the bold statement, after which the room fell into an even greater sense of despair. Some had a look of terror and disgust, some looked away, and some simply broke into tears. A sudden feeling of remorse overcame Reik’s mind.

*Having second thoughts are we?*

**Perhaps I was a little hasty, let’s put an end to this.**

Reik looked to Vladimir, who was currently checking the unconscious blue pony for extensive injury. With a short glare that efficiently transferred the message, Vladimir rose and tossed Reik the talisman. Catching it between his teeth, Reik felt a sudden surge of power; it cooked his internal organs and made his hair stand up. Nothing was beyond his grasp, everything was at his mercy, and the world was his. The stone filled him with a sense of invincibility,.

*No.*

The subconscious phrase caught Reik off guard; it pulled him out of his delusion and back into reality. Yes he thought, I will not sink to the level of tyrants, its power is only borrowed, borrowed so that I may better this world, not cast it into darkness. Reik suddenly became aware of how tired he really was, his limbs screamed in frozen agony and the cold assaulted his form. The previous surge of anger and hate was smothered by the gripping cold. The revolutionary pushed thoughts of doubt and fear to the back of his head, yes they would come to light in the future he knew that much but now was no time for such emotions. As the black pony broke into a run towards the back of the room, he called out to his friend, his voice was shaking and exhausted.

“Get the others, and make your way to the town’s center.” Vladimir nodded and quickly disappeared through the front door of Sugar cube corner.

TWILIGHT GASPED AS the cold assaulted her. She charged out the back door of Sugarcube corner and into the freezing landscape of Ponyville. Her mind raced, answers, plans, options, they all seemed to disappear as reason was overwhelmed by fear. Soon she was no longer looking for a destination; she was simply trying to flee the doomed village. It was over, Ponyville was lost, and they would have to retreat, regroup. No, it was pointless; she would freeze before she escaped. Her pace slowly stopped until finally she collapsed into the snow. It was over for Twilight, she lay in the snow, tears welling behind her closed eyes. Acknowledging her failure and the darkness that had now descended upon her home and friends, Twilight silently wept. The world grew dark around her, intensifying her misery.

“I’m sorry things have to be this way.” The voice was distant and estranged. Twilight slowly looked up to see the black pony that held a glowing talisman between his teeth. It still made no sense, nothing made sense, so many questions, so much she did not know. Twilight lowered her head into the snow, accepting her fate.

“Please, soon things will be better, better than they ever where and you will see that it was all necessary.” The voice was sad and mournful. When Twilight did not respond, when she only continued to lie in the dark snow, Reik gripped the talisman and shut his eyes. The flash was not as intense as when Vladimir had utilized the stone. Through closed eyes, Reik could tell the flash was small and minimal. When the light dissipated, the stone felt as if it would nearly explode with power. It felt as if at any moment the power the black pony held between his jaws would rush out and annihilate all of Ponyville and even Equestria. Yet despite that power, Reik felt distant from it, as if it really wasn’t his. He felt like tossing the corrupt item away, yet in his mind he knew that such a thing would be madness. A gentle sigh could be heard under the rush of the freezing wind.

“I’m sorry.” The words came out in a whisper, unlike all the other grand addresses Reik had dealt the inhabitants of Ponyville and Canterlot, the phrase came out as if it had come from the maw of a doubtful child. Raising his head and pocketing the small talisman, Reik looked down the empty street. The wind suddenly slowed, lessening until finally stopping altogether. A distant sound could be heard, like the roar of a crumbling mountain. As Reik pulled the stone once more out of its place, he narrowed his vision, trying to make out the source of the sound. Like a ghost out of a child’s nightmare, a hundred royal guardsmen roared out of the darkness. They charged down the street in a mob of disharmony. Reik could make out no evidence of rule in the mob, no officers, no ring leader, perhaps a last ditch effort by the guardsmen left behind to save Ponyville. Reik looked upon the warriors with a sense of envy. How it is to be a follower, how simple and easy, and how terrible it is to lead.

“And now the greatest crime of all.” Reik mumbled as he raised the talisman above his head. The guards came closer and closer until they where upon him. He waited until the last second to unleash the power of the stone, wanting to stall the inevitable for just a few seconds more. Looking back on all the actions, both his and the ones he had caused, instead of pride he felt only shame. As the stone activated and illuminated the surrounding area, bathing the buildings in a shower of light, Reik mentally begged forgiveness from his conscience and his peers yet deep down already knew he would never have it.

IRIS STARRED AT the trembling ground with a look of curiosity while the brown pony George stood behind her, looking around in fear. They had just exited the home when the ground started shaking, as the stood in the cold; Iris noted the peculiar nature of her surroundings. The wind had slowed to a halt, the cold increased to a level unknown this early in the winter, and all sounds of nature, the birds, bears, and trees, they made no sounds, as if they had all been simultaneously silenced. The ground suddenly parted a few feet from the pair. A mound of earth grew out of the split, and as the mound grew, so too did the crack. The mound grew taller and wider, until, on both sides it stretched into the distant night beyond. The bound grew until it stood twelve feet high. Once the wall had stopped it growth and when the earth stopped shaking, a net, made up of the outlines of massive geometric shapes illuminated the sky. The net appeared for only a second, but Iris could tell it still stood, invisible to the eyes of the average pony, but as solid and impenetrable as granite. George started shaking uncontrollably once the whole ordeal had climaxed, he looked as if he would collapse from shock and fear. Iris looked to the small pony and spoke in a casual tone.

“Unless I’m mistaken, I think we won.” George looked to the red pegasus with pleading eyes. His voice was shaking and cautious.

“What d-do you mean?” Iris shook her head and smiled. “Breathe you old colt, you’ll work yourself into a heart attack.” George regained some of his sense at the remark and silently stood beside Iris, looking at the great wall that stretched far beyond his peripheral vision. Until now the two had resided in Iris’s home, Iris looking over and drawing plans for great machines of industry and agriculture and George watching and pretending to understand. A sudden roar brought the two out of their pause.

“Comrades, we go to the village square, the town is ours!” Vladimir roared as he stormed out of the forest. Despite several large cuts across his flank, the twigs and branches sticking out of his armor, the grey pony wore of an expression of glee. Iris, waiting for this moment for the past few hours, ran into her home and quickly returned with a bag with scrolls sticking out of its opening and a set of goggles, with an odd assortment of lenses, some flipped into few and other not, hanging around her neck. The three ponies where quickly rushing into the forest, towards the town and their leader.

REIK MUMBLED TO himself as he rested on the steps of the pavilion at the center of Ponyville. The communist manifesto rested at his hooves, a pencil griped between his teeth racing across its blank pages. Satisfied with his work, he closed the book and pocketed the pencil. The black pony raised his head, looking to the large pony, clad in the golden armor of the royal guards that stood before him.

“Not much of a talker are you comrade.” Reik said casually. The guards, like all the others around him, simply stood in place, his eyes glazed over and pitch black. The cold had slowly lessened to a more manageable level and Reik savored the low temperature, he had always loved the cold, while others would hide in their homes, he would dance in the freezing winter like one would dance in the falling rain. Looking across the ocean of motionless soldiers, Reik thought of the whole situation as kind of ironic, he really hadn’t changed anything drastic. They were zombies under Celestia, now they were zombies under him. It was all just a simple change of hooves really. He thought of the term ‘under’ with distaste, this was all just a transition period, soon they would be free and all of Equestria would be unified under the banner of love and peace. But that was in the future, and if it were to become a reality Reik would have to focus on the present. The black pony shoved the journal into its large pocket and rose. Looking over the ocean of guardsmen, Reik had since dismissed any feelings of regret, it was a necessity, and within a short time, it would all be worth it. The stone felt heavy in Reik’s coat pocket, it begged his attention, and it called out to him. Cursing the stone, Reik pushed the talisman out of his thoughts, instead thinking of how to go about managing the new Ponyville, according to the operation handbook, upon completion of the revolution, all further actions should be done according to the manifesto, yet the manifesto was a tad sketchy on establishing a legitimate government. Reik drew mental plans for an election, an election for officers in the new government. A commune he would call it, the Ponyville Commune, yes that would do nicely. Looking up from his thoughts, Reik was pleased to see three ponies walking down the snow covered street towards the pavilion. At first they wore expressions of suspicion upon seeing so many guards, yet after looking upon Reik amidst the warriors, casually holding the talisman in his hooves, they broke out into cheers and smiles. Reik admired their enthusiasm, secretly wishing his own could somehow match theirs.

Chapter 17: Constitution of The Socialist Territory of Ponyville

Constitution of the Socialist Territory of Ponyville

It is in the best wishes of the workers of Equestia that we, as the proletariat that has until now supported the wishes of the bourgeois, release ourselves from the chains of oppression and seize political power from the few that would wish to keep us in poverty. It is according to those best wishes that we establish our own society, economy, and government, which will, until such times as it proves to be unnecessary, safe guard and support, the will of the worker.

Article One

A: The Ponyville Commune, the supreme governing body within the Socialist Territory of Ponyville, shall be composed of the following seats that will be occupied by ponies, democratically elected by a two thirds majority vote.

Commissar for Defense, Commissar for Industry, Commissar for Agriculture, Commissar for Logistics, Commissar for Infrastructure, Commissar for Public Relations, Commissar for Education, Chairman.

The duties of the Commune are to establish laws and serve the general wishes of the masses, or to create sub communes which are required to fulfill equivalent duties.

B: All bills, resolutions, or similar suggestions brought up within any Commune, be it supreme or below the supreme, shall be ratified by a majority vote but is then to be vetoed or accepted by the chairman.
In such times that a veto has occurred, a complete affirmative vote is required to veto the chairman’s decision.
All periods of voting are to be followed by a period of debate held at the discretion of the Commune.

Article Two

A: The following actions are too occur and are beyond the ability of the Commune to alter.
1. Abolition of private property and the application of all rents of land to public purposes.
2. A heavy progressive or graduated income tax.
3. Abolition of all rights of inheritance.
4. Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels.
5. Centralization of credit in the hands of the state, by means of a national bank with State capital and an exclusive monopoly.
6. Centralization of the means of communications and transportation in the hands of the State.
7. Extension of factories and instruments of production owned by the state, the bringing into cultivation of waste lands, and the improvement of the soil generally in accordance with a common plan.
8. Equal liability of all to labor. Establishment of industrial armies, especially for agriculture.
9. Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries, gradual abolition of the distinction between town and country, by a more equitable distribution of population over the country. 10. Free education for all children in public schools. Abolition of children's factory labor in its present form. Combination of education with industrial production.

Article Three

In such times that a seat in the Commune has shown that it is unfit or unable to fulfill its duty, a majority vote, held by the Commune, shall be required to remove the occupant of said seat.

Let it be known that it is by these laws, standards, and rules that the Socialist Territory of Ponyville shall be governed.

Chapter 18: The Hammer and Sickle

THE AIR THAT filled Twilights lungs when she awoke was cold and thick. She kept her eyes closed as she regained her thoughts. She pieced together events and moments until she had a decent timeline of what had transpired before she was cast into her unconscious state. The chase, the revolutionaries, Celestia, the talisman, it came in unrecognizable bits and pieces until, as a whole, the grim picture became complete. Returning to reality, Twilight opened her eyes. She first realized that she was resting on a pile of cushions and blankets.

The room was small; Twilight remembered it as a storage room in Sugarcube corner but devoid of its usual contents of boxes and sacks. A small flickering candle was the room’s only source of light and a pony, shrouded in a dark coat and hat, stood in the corner, head hanging low in silence. The pony stood silently in the corner, swaying side to side slowly. Suddenly remembering the dark, cloaked pony that had brought strife to Ponyville and harmed her friends, Twilight was overcome by fear, why was she here? Who was this mysterious figure? And what had happened while she was asleep? Her mind filled with speculation and fear, her breath became ragged and her body began to shiver, both from fear and the biting cold. The pony in the corner of the room shook violently and snorted, suddenly awoken. The pony raised its head and cocked its head to the side. The ponies face was hidden both by a small cap and the rooms creeping darkness. The pony took a step forward and moved to remove the cap; the cap that Twilight noticed had a crossed hammer and sickle upon it. Upon removal of the cap, a large bundle of golden blonde hair swept into view.

“Applejack?” Twilight mumbled quietly. The cloaked pony smiled awkwardly and took another step forward.

“Gave us quiet a scare sugar cube, and stop staring, I know I look ridiculous.” AppleJack said as she pulled Twilight from her prone position. The purple pony nearly lost her balance upon putting weight on her hooves and had to be supported by her friend. Twilight groaned in agony as her stiff legs flexed and stretched. “How long was I asleep?” She mumbled through clenched teeth. Applejack hesitated before answering. “Uh, I’d say about.” She paused and pulled a small watch from one of the pockets in her coat. After a short period of consultation and mumbling that Twilight overheard as rudimentary math, Applejack continued. “About three day’s hun, but I could be wrong.” Twilight shook her head. “How could you be wrong, why are you wearing that, and what-”Applejack gave Twilight a stern look signaling her to stop. Letting her bear her own weight, the orange pony stepped aside and looked over her friend. “Let me explain Twilight, a lot has happened in the past, well, hours ‘cause we can’t really say days.” Twilight wore a look of utter confusion. Applejack sighed deeply. “The moon hasn’t gone down and the sun hasn’t come up, it’s been midnight for the past seventy-two hours by my watch.” Twilight took the information in slowly, slowly finding reason for it. “Celestia, she can’t raise the sun, It’s the talisman, its” Twilight stopped as Applejacks face contorted into a questioning expression similar to Twilights. With a deep breath, Twilight related the events that had occurred from perspective the night of the revolution. Upon completion of the tail, Applejack nodded and continued her own explanation. “Well, like I said, things have changed, and, well, I think it would be best if you saw for yourself.” Applejack turned and walked towards the rooms back wall while Twilight stood alone in the darkness. She took in a shaking breath and approached her friend, so many questions; they would have to wait she thought. The door opened what seemed like an inch yet the room was quickly swarmed by a rush of freezing air and the lone candle was extinguished. With a quiet grunt, Applejack pushed the large door aside, Twilight followed her orange friend out of the portal. For a second, Twilight did not believe she was still in Ponyville, the world before her was strange and alien.

The first aspect she registered were the banners. They hung from balconies, street lamps, windowsills, and almost every other surface above ground level. Each banner was the same, a red hammer and sickle crossed over a black plane and when combined with the flickering light of the streetlamps, foreboding shadows were cast upon the street like black lacerations. They shifted gently in the cold lacking any breeze to alter them, they were ominous and brought a sense of paranoia to Twilight, she felt as if whatever had invaded her village spoke through the banners, as if each one had an attentive ear. On the street level, the same symbol was painted on every blank surface. Twilight looked up and observed the sky. The moon hung in the sky in virtually the same place she had seen it the night of the attack and the sight struck a sense of dread into the purple pony. Pulling her gaze from the moon and back to street level, Twilight registered the numerous ponies moving through the streets.

Most of them were guards; they marched in groups, the largest of which had six. They all were clad in what first appeared to be black armor, but upon closer inspections the metal was gold in origin yet had been painted over in a crusting black coat. The specks of gold dotting the armor shined brightly as the ponies passed under the street lamps, many of which Twilight assumed had been newly installed since she had never known Ponyville to have so many. The guards roomed the streets in the same manner one would room the Everfree forest, paranoid, turning their heads at increasingly odd angles, scrutinizing every aspect of their surroundings. Wondering what such warriors were doing in the village, Twilight turned to Applejack.

“Who are they” She mumbled in a fearful tone. Applejack turned to her friend, a grim expression on her features. “Ya know them royal guards at Canterlot?” Twilight nodded slowly. “Well, that fancy rock can do strange things, put all those ponies in some kinda trance, they take orders from him now.” Twilight shivered with a new sense of cold, not due to the weather but to her grim reality. Seeing the expression on Applejack change to one of anger and her eyes shift to focus on something behind Applejack, Twilight turned to see a large brown pony, clad in the same black armor as the others but with a red star painted over the plate concealing his cutie mark. The one feature that legitimately disturbed Twilight was his eyes. A grey haze hung over his blue iris and it looked as if, although staring right at her, he was looking at some other far away object. He spoke slowly, his tone inquisitive but threatening.

“Who are you, and where exactly are you going?” Applejack shoved Twilight aside and stepped hoof to hoof with the guard. She spoke quickly with an annoyed tone. “She’s with me ya hear, not a spy, not a conspirator, not a traitor, now buzz off and bother some other pony.” The guard looked at Applejack quickly, shifting his gaze across her entire figure as if looking for an expression to give her away. Failing in his attempt, he nodded and stepped away. Grumbling, Applejack grabbed Twilight and pushed her along the sidewalk, down the street. As they moved away, the guard called out to them. “Goodnight, comrade commissar, and stay alert!”

The wind picked up quickly and the snow crunched under their hooves as the pair moved down the street, where, Twilight could only guess. Twilights home, the town’s library came into view as they rounded a corner. As the moved in the open, Applejack increased her pace, further worrying Twilight. The cold air lashed at their manes when they came upon the door, the locking mechanism for which had been torn out. After sending Twilight through the portal and shutting the door, Applejack leaned against the door, releasing a muffled moan.

Slumping down onto a couch, Twilight examined her surroundings. Despite being in her own home, Twilight still felt as if the building she now occupied was one of alienation and estrangement. The purple pony looked to her friend with an inquisitive expression, deciding that over an arsenal of questions. Applejack rose from her position and began pacing the room, mumbling to herself as she did so. Twilight sighed deeply and spoke firmly to her orange friend.

“Applejack, what is going on around here, where is everypony?” There was slightly more panic in her tone than she would have like but Applejack acknowledged the question and responded, never ceasing in her random pacing. “If they have a brain then they’re in their homes.” Twilight shook her head, annoyed and frustrated. “But why are you dressed that way and why would they be in their homes, what did he do?” Applejack continued pacing, her voice was tired and fatigued. “That pony, reek or whatever, took over Ponyville, he keeps blabbin on about class’s n’ labor, he took away all our bits, an he cut us all of from the rest of Eque-”Applejack paused as a sudden knocking rang throughout the building. Rising from her seat, Twilight watched as her friend moved to one of the walls windows and gently pushed the shades aside. Cursing under her breath, Applejack walked to the door and pulled it open as the knocking resumed. Twilight was surprised to recognize the same pony standing just outside the doorway as the one who had questioned them once they left the storage room. Twilight deduced he had been following them for it was impossible he would know their location otherwise. He casually extended a hoof forward, deterring any attempt to close the portal.

“Comrade commissar, an emergency meeting has been convened, you are needed.” He said with a broad smile, as if happy to give her orders. Applejack turned to Twilight, her expression the enunciation of sorrow before walking past the guard and into the darkness.

The guard turned his head, his gaze following Applejack until he was satisfied with her distance. He quickly walked through the door and looked to Twilight, retaining his broad grin. “So this is your residence?” He said as he approached Twilight. Unnerved by his actions, Twilight took an involuntary step back. The guard moved past Twilight, towards a bookshelf along the wall. “You are Twilight, correct?” He stressed the last word as if demanding an answer. Twilight murmured an affirmation to which the guard nodded and continued his examination. His horn glowed slightly as several books were pulled from the shelf and opened. “You manage the library too?” He said as he flipped through each books pages, replacing some and withdrawing up others. Again Twilight murmured an affirmation, she slowly moved towards the door, fearful and eager to escape. “What kind of books do you have here?” The guard said as he finished with the last book, gently sliding it back into the shelf. Twilight, nervous and fearful, stumbled over her words.

“Um, anything really, err, science, history, and um.” Twilight trailed off as the guard marched towards her, obviously uninterested. He stopped before her, examining her appearance. Twilight cringed under his scrutinizing stare; the stranger’s uncaring eyes were devoid of emotion, like a machine. Suddenly ending his search, the guard nodded kindly and marched out the doorway, leaving the door open behind him. Twilight remained rooted in her spot, thinking the guard might still be watching and would disapprove of any other movement. After what seemed like several minutes of silent terror, Twilight was brought back to reality by a sudden rush of freezing air coming from the open door. Rushing to the portal and poking her head out in search of the lone guard, Twilight slammed the door. For a split second, as the door closed, Twilight could make out the silhouette of a lone pony under a street lamp down the avenue, staring at the library. Twilight slid down the doors face, collecting on the floor in a shivering heap. Her mind overflowed with questions, speculation, and exclamations. She attempted to organize her thoughts, prioritizing issues and finding logical solutions to questions she could answer without material evidence. She constructed a mental chain of events, filling in holes where she could, yet leaving too many for the thought to be believable. Quickly lost in thought, Twilight didn’t realize the exhaustion that slowly crept over her. Eventually, snores and dreams replaced frantic whispers and controversial thoughts.

Chapter 19: Means of Production

TWILIGHT SNAPPED AWAKE, her head slamming against the door she was slumped against as she did so. After rubbing her head to ease the resulting pain, she realized somepony was knocking at the door. With stiff limbs, the purple pony regained hoofing and, leaning against the wall for support, the knocking continued. She examined her surroundings, slightly calmed to know that she was still in the safety in her home but quickly disturbed by the lighting. As Applejack had said, it was still dark outside, the only lighting in the room coming from a single candle fixed to the wall. Twilight moaned quietly, the frightening reality of her world returning. She was terrified, not that her world had changed but how quickly it had changed, how little she knew about it and how little she had done to stop it. She felt departed, alienated from her surroundings, as if they weren’t really hers. Twilight once again felt the urge to flee, to escape and never return. There was no other option in her mind, she had no place anymore, and trying to stop a foe she knew nothing about was pointless. Twilight began eyeing the nearby window with a growing sense of longing.

Twilight was pulled from her mental throes by another wave of knocking. The sudden stop to her thoughts of sadness and depression brought her back to reality and delivered a realization. This is my reality, and I’m going to deal with it. The thought was short and barley any thought process or brain power to comprehend, yet it resonated within the purple pony. This was reality, there were others here too, and she was not alone. Celestia was still in the forest in need of an informant. Her friends where still either injured or scattered. Ponyville was still trapped under darkness. She still had a purpose. This is my reality, and I’m going to deal with it. Twilight repeated the phrase in her head again and again; it brought strength to her limbs and fortitude to her thoughts. With a shaking breath, Twilight turned to open the portal.
The door swung inward and Twilight quickly shut her eyes as a gust of frozen air swept through the breach. After the wind quickly died away, she slowly opened her eyes.

The first object she registered was the armor clad stallion, he stood silently before her, unmoving in contrast to Twilights shivering form. His armor was less complete than that of others she had seen, consisting only of a modest helm and single piece chest plate. He stared emotionlessly at the purple pony with the same cold, unfeeling eyes of the other guards. He did not speak and Twilight was once again unnerved by the silent figure, a figure that was once the symbol of royal prowess and strength but was now but a perversion of that noble cause. Inching to the side, Twilight examined the now bustling, yet still darkened, Ponyville.

Unlike several hours ago, the village was buzzing with activity, much like it would before the black pony had come, yet more organized. Groups of ponies Twilight recognized as citizens moved in large groups through the streets, escorted by guards as they went. Surprisingly, even the pegasi where walking among their wingless brethren, they sky being occupied only by winged guards. It was difficult to distinguish the silent flyers from the night sky but the illumination from the street lamps reflected off of the low flying guard’s armor. Twilight felt disorganized when she once again noticed the night sky and the unmoving moon. She was wide awake and was accustomed to the sensation usually when the sun was cresting the horizon but to feel this awake in what looked like the middle of the night was simply confusing. Turning her gaze back to the ground, Twilight further examined the crowds. They moved in large clumps of what she guessed was fifteen, each guided by a pair of guards that shouted and herded the group onward. The ponies following did little to contradict the automatons, obeying their instructions with little to no sign of defiance. It was saddening to see her fellow ponies in such a pitiful and disgraceful state. The guard suddenly moved to block her view and spoke quickly; if his tone wasn’t devoid of emotion perhaps he would have sounded annoyed thought Twilight.

“Are you Twilight Sparkle?” Twilight paused briefly, surprised by the direct question.
“Yes, what is everypo-” The guard cut her off. “The work day has begun, you will be directed to your station, please follow me.” He stepped back, nodded to another pony outside of Twilights view and motioned for her to step forward. Inching forward slowly at first, Twilight saw a small collection of townsfolk arranged near the library, shifting silently in the cold, led by a much larger guard who was now ushering them forward. Sensing the guard behind her, the she fell into cohesion with the group and began marching down the street.

“I DON’T CARE about deadlines; this project will not get finished simply because Reik wills it.” Iris said to the guard as she hovered over the blueprints sprawled across the wooden table. Multiple stones rested on the paper in order to keep them from being lost to the wind and the red pony nudged the rocks this way and that as she went over the incoherent collection of numbers and drawings. She raised a hoof to her goggles and flicked a lever, lowering one of the specialized lenses over her eyes as she examined the parchment with greater interest. The guard retained his tone and continued. “Whether or not you care is beside the point engineer.” The guard rolled the term ‘engineer’ off his tongue as if it were a disgusting phrase. “We have deadlines, and if they are not met, the repercussions of the failure of this project will harm the entire territory.” The guard stopped as Iris spun around and fixed him with a glare that pierced her goggles. “That’s Commissar of Industry comrade, and that deadline is unreasonable, I cannot give him a functioning plant without time which I have yet to be given.” She tried to make herself sound and appear intimidating yet as she spoke, and as she looked into the unmoving guard before her, she felt herself shrink. He spoke slowly and with a foreboding tone. “And that’s Commissar for Public Relations to you, I did not set the deadline, but it will be met, with or without your cooperation.” His tone was triumphant. For several seconds the still air in the empty barn that would soon become the plant grew dense and freezing. Iris hated this pony, no different from the other guards except for the red star painted over the armor on his rear. Iris could find no reason for why Reik had made one of the guards this…she didn’t want to call it intelligent, perhaps free thinking or rude would fit better. He had done nothing but pester and annoy, shoving his nose in everypony’s business. He even asked pointless questions about the workings of her machines that she knew he could never hope to understand. It was not just her; she had seen him questioning the citizens, going into homes, going through possessions. Magnus, that was his name or “Mad-Magnus” as she had heard the townsfolk begin to call him. Iris, beginning to shake with anger, chuckled. “You think a project like this has ever been done in Equestria on this big of a scale, do you honestly believe that something like that, something that the mere drawings for, only exist in my head and parchment, can be done by anypony else?” She said, taking a step forward. “Nothing will be done unless it is done on my terms and according to my rules.” Magnus sneered. “For now comrade, good day.” He said before stalking out of the barn. Iris, eager to push the incident from her thoughts, extended her wings and flew to the rafters. Checking the supports and beams to make sure that they were prepared for the load they would soon bare. As she poked and prodded, another entered the barn. She noticed him first and was instantly relieved to see the large form of Vladimir standing before her. She flew down quietly, planning to surprise the oblivious soldier. Stifling a breath, she was just several inches above him when he looked up, forcing the red Pegasus to gasp in surprise and fall to the ground.

“You don’t get to be Commissar for defense being gullible comrade Iris.” He said in his commanding but gentle tone. Iris collected herself and stood before the large stallion, although being clad in a new set of ornate armor, black with a red trim, and standing above her, she looked upon the pony as an equal. “Sorry, it just things can get quite boring around here.” Vladimir nodded and began stepping near the work bench. “Tell me friend, I noticed Mad-Magnus leaving in a sour mood, did something occur?” He stopped at the table, looking over the confused collection of parchment; Iris quickly moved to organize the papers, suddenly self conscious. “He was just being the nosey jerk he is, why did Reik, well, make a guard like that?” She responded as she removed her goggles, leaving them to hang around her neck. Vladimir shrugged. “It’s his job, I admit he could be less rude, but it’s his business to know everypony’s business.” Iris sighed and twisted her neck to one side until a muffled crack could be heard. “I suppose, but it isn’t helping anything, at least I can’t see any benefit.” Vladimir, finished looking over her drawings, began to leave. “Don’t worry, in time we will not need him, but Reik says he is a necessity and I’m not about to start doubting his wisdom yet, good luck comrade but I must be leaving.” Iris nodded and fixed the goggles back into place, Vladimir’s words shifting among the equations and mechanics in her head as she did so.

Chapter 20: Complaints

THE COLD WAS not of a kind Twilight was accustomed to. She had known cold in the past but that kind was brought upon by the snow, the bright snow, and the cooling wind. It was a filling cold while this one was an empty cold. There was no coolness, only frigid and more frigid. The cold weathered the senses instead of delighting them and the warm sense of positivity normally hung in the air had been snuffed out. The darkness only added to the disturbing nature of Ponyville, long claw like slashes cast across the streets and buildings. Twilight was surprised that even with increased number of street lamps, there were still several shadows and shrouded corners of the urban environment.

As the congregation continued through Ponyville, minor groups broke off from the majority and advanced to their own destinations until Twilight was accompanied by only 18 ponies and two guards.

The guards, in their black armor, faded in and out of vision each time the party passed a shrouded section of street, creating an eerie aura of dread that caused the few ponies near the guards to cringe with distaste. The large stallions made no communication to their followers other than shouts to increase their pace. Eventually, their urgings became so frequent and without justification that Twilight began to think that the guards would be punished if they failed to shout something at the citizens every few minutes.

As Twilight looked over the members of her group, she saw no familiar faces; Nopony for whom she could call upon for comfort or reassurance. They all either hung their heads solemnly or stared ahead aimlessly with the same expression Twilight had seen in the guards. All except for one, a small brown stallion of old age. He was spry, he moved with a sense of purpose and vigor Twilight had thought had all but died out in her short time in occupied Ponyville. He wore an expression of elation and bore a pickaxe as a cutie mark. Curious of this happy stranger, Twilight moved to his side. He noticed her approach and smiled broadly. Twilight became slightly disturbed by this stranger, not that he was happy, but that he was happy when those around him where lost in indifference and sorrow.

“Hello, um, who are you?” Twilight questioned quietly, leaning close to the old stallion. Turning his head slightly, the Stallion gave Twilight an inquisitor look.

“Why do you whisper dear, we are not prisoners, give your thoughts mouth.” He said cheerily, a broad grin on his face. Twilight snapped her head up and turned to one of the guards, she could already imagine one of the armored brutes screaming at her to be silent. To her surprise the guard acknowledged her, not fully but from the corner of his eye, a brief stare that was quickly repealed and cast back upon the unfolding path ahead of them.

Twilight could not understand this action, not that she was unhappy with it but that it made no sense for ruthless guards to put up with this, at least that’s what she had assumed. Noticing the elderly pony to still be staring at her with his peculiar smile, Twilight returned to the conversation. “Yes, sorry, but who are you?” Twilight repeated. The stallion answered quickly, retaining his upbeat attitude. “My name is George, George the second actually, and who are you if I may ask?” Twilight responded, with a slightly louder, normal sounding, tone of voice. “Twilight Sparkle, sorry if this comes off as weird but, why are you so…Happy?” George gave the purple pony another peculiar look and Twilight noticed that their conversation was beginning to attract observers, from both the guards and the citizens. “Well why wouldn’t I be, yes the constant darkness is a little disturbing.” He chuckled. “But the street lights take good care of that, I really don’t see why everypony is in such a rut.” He casted his gaze away from Twilight and over the surrounding ponies as he finished the last sentence. Twilight was surprised by such a remark; she could see no cause for joy or happiness in the new Ponyville. “What do you mean you don’t see why everypony is in a rut, its, everything is-” She paused slightly in her speech and the sudden silence was removed by the brown stallion. “Everything is what, different?” His smile faded and his expression hinted that he expected an answer. “Fear of change is natural my dear but honestly, do you see ponies being carted off to asylums or prisons, what’s happening that’s so bad?”

Twilight mentally scrambled for an answer, trying to fish logic and reason out of doubt and theory. “Well, everypony isn’t doing their job anymore; we don’t even know where we’re going.” The stallion took no pause and answered slowly, a smile returning to his face, a joyous one devoid of condescension. “Well why did they do those jobs, to gain for themselves, there is no need, everything we can need is given but without fear of unemployment or poverty.” Twilight shifted her argument, suddenly realizing she knew little about her new world and its system compared to the pony before her. “Well, um, those ponies enjoyed their jobs, and they had plenty to begin with.” George’s face turned into a sneer and he responded with a sudden tone of distaste. “Who had plenty, the upper class, the bourgeois? Because I can assure you, I had nothing, and what little I did have came from the sweat of my own back, not the royalty. As for their jobs, Ponyville has just gone through a massive change, let the council get a little to work with, then they can distribute better jobs to the appropriate ponies. Besides, let those ponies that enjoyed their position carry it out during their recreation time.”

The purple pony opened her mouth to speak yet no rebuttals came to mind, she was speechless. George, without further address, turned and increased his pace, moving to the head of the congregation. In Twilights mind, gears rolled into life, gears she never thought she had. The purple pony had never devoted much of her studies to politics, economics, or sociology; those subjects brought little interest to her. Yet now, she kicked herself for never even cracking a book on any of those subjects. It was only now that Twilight truly realized what Applejack had meant when she said everything had changed.

APPLEJACK’S JAW TIGHTENED on her commissar’s cap as she watched the guards roaming in and out of the Apple families’ residence. It was the only action she could do to keep herself from roaring at the intruders to cease their invasion of her property. A ‘headquarters’ she had called it, Iris, that stupid mare had barged in hours after the whole area had been cut off from Equestria and laid claim to the whole house. Now her guards were walking all about the place, carrying letters, blueprints, and tools. Behind her, Applejack heard the distinctive cracking and resulting crash of a fallen tree. The familiar sound sent a spasm of rage through her frame. Half the Apple trees in her farm where nothing but stumps. The once great trunks lay out in large triangular stacks near the barn. The sight was disgusting and repulsive Applejack, but appealing and inspiring to the mare Iris. Now shivering with suppressed hate, Applejack felt Big Mac extend his hoof around her shoulders. The pair had been sitting on one of the stumps closest to the farm for several minutes.

“Calm yerself Applejack.” He said in a lowered tone.

“Easier said than done Big Mac,” Applejack mumbled through clenched teeth. As another tree collapse with a resounding crash, an armored guard, his mane white under his armor, approached Applejack. The orange pony hated the guards, regardless of what the revolutionaries said, these so called ‘guards’ where glorified prison wardens to Applejack. Fixing the guard with a hateful stare, the stallion stopped several feet from the orange pony. His black armor showed signs of frost and the joints refused to cooperate, leaving him in an awkward pose.

“You are needed comrade commissar.” The stallion said in the same emotionless, robotic tone as all the rest. Placing the cap upon her head and with a heavy sigh, Applejack rose from the stump. The guard walked off, motioning for her to follow. Before embarking, Applejack spared a glance at her brother, for some kind of reassurance or comfort. He smiled weakly at her, yet the small act of compassion lifted her spirits slightly.

The orange pony and her silent guide moved away from the farm and down one of the paths leading into town. They passed many crowds of citizens being herded to their designated workplaces. The sight angered Applejack. They called it a workers’ paradise but all she could call it was slavery. Soon they reached the town square, if all the locations and landmarks, the square bore the most flags and banners. The whole area seemed to be covered in black and red. Applejack’s mind momentarily shifted to her friend Rarity, she could only guess how close the mare would be to madness by now after being forced to make so many of those annoying banners.

Upon entering the pavilion, Applejack moved up the stairs until she reached a small, rarely used room. Passing through the portal, she was met with the familiar sight of the Ponyville commune. A large round table occupied the center room, unlike all other aspects of the village, there were no banners within the room. Only a small iron hammer and sickle pinned over the doorway stood as a reminder that they lived in an occupied Equestria. Sitting around the table where the seven officials of the commune. Commissar for Education (Cheerilee), Commissar for Logistics (Derpy), Commissar for Infrastructure,( Fluttershy), Commissar for Public Relations, (Mad-Magnus), Commissar for Defense, (Vladimir ,Reik’s lapdog), Commissar for Industry( Iris), and Chairman, Reik. All arrayed in the Commissars cloak and cap except for Magnus and Vladimir, who wore their own sets of armor.

Derpy stood with her head resting on the table, eyes shut or, ‘resting’ as she had put it. There never really is much use for a logistics officer in a territory spanning only a single village. Fluttershy shifted uncomfortably in her place as Iris questioned her about the conditions within Ponyville, it was an obviously forced conversation. Cheerilee watched silently with a miserable expression as the two mares went back and forth. Vladimir was in deep discussion with Magnus, the two whispering to each other in near silent tones. Reik, staring off into space with a blank expression, breaking the statue like pose to shiver violently for half a second before returning to the pose. It was a familiar sight that had been repeated in every meeting. As Applejack took her place at the table, Magnus broke off his conversation with Vladimir and addressed the room. “Ah, the Commissar for Agriculture has joined us, let us begin.” He said in a tone Applejack would expect to hear from a snake, or similar sinister being. “This wasn’t scheduled.” Applejack said blatantly. “Why did you call me here?” She finished. Magnus smiled broadly. “Well it has come to my attention that there are some complaints among the commissariat and I think we should clear things up as soon as possible. “Are we going to have to go through the normal procedure for discussion?” questioned Iris. Magnus, still smiling, shook his head.

The room exploded into typhoon of argumentation.

Chapter 21: The Commissariat

FOR SEVERAL SECONDS the room was lost in a clamor of voices. Applejack roared at Iris, Iris yelled at Magnus, Magnus spat at Applejack, and Vladimir barked at all the ponies independently. Derpy shuffled slightly and began to snore softly; Fluttershy shrank slowly and squeaked for the arguing ponies to lower their voices, Cheerilee stared sadly at the warring officials, and Reik continued to stare blankly into space.

Realizing the futility of the conversation, the ponies abruptly fell silent. The room, devoid of sound, became disturbingly peaceful. There was only one window within the room, normally it would allow a great view of the village with several mountains along the horizon, but now all that could be seen where several dark structures illuminated by the numerous street lamps. There was a single makeshift fireplace in the room’s comer. Despite her welling anger, Applejack had to commend the engineer pony Iris on her work, a small iron stove built into the wall, several links of metal tubing guiding the smoke through a hole in the wall and into the sky. Although the room was still dimly lit, several hanging candles saved the ponies from utter darkness.

As the silence dragged on, Applejack looked to the large stallion known as Vladimir. She had seen him around town often, leading packs of guards through the streets and through the forest, searching for threats that obviously weren’t there. Although holding contempt for all of the odd ponies that had ruined the village and threatened Equestria, she viewed Vladimir more as a puppet than an actual puppeteer for her friend’s misery.

Eyes refocusing at the collection before him, Reik turned his gaze to Magnus and spoke in an annoyed tone.

“Magnus, why did you call this meeting?” It was sudden and shocked everypony for the previously silent pony to speak in such a commanding tone. Applejack had seen little of Reik over the past few ‘days’. The only times she had seen him was during the commissariat meetings and even then, he had missed several of them. Remembering the time, Applejack looked down at her watch; it had been 80 hours since the revolution. Her thoughts drifted to Twilight and how she was coping with the new Ponyville as Magnus responded. He spoke in a surprised tone, in contrast to his calculating and scheming tone.

“Well, I’ve heard some arguments between commissars, and, err, I don’t want dissent.” Reik glared at the armored pony for several seconds before speaking again, retaining his annoyed tone. “Fluttershy has building alterations to oversee, Cheerilee has a class to teach, Iris and Applejack have a joint operation to oversee, Vladimir has security forces to organize, Derpy-” Looking over to the commissar for logistics, Reik sighed heavily and continued. “And I have all of you to keep in order, and you have public relations to improve, now tell me, how can we all go about those tasks if you are calling meetings each time officials have a shouting match?” Magnus stood silently and glanced at everypony in the room, as if they would come to his aid. The silence was painful, Applejack was both happy to see misfortune on the side of Magnus, but also fearful of conflict between these ‘communists’. She wondered how a village could possibly be run by a disorganized group. Reik, without breaking his gaze on Magnus, spoke quickly. “Meeting adjourned, if you have an issue with any other commissar, take it up with me or the commissar themselves, I will not micromanage this commissariat, good luck comrades.”

Derpy, Fluttershy, and Cheerilee dashed out of the room first, nearly shoving each other in their charge toward the door. After the general rout, Magnus inched his way towards the door, attempting to escape Reik’s piercing gaze, he left silently, pace increasing once exiting the room. After a brief exchange with the black pony, Vladimir too took his leave. Realizing how much time she was wasting, Applejack sighed heavily and moved to leave the room as well, only to be caught and pulled aside by Vladimir after exiting the portal.

IRIS STARRED AT Reik, knowing he was aware of the gaze even though he shifted his sight away. For several seconds they were alone, without a word. Reik reached into one of his coat pockets and withdrew the small black stone, it pulsed and small multi colored glowing cracks scarred its surface. Iris hated the object, she knew it pained Reik to hold it, he knew it was against everything he had written down in that little book, and she knew the longer he held it, the harder it would be to let it go.

“Where did you find that masterpiece?” Iris said in her tone casual. Reik remained silent for some time, responding only after several seconds of silence. “I for one like Derpy, her simplicity reminds me of better times.” Iris chuckled slightly, but continued in the casual tone. “Magnus, where did you dig that rotten piece of work up?” Reik removed his cap and dusted off the brim, Iris had known this to become an odd habit for the black pony. “Magnus, wanted for theft, assault, and fraud, found by one of the expeditions to Canterlot.” Iris was unsurprised by the origin, she responded quickly. “Did he require any ‘convincing’?” She quickly regretted saying such, she knew Reik hated controlling the guards with the talisman. “Yes, however” there was a brief pause during which Reik lowered his head. Iris remembered Vladimir informing her that such an action indicated that he was contemplating whether or not to reveal a piece of information. After the brief silence, Reik spoke once more. “How is the farm coming along?” Iris was annoyed at the sudden change in subject yet responded. “The additions to the original structure are proceeding as planned, the lighting has yet to be transported, and civilian workers are proving reluctant, now, what is wrong with Magnus?” Iris felt strong as she spoke, displaying both fortitude and intelligence. Reik spoke quickly. “Excellent, however we will have to risk civilian sabotage if we are to complete the farm in time.” Iris quickly cut in. “And Magnus?” Pausing quickly, the black pony spoke in a quieter tone. “As of now it is not an issue, if it becomes an issue, you will be the first to know.” As he finished, silence took the room. Iris was angered by his secrecy. It made no sense to her to withhold information, right now, when so much was at stake. Reik began to pocket the talisman.

“I don’t like that stone Reik.” Iris said sternly, advancing towards the stallion. Halting in his action and lazily tossing the stone onto the wooden table, the black pony sighed sadly. “I don’t need this Iris; I swear I don’t need this.” The red Pegasus groaned quietly, stopping several feet away from the slouching chairman. “You will have to face it at some point, you can’t just ignore this.” Iris tried to maintain a strong, official tone, but little expressions of soft kindness slipped through. To her surprise, snatching at the stone and sending it hurtling towards a wall, which it bounced off of with a resounding ‘crack’, Reik exploded. “I have an entire village to take care of, I haven’t been outside, let alone seen the sun in days, I can’t remember the last time I bathed, the artificial farm isn’t even started and the entire territory will starve without it, this council is a joke, and on top of that-” His outburst was silenced by a sudden embrace by Iris. It was sudden and without pause, bringing an expression of surprise to the black ponies features. The hug was peculiar, Reik was unfamiliar with the action and debated whether to return the action, or remain motionless. Iris wanted to speak, to voice some form of reassurance, but as her mind went blank, she released the black pony and moved to gather the talisman, its dim pulsing light casting odd shadows across the floor, from the corner of her eye; she noticed a slight reddening of the black ponies features. Upon reaching the talisman, Iris was reluctant in touching it, it made her eyes itch just to look at it this close and she wondered what untold power might be contained within its small stature. Shutting her eyes, she gathered the stone, upon touching it, she felt as if her hoof would melt, not with pain, but with an odd sensation she was unaccustomed to. Wanting to rid herself of the terrible burden, she rose quickly and tossed it recklessly onto the table. After bouncing several times it rested on the wood, to her surprise, the wood did nit singe or smoke upon contact with the enchanted object. Noticing that Reik was still in his position, Iris was overcome with sadness, she knew he was in misery, yet she felt helpless. He was always so secluded, so alone; it pained her to see a pony in such a state. If only he would speak, give voice to his conundrum, then she could help, yet he remained silent, no matter the intensity of her mental pleas. After a gentle sigh, Iris spoke. “We’ve gone far Reik, just a few days ago I was an evicted seamstress, But now.” Without knowing how to end the phrase, she started anew. “We are all behind you, and your friends will follow you to whatever end.” Reik smiled weakly at the comment and advanced to the window, casting his gaze over the shadow covered territory of Ponyville. It was a miserable sight, the leader of the revolutionary party, one who had done in the space of one evening, done what had taken countless others years to attempt. Cursing herself and already thinking of ten ways she could have acted and spoken in a more supportive tone, Iris turned to leave, floorboards creaking under her hooves.

Upon exiting the chamber, she was approached by Vladimir, who shoved the obviously angered Applejack at her. The orange pony spun around and fired an enraged stare at the grey stallion, who glared angrily at the two of them. He spoke in a deep foreboding tone that immediately suppressed the orange pony’s anger and caused her to take a fearful step backwards.

"Make nice.” It was a short phrase, but it left no room for refusal.

Chapter 22: The Vanguard Party

NEITHER PONY SPOKE, a brutal silence overtook the dark and empty corridor inside the pavilion. Despite the cool temperatures, Applejack could feel only the warming grip of malice, as she noticed the similar unfading look in the red Pegasus standing still before her; she concluded her opponent felt the same sense of raw anger.

Sighing deeply, the grey stallion Vladimir voiced his disapproval. “What are you, Fillies?” The silence was quick to encircle the trio once more yet Vladimir drove it back with another statement. “You hate each other, fine, but in case you didn't notice, the food stores are nearly empty, if this little project gets finished on schedule, no mouth will go unfed, however if you two cannot learn to tolerate each other, we will not survive the winter." The weight of the situation finally fell on Applejack, she hated to admit it, but the stallion was right. Most of the ponies in Ponyville didn't know, but the village was already on the brink of starvation, the last harvest before winter had been next to nothing and the isolation from the rest of Equestria meant they were on their own. Applejack wanted shout that it was their fault, not hers, that things where the way they were. She wanted to roar that if Reik had never come to Ponyville, if Iris had just left, Vladimir had just stayed in the guard, if George had just stayed a farmer, if everypony had just enjoyed where they already where, things would never have turned sour. It wouldn't be the middle of the night for the past three days, ponies wouldn't be scared to leave their homes, nothing bad would have happened. Yet voicing such a thought would be pointless, too much had happened, she couldn't change things overnight, Applejack sighed as she realized she would have to make do with what she was given.

Iris glanced at the orange pony, her expression softening slightly, and then looked to Vladimir. If she hopped to find some kind of compassion in his glare, there was none. He simply stared back at her with the same look of annoyed anger that had painted his features for the past few days. She shrunk under his gaze. With a last glance at both mares, the armored stallion turned around and moved to exit the pavilion, joints and buckles sounding off with each movement.

As the stallion left, a sickly silence enveloped the room once more. Across the floor of the pavilion, that was swept in darkness save for the stray candle or open window allowing light to sweep across the stone face, Applejack could hear the chatter of a mouse somewhere off in the shadowy darkness. Applejack, continued to observe the grey stallion as he exited the pavilion, wanting to avoid contact with the red Pegasus for as long as possible. It was with a quiet groan that she turned to Iris once Vladimir had disappeared completely. Iris had evidently been doing a similar thing, her vision turned towards the stars leading up to the council chamber. Applejack wondered to herself what red Pegasus had wanted with the black pony that could not have been shared during the meeting. It was only after a forced cough from the orange pony that caused Iris to snap her head towards Applejack. There was a brief period of several seconds before Iris spoke. "I need your cooperation in this comrade." Applejack responded quickly, trying to make her tone less belligerent. "Ya gonna need to be a tad more specific partner." Iris groaned verbally. "Stop under mining me, be friendly, don't argue every five seconds-" Applejack quickly cut in. "Wouldn't need to argue if you wasn't provoken me at every turn." The red mare gave a sarcastic inquisitive look. "Case in point, now how exactly am I provoking you at every turn them?" Applejack, feeling her face grow warm from the stress and anger, responded immediately. "How about parkin yer goons on my property?" Iris physically flinched at this and spoke in a calm tone that obviously tried to hide an enraged one. "Do I need to explain the basics of socialism again or are you just trying to make me pop a blood vessel?"

Applejack felt a cruel sense of satisfaction to cause this annoying mare discomfort, however she remembered their predicament. Ponyville could no longer afford their squabbling. Her tone changing to one of reconciliation, Applejack spoke slowly, searching for words as she went. "Never mind, sorry, I agree this has to stop, what do ya need me to do specifically partner." Iris rose on eyebrow at the orange ponies sudden change in attitude, yet responded in kind. "At least act like you want to help, the other ponies respect you, a lot, and if they see you actually helping instead of resisting, things will get done faster." Applejack cringed at the concept of helping these communists with their backward plans. Yet she remembered her obligation, Ponyville would not last the winter if this issue wasn't settled here and now.

'Sure… whatever… anything else?" Applejack spat quickly, eager to end her submission and leave. The wind howled through the pavilion, causing both mares to pull their coats closer around their frames. Iris starred into the orange ponies eyes, as if searching for sincerity or bluff. Applejack could tell Iris didn't want to push the subject, she didn't intend to question her on every grievance. Both ponies stood in another round of silence, starring down one another, officially the tension would be put to rest for the sake of the village, but the conflict between them was still burning out of the public's sight.

Deciding the conversation to be well enough over, Applejack broke her gaze on the red pony and moved to leave the pavilion. As she neared the structures exit and began to feel the icy touch of the outside air, she could feel Iris's eyes tracking her. She maintained a calm, collected pace as her hooves moved over the stone floor, however, once her hooves connected with the dirt and cobblestone of the Ponyville streets, she increased her pace into a slow run.

Chapter 23: The Proletariat

TWILIGHT BEGAN TO regret not brining any form of coat or scarf as she followed the silent parade. The wind had picked up heavily once the group reached the outskirts of Ponyville, and the purple pony clenched her jaw to keep her teeth from chattering. She was not alone in her suffering, the ponies around her succumbing to bursts of shivers or shaking jaws. All except the guards showed signs of distaste for the cold; the silent beings moved quietly and swiftly in their black plates, with so little observable responses to the low temperature, Twilight began to wonder if the mute warriors actually liked this new environment.

Eventually, the stray, lonely buildings that leeched onto their path where replaced by dense forestry. The trees had grown dull and grey instead of bright and brown, where once lush branches full of leaves bright with fading autumn rested, now rested sharp, cruel claws reaching skywards. The dirt was black and lifeless; an epidemic of dead bushes and limp flowerbeds infected the once vibrant environment.

There was no wildlife; there were no chirping birds, no bounding bunnies, and no flying insects. The black trees where no longer home to life, merely husks serving no purpose than future firewood. Had one not seen the forest in its former glory, they would have thought the place had always existed in such a sad manner, never home to life or color.

Whenever the whipping wind tore into the forest, across a particularly barren and concentrated area of branches, a cold screech sounded across the land. It was as if one could actually hear the forest dying, its last gasps escaping for all to hear.
Twilight had known this forest. She had mental stores full of memories from this area; memories of color and noise, and of happiness and love. She could not believe that such a wonderful place could be torn down to such a state. The forest she had come to love was now an alien monstrosity, a crude insult to its own rich history. Eventually, she could feel tears begin to well behind her vision and shifted her vision to the snow covered ground, away from the ruined forest.

As they moved through the dead collection of wooden pillars, Twilight could hear, during short lapses in the wind, the sound of industry. Roaring voices, groaning wood, splitting planks, crashing hammers, it was a rarely heard collection of sounds to the purple unicorn, and it frightened her to be near such things this deep into the forest. As they drew nearer to the noises, a faint glow could be seen above the barren branches, a sickly orange glow that touched the clouds and glinted off the armor of the Pegasus guards who lead them nearer to this estranged location.

They party passed through a thin barrier of dense brush, which Twilight noticed could not have occurred naturally. It was when they picked their way through, over, and under in some occasions the collection of dead branches, that Twilight noticed the stumps. Hundreds of them, covering every space, like a silent army of flat topped, wooden warriors, standing at a solemn attention. Like their journey through the dead forest only moments ago, the purple pony was sickened by this image.

A sharp command from a guard marching past her brought Twilight's attention from the stumps, to their now clearly present destination. Past the snow and the stumps, the Apple family ranch stood alone on a low hill. It was bizarre to see the structure without its usual compliment of surrounding apple trees, and even more bizarre to see the numerous ponies rushing around about its premise.

Near the great barn, the skeletons of two similarly sized constructs where being built be its side; a compliment of guards and regular citizens working on the project. Snaking a path away from the farm and towards Ponyville, a large caravan, much larger than Twilights, could be seen, aside from individual ponies, Twilight could make out large wagons, hauled by both guards and citizens. Twilight noted that, unlike the town, every square inch of building space was not covered in banners; instead, the apple top wind vain that usually topped the barn was replaced with the barley visible flag of the invaders.

Noticing that her group was moving, Twilight extended a hoof to begin following, however, a split second thought of doubt stayed her movement.

She could flee. Twilight was right next to the forest, they were moving away, counting on the bizarre weather, a storm could come in and mask her movements even more than the ever present darkness. They wouldn't be able to catch her, she knew the forest, despite its present state, she would surely be able to avoid these autonomous machines. Unlike the others, she would even have a destination, Zecora's hut, in the Everfree forest, it was perfect. Swallowing hard, Twilight took a shaking step backwards, yet once again, her mind was filled with a new thought.

She would be fleeing, leaving her friends and everypony behind. Once they realized she was gone, she would never be able to return, she would be of no use to Celestia or Ponyville. Twilights mind was filled by a mental war, flee or stay. Abandon your friends or save yourself. Escape or join the machine.

Her decision was abruptly made. Not by her, but by the emotionless glare of a motionless construct. The guard glared at her from his position behind the, now slowly moving away group. Although she was quite far from the stallion, and the slowly quickening wind was pushing her towards the forest, she felt as if her hooves where bound by iron. Twilight hung her head in silent defeat and began to advance back into formation with the group.

The guard waited for her, he waited until she had passed well in front of him before picking up a pace of his own. Twilight could not hear any form of hoofsteps, yet she knew he was only just behind her the entire trip back into cohesion with the group. She thought of it as degrading, being coerced into a pack like an animal.

APPLEJACK COULD FIND no other being to compare Iris to than herself. Although the red pegasus snatched, scanned, and discarded papers faster than Applejack could even read what they where titled, she was far from a secluded bookworm. When they came upon the farm, after leaving the meeting separately, they decided together that it would be best to enter the zone as a pair. As they walked among the little ponies, rushing about on their own tasks, Iris would stop constantly, moving to question each worker, asking if they knew what they were doing, dispensing her own orders if they couldn't reply. She examined the numerous supply carrying carts, checking not only their contents, but also the carts themselves, axles, wheels, and carriage. She even questioned ever stray guard that crossed their path, sometimes on the status of the construction project, sometimes about their armor, if it was in any way hindered by the frost or some other factor.

Yes, Applejack thought, in an industrial sense, Iris wasn't that different from herself, an industrious farmer so to speak. Applejack smirked at that last thought. It was odd to mentally compare herself to the communist but Applejack found it helped lessened her anger towards the Pegasus. Celestia knows she would need some method of stemming her anger if both of them where to survive the few weeks.

When they came upon her home and the numerous ponies rushing in and out of it, Applejack gritted her teeth, but reminded herself that it was all necessary for now. The guards rushing in and out parted as the pair entered with no bows or nodding, they simply allowed them to pass. Applejack found this odd, subordinates showing no sign of respect to their officials didn't really coincide with her mental image of a dictatorship.

The two passed through the front entrance, and made their way to the dining room, as they moved through the house, they passed numerous stacks of paper, and a wide assortment of mechanical constructs, if one had no prior knowledge, they would have thought the Apple family farm to be the headquarters of the territory instead of the pavilion.

Upon entering the dining room, Applejack noted the two guards standing silently near the doorway. Returning her gaze to the room, she was unsurprised to see the room had changed little from the last time she viewed it. Papers everywhere, maps, schematics, books, all cast on the long table like leaves on the ground during autumn. Two candles placed at opposite ends of the table served as the rooms only source of light, and aside from the guards and the two commissars, only one other pony acted as the room’s occupant.

It was not a guard, instead of an armored shell, it adorned a simple cloak. Its coat was grey, and its tail and hair where a bright green, a pair of orange goggles concealed its eyes.. The pony was at the farthest edge of the table, holding a small piece of parchment dangerously close to one of the table’s candles. Applejack could not guess the pony’s’ gender and, upon noticing the orange ponies curiosity, Iris spoke.

"My assistant, comrade Applejack, meet Horus." The comment provoked no other sound from the room, only a freezing silence occupied the space. Suddenly, as if just realizing its name had been mentioned, Horus spoke quickly. Its voice was panicky and low, he was a stallion.

"Comrade Iris, if everything goes as planned, we will not have enough materials left to make the windmills, we will not be able to generate power, and we wo-" Iris snatched the scroll from his hooves and began looking over it. Horus looked shocked to have his paper taken so abruptly from him and began pacing the room oddly. As he walked, he removed his goggles, exposing two green eyes, two lifeless, mechanical eyes. Applejack realized that he was not different from Magnus, a brainwashed guard with a little bit more liberty.

Upon noticing Applejack, Horus froze, looking her up and down and then back to Iris, his gaze kept snapping from the orange pony to the red Pegasus. Annoyed at the stallions action, Applejack moved closer to the table and began looking thought papers, she barley understood what half of them meant but it was better than standing around doing nothing.

After giving up on deciphering some schematics, Applejack noticed that Horus was still staring at her.

"Uh, can ah help you with somethin’ partner?" Her tone was commanding and annoying. Horus yelped slightly at the comment and took several steps backwards. Lifting her head from the parchment, Iris spoke calmly to Horus."Comrade, we will be requiring Applejacks assistance for the next few days, now please, bring me the master plans for the windmills." Horus nodded quickly and began rummaging through the scrolls on the table, mumbling as he did so. Once he withdrew himself from the table, a large scroll clasped in his hooves, he rushed over to Iris, who had tossed her own scroll back onto the table.

Taking the scroll, Iris splayed it across the table before a candle, Applejack noted that the light source was nearing its end, only several inches of the stick still stood, a white mass of wax forming at its base. "What are we going to do about the mater-" Iris silenced his comment with a raised hoof and looked to Applejack, unlike past glares, her new gaze held no malice, only camaraderie. "Comrade, I'm not fully aware of our resources, and I would appreciate your input." Applejack found the comment oddly worded, yet advanced beside the Pegasus and gazed at the scroll.

At first glance, Applejack was overwhelmed. She could make out the basic structure, a simple windmill, tripod setup, yet instead of a milling station or a water pump at its base, there was an odd looking machine. the numerous arrows, numbers, and notes written upon the paper made it difficult for Applejack to understand what exactly she was supposed to help with.
As if reading her mind, Iris clarified. "This is an electricity generating windmill, we will need many of these to help power the artificial farm however, we will be using many resources to build the farm itself and I'm afraid we won't have the materials needed to build this version of the windmill, we will need to alter the construction somehow, but woodworks are not my specialty, any thoughts". Applejack thought for a moment. Her mind slowly worked around the concept and she quickly began creating and dismissing ideas. They couldn't make the blades smaller, because that would generate less power. They didn't have access to metals as far as Applejack knew, they surrounding wood was all dead and therefore couldn't really be used.

Applejack blinked suddenly as a metaphorical light bulb popped over her head. "Do we have rope?" She asked quickly. Iris gave her a look of curiosity at first, but nodded. "Then couldn't we just make one leg and support it with cables?" Iris's grin appeared in the darkness. "Excellent, Horus, draw up some plans for me following that design." The silent stallion nodded crookedly and rushed over to a table against the wall full of blank papers and several ink wells. Stepping away from the table and towards the room's exit and motioning for Applejack to follow, Iris spoke in a friendly tone. "It's time we got to our other posts; I think you should help with the main barns construction." Applejack spared another glance at the windmill schematic before nodding and moving to follow the commissar out the door. The sound of a quill scratching against parchment could be heard as the pair left the room.

Chapter 24: The Farm

TORCHES, THEY WERE everywhere, along every path, attached to every wall, one out of five guards carried one. Despite the lazy moon hanging just above their heads, it might as well have been mid day on the Apple family farm. The brutal wind had picked up just as Twilight entered the farm, its rigid sweep forcing everypony to brace against the cold. The civilians were the worst off, only a token few actually having any form of clothing to protect them against the weathers assault.

Casting her gaze to the ground, Twilight saw that the snow she traversed was far from white. The constant hoofsteps created trenches along the white ground, wood chippings crunched underhoof, and soot formed in areas under torches.
What was the point? Twilight wondered this over and over again. Why where they tearing down the forest, why where they utilizing practically everypony in Ponyville for whatever it was? Normally, Twilight was no stranger to confusion or inquiry. Her studies began and ended with many questions. Not knowing something was but a reason to look for something to the purple pony. But this was different. This, whatever it was, had an ominous feeling about it. Even though all of this was happening within the confines of Ponyville, and even then, only parts of Ponyville, Twilight felt as if she would soon be helping to stir a giant.

Twilight was brought from her thoughts by the sudden impact with a guard, he had been standing motionless and she had not noticed him. The armored guard didn't budge an inch when Twilight bumped into him; the only acknowledgment he offered her was a short glance out of his peripheral vision in her direction. Twilight was surprised to see such little response the stallion, yet his gaze on her that must have lasted only a second was terrifying, those grey eyes that starred seemed to stare through her kept her in a sitting position even after he turned away.

Regaining her sense, Twilight rose and examined her surroundings. The group had stopped along with several other groups. They had all congregated around the front of the Apple family house, despite the battle between the creeping darkness and sea of torches, the house looked just as it did before the takeover.

The ponies around her where silent, like before they hung their heads and shuffled their hooves uneasily. As before, they all had a look of forlorn exhaustion about them, any attempt to communicate was met with a threatening glare from a nearby guard. Around her, the sound of the wind mixed with the sound of construction. Above the ambient clamor, Twilight could hear a voice, not a deep commanding one used by the guards; this was the voice of a mare. However she could not pick up any specific words, just the sound that somepony was speaking.

As the voice continued, sections of the congregation broke off, moving in separate directions around the farm, each accompanied by a pair of guards like they had in the town center, shouting and directing to whatever destination they were given.

When the ponies around her began moving off to one direction, Twilight caught a sense of fearful confusion. She didn't understand a single bit of what was going on; everypony seemed ignorant of her existence. Deciding it better to mix with the closest party and move with them, Twilight caught up to the group that had just departed and moved with them across the farm.

Their trip was short, instead of venturing into the forest or back towards town as others had, Twilight found herself before the great barn, its silhouette fading with the black backdrop due to a decrease in the frequency of torches. Despite the darkness though, the barn was still its old red self subject to little overall change, despite the new flag flying over its roof.
From within, Twilight heard a large crash. The crash was one of both wood and metal and its report was quickly followed by an uproar of voices.

Around her, Twilight was encircled by other working ponies, rushing about their tasks to and fro. To each side of the great barn, two equally large expansions where taking shape. Only skeletons now, but Twilight could see that the endeavor would triple the size and capacity of the barn, but for what purpose, she could only guess.

Poking her head above the party, Twilight saw, albeit when a stray head was not blocking her view, Twilight could see their two escort guards fumbling with the doors, the locking mechanism for which had shattered; a swift kick from one of them solving the problem. Stepping back, the guards pulled the doors apart, exposing the inner structure.

The first thing Twilight noticed was the metal mess covering the ceiling which she assumed had been the source of the crash. It was a tangle of metal bar and wooden planks, the purpose for which she could not devise. Around the mess, Twilight saw a mix of guards and civilian ponies simply staring at the collection of scrap.

"Second things done go according ta plan, they're as useful as a screen door on a submarine." A familiar voice sounded to Twilight's side. Recognizing the sounds owner immediately, Twilight spun around and embraced the orange coat of her friend Applejack. Applejack jumped slightly at the embrace, surprised by the embrace. "Calm down hun, you ok?" She asked reassuringly. Twilight broke the hug reluctantly, but was still happy to see such a familiar friend. "Yeah, fine, I'm just happy to see a familiar face today." Applejack smiled in response and started to move into the barn, motioning for Twilight to follow. Unlike the armored guards, Twilight was more than happy to follow her friend, as she entered the barn Twilight examined her friend. The coat she wore, tattered at its ends, and her cap, a light coat of snow resting on it, were such a contradiction to her true self. Twilight found it odd to find somepony like Applejack adorning the colors of the occupation but reminded herself that Applejack was not doing it by choice. What Twilight had also noticed about her friend was her expression. It was a weathered one, a tired one, the kind you'd see on a pony who hadn't slept for days.

Applejack continued into the barn until she reached the collection around the metal spaghetti now occupying the center of the building. With but only a few shouts and a tone of authority, Applejack had everypony around her rushing about, some grabbing planks of wood and metal, others grabbing wheelbarrows which were quickly loaded with the materials. Turning away from the production she had just produced, the orange pony moved towards the new congregation, addressing them with the same tone of command.

First demanding the barn doors to be shut, and continuing only once the task was complete and the frigid outside air was kept at bay, Applejack described their task. They were building a farm, an artificial one, inside the barn, the barn that was quickly being expanded. The barn would utilize special lighting, mimicking that of the sun, to induce food growth, and the survival of Ponyville rested on its completion on schedule. The lighting equipment was on its way from Ponyville and the metal chassis that would hold it, the same one a section of which had just fallen, would need adjustment and repairs before the lights could be mounted.

Twilight was intrigued be such an audacious construction. She had heard and read about such forms of farming, but never in depth, artificial forms of farming never being a big issue in Equestria. Finishing her address, Applejack directed groups of ponies to their guard handlers and sent them off to work. She directed Twilight personally to help her organize all the workers go about their tasks in the most productive and efficient order. Happy to be of assistance to her friend and in a way she was most proficient with, Twilight happily directed the whole operation. The metal and wood strips that had one littered the floor where quickly repaired and put back into place alongside their brethren on the ceiling. Twilight still marveled at the prospect of an artificial farm, in contrast to her fearful ignorance that defined her not a couple hours ago, she now wanted only to be a part of this great and production. She even felt a little tinge of sadness when the final bolt was put into place and work had come to an abrupt pause. The chassis repaired but the equipment still on its way to the barn.

As the ponies around them pointed blank stares at one another, some going so far as to whisper to one another, Twilight and Applejack took a seat on several planks of unused wood. For several seconds, they simply starred at each other, so much needed to be asked and said, yet there was no proper place to start. Twilight, still sifting through her thoughts and organizing her armory of questions, turned her gaze to the silent ponies around her, both guard and civilian, just standing silently, as if oblivious to each other's existence. Reminded of an inquiry she had, Twilight abruptly blurted out. "Remember when you told me they were as useful as a screen, uh." applejack interjected at Twilights verbal stumble. "Screen door on a submarine?" Twilight nodded and continued. "Yeah, uh, who where you talking about, the guards? Or ponies?" Applejack gave Twilight an odd stare; in such a situation she probably thought it odd to inquire such a thing when Twilight clearly had many other important questions. "Uh, I, err." The orange pony started to chuckle as she continued. "Ah guess both of em."

Chapter 25: Public Relations

AN AURA OF fog covered the glass of the cold window with each expended breath. Only to retreat several seconds later. Reik's head was placed firmly against the small window in the conference room for the past few minutes. Ignoring the numbing cold on his forehead, he gazed out the window at his world, if he could really call it his world.

Aside from the token guard patrol, or the rare charge of a wagon off to gather or deliver goods, the square of Ponyville expanded before him in a dark and empty expanse. Even though he had ordered numerous lamps be constructed throughout the territory, shadows still lapped at every nook and cranny, like missed corners of a poorly painted toy. Peeping over the black horizon, which was exposed only due to the numerous lights built on its surface, stood the Apple family farm, though calling it that would be far from correct. What little hill that was exposed by the artificial light was barren and snow covered. Although he felt no remorse for its removal, the black pony could feel a small nibble of sadness at the sight of the destroyed wilderness: having walked through it only days ago, he knew that the destruction of such a great wonder would torment those who had known it well.

As he looked on and examined the world through the thin layer of glass, his spirit continued to drop, sinking deeper into the sea of doubt at the pit of his mind.

*Is this not what you wanted?*

That voice. A constant torment, the product of a faulty mind that never once ceased to remind him that his cherished intellect was blemished, damaged: Imaginary friends where for colts and fillys, not revolutionaries.

**This is the price of change**

*Will you still say that when this picture stays the same for weeks, months, and years?**
With a short recoil and sharp thrust into the window, the voice was expelled from his mind, at the expense of a sharp spike of pain, bringing about a low grunt from the black pony. Although it was gone, the phrased echoed in his mind. What if it lasted forever? Little advances had been made and the ponies where in a worse state than they were before. No, he corrected himself quickly. The end goal was invaluable. Agriculture was not reliant upon seasonal changes, but controlled completely by the farmers. The eternal darkness was an unforeseen flaw, the critically small territory was unexpected, and the revolution was both rushed and undermanned. Things where not going according to plan, that was all.

For the situation at hoof, things had been going quite well. The loyalty of his comrades was strong and unwavering. The farm was almost on schedule, all that was needed was the cooperation of the citizens of Ponyville.

Reik never planned to march into Canterlot on the shoulders of thousands of followers, embraced with acceptance, or understood with perfect clarity. He had expected difficulties with the local populace converting to a socialist system and ultimately a communistic one. But he had not planned for this level of incompatibility. Although the followed directions and marched without resistance, this was not to last. The efficiency and brutality of the takeover and the dominating stature of the guards was the only thing keeping the citizens marching. Once they fully recovered from the shock and came to grips with their predicament, they would revolt. Worse still, repercussions for aggression for the change where nigh impossible. Control over the guards was thin, and further coercion attempts on the populace would only increase antagonisms. The sudden thought train was halted as it passed over the topic of guard control.

The talisman was a cruel, unusual thing. It made his teeth itch to be near it, and the few times he had utilized it, he didn't feel complete control over it, as if some aspects of its operation where independent of his command. The device seemed to have a mind of its own, an agenda of its own. It was heavy in his hoof and its glow seemed increasingly sickly with each passing hour.

Feeling its weight in his pocket increase, Reik withdrew it from his coat and gazed at its surface. Indeed, it glowed with a cruel green that conveyed the essence of insidiousness and deviancy. Shivering slightly and pulling his gaze from it, a task he found oddly difficult, the black stallion paced the room to its corner, where a short stool laid, and deposited the stone on its face. Keeping himself from looking at it, he removed his cap and dumped it onto the stool, so as to conceal the talisman.
Immediately he felt relieved, moving sluggishly over to the center table and occupying one of its chairs. Reik was tired. He had not slept for more than an hour at a time, he had not slept in a bed, and he was in near constant activity with the management of the territory. This moment was one of few where he could simply relax, withdraw, and rest. His head began to feel heavy, his breathing slowed. Without thought, his head dropped to the table, eyes slowly blinking shut. All issues, predicaments, plans, all worldly responsibilities began to fade as tiredness swept over him. The world grew quiet and peaceful; the embrace of sleep was at hoof.

"We had an appointment comrade commissar?"

His realm of peace fell away in an instant as the cold voice sounded in the room. His head shot up in an instant, eyes fluttering open. The voice quickly registered as belonging to Magnus. Mental cogs spun and a memory was fished out. Yes, he remembered, they were due to meet and discuss the public's cooperation with the party.

"If you would like me to come at another time comrade..." His voice once unnerved Reik, it still did to others, but with constant interaction, he had since grown accustomed to the monotone voice. "No, no, I'm fine, take a seat." rubbing his forehead, the black stallion adjusted himself in his seat to a more presentable position and awaited Magnus to start the discussion. While it would have been a better choice to appoint a native of Ponyville for the job of public relations, the job needed one of cunning, and intelligence. Although Reik had ensured his higher level of intelligence than the rest of the drones, he considered himself fortunate to have found such a pony like Magnus. A criminal, but a clever one at that. This one had been locked away within the dungeons of Canterlot, and for just reason. This one had infiltrated Ponyville, and started an expansive criminal network in Canterlot. He had escaped the law numerous times, manipulated crooked guards and other ponies, and gathered a small fortune within several months. His skills in manipulation and control were tried and tested, they would be needed if the masses of Ponyville where to be properly directed for their own survival.

"Go ahead comrade." Reik groaned. With a nod, Magnus spoke quickly. "We are at a crucial point in the operation, progress has been made, and this is beneficial to our primary goal: the completion of the artificial farm. However, the public views us with distaste, not only due to the general notion of change, but radical change at that, and due to the violent upheaval of their past system. They view us as a violent invasive force using them for our own gains." Reik held up a hoof to stop him, at which he immediately paused. "How do you know this comrade?" Magnus responded quickly in the same monotone voice. " I have overheard several conversations and have discussed with other commissars on the subject. We are viewed as an invasive force. Until we can provide that we are superior to the past system, their cooperation will no longer be guaranteed. We must appeal to them."

This Reik already knew and with a nod, Magnus continued. "So, we need to get the farm in operation as soon as possible, the sooner they are fed, the sooner we can move forward. Until then, we need to show our superiority to the past in another way. We need to demonize the past system. Point out its flaws while at the same time pointing where we have improved on it." Reik reclined in his seat. "And how should we go about this exactly?" Magnus responded while taking a step closer. "Time is against us, so until we can more accurately gauge the system, I propose the use of propaganda images, and addresses to the public." A headache began to throb in his head and Reik nodded in agreement with a false smile. "Good comrade, I assume you can handle the images?" Magnus stiffened his posture and nodded. "Of course comrade commissar." Reik wanted this to be over, it could all be handled by Magnus easily, right now, fatigue was taking its toll, he needed rest. "Good, now could we cut this meeting short, I need you to continue with the operation on the farm."

"Of course comrade commissar." With the a short nod, Magnus stepped out of the room, his hoofs sounding like a metronome as they moved out the door. Slapping his head onto the table once the stallion had left the room. Reik let himself slip into unconsciousness once more, this time, uninterrupted.

Chapter 26: Into the Forest

IT HAD BEEN only a few days since they had been talking blissfully speaking to each other in town over some forgotten silly subject. Now, after so little time had passed. It felt as if they had been separated for months. Twilight Sparkle and Applejack conversed rapidly, at first with questions on the new world, they told of each other's experiences and positions. Then the conversation drifted to the subject of their friends and their positions in the new Ponyville.

Twilight learned of Fluttershy's admission into the commissariat along with Applejack, Rarity's mission of creating the numerous flags and banners that covered the town. Twilight offered some thought to the mental image of Rarity in an ocean of red and black cloth creating dozens upon dozens of banners in a frenzy. She felt a tinge of guilt at the thought afterword's. Rainbow Dashes inability to fly came as frightening news to the purple pony, but it was eased when Applejack assured her of Dash's recovery and admission into the work force under Fluttershy. What came as a somewhat foreseeable shock was Pinkie Pies admission into a makeshift detention area in the ruins of Canterlot. Evidently Pinkie had learned of commissars Magnus's lack of humor after creating a gauntlet of confetti cannons in his office.

"Have you seen her, I mean, you're an official, have you been there." Twilight said, a concerned look on her features.

"Well, I've seen it, but I wasn't allowed inside." Applejack said, an equally concerned look on her face. "I don't think she's hurt or nothin, I think Magnus just wanted her outa his hair." Twilight looked away from her friend, turning her gaze instead to the barn floor. Most of the hay had been cleared away leaving only wood. Around her, some of the ponies and guards where clearing out the hay. Upon rediscovering her curiosity, she spoke without raising her head. "What are they doing with the barn?" Applejack gave the purple pony an inquisitive look. She hadn't expected such a question and found that she expected her friend to know by now. "A farm, they're makin a farm." Twilight pulled her head up and glanced around the barn, cold wooden structure as a lush green farm full of corn, watermelon, and lettuce. Her face contorted into a confused stare with the thought. "Uh, I don't see that happening Applejack." The orange pony beside her chuckled slightly. "Yeah, me neither, but Iris is so sure about it, an she's the one in charge ah this big party, so don't be askin me the details." Twilight turned her gaze back to her friend. Again, the dark coat and peaked cap forced her mind to make a double take to assure her she was talking to Applejack. "Iris, who's Iris?" She questioned. "Reik's right hoof mare, red coat, some kind ah circle cutie mark." applejack said with malice, Twilight took that her friend didn't like this mare. "Reik's right hand mare?" Twilight asked. "Yeah, one of his goons."

Twilight was aware that Reik was not alone, she had seen him with another stallion in Sugarcube corner but she had not known of others in his circle. "How many goons does he have?" She asked. Applejack spent a few seconds getting the names in her head. "Iris, Vladimir, George, and Magnus."

Upon hearing the names, Twilight inquired about each of these ponies. Applejack gave what she knew about each one. After disclosing what she knew on each one, Twilight nodded and went back to another thought. "How are they going to make a farm in here?" Applejack grew a grimace as she tried to remember the details of the construction. "The lights are gonna take the place uh the sun, an they're gonna have rows of plants, in pots or somthin, I don't know much 'bout it, not my kind ah farmin for sure."

Twilight cast her vision around the building once more. Envisioning the picture Applejack described. At first, it seemed odd. But as she imagined the orderly rows of plants sustained constantly by natural lighting in place of the now absent sun, it was an ingenious plan. No longer would they need to rely on the sun, no longer would food growth rely upon the seasons. This was a small example though, built in desperation, but if it could be made on a grand scale, Twilights mind swam with possibilities. How could Applejack hold this pony, this Iris in such low regard? The creator of this construct was an innovator, a great mind she wanted to meet. No more food shortages. No more fear of a great drought or massive rainstorm. Twilight could not understand how such an inventive idea could come from those she viewed as invasive and evil. A gentle sigh broke from Applejack and pulled Twilight from her thoughts.

"Ah really miss Celestia, she'd know what to do, she would pull us out of this, I wonder where she is."
Celestia.

The word echoed in Twilights mind for a second. She could tell it meant something important. She knew that the alicorn had spoken with her before the invasion an something important. The importance of the conversation drifted just on the edges of her mind. Unable to be fully understood. As Applejack lamented over Celestia's absence Twilight struck her head with her hoof in frustration. Applejack looked to her friend in confusion. Twilight sifted through her thoughts for the answer. Coming upon it in a brief moment of beautiful clarity.

The Everfree forest. She needed to meet with Celestia. Meet and tell her what she had seen. Twilgiht lashed out and grabbed Applejack pulling her close and speaking in a frantic whisper. "The forest, I need to get into the forest, Celestia is there, I need to get there now." For a second, Applejack stared at her now franticly breathing friend, allowing the words to pool in her thoughts. Finally they sank in wholly and the mare broke into a broad grin. "She's in the forest! Where, tell me, she can help us right?" Twilgiht shook her head rapidly before speaking. "No, only me, they'll get curios if any other pony goes with me, and you need to stay behind and make sure nopony follows me, can you do this?" At first Applejack was saddened to hear this but her sadness was overtaken by conviction.

"Ya, now, before more come to put the lights in, you go and talk to Celestia, plan to get these reds outa Ponyville, I'll make sure none notice, ok?" Twilight smiled broadly at her friend nodding.

The pair silently went to the back of the barn, avoiding the stares of any curios pony. Near the back, behind a stack of crates and a pile of scrap metal cleared from the floor, Applejack gently eased open a small door that led outside the barn.

Checking the outside for any guards, Applejack eased it closed and looked back at Twilgiht, whispering. "Ya know where yer headin?" Twilgiht nodded quickly and whispered back. "Zecora's hut, I know the way." Applejack smiled and quickly removed her coat, it was heavy and caused the Orange pony to rise slightly higher in stature upon removing it. Trimmed with red, Twilight recognized the work of Rarity.

"Here, ah don't want y'all to freeze, and if you stay low, it'll help ya blend in." Twilight took the coat and adorned it, already feeling its warmth and weight. She smiled back to her friend and, quickly regretting not giving some other form of compassion or friendship, broke into a run out the back of the barn. Into a freezing world slightly lessened by the coat and darkened by the sunless sky.

IRIS WAS AT the head of the line, one of both guards, citizens, and her assistant Horus. They carried the lights required for the barn and several bags of dirt that where to serve as the soil for the plants in the farm. The wind whipped at her coat and the mare had her goggles down over her eyes to protect them from the chilling cold. At her side, Horus and a guard had no such protection and showed no sign of distaste for the cold. Only herself and the normal ponies around her seemed deterred by the weather. Again, the odd zombie state of these brainwashed ponies unnerved her and she cast her vision away from them towards her destination.

The barn loomed in the distance and she called to a guard next to her to advance ahead and open the doors for them. He immediately obeyed and in with a quick sprint, the armor clad stallion was at the entrance hefting the doors apart. Iris stopped at the door and motioned for the parade to enter. She glanced at every pony, noting each individual and item and crossing examining it with her memory of the line when they left the supply wagon at the other end of the farm. No missing individuals and no missing equipment. Efficiency at its finest in these conditions.

Being the last in, with the help of a guard, she pulled the barn doors shut, confused by the ease with which just one guard was able to open them and how difficult she found it herself. The mare quickly spun around and brushed the snow from her coat. The unpredictable weather was turning nasty again and she was happy to be inside away from it, yet the winds pounded on the barns walls and where clear for all to hear. Turing her gaze around the barn she scanned her new workplace, examining what and who she had to work with. Her eyes finally fell on Applejack, she wanted to question the orange ponies lack of a commissars coat but instead decided it best to not make a scene and move forward with the operation. The two paced towards each other and exchanged awkward greetings, more for show of mutual kindness than of sincerity.

"Ready to make history comrade?" Iris questioned with a grin. Applejack gave no return smile and spoke. "I'm ready to work."

Chapter 27: The Schoolhouse

THE SCHOOLHOUSE WAS relatively untouched by the red wave that engulfed the rest of the village. There were no banners or other insignia, guard patrols rarely came by, and the class schedule continued as it would on any other day. Fillies and colts converged unescorted towards the building as they would any other day. Cheerilee stood at the head of the class, watching her young students enter and take their place, as it would be any other day.
But it was not any other day. If not in the sky, the buildings, the citizens, then in their eyes, it was certainly not, any other day. These young ones did not fully understand what had happened or what new world they lived in, and despite her efforts to explain to them what had happened, Cheerilee's students still didn't understand why their world had become regimented and dark. It saddened the teacher to see the looks on their faces. The sad, depressed and forlorn expressions painted on each face. Especially young Applebloom, the poor filly had to endure the setting of industrial construction and robotic guards with each journey to and from home, hers was a look of deep despair.

Reik had no real plan for the youth of Ponyville beyond the repetition of their usual schedule. He refused to put them to work; he made that point especially clear during the commissariat meetings. Although he had spent several long moments of discussion on the importance of education, Cheerilee was familiar with the sound of a report where the speaker had little interest of knowledge of the subject. He was quick to thrust the issue of education into her hooves and she accepted it happily.

Where Applejack held only disgust for their new socialist system, Cheerilee found herself indifferent to the new surroundings. She was a teacher, her job was of no large part in the past and it was no large part in the present. Perhaps it was denial, as Applejack had called it when conversing in whispers, perhaps it was faith, but Cheerilee held firm that this was but a passing storm. Celestia would return and cast out this storm like any other problem that had plagued Equestria. The only duty she felt was truly hers was the education and if it required it, protection of these young ponies.
Because to her this was all but a passing storm, she had continued her lesson plan without falter. She discarded the commissar’s cloak and cap in a corner and began the lesson. Scratching chalk on the board and speaking with the same happy tone she had every other day, the class listened intently and she took small comfort in this small island of calm in the ocean of cold, darkened, madness.

AFTER ABOUT AN hour into the lesson, Cheerilee paused in her speech, stopping mid sentence with her back to the class. The cause of such an interruption sounded again, a gentle knock on the door located on the opposite end of the room. Amid the howling wind and whispering class, the knock rang a total of three times before Cheerilee moved. She called for the newcomer to enter, curious of the pony on the other side of the entrance, ponies where seldom late to her class and if her count was correct, everypony was accounted for in the class. The door creaked as it opened and shut almost instantly, the newcomer sliding into the room quickly. All whispering among the young ponies ended abruptly, as if they had all disappeared in an instant, even the wind seemed to lessen with the entrance of this individual. Cheerilee turned, casting her vision over the young ones; they were gawking at the newcomer, who was just out of her field of vision while turning. Had she been in their position, she would have done the same as her vision fell on a cloaked commissar standing at the opposite end of the class room.

The commissar was fully hidden under the cloak and the peaked cap was pulled over their face and masked their identity. Cheerilee's mind went to work on this individual. The height ruled out Vladimir, Applejack and Iris would not be far from the farm and had no reason to be here. Fluttershy was similarly occupied with her own duties and Derpy was probably asleep as usual. Her conclusion was that only two ponies could be standing before her now, and the low but commanding voice answered the question.

"You are not wearing your commissar's coat and cap, why comrade commissar Cheerilee?" Reik said in a tone that demanded the attention of all the rooms’ occupants. Some young ponies cast their vision down, for many this was the first time any had laid eyes on the orchestrator of the new Ponyville. Lifting his head and exposing his features, more ponies cast their eyes away. His face was gaunt and ghostly, malnourishment clearly evident. He looked tired, exhausted, and close to collapse, all from just the look on his face; yet his eyes where a complete contrast to this. Within those blue orbs was a deep power, a sense of faith and conviction that Cheerilee expected on the face of a warrior. In his eyes she saw the mighty faith of ideology. It was unwavering and unstoppable. This one would never lose faith in this endeavor. Cheerilee felt a tinge of doubt in the pit of her stomach. She knew Celestia would come, she knew the Alicorn would come to their rescue. But if pitted against the one who stood before her, she could only imagine the chaos that would ensue when the two great forces met.

Cheerilee could not blame the ponies in her midst that shied away from the dark figure and after a long pause; he spoke again in the same low tone, this time tinged with annoyance. "You are not wearing your commissar's co-" Cheerilee cut off the stallion with a short forward step. Outside, everything was his; he commanded the routine of every being on Ponyville. Outside, but in this small schoolhouse, in her realm, she was the one and only ruler, no other pony could except the princesses themselves could overrule her in her own classroom and this one was not about to tell her what she could and could not wear.

"I found it distasteful for this setting Reik, is that a problem?" The use of his name instead of title or that peculiar phrase 'comrade' may have pushed the stallion further in his state of annoyance but if it did he did not show any sign of wavering or increase in anger. There was only silence in the room and she could not help but wonder why he had come.

*COME TO CORRUPT the youth you sickly dog?* the stallion silently cursed his thoughts.

**I came to see what is being taught in the schoolhouses of Equestria**

*Had I a body I would strike you, you liar*

Reik rolled his eyes and stumbled towards an empty seat in the far corner of the class, exchanging silent curses the voice in his head. Cheerilee kept her eyes on him as he took his seat and cast his withering gaze back on her. The two shared a moment of mutual distaste before the stallion spoke, meanwhile the students remained silent and frozen in place, the stubbornness of their teacher raising a few heads.

"My apologies for interrupting, please, continue." The sentence came out differently than its predecessors; it was withdrawn and lacked the commanding nature of the past conversation. Cheerilee looked the stallion up and down before nodding and turning back to the chalk board. She continued the lesson as normal; they were on the subject of history, before the reign of the princesses but shortly after the foundation of Equestria. Cheerilee recited the lesson she had drawn up, speaking on the new found unity that came with their new land and the slow expansion of the territory, the dissolution of the three tribes into one union. When she mentioned the unification of the tribes, a hoof rose into the cold and still air. Cheerilee opened her mouth instinctively to ask for the question but paused when she noticed its owner to be the cloaked pony in the corner of the room. His hoof hovered in silence for a few seconds before Cheerilee asked. "You have a question Reik?" The stallion dropped his hoof and spoke, not in a condescending manner she expected, but in an inquisitive one shared by a curious student.

"Would you say these unified tribes still acted as a tribe at this point?" The question was followed by another from Cheerilee. "I'm afraid I don't know what you mean?"

"This was before the princesses I assume so the ponies were on their own right?" Cheerilee reluctantly nodded. "So, did they still act as a tribe, no currency, no clearly identified leader, a council perhaps?" The mare could sense where he was going with this inquiry. She held distaste for leading questions and her tone reflected such.

"Yes, I suppose they still acted in that fashion." The cloaked pony nodded and sank deeper into the chair, silent. Having expected him to push on, Cheerilee paused before continuing the lesson. She discussed the hardships the ponies had to go through and be what means they overcame them and remained unified as a great whole. Again, Reik's hoof shot into the air and Cheerilee nodded for him to speak.

"So there was still no form of currency at this point, and ponies where cooperative, yes?" Cheerilee formed the answer in her head, not wanting to blurt out the first thing to come to mind. "Yes, there was no currency and ponies were very cooperative." Reik's hand went into the air again, causing Cheerilee to nod once more for him to speak. "If there was no currency, how where commodities exchanged, err, how where-" Cheerilee cut him off again. "I know what a commodity is, and they were given where needed."

"So, if one needed food, it was given to them and if one needed a home it was built for them, all before the advent of currency?"

"What are you getting at?" Cheerilee retorted, slightly annoyed. Reik continued unimpeded.

"How did things change, why do we hassle over coin unlike our predecessors?" Cheerilee spoke again with little pause.

"With the expansion of Equestria, currency made things easier to manage."

"For who?"

"For everypony." Reik continued and rose in his chair.

"But with currency came the creation of those with much of it and those with little, yes?" Cheerilee did not answer but the stallion continued, his voice growing in volume.

"How can it be easier for those with little when they are at the bottom rung of society and how is it easier for those with much when they must fight and scrape to keep what they have?" Cheerilee now glared at the stallion that quickly rose from his seat and cast his eyes over the fillies and colts before him, picking out one and speaking directly to her. "Sweetie Belle, you are sister of the boutique owner Rarity, how often do you see her slave over her work, constantly worried that she may miss a sale or lose profits, does she look truly eased and happy?" He then shifted his gaze to another. "Applebloom, you are sister of the farmer Applejack, how many cooperative operations has she done with others in her work, how often does she work with others instead of against them?" His now maniacal eyes shifted to Cheerilee, he was now marching through the center row of desks towards her. "If our Equestria was built on, and survived by mutual cooperation, then please, tell me, why is it now that we strive, or claim to strive due to competition over capital in place of cooperation for the sake of survival?"

He ended his words right as his frame stood only a step away from Cheerilee's.

Chapter 28: The Underground

IT WAS THE fourth day. For the few that where still keeping track of time, it would have been the fourth day. For the others it was ninety-six hours. Ninety-six hours of perpetual darkness, unexplained manual labor, and unspeaking warriors clad in black at every corner.

The air grew still and the clouds parted in the sky, casting the moon's glow over the Socialist Territory of Ponyville. The flags and banners slowly came to a halt and hung limp, and snow reflected a dull glow onto the buildings. Where wind would rush through ranks of leafless trees and create an ominous symphony, only the report of snow crushed underhoof sounded through the area.

The working day was done. Hordes moved from their station towards the town, much like they had hours ago, yet in reverse. Shepherded by the armor clad drones, they marched in silence save for the token whisper. Vladimir casted his gaze across the masses from the steps of the Apple Family home with curiosity. He had lived in similar conditions as a colt, watched day and night, forced to work for some unnamed cause. Of course they weren't being forced necessarily. Where he would think to see the harsh tone of a guard silencing whispers or sharp report of a beating, there was no interaction between the ponies and guards.

The guards marched without command and the ponies followed without question. The sight perplexed Vladimir. How could these ponies so willingly accept the leash? Never a voice of defiance, all except for the blue pegasus. Never a word against the Commissariat. Not a word. Where he in such a situation, he would be latching on to his wardens with teeth and hoof. At first he credited this to the ponies before him, weak and spineless he would call them, without the courage to defend what they believed in. Or perhaps they had never believed in the first place? Perhaps so long as they had full bellies and a being to call "leader" they were happy? Perhaps.

Reik on the other hoof had assured him of the latter. It was fear that kept these ponies in check. Not the sight, there had never been any form of retribution against the citizens, but the prospect. The efficiency of the takeover and the nature of their new world had instilled a sense of overwhelming superiority. A sense. Not a reality. In whispers, Reik had explained that the control over the guards was fragile, and that it was in no way a permanent solution. 'Hearts and Minds' he had said. In time they would be won and all barriers would fall. Real progress could be made.

Yet behind the invisible barrier that closed off the territory from the rest of Equestria. Stuck among the dead trees and dark stumps, lost in eternal darkness, progress looked like an idealist dream as opposed to a legitimate reality to Vladimir. It was not that he had lost hope in their cause, in fact he saw great potential in the territory, the talisman, and the ideology. Great potential that only required a wider berth. It was a mistake to launch the operation this early, with so few allies. So much was incomplete or unplanned, their leader continued to seclude himself and the Commissariat was a joke. The mental shift to the council brought a bad taste to Vladimir's tongue.

He knew not why Reik had chosen to establish such a miserable committee. Not only did it serve no real purpose, its decisions always at his whim, but its occupants were split between the indigenous ponies and the communists only creating a series of meaningless argument sessions known as meetings.

The grey stallion groaned to himself. Had Reik listened to him they would have kept moving. They would have destroyed the castle, controlled the guards, and moved on. Cut out the oppositions heart and establish an insurgency. It would have been perfect. But instead they had sat in this village, cut themselves off from the rest of civilization, and assumed control. As if the populace would accept them as saviors upon arrival. Vladimir leaned his head back to glance at the stars as he hoped that the reaming Celestial forces outside the barrier where in chaos and not collecting against them.

FOR WHAT MUST have been the hundredth time, Twilight slipped behind a tree and cast her gaze across the forest. Scanning for any followers. Despite finding no trace to prove she was, the purple pony still had a creeping sense that she was being watched. Without looking, Twilight a hoof forward and was punished with a scraping pain. Looking down, she saw that a stray branch from a shrub had cut a thin crimson line several inches up from the bottom of her hoof. The pain was not severe and faded quickly. The purple pony pushed on.

Had it not been for the moon, Twilight would have been lost, darkness filling her vision and stalling her trek. Soon, the trees began to change. Skeletal leafless ones where replaced by the drooping trees commonly found in a swamp. She knew that Zecora's hut was close. Again she tried illuminating her surroundings with a simple spell, but only a single spark flew from the tip of her horn. Even when she strained herself to the point of exhaustion, her magic failed her. It was like nothing she had experienced, it was as if somepony had pulled the plug, deactivating her abilities.

As she continued into the forest, an odd calm overcame her. She felt at ease in the forest, away from the prying eyes of the commissariat and its routine of labor. The air became cool instead of rigid, the frightening overbearing nature of her past surroundings gave way to a kind reminiscent of a better time.

She cleared a gap over an empty riverbed, and the welcoming sight of Zecora's hut came into view. The small structure glowed against the backdrop, still alive as it was whenever she visited. Her pace slowed towards it and her calm increased. Around the hut, the tree cover was thick enough to block out the moonlight. Though the increased darkness did not unnerve Twilight.

She turned and took a last glance around the trees in case she had been followed before nudging the door open.

MANY CANDLES ONE would have seen lit where gone, only a dim lantern hung from the ceiling provided the room with light. In the center of the hut, a small circle was drawn in chalk with several multi colored gems collected at random points around it. In the center was a rock, an ordinary rock that seemed misplaced around the sparkling jewels. Beside the circle, was the hunched for of Zecora, much of her appearance was shrouded by shadow but Twilight could still make out the markings on her coat and the peculiar cutie mark. The zebra was silent though her lips moved quickly and seemingly without pause. She rocked slowly back and forth while doing so. Twilight recognized magical purpose of the act, the circle radiated magical power, but could not guess the meaning.

"It is good to see you Twilight." The purple pony knew the voice of Celestia even before she began to turn. The alicorn sat in the hut along an empty wall, her smile was unblemished by the circumstances. Twilight smiled broadly, a surge of hope filled her being and she felt a new sense of purpose, her cause was a living, breathing reality. She wanted to reach out and hug her mentor, but only managed a short bow and a quick mess of words that was supposed to be 'It's good to see you!'.

Celestia smiled warmly again and motioned towards Zecora. "I don't think I'll be able to thank her enough when this is over." Twilight looked again at the Zebra but could infer nothing as to what exactly she was looking at. As if sensing her confusion, Celestia began to explain. "His talisman dampens all magic within the area, I can't beat that and half the royal guards, not on my own at least." Twilight looked closer at the circle. The lines pulsed gently, the jewels glowed, and if she focused on the rock in the center, her eyes began to itch.

"She's creating a second talisman?" She found herself mumbling.

"Yes, but for what purpose, I was hoping you could tell me." Twilight faced the alicorn again and gave her a look of confusion. Celestia leaned in closely and spoke, her smile diminishing. "What has become of my ponies?"

Twilight recounted her experiences, the villagers, guards, Commissars, and labor, in detail when requested and summary if not. As she spoke she found that there was still very little that she knew and felt as if her task had not been complete because of it. Upon completing the tale, Celestia lowered her head and grew silent. For at least a minute, no words were exchanged."The talisman must be destroyed, that's all that matters."

Chapter 29: Towards a New Socialism

Iris weaved through the throng of ponies. Horus had since lag behind and was long gone, but the pegasus paid little thought to the loss of her assistant. Again the idea of stretching her wings and gliding over the masses surfaced and again it was reminded of the strict law set up by the guards overhead. Flying was strictly off-limits, even for a Commissar. Fortunately her destination was not far, after a few minutes she found herself in the still foreign Apple Family house. Although she had moved her own possessions into the home and had her writings covering every flat surface, it was still not hers. It was for this among other reasons that she had spent much time outside in the workplaces. As she moved through the door and into her own workplace, she casted her coat and hat in a pile in the corner. The door slid open once more and the small form of Apple Bloom swept pass the pegasus and up the stairs without a word. Although it was not as active as her sisters, Iris could tell Apple Bloom hated her as much as Applejack. But this meant little to her, Iris had never cared for the opinions of those other than herself. She replaced the train of thought with reality and moved into the next room, her sanctuary. The gentle crackle from a lantern was soothing, the smell of parchment and ink was easing. The red pegasus stumbled over to a chair and collapsed into its embrace. From nowhere her limbs became weak, her thoughts began to slow, sleep was soon to overtake her.

"How much do you know about computers?" She snapped back to the world with a jerk to see the hunched form of Reik stepping over the threshold. Her eyes fluttered and she stretched her neck.

"What?" she mumbled, still recovering from the period of rest. "Computers, how much do you know about computers?" He said in the exact same tone, sounding uninterested but not lazy. Iris gave the stallion a peculiar gaze and asked. "Not much, why are we talking about computers?" Reik sighed gently and moved over to the table that was buried in scrolls, he looked the collection as he spoke. "I had a thought, things have changed, I need a pony who knows things about computers." Iris rose from the chair and continued.

"Why are we suddenly in need of computers?" Reik didn't appear to be looking specifically at any one schematic, just gazing over the entire mass, moving papers here and there to get a better look at others. "Our method of distribution is no longer sustainable or preferable. I had an idea that will make things easier, but to do this I need computers, are you sure you're not suited for computers?" Iris paused before responding. Why was this happening, not the change, but the conversation. What was the point of some official council if one could just voice ideas and plans unofficially? Rarely did he contribute to the meetings but now he was before her altering their entire plan in a casual conversation. It was as if he operated independently of the commissariat he himself had established.

"I'm an engineer, you're going to have to find another specialist." A quiet sigh from the stallion led to the next question. "What's changed, is something wrong." Still looking at the parchment, Reik explained, but not directly to her, he sounded distant, speaking to the air. "No no, nothing wrong, just a thought, tell me Iris, have you ever worked on an air-conditioning apparatus, oh, I forgot to say hello." Iris's confusion was mounting, yet he had not failed them in the past so she went along.

"Uh, hello, and yes, a while ago I toyed with something like that." Reik left no pause and responded with a quicker tone.

"And did this apparatus change the temperature of the room according to a set plan or according to temperature signals?" Iris didn't completely understand the inquiry and kept silent with a greater expression of confusion. Reik looked up from the table and leveled his gaze on Iris. It was now that the pegasus noticed that he wore a thin smile. "Did it make the room hot when it was cold and cold when hot or did it have a set schedule for when it would change the temperature." Iris nodded, following now. "The first, it wasn't that automated."

"Why?"

"Such a design would require a more complex mechanism." Nodding, Reik moved his vision back to the table. "I had a thought, about how similar economics and air conditioners are. The one you toyed with, all it could do was respond, not predict, and so will be subject to instabilities when the room gets too hot or too cold, but the system that already knows the room, the one that is automated, knows how heat is dissipated, will eliminate overheating, and does not operate by trial and error. So similar." Iris took a step closer, hoping to move into his field of vision and get her attention. "And? what's so similar?"

"The systems." His tone was quick. "The market system can only respond to the stimulus of cost and demand. not only that, but unlike the machine that has a common goal, the system is made up of competing firms all with different goals, but our planned replacement for that madness, to be any better, must be like the perfect air conditioner, it must know its environment, its subjects, its tools. I thought of this and began reevaluating the economic plan, I found that to decide and objects value requires more than was determined, much more must be done, more than I or another can do." He looked back at Iris, a great enthusiasm she had not known for some time came out with voice. "I need a computer, and not just for the algorithms, but for keeping track of the workers, their share, tokens, yes, those can be incorporated, whatever it is it must be heavily automated." Economics where not her realm, she was recruited to build its foundations, but it became clear to the pegasus that this was groundbreaking, something that was essential if they where to maximize efficiency.

"I DONT KNOW where it is." twilight mumbled after the princess's proclamation. "The stone, I don't know where it is." she elaborated upon seeing the expression of confusion worn by the alicorn before her. Celestia cast her vision back towards the still mumbling Zecora. "I want this over, now." She paused and Twilight saw her eyes slowly lose focus, gazing lazily at the ceremony. "But I will not have the entire force of Equestria brought down upon him and have the talisman used against us." Her tone was losing its strength, Twilight could tell the presence of her princess was not enough to end the occupation. There would still be work and struggle to be had. "We must wait, assemble our power, and when the conditions are right, we will end this, but." She said the last word with emphasis and turned her gaze, now refocused, on Twilight. "I need you go back, and return, often, tell me of the village, what is happening, what Reik's plans may be, and anything else that could bring this to a swifter end." She lifted her head and spoke with a refound tone of command. "Good luck my student, the fate of Equestria may lie in the balance of this conflict."

The command was simple and said with speed, but it filled the purple unicorn's chest with fire. She nodded quickly and dashed out of the hut, nearly tripping on her way out. 'Good luck', the words repeated in her mind. There was work, and struggle to be had, but with the Princess of the sun at their head, the forces of Equestria could not falter. Her warming pride seemed to melt the snow that stretched before her.

Chapter 30: The Barrier

LUNA STOOD ATOP the small rise and looked across the plain now full of tents that rested just outside the farthest reaches of Ponyville. Before her was the amassed military force Equestria had to offer. Clad in differing armor, speaking in different tongues, and from nearly every region in Equestria. They had collected in a tight circle around the impenetrable barrier surrounding the village of Ponyville. The darkness shrouded the camp, however the multitude of campfires and torches made it comparable to a city. Along the impassable ring, a small flare of light would spark every few minutes, denoting an attempt to destroy the barrier by an audacious unicorn.

The rolling mountains around her vision compressed the scene, usually this place was wide and empty, occupied only by nature and a token traveler. But now it was a frozen wasteland, stripped of resources and a shadow of its former self. Populated by a force called in desperation, doing nothing other than staring into the eyes of a beast it could not stop. While many tried to conceal it, none could deny the sense of confusion that filled the air. Some thought it a magical disaster, or quarantine, or another one of the tall tales ponies could think up around a campfire. Only a few at the very top knew the true nature of their predicament, and even then, their vision was limited. Some aspects of the kingdom didn’t even know anything had gone awry. Luna was sure to keep that ignorance as long as possible; a mass panic at the destruction of the capital and possible loss of their leader was to be avoided for as long as possible. Her head sunk slightly as her thoughts moved to her sister. As much as she ignored it, she felt true fear for her sibling. They had never come across a problem they couldn’t solve together, and Celestia’s wish to split up and sacrifice Ponyville was only testament to the dire circumstances.

Luna cast her gaze across the massive camp before her and towards the barrier. The barrier was invisible, but the perfect circle of tents and campfires clearly marked out its expanse. Above the forest within the barrier, Luna could make out the formation of several unicorns, flying just above the trees, clad in black armor. They soon disappeared back under the trees after several seconds of flight.

"Their commander isn't very subtle with his scouts." Luna kept her vision on the barrier as Shinning Armor made his remark. He stepped beside the princess, the snow crunching under his hooves. Since the destruction of Canterlot, Shining Armor had been working around the clock, gathering and organizing their forces. His exhaustion was evident in his tone. "Do you think we should be concerned, it's not like we are trying to conceal our forces." Responded Luna, scanning the tree line for the scouts to appear again. For the past few days this had happened, patrols appearing at the edge of the barrier and leapfrogging over the trees to see what lay outside. "No, we have amassed a force the likes of which they can't hope to match."

Luna flicked her eyes upwards, towards the sky. Amidst the falling snow and clouds, one could just make out the moon, hanging lazily in the night sky. Had she the power, she would have turned the heavens and brought about the sun, but such an act was beyond her. Where they in different circumstances, she would have enjoyed the night sky, but they were in a crisis her sister and many of their subjects were trapped, and they knew so little about the threat that faced them.

"Do you think you may be a little overconfident?" She said, turning away and stepping towards the command tent that was pitched atop the hill. Shinning armor moved to follow, responding as he did so. "He's cornered himself, it's over, all we have to do is wait until the barrier falls."

The command tent was one large square tent, containing three tables. Two in the center and the last against the wall. The two in the center occupied the most space and held two separate maps, one of the general area, including Ponyville, Canterlot, and the whole encampment, while the other was a detailed map of Ponyville. The third held a wide assortment of scrolls, books, and several helmets. The tent was just large enough for a group to crowd around the tables but not much larger, Luna's head barley cleared the ceiling. The two gathered around the map of Ponyville. "You speak of him as if he's some ignorant insurgent." Luna said, looking to Shinning Armor. The stallion continued to scan the map, not looking to meet her gaze. "Are you saying he isn't?"

"I'm saying that he destroyed the Royal Castle, that's not an easy feat." Shinning armor snapped his vision up to meet hers.
"He got lucky, but his luck has run out, if he had the numbers he would have used them, he hasn't, so he doesn't, like I said, it's over, we can't you see this?." His tone was harsh and he immediately cast his head down in silent apology. Luna disregarded the outburst, his stress was justified, he knew very well that his sister was behind the barrier and knowing that she was at the mercy of some invaders was tormenting. Before Luna could respond, the huffing, slumped form of a guard staggered into the tent. His armor was crusted with mud and the once golden metal had dulled considerably. He gave a weak bow and attempted a salute but his fatigue slowed his movements. Shinning armor stepped away from the table and faced the scout. "Any news to report?" He asked.

The guard nodded and took a deep breath, collecting his thoughts. "Y-yes, we flew over the center of the village, the barrier is tall, we couldn't get a good look, but it seemed they are still conducting some kind of mass operation near the farm, the main barn is being expanded, and the forest is being cut down at an increased rate, aside from that, nothing new has developed."

Luna’s gaze on the guard fell out of focus and she son starred off into space. They were not taking any military action, aside from the scouts; it seems as if they hadn’t even noticed the outside world. It quickly became apparent that they had no intention of moving, they were digging in. She refocused and looked to Shinning Armor, he met her gaze and she sensed they had come to the same conclusion. “There's no way in and they're not planning on coming out.” Luna murmured. Shinning Armor nodded, the princess of the night cocked her head to one side. "And what do you plan to do about this?"
.Turning towards the map of Ponyville, Shinning armor stood silent for a moment, lost in thought. “Gather the engineers, we’ll have to force our way in." He said, his tone now commanding and assured.

Twilight had latched on to one of the parties going back into Ponyville on her journey from the forest. She had done so quickly, dashing from the cover of the tries into the midst of the crowd. Nopony revealed her and she had passed under the guards vision. She was now just another worker on her way home. Yet she still trembled at the sight of every guard, worrying that somehow they would discover her plot and take her away.

The farther into the village they went the more at ease the unicorn became, she sensed the near proximity of her home and wanted to break off and dash home but knew doing so would bring suspicious looks from the guards, whom she wanted to keep as ignorant as possible. The parade snaked through Ponyville at a painfully slow pace and Twilight began to feel, for the first time in a while, how tired she was. Her limbs ached and her hooves began to bark with fatigue. The expanse of her actions today became apparent. She had marched through Ponyville, too the Apple family farm, through the Everfree forest, and back again, all with little to no rest. She was amazed that she had done so much in a day and that this would most likely not be the last time she made an equivalent journey.

"Twilight?" Came a voice from her side. Twilight turned her head to find a familiar blue pegasus standing beside her. Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle stopped walking and quickly embraced in silence. The contact elevated Twilight greatly, to find another friend in this mockery of Equestria was like finding a light house in a hurricane. The embrace went unnoticed by the other ponies, who simply parted between the two, paying them no heed. It was only when a guard called for them to continue in the march did they break contact. The two began walking side by side, sparking conversation immediately. Trading greetings, Twilight began to tell her tale, speaking in a quieter tone as the story went on, until she was speaking directly into her friends ear about the meeting with Celestia. This last part seemed to brighten Dash's face. The pegasus then began telling her tale. As she spoke, Twilight noticed her exhaustion, the bandages that covered her back and wings, and her tone. Despite being under the care of doctors and then rushed into the workforce due to a shortage of labor, being unable to fly and still expected to do as much, and being separated from her friends as Twilight was, the blue pony still retained a rebellious tone. She sounded as if ready to lash out, just waiting for the time, she never missed a chance to demean the guards, even if they were within earshot, something that unnerved Twilight. Dash was still her old self, despite the change in scenery.

"So, what do you plan to do?" she said in a suddenly hushed tone. Twilight gave her a curious look.

"About what?" She mumbled. Dash rolled her eyes. "Reek'er whatever his name is, you're doing some spying right?" Twilight nodded.

"Well how are you going to do it?" Dash said, her eyes wide with intrigue. Twilight thought for a moment. she had not offered the subject much thought, she had been too held up with getting back to Ponyville and talking to her friend to give the dwell on the idea. "I actually don't know, I don't know where to start." The crippling reality of this made Twilight hang her head low. She had no idea where to start, perhaps her task was over before it began. Dash suffered no similar dilemmas and began speaking quickly. "I know what you gotta do, find Applejack or Fluttershy, they're on the inside, they're camissors or something, they can get you on the inside." she said the last part a little too loud and made Twilight flinch unknowingly. "Quiet Dash, the guards will take us both away if they hear you." Dash grew a grimace on her features and continued.

"Whatever, but this is gonna be great, well get you on the inside, well take his precious pebble, and bring the commie down, I can picture it already." Again her voice carried and Twilight flashed her vision around, checking to see any suspicious glares. She sighed gently upon finding none. along with finding none, Twilight found her home coming around the corner. Her chest swelled with comfort, the library looked like a fortress of comfort bekoning her. she turned to Dash and whispered.

"Dash, I'm sorry but I need o go, my home's around the corner, I'll see you again tomorrow, I promise." Rainbow nodded. "Don't sweat it egghead, they're gonna pay for all this, I swear it." With a nod of agreement, Twilight moved to the outskirts of the group. she told the nearest guard that her home was only a block away from them, doing so in a much more timid tone than she would have preferred. The guard looked at her, then toward her home, and then cast his gaze back to his front, paying her no further attention. Pausing briefly, then guessing that to be an act of affirmation, broke away and dashed to her home. The memory of Magnus interrogating her and Applejack in a much similar setting entered her thoughts. Thinking for a second that the intimidating stallion was just behind her, the dash turned into an all out sprint that brought new pain to her limbs. she endured the pain and crashed through the door, slamming it shut behind her.

The unicorn rested her frame on the door, laying her forehead on the door face. Breathing heavily and elated to finally be in the comfort of her home.

After several seconds of heavy breathing she turned her gaze to her side and saw another familiar form. The site of her assistant brought a new sense of comfort to her, but closer examination took this comfort away. Spike was slouched against the wall. She noticed his rapidly moving chest and the beads of sweat coming down his head. He looked as if he was watching a specter.

She sensed another body in the room behind her and slowly moved away from the wall and spun around to meet the silent guest. The purple pony's spine stiffened and a rapid shiver moved down her back. She swallowed hard upon seeing Reik at the far end of the library, rapidly flipping through the pages of a book. Memories of the takeover flashed through her vision, of this pony crippling Rainbow, stealing the elements of harmony, and the ruthless nature with which he dealt with them all. Being so close tested her nerves, she felt herself weaken slightly, and yet he wasn't even looking at her.

She shook her head, he was just a pony, like her, and soon the forces of good would tear down his leadership and defeat him, he was just another enemy of Equestria that she must deal with. This rationalization calmed her and brought a renewed sense of resistance to her.

"What are doing here?" she said, trying to gather her voice to make it powerful. Reik paid her no attention, instead finishing skimming the book and replacing it back to its origin. Spinning around, he moved to the small table in the center of the room where Twilight noticed a small stack of four books had been made. she quickly recognized them as from the technology section of her library, specifically on the subject of computer science upon examining the titles on the spines. The black stallion stopped at the table and placed a hoof on top of the stack. He brought his eyes to meet hers, and the stare renewed the sense of intimidation Twilight had thought eliminated. She squirmed from side to side, but did not break the stare. He remained silent, maintaining the emotionless glare fixed on the unicorn, waiting for her to look away and admit silent defeat. There was a brief silence where neither spoke or moved, only starring at one another. Finally Twilight spoke again.

"What are you doing here?" She said, this time stronger and more assured.

"I need your help." The stallion responded.

Chapter 12: Infiltrating Ponyville

“WHAT DO YOU mean this is all we have!” Vladimir roared. The room fell silent; George and Iris shrank slightly at the grey pony’s enraged voice. Reik remained resolute. “We got this far with just two and once we acquire-” Vladimir interrupted. “Once the evacuation is complete, and it probably is, the entire royal guard will be back for our heads!” Reik advanced on Vladimir, undeterred by his friends boiling rage. “The symbol of royal might will be a crater at midnight, no pony knows of our presence, and with this.” Reik gathered the small black talisman and presented it to his grey comrade. “With this tool of immeasurable power, we cannot fail, we will not fail." Iris and George's expression brightened slightly at the bold statement. Vladimir remained unmoved. "Inspiring words comrade, but words will not protect me from an axe to the back of the neck." Reik stuck the talisman into one of his dark pockets. He was tired of his friend’s negativity, they had already passed the point of no return, and now that the farmer and inventor had joined them, two more lives would be ruined if they stopped now. But he could not voice these thoughts; they would only lower the devotion that currently balanced on the edge of a knife. "Ah, so words will do no good, is that it?" The black pony said as he made his way to the nearest window. "Well in that case, action seems the only logical motivator, wouldn't you agree." He gently nudged the shades aside, checking the outside world for any signs of unnatural disturbance. He giggled at his own paranoia when his vision revealed only the empty, snow covered forest. Behind him, Vladimir groaned. "Well I suppose we're in too deep to quit anyway, but before we continue on this suicidal trek you call a revolution, I want to hear your full plan and in detail this time." The other occupants of the room nodded in silent agreement. Reik turned from the windowsill and walked towards the table, withdrawing several papers from the deep pockets of his coat, the papers seemed to multiply as he dug them out of the pits. "Well my friends, here is operation last contingency." In a short, fluid motion, Reik cast the assortment papers on the table. The papers spilled across the wooden table, some went over the edge and slowly drifted to the floor. Reik grinned as the three other ponies gawked at the pile of papers resting on the table. There was a long silence before anypony spoke.

"All this is for the operation?" George mumbled, lifting a single scroll, inspecting it with a child like curiosity. Reik, eager to recite his well rehearsed plan spoke. "No my friend, a few are examinations of Celestia's regime, others are blueprints for the post revolution Equestria, and these." Reik gathered what seemed to the others as random papers from random locations. "Are the plan itself, from start to finish, but seeing as we've already escaped Canterlot, we won't need these." The black pony discarded several of the papers in front of him casually and organized the few that remained. "Now, in summary, at this point in the revolution, I planned to enter Ponyville, while its inhabitants slept, and capture the elements of harmony, and- “Vladimir cut in abruptly. "And how exactly will we do that, and what purpose will that be." Reik, happy to deploy his canned answer at the expected question, spoke immediately. "The talisman, although powerful, is nothing compared to the elements, and combined with the talisman, we will be nigh unstoppable.” Vladimir nodded reluctantly. “But how exactly will we capture the elements?” Reik’s mental process stopped at his friend’s question. He never really got to that step; he assumed that the talisman would somehow work on its own. Actually thinking about the subject directly, Reik realized how many holes there really were in his ‘master plan’. Iris spoke suddenly, stepping between the two revolutionaries.

“It works telepathically.” Both Reik and Vladimir stared at the red pony in confusion. “Tele-whaticly?” questioned Vladimir. Iris spoke clearly, proud to express her own cache of knowledge as well. “When you told me about the talismans power, I held it to your head and imagined curing your hearing, and with that it was done.” Iris addressed Vladimir directly. Reik interjected immediately, eager to get to an opposite topic. “There you have it, and while Ponyville falls into disarray, we can capture all the elements.” Vladimir chimed in quickly; the grey pony must have thought this one would hit the hammer on the head. “Do we even know who holds the elements?” Reik had seen this argument repeated a thousand times and felt an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. One of them would make a point, the other would make a counter argument, thinking it would utterly crush the others point. Yet the other would have a prepared defense against his opponents point and the process would repeat all over again. If Celestia knew how truly predicable we were, we’d both be rotting in a cell about now, Reik thought. Papers rustled as the black pony fished out a single, small scroll out of the disorderly pile covering the table. He tossed it to Vladimir, smiling wickedly as he did so. “Names, addresses, friends, and everything on the holders of the elements of harmony.” A cruel grin spread across Vladimir’s features as he scanned the parchment. “Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight Sparkle.” Vladimir gave the paper to Iris who extended a monocle attachment from her goggles and proceeded to look over the paper closely with George edging beside her. “Now my memory may be a little fuzzy.” Said Vladimir, his tone was devious. “But I think I saw a fairly large apple farm through the trees right before our flyer crashed.

THE DOOR SLAMMED loudly behind Reik and Vladimir as they exited Iris’s dwelling. The wind lashed at the pair as they made their way off her property and into the forest. The biting winds and falling snow slowly lessened as the forest swallowed them. Against George and Iris’s wishes, Reik insisted that he and Vladimir travel alone. He urged that the other two remain together and draw plans for agricultural machinery. Or at least that’s the meaningless task he thought he had charged them with. As they ventured through the forest Reik observed his surroundings with a newfound sense of curiosity, as opposed to his caution and suspicion. Moonlight reflected of patches of white snow, illuminating junctions and sections of the forest, creating a majestic vision. Reik made a mental note to revisit this place in the future; it would be a lovely place to philosophize about his troubles. The forest grew quiet, as did the black pony’s comrade. It was not an honest silence. Reik could tell some doubt remained behind his friends tongue. It unnerved Reik to see his friend in such a state.

*You always where such a boring and dull pony, Reik.*

**You’ve been unusually quiet since this whole thing began, you must have at least one theory on how I’m going to screw this all up in the end?**

*My friend, are you saying that you have started to lack faith in my most excellent ability to describe the flaws that you knowingly and unknowingly allow to fill your life? Or better yet, have you begun to doubt me doubting you?*

The conversation was all in his head. Reik never talked to himself, to him that was a habit of the troubled or insane. But it was in times of loneliness, when he would spend hours on end contemplating his own philosophical conundrums that he would speak with Franz. Imaginary friend wasn't the most politically correct to Reik. Franz wasn't created, he simply manifested from the loneliness, inadequacy, and stress that came with his secluded lifestyle. Even in Canterlot, the two held numerous debates. Although the habit seemed childish to Reik, Franz was always there to question his every move.

*I mean honestly my socialistic friend, have I ever let you have even an ounce of self-confidence without first and foremost trying to demolish, degrade, or demote in some fashion?*

**Off the top of my head, nope, can’t name a single time you Discord wannabe.**

*I find that both ignorant and offensive, we’ve been over this twenty three and a dozen times.*

**Oh this should be good.**

*It will, Discord not only holds no respect for but he also actively rages directly or indirectly, conflict with order or civilization and his actions result in the harm and, or repression of the masses, I on the other hoof, hold great distaste for the nation, or state, and seeing as I am but a figment of your dull imagination can take no actions against the state or nation but if I could a supreme physical form my actions would result in the ultimate freedom and liberation for the masses, am I going too fast for you?*

**Oh don’t worry, I’m still following.**

*Well in simple terms Discord is the embodiment of chaos, while I represent anarchy, we are from completely different schools of thought.*

**Whatever helps you sleep at night.**

*You know very well I don’t sleep, oh, and your friends talking.*

“Reik, are you okay?” Vladimir had stopped walking and stared blankly at the black pony. The air was frigid and their breath turned to fog in front of them. Reik stopped walking and looked back at his friend calmly.

“Sorry comrade, I was just thinking.” The pair continued walking through the dark forest. Vladimir regained his pace and continued alongside Reik. To his relief the grey pony spoke his long contained thoughts.
“I’m troubled Reik, I could use some of your… wisdom” There was a short pause before he said wisdom. Reik could tell what lay behind his friend’s deceitfully calm expression.

“Speak your mind comrade; I will do my best to answer them.” Vladimir took no pause to blurt out his curiosity. “Do you really think that all of this will end the perfect world we envision?” Reik was both relieved and troubled to finally have the controversial question finally come to light. “That is a big question Vladimir; try to break it down for me, could you?” Reik’s tone was unlike what Vladimir had heard in the past. It was kind and tolerant; it was the kind of tone a teacher would use to correct a student, or a mother to kindly scold her child. Vladimir thought for several seconds, breaking the question down in to more manageable conundrums. Vladimir spoke, his tone, although harsh and strong, curious and full of doubt. “This revolution is motivated by a wish to better the conditions for the average worker right?” Reik nodded. Vladimir continued hastily, the ambient sounds of the wilderness died away as they spoke. “But it is not motivated by a hatred for princess Celestia, right.” The black pony took several long seconds before confirming his friends question with a reluctant nod. “Ok, but if that is so, then why are we sneaking around like rats and not rallying the workers, and why destroy Canterlot, why?” Reik took slightly longer to answer this time, this topic had troubled him. Troubled him to the point where he had repressed and suppressed the topic and now that it was in the open, he was strained to properly handle it.

“I tried to rally the ponies Vladimir, I tried, but they did not listen, but that is only in their nature, when you see crime in the street, when I lived in the castle and we were pestered at every corner by guards, when you see an injustice in general, can you think of words to stop these acts my friend, the masses do not listen to words alone, they must be shown action.”

*Reik, I’d expect such ignorance from Celestia, but you, you of all ponies in this land must understand the power and potential of words. Remember all those days you spent speakin-*

**Shut up.**

Vladimir brought Reik out of his internal conflict with another question. “Well then what’s the deal with Celestia, If we do not hate her, then why is she the target of all your negativity, isn’t it her class that we seek to abolish?” The black pony suddenly felt a massive weight fall upon his shoulders, he doesn’t hate Celestia, that was not the cause for his great revolution, but, if that is the truth then-

*Then why do you curse her name every day, you blame her for your outcast, you blame her for your misery, her destruction is the motiva-*

**Shut up, shut up, shut up!**

“An enemy must have a face comrade; you can’t wage a war with a concept.” Vladimir fell silent, Reik knew it was not out of reason; he had not answered his question, at least not precisely. Vladimir remained silent for several long minutes before speaking.

“What if they want to leave?” Reik, slightly surprised by the question, took a short pause before responding. “What do you mean?” Vladimir sighed heavily. “What if, after we lay out the rules and structure for our society, how will we make sure they follow them, and what if they try to escape?” Reik once again felt a surge of pressure at inquiry. “Anypony that does not follow the rules of society will be punished, how, I do not know at this time, and as for escape attempts.” Reik swallowed hard. “I suppose we could use the talisman's magic to create a wall or barrier of some sorts.”

*You're mad, do you even know what you’re fighting for anym-*

“So we’re terrorists?” Vladimir blurted out, his tone and expression hinted his immediate regret at the remark. Reik responded quickly. “No, we do not terrorize the masses, radicals would be more correct.” Vladimir nodded and spoke again. “But is that much of an improvement?” Before Reik could respond the ground shook gently, like a mother would rock the cradle of her offspring. Reik and Vladimir stood silently, in both a state of awe and horror. The gentle hum of thunder reached the forest. Vladimir looked to Reik who looked back with an expression of both glee and terror. The shaking continued for several minutes. After the shaking stopped and the ground lay still, the air, like everything else in the forest, hung frozen in the revolutionaries’ lungs. Reik, with a shaking hoof, raised his watch into the light. After wiping away snow and dirt the clock face shined against the moon light. Twelve o’clock, midnight. Reik broke into a run, a run inspired by both euphoria and dread at the ticking clock. Vladimir quickly followed, no further words where shared between the two ponies. The crooked, scattered, and black trees son turned into organized and groomed apple trees.