“You never told me why you joined up in the first place.”
The long, pink-toned haired girl let out a gasp as her hand shies away from a small white rabbit. Her turquoise eyes pointed away and her back slouched as she struggled to make herself small. “I’m sorry,” she says. “I just really don’t want to talk about it, Ignia.”
Ignia rolled her orange eyes, which match perfectly with her short, red hair. “Oh come on, Fluttershy. We’ve known each other for two years now” She stands and turns before throwing out her arms and bringing emphasis to the green jacket they both wear. “We went through basic and everything together!” In a moment, she knelt in front of Fluttershy with the expectant look of an eager child. “And yet I still know barely anything about your past.”
Fluttershy’s eyes briefly darted up to meet her friend’s. “I know.” She rubbed her arm as her light-yellow skin pales to a near white. “I’m sorry.”
“I don’t want any more ‘sorrys’ from you Flutters. I think I have enough of those to last me more than a lifetime.” She smiled at her friend and gently put her hand on the other girl’s knee. “I want answers. Won’t you even tell me where you’re from? Who your parents are? Siblings? Whether you had a boyfriend or not?”
The last question caused Fluttershy’s cheeks to turn a fierce shade of crimson and let out a light squeak-like sound.
“You better not be doing what I think you’re doing,” booms a deep voice from the foot of the hill the two girls sit on.
Ignia jumps to her feet and waves to the approaching figure, “Hey, Bulwark!”
The man is large with a body clearly earned and the pride of his work beaming from his smile. His ochre skin compliments the particularly square shape of his jaw which in turn compliment the shape of his cerulean eyes. The wind grazes his buzzcut hair.
He’s dressed similarly to the two girls: A pair of thick boots that almost reach their knees with a bit extending further to shield the kneecaps, belts adorning their thighs and snaking up and around their body with empty latches in strategically placed along their lengths, and a green jacket cut short around the waist.
On the jacket’s sleeve and left breast is a grey shield, half of which is adorned by half of a sun while the other, half of a crescent moon over a midnight-blue cloud. The emblem of the Wardens, symbolizing them as the ever present guard of the people. They are one of three divisions of the Equestrian Military.
As he joins the other two at the top, he places a small wicker basket loaded with bread, a few jars of miscellaneous spreads, some utensils and a mix of fruits. “Is she giving you trouble again, Flutters?”
Fluttershy perks up at his arrival and gently shakes her head. “Not more than usual.” She reaches for a blanket tucked against of the basket and spreads it out.
“So what exactly took you so long to get here?” said Ignia.
“Ugh,” moaned Bulwark. “So much paperwork lately. They got truckloads of them this morning. They pulled in a bunch of us just to get it all sorted out.”
Ignia’s eyes lit up. “Ooooo.” She knelt down and grabbed a shiny apple. “These look great. Anyway, what’s goin’ on that the top brass suddenly sent so much stuff?”
Bulwark took a seat near Fluttershy and greeted her with a warm smile.before takin a slice of bread for himself. “It wasn’t from the top brass. They were reports from the edges of the barriers. The number of giant equines apparently skyrocketed the past few days.”
Some sentences carry with them a certain weight. His last line was the equivalent of a metric ton of bricks, summarily crushing the amiable air between them and leaving them bare to the silence of nature.
Fluttershy was the first to break it with a barely audible, “Oh my.”
“Those reports say anything about why?” asked Ignia, a trace of caution noticeable in her tone.
Bulwark shook his head. “Nothing. But everyone’s calling for reinforcements of all kinds, and even emergency expeditions from Wonderscout teams.”
“Those guys are stretched enough as is, especially since those refugees arrived.”
He gives her a playful smirk and says, “You could transfer. You said it yourself, they could use the help,” he gives a playful jab at her rib, “you could at least distract the equines with that loud voice of yours.”
“Ha ha ha very funny.” Sincere snickers and minor giggles dot Ignia’s sarcastic reply. “I dunno about you, but I;min no hurry to meet one of those monsters.”
Hushed and almost imperceptible, Fluttershy mumbles, “Then why bother joining the army.”
Silence rejoins as the unwanted guest. The two stare at Fluttershy as she tries her best to look away from them.
“You know what,” Ignia says with a playful wiggle of her eyebrows, “I’m gonna be a good sport and tell you. I was never really all that interested in fighting the equines, I was always more interested in helping people, you know?”
“Why didn’t you just become a doctor or something?” asked Bulwark.
Ignia shrugged her shoulders. “I guess I got swept up by the fervor. You remember that campaign the royalty pushed? With all that jingoistic lingo and that whole ‘serve your kingdom’ and ‘for the glory of Equestria?’ I kinda fell for it and joined up. But I never left because I heard about all the stuff the Wardens did for people.
I was actually hoping to be assigned to the barrier towns, or one where a crystal pillar is. That’s where Wardens are really active. But here I am in Ponyville, way in the interior. Heck, you can even see the capital from here.”
“That’s true,” said Bulwark as his eyes drifted to the large castle built into the the side of the tall mountain in the distance. They came back and locked onto one of the fruits he brought with him. “Well, I don’t know about you girls, b ut I think that’s enough storytime. Let’s eat before they start calling us back to duty.”
And with that, the three friends settled in for an late lunch of fruits, bread, friends and light conversation.
A sound shot across the plains. It was deep and primal, yet distorted and unnatural. Flocks of birds depart the roofs of the trees and dot the sky with their silhouettes. Loud rustling of leaves and the snapping of wood is heard coming from the dark forest known as the Everfree.
Seldom do people come here due to its reputation as a haven for mysterious and dangerous flora and fauna. Rumors and legends have mixed and tell of things like manticores and hydras, lurking between the darkwood. Some even say that certain parts of the forest are locked in a state of ever-darkness, due to the thickness of the canopy above.
Since as long as anybody can remember, this forest has stood beside the hamlet of Ponyville. A strange blemish near the center of the normally green and flush lands of Equestria.
Somewhere near the center of this place, something ancient has stirred. Lightning flashed from a cloudless sky and struck the ground, causing a bright flare that illuminated the forest in overwhelming light.
The spectacle is seen from Ponyville and beyond. The townsfolk rush out from their homes and watch in a mixture of curiosity and wonder. Some dare not take their eyes off it, others watch with mouths agape. One man, built very well, with a thick moustache and a tennis racket in one hand, has a tear stream down his cheek.
Further from town, near the outskirts and underneath a tree, Fluttershy awoke from a slight nap, her eyes surprised by the sudden burst of light. She looked to her two friends on opposite sides of her and also leaning against the tree.
“What’s going on?” she asks to her sleeping friends. She gets up and holds her hand in front of her face to ease the glare from the sun-like ball.
A black dot emerges from it, followed soon after by many more. Their shapes begin to sharpen as the light starts to fade. Fluttershy’s heart began to race and her pupils shrank to pinpricks as she realized what was heading straight to town. She dives and roughly shakes her friends from their slumber.
The two grumbled and mumbled in symmetric annoyance at their friend before they came into focus at the sound of a loud shriek from town.
As the figures in the sky became unmistakable, Fluttershy let out noise somewhere between a gasp and a scream.
A four legged creature with an equine-shaped, pony-like body soared through the sky. It’s coat was a dulled pastel green that managed to darken when viewed from certain angles. It’s mane was short, messy and unkempt.
But what really made it stand out was its head; about as big as the creature’s own chest and with eyes that took up almost half of its face. The pupils were black, lifeless dots that thinly veiled a direct line to oblivion itself. It’s mouth was clearly watering as it surveyed the people scrambling for cover from the beast up above.
The pegasus put on a crooked smile, barely resembling that of amusement, just before landing near the town hall. It found its first target stumble out of an alley along the main street.
He was the baker’s apprentice. His face had a soft handsomeness to it and was complemented by a small, but sweet smile. His parents were farmers and had been taken aback, but not really surprised, when he told them he wanted to be a baker. He made the right choice as, even on his first day he had surpassed what the master baker was expecting. Even now, his cakes were the talk of the town. They had even managed to catch the eye of the young lady who tended a flower store in the market. He had invited her for a quick get together during the weekend and his heart fluttered when she had agreed.
All this flashed through his mind as his legs scrambled to get as far from the center of town as possible. The thunderous sound of massive hooves behind him echoed in his head, causing his vision to go blurry. His breath, already short from the effort of running, became shorter as his lungs began to burn from the inside.
Then the worst possible thing that could happen, happened. His mind raced into panic mode as he felt himself fall. The ground was ice to his touch as every bit of the impact ruptured inside him. He commanded his arms to move to no effect. All at once a million thoughts entred his mind yet he could not focus on a single one. His view began to change as he felt himself getting up.
Thoughts, heartbeat, breathing; all came to an abrupt halt as he realized he wasn’t getting up, but being lifted up. There was a certain pressure around his waist, but he could not tell what it was. He was higher than the buildings and he could see everything.
His arms, limp and useless now, were the first things he noticed. A number of thatched roofs of their community had caught fire. The bakery where he had been training had a massive hole in its roof as a crimson liquid dripped along it. In the distance, he saw somebody, his best friend who worked at the mill was engulfed by a dark aura in midair, slowly being floated to an enormous unicorn with proportions similar to the pegasus and with a horn glowing the same aura.
Another pegasus crashed right into a house on Fifth Street. In the distance, a couple, hands desperately clenched, ran as fast as they could out of town. The man was suddenly pulled away by another large equine with no horn or wings. The woman begged him to let go as her cries mixed with the sound of chaos but he refused. He gasped yet still refused to let go until the earth pony began to consume him. The woman flailed and struggled until she felt her arm enter the mouth of the equine. She could still feel the man’s hand on the inside. The scream she let out was blood curdling, but ultimately nothing compared to the sounds still happening around her.
That was when everything came crashing back to him. The baker felt his arms come back to life. He felt his neck and his body and his…
His eyes shrank to pinpricks as he bent his neck and completely took in what was around his body. He could see red liquid flowing along his body, yet he felt no pain. He realized he couldn’t feel his legs either. Rage overcame him as he began to pound the snout with his fists. It felt soft and curiously warm—almost hot, even—to his touch.
The twin pupils, black and lifeless as ever, looked at him with curiosity as he squirmed and struggled. It considered him for a moment before finally deciding to close its jaw a bit more. The man spasmed as if electrocuted and went completely limp. The pegasus tilted its head at his sudden stillness before doing a small shrug of its own and messily slurping the rest of him into his mouth.
“Come on!” Bulwark led the way through the once familiar streets of Ponyville.
Yesterday, the smell of sweets and cinnamon and vanilla coated the air with a delicious glaze. Now it was thick and heavy with the iron-like smell of blood and flesh. Crimson streaks covered the walls as the same red liquid formed puddles on the streets. A hand, departed from its body, is frozen i halfway through opening a door. A leg lies uselessly on the curb, a shoe it’s wearing still glinting in a fresh shine.
Fluttershy’s heart begins to palpitate as images of a life thought forgotten begin to flash before her. She clenches her fists tightly as her eyes race through the gore around them. Her running rhythm falters but is saved by her training. No, she thinks to herself. Not again.
The scream of a woman echoes just as the turn a corner at a toystore wiht a shattered facade. She struggles in the dark aura of a unicorn as her face contorts into a snarl of terror. Moments away from entering the beast’s mouth, her screams turn into sobs as her body goes limp.
“No,” says Bulwark as he takes a step forward. Before he gets the chance to take another, he feels Ignia’s arms around his shoulders.
Her eyes are intense as she looks at him. “Don’t you dare. There’s nothing you can do for her now. If you really wanna help we have to get to the barracks and get our gear.”
Bulwark mirrors her stare. “We can’t just leave her like that, what if-” He cut himself off when he realized the sobbing had stopped.
The pair turned their heads and their eyes widened as they felt the gaze of the unicorn on them. They feel a slight sensation as sparkles begin to appear in their vision. Out of nowhere, a large beachball flies between their heads and is engulfed in the black aura.
“Run!” Fluttershy screams behind them.
The group bolted down a narrow road where a bag of groceries lay scattered and abandoned. Pebbles on the ground began to bounce as the sound of powerful trotting echoed against the walls around them. A cottage just behind them exploded in a flurry of dust and debris as the unicorn that had spotted them plowed through it and ended in a pile of tangled legs and hooves. It moved its limbs unnaturally as its bones snapped back into place.
“What are they made of?” asked Ignia as she took a moment to glance at their persuer.
“Shoot!” exclaimed Bulwark. He ground to a halt and held his arms to his side to stop the two following him. The exit of the road they were on now lead to a giant earth pony, its muzzle contorted into a sick grin with fresh blood still rolling down its jaw. It’s dull orange coat was stained in various places by spots of red. He grabbed the girls arms and pulled them through a small pathway between two two-story cottages; the thumping of hooves still deathly clear behind them.
Behind them, Fluttershy screams as she points above. A pegasus drops from above, wings outstretched and blocking the sun. It was too late. By the time Bulwark and Ignia had fully processed the descending beast, it made impact with the cottage to their side. The pressure from the explosion sent them flying in multiple directions.
Ignia grunted as her lower back hit a beam. Bulwark’s face was bloodied as he felt his hand underneath something unidentifiable heavy. Fluttershy was the most fortunate of the three, only slamming hard against the wall on the other side of the road.
When the dazed Warden started to regain her bearings, the first thing she noticed was the pegasus, standing over a pile of rubble and eyeing her menacingly. It’s head began to lower itself, getting closer with each moment. Fluttershy’s world had shrunk to just her and the monster. Her heart was racing as sweat began to pour down her face. Her arms began to tremble and she found herself frozen as a statue, helpless to what was in front of her.
“Flutters! If you can hear be get to the barrack as fast as you can. I got Ignia but she’s pretty hurt!”
Bulwark’s voice, especially the tone and intensity, were able to break Fluttershy out of her catatonic state. She shook her head and the world around her expanded back to normal. The pegasus had even taken notice of his shout and now had its eyes set on Bulwark.
Fluttershy scrambled to her feet, almost tripping again in the process. She ran into the house she had slammed against in the hope of leaving through the back. The roof had a massive hole and the inside looked like a hurricane had just passed by. Even the back door was completely missing.
She burst outside at breakneck speed. As her legs pushed her forward she held hands to her ears to block out the screams and horror. It wasn’t too far. She could make it.
On the curb, to the left were the entrails which led to the upper half of a young jeweler. She briefly remembered him offering her a small ring. His smile glinted almost as much as the gold. She had to cover her mouth at the nausea from seeing what was left of the poor lad.
The next street had the bonnet of a young mother whose daughter Fluttershy fondly remembered playing with during the weekend. She shuddered to think where they were. Hope suggested they made it out. Reality suggested otherwise.
At last the barracks was in sight. A sigh of relief escaped her lips before immediately being sucked back in. Vibrations travelled up her spine as she felt its approach. She turned her head and locked eyes with an utterly massive pegasus. It was the same one that had ambushed her and her friends. Worse yet, there was a green sleeve hanging from its mouth.
The worst thoughts entered her mind and refused to leave. She wanted to scream, to breakdown, to just give up. But something else pushed her on. She wasn’t sure what, but she knew that she couldn’t let it end like that. There was no logical explanation for it. After all, the equines were everywhere and it was obvious that the Wardens had so easily been overwhelmed. Yet her body, as if egged on by some invisible force, proceeded towards the barracks in thge hope of getting something to defend herself.
Her dread intensified as she noticed that while the building’s facade was intact, something was obviously wrong with the rear. She made it to the door and took a quick glance back. The pegasus was still there, casually walking towards her, as if assured in the knowledge that she had nowhere else to run.
She wanted to curse it as she gripped the knob tightly. Instead she just threw the door open and herself inside. She closed the door tightly and turned to face the inside.
What she saw made her knees buckle. Her back slid against the slimy door until she was on the ground. Her hands shot to her mouth to block the sound that would soon come forth as her eyes shrank to dots.
The barracks may not have been the best idea.
Author's Note
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Fluttershy pressed hard against the stained door. Her eyes were the size of pinpricks as she took in what exactly was before her. A large hole in the ceiling that tore straight through the second floor allowed the sun to cruelly illuminate everything.
Almost the entirety of the rest of the Ponyville Warden Garrison was present, but not necessarily accounted for. Puddles of thick, red liquid pockmarked the cobble floors. The air was thick with the scent of iron. Shadows danced mokingly around the larger chunks of flesh that lay scattered around the room. Some of them were arms, other legs, others still wearing the green jacket of their profession.
Tears began to form in the girls eyes. Her hands trembled and clutched her mouth tightly for a scream that simply could no bring itself to bear. The sight was too much as she felt her arms and legs turn stiff. The strain of practically every fiber on her body suddenly became apparent. Unfortunately, as did the sound of thumping getting far too close to the building than she could have ever cared for.
She got up on shaky legs that nearly caused her to stumble on the arm of the Warden she usually patrolled the eastern fields with. She backed away from the door slowly as her eyes shifted between it and the floor below. The loud hoofsteps were getting distinctly closer. The vibrations from them were strong enough that she could it travel up her spine. She swallowed a lump in her throat and nearly squeaked as she accidentally held the cold and stiff fingers of a Warden that had been playfully flirting with her the past few days.
Then it stopped. She froze, unable to will her body to move. Without realizing it, she had managed to get herself positioned in the center of the hole in the roof. The afternoon sun provided her with a small spotlight that, miraculously, had no gore within its lighted boundary.
Hope rekindled inside of her as her heart began to calm itself—before grinding to halt at what she saw on the floor. The disc of light that made her feel secure began to wane. Part of her knew she had to look up, but another urged and begged her not too. It had silently hoped that it was only her imagination and that there was absolutely nothing up above. The other half knew, however, that life is rarely so forgiving.
With a heart full of dread, she slowly turned her head up. She began to tear up as she looked right into the dead eyes of a dark green pegasus hovering just above the barracks. It’s mouth moved into a grin and exposed teeth stained with blood so fresh, some of it had dripped down and struck Fluttershy on the cheek. It was warm, she noted, before feeling her knees give up below her.
Down on the ground and sitting on her heels, she waited for it to end. For the deliverance from the suffering she had endured. For the end to her failures and shame. The sound of wood crunching and teeth slamming around her never came, though. Instead, she heard a sound very different from what she had been expecting.
It was faint, but she was certain she could hear the sound of people shouting. This wasn’t the pained and panicked shouts of the citizens, however. The voice that she could head was strong and commanding. It sounded as if it was barking orders to something else.
Other sounds and other voices became apparent: the whirring of metal wires quickly being reeled in, air being released from pressurized cylinders, and perhaps most assuringly, the sound of steel striking flesh.
She knew those sounds could only mean one thing. She took one more glance above before realizing that the pegasus had landed on the roof and was pushing its snout through the hole.
The Ponyville Train station was abuzz with movement. The train on the line closest to the town was massively armored with large metal plates covering most of the cars. Multiple large chains attached to either side of it were bolted into the ground by equally large pegs. On top of the cars between the caboose and the engine were cannons that were being aimed at the various equines, some of which had taken notice of the large concentration of humans and were quickly making their way to them.
“Firing!” shouted one of the cannoneers as he covered his ears.
The tip of the cannon exploded and caused the train car to rattle from the recoil. A metal ball bigger than a human head sped quickly towards a charging equine. It’s shoulder cracked and shattered from the impact sending chunks of bone and flesh flying. Strangely, though, the various body parts no longer connected to it quickly sublimated before even reaching the ground.
A two story building carrying a sign that read, “Barnyard Bargains,” exploded as a clumsy looking equine plowed through it and directly at a group of Wardens that had exited the train. The ones farthest away activated the large metallic gadgets that were strapped to their waists. Thin but immensely strong wires shot out onto the nearby buildings. When the hold proved secure, tiny, powerful motors whirred to life on the equipment just above the back of their hip and brought those lucky enough to safety.
Those that were unlucky felt the crushing blows of rock, wood and retail showring around them. Some of them only had a limb or two pinned down. Others had whole sections of wall slowly crushing them. One warden, their modestly successful squad leader who had been transferred closer to the capital due to his wife having recently given birth, lay fully conscious yet unable to move anything. All he could see was the train, his frantic brothers-and-sisters-in-arms and a slowly expanding pool of red that seemed to source from him.
The unluckiest, however, were those that were left standing in the vicinity of the lumbering beast. A young, wide-eyed greenhorn, who was even relieved to have been assigned to the inner Warden corp, stood stock still as the massive eyes of the equine sized him up. It didn’t take long for him to disappear into its maw. Another warden turned to run before disappearing underneath a large, clumsy hoof.
“Turn those cannons around now!” screamed an officer who was far too close to the action than he would have wanted. He felt the return of his lunch that day as he saw one of his subordinate’s limbs fall out of the equine’s mouth. His heart stopped as the blank eyes looked straight at him.
“Sir!”
The officer barely had time to register it before he saw his second, wires latched onto the beast and flying straight towards it. He watched as she closed the distance to the equine. Her swords were drawn and her gaze was intense and locked onto her target. Despite it’s size, the equine moved fast enough that all that happened was that its next meal practically jumped into its mouth.
The officer clutched his gut as he felt tears form at the edge of his eyes. He lost all control as he witnessed two cannonballs burst through the monster’s head. He could just barely make out the head of his loyal second flying through the air out of the carnage.
At that moment, a second train pulled into the station. This one was cleaner, sleeker and obviously newer. The side of the first car had the grey, silhouetted portrait of an alicorn with a short blue mane. An orange-toned girl with fiery, flowing hair and dressed and equipped just as the wardens, except wearing a purple jacket adorned with the same symbol on the train, emerged. Her expression was unreadable as her eyes scanned the equine infested horizon. Disgust briefly flashed on her face.
She jumped down and signalled with her hand. The other cars opened their sides as several squadrons of other purple soldiers deployed. The roofs also opened up and brought out cannons just like those on the Warden’s train.
A warden officer approached her and offered a salute: Both hands clenched in a fist with the right hand over the heart facing downward, and the left hand behind the waist facing inward. “Captain Sunset. Thank the crown you’ve arrived.”
Her gaze hardened as she gave him a quick once over. “Of course. Though the Military Guard’s purpose is the protection of Equestria’s greatest assets, it is also in our duty to protect it’s citizens.”
In the distance, a pegasus equine had taken flight. A member of the Guard, however, latched on at the last minute. With the aid of the more powerful motors on her gear, she catapulted herself upward and took a deep slash on the beast’s neck. As it crashed downward it began to sublimate into nothingness, conveniently slowing down what would have been terminal velocity for the guard.
“To my understanding,” said Sunset before pausing to allow a nearby cannon to fire, “Commander Applejack rushed here personally. This is her hometown, after all.”
The warden nodded. “Yes, ma’am. She took her personal squadron and rushed to check on the local barracks. When we arrived, the equines had free roam with none of our troops in sight. She feared the worst and immediately left the moment we arrived.”
“I see.” Sunset surveyed the wardens scrambling around the train station. There was a group that was just standing in a corner. Another was squabbling with a different group over a supply of gas tanks used to power their equipment. In the distance, she could see three hopelessly fighting against a unicorn. Then there were two. “I am invoking Protocol Eight and taking full command of this deployment.”
The warden swallowed a lump in his throat all the while hoping the Captain would not notice. “Yes, ma’am,” he said as he gave a straighter salute.
“NO!” A blonde, green eyed warden shouted as she stepped onto a roof. Her grip on the wooden handles of her blades tightened to the point of slight deformation. Behind her, a number of wardens made their way across the thatched roofs, effortlessly slashing any equine that dare get in their way.
“Commander Applejack,” called another warden from behind her. She was green with short, greener hair that had yellow highlights. Her purple eyes widened as she realized what her superior was staring at.
Applejack’s face contorted into a snarl as she watched the pegasus plow into the already damaged structure of the barracks. The roof caved in as it buried it’s nuzzle deeper inside it. Her muscles tensed as she bend her legs and flexed her arms as she prepared to press the triggers on her handles. She was about to launch her wire’s anchors right at the equine’s flank before her subordinate blocked her with the flat of her blade. “What the hay are you doin’, Emerald?”
Emerald Beam’s snarl matched her commander’s as she readied her own equipment. “Ma’am, you have family here. They need you more, frankly. Please, allow me the pleasure of this one.”
Applejack relaxed slightly before nodding. “Thank you, sugarcube. Once you’re done, take the team an’ check the barracks. Ah don’t think that monster’d be digging through it fer no reason.” She fired her wire anchors at a building just in front of the barracks. The momentum her equipment gave her allowed her to neatly soar over the building and past the barracks.
Captain Emerald aimed her anchor right at the pegasus’ neck.
A direct hit made the equine rear up in shock. A roar fierce enough to make blood boil echoed around them. It turned its head a moment too late.
Sword well in grip, the force her swing coupled by that of her propulsion made her slice through its neck like a hot knife through butter. A streak of blood, enough to fill a person, poured from the wound and evaporated almost as soon as it made contact with the air.
The cut wasn’t deep enough and the equine swung its body around and lunged for the warden.
Thinking quickly, she released the anchor and allowed herself to fall and roll to the ground. The equine just barely missed her and instead got mouth full of earth. She ran around the ruins the barracks before firing her lines at taller, three story building behind it. Her boots made contact with the shingles at the same time the equine appeared around the corner of the last standing walls of the barracks.
The other members of Applejack’s squadron positioned themselves on the surrounding roofs. They signalled they were ready to move at a moments notice but the captain merely shook her head.
To the surprise of the other members, Emerald losed her eyes and took a step off the ledge, allowing herself to fall. The pegasus’ pace quickened in its excitement to get the one that had hurt it. It’s jaw spread open and eagerly awaited its prize.
Her eyes shot open as threw a small metal ball with a lit fuse sticking out of it into the mouth of the equine. She kicked off the wall as a small explosion dazed the monster. Using its head as a stepping stone, she leapt over it and turned herself around. The initial wound on its neck had healed into a rough and crude scar. Still, she knew that it was much weaker then before which would make her job easier.
She pulled the triggers on her swords and felt the burst of air from her gear. She brought her arms to bear and made two parallel cuts over the scarred flesh. The equine striaghtened its back reflexively at the blow before collapsing onto the ground. Steam poured out the new wound as its various other parts began to sublimate back into nothingness.
The squadron formed up as the captain stepped out of the mist, no more worse for wear. Her expression was serious as she eyed the ruined warden building. “Search the barracks. There could might still be people in there.”
“Please be okay. Please be okay.” Applejack had been chanting the phrase under her breath as she soared from roof to roof. More equines than she would have liked had taken interest in her and each one she was forced to take down cost her more and more time.
She rolled her eyes as yet another unicorn appeared. It’s horn began to light up as she changed course and used her anchors to swing through a narrow alley. She came out and took a few more swings before popping up behind the equine and downing it it one fell swoop. At last she swung over one particularly tall building. At the apex of her flight she had a perfect view of acres upon acres of apple trees. Over in the distance was a large red barn with a very distinctive theme: apples.
She landed at the entrance where the cobble of the town morphed into the dirt roads of Sweet Apple Acres, her family’s ancestral, and by and far largest, farm.
Blades at the ready, she pointed them to her side and ran up the road. Her stride was fast and powerful. Her breathing was steady and strong. Her face was cool and calm. All of this betrayed how she really felt. She had been so secure in the knowledge that her sister and grandmother were safe so deep in the interior. She remembered telling herself that nothing could possibly happen to them. She remembered joining the Wardens all those years ago specifically so that she could keep her friends and family safe.
She began to feel better on the inside as she realized that the farm itself was mostly untouched. Every tree was still standing. There were no signs of blood or any kind of struggle. All-in-all it was a scene of peace and serenity down on the farm.
The main house of the farm got closer and closer and closer. She burst through the door and screamed, “Granny?! Apple Bloom?!”
Her heart stopped as she felt each second that passed stretch to the length of years. Dark thoughts began to enter her mind. Morbid possibilities of where she had failed to do the one thing she had sworn to do started to pop up. The feeling of hopelessness and fear crawled their way up her spine and began drilling at her heart.
Until.
“Applejack?” called a young, feminine voice from up the stairs. a young teenager with pastel yellow skin, vibrant red hair and a large red bow came down the stairs with the biggest smile she could manage and beads of tears in her eyes. “Applejack! You’re here!” she shouted as she dashed down the stairs.
“Apple Bloom!” The warden ran to the stairs and grabbed her sister in a tight embrace as soon as they met. “You’re safe,” she whispered. “Ah’m so glad you’re alright. Where’s Granny Smith?”
“Ah’m right here, youngin’,” said a stout older woman with greyed hair and apple-green skin. She gingerly made her way to the stairs, all the while smiling at her granddaughters. “Ah can’t believe you made it.”
Applejack was flabberghasted. “Granny, how could Ah not make it? Ya’ll are mah family. I don’t even wanna think about what would happen if Ah didn’t come here myself.”
Still clutching her sister, Apple Bloom said, “We’ll you’re here and that’s all that matters, right?”
With one more tight embrace and a playful ruffling of her hair, Applejack let go of her sister snd said to both her family members, “Let’s go. We’re evacuatin’ the town. Don’t bother bringin’ anythin’ you don’t need.”
“Well then lemme just get my travellin’ bonnet,” said Granny Smith with a slight chuckle before she made her way to the kitchen.
“What about you, sugarcube?”
Apple Bloom smiled and shook her head. “Ah’m good. As long as Ah got you, Granny and Big Mac, Ah’m gonna be jus’ fine.”
For the first time in a long while, Applejack’s heart fluttered as she gave her sister the sweetest smile she could. “Oh, you. Go on and wait outside, I’ll just see what’s takin’ Granny so gosh darned long.”
She nodded and made her way out the door.
At the exact same time, Granny Smith came out of the kitchen and said, “Ah am not takin’ so gosh darned long, little missy. Ah think we can spare a few minutes for me to look fer mah bonnet.” She secured the knot and adjusted the aforementioned headwear.
“Sorry, Granny. Ah just want ya’ll out of here as soon as possible. No tellin’ what—”
She was cut short by a sharp scream from the door.
“Apple Bloom!” shouted the pair as they rushed out the door. They found the youngest standing at the foot of the patio stairs staring in the direction of the Everfree Forest. “What’s wrong?” asked Applejack as she grabbed her sister’s shoulders and looked her in her pinprick-sized eyes. It didn’t take a moment for her turn around. Her heart would have sank had her blood not started to boil. “No,” she whispered under her breath.
There at the threshold between Sweet Apple Acres and the Everfree was a massive equine with a thin, lean body. On it’s back, spread out to all their glory were two equally massive wings that had feathers so beautiful preened and presented that they practically glinted in the afternoon sun. On it’s head was a long horn, sharpened to a point, its grooves neatly outlined and defined. It’s mane, unlike the others was not short, nor messy. It was long and silky as it flowed along the shape of its back. But beyond all that, what really stood out against the other equines were its eyes. They were focused, aware and, most importantly, alive. They were locked onto Applejack and her family.
“An alicorn…” The Warden Commander drew her swords and began to walk towards the equine. “Granny, take Apple Bloom and head to the train station. Try to avoid goin’ into town, there might still be other equines roamin’ around.”
Apple Bloom took a step to try and grab her sister. “But, Applejack, what about—”
Applejack turned her head. “AH SAID TO GET OUT OF HERE AND AH MEAN NOW, BLOOM!”
“Come now, youngin’. Don’t you fret, your sisters trained fer this, after all,” said Granny Smith as she took the youngest’s hand.
“Applejack…” said Apple Bloom as Granny Smith led them away from the farmhouse.
The warden’s pace quickened to a jog as the alicorn began to take its own steps forward. “Ah ain’t even gonna give you the chance to think about ‘em ya varmint.” She was running now as the equine began to trot. She jumped and stabbed a branch with her right sword and slashed it off its tree with her left. Once she got in range, she pulled her left trigger and counted to three before pulling her right. The anchor soared through the air and headed straight for the equine’s eye.
It focused on the approaching barb and dodged to the right—perfectly in range of the delayed anchor. It sunk its metal tip deep inside the soft sclera of the alicorn. It groun d to a halt and threw its head back before instinctively reaching out with its magic in the warden’s direction.
As she activated her propulsion jets, Applejack thrust out her right sword and sent the piece of branch flying forward. It was snagged in the equine’s magic and held nicely in place. She used the floating wood as a platform to push herself even faster ad the snarling head of the beast. Sword arm raised high, she closed her eyes and struck hard on the tip of the horn. A momentary blinding light burst from the horn as the beast growled in enraged pain.
Momentum propelled her over its head whereupon she slid down its neck and back the off its flank. He spun herself around with her trigger fingers at the ready for another swing before reflexively putting arms in front of her face. The alicorn’s massive tail headed straight for her. The impact of each strand was as terrible as that of a whip as thick as a man’s arm.
The pain of the impact left her arms, legs and all the rest of her that was exposed practically burning. She groaned in pain as she felt her entire body convulse, holding a fetal position the entire time she sailed through the air.
It came to a quick halt with the blunt impact on a particularly large apple tree. Applejack felt her organs bouncing around her core as she tried to grab hold of any branch. She just barely grasped the last one allowing her a rough, but less painful, crash to the ground.
She gasped for breaths in-between a few bloody coughs as she got to her knees. Her chest felt crushed as she looked at the gashes across her arms and legs. Her uniform was fairly damaged and her equipment had dents in all the worst places.
Raising her head, she noticed the alicorn staring at her only with its right eye. She also noticed that a piece of her sword was lodged it it’s left eye. Thanks to her stunt on its horn, it couldn’t pull out the sword, giving her at least some advantage.
Her knees almost buckled from the effort of standing up. Her arms cried as she raised them to fire the wire anchors. There were two large trees on either side of her that was halfway between her and the alicorn. This would be the perfect opportunity to catapult her way back onto the monster for another go at its nape. She pulled the triggers on both swords.
Her eyes widened as nothing happened no matter how many times she tried. “Tch. Figures,” she said to her self. Dropping her swords, she pulled out a small knife tucked on the inner side of her left gear. With a few cuts on the straps over her chest and legs, the metallic equipment fell to ground with a heavy thud. She massaged her shoulders a bit as she gave her arms a stretch. “Hoo wee. I’ve been wearing this thin’ way too long.”
With a much lighter body, she stared at the approaching alicorn with disgust. “Why do Ah get the feelin’ you’re the reason these equines are runnin’ all over mah town,” she said as she limped towards it.
The equine just stared with its one eye as it kept a steady pace towards her.
“You’re gonna pay for what you’ve done.” Applejack slipped her hand into her vest and pulled out a small crystal, about the size of her littlest finger and sharpened to a point on one end. “Ah think it’s high time I got serious.” With her right hand, she drove the sharp end of the rock into her left palm. Rather than wound her, the crystal lit up like a candle as it was absorbed into her flesh.
A ring of light burst forth from her hands and began to pass itself around her. As the light moved over her body, her wounds instantly sealed themselves as her gait returned to normal. Her eyes focused and lit up as she stared into her opponent’s eye. Finally, her hair lengthened to the point that is was almost as long as she was tall. The elongated blonde locks flowed in the wind as she stood tall and proud, waiting for the equine to come closer.
For it’s part, its eye expanded and its mouth opened in in utter shock. This made Applejack realize that this particular equine had some capacity for thought. Any beast would be ward of changes in its opponent. Surprise, however, was something reserved for beings that could set expectations. Regardless, what mattered to her now was that an alicorn was attacking her home and she had to deal with it.
She took a step back and readied herself before leaping into the air. Propelled faster than her equipment ever could, she sailed through the air and aimed right for the face of the even more surprised alicorn. She raised her fist high and struck it right on the snout, forcing its head down.
She clutched one of the hairs of its mane and, with a quick tug, pulled herself up with enough force that she she managed to overshoot the neck. With the bonus of being a fari distance away, she clasped her hands over her head and brought the even bigger fist down on the equine’s nape.
The snap of bone was heard as the monster fell to its knees and roared in pain. On instinct, its wings flared up and tried to hit the warden. The speed at which they sliced almost made the streaks in the air visible.
Applejack bent her knees and jumped into a spin. Halfway through the second spin, with her right leg kicked the first wing back. She heard and say the joint snap from the force. The other wing followed suit as she was about to begin a fourth rotation.
She clenched her hands once more to deliver the final blow to its neck when, all of a sudden, a burst of steam rushed out at her. On instinct, she covered her face and tried to find the beast. Through the thick fog she saw a brief, but very bright, flash of light from the spot she remembered its nape being. With confirmation of her target she brought her hands up again and struck.
Empty air. The space below her was completely empty causing her to fall to the ground in an undignified mess. “What the hay just happened?!” she shouted as she turned her head in every direction for her target.
The equine was gone.
