The silent rebellion

by Mr-Guy

The Call of the Unternehmer

Agenda Prop walked into the streets of Vanhoover. It was a bright sunny day with just a few clouds and a greyish sky. Ever since pegasi were forbidden from regulating the weather, it was harder to know what each day would bring.

A convoy of armored changeling trucks passed on the road next to her. It was the fifth she saw this noon. Something was weird about the changelings today. They seemed agitated. Or at least more than usually.

This wasn't the only weird thing to happen today. This morning, while working in her shop, she saw a group of armed ponies and changelings come in and out of multiples nearby buildings.

She tried not to pay attention. It was probably just the police looking for somepony. Ever since Vanhoover fell this happened from time to time.

She still remembers that awful day. She barricaded herself in her apartment. All day long she heard the sound of planes over her head and changeling panzer patrolling the streets.

She could swear the sun doesn't bright as shine as it used to since that day.

The changelings immediately imposed themselves as the new masters of Vanhoover. It started with military patrols in the streets and it became harsher with every new day.

One time, during the night, she heard noise from her neighbor apartment. It woke her from her sleep, the cries and shouting were so loud. She shivered in her bed, praying to not be the next one. The next day she noticed the door had been broken.

She never saw her neighbor again. Her name was Honey Sweats.

Nopony took her apartment after that incident and the door was never repaired.

Something was wrong today. Many changelings seemed tensed, same for ponies. The air felt dense and the sun seemed to have left early. Was she growing paranoid?

Her pause was almost over, she'd have to be back to work soon. But maybe it would be better to go home instead. It wasn't the first time Vanhoover's streets felt like that. It was always a bad sign.

It had happened before the changelings arrived, then just before city size raids against the resistance and when Chrysallis tried to turn the city into a new great hive.

The streets weren't as populated as they usually were. The changelings acted weirdly and everypony looked anxious. This was enough to convince her.

She turned around and started to walk in the direction of her home. It was a bit far but she should be able to make it in time. Whatever was going to happen she wouldn't be part of it. She had paid her love tax; she was a good citizen.

Of course, the changeling wouldn't care about that if she ended up in their way.

She turned in such a hast that she bumped into somepony. Falling on her flank she looked at the stranger. It was a changeling mare, approximately her size, wearing a mailmare uniform. By reflex she apologized, fearing the changeling possible anger against a pony like her.

Before she could even say a word, the changeling pushed her hoof on Honey's mouth.

"Shh... can you hear that?" She asked, looking around her.

Only at this moment an unfamiliar sound captured her attention.

They both keep quiet for a moment. Passers-by also began to stop walking to listen to this weird noise. It sounded as a discreet sizzle growing louder and louder.

It was like a radio trying to find the good frequencies at first. Then something came. A sound more organized, more appealing to the ears. It sounded like... music?

" It’s coming from the loudspeakers! " A gray unicorn stallion shouted.

He was right though. The sound was coming from the loudspeaker.

The first of them had been installed years ago to warn civilians of changeling bombings. When the war ended, their number increased drastically.

Usually, they only passed propaganda and speeches or city-wide announcement. It was always oppressing to hear, like having somepony following you everywhere to shout orders at you. It was often succinct and monotonous. The speaker voice seemed to always be the same with the exception of Chryssalis's speeches.

It was the first time they ever passed music and, judging by the other citizens expressions, she wasn't the only one wondering what was going on.

The music was calm but also catchy. Like a waltz but more militaristic. It stayed for a minute or two before getting quieter.

And then it came.

A loud voice rang across the city. It wasn't the same voice she had heard a countless times. This one, Honey Sweats had never heard it. The music had stopped so whoever was speaking could be heard clearly. If all the loudspeakers were on, then everypony was going to hear it.

" On the year 1007, queen Chryssalis destroyed the last remains of opposition to her rule in the changeling lands. The polar bears saw it and did nothing.

When she turned her gaze north and subjugated the bears, the deer in Olenia saw it. And they did nothing.

When Chryssallis sent her army toward Olenia and crushed them under an iron hoof, the ponies saw it. And they did nothing.

When the queen led her panzers to the conquest of the continent, an unstoppable wave of steel and death mercilessly obliterated the united pony alliance. And the world saw it. And the world did nothing..."

Somepony threw a rock at one of the loudspeakers. Agenda couldn't see who had done it.

"What followed was years of brutal oppression, cruelty and suffering punctuated by unnecessary deaths for all living creatures on Equus."

Another rock. This one hit the loudspeaker but barely bounced on it. A group of changelings rushed through the crowd, ordering everypony to leave the way.

" This is a message to all creatures of Equus still willing to hope for a future of liberty and justice.

No matter how much the hegemony will lie to you, it has brought little to no good to this world. Do not believe their lies! Do not fear their fake threats!

The queen and her minions have failed to see the embers of revolt and now they will pay the price of their cruelty.

Let those embers become a raging fire.

In the East, the Manehattan protectorate has fallen. The equestrian liberation front has risen up against its tyrants. Ponies have broken their chains and made the hegemony flinch. Its rotten mechanics are now shown to the light.

Creatures of all the continent, liberation is still possible. We have all sinned and left the hegemony to rise. Now has come the time to repair our mistakes.

United we will triumph. Ponies, Changelings, Deers, Griffons, Penguins, Yaks and Polar Bears disregard your races and join arms! It is our time to fight one last battle for our future.

We are the concordat of creatures. We are the alternative to the madness of the hegemony. A union of all races! A become of hope!

I solemnly promise you that the instigators of the suffering will be judged. May this fight against true evil be their judgement.

No matter who you are, where you are or what you can and cannot do, we need you. Let your hearts be filled with a burning desire of fair justice. Do not fight out of hate but of love! Spare the innocents and purge the corrupted. For hope is not yet lost!

I, Unternehmer Schach Spiel, on the behalf of the concordat of creatures and all creatures of Equus, declare a general rebellion against the hegemony!

Every creatures, take arms and rise up, destroy the monsters! For the great trial has begun!"

The music continued after he stopped speaking. It was louder now and much more energetic. It was no longer a waltz, now it was a real military march like the ones the changeling played during parades or in propaganda movies. Except this one wasn't for them...

She stayed there, listening to the music, she didn't feel like going back home. She thought of the night her neighbor was taken away.

There was a warm feeling in her chest.

A voice shouted next to her. She turned her head. The group of changelings had reach her. She recognized the queen's guards. She stood up and faced them.

The leader of the group was a male changeling, smaller then her. He looked angry and shouted at her to move out of the way. She didn't feel like it.

Maybe for the first time since the beginning of the occupation, she wasn't scared of changelings. She has always been terrified of queen's guards even if she had never seen any. But now that one stood in front of her, she didn't feel scared. She didn't know why.

He looked like a clown. He was screaming at her, but she didn't listen.

What a stupid clown, she thought, he's funny screaming like that though.

She grew a smile on her face and even chuckled a bit. The changeling unboltered his gun with his magic and put the barrel on her muzzle.

A chill crossed her whole body. Everything seemed so unreal. The loudspeakers, the speech, the music and now that. It was like she was disconnect and slowly rebooting. Fear came back first, and tears began to form in her eyes. Still, she couldn't stop smiling. All those years. All the pain and suffering, she couldn't contain it anymore. She didn't want to contain it anymore. Music wasn't made to bottle up your sentiments anyway.

She gulped and waited for the bullet to traverse her skull. What came next was forever engraved in her memory.

The changeling mailmare punched the queen's guard in the face. He lost his concentration, letting his pistol fall to the ground. The queen's guard fell to the ground, soon followed by others of his group as ponies rushed on them and beat them on the hard pavement.

Honey looked at them then looked at the mailmare that saved her life. In the crowd she saw the angry faces of ponies and between them, for just an instant, she also saw changelings with the same angry and desperate faces.

The queen's guard tried to fight back but the crowd that had gathered around them swallowed any of their attempts.

Agenda Prop gazed at them in disbelief. A ray of sunlight passed through the clouds, blinding her for a second.

She looked at the sky, it was the brightest blue she had seen in a long time. Two pegasi flew over her head they looked happy. Her smile had grown even bigger. She burst out laughing while looking back at the changeling getting beaten.

They deserve it anyway.

She remembered the voice in the loudspeakers. She looked around to find her in the growing crowd.

She jumped to the mailmare and hugged her tight in her hooves.

" You are not like them. " She whispered to her ear.

The queen's guard were guilty, she was not. She was like her, like her neighbor.

The mailmare took her by the shoulders, staring right into her eyes. She had two beautiful yellow eyes. They both had yellow eyes. They both had the same sparkle of hope in their eyes.

" Pony, " The mailmare said, hugging her back. " I've had enough of being silent. I know you probably hate me and all my race but..."

" Let's try to make this world a better place... together. "

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

Does anyone know who wrote the first Equestria At War story?

[PonyDragon]

Good story!
I enjoyed reading it.

Yay for the mail mare (mail 'ling?)!
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Source.

11636996
Not the best place here to ask such a question.
Try having a look at the Equestria at War group and sort by date.