Chapter 92: Onwards, Upwards, Around, Down, and Through
Part 1: Onwards
TIME: 11:55 ERST
DATE: War Day 837/27 Septimus 1004 C.S.
LOCATION: Sweet Apple Acres, Haltimer County, Erie, Equestria
*CRACK!*
And it's a line drive ball, deep into center field.. going.. going..!
*THUNK!*
Rolfe's hit managed to land the baseball about 320 yards distant, home run territory (almost!), in one of the trees in the orchard.
K: "GREAT hit, son! That's what I mean by the 'sweet spot' of the Bat." I thumped my glove a bit. "Come on, it's lunch time."
I stood up, and walked over. Rolfe was beaming, ear-to-ear.
Rolfe: "I felt it, Dad. It felt different than hitting it closer to the grip.." He nodded. "..I'm sure glad you've got time off."
K: "A few more days." I nodded. "Then, we have to do that arctic expedition.. and get the Rainbow of Light."
Rolfe: "I'll hold down the fort, Dad!" He gave me a big grin.
K: "Next year, you can consider Cadet School, if you want." I shrugged. "You know how I feel."
Rolfe: "Yeah.." He lowered his head a bit. "..you don't want to lose me. But, my Dad is the bestest General in the world, and I want to be a great leader, just like him."
K: "You and your sisters!" I chuckled. "At least I know Equestria will be in good hands."
Rolfe: "Don't worry, Dad. I'll make sure of it." He was determined.
K: "I couldn't be prouder." I smiled so broadly, I could almost lick my ears.
We headed inside, and the smell of fresh lunch reached our nostrils. Some kind of cold salad, I could tell that much, along with sandwiches and.. apple pie. AJ and my lovely daughters were making it all up.
Even Koringo! She had peeled the potatoes.
K: "Potato salad?" I sniffed, and lowered myself over Applejack.
Applejack: "Sure is, hon." She snuck me a kiss.
Koringo: "I peel'd da potato, papa!" She bounced a bit.
Pomme: "She did a good job, too, PaPa!" She hugged me.
Applejack: "Soup's on." She set the lunch to the table.
Potato salad, sandwiches, Prenched potatoes, fresh apples (of course), and pickles. We ate heartily. Apple juice to whet our whistles. I just.. let myself go, as I had the last couple days, and just be a family.
Once that was over with, AJ and I headed up to the orchard, to do some chores around there. A couple of the younger relatives from Appleloosa had come to the farm, with their parents both serving, both that they needed an adult (Granny), and that the family farm needed tending in our absence.
Granny: "Ah, there's my human grandson!" She hooked me into a hug. "Another fine day." She sighed a bit. "I'm sure glad I lasted long enough to be a help in this nasty war!"
K: "Granny, without you, the whole farm would be in ruins." I shook my head.
Granny: "Probably!" *Cackle* "Sugar Apple! Y'done with the groomin' yet?" She called to one of the Apple Family teens.
Sugar Apple: "Shore am, Granny." She sauntered up.. looked me over, and went pale.
Applejack was right behind me.
Applejack: "Eyes on apples, cuzin." Her tone was even, however. "Yer half his age."
Sugar Apple: "Ahh.. pish-posh!" She flicked her flank at Applejack, but retreated.
K: "Ahhh... teenagers." I shook my head. "Too many hormones, not enough horse sense." I paused. "Ah-I mean.."
Applejack: "Nah, yer right on target, honey." She grinned.
Granny: "Hmmmm.." She stopped, instantly, and looked up at the clouds. "..that ain't right." She pointed. "That look right ta you, Jackie?"
Indeed, a very dark cloud had slid into the area.. and was now slowly blotting out the sun.
I felt a chill.. my hand went to my Glock.
K: "..get the kids inside. AJ, field packs, let's go." Something was up.
Granny: "EVER-ONE INSIDE, NAO!" She bellowed.
The kids knew better than to argue. Mac met us as we were fast walking to the barn.. and with ever passing second, my pace increased. By the time I got to the barn/our house door, I was in a dead run.
I threw the door open, and went right to the radio set.
K: C> "Alpha Actual to all callsigns in range - CODE TEAL! Repeat, CODE TEAL! Militia fall in at The Barn! Alpha Actual to Cloudsdale Air Force Base, come in!"
There was.. no response.
K: C> "Cloudsdale AFB, come in!" I waited.
Applejack: "Catch!" She tossed me my rifle, and tactical vest.
I got them on.
Mac: "Somethin' ain't right, brother." He snorted.
K: "No kidding." I keyed up the Palace. C> "Alpha Actual to Solarus Base, come in!"
Royal Palace Comspony: C> "Alpha Actual, we read you THREE by five. How copy, over?"
K: C> "Alpha Actual reads you five by five, Solarus. Contact lost with Cloudsdale AFB. Muster the Royal Guards, and contact Fort Defense. I want a scout team sent to Cloudsdale. Alpha Actual is on his way to Solarus Base - ETA sixty minutes. How copy, over?"
Lightning flashed, and I instinctively dropped the mic. Good thing I did, as the Radio Set almost exploded in my face.. the lightning hit my radio antenna. The thunder was deafening, and sent us all to the floor.
Mac: "You alright brother?!" He helped me up.
I checked myself over.. nothing burnt or leaking. I got lucky. AJ zoomed over to me to check me herself.
Applejack: "By Celestia!" She kissed me.
K: "That.. I'll bet any money that wasn't natural." I motioned for them to follow. "COME ON!"
We got outside.. but got no further. The wind was incredible.. I recognized the feel of it, too. The moistness, the warm-and-coldness.. the sound of a freight train.
K: "TORNAAAAADOOOOOOOOOOOOO! GET TO THE CELLAR!!" I pushed them both ahead of me - it would be coming, I knew it.
Growing up near Chicago all my life, this kind of weather hit us every summer. One Tornado even made a "skip down" in my little village, demolished the oldest tree in town, and was blown apart by the impact.
I knew these monsters.
Once down in the cellar with the others, I grabbed for the hand radio unit in the emergency supply box.
K: C> "This is K - Mayor Mare, can you hear me?!" She should be at City Hall.
Mayor Mare: C> "Yes, K! What's going on?! I've never SEEN-"
K: C> "Sound the Air Raid Siren! Everyone get to shelters! NOW!" I demanded.
Mayor Mare: C> "Y-Yes, K! Right away!"
Ten seconds later, the Air Raid siren went off. That would tell everyone to get to the nearest shelter at once. The Air Defence Crews, I hoped, would figure out this was because of the weather, and go as well, instead of manning their stations.
The problem in a society where weather is guided by magic is a lack of preparedness when that magic gets corrupted or distrupted, and the absolute worst happens. Without the Air Raid Shelters, most of the population of the town would be in lethal danger - Pony houses were not built to withstand this sort of thing. Not a force that can impale a stalk of straw through solid wood.
I heard it.. about thirty seconds after the siren started.. that rush of a railroad train coming right overhead. Deafening roaring. It was a slow mover. The kids were calm, the teens holding them tightly, and Granny in the middle, a rock of calmness in a storm. I peeked out through the cellar door cracks.. I could SEE the monster!
The Tornado was a gigantic black wedge. This was an F-5. A Super F-5. There would be absolute devastation.
All I could do was pray, as I clung to Applejack...
[End of Part 1]
Part 2: Upwards
TIME: 15:37 ERST
DATE: War Day 837/27 Septimus 1004 C.S.
LOCATION: Sweet Apple Acres, Haltimer County, Erie, Equestria
Silence. For about ten minutes. I moved to the cellar doors, and undid the bar, then opened them. I stepped out onto terrain that might as well be the moon. Everything was in ruins. The Orchard was absolutely gone. My house, the former Barn, had collapsed completely. AJ's house was just about evaporated.
Ponyville was little better off.
Applejack moved up the steps, and staggered, falling to her knees, seeing everything gone. She didn't make a sound.
K: "I'm going to town. I'll be back." I shouldered my Bradley, and started moving.
Mac: "I'll.. do.. what I can.." He was choked up.
Granny: "LAND SAKES!" She cried. "Not this AGAIN!?" She was more angry than sad, however.
It took me ten minutes to get to the town. Much of it had simply been erased. Ponies were just now coming out of the shelters. Without them, I was certain, they'd all be dead...
Lyra: "K!!" She galloped over. "Whae in th' GREAT BLUE SEA were THAT!?" She grabbed me.
K: "That was a Tornado. The most powerful one I've ever seen. HARV!? HARV!? WHERE ARE YOU!?" I patted Lyra on the head. "Get everyone together, get them organized, arm up, and start digging in the rubble to make sure no one's been stuck under there."
Lyra: "Aye, K!" She took off.
The destruction was so complete - even City Hall was in ruins, the hospital was severely damaged, the fire station was destroyed, and Twilight's library had been uprooted and cast into splinters.
I didn't know it, of course, but the destruction of the Library was foretold in the series. Since I left right after Season 2, this hadn't happened, yet.
I looked around.. in total shock.. Tirek was behind this, we all knew it. Everyone was angry. Everyone was in shock as well. As we picked ourselves out of the rubble and took stock of the devastation, we knew what Tirek had done.
TIME: 17:12 ERST
My shelters. They saved everyone. Light injuries, only. No dead. But, 95% of the town's buildings were destroyed, and we'd lost a significant amount of equipment for the Militia, not to mention the civilian losses. The train station was destroyed, the tracks uprooted and twisted.
I was gathering a team that would make for Canterlot. We had to find out what else transpired.
Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Gilda, and Gorcat had been in Cloudsdale today. Toola was in Manehattan. Sunset and Dusty had been at the palace. That left Twilight, myself, Applejack, Rarity, Lyra, Bon-Bon, Norfy, Gaze, and Cosmic.. well, among others, but these were from my usual Command Staff, that I asked to accompany me. Dr. Allcome, Derpy, and others, needed to stay at the town and help with recovery efforts.
K: "Alright, Harv, have the Militia and whoever else is left scavenge what you can from the town, and make shelter for the night in the Air Raid Shelters. I.. don't know how long it's going to be, before I can send help from the Capital, so, get word to Manehattan and all surrounding communities tomorrow about what happened here, and get some aid from them." I nodded to her.
Golden Harvest-Script: "You got it, K." She put a hoof on my shoulder. "Tirek did this.. somehow."
K: "I know he did, and he's going to pay dearly for it." I nodded. "Alright, everyone.. come on."
On foot. We'd have to go on foot. It would be hours... but, we set out. We'd make for the next county over - Reinslaer County. Between us and them, was about 50'ish kilometers of farm land. There weren't any other towns between Ponyville and Reinaslaer County.
TIME: 01:54 ERST
DATE: War Day 838/28 Septimus 1004 C.S.
LOCATION: Fultonville, Reinaslaer County, Erie, Equestria
The Reinaslaer County Militia met us at the edge of the county. Reinaslaer County bordered the Capital District. It took us eight hours and change.
Colonel Break Reinaslaer: "General K!" He got out of the jeep, and made his way over to us.
K: "Colonel." I nodded to him. "We're exhausted." I climbed into the jeep and sat down. "Water, please."
Colonel Reinaslaer: "Bring the General and his team some water! And oats! Come on!" He ushured his troops. "Sir.. we've lost all contact with the city of Cloudsdale." He shook his head. "My Pegasi went up to have a look.. and.. the city is just GONE, sir!"
I was handed a canteen, and I drank from it, before passing it to AJ.
K: "What about the Capital?" I asked.
Colonel Reinsalaer: "It was damaged by a Twister, sir. Not significantly. But, it tore through my county as well - destroyed several farms, damaged the village of Fultonville, that's why we're out here. We got a weak radio singal from Ponyville saying you were headed this way, so, we went to meet you.." He shook his head.
K: "Ponyville has, effectively, been erased from the map, Colonel." I pet AJ's mane, she was trying not to think about it. "We need transportation to Canterlot."
Colonel Reinsalaer: "You'll have it. But, please, get some rest, sir." He encouraged.
K: "No, no, I need to get to the Palace. Get me a driver and a truck, we'll rest in the back." I nodded to him.
Colonel Reinsalaer: "Yes, General." He moved off to get our transportation arranged.
Gaze: "Wha're we even gonna do, K?" He was as dumbfounded as we were.
Cosmic: "We need to find what happened to Cloudsdale." He looked at Norfy.
Norfy: "I.." He lowered his head a little. "..okay, Dash and I aren't in love, but filly flanks to all that - she and Gilda are my friends! I care about her! If Tirek has.." He shook his head. "..I refuse to believe they're dead."
K: "I know they're not." I stated, plainly. "I just don't know where they are."
Lyra: "Ooooohhhh... Tirek gonna pay fer all'a this.." She growled.
Applejack: "..I ain't losin' a friend lahk this." She sniffled a little.
For the entire march, all of us had been silent, not wanting to think about the devastation the Tornado had caused. Lyra and Bon-Bon had lost their home. Applejack and I lost the farm. Everyone in Ponyville had lost so much - even the two battles there hadn't caused this much destruction.
And worse, the Library was destroyed - one of my "Headquarters" Buildings. Not to mention my workshop/home.
K: "At least everyone in Ponyville is still alive. We HAVE to believe the same for Cloudsdale. Those are experienced Weatherponies, they have the training to survive." I shook my head a little. "Dash'n them are too tough to let something like this kill them."
After a minute, a 5-Ton Truck from the Reinsalaer County Militia pulled up.
PFC Lorry Laden: "Get in, sirs!" He nodded to the back.
We did, and we sat down on the floor of the rear cargo area.
K: "Canterlot! Best possible speed!" I ordered.
PFC Lorry Laden: "Aye, sir!"
Off we took - it'd be about an hour to get there. AJ curled up in my lap, and even the Lads got close to me. This was a devastating strike against us... I had to be sure we responded in kind.
[End of Part 2]
Part 3: Around
TIME: 03:00 ERST
DATE: War Day 838/28 Septimus 1004 C.S.
LOCATION: Canterlot Capital District, Erie, Equestria
PFC Lorry Laden: "We're her-OH CELESTIA!" He slammed on the brakes.
We all just about fell to the floor, and immediately jumped out, weapons ready.
What we saw, instead of hostiles.. were Pegasi. Dozens and dozens of them. On the ground, being tended-to by medical personnel from all the branches. Makeshift tents and awnings all over the place, just outside the city. Canterlot itself had taken a hit, that was clear - there was still visible fires burning against the night sky.
K: "Oh.. My God.." I staggered to the front of the truck.
Applejack: "What in TARTARUS!?" She stomped her hoof.
Gaze: "By Ye Gods..!" He put a leg around Lyra.
Lyra: "Nae..! Issnot possible!" She was in tears.
Bon-Bon: "What happened!?" She yelled out.
Norfy: "..Celestia help us. RAINBOW DASH?! FLUTTERSHY!?" He took off immediately.
Cosmic: "It.. it's not.. they couldn't have..!" He moved up next to me, then grabbed me and pulled me down to eye level with him. "K! The.. the magic that keeps Cloudsdale afloat..! I CAN'T FEEL IT ANYMORE!!" He was panicked.
Soarin: "That's because it's gone, Coz." He paced up with his right wing in a bandaged splint. "General." He saluted me. "As the highest ranked Air Force Officer available at this time, I regret to inform you that Cloudsdale has been completely destroyed. Everything there.. is gone. The Magic keeping it together has been dispelled completely. Everyone that was up there.. has been scattered all over the area. I don't know where Spitfire is.." He started tearing up.. they rolled down his snout.. and he went over to Applejack, and hugged her.
Twilight: "Oh.. no-no-no-no..." She was pulling back from Soarin and Applejack.. "NO!" She started shaking.
I moved over to my wife and embraced her tightly.. Soarin, too. I just held them, and sank to my knees.
Soarin: "I couldn't.. hold.. on.." He started crying softly. "I COULDN'T HOLD ONNNN!!"
Applejack: "Brae..? Oh.." She started crying, too.
Twilight: "Ahhhhhh... AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*
Her yell became a scream. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!! NOT ANOTHER! NOT ANOTHER! NOT AGAIN!! NOT AGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNN!!"
She flared up with amazing energy.. her eyes went golden for a few moments.. then, it shut off, and she fell to the ground, sobbing hysterically. Spike grabbed hold of her, and hugged her.
K: "I.. need to get to the palace." I kissed Applejack on the mouth, and Soarin on the top of his head, and forced myself to stand. "Help the wounded." I motioned a bit, and started walking.
TIME: 03:22 ERST
I casually saluted the guards outside and marched in. I could hear Luna crying in the throne room, and I just went in and immediately embraced her and Starlight. We held each other for a while. Just.. trying to process all of this.
It must've been almost an hour or so, when we finally got snapped out of our sorrow.
Sky Admiral Iris Emerald: "K?" She paced in.
Sombra: "Dear Friend!" He immediately came over to me, and hugged all three of us.
First time he's hugged me.. it felt like my brother. I hugged back.
I finally stood up.
K: "Braeburn is dead, too." I lowered my head. "Soarin's husband. My.. cousin." I had a lump in my throat that I swallowed as hard as I could. "Admiral. I need any assistance you can spare. Ponyville has been erased from the map. No fatalities there, but the people have almost no food or water. They need immediate assistance."
Iris: "I'll get on Centaur and head out immediately. We.. got a radio signal from Canterlot saying a mystical twister was bearing down on them, and you were missing. We loaded up with everything we could and set out immediately." She shook her head, and came over to me, to hug me as well. "We're friends, K. I'll treat those people like my own family."
She saluted me.. I saluted back. A reminder from a friend to maintain my military bearing. She marched out.
Celestia woke up early.. rather, she came in from her room, I wasn't entirely sure she'd slept at all.
Celestia: "How 'gone' is Ponyville?" She got right to the point.
K: "Everything's destroyed completely except the hospital and city hall. Both of those are significantly damaged. The Militia Supply Depot is also gone. There's damage to Everfree Forest. The Library was reduced to splinters." I sighed, and plunked myself down next to Celestia's throne. "No one died, there, though."
Celestia: "How do we respond?" She, too, was trying to keep me on task.
K: "We don't. At least, not with any options we currently have. We could send out some long range aircraft to find Tirek's home land, then drop a Hydrogen Bomb on it, but that wouldn't do jack shit." I was so numb, I cursed without thinking. "Tirek wouldn't care if we erased one of his cities - he'd just work his slaves harder." I just sat there a moment. "This is his retaliation for murdering his Shadow Clone, I'm sure of it."
Celestia: "So. What's next?" She sat next to me.
K: "We recover everyone we can find. We rebuild the destroyed things. We bury our dead. And then we go find the Rainbow of Light." I raised my head a bit. "We can't let him stop us. We can't allow him to toy with us, disrupt us." I slowly shook my head. "No matter what, we cannot let him break us. A Tornado today, a Hurricane tomorrow, no matter what he sends, we can't let him win."
Celestia: "Reasonable." She slid her wing around me.
K: "What's going to happen to the weather without Cloudsdale?" I asked.
Celestia: "It'll be a mess, that's what. It'll take years to reconstruct all of that. Until then.. we're at the mercy of natural weather patterns." She shook her head a bit.
K: "There's no redundancy?" I looked to her.
Celestia: "Well..." She stood up, suddenly, as Twilight came galloping in.
Twilight: "Celestia! K! WE NEED to find The Weather Rock!" She skidded to a halt not far from Starlight Mint.
Starlight: "Auntie!" She slipped away from Luna and hugged her. "The Weather Rock..?"
Celestia: "It's an artifact used to control weather in the old days.. but, My Student, I have no idea where it is, nor do I recall how to use it." She shook her head.
K: "We'll find it." I stood up. "We'll find it. And when we find the Rainbow of Light, we're going to FIST Tirek with it so hard, he pukes butterflies." I narrowed my eyes in rage..
..he would pay for his insults.
[End of Part 3]
Part 4: Down
TIME: 11:22 ERST
DATE: War Day 838/22 Septimus, 1004 C.S.
LOCATION: Canterlot, Erie, Equestria
Everyone spent all night trying to find ponies that were thrown from Cloudsdale. Once I slept a few hours, I joined them. Pegasi had been flung like toys from the Tornado. I was taking a swig from my canteen.. and was probing through the brush.
I heard.. chirps?
K: "WAaaiitt.." I started digging through the bushes, and put my hand into something wet.. I pulled my hand back.. blood. "Guh.. Gilda?" I pulled back. "MEDIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICCCCC!!" I screamed, and pulled the branches clear, revealing Gilda, holding all of her chicks close to her, unconscious and bleeding.
I put my head to her chest, and I could hear her breathing. She wasn't dead. I just.. kinda hugged her and the chicks. They were cold.. that wasn't a good sign.
Dr. Well Wishes: "K!? Where are you!?" He called out from a distance.
K: "OVER HERE, WELL! HURRY! GILDA'S BLEEDING AND THE CHICKS ARE COLD!" I yelled as loud as I could.
Gilda: "..tryn'asleep." She murmured out.
K: "Stay with me, G. For the love of God, stay with me." I got the chicks gathered up, and held them close to me.
Well Wishes and Crackbones came through the underbrush, with Echo Gram and another pony Royal Guard medic named Golden Stitch. I got the chicks in a basket that Crackbones had, and then helped them get Gilda on the litter.
K: "You hang on, G! You hear me!?" I patted her arm.
Well Wishes: "We'll get her to the field hospital, K. Don't worry." He nodded, and took off.
I stood back up, breathing heavily, shaking my head in utter disbelief at this.
K: "This.. can't be happening.." I rested against a tree for a moment.
Gorcat: "OH-WHAT-THE-" *CRASH!*
I dashed over to him immediately, and found he'd fallen out of a tree, and taken several branches with him. Looks like he'd gotten tangled up. I helped him to his feet, and hugged him.
K: "You're okay!" I cried.. just a bit.
Gorcat: "Haha.. I suppose I am.." He was going to get boastful, but paused, and hugged me back.. just a bit uncomfortably. "Eh.. no homo."
K: "None.." I wiped my eyes. "Just.. we've had some dead.." I cleared my throat. "Soarin lost Braeburn.." And shook my head. "Ponyville has been erased.. Gilda's hurt bad.." I sighed. "I'm still trying to find Dash and 'Shy."
Gorcat: "Gotta be around here somewhere." He checked himself over for injury, and once satisfied he was okay, patted me on the shoulder. "We'll make it, K. And, this is kinda two I owe you, now." He chuckled a bit. "Those ARE my chicks."
K: "Yeah." I nodded.
TIME: 13:44 ERST
We searched for another couple of hours, before we went back and got something to eat. I sat down with a bowl of plain oats, and some water. I was still in shock, I knew it.
K: "I can't believe this." I just stated.
Sunset: "I can't, either!" She sat next to me with a hay sandwich. "How did Tirek manage to do this!?"
K: "Unicorn supremacists, it has to be." I slowly shook my head. "I need to interrogate your parents."
Sunset: "..let me do it." She looked down at the sandwich, then back to me. "Please."
K: "Okay." I nodded.
After forcing myself to eat, I went and saw Celestia, with Sunset in tow. Dash and Fluttershy were still missing, but besides that, I needed to prevent this from happening again.
K: "Cel." I paced up to her, with Sunset in tow. "She wants to talk to her parents."
Celestia: "..I'm not certain that's a good idea." She looked me over, as if judging for herself if I was in my right mind.
K: "It's not. But, it's all we've got. The only way Tirek could pull this off is with people on the inside with the power to cast magic. That Unicorn Supremacist group? It's got to be them." I shook my head.
Sunset: "Please, Your Majesty." She bowed a little.
K: "You don't want ME doing it." I cocked a brow.
Celestia: "..alright. Go ahead." She nodded.
I sat next to her.
K: "Gilda was seriously injured. She's going to be out of it for a while, at least. Her chicks were okay, though. She wrapped herself around them. Still haven't found Dash or Shy." I sighed. "Tit for tat. We get the names of the Unicorn Supremacists, root them out, put them on trial, and hang them." I stared straight ahead. "Make sure the public knows why. Exactly why. That these monsters sold us out to Tirek, and worse, killed people for it - racially motivated mass murder. Or, as we call it, Ethnic Cleansing."
Celestia: "This would be a suitable punishment in your world?" She tilted her head.
K: "No one's been punished that way for that crime in decades - but, yes. In this case, it's less a punishment and more to ensure their treason doesn't spread, that their poison can't reach another generation of magical terrorists. They're a continuing threat to the lives of everyone in every kindgom. Killing them is the only way to truly stop them." I rubbed my face. "But it has to be done in a just and acceptable manner. They have to be outed for the monsters they ar-"
The wall cracked. My eyes shot up, and a smoldering impact from the other side of the throne room wall - where the Meeting Room was - had been convexed into the stone work.
I got up and ran for the hallway door immediately, drawing my Glock and going to a sort of tight ready position as I breached the hallway. The door to the Meeting Room was open, and when I got in there, Sunset was standing ready, her horn glowing. When I looked over, her mother was char-broiled and cratered into the wall. I shot Sunset a quick look, and tackled her to the ground.
K: "SUNSET! NO! NOT LIKE THIS!" Time for some acting. "GUARDS!! CELESTIA! GET IN HERE!" I tried dragging her to the door.
Sunset: "LET ME BURN HIM, TOO!! HE'S ONE OF THEM!! HE SOLD ME TO TIREK AS A FUCKING SEX TOY!!" She earnestly fought back, jabbing me in the ribs (very hard) with her horn, and trying to get loose.
Celestia came in at that point.
K: "CELESTIA! LOCK HER MAGIC AND GET HER OUT OF HERE!" I picked Sunset up (she's heavy!), and heaved her at the door, then kicked it shut, slinking to the floor, and reholstering my Glock.
Sunset's father was in the corner, in a puddle of urine.
K: "She'll find a way to kill you, too." I simply stated, looking up at his very cooked wife, and standing, finally. "Looks like she suffered quite a bit." I paced over, and gently touched her right forehoof - it was sizzling and just about burnt me. "Yep, cooked from the inside, out. That time in the Human World really messed with her head." I shook my head, and looked at him.
Sol: "S-She's.. s-so.. a-angry..!" He stammered out.
K: "Yeah." I nodded. "So am I. Braeburn was my cousin. Never mind the fact that you destroyed my home, and my wife's ancestral apple orchards - including the only Zapapple Trees left in Equestria." I shook my head slowly. "And the Ethnic Cleansing attempt against the Pegasi! Do you have any idea what's going to happen when Spitfire recovers? She's one of the leaders of the Pegasi community.. she's going to want you punished according to.. THEIR traditions."
Sol: "W-We.. are.. su-superior!" He jumbled together.
K: "From where I'm standing, you're a pathetic fool in a puddle of his own piss." I paced over to him, slowly. "You're going to be executed for what happened here. You and Night Lite." I patted his cheek. "The only question that remains is.. how?" I tilted my head. "I suppose.. a life sentence might be possible." I shrugged widely. "But.. you'd.. have to give us something. Some.. tangible.. thing. Cooperation." Shatneresque, again. "You.. who betrayed the greater herd and caused so many deaths. If you.. want to.. save your own skin, you'll have to give up.. the names of everyone else in that little cult of yours." I waved my hand.
Sol: "G-Guarantee.. my life.." He tried to get up, weakly, like a newborn colt. "I'll give you what you want, just PLEASE! SPARE me! W-We didn't kill NEARLY enough for Tirek's needs! I.. he'd execute me, too.. and.. much worse." He was on his four legs, shaking like a leaf. "I'd.. I'd rather go to Tartarus than.. be extracted.. by him, personally." He swallowed hard. "He leaves you just barely alive when he does it. Then he lets the Porcines eat you.. raw."
K: "Get over here and start writing names." I grabbed the notepad on the table, and a pen, and slapped them down in front of a chair.
[End of Part 4]
Part 5: Through
TIME: 05:22 ERST
DATE: War Day 842/2 Octavius 1004 C.S.
LOCATION: Unicorna, Erie, Equestria
We found Dash and Fluttershy later on that day. Both relatively unharmed, but flung halfway towards Princesston (Kingston). They'd had to fly back on their own. Gilda was alive, but severely injured - she'd be out of commission for weeks. Many non-flyer guests in Cloudsdale were killed.. or missing. We still hadn't recovered Braeburn's body. Almost every Pegasi in the city had survived.. and it was all thanks to Rainbow Dash and the weather teams beating the Tornado to pieces with their own hooves.
In total we had 124 confirmed dead, thousands injured, and 18 missing. Ponyville and Cloudsdale were destroyed, and Canterlot was moderately damaged.
We also had a list of culprits.
Chemical Lens: "Now, when you go in, fire the Flash Bangs immediately. Katrina?" She looked to her.
Katrina: "I'm almost done with the anti-magic sigil. Once I activate it, though, they WILL know." She shook her head.
Jade: "Do we HAVE to bring them in alive?" She gently tugged at my shirt.
K: "Yes. They must stand trial. Lethal force is a last resort, understood?" I looked at the Unicorna (Utica) Gendarmes SWAT Team, and their commander, Lieutenant Nash Hardnose.
Lt. Nash: "You have our word, General. Besides, I think Dusty will keep us on task." He nodded to her.
Dusty: "You know it." She nodded. "Alright.. Adam Team on the Ell-Tee. Baker team on me."
Katrina: "Ready." She nodded.
Lt. Nash: "Ready."
Dusty: "Ready."
K: "Go." I nodded, and stood way back.
Katrina slapped her hand on the ground, and activated the Sigil, deactivating all magic powers within a 45-meter radius. At that same instant, Lt. Nash's team breached the doorway to the building, and Dusty's team scaled the fire escape. From inside, I could hear the flash bang grenades go off, and then shouting. Loud shouting. Lots of shouting. Two gunshots. More shouting. Then, silence.
Five minutes later, Dusty came out, leading the prisoners. We had most of them in one go - Sol Shimmer's information that they were holding a meeting here, at this time, on this day, was accurate. Thirty two conspirators.
K: "Flash." I nodded to the Royal Guard Officer, Flash Sentry.
Altern Flash Sentry: "You are all arrested, in the name of Princess Celestia, and are under Royal guard." He stated, simply.
Unlike Civil detainment, which came with a guarantee of rights, Royal arrest was entirely different. By necessity, it had a lot of checks and balances - I had needed to state the vital importance of their Royal arrest before a Judge, presented evidence that Civil arrest was insufficient, and both Luna and Celestia had to sign the papers.
Under Royal arrest, the minimum charge is Treason and Sedition. Such accused, when under Royal arrest, have no guarantee of rights.
K: "You all stand accused of attempted Ethnic Cleansing, Treason against the Crown, and providing active assitance to an enemy of Equestria." I started. "As there is no specific crime of 'Ethnic Cleansing' in this world, the charges are 24,567 counts of attempted murder, and 124 counts of murder in the first degree, plus 8 counts of attempted murder of a Royal official." I looked them over. "As a duly appointed Royal agent of Celestia, I am informing you now that your trial begins tomorrow under these charges."
Unicorn #1: "What proof have you?" He glared at me.
K: "Oh, we're not going that route, mister." I shook my head. "We have evidence and testimony of two of your co-conspirators. Even if they die, their testimony will be entered into evidence. This testimony will be used to prove that you, all of you, tried to kill me, kill everyone in Cloudsdale, and everyone in Ponyville." I shook my head slowly. "We have already determined your guilt. The trial is for show. You will be permanently dealt with, the day after tomorrow. You will not be allowed to speak in your own defense, as it has been determined that your seditious beliefs may spark further ethnic violence."
Unicorn #2: "THAT isn't how things are done! WE KNEW IT! YOU did this, you MONSTER!"
K: "I'm sorry, what?" I leaned into her, cupping my ear. "My monkey ears didn't hear you. What am I?"
Unicorn #2: "You're a monster. A foul beast. Lord Tirek was right, you're going to destroy us all." She sneered at me.
K: "And what will you be under Tirek?" I mused.
Unicorn #3: "Where we belong - ahead of all the other ponies." He snorted.
K: "There." I wagged a finger at him. "Right there, that's your bullshit. That's what I'm doing this for. You're not superior, you're equals.. and you refuse to accept it." I shook my head. "There were CHILDREN up there! INNOCENT CHILDREN! And you.. you would see them die. That, right there, proves who is the monster, and who is not."
Unicorn #4: "There are no innocents. There are only Unicorns, and The Powerless." He spat at the ground.
K: "The public is going to beg us to execute you." I sighed, and shook my head. "And I'm not going to try and stop them."
Chemical Lens: "Remove them, Altern." She nodded to him.
Very quickly, they were escorted into waiting Prison Trucks.. the others in the conspiracy would be grabbed one at time throughout the day.
I was done with all of this. My frustration was beyond measure. The People would see what was going on among them.. and I'd have to handle this VERY CAREFULLY.
Tirek, it seemed, was trying to sew racial division between the Pony races. Just like a thousand years ago. It made sense, really, that he'd try something like this. Especially since what I believed to be Galactica Spark warning me years ago that I needed to "heal" them.
I wouldn't let him win.
TIME: 16:07 ERST
LOCATION: Royal Palace, Canterlot
I was seated in my quarters, since the Meeting Room was under repair. Everyone left, was here, that I counted among my Command Staff - that included Firecracker.
K: "The trial begins tomorrow." I stated simply. "There will be some read testimony, some talking.. then a guilty verdict." I shook my head. "They had everything in their little cult coven area. Letters back and forth from Tirek, Tirek describing exactly how to cast that spell, the reagents needed, everything."
Applejack: "..no question they's guilty, then." She looked at me with tired eyes.
K: "None. They even confess it." I stared straight ahead.
Twilight: "What will be their punishment?" She looked down.
Opalfire: "Should burn 'em at the stake." She snorted. "I volunteer. For Bahamut's Sake, I was there!" She waved her hand. "I tried.. tried.. to save.." She sniffed and wiped her eyes.
Fluttershy: "They do need to be punished in such a way that they can't hurt anyone ever again." She was calm, but very sad.
Toola: "Execution works." She shuffled her hooves a bit. "It doesn't taste good, though."
K: "That's what Celestia did at one point." I shrugged. "Some of you don't know this - those statues in the Royal Garden used to be real ponies. People that questioned Celestia. She just Petrified them rather than allow them to continue to ask questions about her reign. A far less serious crime than mass murder."
Firecracker: "I had no idea.." She trailed off.
Rainbow Dash: "They should be lucky Spitfire didn't get her way - we would've flown them up to the skies and dropped them." She growled.. and sighed. "Hey, K, can we all just stay at the palace for now? I.. well.. our homes in Ponyville are gone.." She slunk down on her haunches. "I'm sorry about your farm, Jackie.." And sniffled.
Applejack: "..so'm'I.." She was dejected.
Chemical Lens: "Forgive me, K, but.. why are WE having this discussion?" She paced up to me. "It seems the Magistrate Panel would be the most qualified.. we already know the sentence will be something.. permanent.."
K: "Because of our closeness to Tirek and this war." I stood and paced. "Because we were close to those we lost. Because we lost something, too." I pivoted on my heel, and looked at them all. "And, because we are the smartest, bravest, and most skilled in Equestria." I wagged a finger. "Not that the rest of them aren't, but that we have seen more, learnt more, and done more.. and grown more." I leaned my hips against a table, back behind me. "If anyone can be forced to maintain a level head and decide what's the best possible way to permanently deal with them.. it's us." I gestured widely with my right arm. "Isn't this JUST LIKE the Winter of Hard Feelings, or whatever that all was? History being an allegory and all that, and the truth being much more complex?"
Twilight: "You're right..! But, that means.." She lowered her head, then raised it. "The Unicorn Supremacists are a double weapon! Either they manage to cause disruption and lose us the war, or dealing with them in the wrong way.. results in negative feelings growing in ponykind..! Maybe even to the point where that Spell of Carefree is overpowered, and.. even if we BEAT Tirek.. our civilization would unravel anyway, in the future!"
K: "That.." I pointed at her. "..is exactly what I think."
Rarity: "Then.. what do we do?!" She paced up. "We can't let them live in polite society!" She snorted. "They'd just stir up trouble again, after the war. There's over thirty of them in total. Do we confine them to the Dungeons until death?" She sighed. "To say nothing of their legend, if we do kill them - we would make them martyrs."
K: "Indeed we might." I nodded. "Now, you see.. why we have to have this discussion."
Wide Lens: "Because, maybe, we can come up with a better solution." He nodded.
Lyra: "Ah'k'n think of a few." She raised her head.
K: "Let's hear it." I nodded.
Lyra: "Disprove them. Disgrace them. Shame them. Show ever'one whae they done, an' why - there be a reason why most North Equus nations dinnae have Kings an' Queens." She nodded slowly. "An' why Imperial measurements ain't used an'nym're."
K: "Because you attached so much cultural baggage to it, nopony would ever consider them in a right mind." I nodded with a small finger wag towards her.
Applejack: "Ah'spose.. ah k'n git ever'one in Ponyville t'testify agin'st 'em." She raised her head. "Explain what they done - how they destroyed so many lives, ruined the town's 'conomy.. point out how'n they di'n't care who died there."
Rainbow Dash: "And I can tell them what happened in Cloudsdale." She snorted. "How a couple's whole lives were torn apart.. have Soarin' tell his story."
K: "That's a start." I nodded.
Sunset: "I've been going over their cult writings.. get this.." She raised up one of their books with her magic and brought it between us to see. "..do we know Gallart Bonebeard?"
K: "We've heard that name before - he was a Twinkle-Eye, or True Crystal Pony. And a very accomplished mage. We don't know that much more about him, though." I pointed to Sunset and Twilight.
Twilight: "What about him, Sunset?" She peered at the book.
Sunset: "According to this, they have the whole Human Comes To Destroy Or Save legend in here. But! Gallart Bonebeard himself warning that doing so would change Ponykind forever, no matter who wins. That all races of Ponies would be forever mixed, and.. well, MY guess? It would somehow completely change genetic lines, with magic." She nodded.
K: "Here's a crazy theory." I paced over. "What if he was talking about the extermination of the Flutter Ponies, and the disappearance of Sea Ponies?" I tapped the book. "What if. Instead of completely eradicating Flutter Ponies, Galactica Spark simply forcibly repressed the genetic marker for them? Flutter Ponies would be like a fusion between Pegasi and Unicorn - more so than an Alicorn as they wouldn't have an Alicorn's Earth affinity. Flutter ponies were flying, magical ponies.." I raised my head. "..and if I'm right, the regressive gene is in both races."
Sunset: "K, if you're right.. then.. the Unicorns interpreted this as a threat! That.. that Flutter Ponies would rise again!" She looked at Starlight.
Starlight: "Yes! YES!" She wagged and hoof-pointed at us. "Before I.. uhm.. came around.. I saw Flutter Ponies as impersonators, not true ponies. But as bugs with pony bodies! A.. a LOT of people who had my views felt the same way! If the Unicorns of.. well.. MY future.. thought that Flutter Ponies would be resurrected..." She looked between all of us.
K: "Then their authority as the Source of All Pony Magic would be undermined completely - they would LOSE the one thing they felt made them superior. So, responding to that threat with a sense of supriority, they would align themselves with Tirek, someone who guaranteed they'd be the Turnkeys in his Slave Prison, anything to get rid of ME and maintain their racial power base." I sat down. "Now. How do we explain all this to the public in such a way that shows them to be the villains?"
Starlight: "Well.. I think I have a way." She grinned.
I hoped she did. So much was at stake..
{End of Chapter 92}
