Sins of Harmony
Volume 1: Balance of Power
Chapter 2: Reaction and Action.
February 2nd, 1005 ANM
Ponyville, Castle of Friendship.
"To my former student, and Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle."
The recently expanded Oceanic Alliance has issued a threat to Equestria, specifically at you. The Eastern block fears that the amount of magical energy you have at your hooves, especially if boosted by your six friends, makes you extremely dangerous.
Normally such threats by groups are easily met and countered before they reach their targets, but this one is different. Some of the individuals, and an organization involved in the Oceanic Alliance, have the knowledge and capacity to take down such magical power users at yours and any other Alicorn level.
I don't wish to give the details, but 29 years ago, when the Dingolia Republic was formed in the revolution, and the Equestrian ambassadors captured, I led another group to liberate them, and try and quell the situaiton. But this involved group, the Hephaestus Research Company, led by a pair of ruthless Wyverns, put a plan in action that led to many deaths, before their plans were stopped. But out of revenge, they had us engaged in combat, where we were defeated.
The group was splitting under different ideologies between the 2 Wyvern leaders, and one group was involved in torture of one of my old students. That student, Charge Bolt, or Ohmen Magnes as he calls himself now, returned today, and delivered this threat on behalf of the Oceanic Alliance.
Another of the Hephaestus group, led by the younger of the two Wyverns, had me heavily injured while I tried to escape with some other soldiers. He would have killed me, but spared me because of my connection to the Sun, but only for that reason..
That Wyvern and his older partner disappeared shortly after the Hephaestus Company disbanded, as a condition of the established, legitimate Dingolia government. But what they did to me, is the reason why I cannot use the Elements of Harmony. They defeated me at the peak of my power, and now their successors have their sights on you.
This new Haphaestus Group is a successor to the old group, leaders in scientific research. But the threat is still there, as their Komodo leader was a higher level accomplice in the old Hephastus group.
As such, security improvements shall be made to Ponyville, and wherever you travel. Incognito, guard ponies shall be nearby until the threat has abated. Enclosed is a list of guards you can choose as more personal, close bodyguards. I realize this must seem excessive, but trust me when I say it might not be enough.
Meanwhile, I have your brother coming from the Crystal Empire to help strengthen defences around Equestria, as a second threat of museum thefts to retrieve personal items that was issued by the same group might well be a distraction ploy to get at you.
Do your own research if you wish, as there was mention of a plan already in motion to 'balance the powers'.
Be careful. Unlike previous threats you've faced, these people are not interested in domination, enslavement of deception. They are specifically targeting you, and will try to kill you, and perhaps your friends if they feel they need to.
Be safe.
Princess Celestia.
Twilight's eyes ran over the hovering letter, a longer one than usual, once again, as she finished reading it aloud. She and Spike had already heard it once, but this was urgent.
Her 5 friends and dragon assistant each sat in their respective 'thrones' in and around the meeting room of her Ponyville palace.
"Kill us?" Fluttershy whimpered.
"Who do these guys think they are!?" Rainbow Dash shouted, outraged by this threat to her and her friends.
"They're not very nice!" Pinkie added loudly.
"I think niceness is a foreign concept to them Pinkie dear. Especially if they've issued a threat that they might want to kill us." Rarity shuddered at the thought of ruthless barbarians coming here looking for slaughter.
"Well hold on, Celestia said it's mainly Twilight that's in danger. And the simple thing to do is to not use that high power again." Appliejack explained.
"But Applejack, this magical power is part of me. I can't just get rid of it, or not use it, because it will still be there. I can see where they're coming from, we have a lot of power, especially when we work together." Twilght explained.
"Yeah, like when you all went al glowy and too down Tirek 2 years ago, all without the Elements of Harmony too." Spike said with praise. The young dragon had undergone a slight growth spurt in two years, and now stood just below eye level of most ponies around Ponyville.
"But that's just it Spike. Before, when it was the Elements, at least such power was confined to those gems when not in use. But me, this power, that I can also enhance when I work with you all, is who I am. I can't get rid of this power, I physically can't. And I shouldn't, as I can use it to help people, especially when we all work together through it." Twilight explained, with an almost melancholy tone. She was being targeted for just having gifts.
"So, we can't do anything about that. But I did notice some burly looking Stallions eying the castle in town, who looked like they could be guards out of armour. That must be the undercover guards Celestia mentioned." Rarity noted. Her keen eye wasn't just in fashion.
"Ooh, undercover! I wonder if they'll let me join in, I can be real sneaky!" Pinkie gushed in excitement, inexplicably dashing around to the back of her throne, feigning looking around with false binoculars.
"Pinkie, you're one of their targets." Rainbow pointed out, her voice deadpan.
"Oh, okay!"
"Well darling, what about the list of potential bodyguards? Anybody on that list that might be best?" Rarity pressed.
"They'd better be brave, especially if these people are as mean as they seem." Fluttershy commented.
"Well, there are a few ponies on here, not many, available for close bodyguard work. The ones with the best records are 2 stallions, both Pegasi: Sleek Slammer and Flash Sentry." Twilight.
"Ain't Flash Sentry the one you got a little crush on?" Applejack pointed out, a little cheekily. The rest of the girls giggled slightly at this fact.
Blushing a bit, Twilight finished: "Yes, but both will do. Yes, I know Flash already, but both he and Sleek are notably good guards, and skilled in combat."
Spike pointed out: "But your brother is coming from the Crystal Empire also, to reinforce some places in case of attack. He could help."
"You could meet him Twilight. You may want to go to Canterlot to get some better idea of these guys from Celestia. But why haven't other big magic users, like Luna, or Discord, or Cadance been targeted?" Applejack wondered aloud.
"I guess your right. Celestia probably knows more than she could fit in a letter."
Twilight turned to Spike, who had instinctively whipped out a piece of parchment and a quill with ink.
"Spike, tell Celestia I'll be coming to Canterlot. I'll need a better idea anyway, and what better defended place will there be than there anyway?" Twilight asked.
As the girls got up from the thrones, Spike finished the letter, burning it with his magical green fire to send it on to Celestia.
As her friends left the 'throne room' [Twilight hated calling it that, she was more modest than her title led on], she saw Spike predictably staring dreamily at Rarity as she trotted out down the stairwell.
"Come on Romeo, we'd better star t preparing. I'll need to do some extensive research
before we leave. We can get a train to Canterlot in 2 days."
"Why don't you just fly?" Spike asked.
Twilight looked at Spike with a arched eyebrow. A universal 'really?' expression.
"Only really fit Pegasi can fly. Alicorns can't do long distance flights as easily. Besides, I'm sure the hidden guards would want to keep up with me more easily anyway."
"Right, right."
Spike began to run up the stairs, mentally groaning at the inevitable upcoming 'study' sessions.
February 3rd, 1005 ANM
Trottingham, Trottingham museum.
"What happened here?" Shining Armour saw the paramedic carriage outside the museum, along with local police.
It was his lieutenant, a young Pegasi stallion, that first saw the shattered glass windows on the 3rd floor, right above the entry stairway to the main museum hall.
He had just arrived in Trottingham, as a detour was needed to address a high security break in at the museum. A dozen guards were badly injured, thankfully all would recover.
He was supposed to be headed to Canterlot to head up increasing security around the nation. But it seemed that the thefts were already starting.
Reaching the lead officer, Shining armour called the chief on site, a burly looking Earth Pony mare: "Shining Armour, former captain of the royal guard. I was detoured here because of a theft of certain items."
"Yeah, but they got away 3 hours ago. No trace."
"What did they take?"
"Just some relics, mostly Komodo, Wyvern, Dingolian, but they left something behind that you may want to see." The chief led Shining Armour into a police carriage.
Inside, with an investigator poring over it, she pointed out a metallic looking device, with burnt out wires and the overall appearance of a giant lava lamp.
"That thing was found inside the museum canteen, it burned itself out when it released a large, energy pulse of sorts. Then they broke in, and the magic using guards couldn't do anything. The Pegasi and Earth guards were easily taken down by physical force, but the Unicorns couldn't use their magic until an hour ago."
"So they use technology. Its most likely a foreign threat, nobody in Equestria really uses advanced tech when magic suffices. But this, it disabled magic users?" Shining suddenly felt a little vulnerable. He prided himself on his magical abilities being able to keep others safe, but here was the potential to be rendered helpless.
"Yes. And the Unicorns got beat up as badly as the Pegasi and Earth Ponies because of it." The chief gestured to the guards being treated in the medical carriages, magic coming once more from the Unicorns' horns.
Shining Armour turned to his lieutenant, saying: "We'd better get to Canterlot fast. The sooner we're there, the sooner we can get things more secure. Looks like magic won't be enough to completely tackle this threat."
February 4th, 1005 ANM.
Steaming along on the train, the sun beginning to set outside the window, Twilight found herself doing off as she examined the pages of the history of the Oceanic Alliance.
As hazardous as the threat was to her, she couldn't help but feel sympathetic to their position slightly. The Komodos, Dingolians, many in the Oceanic Alliance had been through hardships in past wars, which all occurred before she was born. Seeing the history of the Changelings in more detail, she saw some inconsistencies, as the reasons for attacking Canterlot for exploiting the love there was explained. The Changelings fractured into clans and colonies, and it wasn't a stretch to think that Chrysalis had seen Canterlot as a goldmine for her subjects.
But what didn't add up was why the pictures of the changelings differed from the equine shaped changelings she had seen at the royal wedding all those years ago.
Spike then entered, carrying a cup of tea for Twilight, along with a small handful of gems for himself from his own bag.
"Hey Twi, did you see the guy in the cabin 3 doors down? He's got some big pony muscle around him and the suitcases he has with him."
"That's the curator for the Manehatten museum of modern history. He's personally transporting some artefacts to Canterlot to have them kept safe. Those threats from abroad might include those artefacts, so he'd travelling secretly."
Jumping slightly, they saw that Sleek Slammer had suddenly appeared in the doorway, eying up the corridor further down. He was a heavily built stallion, with a dark yellow coat and a sand red mane. He was not as good a flier but with a good amount of strength that made up for his slower speed.
"Sleek likes to know of anyone notable travelling near who he'd guarding." Flash Sentry, a orange, blue maned pegasi, appeared behind Sleek Slammer.
Twilight suppressed the blush that appeared when Flash spoke, but he then asked: "You need anything princess?"
"No, its fine."
Nodding, Flash dragged his partner back to the next cabin down. The guards had boarded the train, and were positioned all over the train, so they were well protected.
It helped that the guards of the curator were also here.
Spike smiled coyly at Twilight, who blanched a bit:
"Spike, what's so funny?"
"Nothing."
With a snort of irritation, Twilight looked out the window as she closed her book, watching the trees and hills pass by. They were passing through the Hooverham valley now, where a large bridge marked the halfway point between Ponyville and Canterlot.
As the bridge drew nearer, Twilight could have sworn she saw a shadow creeping over the top of the train carriage's shadow.
Train roof.
Equipped with lightweight, strong, high tech armour, the 2 assailants positioned themselves atop the roof of the carriage. They had a golden opportunity here, that is, of they had more than one objective tonight.
Instead, it was a combined snatch and grab, and shock and awe mission.
Flexing his neck, the larger and longer of the armoured pair handed the smaller of the two a bulky pistol. The smaller of the two, a Dingo male, smiled under his hooded head.
"I'll get the first few guards, then get the cases. You take out the rest of the guards, there might be a whole load of 'em. And don't forget to use that-" He gestured to the blade the larger of the two was carrying on his waist belt: "To threaten the princess, but then leave her. We've been told to simply show we can get to them."
"Alright."
The larger of the two arched his neck, seeing the lit window of the curator's section of the first class carriage.
"You go in the other side. And be gentle Razak. I know you're stronger than you actually use in a fight usually."
"Sorry if I'm better than you Bruck."
"Remember I'm leader here, you're the muscle."
"Yeah, I know. You handle the BS, I handle the beating."
"Get ready."
Princess's cabin.
A loud crash sounded from down in the end of the carriage, and Twilight sprang to her feet with Spike in tow.
Shouting and crashes came from the next carriage down, as visible flashes of magic discharges lit up the windows.
"Twilight, Spike, stay here!" Flash shouted, already running down the train cabin, with Sleek Slammer and 2 other guards in tow.
They backed off as a particularly loud crash, and a series of gunshots, cracked the wooden panels and coupling hallway separating this carriage and the next.
"Guards, get in there and-"
A loud roar sounded, and a horrific crash rocked the carriage as something smashed into the next carriage's end wall. Out the windows, an entire section of the carriage wall blew away, as if hit by a battering ram.
Standing guard, they braced as they saw a gunshot blow out the locks on the train carriage hallway doors from the other side.
"FIRE!"
Magical blasts tore open the doorway, filling the next carriage with light and dust.
After 4 seconds, the spells stopped firing from the 2 Unicorn guards. Firing of spells from the other side of the carriage started again however, but with a few loud thuds and gasps of pain, they were silenced.
Without warning, the carriage wall they had been firing through the door at was knocked down, and a pair of assailants leapt into the carriage.
Flash Sentry and Sleek Slammer charged the smaller of the two, definitely a dog species of sorts.
Bruck dodged the charge of Sleek Slammer, while Flash's lighter but faster blow caught him in the shoulder, sending him spinning away. Recovering, he pulled out his pistol and fired 2 shots.
He hit the front right kneecap of Flash, with one of the 2 shots. Crippled by an agonizing pain, Flash crumpled, while Sleek Slammer charged. Their armour could stop bullets hitting vital areas, except the head, though they had some helmets for that.
But it had been a very long time since a physical threat using high tech weapons had attacked Equestrian guards.
Not hesitating, Bruck fired another 2 shots, hitting once on the charging Sleek's upper leg, and another on his extended left wing.
Crying out, Sleek used his momentum to tackle Bruck hard into the floor, but was kicked off by the Dingo's surprising strength.
Out of the dust, as the 2 Pegasi were combated by Bruck, Razak unfurled his full body once more, like he did with the curator and his guards a few moments ago.
Over the whirling winds of the train's torn open carriage hole, Razak bellowed as the 2 Unicorn guards, joined by a 3rd and the Princess, fired at him.
But draconic species have notorious resilience to magic and all forms of heat or radiation. The blasts egged him on.
Extending green hued wings, he tore off swept the dust away, revealing his dark purple scales and burning blue eyes. He crouched, and charged, back spikes and claws extending slightly.
As Sleek Slammer turned to face the new, bigger threat, Bruck fired a 3rd shot, this one into his kneecap like Flash, crippling the Pegasus. As Razak grabbed the first Unicorn guard in his claws, Bruck leapt back into the curator's car, grabbing the suitcases and ensuring all the artefacts were there. Razak could handle the Princess's threat.
Whipping his tale and headbutting the guard he held in his claws, Razak downed two guards at once. The 3rd Unicorn guard fired at him, whilst Razak snarled at the sight of Twilight fleeing to the doorway of he carriage at the other end.
Not having that, Razak threw the guard he held in his hand right at the princess, before leaping to smash the 3rd and last Unicorn guard unconscious with his fist.
His size, triple the height of most ponies, was hugely advantageous.
Twilight was crushed by the unconscious Unicorn guard's body as it hit her, pinning her between the wall while she recovered her senses. Yelling in pain, she didn't feel anything broken, and used her magic to begin lifting the body off her.
"Twilight!" Spike ran over and helped lift the body up, but not before her eyes widened in horror as a clawed hand reached towards him from behind.
"SPIKE! LET HIM GO!"
Spike struggled helplessly as the dragon, nearly 4 times his height, held him aloft in one hand as he pulled out a long blade, like an oversized knife.
The dragon, a dark purple and dark green spiked bright green eyes, spoke calmly: "It was this easy. Remember this."
He dropped the knife, showing it had the Hephaestus Research Company logo on it. Turning around, Razak paused as he saw the smaller dragon he held.
His eyes widened, as if he was looking into a mirror.
This was the dragon he'd been told about. His own, calm blue eyes met the young dragon's fearful green ones. They were greatly similar in colour scheme, though he was darker overall, but that was where the similarities ended.
He felt nothing for the dragon, even if they were kin. He'd led too different a life from Razak's, and he saw no need to get to know this 'domesticated' dragon.
"Kid, you're a potential god among these ponies. Know it."
He dropped spike, and quickly dashed to Bruck.
"LET'S GO!"
Razak spread his wings, and Bruck strapped himself and the suitcases to the dragon's back as they took off. By now the train was coming to a stop, but it was too late.
By the time the other guards had reached the more ruined carriages, they were a mile away, Razak having flown faster than any dragon his size.
Twilight hugged Spike tightly.
It was this easy. Remember this.
Chapter 2 done. As usual, I would appreciate feedback.
To anyone thinking this story will progress predictably, I assure you, it won't There are more characters to introduce anyway, but not too many that will swamp the story.
