Chapters Inside the Village's Mining Hall, the mine's workers had gathered to hear their chosen representative, Brom.
"Comrades!" Brom called out to his fellow miners. "How long has it been since we've been 'freed' how long has it been since they merely said we were no longer slaves? But are now free? I tell you the truth! We are free! They merely do not call us slaves!"
The workers say nothing but agree.
"Now comrades." Brom calls out to his fellow earth ponies. "It is time we-" The doors burst open, a team of strike breakers come.
"This is a peaceful meeting!" Brom calls out to the hired goons. "Get out!"
The strike breakers merely laugh at him. Then the leader comes forward.
"Now you listen here boy." The Pegasus comes forward. "The boss says you've been causing problems round here. Says we have to to teach you boys here a lesson." The strike breakers bring out clubs and move towards the miners.
Brom merely smiles at him. "Guess you you know nothing of earth ponies."
Sometime later back in the Brom household, the mare's sister is still holding the young foal. She had just managed to get the foal to sleep after crying the rest of the afternoon.
"He's so adorable" The mare's sister says to herself. Looking out the window, the mare's sister sees a familiar stallion.
"Sister!" She calls out. "It's your husband, Brom!"
The Mare wakes up, and manages to rise out of the bed.
"Brom! Oh Brom you're back!" The mare calls out to her husband.
"I'm home! You wouldn't believe the day I've had. Not only did I organize my fellow workers, we also managed to beat down some of the owner's strike breakers. Could this day get any better?" Brom asks
The mare merely smiles at him. "Yes, show him sister."
Brom turns around to see his sister-in-law holding the new born.
Brom merely looked at the foal and looked back at his wife.
"Is that what I think it is?" Brom looks shocked as his wife nods.
Brom picks up the foal and holds him. "Now for a name..."
His wife suggests a name " Derpy? No... "
Brom picks up a book from a desk.
"I've been reading a book on a stallion that had freed the slaves, a certain stallion named Bucephalus. How about that?"
His wife merely shakes her head.
"Fine.. Not the name I'd choose, but that's a nice name."
Brom looks at his small son. "When you are older Bucephalus, I have plans for you."
Thus was born Bucephalus, the future leader of the PLR. The young colt grew each day. Getting bigger and bigger. Though Brom was busy organizing workers and working in the mine, the couple managed to have more children. Silver Tail, and a pair of twins Stone and Coal Skin. While the family struggled to make ends meet. Brom always had a way to keep his family provided, that is until the mine came under new leadership.
The new mine's owner was all about extracting the most profit. However, working hours were increased and pay steadily decreased. That winter was harsher than usual. Though winters in that mountain were bad, this one was harsher than ever. But even then, the workers still had to toil in the mines. That day, it snowed so much that the snow had trapped the miners inside.
"Mother.." a Young voice calls out to the Mare. "Mother, I'm cc- cold."
Bucephalus, only 6 years old then, and his siblings looked sadly at their mother, their only protector as father was always in the mine.
"I'm sorry, but we've destroyed all our furniture to stay warm. There is nothing I can do."
A tear fell down the cheek of the mare, which soon froze. The mare was saddened that could do nothing to help her children. But there was one chance. The mare had heard rumors that there was some coal left which she could take may be enough to save her children. But she couldn't leave her foals... could she?
With a deep sigh, the mare felt like she had no other choice.
"Buce" The mare calls out to Bucephalus. "I need you to look after your siblings, I … I don't want to leave you, but.. if I don't we may all die!"
Tears flowed down the mare's cheeks as she opened the door into the frozen village.
"Mother! Don't go mother!" Bucephalus yells out to the mare as she closes the door.
"Buu" Silver Tail taps on Bucephalus. "Where's mommy going?" The young and innocent Silver Tail asked his older brother.
"I .. don't know brother... I .. don't know" Bucephalus says in response.
The mare had struggled through the freezing cold and deep snow. She knew where the coal was being kept, if only she could get it.
Approaching the depot, a Unicorn guard stopped her.
"Clear yourself! This coal isn't yours!"
The mare gets on the ground near the guard's hoofs.
"Please sir! My family is sick and dying! We're freezing to death! I'm begging you just give me a little coal and I will pay you everything I got."
The guard looks at the mare suspiciously.
"How much do you have?
"About 8 bits"
"Get out of here" The guard pushes her aside. "If you were a better mother, your family wouldn't be freezing now would they?"
The mare begins crying loudly. "PLEASE! Sir! I have small children! Two of them are infants! What would you do in that situation?!"
The guard at this moment was angry, he'd heard enough. Lifting his club, he hits the mare in the face, knocking her into the snow.
"Get out of here whore!" The guard yells at the mare
"Oompf" The Mare knew she couldn't go back empty handed. If she did, her family would surely die. Looking around, the mare saw a small crawl space near the building that stored the coal. Inside, there was mountains of coal, enough to keep the village warm for centuries. However, none of it was given out to the miners, as this coal was the property of Canterlot Mining Industries. The coal was to stay there until winter, where it will stay until the railroads have access to the village.
"Surely they won't miss a bagful" The mare says to herself scooping a bag full of coal, nothing more, not even filling her pockets.
As she climbed out of the crawl space, a Pegasus Guard, who had been watching her every move, called out. "Intruder! Stop Thief!"
The mare took off on a run, the coal has to get back to her children. The Pegasus pulled out his crossbow, took aim, and fired.
"Buu" Silver Tail poked his brother again. "Where's mommy, I'm scared."
Bucephalus who was cradling his younger siblings, merely shook his head. "I don't know."
Silver Tail continued looking out the window for any sign of their mother.
"Look!" Silver Tail cries out. "Mommy is back."
Bucephalus put Coal Skin and Stone back in their cribs, and looked out the window.
"Mother!" Bucephalus calls out as he rushes to meet his mother.
The bleeding had finally stopped... The mare looked around, and saw a trail of blood in the snow where she'd been running. Reaching down, she pulls the crossbow bolt out of her body.
"AGHHH!" The pain was unbearable for the mare. But she had completed her objective.
"Mother." Bucephalus looks at his mother who was lying down on the ground. "Mother... please get up." Bucephalus tries hard to get his mother to stand up, but his six year old body is not strong enough to move it.
"I'm... not sure if I can..." The mare struggles to get on her hoofs, but collapses onto the ground.
"Here Bucephalus, put these in the stove. They should keep you warm tonight." The mare hands the bag of coal to Bucephalus.
"Mommy.." Silver Tail says as he brings his little stuffed bear dragging behind him. "Mommy?"
Several of the guards arrive at the Brom place.
"Ahh, there's the thief. I'll be taking that back, thank you." The guard says as he yanks the bag out of Bucephalus' hoof.
"Please sir..." Bucephalus pulls on the coal guard's uniform "My mommy's sick, can you help?"
The guard pulls away and slaps Bucephalus.
"Help? HELP?! This bitch stole Canterlot Coal Industries Property. You'd be lucky if we didn't cuff her for that. Lets move out... leave the body here."
The guards follow the road back to their base.
"Buu" Silver Tail pulls on Bucephalus' coat."Mommy and babies are sleeping."
The miners had spent all day digging the snow out so they could rejoin their families. With one last shovel scoop of snow, the miners were finally free. Each rushed out into the village to their homes.
"What the?" Brom said as he walked down the road to his house, seeing a trail of blood. Fearing the worst, Brom ran faster down the road to his house.
There, Brom saw his sons, Silver Tail, and Bucephalus trying to drag their mother back into the house.
"What... what happened?" Brom says shocked by what he sees as he walks closer to them.
"Shh Daddy" Silver Tail says to Brom "Mommy and babies are sleeping."
"Sleeping?" Brom leans down to listen for a pulse in his wife. There was none.
"Sleeping? What about the twins?!" Brom says as he rushes back into the house. Bucephalus and Silver Tail look inside as their father screams.
"CELESTIA NO!"
Brom continued digging all through the day, digging the graves of two of his children, and his beloved wife.
"Why... why...?" Brom repeats to himself. Lifting the bodies of each, he lowers the three into the grave that he has dug. With one last kiss each, Brom says goodbye.
"Say goodbye to your mother and siblings boys.." Brom says to his children
"Daddy, why did mommy have to die?" Bucephalus turns towards his father.
With a deep sigh, Brom begins to speak "Bucephalus, Silver Tail. Loss, is a part of life. Part of growing up. It is inevitable that one day we die. Accepting the inevitability of death... is a part of growing up."
The young Bucephalus merely shakes his head. "I … don't understand father!" Bucephalus cries and turns away from Brom.
"I know you don't my son, one day you will. But know this, in this world, we lose while others gain. Our pain is their pleasure. Our loss is their profit. And the fruits of our labor belong to them. That is something I know you will understand."
Brom stood up "Come... my sons." Brom picked up Silver Tail for a pony back ride, and holding the hoof of his son, Bucephalus, led them back down the road to their house.
Many years go by, soon, Bucephalus, Silver Tail, are working side by side along with their father in the mines with other miners. Bucephalus began to notice the large economic variations. They the earth ponies, had to work all day and return to run down buildings. The unicorns and pegasi on the other hoof, just stood around, armed with crossbows and lived in better conditions, ate better, and paid more.
"Why do they get to stand around all day while we work?" asked Bucephalus whom had grown to large proportions at only 17.
"Because son, they are called 'Capitalists', a system set up by ponies over in a place called Canterlot. Now enough of chit chat, help me push this rail car." Brom responded pushing the rail car.
The miners were finally allowed to go back home, however, Brom had other ideas.
"Bucephalus, I know you are not meant to be a miner all your life. Look, you don't even have a cutie mark for it." Brom said as he pulled his son into an alleyway.
"But father, mining is all this village knows, and even then there aren't too many prospects for this village." Bucephalus tells his father.
"Ah Bucephalus" Brom tells him, "last night, at the worker's union, we have agreed on one thing..."
Bucephalus asked the question with the answer, that will mark him for the rest of his life.
"What is it father?"
"Revolution..."
"OY! You!" A unicorn guard beats an old stallion back down in the mine. "Get back to work!"
"Hey let him go you bastard!" Brom calls out to the guard.
"Poor choice of words Brom!" The guard smacks Brom hard, knocking him to the ground.
"Your mother hits harder than you!" Brom yells out
"You're begging for a bruising!" The guard continues beating Brom with the club. Little did he realize, that Bucephalus was behind him with a large stone.
"Get off him!" Bucephalus yells with the stone crashing down on the head of the guard.
"Father" Bucephalus says to Brom helping him up.
"Bucephalus, find your brother... AHHAHAHA! Every path in life, begins with a single step. This my friends is step one!"
The miners all yell in unison "Secure the keys!"
Brom turns to his comrades and yells "Now we take our village back!"
"URAHHH!" The miners yell, grabbing pick axes, shovels, and various tools to take on the better equipped guards.
"This is our village" Brom yells out, hitting a guard in the face with a shovel. "That.. was for my beloved wife." Brom then hits him again for good measure.
"What is step two?" Brom yells out
" Rise from the blackness!"
The miners continued to assault the company's guard houses and towers. Some throw Molotov Cocktails at various places, burning guards and buildings alike.
"Urrah! Push forward my friends!" Brom yells out. "We will never retreat! NEVER!"
The miners began to use a battering ram to break into the company's head quarters.
"Use the tear gas!" a Pegasus guard yells
Using the tear gas, the guards now had the upper hand, and began killing the miners.
"You bastards want a fight?" a guard yells "You've got one!"
The guards begin to indiscriminately slaughter all miners, many put up a fight only to be shot down in a wave of crossbow fire.
Some wanting to live surrendered, but they too only met with a bolt in the brain.
The desperate miners were pushed back to the village, where the guards began burning every building, even shooting down foals and mares as they attempted to escape the flames.
"Not one of these bastards survives!" Yells the captain of the guard.
Bucephalus and Silver Tail run out of the buildings as crossbow bolts fly across their heads.
"Father Noo!" Bucephalus yells when he entered one building seeing the corpse of his father laying down on the ground.
"Father... no..."
"Bucephalus! We have to go! NOW!" Silver Tail pulls on Bucephalus.
As the two ran, the last thing they saw was their village, now smoldering ruins.
The two stallions on the train didn't move, nor did they talk to each other for the longest time. Ever since making it down the mountain and onto the train, they just laid there looking at each other.
"So what are we going to do now?" Silver Tail asked his elder brother. The two hadn't eaten anything, how long have they been on the train? Two weeks, a month?
"Well brother, we go to where this train takes us... after that... I don't know.." Bucephalus says.
After an hour, the train stops. Both Stallions hide on one side of the train, lest they be caught as stowaways.
When the train is finally open, both stallions sneak out into the bright sun.
"AH!" Bucephalus says as he shields his eyes from the harmful bright rays. Staggering back a bit, he almost backs into a worker.
"Hey watch it big guy! I'm walking here!" the worker says as he carries a large package from the train.
"Bucephalus!" Silver Tail walks towards Bucephalus with a map. "So... we're in a place called .. Canterlot?"
"Hand me the map, Silver Tail" Bucephalus says.
Indeed Silver Tail had been right. Looking around they realized they were indeed in Canterlot. Though it wasn't either of their intentions to come here, the two stallions decided to make the best of their situation.
"All right Silver Tail, we have mouths to feed. I bet these 'high and mighty' ponies have jobs that needed to be done." Bucephalus said to his brother as they walked down the street.
Bucephalus was an oddity around Canterlot. He was a giant stallion, towering over many of the other ponies. He was unwashed and unmannerly compared to the prim and proper gentlecolts. But they managed to find odd jobs here and there. Once even working as a gardener in the palace itself.
The two ponies continued working when a certain regal figure stood behind them.
"You colts are doing an excellent job." A voice calls out to them. "Why you must be one of the best gardeners Canterlot has had since... never mind."
Silver Tail turn around to see a regal looking white alicorn standing before them. Though she was taller than Silver Tail, if it wasn't for her horn, Bucephalus would be taller than she was.
"My my, you are a gigantic stallion aren't you.?" The regal pony says to Bucephalus.
Bucephalus had been trimming hedges all day, the last thing he needed was a distraction.
"Whose business is it?" Busephalus rudely asks without lookingup.
"If you keep your head down, you will not see what lies before you." he white alicorn says."Don't you know who I am?"
Both Bucephalus and Silver Tail shake their heads. Neither of them had been in Canterlot more than a week and a regal pony expected them to know who she was.
"No, I'm sorry, we haven't been here in Canterlot for more than a week. You see we're from the mountains far from here." Bucephalus says to the pony
"Well, I could be sure of that I knew you weren't from here. I guess introductions are in order. My name is Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria."
When Bucephalus and Silver Tail realized they were standing before the ruler herself, they fell to the ground.
"Forgive your highness." Bucephalus says "We have never seen you before, and did not know who you were. Forgive us."
Princess Celestia merely laughs at the two. "Hahaha. All is forgiven you don't need to fall to the ground, begging for forgiveness. I'm not like that."
Bucephalus and Silver Tail slowly rise to look at Princess Celestia.
"Thank you princess. I, I'm Bucephalus" Bucephalus says shaking hooves with Princess Celestia.
"And I'm Silver Tail." Says Silver Tail
"Ahh Bucehaphalus, that's an odd name for a giant stallion, and Silver Tail? Welcome to Canterlot." Princess Celestia says.
Bucephalus and Silver Tail continued working that week until Princess Celestia approached them.
"Sorry to bother you again Bucephalus, I know how much you hate being interrupted from your work, but I think your talents will be put to better use elsewhere." Princess Celestia says.
"Tell me about it." Bucephalus thought to himself.
Wiping the sweat off he forehead. Bucephalus looked up at Princess Celestia who was holding a brochure.
"Bucephalus, you look like a strong fellow, you see I've started a railroad project that will connect Canterlot with a town called Ponyville. Since you and your brother are honest, hardworking stallions, I think you two will be perfect for the job."
Taking the brochure from Princess Celestia, Bucephalus scans over the brochure, word for word.
"I see, and if we need a job when it's completed?" Bucephalus asks Princess Celestia
"Than you're always welcomed back as gardeners." Princess Celestia tells him.
With their things packed up, Bucephalus and Silver Tail take a ride along with other railroad workers to the job site.
"I can't believe we're doing this." Silver Tail tells his brother.
"The pay sounds good, and Princess Celestia recommended it. Besides, it's safer than any mine." Bucephalus tells his brother.
"Say Pardner, did you say mine?" a red colored pony asks Bucephalus.
"Yes... why?" Bucephalus says with a weird look on his face.
"Oh nothing, this here article says there was a riot by terrorists at a mine not too long ago."
Bucephalus grabbed the newspaper from the stallion. "Woh hey pardner I was reading that! Or, I guess I'm done now."
"Canterlot Industries Mine Attacked"
"On July 17th, a group of terrorists took over the Coal Mine 1917 and as well as being involved in the indiscriminate slaughter of civilians. The mine's owner claims that they had tried to save everyone and even negotiate with the terrorists, they wouldn't listen and burned down the village. Though the mine had been destroyed in the ensuring melee. Canterlot Industries insists that the coal was saved."
Bucephalus in a rage, crumbled up the paper, and threw it to the floor. "THAT BASTARD PIG!" Bucephalus exclaims in a rage causing all of the ponies on the ride to look at him.
"Oh sorry... I was upset about... the sports section. Hehehehe" Bucephalus attempts to explain his actions.
"Don't worry pardner, when my farm when under I had times like that too. My name here is Apple Crisp. Folks just call me Crisp. What's your name big fella?" Apple Crisp asks Bucephalus.
"My name is Bucephalus, the pony on my right is my brother, and his name is - " Silver Tail interrupts Bucephalus.
"My name's Silver Tail, pleasure to meet you ."
Apple Crisp merely laughs. "Hahaha, just call me Crisp. Ever been to Canterlot before you two?"
Both stallions shake their heads "Nope"
"Say, you ponies 'round these parts?'
"No, we just move from place to place looking for work." Bucephalus answered
"Ah drifters, never short of excitement." Apple Crisp finished.
The ponies arrived at the work site. Pounding in bolts here and there, laying track. Day in and day out, it was the same routine. As they neared Ponyville, Apple Crisp approached Bucephalus and Silver Tail with a question.
"Say you boys are pretty young hard workers. What are your plans after this?" Apple Crisp asked
"We're not entirely sure, most likely we'll move on to something else." Bucephalus said
Apple Crisp scratched his head.
"Say you guys ever worked on an apple farm before?"
Both ponies shook their heads. "Nope"
"Well my family owns a farm not too far away from Ponyville, and we're planning on expanding. Normally we don't hire outside the family, but you two look like a one-in a million. So what do you say? Good pay, a place to sleep. Showers. And the best zap apple jam 'round these parts."
"Zap apples?" Silver Tail asks Apple Crisp.
"Zap Apples are only the most delicious apples, which if prepared right, make great jam too." Apple Crisp answered.
Pounding in the final spike, Bucephalus gets off the ground. With the railroad job finished, the workers collected their pay and moved on with their lives.
"Hey Bucephalus! Silver Tail! Over here!"
Bucephalus and Silver Tail look up to see their friend Apple Crisp alongside several other ponies. One of them was an attractive blond.
"See I told you he was huge." Apple Crisp says to the blond mare.
"Bucephalus and Silver Tail, this here is Apple Pie, Apple Tart, and my sister, Granny Smith."
"Hello" Both Bucephalus and Silver Tail say in unison.
"So you're the boys we've been hearing about." Apple Pie says. "We're expanding the farm out, and our relatives haven't been able to come, so we decided to hire out for some hands, and you two just seemed to be the perfect candidates. Good pay, warm bed, and all the apples you can eat So , how about it pardner. You up for some farming?"
Bucephalus thought about it for a bit...
"Common" says Apple Tart "We won't take no for an answer pardner."
"Very well." says Bucephalus. "I guess we're farmers now Silver Tale."
The two ponies climbed onto the carriage that would take them back to the farm. The carriage lifted up a bit as Bucephalus got in.
"Woo Wee" The blond mare says. "You're huge! You must be the biggest fella in these parts. What's your name again?" The blond asks
"My name's Bucephalus, and what is your name again mare?" Bucephalus asks.
The blond mare merely smiled, blinked several times and said. "My name's Granny Smith."
"That's a nice name"
I decided to give Bucephalus a little respite from his pain. We all know Granny Smith is an old lady in the time of FIM. But this takes place years before the Mane 6 are even born. Don't think happiness lasts forever. We're not even at the Griffon invasion yet.
"URRGH!" Bucephalus grunts as he pulls a plow in the field, ready for planting new trees.
Apple Crisp, Bucephalus, and Silver Tail had been working all day, from sun up to sun down. By this time, Bucephalus had finished a third field, when Granny Smith came from the house, carrying a pitcher of apple juice
"Hey boys!" Granny Smith yells out to the workers in the field. "Come over here and have refreshing apple juice!"
The three stallions looked up, and saw the delicious beverage the young mare had presented before them.
"Thanks!" Silver Tail says, grabbing a glass of apple juice, and chugging down the sweet liquid, spilling several drops down his cheeks.
"Mighty kind of yah sis." Apple Crisp says to Granny Smith.
"And a glass for you Bucephalus. Drink up, a giant like you needs it." Granny Smith says offering a glass of apple juice to Bucephalus.
Bucephalus take the glass of apple juice. Looking inside, it is a brown liquid with a sweet smell to it. The only drink that Bucephalus ever had in his life was water or the occasional sips from his late father's flask. Not sure what the drink would taste like, Bucephalus raised the glass slowly to his lips, taking a small sip. The juice was the most delicious thing Bucephalus had ever tasted in his life. Bucephalus continued to drink all that was in the glass, soon disappointed by the few remaining droplets.
"You ponies sure know how to make a delicious drink." Bucephalus says, hand the glass back to Granny Smith.
"Well that's nice of you to say that, Buce." Granny Smith said taking the glass back. " Round here on Sweet Apple Acres, we make sure that all of our apples look good, and taste good too... Even the mares." Granny Smith finished with a smile and a look in her eyes that appeared she wanted Bucephalus.
"Is it my imagination, or do I think she likes me?" Bucephalus thought to himself.
"All right boys." Apple Crisp said to the other two ponies. "We're done here for today, let's get back up to the house and shower up. I hope dinner will be ready soon."
The three ponies walked up the dirt path alongside the apple trees that the Apple Family had planted over the years. Each tree was planted on the day that the family moved to these parts.
After showering, Bucephalus and his brother, Silver Tail, moved into the dining room, to join the Apple Family for the evening meal.
"Here Buce." Granny Smith pointed to Bucephalus, gesturing him to come over. "You can sit here next to me."
Bucephalus looked over at the small table that sat in the middle of the dining room, then sat down next to Granny Smith.
"Creak! Creak!" The chair wasn't nearly strong enough to support Bucephalus' weight and soon...
"CRASH!" The chair breaks, causing Bucephalus to fall hard onto the wooden floor.
"OOMPF!" Bucephalus yells out hitting his bottom hard.
The Apple family and Silver Tail looked at Bucephalus, staring at him, making Bucephalus fear the worst. Several seconds later...
"HAHHAHAA!" Apple Tart starts laughing at loud. Soon the whole family joins in laughing.
"AHAHAHHA!" They all seemed to get a kick out of Bucephalus' misfortune.
"Okay... okay.. listen hear that's enough." Apple Tart says, struggling not to laugh.
"Hehehe." Bucephalus laughs off his misfortune.
Granny Smith also laughed too. "Hahaha. Sorry Bucephalus, you gotta admit that was mightly funny. Here I'll get you a chair."
Granny Smith leaves the dining area to retrieve Bucephalus a new chair, while the family begins eating. During the meal, Apple Tart starts asking personal questions of Bucephalus.
"So Buce, if I may call you that, where did you say you were from again?" Apple Tart says while eating an apple.
"My brother and I moved here from the mountains far from here." Bucephalus responds while cutting up an apple. "Our village was a rather poor one. The hut my brother and I, as well as... my parents, lived in was rather cramped. Just about a bedroom where our whole family slept, which was joined by the kitchen, which was also our living room. Our brick floor was cold in the winter, and the roof leaked in the spring. Our hut had no door step, and led straight into an alley down which trickled a dirty stream. The whole village consisted of shanty huts like our own, each having a stove-pipe poking out of the roofs."
Bucephalus finished the question and began eating his apple, when Apple Pie began talking.
"Seems like you boys had it rough."
"You have no idea." Bucephalus thinks to himself remembering the deaths of most of his family.
"So anyways.." Apple Pie continues. "Tell us about your family."
Bucephalus was hit hard by this question, it seemed like only yesterday when his father had led him by his hoof, taking him home after digging the grave for his mother and twin brothers. How he remembered seeing the broken body of his father.
"Buce, can you tell us about your parents?" Apple Pie asked.
With a deep breathe, Bucephalus began. "My father and I labored in the mines. When my mother wasn't taking care of us, she was cleaning and baking bread for the other miners."
"Ah so you worked in the mines?" Apple Crisp said. "Sounds like a challenge."
Bucephalus nodded towards the red haired pony. "But we all worked hard to make ends meet. Sometimes they'd go hungry for a month just to keep use fed. Of course as you can see from me, I was always hungry"
"So Buce.." Apple Tart started talking. "Where are your parents now?"
"They... they're... dead..." Bucephalus said softly.
"They're what now?" Apple Tart asked again as Bucephalus spoke too softly.
"THEY ARE DEAD!" Bucephalus yells at the top of his lungs, before storming out of the room. Silver Tail, backs out of the room too, as he couldn't stand to be reminded that they were orphaned at an untimely moment of their lives.
"Oh... oh my... I'm sorry Buce.." Apple Tart says as the big pony stampers out of the room.
"Hey everypony i'm back!" Granny Smith says holding a chair. "Say where's Buce?"
"Granny Smith.." Apple Tart said. "I think we shouldn't bother him."
Back in Bucephalus' room, the big pony was crying. How long had it been since they were forced to leave their village?
"Why? Why? WHY?!" Bucephalus screams slamming his hoofs in the wall.
"KNOCK KNOCK" Somepony knocks on the door.
"Go away!" Bucephalus yells.
"Buce." The voice calls out. "It's Granny Smith, can I... talk? I just want to know what happened? Please?" Granny Smith softly says.
"No..." Bucephalus says looking away from the door.
"Please Buce... I'm worried."
"Fine." Bucephalus says unlocking the door.
The young mare in her nightgown, walked slowly in.
"Umm Buce." Granny Smith slowly began. 'We've known each other for quite sometime. Please, tell me what's wrong."
Bucephalus couldn't bare to look at the begging face of the attractive farm pony standing before him.
"All right, my …. parents are dead... they have been for a long time." Bucephalus could no longer cry, he no longer be able to from so much loss and pain.
"Oh I'm sorry Buce..." Granny Smith said before hugging him.
"But you have the Apple family, we're here for you.." Granny Smith said, holding him tighter. Though the pony was significantly smaller then Bucephalus, she still was able to hug him hard.
"Thank you... " Bucephalus said "WOAH!" Bucephalus calls out before Granny Smith placed her lips onto his.
"I hope that makes you feel better Buce." Granny Smith said pulling away from him. "If you need anything, just come to me all right?" Granny Smith said with a wink before closing the door behind her.
That was how Granny Smith and Bucephalus began their relationship. By day Bucephalus would work in the fields, before sneaking off to meet with Granny Smith. But.. one night, things went too far, even for Bucephalus.
The two ponies had agreed to meet at the barn one night.
"So... lovely." Bucephalus calls out to the attractive blond as she slid open the door. "What do you have planned?"
Granny Smith smiles at him, and carefully slides shut the door. Through the moonlight, Bucephalus was able to tell that she was carrying something.
"I'm ready Buce." Granny Smith walked up to him, and pushed the giant pony to the ground. It was a night neither would forget, even in their old age.
The next day, Bucephalus woke up in his bed, feeling better than ever. He had finally met the love of his life. Nothing could go wrong, until a knock was on the door.
"KNOCK KNOCK!" A pony knocks on the door.
"Yes? Who is it?" Bucephalus calls out, lifting himself out of the bed.
"It's me, Silver Tail, Buce!" Silver Tail calls out on the other end.
"Silver Tail, what do you want?" Bucephalus asks opening the door.
"There's this new bar in town, and Old pony Apple is letting us off today. Lets go!" Silver Tail says as he tries pushing Bucephalus out the door.
"Whoa!" Bucephalus says. "Hold your humans! I need to write a note."
Bucephalus gets out a pen and paper and begins writing.
"Granny Smith
Silver Tail and I are heading into town to check out this new bar that opened up. I shouldn't take long.
Love Bucephalus"
Satisfied with what he wrote, Bucephalus slides the note under her door, and follows his brother to Ponyville.
Meanwhile, Granny Smith woke up with a pain in her stomach. "Oh my I feel so... urrgh!" Granny Smith says before rushing off to find something to vomit in.
"Disgusting she says to herself. I'm never sick... I … couldn't be pregnant. Could I?"
"Ah, we're finally here." Silver Tail says as the two brothers enter the bar.
The bar was a fairly new place, but it wasn't fancy. Just the sort of place they, the brothers liked. However it also attracted the wrong crowd as well.
"Hey bartender!" Silver Tail calls out. "How about a couple of drinks right here!"
The bartender looks over at Silver Tail and Bucephalus. Taking a bottle, he fills a shot full of booze and hands each pony a drink.
A couple of drinks later, Silver Tail was feeling a little bit tipsy.
"Woo wee!" He says. "I've had too much to drink!"
"HEY!" A tough sounding voice calls out. "You and you're little friend are in our spot!"
Bucephalus and Silver Tail turn around to see a couple of tough and angry looking ponies.
"Like I said." the unicorn continues. "You're in our spot!"
Silver Tail wasn't about to move. "Oh yeah I don't see your name on it!"
Bad choice of words, the unicorn punches Silver Tail hard in the head knocking him to the ground.
"How dare you!" Bucephalus reacts in a rage and picks up the chair, and crashes it into the unicorn's face.
Soon the brawl is on. The gang of hoodlums take on the giant earth pony, but one by one, they fall as Bucephalus beats each and everypony down.
"WEE WHOO WEE WHOO"
The Pegasi police soon arrive, and all parties involved, the hoodlums, as well as Bucephalus and his brother, are taken into custody.
The unicorn hoodlum is soon revealed to be the son of a rich industry owner. Suspiciously, the charges on him and his gang are dropped. Things are so lucky for Bucephalus and his brother, whom are charged with assault and brought before a judge.
Proven guilty, they have two choices: Imprisonment, or serve in the Equestrian army.
"Well your honor..." Bucephalus says. "The army couldn't be that hard could it?"
The two brothers are shipped from Ponyville Police Station to Fort Troddingham, to begin their service in the Equestrian Armed Forces. Sadly for Granny Smith, she is not notified of the sentence, and begins to believe that Bucephalus had abandoned her
Well that ends this chapter. I didn't want to write a clop, since I suck at those and didn't want to change the rating to M. Next chapter involves Bucephalus' training in the army and the Griffon invasion of Equestria.
"PSST! Bucephalus!" Silver Tail whispered to his brother Bucephalus in a quiet tone. "How much longer are we going to be on this bus?"
After being arrested, Bucephalus and Silver Tail were drafted into the Equestrian Army. Though Equestria was far from war at the time, relations between Equestria and the Griffon Kingdom were hot, with reports of ponies kidnapped and ransomed. Border skirmishes and the like. However, war was still avoided for the time being.
"Bucephalus?" Silver Tail asked again.
Looking down at his watch, the time said 11:47, they had been on the bus two hours.
"We'll get there, when we get there." Bucephalus said turning away and was just about ready to fall asleep when the bus stopped.
"Look! We're here!" A pony in the front calls out.
Bucephalus sat back up and looked out the window. Sure enough, they were at the fort to begin their basic training. To the his right side, Bucephalus noticed a uniformed pony marching in a straight line towards the bus. Entering it, the pony got in and stood straight and began to talk.
"All right mares!" The drill pony began. "I haven't gotten all day! Off the bus now! Double time!"
Taking that as their cue to get off the bus, all of the recruits hurried off lest they receive the wrath of the Drill Pony. The recruits were marched off to their barracks, where they were accounted for. They had their manes cut, and sent off to reception. The ponies stood in two vertical lines on the left and right side of the room. Bucephalus looked around and saw that he was the biggest pony in the room, and possibly on the base as well. Looking to his left, Bucephalus noticed the Drill Pony walking up and down the space in the middle of the two lines looking sick to his stomach.
"I am Drill Sergeant Tramplehorse. I will be your Senior Drill Instructor. From what I've been told it is my job to make you all the best of what Equestria has to offer. But instead I'm given is a pile of shit that just got weaned off their mother's breasts!"
Bucephalus shifted uneasily at the comment as his mother had been killed when he was very young.
"Your asses aren't mine just yet." Drill Instructor Tramplehorse says with disappointment in his voice. "But starting tomorrow, your asses are mine for the next ten weeks. Have fun ladies. DISMISSED!" Drill Instructor Tramplehorse yells as he finishes his "welcoming" speech to the new recruits.
That night, Bucephalus couldn't sleep, all he could dream about was fire and smoke. The burning of his village. The murder of his mother. The blood covering his father's face. He was there back in the village, a little foal, being assaulted by the guards. Beaten by them mercilessly with clubs, crossbow butts, and hooves. Bucephalus covered his face in an attempt to shield himself from each blow. He swore he could hear laughing grow louder, and louder as each blow was delivered.
"NO!" Bucephalus yells as he rises from the bunk in a state of fear.
"Oh shut up!" A pony on the top bunk says. "Go back to sleep."
The nightmare was too much for Bucephalus to fall back asleep easily. Instead, the giant pony simply laid there awake, from the late hours of the night onwards into early morning.
"WAKE UP MARES!" Drill Sargent says waking up the recruits. "It is 0500 hours and you're burning Celestia's daylight! Do I have to march to Canterlot myself and say that she's wasting her time?"
"UUNGH!" One recruit moaned refusing to get out of bed.
Drill Instructor Tramplehorse noticed this, and yanked the overweight pony out of the top bunk. Bucephalus looked over and saw that it was the pony that had slept on the bunk top of his.
"Get your ass in gear recruit!" Drill Sargent Tramplehorse yells kicking the recruit to get him moving.
"You mares had better be fully dressed by the time I get back here, or by Celestia I will throw you to the Griffons.!" Drill Sargent Tramplehorse yells as he leaves the room.
Bucephalus and the other recruits hurry to get their uniforms on. The overweight recruit on the otherhoof, was still struggling to get his on when Tramplehorse came back.
"Oh so you like screwing around eh Private? What is your name?!" Drill Sargen Tramplehorse yells to the recruit.
"I'm Osmo!" Osmo replies.
"Did you forget something recruit?!"
"SIR! Recruit Osmo Sir!"
"You moron! I AM NOT A SIR! I WORK for a living you MORON!" Drill Instructor Tramplehorse yells back. "And since you recruits here do not seem to understand the value of work, I will teach you all. Out the door!"
The recruits were funneled out the door onto the training field. There they continued to practice physical training until about 1200 hours where they were brought back inside to the chow hall. Where each recruit was allowed time to eat.
Each day it was like this, Bucephalus and the other recruits would wake up and properly do what they were told, Recruit Osmo on the otherhand, continued to screw everything up. Day in and Day out, he would do something stupid. On one occasion he crashed a battle carriage used to transport soldiers onto a battlefield:
"Recruit Osmo! Do you see what I see?" Drill Tramplehorse yells pointing towards the wrecked vehicle.
"Yes Drill Sargent!" Recruit Osmo yells
"Ah do you see that I see a dumb recruit who wrecked a valuable piece of army issue type-A transport vehicle. At your current pay grade, I'd have to work your ass off until you are FIVE HUNDRED AND TEN YEARS OLD! That is the time it will take for you to pay off that transport!"
That same day, all of the recruits were put into a world of hurt and pain all because of Private Osmo. later that night, Bucephalus, Silver Tail, and some of the other recruits had met up to discuss what to do with Osmo.
"He's an idiot!" One recruit says to the others. "He constantly screws up and we get the blame! I can't take it anymore!"
"The group shouldn't suffer because of the actions of individuals. He is a cancer!" Bucephalus says.
"Well we can't kill him, but we can make his life miserable here." Another recruit says.
"I have an idea. Jenkins, hand me your soap." Silver Tail says pulling off a sock.
"What exactly will this do?" Jenkins asks
"This!" Silver Tail puts in the soap bar into the sock and hits the bunk with it.
The other recruits are amazed but the idea.
"Colts, I think we know how to give Osmo proper …. influence." Bucephalus said.
Alll of the recruits, except Osmo, loaded their socks with a bar of soap, and crept steadily and silently (they did not want to risk getting caught and earning the wrath of Tramplehorse).
"On three... one... two ..." Bucephalus says.
The recruits soon swarmed Recruit Osmo. Hitting him continuously in the makeshift clubs.
"It's just a dream, fat pony" Silver Tail says as he is the last one to hit Osmo."
The next day, Osmo was more motivated than ever (unless he wanted to be soaped again) and improved in the eyes of the Drill Sargent. The recruits continued with the next phase of their training where they practiced war games. Bucephalus was chosen as a squad leader. In his group was himself, Silver Tail, Jenkins, Osmo, a pony nicknamed Brainiac, and Spike Tails. Up against them was several more squads ready to take them out. Bucephalus proved to be an able leader, able to get the incompetent Osmo to keep up with the rest of the group, and make Spike Tails work with them as he despised Osmo "I hate the fat bastard!" As he often spoke of him.
Soon the ten weeks was over. There had been only two drop outs (Surprisingly, Osmo was not among them.) Senior Drill Instructor Tramplehorse gathered the recruits on graduation day.
"Today, you are no longer little mares. You are now Equestrian Soldiers. I will not lie to you. All of you are entering the army at a time when relations with the Griffon Empire are its all time low. They've stockpiled surpluses of soldiers and weapons poised to conquer Equestria. But know this, no matter what happens, you have each other. The Equestrian army is your family, WE are a family now. You may not like each other. Hell, others like Private Osmo and Private Spike Tail may even openly hate each other. But We are a family. Family supports each other. We leave no pony behind to suffer torment and death at the hands of the griffons. All for one and one for all!"
"URRAH!" The ponies yell in Unison.
Battle of Stalliongrad Part 1
The evil of the Griffon Empire, ravages Equestria like a disease. Their relentless drive to conquer Equestria has ended the lives of innocent stallions, mares and foals. The evil of the Griffon rulers is matched by the cruelty of the Griffon army. These are the terrible times of the Griffon Occupation of Equestria.
"Incoming!" an Equestrian Soldier yells as the cannon ball rips through the top of the boat.
Griffons fired their cannons and artillery from the shore while the braver griffons flew past the boat, pelting the soldiers with rocks and shots from crossbows. Other boats in the area sunk, the cannon fire taking their toll.
"AHH! We're all going to die!" Pvt. Osmo yells clenching his crossbow close to him.
The Equestrian soldiers had gathered their strength from across the river. From the docks, they had loaded onto boats prepared for the fight to retake Stalliongrad.
"Stallions!" The Officer yelled. "Welcome to the city of Stalliongrad! The griffons have looted and murdered their way through Equestria! But they had not counted on the might of the 12th Pony Crossbow Division. The griffons have lost hundreds of their own, and have been reduced to climbing over their own dead. Celestia herself have given us the task of retaking Stalliongrad! We have plenty of bolts, plenty of spears, and plenty of griffons to kill! Not one step back! General Golden Hide's orders! Cowards and traitors will be shot! Do not count days! Do not count anything but the number of griffons you have killed! Death the evil griffons invaders!"
The boats filled with soldiers continued their way across the river as griffons flew by shooting at them. As the boat continued, all of the ponies fell backwards as the boat ran aground. Bucephalus looked over to the side and saw that the boat had gotten stuck on a sunk boat.
"It's another boat!" Bucephalus yelled at the top of his lungs. "We're stuck on another-" Bucephalus' words were cut short as a griffon cannonball crashed into the vessel.
BOOM! BOOM! Bucephalus woke to the sound of cannons going off. He saw that Pvt. Spike Tail was pulling him out.
"I thought we lost you back there Sargent Bucephalus" Spike Tail yells as he finally puts him down. Pvt. Osmo over there." Spike Tail points to Osmo who was cowering on the ground, soaked in mud. "Is being a coward."
"Enough!" Bucephalus yells. "The griffons got us pinned down here!" Look over, Bucephalus saw that his squad was largely intact, Osmo (the support), Dead Aim (the sniper), and Spike Tail (assault) were still standing (or laying for protection) ready for the battle. "Comrades, take the left flank, the ruins should provide us with cover!."
Ponies continued to be shot down as they ran in separate directions.
"Cowards!" The officer, whom appeared to be better at shooting ponies in the back then griffons yelled as each pony runs towards the beaches.
Bucephalus' squad continued to move to the left flank as bolts flew all around them.
"There's one!" Spike Tail yelled as a griffon flew straight at them. "Come closer you bucker!" as Spike Tail aimed his crossbow.
"He's mine!" Bucephalus yelled, grabbing the Griffon. The griffon struggled to get out of the grip of the larger pony, but Bucephalus merely continued stabbing at him with his knife.
"But... he was mine." Spike Tail said looking at the corpse of the griffon.
Bucephalus gave one last kick in the griffon's head to make sure it was dead. "It saves bolts this way."
The squad moved through the house, to their horror, they saw the bodies of several foals, torn to shreds by the griffon marauders.
"Buckers!" Dead Aim "How dare they kill foals! We're gonna make them pay!"
"Oh Celestia I think I'm gonna BLARRRGH" Osmo interrupts himself before vomiting in a corner.
Bucephalus himself couldn't stand the sight of seeing these foals, probably no older than two years of age, lying dead on the floor.
"We still have griffons to kill! Move up!"
The squad continued moving through the bombed out building, until they had come across a bunch of griffons who were firing down from their positions with cannons.
"Dead Aim, can you hit those griffons from here?" Bucephalus asked while watching the griffons' every move with a pair of binoculars.
"Yeah... one bolt per brain coming up." Dead Aim says looking through his scope.
Meanwhile over by the griffons.
"HAHA! KABOOM!" The griffon says loading another cannonball. "Take aim and fire-" The griffon's words are cut short as Dead Aim's bolt goes through his head. His fellow griffons turn around to look.
"What the- ahh" The griffon catches a bolt through his throat
"Damn bolts only go so far..." Dead Aim says taking aim at the last griffon. "Oh shit he sees me."
The griffon turns the cannon around as Dead Aim loads another bolt into his crossbow.
"Shit he's aiming at us!" Osmo yells.
BOOM! The cannon ball rips through the house throwing the stallions to the floor, as Bucephalus looks up, he sees several squads of griffons rush towards their positions.
"Aggh my head!" Bucephalus says rubbing his head as a piece of concrete had hit it.
"Sargent!" Osmo yells at the top of his lungs. "They're coming closer! Oh Celestia they're here!"
"Shut up! Shut up!" Spike Tail said while playing dead, in an attempt to stop Osmo from giving away their positions.
"I can't take this anymore!" Osmo yells before rushing outside.
Bucephalus could only listen as the fat pony ran outside, surrounded by griffons, and shot down.
"Buck!" Bucephalus yelled. The griffons were now in the building looking at all of them. Bucephalus could only wonder what they were saying.
"Katuka Makita Ponshi fakus mortis (These ponies think they can trick us by playing dead?)" The griffon said looking at them.
Bucephalus opened up one eye and saw that the Griffon's club was coming down straight at him.
POW! The club hits Bucephalus in the head, knocking him out.
Battle of Stalliongrad part 2
"Wake up! WAKE UP!" A harsh voice yells out
Bucephalus slowly opened up his eyes to a dimly lit room. His whole body ached, there was a large bump on his head as well. When the griffons knocked him out, could they ever be more gentle next time? His body was chained to a metal chair, obviously meant to hold the gigantic pony's weight.
Bucephalus raised his head a bit to see the figure more closely. Standing before him was griffon looking him over.
"Ah... so we've caught ourselves some ponies. Normally we would hang you by your entrails, but perhaps you have information we need." The griffon said is a mocking tone.
Bucephalus looked behind the griffon and saw that Spike Tail was being tortured by the griffons, electrocution was a favorite torture method that griffons used to extract information... or for fun.
"Now … if you tell us what you know." The griffon said rolling out a map. "We'll make your death painless. Ha ha hehee." The griffon finished with a laugh.
Bucephalus looked down at the map and saw that it was a crude map of Stalliongrad. It appeared as though the griffons did not know every nook and cranny of the city.
"Perhaps some civilians survived the various massacres and attrocities committed by these bastards." Bucephalus thought as he looked at the map.
"Well? Where are the resistance hiding? Do not make me ask again!" The griffon yelled at Bucephalus.
"You're getting nothing out of me." Bucephalus yelled
"That's... where you're wrong … PONY!" The griffon interrogator yelled. Turning towards the other griffon in the room, the griffon merely said: "Up the voltage."
Taking that as his cue, the griffon torturer increased the electricity's voltage that was giving Spike Tail pain. "WRAGGGHH!" Spike Tail screams as the electricity hurts his body. "Don't tell them a bucking thing! ARGHHAH!" Spike Tail Screams
The griffon interrogating Bucephalus begins laughing. "Hahahaha! Stupid pony... Now, you the big one. You don not have to suffer his fate. Just tell us what we want to know and you will be spared."
Bucephalus looked back down at the crude map, and looked back at the griffon.
"BUCK! YOU! Griffon piece of shit!" Bucephalus yells in defiance of the griffon
The griffon spat in the face of Bucephalus, and grabbed his knife. "Poor choice." The griffon said before sticking the knife in Bucephalus' eye.
'WRAGGGGH!" Bucephalus screams as the sharp metal enters his eye. Bucephalus struggled and kicked as the griffon continued to dig his knife into the stallion's left eye socket. As the griffon pulls the knife out, out comes Bucephalus' eye as well.
"Not so tough now? Get this piece of shit out of my sight." The griffon says as he wipes the blood off his knife.
"Ragggh" Bucephalus moans as the pain of losing his eye was too much to bear. Looking up, he could see he was being dragged to a jail cell.
"Is that you Bucephalus?" Dead Aim asks getting up. "Guess we're in a quite of a predicament."
Bucephalus looked over at Dead Aim who was also looking at him.
"Oh sweet Celestia!" Dead Aim yells. "Your eye! My Celestia!"
"BUCK!" Bucephalus yelled covering the empty eye socket. "It aches!"
Meanwhile, back in the Interrogation Room, the griffons are still interrogating Spike Tail. Still plugged into the machine, the griffons continued to electrocute Spike Tail.
"AGGGHH!" Spike Tail yells as the electricity continues to run through his body.
"You can end this suffering you know, pony. Tell us the positions of your friends are and you can live." The griffons were at this time very annoyed, spending hours of time interrogating these prisoners.
"Buck you! Griffon shit! Go back to your griffon whore mother!" Spike Tail yelled spitting in the griffon's face.
"RAGH!" The griffon in a rage, grabbed Spike Tail by the throat. Using his sharp eagle talon, the griffon slashes the jugular veins of Spike Tail. After being drained of every ounce of blood, Spike Tail lays dead.
"Get this piece of shit out of here!" The griffon yells before storming off.
Back in the base across the river by Stalliongrad, several of the officers were busy getting drunk.
"I'm glad I am not one of those dirty earth ponies." Golden Hide, a unicorn officer in charge of taking back Stalliongrad laughs. "I mean, who wants to crawl through the mud and dirt all day getting shot at."
"Gentle colts, here's to birth order!" The officer says raising a glass of wine.
A messenger pony runs into the room, accidentally knocking into the standing officer, spilling his wine.
"You better have a good reason for spilling my wine all over my new uniform commoner!" the officer yells.
"Uh sir! Sir! There's a messenger from the Griffon Empire, he wishes to to speak to you." The messenger says.
"Get me a new uniform, I will see to it. The griffons have come to negotiate, perhaps we can settle a deal... of sorts. Gentle colts, I'm afraid we must call this... meeting over. Good night everyone."
The officer walks out, onto the camp site into another tent. There he saw a griffon standing before him.
"Drinking wine again, Golden Hide? Hahaha. Now then off to business." The griffon messenger says before handing Golden Hide a bag of gold.
"As per our... agreement. Now, we've captured a few ponies who refuse to talk. They simply have too much willpower and patriotism to betray their country."
"Noble ponies, but idiots I also add. Futile efforts at best. You know it, I know it, Equestria is a sinking ship." Golden Crown says while inspecting the gold's quality. "Taken straight out of Stalliongrad's bank? I like that Eagle Talon." Golden Crown says to the Griffon, Eagle Talon.
"Their refusal to give such information is quite... detrimental to our efforts, Golden Crown." Eagle Talon says while sharping his claws on a piece of armor.
"The earth ponies are an unsophisticated bunch, and lack proper breeding. Nevertheless they are as stubborn as mules. But their lacking in brains is why they die by the hundreds." Golden Crown says as he continues counting the pieces.
"And not due to you and your officer's treachery by selling them out?" Eagle Talon says with a laugh.
"Not at all my griffon friend." Golden Crown says as he puts down the bag of gold.
"Now with these bits, I might ask, what do you want me to order? Another suicide charge? Refuse reinforcements for trapped units? A patrol straight into a trap? Another boat load across the river where your cannons lay? Enough of these bits, and the road to Canterlot is yours." Golden Crown said taking a sip of wine.
The griffon merely laughed at what the corrupt pony said. "Nono, at this time the griffons are ready to ovverrun Stalliongrad, but the resistance fighters within the city are causing us problems."
Eagle Talon pulled out a crude map of the city. "As you can see Golden Crown, our intel on this grand city is quite... limited. The ponies we captured refuse to talk and listen to reason as you have."
"What will you have me do?" Golden Crown says flipping a gold coin from the bag.
"Provide us with intel on the whole city, and we can finally begin invading lower Equestria... and Canterlot." Eagle Talon said rolling up the parchment.
"That I can do my griffon friend... for the right price." Golden Crown said with a smile. "Now do you prefer red wine or white wine?"
Back in the Griffon's prison cells, Bucephalus and Dead Aim continue to lay. The two stallions have been in the prisons for two long. However, both ponies knew they were still in Stalliongrad as the occasional sound of fighting was heard.
"Stay alive! Sargent!" Dead Aim says to Bucephalus who was growing weaker by the day.
Two griffon guards were patrolling the grounds, until they heard a noise. "Who's there? Show yourselves- AGH!" The griffon's words are cut off as a crossbow goes through his chest.
Back in the jail cell, Bucephalus and Dead Aim listened as the resistance fighters continued to kill griffons.
"WOO! Kill all of those buckers!" Dead Aim yells.
"Click" The metal bars unlock and are pulled to the side.
Dead Aim looks over to see several ponies armed with crossbows.
"We got two here!" a pony resistance fighter yells.
"He's wounded!" Dead Aim yells pointing to Bucephalus who had passed out from the pain. "The bastards took his eye! What are you standing there for GET A MEDIC!"
The ponies get Dead Aim to his hooves and picked up Bucephalus as well.
"Do not worry my friend!" A resistance pony says to the unconscious Bucephalus. "You will be all right!"
The Ponies traveled through the corridors to make it out of the Griffon's prison camp. Under the cover of night, they return to the resistance's headquarters.
Battle of Stalliongrad Part 3
"It has come to my attention... that the rebels on the other side of the river... are causing us, the griffons... problems." said Eagle Talon to Golden Crown handing the pony another bag of bits.
"It seems... that they are causing quite significant casualties for the griffons I assume?" Golden Crown reponds. "It isn't from my orders I can assure you that my eagle friend. I will do my best to... bust these ponies for you.
The griffon smiled towards the corrupt officer.
"Thank Golden Crown... but I am curious. Why are there several Golden Crowns in this area?" Eagle Talon says with a curious look.
"A random question I say. But not to be rude. You see it is a common name amongst sons of nobility. Only ponies of proper breeding truly have the name." Golden Crown says.
"Uh uh. I see..." Eagle Talon says curiously. "Now... do you have anymore of that white wine."
Golden Crown laughs at the Griffon. "No, I don't my friend. The war is starting to affect the nobility. We also have to ration things now, however, I just received a shipment of Chamapgne from the Zebra lands, chocolates from the east... and Sweet Celestia cigars. The black market has it's uses you know."
"And ponies such as yourself don't seem to mind. Not that I care." The griffon finished
"He's waking up!" a medic yelled towars the others.
"Ahgh!" Bucephalus said to himself put his hoof next to his eye.
"Easy easy big guy! You don't want to put your hoof there." said a voice to Bucephalus
"Agh my eye! It ah- it hurts." Bucephalus said.
Bucephalus rolled over the bed and crashed to the floor.
"AH!" Bucephalus said as he hit the ground hard.
"Oh Celestia! Here let me help you!" the voice says.
Bucephalus with his good eye looked over and saw a beautiful mare standing before him.
"You've been out the whole day sergeant. We … we treated your eye as best we could. Those … bastard griffons sure did a number on that eye." The mare medic said wrapping Bucephalus's eye with another bandage.
"Where is Dead Aim?" Bucephalus asked the mare.
"Who?"
"Dead Aim, my sniper, best bucking sniper in Equestria." Bucephalus said a little irritated by the mare
"Oh him? Dead Aim is out with a recon unit scouting the area. He should be back later." The mare said smiling a little holding his hoof.
"You're holding my hoof?" Bucephalus asked a little confused.
"Don't get any ideas big guy, I'm checking your pulse. Sounds good. You lost a lot of blood sergeant." the mare said writing something on a clipboard.
"We should at least introduce eachother, I'm sergeant Bucephalus of the 32nd Pony Division... or what's left of it." Bucephalus said extending his hoof to the mare.
"I'm Redheart... a medic" Redheart says with a smile "Now you just lay right here, I have to check on other patients."
Bucephalus's eye obviously took its time healing, though it's not coming back. But soon enough, Bucephalus was able to get back into the fight.
"All right, the griffons have taken most of the buildings alongside Pony Avenue and the steel mills as well. However... A certain griffon by the name of Eagle Talon, is our ticket to pushing the griffons out of Equestria. That bucker has connections to the griffon higher ups through a special device called... 'radio' if we access it, we might be able to learn of griffon positions throughout the city." Bucephalus said pointing knife towards a tower. "That tower... Dead Aim, is the best spot in Stalliongrad to snipe from. Why the griffons hadn't taken it it don't know. Now comrades! Moveout!"
Bucephalus and his new squad took up positions alongside some rubble a group of armored griffons flew past them.
"There's too many... Do not engage!" Bucephalus whispers to his squad.
Several moments pass later.
"Comrades, there!" Dead Aim says pointing out a particular griffon.
"There's the sonuvabitch that caused so much misery!" Bucephalus said through his binoculars looking at Eagle Talon.
"Look Sergeant! It's the 'radio' device!" A pony calls out.
"Dead Aim, can you hit the buckers from here?" Bucephalus asked handing a scope crossbow to Dead Aim.
"Hmmm takes 10 seconds to reload and cock the crossbow... three griffons, and we're only wounding one... yes I say I can get him." Dead Aim turned away to face the griffons as they stood on a balconey talking amongst themselves.
"Smile" Dead Aim said before pulling the trigger.
"AHHH!" Eagle Talon yelled as a bolt goes through his wing.
"What the-" a griffon said before getting cut off with a bolt to the head.
"Ahh! We're gonna die!" a griffon said flying straight up into the sky to avoid the ponies.
"He's getting away!" Bucephalus yelled.
"Nope!" Dead Aim simply responded before shooting down the griffon
The squad looked up in the sky as the griffon continued falling, and falling until he hit the ground with a thud.
"All right comrades, head over to that building, we have a griffon to capture." Bucephalus said getting up before opening the door.
"Ahh! My wing!" Eagle Talon said clenching his hurt wing, damaged by the bolt. "Aggh! Can't fly."
Eagle Talon continued to struggling to fly, when the door suddenly kicked open.
"Boom!"
The door kicks open revealing Bucephalus and his squad as they rush towards the griffon. Charging at full speed, Bucephalus tackles the griffon and wrestles him to the ground.
"AGHHH!" The griffon struggles as Bucephalus begins choking him until.
"POW"
Dead Aim crashes down on Eagle Talon's head the butt of his crossbow.
"Bucker!" Dead Aim says... "Tie him to that chair!"
Several moments later, Eagle Talon wakes up, seeing that he is surrounded by several ponies.
"And to what do I owe this... social gathering?" Eagle Talon said to the ponies.
"Shut up!" Bucephalus yells punching Eagle Talon with his hoof. "So I hear you griffons like torturing ponies eh?" Bucephalus asked Eagle Talon
Before Eagle Talon could respond however, Bucephalus drove a knife into the griffons paw.
"RAGGGH!" Eagle Talon said as the sharp metal goes through his paw. Of course it was made even more painful as Bucephalus dug aroound in the paw.
"You're lucky i'm not taking your eye... bastard!" Bucephalus said as he pulled the knife out.
"Buck you pony!" Eagle Talon spits in Bucephalus's face
"You're dealing with the wrong group of 'ponies' grif. We'll bury alive in broken glass, we'll pull every feather from your body if we have to!" Dead Aim says grabbing a pair of pliers.
Eagle Talon looked with horror as Bucephalus picked up the radio.
"So... grif, I assume this is the device you use to contact your superiors." Bucephalus said flipping around the radio
"Keep your filthy hooves off of that pony!" Eagle Talon said struggling to get out of the rope that held him in place.
Bucephalus answered the arrogant griffon with another hoof in the face.
"POW!"
The hoof hits the griffon in the eye, giving the griffon a black eye.
"I'm... not telling you anything!" Eagle Talon said
"Don't you get it?!" Dead Aim said pointing his crossbow at the griffon. "We have a way to listen in on your conversations. This battle is over... this war is over. You've lost!"
"Hahaha!" Eagle Talon said spitting saliva mixed with blood at the pony squad. "That's where you're wrong... pony! We're much more power than that! We even have ponies taking bribes on your side!"
Bucephalus and Dead Aim gave eachother a look of shock.
"What do you mean? Ponies? On your side?" Bucephalus said cocking his crossbow. "ANSWER ME!"
The griffon looked away and sighed.
"I've said too much! Already!" Eagle Talon yelled back.
"Buck this!" Dead Aim said pointing his crossbow at Eagle Talon and killing the griffon
"DEAD AIM!" Bucephalus roared "Why did you kill him?!"
"He gave us all the information we needed." Dead Aim said shrugging his shoulders. "Besides... that mole in the army makes me a bit... concerned.
I originally wrote this on fanfiction.net. Just bringing it to FIMfiction.com for you guys to enjoy.
Our story begins far from Ponyville, far from Canterlot. It is high in the mountain tops by the Equestrian-Griffon Border where our story begins. The village had only one life line, that is the coal mine. Long ago, many earth ponies were enslaved and brought here to work the coal mines. Far from Celestia's grip, they toiled day in and day out, from sunrise to sunset, all these ponies extracted coal from the mines. Worked at their masters' desires, they toiled in the hot summer and in the freezing winter. Though freed from slavery, they were bound to the mines that their ancestors were enslaved in. Many feel that they were treated better as slaves then they are as free ponies. Many wouldn't even dream that one day, a colt would be born. One to shake Equestria to its very foundations.
"Ahhhh!" a mare screams in pain. "AHH! Get this foal out of me!" The mare cries out in pain as the foal is being delivered.
"Push!" The mare's sister calls out. "Push!"
The pregnant mare screams even more as the foal is being pushed out of her womb.
"One more push sister!" The mare sister cries out.
"AGGHH!" With all of her strength, the mare finally pushes the young foal out.
"Sigh" The mare gives a breathe of relief as her ten-month burden had been lifted from her.
"Wahhah! Wahhh!" The foal cries as the mare's sister picks up the foal.
"Sister! It's a colt! What a joy ! It's a colt!" The mare's sister hands the young colt back to the mare.
"Oh..." The mare says looking at her sister. "If only his father was back from the mine... I wish he could see this."
The mare's sister smiles softly and gently but looks away. "Sister" she calls out "You know that he has to work hard or your family will suffer."
The mare nods towards her sister. "I know, but Brom works hard by day, but I hardly see him anymore. He's always going off towards meetings with the other workers. Starting something called a 'union'?"
The Mare's sister smiles again towards her sister.
"I know sister, my husband keeps talking about demonstrations and strikes. But now now, you need your rest sister. I will look after the colt."
The Mare, though exhausted by childbirth, handed the newborn to her sister.
"Please sister" the mare says. "Keep my sweet little one safe."
"Yes sister" She says. With that the new mother fell asleep.