The End of Harmony - An Equestria at War Game (Reports/IC Thread)

[benoit]

Equus in the year 1008, as the End of Harmony crisis began to reach a fever pitch

With brutal civil conflicts raging across the lands of the Ponies, Changelings and Yaks alike, the continent of Equus has entered a period of chaos and troubles. In chaos, however, there is opportunity. Who will rise to the top in an era of unbridled pandemonium? That has yet to be decided. Lead your faction to glorious victory or tragic defeat, in a fast-paced world where magic and the intense fog of war make any engagement difficult.

Turns take place over two in-game weeks, with both orders and reports being fairly short. Both reports and IC posts will be made in this thread, to keep everything nice and consolidated. Good luck and have fun, everypony.

OOC/Claims thread: The End of Harmony - An Equestria at War Game (Claims/OOC)
Discord (Not that discord): Join the The Shadow Server Discord Server!

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• Equestria (Princess Celestia) - @LurkingWreck
• Lunar Empire (Priness Luna) - @Pax Americana
• Aztlan Free State (Doctor Caballeron) - @triumph8w
• Baltimare Republic (Golden Delicious) - @veteranMortal
• Celestial State (Daring Do) - @Habstab
• Confederation of Southern States (J.D. Neighvis) -
• Disciples of the Night (Stars Whirl) - @Rincewind
• Las Pegasus (Mayor Rokenhar) -
• Vanhoover Commune (Dust Hoover) - @mcclay
• Zecora's Resistance (Zecora) -
• Buffalo Chiefdom (Chief Thunderhooves) -
• Changeling Lands (Queen Chrysalis) - @Cloak&Dagger
• Changeling Lands (Thorax) - @Puppernickel
• Crystal Empire (Princess Cadence) - @ATerribleWriter
• Imperium Crystale (Sombra) - @ThatGuyMike
• Kingdom of Olenia (King Johan) - @Whoknows
• Our Town (Double Diamond) - @Churl
• Stalliongrad (Altidiya Revoltsova) - @Ergosum
• United Dragon Isles (Dragon Lord Ember) - @AProcrastinator
• Nova Griffonia (Governor Teafeather) - @Ceslas
• Griffon Frontier (Governor Muck) - @LordEdric
• Kingdom of Yakyakistan (Prince Rutherford) - @Qastiel
• Jaki-Clan (Prince Bradford) -
• Kingdom of Pingland (King Lolo) - @Easter
• Polar Bear Communities (Paw Wellington) - @Synergy

 

[Ceslas]

SPECIAL ANNOUCEMENT @LordEdric
​

Governor Teafeather, upon reviewing the dispatches of last year, has announced emergency cuts to provide a set of bonus funding to the Griffonian Frontier to deal with the growing bandit problem.

DISPATCH
​

To: Paw Wellington and King Lolo, @Easter @Synergy

With civil war gripping the continent, the time has come for us to form a mutual defense bloc for our security.

To: The Village up North (The Equestrian Enclave in the northeast) @benoit

With Equestria tearing itself apart, Nova Griffonia offers security from the Communists, in exchange for basing rights.

 

[triumph8w]

DASTARDLY ADVENTURE​

There was nothing like being trapped in a jungle.

The heat is the first thing that came to most peoples minds when they got past the romanticism of the whole endeavor. A suffocating, ever present weight on your shoulders. Every breath you took came in heavier than the last. It was never as bad as a desert, but that wasn't such a great thing. Because where a desert at least had the decency to stay dry, a jungle was wet. Your fur clung to you, slick with an ever-present sweat that was impossible to shake. And the way fur and clothes mixed together at times...yuck. Then there were the bloody bugs, zipping and droning and flying and biting. Forget the ever present shade of green, it was like the jungle was made of bugs. Each of these things, on their own, would be an annoying hindrance. All of them combined was not only deadly---it could drive a man mad.

When he had set out on his most recent expedition--with a healthy heap of guards in case Miss Doo decided to come in from the sky with a drop kick yet again, honestly the lack of manners on her was appalling--he had thought it'd just be another quiet trek through the jungles. A few nights here or there in the jungle he's practically spent his life in, dodge some nasty predators or shoot them if they can't be avoided. Friendly chats with the natives. A few gold idols plucked and boom! Another successful adventure. At least thats how he thought it was going to go down. Instead he found out that a thousand years of peace and harmony had been broken not by reading about it in the newspaper, but by some batponies taking pot-shots at him and his hirelings. Screeching some nonsense about Nightmare Moon reborn and all that crap. He thought they were just the usual insane band of cultists one occasionally encountered in the archeological community. Just with guns instead of spears and exotic ceremonial knives.

But then he started encountering more and more of them. Organized and moving with a purpose. He was going to get on a boat with his boys and bug out with what he could grab whilst sending a discreet message to the Equestria government when the news came in that there was no government anymore. Well, not a single one anyways. Turns out that the trend with cultists had been broken--these ones actually had summoned Nightmare Moon from beyond the stars. Or, well, were right about her return at least. Some hurried conversation with old contacts later and he had discovered, to his immense shock and displeasure, that there were about a dozen governments in place of one. And they were all shooting at each other. Now, unlike most ponies born from Equestria, he had more than a passing experience with fighting. Blame that on Miss Doo, deranged cultists, angry tribal, ancient horrors, ect. His definition of peace was wildly more skewed than the average ponies. Every other country on this blood-soaked earth usually had someone shot once a day or thereabouts. But Equestria was different.

Was.

But now everyone has gone insane. And while he could very much have done the sane thing, pack up his bags and hope on a boat to Skyfall or Aquellia or hell, Tobuck. Live out some peaceful warm days poolside whilst everything burned to a crisp in the homeland. He'd be rich, fat, and living the good life. That'd be the sane thing. Doctor Cabelleron did not get where he was in life by often doing the sane thing. So instead of getting on that boat he sent it off with a big sack of gold to get some other insane fellows who decided shooting people for a living was the way to get ahead in life, and take a stand about the jungle. Because for all that it was hot, wet, filled with bugs and sweat and ever present green--it was still his jungle. The jungle he had spent most of his life in. The jungle he loved. And now that the world was shaking up to be a bizarre mad-house, why not join the club?

There were still things to do, after all. And this was his biggest opportunity yet.

 

[LordEdric]

SPECIAL ANNOUCEMENT @LordEdric
​

Governor Teafeather, upon reviewing the dispatches of last year, has announced emergency cuts to provide a set of bonus funding to the Griffonian Frontier to deal with the growing bandit problem.

Click to shrink...

SPEEDY REPLY @Ceslas
​

Governor Teafeather,

The Frontier thanks Nova Griffonia for its continued support against the dastardly Bandits. I promise that the funds will be spend on expanding the Military Forces of the Frontier to wipe out these troublesome bandits. Once the bandit problem is finally removed, we can finally begin building a new life for all those who live here.

Signed,
Governor Muck

​

 

[benoit]

​

To: The Village up North (The Equestrian Enclave in the northeast) @benoit

With Equestria tearing itself apart, Nova Griffonia offers security from the Communists, in exchange for basing rights.

Click to shrink...

To: Nova Griffonia @Ceslas

We agree to this deal, provided it remain a temporary one, as we must emphasize that we are Equestrians and wish to remain part of Equestria. Though we understand the difficulty presented in doing so by the current civil war, we implore you to deal directly with Princess Celestia in future matters such as this.

Thank you,

The ponies of the Village up North

 

[Churl]

It's chilly today, he thought as he paused briefly on the steps of the town hall. Giving himself a shake, Double Diamond trudged inside for the town meeting. He hasn't asked for this, but at times like this somepony had to step up, and he was already one of Starlight's most trusted aides during her rule.

He could still see on the wall where there was an outline discolored from the surroundings. A portrait of her had hung there for ages, and was quietly taken down recently. No one had remarked on it yet.

He fixed his smile the way he had always been supposed to, and greeted the others.

"Party Favor. Night Glider. Sugar Belle."

They each nodded to him in turn.

"So, guys. What are we doing?"

They stared at him in shock before he gave a small chuckle.

"Sorry, guess the joke didn't go over that well, huh?"

He kept his smile but waited with an inward dread as the silence continued, until he saw Party Favor's lips twitch and he laughed. The other two didn't share the same sense of humor, but once one pony laughs you join in. That's community. That's Our Town.

The group spent hours going over their situation and suggesting ideas to one another. Double Diamond stood firm, they were with Stalliongrad as allies in equality, as genuine friends that appreciated their freedom. But this was Our town, not Theirs. Close ties were important, but independence more so. Not that this message was something they needed to make clear at the moment.

Still, with the spread of chaos in their neighbors, perhaps this could be the prime opportunity for their ideology to spread. Double selected a group of eager volunteers, 500 in total, to act as a missionary force for Equalism in the Crystal Empire. They would enter the tumultuous region and preach the wonders of Equality, of a friendship born of peace not division. Perhaps they would gain migrants, best case scenario, but even without that outcome, so long as their literature spreads even a little that's progress.

Back home, Double would begin working on expanding their modest farmland. With the problems faced by Stalliongrad, it seems like a wise idea.

As he stepped out of the town hall, the Sun already sinking, he can't put his hoof on it but it feels like he has begun a path greater than he knows.

 

[LurkingWreck]

-We don't know how it happened. The D.D.S believed that a certain Bluebell was planning something, but nopony could have foreseen the return of Sombra being her goal, nor that she was so close to going through with it.

Cadance and I had to flee while we could. Sombra did something to the Crystal Heart, and the City was no longer safe. Don't worry about us for now Twi, you have to be there for the Princess and get the mess with Luna sorted out as quickly as you can. I will try to send another letter once we reach Snowybury.

Your brother

Shining Armor

-

Twilight Sparkle's eyes slowly drifted up from the letter grasped in her hooves, for fear that her tears would stain the parchment and it's dire words. She had read and re-read the letter for what felt like an age and a half, desperately wishing she was in the Crystal Empire with her friends to rescue her brother, Cadance and Flurry Heart. Yet...

The Elements were broken. They could not banish Sombra or his influence over his slaves now even if they tried. She could not deny the sting of betrayal in her heart, even if she understood Rarity's reasoning for staying with Luna. Things used to be so simple...

Now, here she was, standing before Celestia's private chambers in the tallest tower of Canterlot Castle, flanked by a pair of stone-faced Royal Guards.

Captain Platinum knocked softly upon the wooden door with his armored hoof. After a few moments of awkward silence it became clear that the Princess either could or would not hear them. Platinum softly pushed upon the door, finding it unlocked, and slowly stepped inside. Again, the remaining guards and Twilight waited. Deep within her, Twilight could feel a cold pit of uncertainty and dawning fear grow. When Captain Platinum returned alone and dejected, the young Alicorn knew the source of her fears.

"Her Highness....does not wish to be disturbed at the moment, even by you, My Lady." Captain Platinum evenly noted, ending with a tired sigh. Twilight in turn simply nodded.

"I understand. Thank you for trying, Captain." With those words said, Twilight turned and trotted away. As she continued the well-trodded path down to the courtyard, the Alicorn couldn't help but note the dour looks of the guards and servants. It was as if something terrible had sapped everyone and everything of their previous liveliness. Stepping into the open air, Twilight steeled her heart.

"So, how'd the meeting go?" The drawl of Applejack came from just out of Twilight's view. Shifting her stance to look upon her companion, the fabled Element of Honesty, the Alicorn simply shook her head sadly.

"Well, horseapples. Now what are we gonna do?" The Earth Pony grumbled.

"We gather everyone we can....then we head north." Twilight eventually replied.

"Without Rarity, we can't beat Sombra, you know that." Applejack in turn shot back with an annoyed look.

"I know." Twilight sighed. "But we won't travel there to defeat him. We'll go there to save Shining and Cadance. They must be saved before Sombra finds them."

"And what about the Crystal Ponies? We gonna leave them for Sombra on a silver platter?" Applejack's eyes narrowed, and Twilight in turn simply let her head hang.

"...We will think of something. We always do."

-

Lying amidst scattered bedwear and pillows, Celestia, Princess of all Equestria, sat and stared, the sun she had so diligently directed for well over a millenia hidden away by the heavy curtains of her chambers. Despite the softness and warmth, the Alicorn could not help but occasionally shudder, as if struck by a sudden cold. Her mind was awash with thoughts. Where had she gone wrong?

Her sister, her dearly beloved sister, who had stood beside her on the day they banished Discord from their world, who had built Equestria alongside her, who had finally returned to the loving embrace of harmony and love....had turned on her. She had discarded all that they had build together....for the second time. Why? Why, after all they had done together, would she do this? Was it Celestia's fault that Luna had embraced her darker side once again?

It all began with the Thestrals, the batponies, and their plight. Discriminated against by the wider Equestrian society, the return of Luna had galvanized them into pushing for social reforms. Luna's connection with them had allowed her to create an extensive plan for realizing those reforms, and Celestia could not have been happier to see her younger sister so proud of her own work.

While she had originally planned on ensuring the reforms were carried through personally, the look on Luna's face when she mentioned the possibility immediately veered Celestia off that path.

She thought that Luna was ready...

That she could handle this on her own...

Finally step out of her shadow...

But then...

Manehatten. The speech. The bomb blast. The magical eruption.

Nightmare Moon.

And now Equestria was torn asunder, the peace shattered and ponies preparing to strike down their fellow ponies. It shattered Celestia's heart into a million fragments, to gaze upon all this chaos, knowing she could do nothing to stop it.

...Or could she...?

Slowly rising from her pile of pillows, the Princess turned towards the curtains. A short trot and a burst of magic was all it took to force them away, bathing Celestia in blinding sunlight for the briefest of moments. The Alicorn gazed upon the blue, cloudless sky, and knew she could not wallow forever in her bedroom, longing for days past. She had a duty to her subjects, a duty left unfulfilled.

She would save Equestria.

-

Unknown to the Princess however, she would come to wish in the coming days that she had decided upon this course of action just a few hours earlier...

 

[Maybe Mike]

The King's Annoucement
​

To: All Stallions and Mares and others living in the Shanty Town outside the Crystal Palace, Home of King Sombra, the Greatest in all Lands. @benoit

Dear Subjects of my glorious Imperium, I understand your minds are having troubles comprehending the return of your great lord. My vacation was very rudely forced upon me, but now, all is right for I have returned.

However, there are those of you who would reject me for an upstart Princess and her family. Do not despair, for I am a forgiving King to his subjects. I offer you a singular chance to return to your true King and Lord, I.

Put down your arms, and return to your homes and you shall be left in peace. Take up arms, and face my wrath.

But, for those of you who wish to use this chaos as a ladder, I offer you a deal. For every two resisters you bring to the foot of my troops, you shall be rewarded.

For any who can shine insight to the Pretender's current whereabouts, I shall reward you and your family with never having to work again in your lives!

Such generosity to those who bow to their true king!

But know this, should you stand against me, my wrath will be swift. And. Terrible.

From: King Sombra, True King of the Imperium Crystale and all its Subjects.

 

[Ergosum]

ПРАВДА​

February 12, 1007

​

Chairmare Altidiya announces retirement!

With the twelfth anniversary of the Revolution coming this year, Comrade Altidiya has announced her intention to retire from public life.

After ten years serving as the Chairmare of the Council of Ministers, Altidiya has cited her worsening health as the reason for her unexpected retirement: "All around us, the continent is already engulfed in war; it's increasingly certain that Stalliongrad will take part in this conflict, willing or not. I'm not young as most of my fellow Ministers are, and I still bear the scars I gained in the Revolution; even if we didn't find ourselves in such a grave situation, I couldn't have stayed for much longer. It's time for someone else to bear the load, and the responsibility, of being Head of State".

The election for Comrade Altidiya's sucessor is planned to be held later this year, on the tenth anniversary of Comrade Steel Stallion's death and Altidiya's first mandate. Comrades Vasily Pantsushenko, the Ponies' Commisar of Industry, and Sinister Serov, the Ponies' Commisar of Labor, have already presented their candidatures; Comrade Dark Wing, Ponies' Secretary of Foreign Affairs, has also announced his intention to run.

Other news:
Commisar of Defense Nestor Lunin calls for higher mobilization of the economy, page 5
Comrade Sinister implements extensive refugee settlement program, page 6
Comrade Dark Wing announces more weapon shipments to Baltimare, page 8
Prywhen Revolution: GLA takes Kivessin, reactionaries flee to Sydia, page 11
Posada visits Stalliongrad, calls for alliance with dolphins, page 12
Interview with Nova Whirl on socialism and the River Federation, page 16

 

[benoit]

​

As the initial shock and disbelief in the face of conflict in a previously (mostly) peaceful world began to slowly wear off, the creatures of Equus were gradually coming to the realization that the wars that were unfolding were not just abstract events that they got news reports about- they were real events, taking place around them. Real events which they could influence. These were no longer the clear-cut wars of the past, one species against another, one country against another- these were complicated political, social and even religious matters that tore their respective people apart. Changeling against changeling, pony against pony, yak against yak, griffon against griffon, the fight for the spirit of their nation and their future was underway, and millions of lives lay in the balance. Ironically, it was the typically disunited and warlike creatures of the north, the polar bears and penguins, which had been some of the few to avoid conflict. Similarly, the deer of the west breathed a collective sigh of relief, as it seemed that their impending doom at the hand of the Changelings had been postponed, for now, and the western powers of Nova Griffonia and Stalliongrad eyed each other warily, both desiring to profit from the disaster while also wishing the other to not outstrip them in that regard.

It was in the center of the continent, stretching from the icy Changeling coasts in the far north to the jungles of southeastern Equestria, that a vast swath of Equus had been made into a conflict zone. The true extremity of that conflict had yet to be reached, but even now, well over a million creatures had amassed on the field of battle, as part of one faction or another. It was a scale of warfare not seen even during the peak of the Crystal War which had resulted in Sombra's banishment so many centuries ago.

The Crystal Empire
​

The opening stages of the Crystalline War were defined primarily by the aggressive action of King Sombra and the conservative, defensive reaction of Princess Cadence. Ordered to advance across the line despite being outnumbered, Sombra's unyielding mind-controlled forces pushed hard against the Princess's positions, encircling a large contingent of Harmonist soldiers northwest of the capital. In battles, which are in many ways determined by how long a military unit is able to take damage before breaking, the unflinching Sombran drones, who would continue coolly returning fire even if the entire rest of their unit had been destroyed, held a decisive advantage. However, that lack of fear and complete dedication to orders also had the somewhat ironic result of the superior soldiers, Sombra's force, having a higher substantially casualty rate in combat. Combined with the highly aggressive orders of Sombra, it meant that their rapid gains were costing the Sombrans dearly in regards to ponypower.

Cadence, for her part, would orient her forces to fortify and delay rather than attempt any offensives of her own. This strategy gave up significant ground along portions of the front line, but avoided heavy casualties. The pocket in the east, isolated from Cadence, simply held the line, assisted significantly by large lend lease shipments from Stalliongrad. Unmolested by Sombran advances and receiving a steady supply of weapons, said pocket would begin to build up a large force along the front line. Along the main front, even with rapid Sombran advances, defenses slowly began to piece together as a result of Cadence's conservative military strategy, and it was clear that Sombra was now in a race to capture as much territory as possible before Cadence's forces became entrenched.

The Changeling Lands
​

The War of the Hives, on the other hand, was defined by rapid action on both sides, and a bitter fight for positioning that would grant one faction the ability to define the terms of the conflict from thereon out. Both sides concentrated their principal force in the southeast, though Chrysalis would put a substantially larger portion of her military there, allowing her to push hard and deep against the outnumbered, not-yet-entrenched Thoraxians. This victory in a critical region, however, came at the cost of allowing Thorax's offensives in the north and central regions to seize less populous, industrialized stretches of Chrysalite land.

Meanwhile, the large Thoraxian pocket in the southwest known as the Phantine Hive, substantially outnumbered and cut off from support, was quickly pushed back by the Chrysaline force sent to crush it. However, heavily fortified and entrenched along the river, they managed to prevent their destruction and make it clear that removing them entirely would either cost more men or more time than had initially been anticipated. Most of the front lines in the west had also moved to the anchors that were rivers, and with both sides having shifted forces around significantly, the opening round of the Changeling Civil War had been inconclusive. Lend lease and an expeditionary force from Stalliongrad to the Thoraxians had offset a portion of the Chrysaline industrial and numerical advantages, and netted a non-aggression pact between the two, much to the chagrin of Queen Chrysalis herself.

Northern Equestria
​

The vast land of Equestria had, as the Equestrian Civil War unfolded, become an equally vast battlefield, with the frontlines of the Celestian and Lunar factions stretching out endlessly in all directions as both sides threw up hasty collections of forces to counter the other from wherever they might attempt an advance. In this frenzy to get troops where they needed to be, Nightmare Moon had pressed on the offensive, hoping to take advantage of Celestia's slow, conservative movements. Successful pushes in the north and south had gained ground at the cost of high casualties, while the center remained firm as Zecora's resistance made any advance prohibitively difficult. It was clear that, while Celestia's forces were in poor order, Nightmare Moon's weren't in much better condition. Both sides would need to seriously organize and prepare, and no quick, easy victory would be possible.

Stalliongrad, for it's part, sent substantial aid in the form of weapons, supplies, and expeditionary forces to allies across Equus, from the crystal ponies under Cadence to the changelings under Thorax. The most substantial aid they sent, however, was to the Republic of Baltimare, to which a large force of tens of thousands of ponies and hundreds of tanks was sent to assist in the conflict against the Disciples of the Night. This assistance provided the additional benefit of granting much of the military of Stalliongrad vital combat experience which it previously lacked.

Southern Equestria
​

Though the principal actors of the Equestrian Civil War were the starkly contrasting Celestian and Lunar polities in the north, southern Equestria possessed a hodgepodge of various factions vying for power, influence and survival. In the southwest, the Confederation of Southern States had begun clashing with the Buffalo Chiefdom over pony expansion of farms well beyond the previously agreed borders. Meanwhile, Las Pegasus struggled under a leadership crisis that left it completely paralyzed, though it was in a secure enough location to remain safe even in such a condition.

It was the southeast which saw the more desperate and confused struggle unfold, as the powerful Disciples of the Night clashed with the numerous factions on their border, all of whom worked against the Disciples in their own way. Pulling their forces from the region between Baltimare and Aztlan, the Disciples focused the overwhelming majority of their force on applying slow but steady pressure on the Celestial State, which was itself deploying troops in an uncharacteristically conservative and lethargic manner for Daring Do. The Aztlan and Baltimare forces, successful in their goal of connecting the two countries, simply built up forces along the border and prepared for a larger-scale offensive at the heart of the fanatical order. Meanwhile, the Dragon Isles, largely isolated from the intense fighting and diplomatic maneuvering, began a search for powerful magic artifacts which, so far, mostly yielded lightly enchanted trinkets and other knick-knacks.

Northern Equus
​

Northern Equus, an uneventful, frozen and forgotten region, had, in the wake of the chaos engulfing the rest of the continent, began to stir out of it's hibernation and enter a period of serious activity. The Polar Bear Communities, recently united by Paw Wellington, and the Kingdom of Pingland had established an alliance, with both nations shifting forces away from one another's borders and fortifying along those with the Changelings and Griffons, the latter of whom had begun a major armament process as military factories began to come up across the republic. The Griffon Frontier, usually an ineffectual and catatonic entity, had been granted a new lease on life by substantial aid from Nova Griffonia proper, and looked poised to deal a serious blow to the bandits and rebels plaguing their countryside.

In Yakyakistan, Prince Rutherford had begun a campaign of bullying, cajoling and bribing various Jak clans into re-entering the Kingdom's fold, and while this tactic was largely unsuccessful among the proud chiefs of the east, a number of smaller clansjaks near the border had quietly left the Jaki-clan's umbrella. Prince Bradford remained somewhat lethargic as he struggled to channel his unruly power base in the face of Rutherford's substantial military buildup. That buildup, however, did not result in any concrete invasion for the time being- it was clear that Rutherford wanted to end the war in a single decisive stroke, and so even as tensions remained at a fever pitch, the conflict remained for the most part a frozen one.

 

[ATerribleWriter]

To: The Crystal Empire
From: Princess Cadence

Ponies! The Great Struggle is upon us, King Sombra has returned to enslave all in his path. He wishes to reassert his dominance, to enslave every-pony, and rule all Eques as its tyrant. We must stop him here. We must ensure that pony-kind is protected, that our children and children's children shall be born into a world of light, rather then one of dark. I will not tell you to not have fear, for that is the way of Sombra, but instead be brave. Be brave for your neighbors, for your country, for your children. And know this, that no matter what, I shall stand by you. To whatever end.

God be with you,
Princess Cadence

 

[Ceslas]

To: Paw Wellington and King Lolo, @Easter @Synergy

We are pleased to hear about your alliance and wish to join it.

 

[Martin Noctis]

To: Confederation of Southern States

You Ponies are trespassing on our territory. Cease this imeadetly or WE WILL BE FORCED TO RETALIATE!!! We hope you will heed our warning and spare both our tribe and your nation from bloodshed.

Chief Thunderhooves and the Chief Council

 

[LordEdric]

To all on the Griffon Frontier
Too all the Bandits of the Frontier, for too long you have pillages and robbed without a care in the world. Now it all comes to an end. I declare the end of you, and an recruiting any who has been wronged by them before into an army to break the bandits once and for all. Bandits, know that I am a kind and forgiving Governor, and all who surrender now will receive my personal forgiveness. Those who fight and survive, will be used as cannon fodder and sent naked with wings tied head first into enemy lines.
From Governor Muck, ruler of the Frontier.

 

[Cloak&Dagger]

"NO NO NO NO NO NO!"

Each word slammed into the ornate wooden desk alongside a hoof until the repeated blows caved in the center with a crack.

Queen Chrysalis stood up, kicking the broken desk in her fury. It arced into the reinforced wall and exploded at knee height, face height for the assembled leadership around her.

"TRAITORS! COWARDS! FOOLS! The Unification Wars were OVER! We were on the cusp of greatness! They threw it away for NOTHING!"

She sat and breathed. The room remained silent until she locked eyes with the bug in front of her.

"Trimmel. The offensive starts now. Make them bleed for every millimeter. Commoragh. Get the factories in line for the military."

Silence again as her eyes roamed across the crowd. Chrysalis spotted him near a corner.

"Greeneyed..."

As she moved, the group parted, giving the two of them space.

He floated above the ground for only a moment, too fast to realize. The squeal as he rotated 90 degrees and smashed into the ground with his side was more an involuntary release of air than his new concussion.

The splatter when her hoof hit the floor put a permanent end to that headache.

"Vaspier," she told the room, "VOPS is in charge of internal affairs now."

 

[Ergosum]

Vasily Pantsushenko read the results once more. 43% of the votes for him, 31% for Sinister, 24% for Dark Wing. A solid plurality, but not a majority. Now what? To become the next Chairpony, he had to ensure the support of over half the voters, which meant making a deal with one of the other candidates. Vasily considered his options.


First, and most worrying, was the possibility that both of his opponents made a deal with each other. He immediately discarded it: even if none of them cared about respecting the will of the people (and he knew both of them cared, at least to a certain degree), their political positions were closer to Vasily's than to each other's, which meant that any of them would be happier supporting him and getting a few concessions than having to accept several of the other's more prominent measures.

The second possibility was dealing with Dark Wing. Vasily found many of his policies relatively acceptable, but he was too aggresive whenever the issue of helping the Harmonists in their wars came up. Yes, Vasily wanted Thorax to win, but sending half the Red Army was not only politically unfeasible but also logistically impossible. No, we shouldn't provoke Nightmare Moon, because most of our convoys pass through Lunarist waters and any hostilities would cut us off from Baltimare. Seriously, that stallion had a good heart, but sometimes he seemed to care more about some foreign monarch than about Stalliongrad or the Revolution.

The final alternative was Sinister Serov. If Dark Wing was too idealistic for his own good, Sinister was the complete opposite: cynically pragmatic, he wanted to cut the aid to Thorax, achieve some degree of direct control over Baltimare, and focus on securing Stalliongrad's western and northern border, either by getting friendly or at least non-hostile governments in power or by sending in the troops. And if Sinister's foreign policy raised some eyebrows, his internal policies were actively worrying. "Market socialism"? Vasily had accused ponies of revisionism for much less. And that's not even getting into that proposal for reforming the Peoples' Commisariat of Internal Affairs a few years ago, which had given him several sleepless nights before it was firmly rejected by Altidiya.


Vasily sighed. He wasn't Chairstallion yet, but he already started to understand why she had retired. Whoever he made the deal with, would surely use all his influence to push several of his pet measures in exchange for support. One way or another, Vasily would be forced to take actions that compromised either the security of Stalliongrad, or the main values of Communism.

Unless...

---

"You want us to what?"
Whatever Sinister had expected when I called him, I bet it wasn't this, Vasily thought. "I want all three of us to cooperate. Together. We face the greatest challenge since the Revolution, and I won't allow any internal issues to weaken us."
"Sounds great! But, uh, I'm not sure what are you proposing. You want us, what, to become co-chairstallions?" At least Dark Wing doesn't seem opposed.
"Something like that. I would be the Chairstallion, but we would take the decisions between all three. Ideally, we would reach a compromise, but if it comes to a vote we would do whatever two of us decide."
"Like, even if you are the third one? The one who gets outvoted, I mean."
"Especially in that case."
"Huh. Seems fair. I'm in!"
Sinister seemed more suspicious than Dark Wing. "And what would you gain from this?"
"I need stability in Stalliongrad. I need that the decisions the leadership takes aren't constantly questioned. I need legitimacy from the people and support from their chosen candidates - that is, you." And I want to balance you against each other. To be the kingmaker, whenever your completely different ideas clash with each other's. To present my own policies as if they were a "compromise" between yours, and have them approved without having to make concessions to one or the other.
For a few moments, the stallion's calculating gaze met Vasily's. "Then", he finally said, "I think we have a deal."

 

[Churl]

Double Diamond sighed, and tossed the newspaper down.

"The times are changing, everypony. And I can't say we're changing with them fast enough."

He got up and trotted to a window slowly, looking out over Our Town. Behind him, he heard Party Favor speak up.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean what I said. All the territories are making moves, and I'm-"

He paused, but barreled on.

"I'm scared. For us. What we need is to make sure we aren't left behind, or just an easy target for somepony to annex on their way to someplace else."

He turned, and looked at that discolored spot on the wall.

"…We need to be strong. Strong enough in body and friendship our ideals will strengthen too."

He looked to the others.

"We need to build factories."

"A factory? But-"

"I said factories," he interrupted Sugar Belle. "Two."

"Those are… awfully ambitious projects to start all of a sudden. That will certainly occupy the town's time."

He laughed at Night Glider's tone, and flashed her a winning smile.

"Well, you have to start somewhere eventually, right?"

His gaze wandered slightly to that spot on the wall again.

"And I think it's about time we all got a little ambitious."