Equine Omnibus Orphanageby Fon ShaolinChaptersBurning Down the Reality (Twilight & Celestia)The Start of Fiction (Rainbow Dash & Twilight)An Applejack Mad Max/Historical FicBurning Down the Reality (Twilight & Celestia)Celestia, sitting atop her throne and surrounded by guards, waited. No amount of burly pegasi could help her in the coming conflict, but at least with them here in the throne room they could be under her watchful eyes. The Guard Commander had stated that he would either put his men with the princess or out in the castle hallways. To Celestia, it was the lesser of two evils. Their loyalty was inspiring, if nothing else. Another powerful explosion rocked the castle and reminded Celestia of what she wished to protect her dear guards from. Her most powerful mages were already fighting – and losing – dozens of feet below them. She wanted to go down and help them, but her entire inner circle had overruled her. They would fight a battle of attrition, slowly withering down the enemy until Celestia could take her on for certain in the throne room. It was a course of action that Celestia declared would be their deaths; they had agreed and said it was their duty. The rumbling from below stopped and Celestia’s head slumped. She could pinpoint exactly where in the castle they were fighting and who was guarding that particular corridor: Star Shard, Professor of Astronomy and Divining at her own school. She had watched him grow up in Canterlot, become one of her royal attendants, and then rise to prominence at the Magic Academy. And now he was gone. Celestia felt his loss pile onto her back like the half dozen others she’d been forced to sit idly by. She had argued with them for as long as she could. Coup attempts like this happened to her at least once a century. She was the expert here – why should this one be any different? She knew why it was, though, and her advisors did as well. They had ignored her and set up their magical traps in the castle. To stop them, Celestia would have had to take them out herself. She was the princess, they were the servants. They were the wax that burned away to protect the wick for as long as possible from the flame. The guards straightened up. Celestia heard their armor rattle as they lined up in formation to guard her throne. There had been a knock at the door; it was a sign that the usurper had made it to the final room. There were no shakes from there, though – Luna had prepared gloriously, even more so than when she had challenged Celestia herself a millennia ago. “Who better to be the last line of defense than me? I know her every thought, Sister, because I was thinking them myself. Don’t look so down – I might be able to stop her with a nice chat, one traitor to another. If not, I still have my own score to settle.” Celestia wished she was on the other side of that door. Luna was only just coming back into her power and now she was thrust into the worst possible situation. Why was the Moon Princess so obstinate? Together they would be able to put this down so quickly. Did she look so fragile to her court that she needed this much protection? A horrible high-pitched whine filled the throne room. The guards had no idea what it was, but they were standing at attention. Celestia, though, knew the sound of her own barrier spell being hacked away at. She rose from the dais. Her guard captain objected, but Celestia wouldn’t stand by and let them die right before her eyes. She had left six of her closest mortal friends and her sister at this monster’s mercy and no more. Their plan had failed and now it was time for Celestia to bring this to an end herself. The wailing stopped. Some of the guards visibly relaxed, but Celestia knew better. She couldn’t feel her magic outside the door any longer. “What are those things?” one of the guards asked. Celestia followed his eyes and saw dozens of red dots appearing on the enormous wooden door of her throne room. They were the nails in the door. At every seem, every hinge, fire licked and twisted its way through the door. What had stood in the castle for hundreds of years was now being turned to cinders before Celestia’s eyes. The wood was burning as the nails melted and ran down the wood in great red sores of fire. A few of the guards ran toward the door to brace it, but the heat coming out of the entrance was fierce enough to drive them back. The doorway yielded to the immense stress and fell forward with a lurch. Hot air rushed in as if it were being blown by a great bellows and behind the door was a wall of white and yellow flames. Fire crept into the room, driving the pegasi guards back. It wasn’t burning like a normal flame; it crept along the floor like shadows chasing a setting sun. Amidst the bewildered guards, Celestia descended the steps of her throne. The distorted air driven forward by the flames retreated in her presence until there seemed to be a solid wall of swirling air just off the tip of her nose. Her guards shuffled behind her. They seemed to finally understand that this was something they couldn’t meet with muscle and hoof. For a few moments the fires simply billowed, like some great beast taking deep breaths from just outside the door. Every push of air lit more and more of the throne room as fine tapestries and other trappings burned to cinders. “Do you really feel the need to create such a spectacle?” Celestia asked, her voice flat and deadpan. “You used to not care about how you came across to others.” “It’s something I learned from my teacher.” The flames that were raging in the doorway did not subside, but nonetheless something was moving through them. It was a small figure, scarcely half Celestia’s regal height and with none of her defining features. What appeared from the flames was a small unicorn with ruby-colored eyes and an ashen-white coat. It stepped into the skittering fire that had consumed the royal red carpet up until it touched Celestia’s golden shoes. Fire from the burning walls and columns leapt to the pony’s head and flank, creating two blazes where a mane and tail should be. She stepped up until her head had to tilt up to see Celestia’s face. Too close. Too uncontrolled. Too dangerous. Celestia’s own magic started leaking out, lacing the room and pushing back against the conjured fire. The powers of the Sun were based off heat as well, though different than the earthly variety. All of the flames save those on the pony’s body were instantly snuffed out as the princess burned away all of the flammable kindling in a pulse of magic. The usurper seemed unimpressed with the display of power. She moved her head, taking in one side of the room and then the other. “You really are going to have to show me how you can do localized bursts of magic like that,” she said. “I would have asked Luna, but…well, she wasn’t in the teaching mood.” “What have you done to my sister?” “She’s having a little time-out until she comes to her senses.” “The only senseless thing my sister did was try and talk to you first.” “And that’s the kind of attitude that I’ll have to break you of if you’re going to be my senior advisor.” The pony raised a hoof and nonchalantly poked the wall of magic separating her and the princess. “Luna turned me down and now she’s sitting back on her moon; I know you’re not as foolish.” Celestia’s eyes narrowed into slits. She would make it up to Luna; her sister, despite her attitude, still hadn’t gotten over her last imprisonment. “Don’t worry, you’ll find I’m not so foolish as to try and bring you back. It’s clear to me that madness has consumed you. Your professors…they were your friends. Did they get the same generous deal that you are giving to my sister and me?” The fire-coated pony shrugged. “Why should they? The first thing about statecraft I learned from you was that regular ponies can be replaced. You two – well, we three, now – can’t.” “I didn’t replace you, Twilight.” Twilight Sparkle, the former private student of Celestia, stomped her feet. Embers sparked from the polished stone floor of the throne room. “Of course you didn’t replace me, I replaced you!” Twilight snapped. “I’ve tapped powers that you never could have taught me! You were holding me back!” The alicorn snorted. “Fine. You replaced me. What, then, could possibly drive you to this? Boredom? Lack of attention? Are you a pet that needs constant supervision and pats on the head to behave?” Celestia found that she couldn’t, and didn’t, want to hold her tongue. “Would you like to sit in my lap like a pampered cat as you used to? I could tell you that everything will be alright and you could write me a friendship report. Would you like that?" “Enough!” Celestia physically braced herself against the wall of raw magic that erupted from Twilight’s body. The air around her was crackling with tiny wisps of fire that arched this way and that. Not for the first time did Celestia wonder how she had missed so much potential in a student. Twilight had certainly been talented, but this was beyond even her most archaic of pupils from eons past. None had ever been so comparable to her own sheer force. When Celestia said no more, the small pony gained some composure. “I’m not here to chat, Celestia. You know exactly what I want. Give me the recipe to the stone, give me your throne, and give me your loyalty. If you don’t—” “—horrible pain and an eternity of imprisonment until I come around to the new order of things – I know this script, my student. You’re not the first to read it to me.” “I will be the last, though. I know how powerful the others were compared to you. I’m a better student than they were. You and I both know it. You chose me because of that.” “I chose you because you were interesting. You have power, but only so much. Luna was exiled not because you need her, but because you couldn’t destroy her. Even in a weakened state, it was probably all you could do to bind my sister.” The ruby fire in Twilight’s eyes gleamed. “So, you’re admitting to your little delaying tactic. You feared to face me without a gauntlet prepared.” Celestia’s eyes narrowed. “Professor Ellipse told me all about it in the ballroom. I know it had to be Luna’s idea – she lost to me in Stalliongrad, after all, and knew that I’ve gained a piece of same thing the two of you have. It was a good plan, in theory: if you could actually defeat me at this point.” Celestia shook her head. “I don’t know why Luna insisted on facing you alone. I don’t understand why any of them bought into her plan. You are not so powerful as you believe, Twilight Sparkle, or have you forgotten how well a judge of character I am? I did, as you say, choose you for a private student.” Twilight’s horn lit red with a solid pillar of flame. “A test, then! To see if I’m correct." The heat in the room returned full-force as whatever magic the pony had mastered started to spark back to life. Her smile became a wry white line as she stalked toward Celestia. "Are you sure you feel up to the grading?” “I think I’ve done this particular test enough times that I don’t need an answer key,” Celestia murmured as she too began to draw out the significant bulk of her power, “my dear, faithful student.” Author's Note This was the first time I really dipped into the idea of Twilight and Celestia as adversaries, way back in 2012. There's no denying that I enjoy writing Twilight as a unicorn more than as a princess, simply because I think you can do much more with her character. The Start of Fiction (Rainbow Dash & Twilight)“Are you sure about this, Rainbow Dash?” Famous last words to be sure, but this time the pegasus insisted her idea was a good one. Twilight Sparkle was glad that, should things go south, she would be the only one around to deal with the consequences of whatever crazy plan Rainbow was dreaming up. Ever since the Wonderbolt’s show ended, Rainbow Dash had taken to following her around the gala. Everyone else had their own things to go look at before the dinner: Applejack was still operating her stall outside, Pinky was bothering the cooks in the dining hall, Fluttershy was off in the gardens, and Rarity was trying to catch the attention of one of Celestia’s attendants in the main hall. Twilight had wanted to sneak off to the library, but Rainbow Dash’s insistence on hanging out had put a stop to that plan. They were headed to the kitchen for some reason. There was already plenty of food inside the castle, but Rainbow Dash had insisted that there was something “totally wicked” down in the kitchen that Twilight just had to see. Knowing Rainbow Dash it was probably something along the lines of an extra-large spider or a great place to take a nap, but Twilight was trying to keep an open mind for her friend’s sake. Turns out it wasn’t anything Twilight had expected. They actually went a floor below the kitchen and into the cellar before Rainbow loudly announced, “This is it!” “It” turned out to be a section of the cellar full of old barrels and honeycomb racks with bottles in them. Twilight trotted up to one of the shelves and floated a bottle down to her to try and see what it was. They were all very old with spider webs and a thick layer of dust, but the label was readable. “Equestria Red, Merryweather Vineyard,” Twilight read aloud. The gears in her head were turning and she realized what it was she was looking at. “Rainbow Dash!” she scolded, “This is the wine cellar!” The pegasus already had one of the larger bottles down and was doing her best to pry the cork out with her teeth. It finally came loose with a loud “pop” and Rainbow smirked over at her friend. “Bingo! No one is going to be down here for a few hours so I thought we could start the party early. You’re the only one I could get to come with me, though.” Twilight magic’d the bottle out of her friend’s reach, much to the other pony’s annoyed surprise. “We can’t do this, Rainbow Dash. This is the castle’s private stock for the adults.” She let out an indignant huff when the pegasus zipped into the air to reclaim the bottle. Rainbow Dash, bottle-in-hoof, took a long drink before Twilight Sparkle could try to get it back. “There,” she said, only coughing a small bit from the burning in her throat, “I’ve already had some. Can’t really stop me now, can ya?” “You’re being impossible! Fine, see if I care if you get kicked out of the castle.” Twilight spun on her hooves and started for the stairs, but a white leg draped over her neck and held her back. Rainbow Dash was holding the bottle in the crook of her other front leg and dangled it in front of the unicorn’s face, taunting her. “Don’t ‘cha ever get tired of being such a stick in the mud? Walk on the wild side for once! Isn’t that why the Princess sent you to Ponyville?” The wild side she says. Twilight Sparkle had always been the perfect student growing up: while other unicorns were cutting classes and flirting with the guards, she had been hard at work. It had eventually paid off when Celestia herself chose Twilight as her apprentice, but there was a cost. Maybe Rainbow Dash was right and the Princess had sent her to Ponyville to live a little? Besides, weren’t young ponies supposed to be stupid once in a while? Slowly, Twilight Sparkle took the bottle from her friend. The wine had obviously been fermenting for quite some time as the smell was strong. She looked at the grinning face of Rainbow Dash and reared her head back, taking a long drink. It burned horribly and she nearly gagged, but there was something to be said for the harsh taste. “N-Not bad,” she coughed. Rainbow Dash was already back at the wine rack, picking out her next alcoholic conquest. Twilight just nursed hers for a few minutes until the pegasus had picked out a new bottle and they settled in for a prolonged drinking session. Unlike Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash seemed to be old-hat at drinking and she was halfway through her new bottle by the time Twilight had polished hers off. “You know, I haven’t done anything this crazy since flight school!” Dash slurred. She was clearly starting to get a bit lightheaded and her eyes had glazed over a bit. She looked over Twilight for an odd moment and then giggled. “It was with my old friend Gilda. She really knew how to party. I wonder if you’re a party kinda pony?” Twilight Sparkle’s nose twitched as her brow furrowed. “Like, with music and stuff? We could go back up to the ball if that’s what you-” The pony was stopped mid-sentence as Dash stumbled over to her. The pegasus nuzzled Twilight’s neck and laughed again, though it was lower than her former giggle. For some reason, it made the unicorn shiver. “Nah, I don’t mean anything like that, Twilight,” Dash rasped in a husky, rough whisper. Her nose was warm against Twilight’s neck and it swished back and forth against the fur there as she nuzzled her friend. “You’re pretty soft, ya know?” “I-I-I don’t t-think we should be doing this, Dash!” Twilight bolted backwards until she slammed up against the wine rack. She looked around, but the door upstairs was…fuck, it was behind Rainbow Dash! “You’re drunk; you don’t know what you’re doing!” Dash smirked and crept forward like a cat on the prowl. “Oh, I know what I’m GOING to do. To you. Right now.” Then she sprang. Twilight was too slow with her dodge. Even though she could teleport, that bottle of wine had addled her brain too much to think about it and she was bowled over by the faster pegasus. She was on her back, looking up at Dash’s triumphant face. With the punk pony’s legs on either side of Twilight, there wasn’t any escape. The unicorn shuddered when Dash’s warm breath brushed across her nose. “Dash, I-” Her protest was silenced by her friend’s lips. Dash tasted of the wine; tangy and rough. It certainly wasn’t how Twilight had imagined getting her first kiss, but even she had to admit it didn’t feel too bad. When Dash finally pulled back, her teeth slowly pulled on Twilight’s lip and made the pony whimper. “Damn, I’m gooood.” That one whimper had made Dash’s ego bloat to critical levels if her smirk was any indication. It disappeared when a twinkling light surrounded her head and pulled her back down eye-level with her “victim.” “I don’t know, I think I’m going to need a larger experimental group of those before I can gauge how good you are,” Twilight rasped before pulling her friend into another kiss. This time Dash tasted faintly of candy. “A big, BIG experiment group. And then control groups, some data sharing between researchers, and then testing and experimentation…” Dash giggled against Twilight’s lips. “Oh, I’m totally down for some ‘experimentation’, professor. Time for a few hoof-on clinical trials…” It could be blamed on the wine, Twilight assured herself as they moved into more comfortable positions. Just one crazy night in the cellar of the castle that involved far too much alcohol; one more secret that could be covered with bricks and mortar. Canterlot Castle held hundreds of them after all and Twilight was certain that it had room for just one more… Author's Note This is actually the first pony story I wrote, way back in 2010. It was for one of the first threads in /co/. That's right - I started off as a Rainbow and Twilight shipper! An Applejack Mad Max/Historical FicAuthor's Note This was done back in 2011, so my writing was pretty rough back then. I just thought I should post some stuff on this since I'm cleaning up my old dropbox. Original plan was for an "Applejack journies around Equestria" fic, featuring a lot of battles, and war, and different interpretations of the Mane Six. An Applejack Mad Max/Historical Fic In the beginning there was the Law written by the Eternal Queen and obeyed by her dutiful subjects. The Law provided what nothing else could: purpose. The pegasi with their wings would rule the air, forever managing the mists and clouds; to the unicorns, the old places in the world were given for they alone would tend those secrets; and, to the ponies of the earth, the till and numerous numbers so they might be the great foundation of the Law and society with their strong backs. Thus things were in Equestria and all was well. Earth ponies worked the land and provided food and shelter for the industrious pegasi and brilliant unicorns while they in turn enjoyed the upliftment that came about as a result of interaction with the other ponies – towns were built with the same masonry techniques that allowed the unicorns to construct their great stone city at Canterlot and their fields were tended with the irrigation inventions of the pegasus. However, the earth ponies were not satisfied. They grew jealous of the wings of the pegasi and their cloud cities, where none but other pegasi and unicorns could tread. Some dared to petition the queen for their own wings or horns and were exiled for questioning their role in the Law. These herdless wandered for many months, traveling to the farthest-flung reaches of the kingdom to rally ponies to their cause. When they returned, they did so with an army large enough to crush the old Law underhoof. Taking advantage of the chaos, other earth pony settlements took up arms in bids to increase their land holdings, long fixed in size by the queen. These kingdoms gained their own armies of earth ponies that took up the fight and even surpassed the size of the original rebellion. Queen Celestia, seeing that she did not have enough loyal earth ponies or pegasi to hold everything, abandoned much of her kingdom to the warring kingdoms that now turned on each other. “But you shall not escape lightly!” she said. “I curse you and your land: no more shall the weather be your ally, no more shall the stone bend to you! All that you have you shall toil for under the blaze of the sun!” The threat was not empty: famine swept the lands for years, the old kingdoms broke asunder, and it seemed that the rebellious earth ponies would turn back to the Law, but although the magics in the world had abandoned them, their cunning did not. The natural cycle of the earth took those early ponies into her embrace and they discovered the natural seasons, crop rotation, how to let fields fallow, and ways to bend iron and steel themselves. No longer did they need the fantastic machines and magics of the pegasi to grow their crops or the magic of the unicorns to make their armor and cities. Thus did the earth ponies grow and multiply. Some went back to the old kingdoms and grew their stone towers until they brushed the wisps of the free clouds in the sky; those great stone cities that were the peers of Canterlot. In these places commerce made many a pony rich beyond their wildest dreams and had great sprawling armies that shook the ground when they marched. Many ponies, though, continued to wander as the original free ponies did. They were the seeds of future empires and forever gnashing their teeth at the walls of the great pony kingdoms that lay just beyond the wild places of the earth and would prey upon the outlying settlements that lacked the strong security forces of the central states. These bands would not linger, as their hooves always craved being on the move. They would take food, gold, and other valuables before moving on to the next plunder. There were always the odd ones, though, among these nomadic ponies. At one small settlement outside of the Everfree Forest, in the Duchy of Hoofnhammer, battle lines were being drawn. A harras of fifty or so ponies were standing on one side of the Merryweather River that cut through the eastern half of the town of Ponyville. The buildings on one side had been broken into, their windows shattered and doors kicked in. Burgundy flags fluttered from some of the rooftops: trimmed with gold, they had a blood-red apple in the middle that advertised to all that this was a warband from the Saddle Coast, one of Equestria’s richest – and most violent – agricultural regions. At the main bridge spanning the river was most of the band. They stood on the east side, clad in leather armor and galloping back and forth along the riverbank in unrestrained exuberance. On the other side of the barricaded bridge was the larger defense force of Ponyville. They too were in armor and it glittered brightly in the afternoon sun, polished and new as it was. A large barrier of bristling metal spikes kept the Khanate and defense force separate. One of the harras force wasn’t joining in the spectacle. It was a large orange pony with broad shoulders and thick legs. They stood at the mouth of the bridge and their barding was pure iron and steel. Broad, interlocking plates formed a neck guard that ran up to a helm that ran the length of the muzzle exposing only the mouth, nose, and eyes. It was nicked and scared nearly as much as the flesh under it was with old scars and battle wounds. The flank plate rattled as the pony slowly walked forward. On either side were two short javelins in a loose leather holster. Her tail flicked and the harras came to attention. A small light-blue colt trotted out from the group. He wasn’t wearing much armor, nor did he have any weapons, but he carried himself proudly. He marched right up to the lip of the bridge and cleared his throat. “Greetings from the Khan! The Lord Khan of the Saddle Coast, leader of the Apple Harras! The conqueror that sacked the provincial capital of Palomino; who fought the great Ursa Major of Alamar to a standstill; that galloped the length of the Saddle Coast in a single night; and champion of the thirty-fourth Meeting of the Coastal Clans!” A terse silence from the other side of the river met the colt, but he was not deterred in the slightest. He looked at the gathering herd of militia and smirked – his audience was growing. “The Khan wishes that I present your leader with the terms of your surrender! Where is your leader?” That finally did provoke action in the opposite line. A gaudily-armored unicorn trotted out to the break in the barricade. He was flanked by two pegasi in golden armor, bearing the seal of Canterlot. “Amusing! I was just ordering the iron collars for your capture and march to the capital.” The middle-aged stallion’s voice had lost none of its youthful pride and it projected well. “If you desist in this barbarism immediately, I shall ensure that most of you reach Canterlot alive.” With a sad, long-suffering shake of his head, the colt responded, “You do not seem to realize the futility of further defense! Very well!” He trotted over to the armored pony standing in the middle of the street behind him. “The Khan’s champion, Applejack, wishes to fight any horse of your choosing to demonstrate what you will face if you continue to resist! Since many of your guardsmen were too busy fleeing from us in the initial attack, you may not have witnessed the keenness of resolve. Send your champion!” The taunting, as well as the challenge, left the unicorn shaking with rage. As the Khanate horses cleared a fighting space, one of the armored pegasi galloped forward with death in his eyes. He bore a glancing wound on his flank that wasn’t quite covered by the armor there; probably one of the few first defenders that had managed to retreat to the city center during the fighting. His opponent, the well-armored harras pony, scuffed at the ground with her hooves as the speaker dashed out of harm’s way. “Did ya have to needle him so much that he sent out a pegasus, Snips?” Her eyes were on the hooves, wings, and armor of her opponent. “I might actually have to try with this ‘un.” “That’s what you said about the last one,” Snips laughed. “Come on, it’s a great day to fight!” He didn’t slow down and was soon behind the main line. It was a beautiful day – one broken by the sound of thundering hooves on dusty cobblestone. Applejack ran towards the pegasus and he took to the wing right before they collided at the bridge. His hind hoof came down hard, but the earth pony ducked and leaned forward on her front legs. The pegasus had made a mistake in trying to land a hit as he hadn’t put that much lateral distance between them. Applejack’s back legs caught him in the wing as she kicked up. There was a horrible cracking sound as the brittle bones there shattered and the pegasus crashed into the ground a few feet away. Horrified gasps from the bridge confirmed that many of the soldiers there were militia that had never seen such a wound. Their gasps became cries as Applejack chased after the wounded pony. He was up, and though his wing was hanging limply against his side and oozing blood, he wasn’t out. The guard squared his hind legs and pushed forward right as Applejack was on him. They clashed! Armored chest against armored chest met in a hit that drowned out the spectator noise for a moment. Each pony tried to get enough purchase to get the other under-hoof. Rearing back, Applejack connected several times against the pegasus’s armored head. They weren’t mere taps, either – her horseshoes were studded steel and dents were starting to appear. Still, the guard would not duck his head so that a clean shot could connect. His armor was such that she couldn’t get in a bite, either. Maybe, if she could just maneuver him further away— His wing, the good one, fluttered for a brief moment and Applejack’s attention was off the guard’s face. His head came up quick and the armored helmet slammed into her jowls, pushing her back. He kicked out at her faster than she thought he could with that injury and put a fair knick on her chestplate. The shot had rattled her – she had forgotten how light pegasi were. The guard was over her now and his hooves came down. She took the blow on the helmet and pulled her head out of it before it was crushed. Applejack’s blond mane spilled out as she ran. The pegasus was in hot pursuit, nipping at her bobbed tail as it fluttered about. Their run was stopped every few spans as the Khanate champion stopped to kick, but none connected. Eventually she’d have to turn to get a better purchase for an attack and it would give him the advantage. The problem with running was that Applejack was slowly being corralled. It took several minutes, but eventually the pegasus had maneuvered her so that her back was to the river. The orange pony was panting horribly and it looked like she was having trouble standing. She pulled the knot to her breastplate with her teeth and let it fall to the muddy riverbank since it was too dented to do much good anyway. Adding to the mess, the soldiers had taken the entire bridge in the confusion of the fight. Seeing their champion perform like he had must have bolstered their confidence as nearly a hundred of them were now surrounding ringing the area of the river Applejack was trapped by in a mule shoe formation; even if she managed to beat the pegasus it would either be death by drowning or stampede. “I think you will be the first to be collared,” the governor oozed. He was with the other royal pegasus guard and was bold enough to stand a few hooves in front of his champion. “Now, if you do not surrender your…dear Celestia…” A heavy boot landed at the unicorn’s feet, but he was too busy looking at the sight now presented to him. Scars covered nearly every inch of Applejack’s body: ruptured skin long-healed, cuts from bladed weapons, stab wounds, burns, and more than a few bites. Her face had been uncovered earlier, but the harsh crisscrossing white scar tissue hadn’t been easily seen. Applejack took one step forward to get out of her boot. Everyone else took one step back. The unicorn was unsure of what to even say. His jaw flapped about as he struggled with articulating the rest of his orders. Looking hopelessly at his guards, they looked almost as lost as he felt. Only the leather harness holding her javelins was still on when Applejack finished. She ticked her neck from side to side to work out the kinks; her bones cracked menacingly. “Come on,” she breathed. “Come on, come on, come on!” The mare was bouncing on her hooves almost. “M-Monster! You can’t possibly think you can take all of us?” At that very moment, there was a great clamor from the other side of the bridge. The guards who had been watching the causeway were shouting for help and fleeing helter-skelter towards the main line. At the same time, the unorganized band that had been watching the duel had reformed and was advancing. Applejack smirked and began stepping into the water. “By mahself? No, nopony could do something like that. The main group being led by my brother, though, that would be enough. ‘Specially since you don’t hold that nice little chokepoint no more.” And then they understood. A band of horses twice the number on Applejack’s side of the bridge wheeled around through the center of town and fanned out on the other side of the river. They were led by a truly massive crimson-coated stallion in heavy barding. None of the town guard seemed to know what to do, least of all the governor. His light yellow coat was rapidly turning red and he thundered out a, “Kill her!” right before Applejack’s first javelin gored his throat. The mare grabbed her second lance between her teeth and jerked her neck. It hit the wounded pegasus dead-center in the chest, splitting his armor and buried all the way to half-shaft. This triggered the Khanate harras to fall upon the helpless defenders en masse. Screams and shouts from ponies being trampled to death seemed to follow Applejack’s remaining javelins through the air: one struck a glancing blow on the uninjured pegasus, cutting into his helmet and drawing blood, while the other took the legs out of one poor mare trying to get back to the bridge barricade. Cold water washed over Applejack as she hit the river with ten armored ponies after her. In their fine, never-used armor they sank to the bottom while the orange champion cut through the cool water. Soon it would be dyed red from the afternoon’s butchery, but now it was a pure and pristine as her home on the Saddle Coast used to be. Memories, memories. A pair of teeth lightly grabbed her mane and she allowed herself to be helped up on the opposite bank by the large stallion. The battle for the bridge was all but over and dozens of the former defenders, trapped by the reinforcements with their backs to the river, were surrendering. The ones that had managed to flee wouldn’t escape the hoard of scouts left in the forest next to town. “Were we late?” Applejack shook her head. “Nah, you just missed me getting kicked around for a few extra minutes.” She looked at the empty town now spread at her hooves; untouched and virginal. Big Macintosh had ignored it all on his run through town. “It’s a pretty sight, isn’t it?” “Eeyup. It’ll be a shame, what we have to do with it.” “But that’s the Khan’s decision.” She raised an eyebrow at the stallion. “Unless you want to challenge it?” Big Macintosh’s face drooped and he lowered his head. “Now, you know I ain’t saying that. It’s just that it’s a change from what we’re used to.” He let out a huff. “Besides, we both know you’d just kick my flank and make me do it anyway, Khan.” The youngest Khan in fifty years and she was already drawing heat from a decision. Oh well, the men would grumble no matter what but in the long run they’d see the wisdom of this; Applejack was sure of that. She nodded at her brother and started trotting into the town. “Then I’ll leave it to you. Tell me men no looting, no property damage, and no womanly spoils: we’re putting down roots.”
Burning Down the Reality (Twilight & Celestia)Celestia, sitting atop her throne and surrounded by guards, waited. No amount of burly pegasi could help her in the coming conflict, but at least with them here in the throne room they could be under her watchful eyes. The Guard Commander had stated that he would either put his men with the princess or out in the castle hallways. To Celestia, it was the lesser of two evils. Their loyalty was inspiring, if nothing else. Another powerful explosion rocked the castle and reminded Celestia of what she wished to protect her dear guards from. Her most powerful mages were already fighting – and losing – dozens of feet below them. She wanted to go down and help them, but her entire inner circle had overruled her. They would fight a battle of attrition, slowly withering down the enemy until Celestia could take her on for certain in the throne room. It was a course of action that Celestia declared would be their deaths; they had agreed and said it was their duty. The rumbling from below stopped and Celestia’s head slumped. She could pinpoint exactly where in the castle they were fighting and who was guarding that particular corridor: Star Shard, Professor of Astronomy and Divining at her own school. She had watched him grow up in Canterlot, become one of her royal attendants, and then rise to prominence at the Magic Academy. And now he was gone. Celestia felt his loss pile onto her back like the half dozen others she’d been forced to sit idly by. She had argued with them for as long as she could. Coup attempts like this happened to her at least once a century. She was the expert here – why should this one be any different? She knew why it was, though, and her advisors did as well. They had ignored her and set up their magical traps in the castle. To stop them, Celestia would have had to take them out herself. She was the princess, they were the servants. They were the wax that burned away to protect the wick for as long as possible from the flame. The guards straightened up. Celestia heard their armor rattle as they lined up in formation to guard her throne. There had been a knock at the door; it was a sign that the usurper had made it to the final room. There were no shakes from there, though – Luna had prepared gloriously, even more so than when she had challenged Celestia herself a millennia ago. “Who better to be the last line of defense than me? I know her every thought, Sister, because I was thinking them myself. Don’t look so down – I might be able to stop her with a nice chat, one traitor to another. If not, I still have my own score to settle.” Celestia wished she was on the other side of that door. Luna was only just coming back into her power and now she was thrust into the worst possible situation. Why was the Moon Princess so obstinate? Together they would be able to put this down so quickly. Did she look so fragile to her court that she needed this much protection? A horrible high-pitched whine filled the throne room. The guards had no idea what it was, but they were standing at attention. Celestia, though, knew the sound of her own barrier spell being hacked away at. She rose from the dais. Her guard captain objected, but Celestia wouldn’t stand by and let them die right before her eyes. She had left six of her closest mortal friends and her sister at this monster’s mercy and no more. Their plan had failed and now it was time for Celestia to bring this to an end herself. The wailing stopped. Some of the guards visibly relaxed, but Celestia knew better. She couldn’t feel her magic outside the door any longer. “What are those things?” one of the guards asked. Celestia followed his eyes and saw dozens of red dots appearing on the enormous wooden door of her throne room. They were the nails in the door. At every seem, every hinge, fire licked and twisted its way through the door. What had stood in the castle for hundreds of years was now being turned to cinders before Celestia’s eyes. The wood was burning as the nails melted and ran down the wood in great red sores of fire. A few of the guards ran toward the door to brace it, but the heat coming out of the entrance was fierce enough to drive them back. The doorway yielded to the immense stress and fell forward with a lurch. Hot air rushed in as if it were being blown by a great bellows and behind the door was a wall of white and yellow flames. Fire crept into the room, driving the pegasi guards back. It wasn’t burning like a normal flame; it crept along the floor like shadows chasing a setting sun. Amidst the bewildered guards, Celestia descended the steps of her throne. The distorted air driven forward by the flames retreated in her presence until there seemed to be a solid wall of swirling air just off the tip of her nose. Her guards shuffled behind her. They seemed to finally understand that this was something they couldn’t meet with muscle and hoof. For a few moments the fires simply billowed, like some great beast taking deep breaths from just outside the door. Every push of air lit more and more of the throne room as fine tapestries and other trappings burned to cinders. “Do you really feel the need to create such a spectacle?” Celestia asked, her voice flat and deadpan. “You used to not care about how you came across to others.” “It’s something I learned from my teacher.” The flames that were raging in the doorway did not subside, but nonetheless something was moving through them. It was a small figure, scarcely half Celestia’s regal height and with none of her defining features. What appeared from the flames was a small unicorn with ruby-colored eyes and an ashen-white coat. It stepped into the skittering fire that had consumed the royal red carpet up until it touched Celestia’s golden shoes. Fire from the burning walls and columns leapt to the pony’s head and flank, creating two blazes where a mane and tail should be. She stepped up until her head had to tilt up to see Celestia’s face. Too close. Too uncontrolled. Too dangerous. Celestia’s own magic started leaking out, lacing the room and pushing back against the conjured fire. The powers of the Sun were based off heat as well, though different than the earthly variety. All of the flames save those on the pony’s body were instantly snuffed out as the princess burned away all of the flammable kindling in a pulse of magic. The usurper seemed unimpressed with the display of power. She moved her head, taking in one side of the room and then the other. “You really are going to have to show me how you can do localized bursts of magic like that,” she said. “I would have asked Luna, but…well, she wasn’t in the teaching mood.” “What have you done to my sister?” “She’s having a little time-out until she comes to her senses.” “The only senseless thing my sister did was try and talk to you first.” “And that’s the kind of attitude that I’ll have to break you of if you’re going to be my senior advisor.” The pony raised a hoof and nonchalantly poked the wall of magic separating her and the princess. “Luna turned me down and now she’s sitting back on her moon; I know you’re not as foolish.” Celestia’s eyes narrowed into slits. She would make it up to Luna; her sister, despite her attitude, still hadn’t gotten over her last imprisonment. “Don’t worry, you’ll find I’m not so foolish as to try and bring you back. It’s clear to me that madness has consumed you. Your professors…they were your friends. Did they get the same generous deal that you are giving to my sister and me?” The fire-coated pony shrugged. “Why should they? The first thing about statecraft I learned from you was that regular ponies can be replaced. You two – well, we three, now – can’t.” “I didn’t replace you, Twilight.” Twilight Sparkle, the former private student of Celestia, stomped her feet. Embers sparked from the polished stone floor of the throne room. “Of course you didn’t replace me, I replaced you!” Twilight snapped. “I’ve tapped powers that you never could have taught me! You were holding me back!” The alicorn snorted. “Fine. You replaced me. What, then, could possibly drive you to this? Boredom? Lack of attention? Are you a pet that needs constant supervision and pats on the head to behave?” Celestia found that she couldn’t, and didn’t, want to hold her tongue. “Would you like to sit in my lap like a pampered cat as you used to? I could tell you that everything will be alright and you could write me a friendship report. Would you like that?" “Enough!” Celestia physically braced herself against the wall of raw magic that erupted from Twilight’s body. The air around her was crackling with tiny wisps of fire that arched this way and that. Not for the first time did Celestia wonder how she had missed so much potential in a student. Twilight had certainly been talented, but this was beyond even her most archaic of pupils from eons past. None had ever been so comparable to her own sheer force. When Celestia said no more, the small pony gained some composure. “I’m not here to chat, Celestia. You know exactly what I want. Give me the recipe to the stone, give me your throne, and give me your loyalty. If you don’t—” “—horrible pain and an eternity of imprisonment until I come around to the new order of things – I know this script, my student. You’re not the first to read it to me.” “I will be the last, though. I know how powerful the others were compared to you. I’m a better student than they were. You and I both know it. You chose me because of that.” “I chose you because you were interesting. You have power, but only so much. Luna was exiled not because you need her, but because you couldn’t destroy her. Even in a weakened state, it was probably all you could do to bind my sister.” The ruby fire in Twilight’s eyes gleamed. “So, you’re admitting to your little delaying tactic. You feared to face me without a gauntlet prepared.” Celestia’s eyes narrowed. “Professor Ellipse told me all about it in the ballroom. I know it had to be Luna’s idea – she lost to me in Stalliongrad, after all, and knew that I’ve gained a piece of same thing the two of you have. It was a good plan, in theory: if you could actually defeat me at this point.” Celestia shook her head. “I don’t know why Luna insisted on facing you alone. I don’t understand why any of them bought into her plan. You are not so powerful as you believe, Twilight Sparkle, or have you forgotten how well a judge of character I am? I did, as you say, choose you for a private student.” Twilight’s horn lit red with a solid pillar of flame. “A test, then! To see if I’m correct." The heat in the room returned full-force as whatever magic the pony had mastered started to spark back to life. Her smile became a wry white line as she stalked toward Celestia. "Are you sure you feel up to the grading?” “I think I’ve done this particular test enough times that I don’t need an answer key,” Celestia murmured as she too began to draw out the significant bulk of her power, “my dear, faithful student.” Author's Note This was the first time I really dipped into the idea of Twilight and Celestia as adversaries, way back in 2012. There's no denying that I enjoy writing Twilight as a unicorn more than as a princess, simply because I think you can do much more with her character.
The Start of Fiction (Rainbow Dash & Twilight)“Are you sure about this, Rainbow Dash?” Famous last words to be sure, but this time the pegasus insisted her idea was a good one. Twilight Sparkle was glad that, should things go south, she would be the only one around to deal with the consequences of whatever crazy plan Rainbow was dreaming up. Ever since the Wonderbolt’s show ended, Rainbow Dash had taken to following her around the gala. Everyone else had their own things to go look at before the dinner: Applejack was still operating her stall outside, Pinky was bothering the cooks in the dining hall, Fluttershy was off in the gardens, and Rarity was trying to catch the attention of one of Celestia’s attendants in the main hall. Twilight had wanted to sneak off to the library, but Rainbow Dash’s insistence on hanging out had put a stop to that plan. They were headed to the kitchen for some reason. There was already plenty of food inside the castle, but Rainbow Dash had insisted that there was something “totally wicked” down in the kitchen that Twilight just had to see. Knowing Rainbow Dash it was probably something along the lines of an extra-large spider or a great place to take a nap, but Twilight was trying to keep an open mind for her friend’s sake. Turns out it wasn’t anything Twilight had expected. They actually went a floor below the kitchen and into the cellar before Rainbow loudly announced, “This is it!” “It” turned out to be a section of the cellar full of old barrels and honeycomb racks with bottles in them. Twilight trotted up to one of the shelves and floated a bottle down to her to try and see what it was. They were all very old with spider webs and a thick layer of dust, but the label was readable. “Equestria Red, Merryweather Vineyard,” Twilight read aloud. The gears in her head were turning and she realized what it was she was looking at. “Rainbow Dash!” she scolded, “This is the wine cellar!” The pegasus already had one of the larger bottles down and was doing her best to pry the cork out with her teeth. It finally came loose with a loud “pop” and Rainbow smirked over at her friend. “Bingo! No one is going to be down here for a few hours so I thought we could start the party early. You’re the only one I could get to come with me, though.” Twilight magic’d the bottle out of her friend’s reach, much to the other pony’s annoyed surprise. “We can’t do this, Rainbow Dash. This is the castle’s private stock for the adults.” She let out an indignant huff when the pegasus zipped into the air to reclaim the bottle. Rainbow Dash, bottle-in-hoof, took a long drink before Twilight Sparkle could try to get it back. “There,” she said, only coughing a small bit from the burning in her throat, “I’ve already had some. Can’t really stop me now, can ya?” “You’re being impossible! Fine, see if I care if you get kicked out of the castle.” Twilight spun on her hooves and started for the stairs, but a white leg draped over her neck and held her back. Rainbow Dash was holding the bottle in the crook of her other front leg and dangled it in front of the unicorn’s face, taunting her. “Don’t ‘cha ever get tired of being such a stick in the mud? Walk on the wild side for once! Isn’t that why the Princess sent you to Ponyville?” The wild side she says. Twilight Sparkle had always been the perfect student growing up: while other unicorns were cutting classes and flirting with the guards, she had been hard at work. It had eventually paid off when Celestia herself chose Twilight as her apprentice, but there was a cost. Maybe Rainbow Dash was right and the Princess had sent her to Ponyville to live a little? Besides, weren’t young ponies supposed to be stupid once in a while? Slowly, Twilight Sparkle took the bottle from her friend. The wine had obviously been fermenting for quite some time as the smell was strong. She looked at the grinning face of Rainbow Dash and reared her head back, taking a long drink. It burned horribly and she nearly gagged, but there was something to be said for the harsh taste. “N-Not bad,” she coughed. Rainbow Dash was already back at the wine rack, picking out her next alcoholic conquest. Twilight just nursed hers for a few minutes until the pegasus had picked out a new bottle and they settled in for a prolonged drinking session. Unlike Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash seemed to be old-hat at drinking and she was halfway through her new bottle by the time Twilight had polished hers off. “You know, I haven’t done anything this crazy since flight school!” Dash slurred. She was clearly starting to get a bit lightheaded and her eyes had glazed over a bit. She looked over Twilight for an odd moment and then giggled. “It was with my old friend Gilda. She really knew how to party. I wonder if you’re a party kinda pony?” Twilight Sparkle’s nose twitched as her brow furrowed. “Like, with music and stuff? We could go back up to the ball if that’s what you-” The pony was stopped mid-sentence as Dash stumbled over to her. The pegasus nuzzled Twilight’s neck and laughed again, though it was lower than her former giggle. For some reason, it made the unicorn shiver. “Nah, I don’t mean anything like that, Twilight,” Dash rasped in a husky, rough whisper. Her nose was warm against Twilight’s neck and it swished back and forth against the fur there as she nuzzled her friend. “You’re pretty soft, ya know?” “I-I-I don’t t-think we should be doing this, Dash!” Twilight bolted backwards until she slammed up against the wine rack. She looked around, but the door upstairs was…fuck, it was behind Rainbow Dash! “You’re drunk; you don’t know what you’re doing!” Dash smirked and crept forward like a cat on the prowl. “Oh, I know what I’m GOING to do. To you. Right now.” Then she sprang. Twilight was too slow with her dodge. Even though she could teleport, that bottle of wine had addled her brain too much to think about it and she was bowled over by the faster pegasus. She was on her back, looking up at Dash’s triumphant face. With the punk pony’s legs on either side of Twilight, there wasn’t any escape. The unicorn shuddered when Dash’s warm breath brushed across her nose. “Dash, I-” Her protest was silenced by her friend’s lips. Dash tasted of the wine; tangy and rough. It certainly wasn’t how Twilight had imagined getting her first kiss, but even she had to admit it didn’t feel too bad. When Dash finally pulled back, her teeth slowly pulled on Twilight’s lip and made the pony whimper. “Damn, I’m gooood.” That one whimper had made Dash’s ego bloat to critical levels if her smirk was any indication. It disappeared when a twinkling light surrounded her head and pulled her back down eye-level with her “victim.” “I don’t know, I think I’m going to need a larger experimental group of those before I can gauge how good you are,” Twilight rasped before pulling her friend into another kiss. This time Dash tasted faintly of candy. “A big, BIG experiment group. And then control groups, some data sharing between researchers, and then testing and experimentation…” Dash giggled against Twilight’s lips. “Oh, I’m totally down for some ‘experimentation’, professor. Time for a few hoof-on clinical trials…” It could be blamed on the wine, Twilight assured herself as they moved into more comfortable positions. Just one crazy night in the cellar of the castle that involved far too much alcohol; one more secret that could be covered with bricks and mortar. Canterlot Castle held hundreds of them after all and Twilight was certain that it had room for just one more… Author's Note This is actually the first pony story I wrote, way back in 2010. It was for one of the first threads in /co/. That's right - I started off as a Rainbow and Twilight shipper!
An Applejack Mad Max/Historical FicAuthor's Note This was done back in 2011, so my writing was pretty rough back then. I just thought I should post some stuff on this since I'm cleaning up my old dropbox. Original plan was for an "Applejack journies around Equestria" fic, featuring a lot of battles, and war, and different interpretations of the Mane Six. An Applejack Mad Max/Historical Fic In the beginning there was the Law written by the Eternal Queen and obeyed by her dutiful subjects. The Law provided what nothing else could: purpose. The pegasi with their wings would rule the air, forever managing the mists and clouds; to the unicorns, the old places in the world were given for they alone would tend those secrets; and, to the ponies of the earth, the till and numerous numbers so they might be the great foundation of the Law and society with their strong backs. Thus things were in Equestria and all was well. Earth ponies worked the land and provided food and shelter for the industrious pegasi and brilliant unicorns while they in turn enjoyed the upliftment that came about as a result of interaction with the other ponies – towns were built with the same masonry techniques that allowed the unicorns to construct their great stone city at Canterlot and their fields were tended with the irrigation inventions of the pegasus. However, the earth ponies were not satisfied. They grew jealous of the wings of the pegasi and their cloud cities, where none but other pegasi and unicorns could tread. Some dared to petition the queen for their own wings or horns and were exiled for questioning their role in the Law. These herdless wandered for many months, traveling to the farthest-flung reaches of the kingdom to rally ponies to their cause. When they returned, they did so with an army large enough to crush the old Law underhoof. Taking advantage of the chaos, other earth pony settlements took up arms in bids to increase their land holdings, long fixed in size by the queen. These kingdoms gained their own armies of earth ponies that took up the fight and even surpassed the size of the original rebellion. Queen Celestia, seeing that she did not have enough loyal earth ponies or pegasi to hold everything, abandoned much of her kingdom to the warring kingdoms that now turned on each other. “But you shall not escape lightly!” she said. “I curse you and your land: no more shall the weather be your ally, no more shall the stone bend to you! All that you have you shall toil for under the blaze of the sun!” The threat was not empty: famine swept the lands for years, the old kingdoms broke asunder, and it seemed that the rebellious earth ponies would turn back to the Law, but although the magics in the world had abandoned them, their cunning did not. The natural cycle of the earth took those early ponies into her embrace and they discovered the natural seasons, crop rotation, how to let fields fallow, and ways to bend iron and steel themselves. No longer did they need the fantastic machines and magics of the pegasi to grow their crops or the magic of the unicorns to make their armor and cities. Thus did the earth ponies grow and multiply. Some went back to the old kingdoms and grew their stone towers until they brushed the wisps of the free clouds in the sky; those great stone cities that were the peers of Canterlot. In these places commerce made many a pony rich beyond their wildest dreams and had great sprawling armies that shook the ground when they marched. Many ponies, though, continued to wander as the original free ponies did. They were the seeds of future empires and forever gnashing their teeth at the walls of the great pony kingdoms that lay just beyond the wild places of the earth and would prey upon the outlying settlements that lacked the strong security forces of the central states. These bands would not linger, as their hooves always craved being on the move. They would take food, gold, and other valuables before moving on to the next plunder. There were always the odd ones, though, among these nomadic ponies. At one small settlement outside of the Everfree Forest, in the Duchy of Hoofnhammer, battle lines were being drawn. A harras of fifty or so ponies were standing on one side of the Merryweather River that cut through the eastern half of the town of Ponyville. The buildings on one side had been broken into, their windows shattered and doors kicked in. Burgundy flags fluttered from some of the rooftops: trimmed with gold, they had a blood-red apple in the middle that advertised to all that this was a warband from the Saddle Coast, one of Equestria’s richest – and most violent – agricultural regions. At the main bridge spanning the river was most of the band. They stood on the east side, clad in leather armor and galloping back and forth along the riverbank in unrestrained exuberance. On the other side of the barricaded bridge was the larger defense force of Ponyville. They too were in armor and it glittered brightly in the afternoon sun, polished and new as it was. A large barrier of bristling metal spikes kept the Khanate and defense force separate. One of the harras force wasn’t joining in the spectacle. It was a large orange pony with broad shoulders and thick legs. They stood at the mouth of the bridge and their barding was pure iron and steel. Broad, interlocking plates formed a neck guard that ran up to a helm that ran the length of the muzzle exposing only the mouth, nose, and eyes. It was nicked and scared nearly as much as the flesh under it was with old scars and battle wounds. The flank plate rattled as the pony slowly walked forward. On either side were two short javelins in a loose leather holster. Her tail flicked and the harras came to attention. A small light-blue colt trotted out from the group. He wasn’t wearing much armor, nor did he have any weapons, but he carried himself proudly. He marched right up to the lip of the bridge and cleared his throat. “Greetings from the Khan! The Lord Khan of the Saddle Coast, leader of the Apple Harras! The conqueror that sacked the provincial capital of Palomino; who fought the great Ursa Major of Alamar to a standstill; that galloped the length of the Saddle Coast in a single night; and champion of the thirty-fourth Meeting of the Coastal Clans!” A terse silence from the other side of the river met the colt, but he was not deterred in the slightest. He looked at the gathering herd of militia and smirked – his audience was growing. “The Khan wishes that I present your leader with the terms of your surrender! Where is your leader?” That finally did provoke action in the opposite line. A gaudily-armored unicorn trotted out to the break in the barricade. He was flanked by two pegasi in golden armor, bearing the seal of Canterlot. “Amusing! I was just ordering the iron collars for your capture and march to the capital.” The middle-aged stallion’s voice had lost none of its youthful pride and it projected well. “If you desist in this barbarism immediately, I shall ensure that most of you reach Canterlot alive.” With a sad, long-suffering shake of his head, the colt responded, “You do not seem to realize the futility of further defense! Very well!” He trotted over to the armored pony standing in the middle of the street behind him. “The Khan’s champion, Applejack, wishes to fight any horse of your choosing to demonstrate what you will face if you continue to resist! Since many of your guardsmen were too busy fleeing from us in the initial attack, you may not have witnessed the keenness of resolve. Send your champion!” The taunting, as well as the challenge, left the unicorn shaking with rage. As the Khanate horses cleared a fighting space, one of the armored pegasi galloped forward with death in his eyes. He bore a glancing wound on his flank that wasn’t quite covered by the armor there; probably one of the few first defenders that had managed to retreat to the city center during the fighting. His opponent, the well-armored harras pony, scuffed at the ground with her hooves as the speaker dashed out of harm’s way. “Did ya have to needle him so much that he sent out a pegasus, Snips?” Her eyes were on the hooves, wings, and armor of her opponent. “I might actually have to try with this ‘un.” “That’s what you said about the last one,” Snips laughed. “Come on, it’s a great day to fight!” He didn’t slow down and was soon behind the main line. It was a beautiful day – one broken by the sound of thundering hooves on dusty cobblestone. Applejack ran towards the pegasus and he took to the wing right before they collided at the bridge. His hind hoof came down hard, but the earth pony ducked and leaned forward on her front legs. The pegasus had made a mistake in trying to land a hit as he hadn’t put that much lateral distance between them. Applejack’s back legs caught him in the wing as she kicked up. There was a horrible cracking sound as the brittle bones there shattered and the pegasus crashed into the ground a few feet away. Horrified gasps from the bridge confirmed that many of the soldiers there were militia that had never seen such a wound. Their gasps became cries as Applejack chased after the wounded pony. He was up, and though his wing was hanging limply against his side and oozing blood, he wasn’t out. The guard squared his hind legs and pushed forward right as Applejack was on him. They clashed! Armored chest against armored chest met in a hit that drowned out the spectator noise for a moment. Each pony tried to get enough purchase to get the other under-hoof. Rearing back, Applejack connected several times against the pegasus’s armored head. They weren’t mere taps, either – her horseshoes were studded steel and dents were starting to appear. Still, the guard would not duck his head so that a clean shot could connect. His armor was such that she couldn’t get in a bite, either. Maybe, if she could just maneuver him further away— His wing, the good one, fluttered for a brief moment and Applejack’s attention was off the guard’s face. His head came up quick and the armored helmet slammed into her jowls, pushing her back. He kicked out at her faster than she thought he could with that injury and put a fair knick on her chestplate. The shot had rattled her – she had forgotten how light pegasi were. The guard was over her now and his hooves came down. She took the blow on the helmet and pulled her head out of it before it was crushed. Applejack’s blond mane spilled out as she ran. The pegasus was in hot pursuit, nipping at her bobbed tail as it fluttered about. Their run was stopped every few spans as the Khanate champion stopped to kick, but none connected. Eventually she’d have to turn to get a better purchase for an attack and it would give him the advantage. The problem with running was that Applejack was slowly being corralled. It took several minutes, but eventually the pegasus had maneuvered her so that her back was to the river. The orange pony was panting horribly and it looked like she was having trouble standing. She pulled the knot to her breastplate with her teeth and let it fall to the muddy riverbank since it was too dented to do much good anyway. Adding to the mess, the soldiers had taken the entire bridge in the confusion of the fight. Seeing their champion perform like he had must have bolstered their confidence as nearly a hundred of them were now surrounding ringing the area of the river Applejack was trapped by in a mule shoe formation; even if she managed to beat the pegasus it would either be death by drowning or stampede. “I think you will be the first to be collared,” the governor oozed. He was with the other royal pegasus guard and was bold enough to stand a few hooves in front of his champion. “Now, if you do not surrender your…dear Celestia…” A heavy boot landed at the unicorn’s feet, but he was too busy looking at the sight now presented to him. Scars covered nearly every inch of Applejack’s body: ruptured skin long-healed, cuts from bladed weapons, stab wounds, burns, and more than a few bites. Her face had been uncovered earlier, but the harsh crisscrossing white scar tissue hadn’t been easily seen. Applejack took one step forward to get out of her boot. Everyone else took one step back. The unicorn was unsure of what to even say. His jaw flapped about as he struggled with articulating the rest of his orders. Looking hopelessly at his guards, they looked almost as lost as he felt. Only the leather harness holding her javelins was still on when Applejack finished. She ticked her neck from side to side to work out the kinks; her bones cracked menacingly. “Come on,” she breathed. “Come on, come on, come on!” The mare was bouncing on her hooves almost. “M-Monster! You can’t possibly think you can take all of us?” At that very moment, there was a great clamor from the other side of the bridge. The guards who had been watching the causeway were shouting for help and fleeing helter-skelter towards the main line. At the same time, the unorganized band that had been watching the duel had reformed and was advancing. Applejack smirked and began stepping into the water. “By mahself? No, nopony could do something like that. The main group being led by my brother, though, that would be enough. ‘Specially since you don’t hold that nice little chokepoint no more.” And then they understood. A band of horses twice the number on Applejack’s side of the bridge wheeled around through the center of town and fanned out on the other side of the river. They were led by a truly massive crimson-coated stallion in heavy barding. None of the town guard seemed to know what to do, least of all the governor. His light yellow coat was rapidly turning red and he thundered out a, “Kill her!” right before Applejack’s first javelin gored his throat. The mare grabbed her second lance between her teeth and jerked her neck. It hit the wounded pegasus dead-center in the chest, splitting his armor and buried all the way to half-shaft. This triggered the Khanate harras to fall upon the helpless defenders en masse. Screams and shouts from ponies being trampled to death seemed to follow Applejack’s remaining javelins through the air: one struck a glancing blow on the uninjured pegasus, cutting into his helmet and drawing blood, while the other took the legs out of one poor mare trying to get back to the bridge barricade. Cold water washed over Applejack as she hit the river with ten armored ponies after her. In their fine, never-used armor they sank to the bottom while the orange champion cut through the cool water. Soon it would be dyed red from the afternoon’s butchery, but now it was a pure and pristine as her home on the Saddle Coast used to be. Memories, memories. A pair of teeth lightly grabbed her mane and she allowed herself to be helped up on the opposite bank by the large stallion. The battle for the bridge was all but over and dozens of the former defenders, trapped by the reinforcements with their backs to the river, were surrendering. The ones that had managed to flee wouldn’t escape the hoard of scouts left in the forest next to town. “Were we late?” Applejack shook her head. “Nah, you just missed me getting kicked around for a few extra minutes.” She looked at the empty town now spread at her hooves; untouched and virginal. Big Macintosh had ignored it all on his run through town. “It’s a pretty sight, isn’t it?” “Eeyup. It’ll be a shame, what we have to do with it.” “But that’s the Khan’s decision.” She raised an eyebrow at the stallion. “Unless you want to challenge it?” Big Macintosh’s face drooped and he lowered his head. “Now, you know I ain’t saying that. It’s just that it’s a change from what we’re used to.” He let out a huff. “Besides, we both know you’d just kick my flank and make me do it anyway, Khan.” The youngest Khan in fifty years and she was already drawing heat from a decision. Oh well, the men would grumble no matter what but in the long run they’d see the wisdom of this; Applejack was sure of that. She nodded at her brother and started trotting into the town. “Then I’ll leave it to you. Tell me men no looting, no property damage, and no womanly spoils: we’re putting down roots.”
