Legends of Equestria: HeroSoul

The Town of Darci, on the borders of Equestria, Thirteen days after the war.

It had been four days since our rule of moving much further and it had worked, we were now coming up to a town on the northern borders of Equestria, the last town before the next land, which Celestia had told us was populated by ponies, but not of Equestria. She hadn't told us the name of this northern country. There was a sign on the road coming up to the town saying 'Darci' on top of a small rocky hill. There had been barely any vegetation the whole trip past the Everfree. But under the hill where the rather small town resided were trees spanning in every direction but backwards. I had never seen such a large forest, beyond that was an out crop of mountains and from the map, a small river that if there was no crossing, we could afford to go round. The forest seemed to have a road going through it and there was apparently a cave system all the way through the mountains. Things seemed to be staying easy, so far anyway.

As we made our way into the town I began to notice something strange, a lot more guards were posted, and not royal ones. It seemed ponies had just gathered arms and were preparing for. Something. We were getting more and more looks as we made it deeper and deeper into the town. The few conversations that had been going on between the townsfolk had all but haltered and more and more armed ponies walked out of buildings and houses. I had my wrist flexed as i walked, ready to send out Aurora Loren at a moments notice, I had a feeling we wouldn't be resting here. Then a few whispers broke out, loud enough for even my ears to hear.

"Celestina's knights, bah. They are tasked with defending the country but so far they defend their own homes and the capital. No protection for us, the normal working pony." Followed by:

"Look it's the crippled Alicorn, can do everything by the important things."

"At least he isn't black and red. Give him that."

"I hear he used to be a Terran, just like that guy near him. Both of them should be shot." I felt my eye begin to twitch and I felt Heart ready his weapon to. Dari coughed and punched my shoulder lightly. There was going to be a fight.

"I suggest we speed up, before something happens." I heard somepony behind me say, it sounded like Aeb but I couldn't be sure. I turned and looked at our strange group.

"Let's move, keep weapons ready, I think something will happen whatever. If we do, try to use the blunt end, I will do a lot but I'm not fighting another pony, this is exactly what they want." I replied, Skittles nodded and I laughed at myself for that nickname. As if on queue the townsfolk began to move forward, slowly surrounding us. I decided to attempt diplomacy and stopped walking.

"I thank you all for your warm welcome but we will just be passing through, saving the world again." I declared. I heard somepoby face hoof. Fuck, I am crap at keeping the peace, that probably didn't help. One elderly pony stepped forward, a mace in hoof.

"You have already disrupted this town and our plans. I'm afraid you won't be leaving." He cried back. Preparing to attack. Fuck.

"What plans would those be?" I asked, the ponies behind me preparing for battle.

"What does it matter? You will die soon." The stallion replied, he sounded like he had two voices, a higher pitched one above his own. This was getting weird.

"Then why hold back?" I said, winking. He growled.

"We will take Equestria." He replied.

"You and everyone else my friend." I muttered.

"But we have a power."

"Power?"

"Yes. The Void came to Equestria, well some it of. In our veins flows the darkness of the Void." He said, and black lightning began to spark from his hooves and slowly he began to rise into the air with sparks flying out of him, his eyes turned black, as did the other ponies. Their weapons burst into black fire and they began to walk forward, together.

"What the fuck did you do Haze?" Heart Breaker shouted as a pony charged at him, out of instinct he shoved his sword through the ponies chest. I screamed at him and he pulled out, looking at me with shock.

"I said no!" I shouted. Heart Breaker looked to the bleeding pony, but it wasn't dead. It was still moving and trying to attack. Great, ponies fused with the Void who wouldn't die.

"How about now?" He shouted back and swiped his sword again over the pony, more blood sprayed out but still it attacked. I looked away and found the snarling face of the old stallion from before, black clouds fell out of his mouth and I released Aurora straight into his eye. The blade zoomed out of the back of his skull and the pony let out a painful groan. So much for not killing ponies. I pulled the arm sword out and watched as the eye come out with it. Aurora Lorem was already crimson with blood and bits if eye. I waved the sword a bit flinging blood everywhere and pushed the pony away with my other hoof. I quickly brought my sword back and turned. As planned the stallion charged at me and I released a kick. I felt bone crunch under my kick and my left hoof began to ache. Turning again I swung my swordless hoof and punched, connected to the skull again, more crunching but this time my own. From the awkward angle I felt a shot of pain fly down my hoof and I stumbled. The stallion taking the advantage and falling on me, trying to bite at me. I pointed a hoof to his neck to keep him off and Aurora was released without meaning. Again the blade went straight through and took much of the neck with it. I swiped and cut the head clean off. Finally the body feel limp. Yet the head continued to bite and snarl.

"Cut off their heads!" I shouted to the group and stood up, limping on my bad hoof. I heard a cry and turned quickly, Derpy was on the grown, her weapon far out of her reach and a corrupt pony over her with a spear aiming downwards. Whatever the reason she had for not talking to me as much now, I would not lose her again. I charged, ignoring the growing pain and drew Aurora. Jumping up and flapping my wings I was above my target and made quick work as to behead the attacking pony. Derpy looked at me and the beheaded corpse and back again. I put my sword back again and put my hoof out to help her up, she blushed a little and climbed up, reaching for her sword as she did.

"You need an arm sword like me." I muttered, Derpy spat the sword out of her mouth to speak.

"But then I will want to name it, like you." She smiled.

"Bu-" I began.

"Don't even deny it Haze I heard you last night." She replied and kissed my forehead, just as a pony charged forward. I quickly beheaded it, getting blood on my blue coat. I found myself looking to my wife, in such an alien body, I found myself looking at the scarat her side and remembered our last real moments. She had no wings, was burning away and dying.

I could see it so clearing in my mind. We were winning the battle, driving them back. Then Tage. Gods my daughter ran toward me in fear and panic and those Terrans, had shot her. A defenceless, crying filly. Small by any idea so they knew it was a child. They shot and killed my little girl, right in front of me. Then I had to go get shot.

I came back to the real world and realized the battle was all but won, Derpy was staring at me with a confused look on her face. I had to look away.

With so few targets left I just jumped into the one-on-one frays that our group were having. I first helped Aeb who seemed off balance with his new body and cut the head off of a pony with one swipe. S/he nodded at me and began to look through his bags for healing supplies. My leg was killing me by the time I reached Skittles and helped her out. I decided not to fly when fighting with her as she seemed clearly upset about her lose of wing power.

"Thanks Haze." She muttered when the headless pony fell to the ground, the head roaring curses at us.

"No problem Skittles." I replied. She opened her mouth in, at first shock, then confusion.

"Skittles?" She asked, oh right. I had been making that joke for days now and of course Equestria didn't have them.

"Your new body just reminds me of a Skityle , which was a sweet on Earth and their slogan used to be 'taste the rainbow' or something like that." I explained. She smiled.

"Fitting, from now on I shall be forever known as Rainbow Dash Danger Responsibility Skittles Speed." She declared.

"You're middle name is Dash?" I asked.

"Yeah, my parent couldn't decide on a middle name so just went with my surname." She explained.

"So you're what? Rainbow Dash Dash?" I asked. Looking at the erstwhile Pegasus.

"Exactly. I did change my name shortly before moving to Ponyville, so legally I'm Rainbow Rainboom Dash Dash." She said, smiling with all seriousness.

"So let me get this straight. Your full name right now, would be Rainbow-Rainboom-Dash-Dash-Speed?" I asked, completely bewildered.

"Its Lady Rainbow Rainboom Dash Danger Responsibility Skittles Dash Speed. To you, Bright. Haze." She replied. I blinked a few times and backed away, only receiving a laugh from the pony. I turned away from the Greg coated made and came face to face with Aeb. S/he was standing right in front of me staring at me. I jumped back and he started laughing.

"The fuck what that about?" I asked. He just laughed.

"No idea." He admitted, then added. "Battle's over. We managed to take out a whole village. Congrats guys." He declared, before: "and girls, and undead. And wrong bodied manly mares." He drifted off a little toward the end. I smiled and looked to the group, a few were bloodied but nopony sustained serious injury. Crystal looked like he had a few more cuts than the rest but he was a big target, Steven didn't count since he was a fucking dragon now. And his scales broke most weapons used against him.

"Steven, why on Equestria do you grow so fucking fast?" I shouted up to him, his head, which was now bigger than me, looked down on me.

"I'm not entirely sure, possibly the fact I am getting a real diet out here. The berries of the Ever free weren't ever very tasty. Blue bugger's were always messing up my day." He replied. Blue bugger's? Posion joke?

"You ate Posion Joke?" I heard Shadow ask, his voice as gruff as ever. I hadn't heard him talk all that much so far, nor Spectra or Cockwhistle.

"Yes, it never seemed to effect me all that much, but they tasted horrible." Steven replied. Shadow, lord of the Ever free as always turned around with.

"I know right? These ponies always complain how Joke would change them in weird and sometimes hilarious ways, but I never seemed to be effected. Aeb were you?" Shadow asked, the ex-Changeling laughed and looked at him, feminine eyebrow raised and all.

"Im a Changeling remember, if I did get effected, I just change my looks. Something I very sorely miss." He replied quickly, sarcasm dripping from his mouth.

"Erstwhile Changeling. You died remember." I muttered, he barked a laugh. Followed by somepony grunt "The hell kind of laugh was that?"

"Yes. And if the living hadn't gone and fucked shit up. I'd still be resting, do you know how comfortable Paradise is? Its fucking sleeping on clouds all motherfucking day and eating rainbows and happiness." He replied quickly. "Bloody fun happy time rabbits run and jump around and try to amass an army of small fluff balls to suffercate you. You feel high and at peace all the time and there is no respite from the feelings of battle. That itch us true warriors get, will never. Fucking. Go."

"Good to be back with the living then?" I asked, laughing. Aeb sounded genuinely scared by death. He gave a quick glance over his body and I realized I would be riding on Aeb-as-a-woman being funny for the rest of my life. Finally he replied:

"Well, death had its perks. Not being an undead mare for one. Another not having to put up with your sass."

"You love it really." I replied. He looked at me and raised a hoof. Heart Breaker quickly ran between us laughing.

"Calm down girls." Heart said, then looked to me. "And boys, ya'know, real boys." He added, Aeb jumped on him from behind and the two sprawled across the ground, thankfully missing all the blood puddles and gore.

"Come on, we are still behind, the world is at stake here." I muttered, Aeb, now pinning Heart Breaker looked at me.

"When is the world not resting on her hooves. But your right, now isn't the place, after we find Septen." Aeb replied and stepped off Heart.

"Serpin." Heart muttered, out of breath.

"I will cut you Alicorn." Aeb threatened and smiled. I turned to my left after hearing a small conversation between the real mares of the group. Derpy started it.

"Are they always like this?" She asked. Rainbow looked to the made and laughed.

"Never this bad, their time away must have melted their brains. But yes, they always tease each other. Usually at parties though." Rainbow replied.

"Oh I did notice it during parties. Especially Heart's last Birthday." Derpy replied smiling. I smiled looking at her, despite it not being my wife's face, it was nice that her soul was smiling. Or at least making the body smile. Either way, it seemed real enough.

"Come on, grab any bits you can find, try to keep the heads away and let's get moving, suns setting." I ordered. As if on queue the sun began to descend down into the ground whilst the moon, painfully, took its place. Luna wasn't going to last much longer, I just hoped Twilight and the others reach her soon. Like we should have reached Serpin sooner.

This would end in fire and blood. Not rainbows and happiness. It all ends here.