The Invasion

I’ll bet you’re thinking that this story has reached its climax, and therefore, shall now begin a descent towards the end. Well, I’m here to tell you that this is not the case, and it’s all because Twilight could not make a decision. As she sat there with Cutthroat underneath her, I could tell that pain was shooting through her entire body. Her methodology of friendship did battle with the sensibilities that told her to end this evil creature. Tears flashed in her eyes, but she quickly blinked them away. She did not want her enemies to see her in a moment of weakness. Remaining true to the friendship that boiled up inside her was absolute.

Unfortunately, it was that moment of hesitation, when she raised herself away from Cutthroat, that he was able to turn the tables. He grabbed her by the mane and drug her away to an uncertain fate. Breeze and I chased after them, but to no avail as Cutthroat’s hench zebras surrounded us. They charged, and it was all we could do to hold them off. I remember hearing one of their shoulders crunch beneath me as I bit at the zebra’s neck. I felt a vengeance rise within me that frightened me, and then I remembered Twilight screaming as she was taken away. I sliced a hoof through my opponent’s flank, drawing a satisfying amount of blood, before darting off to join Breeze in her fight.

Together, we were able to kill two of the evildoers and injure seven more, sending them yelping back where they came from. That left just one, and, thankfully, he was a complete coward. He hid among his zebra brethren just long enough for us to finish the fight, and now he trembled as we advanced on him. I felt strength lacerating my being, turning me into a much more brutish character than I had any right to be. But Twilight was in trouble, and I knew she needed our help. Thus, we crept slowly upon the shivering striped equine, and he gave us a look of surrender. If he had any kind of energy to begin with, it had been sapped the minute we sent the last hench zebra packing.

“Um…uh…get back, ponies!” He said in a weak attempt at a growl, “for I am-“

“A sniveling idiot?” Breeze finished with a snarl.

“No! I’m not! I am in the service of Lord Cutthroat, and no pony will stand in my way!”

I smiled sarcastically. “While I appreciate your feeble attempt at something close to bravery, it won’t work.”

“Trundle Hoof is right,” Breeze said, “you’ve captured Princess Twilight, and now, we want her back.”

“Breeze…now…you’re a traitor,” the zebra said through chattering teeth, “a-and that means I have…authorization…to kill you.”

“So try and kill me,” Breeze said, “go on, I’ll wait.”

She sat on her haunches and gloated a bit as the much smaller zebra attempted to do away with her. He went after her throat, her flank, her back, and even tried to sneak a peek underneath her tail. But every step of the way, she had him covered. I was incredibly impressed. Each new hoof swipe took a little bit of his fur off, and he eventually stepped back and admitted defeat. He tried to put up a small front, but his skittishness eventually got the better of him and he sank to his stomach.

“You’re right,” he moaned, “I can’t do anything, Breeze. I’m just a dimwit.”

“Now, now,” she said, standing him up, “I didn’t say that. You made a choice to follow a dimwit, but that doesn’t make you one. Oh, where are my manners? Trundle Hoof, this is Bass Stripes.”

“Do all the male zebras have stripe related names?” I quipped.

“No, they don’t,” Breeze snapped, “it’s just that we have a lot of them around here, and many zebras tend to name themselves after their stripes. Now, are you gonna be nice and shake his hoof?”

“Of course,” I said, chuckling, “sorry, Bass. I just don’t tend to run into many equines named after stripes.”

He smiled. “As you get used to being in the Zebra Homeland, you’ll get better acquainted with our naming procedures. Look, I’m sorry I tried to hurt you and Breeze. I just wanted to…well…be brave for once in my life. I’ve always been the scared zebra, the hurt zebra, and the weak zebra. I wanted to stand on my own four hooves and…perhaps…find a mare in the process.”

I sympathized with him entirely. I had never been the bravest of ponies, so I could definitely understand where he was coming from. Truth be told, my entire fight with the zebras was based on pure adrenaline and my hormones reacting to pictures of Twilight. I will be the first to admit that I was as scared as a mouse when we were doing battle. The blood that coated the clearing made me lightheaded, and I actually ended up stumbling a bit. But Bass and Breeze held me up, and I was thrilled to have two new friends within the zebra corps. Maybe they could help me talk some sense into Cutthroat; either that, or help me rescue Twilight and end him once and for all.

“I’m pleased that you’ve turned out so friendly, Bass,” I said, “perhaps you can help us in our endeavors to rescue the princess.”

“Who? That purple pony?” He asked.

I nodded. “Yes. She’s our leader, and she’s betrothed to a stallion back in Equestria. While we do not know if he survived the attacks led by your Cutthroat, we do know that she loves him dearly. It’s our job to find her and return her to our land so she might marry him.”

He must have seen a small glimmer in my eye, for the next phrase that tumbled from his mouth could not have been spoken otherwise. “You…you’re in love with her too, aren’t you?” He asked.

“Yes, I am,” I said, “but she must never know this. She is happy with her stallion, so I’ll just have to find another mare.”

“Why settle?” He asked suddenly, “I mean, why settle for a mare that you’re marrying just to marry…when you could have the princess with a word?”

“It just doesn’t work that way,” I said, “and I’d really prefer not to talk about it anymore. Love aside, Twilight is Breeze and I’s friend, and I know she’ll be yours too, Bass. So, in light of that, let’s go get our friend back!”