Hell comes to Equestria

We rested in Marehiem for two days, our rescues needed time to recover and we needed to acquire and fill quite a few water barrels. The next stretch of our journey didn't have reliable water so we needed to be prepared.

After scavenging what we could we hit the trail again, we had twenty five wagons at this point and while making them move was tiring me out it was helping to make me stronger as well.

A week passed as we traveled with little incident, thankfully it was just the beginning of summer, the days were warm and the nights were cool making travel and rest easier.

Rest did not always come easy for the ponies, many nights Fluttershy and I were awoken by screams. Rushing to the source we found ponies comforting one another after horrific nightmares.

Fluttershy too awoke more then once crying out in fear, but I was glad to be there to hold and comfort her.

As the second week passed we came to a hilly region adjacent to the edge of the mountainous area we had been skirting, from atop the hills we could see the edge of the Everfree forest in the distance.

We had come to a relatively flat area where we had planned to stop for a short rest break when I felt something flicker across the edge of my sensing range. It was something I had sensed before I was sure of it, but it was not a pony, goblin or a changeling...

Right there was the same feeling; it was just behind me, Spike riding on one of the wagons... Shit...

"Dragon!" I shouted. "Take cover!" It came up incredibly fast swooping down from the sky before us.

The only dragon I had experience with was Spike so I was ill prepared for the massive size of this one. It looked to be at least fifty five feet long, a dark red and green color.

I pushed up the strongest wall I could between us and it as it inhaled and breathed forward a huge cone of fire, the shield took the brunt of it and I was appalled at how badly it drained me. A few more of those and I would be done, the dragon had come in so quickly that some of the Pegasus flying around and ahead of the convoy hadn't had time to get back. Two of them were roasted alive trying to get back to us, my protection couldn't help them the heat was simply too intense, their dying screams were horrible.

After unleashing its fire the dragon swooped up quickly as the Princess's stepped forward to bring their magic to bear, they fired after it but achieved no hits. A few of the wagon covers had burst into flames from the heat alone and ponies were trying to put it out as the Dragon swooped around out of range, no doubt refuelling his breath.

I gathered everyone and circled the wagons like in the old westerns for what little protection they would provide, some from the heat at the very least. The water casks were opened and we drenched the wagon covers and everypony we could.

I felt him turn just in time to point toward where he was coming from and raise my protection, he swooped down and breathed again but the Princess's were ready for him this time, he only got off a short burst of flame before their magical bursts struck him causing him to back off and take to the sky again. Short the burst may have been but it had still drained me. I had a plan for a more efficient way to deflect the flame around us next time.

Unfortunately the Princess's magic hadn't seemed to hurt it overly much and it quickly swooped back for another attack, this time I tried to form my protective influence into a cone shape, I hoped it would deflect the force of the fire around us without draining me as much.

It dove forward dodging the Princess's streams of magic breathing as it swooped down upon us. The flames washed over us heating up things considerably but the cone shape seemed to divert the flames far more effectively away, I still felt the drain but it was lessened.

The Dragon flew over us and banked, diving straight at our circle of wagons. Again?! I thought he had to recharge between breaths, I quickly threw up a similar cone shape in an effort to divert this sudden attack. To my surprise it didn't breath at all and dove down upon us jaws open in a mighty roar and claws extended to tear and slay.

I wasn't sure if the shield could hold him back but I threw all the strength I had into it. It couldn't see my shielding of course it only knew something was protecting us from its flame so clearly it was trying a more direct approach. The cone shape I was using turned out to be a blessing; it slammed into the point of the cone.

The cone could not move, it was fixed in place by my will; it would hold or break... It held, the point pierced its thick scales and with the Dragons force and forward momentum uncheckable it impaled itself upon it.

Its dying scream tore threw the sky as the point ripped out its back pulling organs and entrails along with it. Gallons and gallons of blood soaked the ground pooling against the shield which I had to let lapse, the blood flowed in stinking and thick as I fell the the ground spent and exhausted.

We quickly vacated the area, I was too exhausted to move the wagons so teams were quickly made and they dragged them out of the bog of blood we were mired in. We backtracked a few miles to the last stream we passed where we cleaned up and replenished our water supply. As well we buried the bodies of the two fallen Pegasus.

We continued to travel in a state of heightened awareness, if there was one dragon allied with Chrysalis there could easily be more. We found a few burned out farmsteads and acreages on the way, unfortunately no survivors. A different mare came to me every night still, I enjoyed the variation, each a different color, different manes and cutie marks, all beautiful in their own way. But wrapped in Fluttershys embrace every night was exactly where I wanted to be... Well...

While we were on the move I saw Twilight much more, she still kept her distance mostly sticking with the three Princess's and her brother as well as her friends. It was still a kick in the chest whenever I saw her.

About a week away from Fillydelphia we came across a wayfarer’s inn, mostly burnt and destroyed but with something outside we hadn't seen before. Stakes driven into the ground with the mostly skeletal remains of two unicorn ponies heads. A new example of goblin brutality? Or some method of causing us greater despair? We buried them and moved on.

As we traveled every few miles we found yet another stake with a unicorn head impaled on it, the first few days all we found were well practically skeletal but the closer we got to Fillydelphia the more we found in various stages of decay. Always unicorn heads, no variation on that. The closer we got the more gruesome it became we could clearly see the looks of horror on the victims faces. Eventually Dash, Twilight and I travelled ahead of the column a short ways to collect and dispose of them before anypony else could see them.

Fillydelphia came into view on our last day of travel, the heads still continued to plague us on the road. We must have found hundreds and hundreds of them.

Fillydelphia was more centrally situated in Equestria and as such had no serious fortifications, but that had changed. A large timber palisade now surrounded the city; it must have taken some doing as it was a fairly large city.

The main force of the army held back and began to deploy as Dash, Twilight and I cautiously approached the city. There were stakes every couple hundred meters now and some of the victims on them looked distressingly fresh. I could sense quite a large force of goblins in the city as well as many Changelings; this wouldn't be an easy fight.

As we got a bit closer we came upon the welcoming sign to the city, Fillydelphia had been burned off of it and written in its place in large neat writing was, Trixie City! Trixie?

We were still a few hundred meters away from the large front gates when I turned to ask Twilight and Dash what they thought this meant when behind me came a...

POOF! I spun around to see a cloud or colored smoke dissipate and thru it strode a familiar unicorn, with her dark blue coat and pale blue mane and tail. Her cape and hat in place... But something was definitely... Off about her, she still felt like a pony presence but with a definite undercurrent of something else. Looking at her she seemed normal enough until I got to her eyes, the same greyish violet but flecked with sickly green.

I shook my head. "Trixie... What have you done?"

"What has Trixie done? She has become one of the most powerful unicorns in Equestria! And soon Trixie will be THE most powerful! Once you and your pathetic little rabble is done with that is."

"Trixie! What in Celestia's name have you done?! Are you insane?" Twilight yelled.

Trixie turned to Twilight with a snarl. "How dare you mention that bitches name to Trixie!? And you Twilight Sparkle. So called element of magic, we'll see how your head looks lined up with all the others."

I quickly restrained Dash before she charged forward pushing her behind me with Twilight. "Trixie. Surely you know what we are here for. Surrender now..."

Trixie interrupted with a laugh. "Hah! Do you not see Trixie's city? Her powerful walls and mighty gate? Your rabble will break on Trixie's walls and that will be the end of you."

"We've faced cities with stone walls Trixie how do you think..."

She interrupted again with a wave of her hoof. "Bah! Trixie has heard of you so called victories. Trixie’s wall is strengthened by her immeasurable magic and her gate is invulnerable! You shall never get past Trixie."

I was beginning to lose my temper with her presumptuous and arrogant nature. "Is that so? Invulnerable is it?"

"Can you not hear Trixie? Poor stupid creature. You may as well surrender to Trixie now, mayhap Trixie will let you live as her personal slave."

"That does it. What do you think of your gates now?!" I pushed out with a great deal of force against the gates, they resisted me for a moment until I put even more force behind it then somewhere a log gave way then another until the whole mess came crashing down. I turned to Trixie with a smug look on my face to see she had a look to match mine and I realized I just made a mistake...

Her horn suddenly blazed with her magic incinerating her hat as she sent a huge blast of magic at me, it was her usual light purple magic but combined with the sickly dark green magic of Chrysalis.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion, I had weakened myself taking down the gate so quickly, which she had clearly planned on so I couldn't defend myself, I still had enough power to keep her blast from ripping my leg off where it struck me but the CRACK of my breaking bones was audible as I struck the ground.

Dash immediately charged forward only to be struck aside almost contemptuously by Trixie’s magic; she hit the ground a short ways behind me and didn't move. Twilight stepped atop me her horn glowing.

"Twilight... I'm sorry." I gasped gently caressing her foreleg. She looked down at me with a small smile before focusing her attention fully on Trixie.

Both their horns expelled powerful magical energy that met and struggled against one another back and forth. For a moment it seemed Twilight was still the stronger her magic pushed Trixie’s back a few inches before stopping then began to slowly be pushed back itself. Trixie’s magic bolstered by Chrysalis was too much for her. Inch by inch Twilight struggled against it, sweat pouring off her body as she strained to push back or even maintain her position.

Trixie stepped closer and closer forcing Twilight down to her knees atop me, I put my arms around her to try to comfort her, help her in any way I could. I only hoped I could keep us protected long enough for some help to come.

Trixie was only a few feet away now her mouth turned up in an evil smile. "Trixie WILL be the greatest unicorn ever!" She looked down at us with contempt. "So sweet together. Your heads will look very nice side by side."

Twilight collapsed on top of me barely managing to keep Trixie at bay as I felt a pony presence swooping in fast from the side. Must be Dash I though. I redoubled my protection on her hoping she could at least distract Trixie even if only for a moment.

Trixie’s attention was fully upon us when from the corner of my vision came a yellow and pink streak I hadn't been expecting at all.

"YOU LEAVE THEM ALONE!" Fluttershy screamed as she slammed into the side of Trixie's head with her forehooves knocking her to the ground and falling to the ground herself.

I grabbed her and pulled her over to Twilight and I as Trixie struggled back to her feet unsteadily.

"You dare to touch the Great and Powerf..." Blood was pouring from Trixie’s nose and ears as she wobbled then fell to the ground.

"What have I done?!" Fluttershy cried burying her head in my chest.

I stroked her mane softly. "You saved our lives Shy. Thank you." I kissed the top of her head as I heard a groan behind me. "Dash! You ok?"

"Ugh... What the hay hit me?"

"Not a problem anymore. Grab Trixie and pull her back to the Princess's. Maybe they can suppress her magic and we can get some answers."

"What?! Let’s just kill her now!"

"Come on Dash we need answers. Quick here they come."

The goblins began boiling out of the ruined gates Changelings along with them toward us. Dash scooped Trixie up over her back and took off back toward the army while Fluttershy and Twilight painfully dragged me that way as well.

We barely made it back before the swiftest of the goblins reached our lines. As they dragged me to the infirmary I ordered the attack. This time the goblins numbered a little over two thousand with almost a hundred Changelings supporting them. But they had lost their leader and had foolishly abandoned their defences.

I was weakened but I could still protect our fighters though little else. Out in the open our forces could much like the cavalry of old simply run right over the goblin lines and break through then wheel and smash thru again. With a line holding them back from our non-combatants the goblins were scythed down like wheat, the Changelings generally hid themselves taking the shapes of goblins to strike unawares. And occasionally as a pony to try to sneak behind our lines to cause havoc.

Rarity had managed to make a magical color combination that was very difficult for the Changelings to copy however, no matter how they tried it always seems a bit off. So we easily rooted out any that tried to sneak in.

Nurse Redheart quickly set and cast up my leg so I could get back up to the frontlines. The battle was going well; sitting back I could see everything. The battle was weakening me further but I still had enough left in me to keep everyone protected for now.

As the battle progressed through the day the remaining goblins only about six hundred and the thirty or so Changelings left attempted to retreat back into the cities safety. Unfortunately for them a few of our Pegasus had gone in to find the captives and free them. They were malnourished and weak but they still were looking for revenge.

They blocked the gate effectively trapping the remains of the enemy army between us. They might have outnumbered us still but it mattered little, no quarter was given and within the hour they were all wiped out.

We entered the city and I sensed around for any foes that might be hiding. We rooted out a few cowardly goblins then got to work searching the city for items of use and tending to the few wounded.

Later that evening the Princess's held an outdoor court with Trixie bound before them her magic stifled by their combined power.

"Trixie Lulamoon! You stand before this court accused of betraying your fellow ponies, murder and high treason. Do you have anything to say in your defence?" Celestia stated.

Trixie snarled as the guards by her side held her up. "Trixie looks forward to seeing you all torn to pieces while she laughs. Queen Chrysalis will destroy you and elevate Trixie to her most trusted advisor and the most powerful unicorn!" She cast her insane gaze across those gathered. "Soon! Very soon you will all be choking on your blood as you beg for mercy while…”

The guards muzzled her at the Princess's gesture.

"We find you guilty. The sentence is death by hanging... Guards."

The guards immediately threw a rope over a nearby sturdy tree branch and made a makeshift noose around Trixie’s neck. Fluttershy buried her head in my chest as they began to hoist her up letting her choke slowly. Trixie didn't even seem to notice she still struggled and fought to push out words, swinging back and forth as she choked and gasped.

Amazingly a minute passed with no change but then she began to slow, no longer fighting she still glared about as if her looks could kill. I was watching closely gently stroking Fluttershys mane as she sobbed.

The sickly green light in Trixie’s eyes faded away and again she was just a small scared, lonely and insecure mare...

She made a mistake, but it cost many, many ponies their lives...

I snapped her neck cleanly, the CRACK audible to all those present.

And now it cost her, her life...