Blight of The War Horse (Reforged)

Lightning flashed, illuminating the darkened landscape, while thunder boomed, shaking the train’s carriages as it roared through the countryside, its metal wheels grinding against the frosted tracks.

“So, I can see you’re in a good mood.” Olive Branch chuckled.

The train he and the warrior found themselves on slowly closed in on the small town in the distance populated by thatch-roof houses. Next to him and staring out the snow-covered window like a foal on their birthday, the warrior watched Ponyville like a hawk with a rare, if not bloodthirsty, grin. It pleased the old stallion, seeing Storm Breaker enjoy herself, even if it was about killing things. Now if only the train car had heating, he’d be enjoying himself as well- the puffy coat he put on didn’t help at all.

Rumbling of thunder vibrated the train car around them again, bolts of blighting lightning striking in the distance. The untamed weather of the Everfree Forest seemed to extend its influence, impacting the townsfolk as well. The air grew heavy with the scent of impending rain, its presence intensifying with each passing mile.

Olive Branch hoped this would be over before a single drop fell from the sky; ice is not an old pony’s friend.

“How can I not?” The warrior said, “I finally get to have a taste of my old life, something familiar in this world.” Olive Branch couldn’t imagine the feeling she had going through her veins as she pumped her foreleg. “Especially with this.” Reaching down, the warrior returned quickly with a brand new sword held comfortably in her jaws.

Unlikely her previous wooden sword used for intimidation purposes, the nearly six-foot-long hunk of finely crafted steel was the real deal.

The new sword's sheath was made of a velvety-red dyed wood, its ends capping off with formed brass plates held in place by small rivets. Its brass-colored hoof guard was blocky in design, sporting an upward curve that ended in a point in the middle of the blade’s flatter end. Three gems sat within the guard's inner net pattern; one big red jewel with two smaller green stones flanking it. Finally, brown leather wrapped tightly around the handle, ending in a butt cap shaped like an upside-down crescent moon.

It had been an offering from Luna just before they departed, the only side effect being the no-so-friendly guards accompanying them became more off-Standish. Olive Branch could understand their worry and no doubt the warrior could do significant damage with a wooden sword. But a carved piece of wood isn’t getting rid of pony-eating monsters.

“You remind me of my younger self. So antsy to jump straight into the fire and beat the ever-loving crap out of the embers.” He reminisced, sipping from his keg.

The warrior snorted in amusement, “You? Like me? When will you stop trying to find comparisons?” She said, leaning her sword against the window. “I can’t see you- an old unicorn -going out and spilling blood for your country. You’re too-.”

“Handsome?” Olive Branch joked.

“Lazy!” She finished.

Immediately, halting the raising of his keg for a drink, Olive Branch shot up in his seat and looked at the warrior in vexed bewilderment. “What?! How can I be lazy? Sure, I drink a lot, and I ain’t as spry compared to my younger years, but it doesn’t mean I’m lazy!” Frantically argued the old stallion.

Rolling her eye, the warrior laid back, “Sure~. Those naps you like to have every chance you get on break really make me think overwise.” She teased sarcastically, smirking at his expense. “Hades, if it weren’t for the fact I somewhat enjoy your company, I would’ve run off a thousand times over.” She said.

“I-” Olive Branch began to yell before his voice suddenly died out. “You…enjoy my company? That’s the first genuinely nice thing you’ve said to me- and no less to a unicorn.” He realized.

“Write it down. It’d last longer.” She huffed.

In the train car’s roof, shiny speakers attached to rusty mounts screeched to life with a scratchy humming sound, startling the warrior. “Alrighty, passengers! We are approaching the next stop of Ponyville shortly. Due to oncoming weather, all trains from here on out will not be active until Cloudsdale weather company fixes this issue. We apologize for the inconvenience and hope you have a swell day!” The announcer said, sounding too joyful about the ongoing threat of a winter disaster, followed by a click.

“I swear I’ll find your coward ass, mysterious voice!” The warrior grumbled.

Olive Branch exasperatedly groaned as he threw his head back against the seat. “Well, ain’t that just great?” He huffed, roughly slamming the keg into the seat space next to him. If the trains weren’t going to run any time soon, reinforcements would take ages to get here if things went sideways, and the storm ahead would block aerial support.

This whole day was reeking of an ambush; it stabbed at Olive Branch’s more tactical side of the brain, remembering his day’s dealing with griffon raiders. Something wasn’t right- that much was obvious.

“Hey, coot,” The warrior said, Olive Branch turning to look at the curious-looking mare, “When you say I remind you of yourself, what do you mean by that, really? I’m positive you know a lot about who I am and what I did, but with you: I’m clueless.” She said.

“Oh? The big tough knight is interested in an insignificant unicorn’s story?” Olive Branch said in fake surprise, the corners of his mouth moving up.

Seeing the flustered blush on her face made his grin widen, “S-Shut up! It’s… for intel purposes.” She stuttered.

“Right.” Taking a final sip from his keg, Olive Branch whipped his mouth and sighed, “Since we don’t have much time right now, I’ll give you the basic run down. In short, I started my early years as a run-of-the-mill guard fresh out of the academy, with ten bits in my hoof, stars in my eyes, and a head full of dreams. I did my service here and there, stopping vermin from causing trouble; and the sort. I worked up the ladder until I became the captain of the royal guard and Celestia's close friend.”

A look of surprise came to the warrior's face, “Wait, you were close friends with the older alicorn?” She asked in disbelief.

Olive Branch nodded, “I was a glorified personal servant. But I didn’t mind. We talked about endless topics between our downtimes until I retired, and that shining armor kid replaced me.” While he had a good head on his shoulders and was next to none in leadership skills, that cadence harlot distracted the young stallion from his duties too often. “Fortunately, now I work as her full-time assistant in the guard division, sending reports of anything relating to said guards. It’d been only recently that I was assigned to watch over you.”

The old stallion still missed those days of being the guard captain. Where he was seen as some old geezer who barely did a thing besides drinking by most ponies nowadays, he was a well-respected stallion in his prime. Now the only thing he gets from his peers is unwanted pity; acting like a breeze will turn him to dust.

The only pony apart from the royal sister who treated him differently was Storm Breaker. Sure, her comments and jokes weren’t respectful, but it was a welcomed change in pace for him- he could return the snide jokes in turn, anyway. Don’t throw stones at glass houses and all.

“If that’s the case…then do you know who the alicorns’ father is? Since you were so close to her.” The warrior asked hesitantly.

Raising an Eyebrow, Olive Branch looked down in thought, running a hoof through his mane, “Tartarus, darling, you’re making me go way back. I’m uncertain if I ever heard her say it more than once.” He mumbled, rubbing his chin with the same hoof. “Why’d you want to know anyways?” He asked, not diverting his gaze.

There was a pregnant pause before she answered. “At the cafe this morning, I told you how Celestia thinks her father…’ influenced me.’” She scoffed slightly, receiving a nod, “The thing is, I don’t know what triviality she speaks of, and I never met this supposedly well-known tyrant. The thought’s looped in my head for a while now; it’s getting irritating. Is it possible…her father was a unicorn or pegasus?” unreadable strain lined her questioning tone suddenly, and Olive Branch looked up at her with concern…only for his blood to freeze.

Swallowing a lump, he slowly shook his head, “F-From what I know, alicorns can only be born if at least one of the parents is an alicorn.” He said, barely holding in his stuttering. “There hasn’t been any reports throughout history of an alicorn being born without an alicorn parent.” Unfortunately, he could withhold an involuntary flinch as a heavy hoof rested on his shoulder.

The warrior's eerily calm face stayed the same, “Just a hunch; is her father, by any chance, an alicorn as well?” She said in an equally unsettling tone.

Olive Branch did his best to shrug, “From my m-memory, probably.” He whispered.

However, betraying the still calmness occupying the lower half of her face, the bulging veins around her shrunk pupil, and wide, bloodshot eye twitched with scarcely hidden anger. “Does the name King Platinum sound familiar to you?”

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Sweet Celestia!” Cried a shivering posh voice, “I don’t know why I’d agree to this; it feels like my tail is going to freeze off.” She whined, her pearly white body shivering beneath a comically thick winter jacket and scarf. Her purple mane- sans her tail -was tucked in, her horn barely sticking out, and she had a covered cutie mark of three gems. Walking up next to her, Twilight rested a hoof on her shoulder as a field of lavender produced by the studious unicorn’s horn surrounded the wrapped-up mare.

The freezing temperatures outside the field became negated, bringing warmth to the posh mare, “Rarity, it will be a few seconds before they come, I promise.” She said with a reassuring smile.

Rarity scoffed, “You’ve been saying that for the past two hours, darling. If it weren’t for Pinkie and her welcome surprise for that brute I ran into the day I went to Canterlot, my orders could’ve been complete now.” Sweating bullets- Rarity grimaced under her now overly warm clothing.

“‘Brute?’ Who do you mean?” Twilight asked.

Suddenly feeling a strange presence nearby, both mares were too late to ready themselves as, following a series of approaching bounces, an all-pink earth pony mare with a three-balloon cutie mark grappled them into a tight hug. “She’s talking about Stormy, silly!” She snorted and giggled, her winter get-up consisting of a beanie, muffles, and a scarf. “Although, you shouldn’t say meanie things like that.” She scolded, her smile remaining.

Twilight’s eyes widened slightly, “Wait. You met Storm Breaker?”

Rolling her eyes, Rarity sighed exasperatedly, “Unfortunately, yes. It’s…a long story,” Rarity said, “But she’s as bad as you told us, Twilight.” She said.

The studious unicorn was about to push the subject further before a gust of chilly air passed over the outside field surrounding the three ponies. “Don’t sweat it, Rare’s. If she even thinks about doing anything to you guys, I’ll sock her so much she’d cry for her momma!” A punkish voice confidently proclaimed, smacking her front hooves together.

The voice belonged to a pegasus with a coat of cyan and a mane/tail colored like a rainbow, her cutie mark that of a thundering cloud.

“Now, hold yourself, Rainbow Dash,” Another voice outside the field said to the rainbow-maned pegasus. “Ah know full well who this pony is, thanks to Twi, but that doesn’t mean we need to judge her.” Turning to Twilight, a southern earth mare with an orange coat, blonde mane/tail, emerald eyes, and an apple cutie mark smirk. “It’s bin' a month since ya said she started livin' with the princess, right?” She asked.

Twilight nodded, “Yes, and I’m hoping she made progress.” Looking away from the train station before her and her friends, Twilight longingly gazed at the town behind her, “Then Fluttershy won’t be so frightened of meeting her.”

After Twilight brought up the plan to eradicate the infecting chaos magic while protecting Ponyville, Fluttershy locked herself away in Applejack's barn. Since her hut was closest to the Everfree, all of her critter friends were moved by her friends to the Apple family’s estate until it was safe. She and her friends tried everything, but the timid pegasus wouldn’t speak without sobbing at the mere mention of Twilight machination.

Twilight knew the animals of the Everfree were under the control of the chaos magic against their will, and so too did Fluttershy.

Sadly, there is no way to save the creatures besides breaking the magic binding them; enough ponies got hurt because of her tardiness.

Snapping Twilight out of her depressing thoughts, Pinkie Pie giggled again, “There’s nothing to worry about! I’ve got something juicy in the works that’ll turn her frown upside down.” She said, tucking in a vanilla folder in her bushy mane. Pinkie Pie always saw the best in any situation, no matter how dire- but this time was different.

Depending on how this day ended, there’d be more bodies than snow littering the ground.

In the distance and slowly closing in, the hissing of steam of pistons and howling of a brass whistle signaled the arrival of the several-ton locomotive pulled by four burly stallions. Everypony present, including the bystanders going about their days, stopped all conversation and looked to a train either in anticipation or curiosity. And with a sharp bang and the violent opening of a candy-themed carriage door, five guards poured out with spears in their hooves and stern expressions.

Twilight watched in anxious suspense as a familiar, towering silhouette stomped out and into the harsh cold without as much as a single flinch.

As she suspected and feared, the warrior mare’s stern expression somehow seemed more intense than the guards surrounding her as she scanned the immediate area with a snide scoff. From behind the large mare, an old stallion appeared to sliver past the warrior blocking the carriage's entrance, a look of uneasiness adorning his aged features.

Suddenly, breaking the tense silence, a loud ensemble of instruments blurted out in the air, its origins coming from a wagon-like device on top of the platform entrance’s stairs that caused the warrior to jolt visibly. Its owner, Pinkie Pie, appeared behind the warrior, startling her further as the party pony began dancing.

“Welcome, welcome, welcome~.”

“A fine welcome to you~.”

“Welcome, welcome, welcome~.”

“I say how do you do~?”

“Welcome, welcome, welcome~.”

“I say hip, hip hurray~.”

“Welcome, welcome, welcome~.”

“To Ponyville today~.”

Ending in a knee slide after having seemingly teleported around the titanic mare’s body, the machine behind her blew an assault of confetti at the warrior, smacking uselessly against her as cake mix followed- blowing out the sides. Unfortunately, due to the cold, the cake batter instantly froze upon leaving the machine's warm interior, crashing and breaking the train platform's wooden floor boards as solid blocks of uncooked pastry.

“Aw, I knew I should’ve put antifreeze into the mix.” Pinkie pouted.

Dead silence was the only thing that followed, the warrior standing over the kneeling Pinkie looking more confused than angry. Shaking her head, the warrior simply ignored the party pony and started walking toward the additional mares, the group of guards surrounding her and the old stallion following behind.

One of the guards, a pegasus, broke from the group and ran up to Twilight, “Mrs. Sparkle, do you wish for us to escort her to the town hall as requested?” He asked.

“That would be nice of you, sir. And, please, just Twilight is fine.” She politely answered, receiving a nod from the stallion before he merged back with his fellow guards. However, as they started to pass the studious unicorn, Twilight held a hoof out, “Wait!” She said, halting the group as she looked at the warrior gazing back at her. “Um, if you want, a quick tour of Ponyville would be good for getting a lay of the land.” She timidly suggested, trying to break the ice.

“Don’t waste my time, Alicorn’s pet.” The warrior spat, facing away from Twilight afterward.

Following the brief interaction, the group’s outlines slowly faded into the distance as Twilight’s friends surrounded her, all with varying degrees of anger or disappointment. “Hey, what’s the big idea?!” Rainbow angrily shouted, “We should follow her and give her a piece of our minds for saying something like that!” She said.

Twilight sighed, “No, Rainbow, it’s fine. Maybe…she woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?” She sheepishly grinned.

“Well, for our sake 'n Ponyville’s safety, let’s hope that’s the case. We don’t need our last hope gettin' defensive on us.” Applejack grimly replied, fixing the stetson resting on her head.

As the apple mare went ahead and followed the direction of the long-gone group and the other elements reluctantly trailed behind- Pinkie happily bouncing along, her device dragging by a rope -none could overhear the numerous howls and roars coming from the Everfree over the raging storm’s wind.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That two-timing bitch! Absolute snake!

Wallowing in the depths of her burning hatred, the warrior sat in the corner of a large, open room of Ponyville Mayor’s office as a conversation took place, one which she barely paid attention to.

It was impossible to do since her theory about Celestia’s father got confirmed by Olive Branch. The warrior suspected Platinum and Celestia to have some sort of connection, considering- including Luna -they were the only alicorns she’s met. Also, Alicorns were thought by many to be natural-born leaders. They never said if they were kind rulers. Celestia and her father’s magic was similar; the way they'd carried themselves, and even down to the annoying high and mighty attitude.

Everything was right there, in front of the warrior’s muzzle, practically pissing in her eyes, and she still didn’t connect the dots! How much of what Celestia said was a lie this whole time?! This crap about wanting to fix her father’s mistakes and make this dump of a kingdom a better place for all races.

She bet Celestia told everypony that story to win over their affection because she believed herself to be righteous. The warrior was nothing more than a slave to the daughter of the pony who killed her. The hypocrisy was disgusting. And how many other ponies knew of the truth? That Twilight mare certainly, the ankle bitter she is.

Did…Olive Branch know too?

“...Squad of…Everfree…search…dispel…chaos magic..”

As the far-off plan went on without input from the warrior mare, she was snapped from her thoughts, ironically, by the one pony she dreaded to see: Olive Branch.

Sitting alongside her right side and putting his keg next to him, the old stallion gave a shaky breath, not looking at the warrior. “Look, Storm Breaker, I know You’re angry right now.” He said in a low, soft tone. Her immediate reply was an angry snort. “Please, don’t hold it against her majesty; she only wanted to protect you.”

“As things are going, she’s the one who’s going to need protecting.” The warrior lowly growled.

“Look, I talked with Twilight, and Celestia only told her and Luna about the truth- I only got the basic rundown of what happened to you a few minutes ago.” Olive Branch interjected quickly at the warrior’s threat, “But you don’t see me wanting to hurt the princess even though I wasn’t informed. You need to calm down so we can talk this out.” He said.

The warrior looked down at Olive Branch from the corner of her eye, “It’s not the point.” She replied. “She’s using me like some slave she tricked into believing her lies so her pathetic subjects’ problems get put onto me. If she was so concerned about my feelings, she should’ve told me in the first place.”

In truth, she didn’t care that Celestia’s father technically killed her and preserved her barely alive corpse in a crystal- she lost a fight, no matter how humiliating it was. It was the victor's choice on what to do with her. What she did have a problem with were the lies. This kingdom exists because the bitch took advantage of her father’s failing successes and had the gall to act like a noble savior when her kin caused the problem in the first place!

Her race had been persecuted for thousands of winters by the unicorns and pegasi. Always waking up every day wondering if they’d make it ‘til nightfall or wind up in a ditch because they somewhat bothered a unicorn.

Then comes along a pair of savior alicorns to unite the three races, including the warriors, during their lowest, most vulnerable point in life. Once everypony became entangled in their lies, it so happens the ‘saviors’ built a kingdom to rule over where everypony they saved loved each other and them under their watchful eyes- all without telling them that the one who created their misery also birthed their saviors.

Celestia didn’t see her as a pony in need. She only saw the warrior as a spot in history she forgot to brainwash into loving her.

“I get that, and I’m sure her heart was in the right place,” Olive Branch continued, “That doesn’t mean it was totally right- I agree. But all you need to do is trust me, Storm Breaker.” Before the warrior could react, the old stallion took one of her hooves into his own, staring at her with a pleading look. “We haven’t been with each other for long, but I’ve greatly enjoyed the time we had together. I don’t want you ruining that and your progress because of this. We can solve this issue with our words, not with our hooves.”

The warrior was uncertain in her reply, torn between hating and wanting to forgive the old stallion beside her.

He was actively supporting that lying sack of yak shit and her lies, but he didn’t know the truth until now, like her. The old stallion graveled at Celestia’s hooves, trying to prevent her rightful flank-kicking, but the look in his eyes struck something unfamiliar in the mare’s heart- like an ache.

Unfortunately, as she opened her mouth to reply, the lying alicorn’s pet approached the pair.

“Hey, you two,” She awkwardly greeted, “I’m about to depart for the Everfree with Rainbow and the guards- not the ones that came with you, Storm Breaker -so you guys need to come along to see us off.” She said.

“Piss off.” The warrior said, making Twilight twitch in shock.

Olive Branch dared to give the miffed warrior an unimpressed look, “Simmer down, darling. We need to be there to make sure their departure goes smoothly. So at least hold your anger in until they’re gone.” He whispered sternly to the warrior mare. Peering at the studious unicorn with her scowl, the warrior snorted as she pushed herself onto her hooves, Olive Branch following suit.

Passing the many winding halls and staircases in Twilight's stead, the duo eventually found their way to and outside the city hall’s main doors, all while Strom Breaker staired dagger into the back of Twilight’s skull. Upon leaving the warmth of the city hall and briefly traveling the streets, a crowd of cheering ponies of all shapes and sizes gathered around an open area containing a golden chariot, a small platoon of royal guards, and the rainbow-maned nuisance. The last one noticed the warriors arrive, to which she scowled. Traversing the steps and easily parting the crowd- some of which acted off- stand-offish to the warrior -the duo and Twilight arrived at the chariot.

Twilight turned to the duo, “Well, this is where we part ways. Remember, if there is an attack on Ponyville, try to subdue the animal(s) if you can.” She said, looking at the warrior, “If you can’t…do what you can to protect this town.”

With a polite nod and a smile, the studious unicorn went off to the chariot. Soon, the squad Twilight formed took to the skies toward the ominous forest, leaving the crowd to cheer in their wake.

As the silhouettes disappeared within the foggy, stormy veil of mist, the warrior never diverted her hardened gaze, even as the earth pony wearing the strange hat from earlier prodded her foreleg. “Howdy there! You’re that ancient mare I’ve been hearing about.” She greeted, receiving a shallow nod, “Then, I’m sorry we got off the wrong hoof; my name’s Applejack.” Holding a hoof out for a hoofshake, she waited patiently for the warrior to return the gesture.

Sadly, Applejack’s hoof went abandoned as the warrior changed her gaze to her, “Are you a comrade of the alicorn’s pet?” She said.

“...Yes, and I would greatly appreciate it if you didn’t call my friend that,” Applejack replied, offense coating her tone and furrowed expression. Clearly Twilight’s comrades were as mentally diluted as her.

The warrior scoffed at the farm mare, facing away to walk back to the town hall, “Then you and I have no reason to establish one another. I respect you as the hard-working earth pony I heard about- like all earth ponies should be. But as long as you affiliate yourself with the wenches lap dog and her elemental soldiers, you’re nothing more than an enemy in my eyes.” She said, stomping past Applejack.

Bewildered by the warrior’s discourteous statement, Applejack whipped around with an angered look, “Now hold it right there; What is your problem?!” She said, making the warrior stop mid-step, “Me and my friends did nothing to you- why are you acting like we kicked your dog?” She questioned.

“I was blinded before…by my own sorrow,” The warrior started, lowering her head to the ground, “I thought everything changed before my very eyes, that the world I once knew was gone forever in what seemed like the blink of an eye. How wrong I was.” A shuddering breath shook the warrior's chest, turning Applejack's anger into worry, “Nothing has changed. This world still harbors evil and filth. The cracks of Canterlot- I’ve seen the ill squabble those ponies indulge themselves in -nothing but lies and greed. And your fucking lying princesses are no better!” She shouted at the end, stomping her hoof.

Sheepishly darting her eyes left and right, the crowd of confused and scared ponies having surrounded them, Applejack held up her hoof, “Simmer down, partner. Why…don’t we talk about this?” She said.

However, Applejack’s panic started to kick in when the warrior’s neck reached around and bit the handle of the sword attached to her waist, “No, I’m over with the talking.” Her muffled words growled as the glint of steel glared in the light as the warrior pulled it out halfway. “All you damn ponies do is talk. Now, I’m going to do what I should’ve-”

AAAAHHHHH!!!

Suddenly, a scream echoing throughout the misty, cold air rang out for all to hear, causing the warrior to stop and her ears to swivel around to find where the sound came from. It wasn’t necessary, however, at the end of the road where the scream came from, an ominous feeling flowed along the street like a river of despair amidst the dead silence.

Akin to opening the floodgates of a dam, the pounding of feet against snow was the only warning everypony got before a hoard of creatures rounded the corner, accompanied by a torrent of terrified and pain-filled screams.

“What is tarnation?!” Applejack cried, lowering into a defensive stance.

Immediately, ponies ran toward the warrior and apple farmer's direction, fleeing the tidal wave of death, some not so lucky, their bodies quickly being devoured after tripping or simply caught off guard. The creature’s themselves held striking differences; wooden dogs, the ‘manticores’, chicken/lizard hybrids, sizable lizards with sharp fangs and stone skin, and many more. But what they did have in common was their rotting, decaying appearance, with what little flesh clinging to their bones sporting pulsating blobs of purple gunk.

The warrior didn’t have time to ponder the ravenous monsters, as some- three wooden mutts -noticed her and went in for the kill.

Fully unsheathing her blade, the warrior wasted not a second, waiting for the perfect time for the creatures to enter her field of attack. With a muffled roar and a mighty swing of the newfound blade, the wooden mutts had no chance to dodge in time as the blade sliced clean through two of the three wooden dogs, the third one suffering a large gash on its chest, falling to the snowy ground.

Before the third could rise, the warrior’s hoof fell as quickly as it had raised over the creature’s skull, crushing the canine’s head in an explosion of amber sap and twigs.

Looking over to where the apple farmer was, she saw Applejack struggling against the chicken lizards and a rock lizard. Using her hind legs to no effect, they either bounced off the rocky lizard's tough exterior, or the chicken lizard swiftly evaded her strikes. The punishment for her sloppiness came ahead, the rocky lizard taking advantage of the apple farmer after she slipped following another failed buck by clamping its jaws onto her shoulders. A cry of pain escaped Applejack, the now injured mare trying desperately to remove herself from the rocky creature’s jaws.

The warrior knew she could just leave the mare to die and act like it was an accident. What did she care if the farmer, who affiliated herself with the alicorn’s pet, died- not like she was her problem. However, due to her decades of service to the vanguard, the need to protect her fellow earth ponies automatically kicked in, causing the warrior to rush to Applejack’s aid without notice.

“Horseapples!” The farmer groaned, letting out another shriek of agony at the rocky lizard's teeth tearing her back’s flesh. And just as she saw her life flash before her eyes, the shadow of the hulking warrior covered the apple farmer, her sword grazing her stetson overhead as it pierced the assaulting rock creature's skull.

A shaky sigh of relief crawled from Applejack's lips, and the rocky lizard’s limp body collapsed to the ground. “Only once.” She heard, looking up to see the warrior glaring down at her.

Nodding in understanding and wincing as sharp pain attacked her backside, Applejack returned to her previous bucking, now more away than before. This time, her back hooves connected with the flocking chicken lizards, their frail bodies instantly grumbling apart, the warrior picking off any remaining ones. The earth pony pair made quick work with creatures, but they couldn’t stay in their own world as the screaming residents of Ponyville brought them back down.

“We need to get to the town hall!” Applejack shouted over the noise, pointing to the direction of the building, “The mayor instructed us to barricade ourselves in there in case of an attack, and not a lot of ponies are going to make it if we keep standing around, so come on!” She shouted before taking off.

Why in Hades should she care? The warrior stood still in her spot as the apple farmer disappeared in the chaos of fighting ponies and creatures. It would be so easy just to turn back and abandon these worthless ponies. So why-

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The goddess gifted us natural strength so we could protect the weak, no matter who they were.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thee, who bestowed the moniker of Storm Breaker, rise and accept this brand as if it were your destiny. Thou shall take on the burdens of the Earth pony race and protect those who need protection.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Grunting in pain at the sharp jab poking her mind, the warrior narrowly dodged the claws of a manticore as it lunged at her. The manticore turned to retry its attack but instead was met with the sensation of sharpened metal cutting its face down the middle, spraying blood and brain matter onto the warrior's chest. Collapsing to and staging the snow crimson, the manticore's twitching corpse lay motionless as the warrior held a hoof to her temple.

What was that- those voices? The first…was her father, and the second was vaguely familiar to her.

More importantly, why did they come to her now?

Just like at the hospital during her first few days in Equestria, the warrior’s memories came back to taunt her and prey on the warrior’s buried sentiments. And no matter how hard she wanted to ignore them, the will to turn tail and run only shed more light onto her cowardice. She took up the mantle of the warrior to serve her race in any dire situation, and her younger self even helped a pegasus or unicorn from time to time because of her father's teaching of kindness.

She had failed to meet both.

Turning back on these ponies- especially the earth ponies -now would further ruin her reputation as a proud vanguard knight.

Gritting her teeth, the warrior breathed heavily for a moment until her head shot up and looked forward. Her teeth tightened around the sword handle, and snow blew up from the ground as the warrior- no, as Storm Breaker kicked off the ground and into a full sprint. As she dashed through the streets, her sword swung this and that way, striking any offending monsters attacking the Ponyville residence she could reach.

Until now, she hadn’t stayed true to her title as a true warrior. The closest thing to being a warrior she has done was the tasks given to her by the lying princess's sister.

Storm Breaker planned on changing that.