Wrath of My Righteous Little Ponies

Tears pooled at the edges of Greenery’s eyes at her sudden weakness. She shook her head trying desperately to fight the demon that hung over her, but all she could manage was a weak, “No…”

“That’s no way to treat a lady?” A voice called out from overhead. The demon snapped his head around and Greenery struggled to look up. From the sky dropped a pegasus landing in a crouch so low it was like he was bowing to them, his white wings fanned out flat against the ground on either side of his, his long black coat bellowing for a moment before settling on his white flank.

The pegasus stood tucking his wings to his side, grinning cockily at the pair his blue eyes sparkling and tossed his black mane back from his face. From his neck hung a silver medallion in the wiry outline of a butterfly. “I’ll only warn you once: Get away from her or you’ll have to deal with me.”

“No…” Greenery struggled, shaking her head at the stallion. “Run!”

The incubus just laughed, “If you insist.” Suddenly it was in front of the white stallion, its wicked hoof careening towards his muzzle.

The stallion calmly rolled his head back dodging the blow brought his own hoof up towards the demon’s chest and pair of hoof blades snapping forward and sinking deep into the incubus’ chest. A stunned looked fell over the demon’s face as the stallion ripped them out. “I warned you.”

The surprise on the demon’s face turned to a grin and the wounds on his chest rapidly sealed shut. “You should have listened to the mare.” The demon hoof shot up and slammed onto the stallion’s chest radiating the same dark magic it had when he’s struck Greenery. The pegasus stumbled forward against the incubus struggling to catch his breath. “You’re pretty thin and curvy yourself, you might make a nice mare for me as well.”

The incubus’ laugh was cut to a cry of pain. His head whipped around to see the crossbow bolt sticking out of his shoulder, wisps of golden holy magic still wafting up from it. With a growled he glared back at Greenery who still held the large crossbow in her hooves as she stood up from the ground.

“You’ll pay for that you bitch!” the incubus snarled shoving the pegasus off of him and charging back at Greenery.

Greenery toss the crossbow at the charging demon and ducked down to scoop up her sword. He didn’t break a single stride as he batted the weapon away from himself and brought his hoof up to strike. Greenery almost had her mouth around the sword when the demon’s hoof slammed into her muzzle splitting her cheek open. Greenery lost her grip and staggered her head swimming with pain.

Greenery steadied herself and brought a hoof to her chest letting the blessed healing of her goddess flow into her sealing the wound on her cheek like it was never there. Greenery anticipated another blow, but instead the incubus cried out again.

The paladin looked up to see the pegasus had landed on the demon’s back and driven his hoof blades directly into the incubus’ spine. “You might heal, but I bet this hurts!” The pegasus shouted twisting the blades.

The incubus threw his head back slamming it into the pegasus’, his twin horns cutting gashes across the pegasus’ scalp and throwing him off. The pegasus crashed to the cobble stones on his back, his head swimming from the blow. The incubus turned on him raising up onto his hind legs, “That’s it, you die.”

Suddenly a sword with a faint golden glow thrust out of the demon’s chest. The incubus’ face stayed locked in rage but jerked as it twisted around. Greenery stood behind sword in mouth, the golden light of her smite raising off of her like wisps of smoke as its divine protection left her. Something that would only happen if the chosen foe was defeated. “After you,” She muttered and yanked the sword out of him.

The incubus staggered away from the pegasus a hoof clutching at the fatal wound. “I’ll make you pay for that,” It wheezed before collapsing to the ground. Greenery knew that was no idle threat and that the incubus had only abandoned its shell to return and reform in the abyss as all demons could.

Sheathing her sword Greenery stepped up to the fallen pegasus, he was hurt, but his quiet groaning told her he was still alive. She reached down offering a hoof which he accepted, a flex of his leg causing the hoof blade to retract back into place along either side of his foreleg, reaching up and grasping it tightly with his own.

When their hooves touched Greenery muttered a prayer and the blessed healing of her goddess traveled down her hoof and spread across the pegasus’ body. The gashes in his scalp mended shut and vanished without a trace. Then with a single strong pull Greenery lifted the stallion back to his hooves.

“Thank you for your assistance, if you hadn’t saved me there who knows what this bastard might have done.” Greenery glared down at the incubus’ corpse and gave it a solid kick with a free hoof.

Greenery felt the grip on her hoof shift so that the pegasus was holding her hoof up in his. She looked back to the pegasus and found herself staring into his sparkling blue eyes. Her confusing blossomed into full embarrassment when he suddenly bent his head down and kissed her hoof. “Enchanté my lady,” He smiled up at her causing her eyes to shoot wide and her cheeks to flush causing her fur to look a little purple. “My name is Sword Strike, but you may call me Striker, and I am at your service. May I ask the lady’s name.”

“G-G-Green Garden,” Greenery stammered suddenly unable to think clearly in what was for her an unprecedented exchange.

“Well Green Garden you would make me the happiest stallion alive if you would do me the honor of becoming my wife.” Striker asked with a deferential bow.

Greenery’s whole face turned purple then as the inside of her ears almost glowed red. Greenery stammered to find words and started weakly to try and withdraw her hoof from his. Her eyes dropped to the ground to escape his and fell upon the body of Caramel, his throat crushed flat, his eyes wide with horror. The color instantly drained from Greenery face, her stammering fell silent and she withdrew her hoof from Striker’s. “You have an ill sense of timing.”

A dejected look spread across Striker’s face until he followed her eyes and saw the dead young soldier laying next to them. He took a step back shame filling his eyes as he looked from Caramel to Noteworthy to Hooves. He glanced back up at Greenery who had looked to each as well perhaps in hopes of some sign of life from any of them. “S-sorry. I don’t think sometimes.”

“It’s ok.” Greenery spoke in a dispassionate tone, “I have to get them off the streets. Thunderlane too, I have to find him.”

Greenery turned and looked off to the distance. Striker was following her gaze when suddenly she rushed by him. “Hold on Green Garden,” Striker said flying up and landing in front of Greenery motioning with his hooves for her to calm down. “I can go find your stallion, it’ll be easier for me searching from the air.”

Greenery paused and thought about it for a moment before nodding in silent agreement. Striker hovered back into the air and before he could take off Greenery added. “He’s a black pegasus with an aqua striped mane.”

“Right,” Striker nodded and took off, his black long coat flapping as he sped through the air. It only took him a moment to find the fallen pegasus laying next to a smashed cart his skulled slightly caved in and his head twisted at an unnatural angle. Striker landed next to Thunderlane and gently brushed the dead pegasus’ mane back from his face. “Looks like you took a nasty fall their brother, rest easy now.” Striker gently pushed close the dead stallion’s eyes and, hovering over him, wrapped his fore hooves around his chest and lifted the pegasus up into the air.

Flying back he saw Greenery carrying the last stallion, Hooves, over to the burnt-out ruins of a building. Striker flew down through the non-existent ceiling and saw that she had arranged the three stallions in a line along one of the remaining walls. Dropping down he laid Thunderlane down next to the other young recruit then landed next to Greenery.

“I shouldn’t have brought them out here.” Greenery shook her head, speaking more to herself then to Striker.

Striker answered regardless, “It wasn’t your fault, you didn’t bring the demons to the city. These stallions all look like good paladins, they knew the risk.”

“I brought them out here that makes it my fault.” Greenery countered and set about performing benediction over the fallen stallions before Striker could speak again. She looked up after the short prayer to see Striker doing the same and her eyes fell upon the silver butterfly medallion that hung from his neck.

“We were all followers of Iomedae, but we appreciate the prayers of a Desnian as well, thank you.” Greenery gave him a grateful nod.

Striker looked down at the medallion and picked it up by the cord that it hung around his neck. “Oh ya this,” He gave the medallion a flick and it rang out twirling on its cord. “Naw I don’t worship Desna, or anyone really. I just do my own thing. I just really like this, I’ve had it since… forever I guess.”

Greenery gave the stallion an odd look, she knew there were alatristic ponies in the world of course. However, being raised outside a crusader city built to hold back hordes of demons, she had met very few. Those she had met typically came under investigation for colluding with the demons she had sworn to defeat.

Looking Striker over she could see he was a rich pony, probably a noble, his long coat was finely tailored, the sets of hoof blades that were strapped to both of his fore hooves were of high craftsmanship, they’re ability to retract back and forth was not a cheap feature either. The medallion he wore could have fed a dozen families for a year.

“We need to bury them under the debris, hopefully that will keep demons from finding them until we can take them someplace safe.” Greenery said breaking her own train of thought and moving over to a pile of debris.

“Right,” Striker nodded and quickly moved to assist her. Greenery worked in silent for the next several minutes until the four stallions were hidden. Striker did not. He talked almost constantly but rarely to Greenery. He spoke the four dead stallion like they were both alive and old friends of his. He’d mutter apologies if he dropped a piece of debris too hard, or ask them before he’d move a limb to a better position. Greenery listed closely noting that his tone never turned mocking or derisive. When they finished he patted the pile, “There that’ll keep you colts safe.”

“Have you been around the dead a lot?” Greenery had once known a mare, a priestess whose job it was to care for the dead and ready them for funerals or cremation. She had known death so intimately that crusaders often sought her counsel when the cause of a pony’s death wasn’t entirely understood. Greenery had seen her speaking to the dead in much the same fashion as Striker had.

Striker shook his head, “No, not really at all until today.” He paused a moment, a sad look coming over his face as he looked down briefly before confessing. “I killed a pony once in a duel. I was running my mouth and he took some offense with a joke I’d made. He was a dick, but… he didn’t deserve to die.”

This surprised Greenery, the way Striker had jumped into battle with the incubus, sinking his blades into vile areas without hesitation, she would have thought his combat experience would have been greater. The crusade wasn’t some clean-cut war between demons and ponies, plenty of ponies had sought the favor of demon for their own gain. Greenery herself had killed more cultists than she cared to remember.

Stepping outside the building she paused to consider Striker again. She had no real reason to trust him, if fact it was a decidedly bad idea to trust a pony who dropped out of the sky in a city being ravished just in the nick of time to save her. Not to mention a pony with no faith and who treated the death and destruction around him with so casually. After what happened with Big Macintosh, Greenery knew better than most what it was to be fooled by someone who claimed to be a good pony. But there was an honesty in Striker’s eyes and words that Greenery couldn’t deny, marked him as someone she wanted to trust.

“So where to next my lady,” Striker asked flashing Greenery a charming smile and a little bow as if where her escort in an untouched city’s nobles quarter.

Greenery couldn’t help a slight grin and chuckle. “There’s a place called Defender’s Heart, it’s a low solid stone building cradled inside the edge of a fissure. Survivors are starting to gather there you should fly there as quickly as you can and lay low with the others.”

“My lady, it sounds as if you want me to abandon you out here,” Striker said careening with mock horror. Straightening himself up he shook his head firmly. “I cannot do that, where you go, I go my lady.”

“I’m not a… I mean I am but-” Greenery stammered her face flushing again though this time a little frustration mixed with the embarrassment. Striker just grinned playfully, “You know what I mean. I’m a paladin, I can take care of myself, and I don’t want anyone else dying out here for me.”

“Green Garden I already told you that wasn’t your fault, so stop blaming yourself,” Striker gave her a disappointed shake of his head, but was careful to be more sympathetic than scolding. “There’s no way I’m leaving you alone out here, how could I do that to the mare I’m going to marry someday.”

Greenery chuckled again at the sure look on the stallion’s face. She knew telling him to go back to Defender’s Heart was a long shot anyway. “Greenery, everybody just calls me Greenery. And If I’m stuck with you them we had better hurry, I need to get to my house and see if my wife is there.”

Striker’s smile dropped from his face a crushed pout replacing it, “You’re married?”