Chapter 2: Skirmish at Lonehoof Ridge

Chapter 2: Skirmish at Lonehoof Ridge

 

Author's Notes: Please discard any autism you might have about episode order. 'Winter Wrap-Up' was followed by 'Fall Weather Friends' two episodes later, and that makes as much sense as me putting 'Griffon the Brush Off' after 'Over a Barrel.'

 

 

A week after Gilda's little issue, I found myself breaking ground in the desert near Appleloosa - the Appleloosa Armory was going to be built here. At the same time, I had begun negotiations with Chief Thunderhooves' tribe to see about making them the permanent, integrated protectors of the land. That meant making them their own military unit - and thus begins the issues of arming and equipping such disparate species. I would have to design something specifically for them, if he agreed. Applejack and the others came with me to the groundbreaking. Princess Luna would make an appearance to officiate in her sister's name (and growing in her new government role - Celestia made her position official, and specifically named it Royal Defense Adviser, not Secretary of Defense).

 

TS: "So, last time we were here.."

AJ: "Yeah, things didn't go so well, did they?"

FS: "I-I'm sure we can.. work something out.."

 

They were all armed now. I insisted on it. Lee Pistols all around - even Fluttershy (training her was so cute, to a point) - and Shermans for everyone. I wasn't paranoid, but I was more sure that the issue with the Rogue Griffons might send them after us. And that could be horrible - I didn't want my friends hurt. I didn't expect to need them, but I'd rather have and not need, than need and not have. Plus, I wanted to demonstrate to the Chief what I could give him, to help protect his people and his land.

Applejack had something new that I'd made her - I was tinkering with a shotgun design, and how to apply that to Ponies. Without hands to feed shells, standard tube-under-barrel designs were useless to non-Unicorns. Magazine-fed shotguns had all kinds of problems of their own, so, I decided on multi-barrel designs. For starters, the standard double-barrel. Easy enough to grab two shells in your teeth and feed them into chambers. I had Rarity make her a vest to go with it, with shell loops easy to reach. My next project was a bomb lance - a Grenade Launcher - and other "ordinance projectors" that could take advantage of.. well, the fact that they're horses. But, that was for later.

 

RD: "I hope we can make this smooth - I don't want another pie fight like last time."

K: "I don't think we'd have a pie fight this time around. I don't want.."

I sighed. The Buffalo were essentially Native Americans. I didn't want to repeat on them, what had happened between the Native Americans in North America. The ones in Mexico were virtually annihilated, the ones in Canada and the United States were shuffled off to reservations - and in some cases, a VERY long way from their native lands. I wasn't going to see that happen here, and I carried the full weight of Celestia's Royal Office with me. If negotiations failed, we would erect the Armory on another site. I had an idea, but it was farther from Appleloosa than desired, and anyone working there was looking at a 30-40 minute train ride, just to get to work.

 

TS: "It's okay, K."

She put a reassuring hoof on my arm. I'd told her about the Native Americans, and she understood - to some degree - what my feelings were about this. I was absolutely not going to force the Buffalo to do something they didn't want.

RY: "Oh, Pinkie, darling?"

PP: "Yep?"

RY: "I think I speak for everyone when I say.."

RY/RD/TS/AJ/S: "NO SINGING THIS TIME!"

FS: "Y-yes, it didn't have a very good outcome last time.."

 

Fluttershy flitted around near me - she was comfortable around me, and I regarded her as a good friend, now. Applejack joked about being jealous of us, since I spent some of what little spare time I had, going over to her house and just.. interacting with her. On the train ride over here, I sat between Applejack and Fluttershy, both of them using my arms as pillows. Fluttershy was starting to feel like a sister to me..

 

Spike: "I can't wait to see Little Strongheart again - hey, maybe they'll have more Turquoise!"

K: "Always with the bright side, huh?"

 

I gave Spike a pat on the head. I'd been making an effort to talk to him.. so little time in the day, so much to do. I honestly didn't know how Twilight did it, without a computer. I knew he had the hots for Rarity, but his lack of experience was causing him to go about things.. well, like a kid with a crush. I wanted to see him get what he was after - if, after growing up some more, he decided that's who he wanted to be with.

We found their camp easily enough - and that was only half the story. What we found, were destroyed Teepee's and smashed fire-circles. The Buffalo were wandering aimlessly. It was like a bomb went off around here - or a tornado hit the place, one of the two. I found myself going into Disaster Handling mode..

 

FS: "Oh, my.."

RD: "HOLY MOLEY!"

AJ: "WHAT in TARNATION!?"

RY: "Oh, my goodness!"

Spike: "Strongheart!?"

TS: "Chief Thunderhooves!?"

LS: "Over here.."

We found Chief Thunderhooves alright. He was laying on his side, clearly injured. Little Strongheart was next to him, crying.

K: "What happened here!?"

LS: "The Shadows.. the Shadows happened here."

RY: "Shadows?!"

TS: "I'm not sure I understand."

LS: "Shadow Monsters.. they came out of nowhere. Formless, until they touched our shadows, they.. they were like shadow copies of us!"

K: "Oh.. oh, crap."

AJ: "What is it, honeybun?"

K: "Generation One."

 

I set Fluttershy to work helping the wounded, and sent Rainbow Dash to Appleloosa for more help, while I took the others aside and explained my theory to them.

 

K: "Remember how I explained the moving picture thing?"

Spike: "Yeah, you called them Cartoons."

K: "Yeah, well, the cartoon that.. that's most like this? This wasn't the first. There were others before this. Generation One was.. it was on television when I was a child. In it, there was a minotaur-like thing.. I can't remember his name, but he was obsessed with shadows. He tried to steal everyone's shadow. I have a feeling.. this is this world's version of him.. and if I'm right, all the chaos that Discord unleashed when he brought me here.. I think that made him more violent. I mean, not even in that series did anyone get seriously hurt. Not for long. I can only guess that instead of hunting shadows, he can manipulate them."

TS: "What does that mean for us?"

K: "That means bullets won't work on them. They're magical constructs, if I'm correct. Meaning.."

I looked between Rarity and Twilight.

K: "..you two are our only defense."

 

I'm no military genius, but it doesn't take the next H. Norman Schwarzkopf to realize when Science has met its limits. At least as far as 'traditional armaments' go. Although, this did remind me of Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2's Prism Tanks and Prism Towers - I wondered right then if I could make Prism Cannons to dispel them? No, that might take too long.

 

RY: "GOODNESS, darling! I don't know.."

TS: "We have to try. We can't just sit here and let those things come back and.. and.."

K: "Take lives this time."

 

Was my presence really having that kind of an effect on the very fabric of reality here? Was my human influence - my aura, if you believe in such things - actually warping the most basic concepts of this pure world, to one where deadly danger becomes a regular thing? It saddened me to think that just being here was having this kind of an effect. Applejack must have sensed this, she put her foreleg over my shoulder, and half-hugged me.

 

AJ: "Don't worry none, honeybun. We'll make things right!"

K: "With you gals around, how can I say otherwise?"

 

I smiled a little. But that Guilt was there. I shook it off - Guilt did nothing but weigh me down. I had to solve these problems - even if they were my fault - because that's what friends do.

 

K: "The first thing we need to do is evacuate the camp. Get these people out of here, to someplace safer. Little Strongheart!"

LS: "Yes?"

K: "Is there a safe place around here?"

LS: "Well, when the rains come and flood the area, we usually make camp on Lonehoof Ridge. It's high up, so, the flood's waters and mud all wash around us."

K: "High ground. Good. Girls? Get carts together. Strongheart, get the strongest Buffalo that are still able, and hook them up. Spike, give me a hand getting the wounded loaded up."

Spike: "Right!"

TS: "Gotcha! Come on, girls!"

 

It took us the better part of three hours to get the wounded loaded into drag carts. Of course the Buffalo didn't have wheeled carts - but I expected that from my elementary school history classes about them. Drag carts were just fine. Thunderhooves was loaded carefully on a stretcher carried by two Buffalo, and we started making our way to Lonehoof Ridge. As futile as my Sherman might be, I kept it out, safety off, and prowled as I walked. I was no soldier - I was actually rejected for military service for medical reasons - but I'd spent my life trying to learn everything I could about everything they did. From disaster response to convoy protection. I may not have been a trained soldier, but I had the basis of knowledge to make it work. We finally reached the ridge about an hour before nightfall.

 

K: "Alright, Strongheart, get the rest of the tribe busy gathering anything burnable. We need to make fires. Shadows don't do well in light. Girls? Lend a hand getting the wounded up under this enclave. Spike?"

Spike: "Yeah?"

K: "Take my binoculars, stand watch. Scream if you see Shadow Demons."

Spike: "Scream?" *Shiver* "Not a problem!"

 

Lonehoof Ridge was roughly.. well, hoof shaped. Like a big 'U' with high ridge lines along the sides and extreme back ends, with a shallow rise in the center and a large overhang at the apex of the center of the ridge. If they were going to approach along the path of least resistance, it would be up that center. We made our preparations.. and we lit up the ridge as best we could.

 

K: "I don't understand it.. where's Rainbow Dash? She should have been back hours ago with help."

FS: "Maybe.. something BAD happened to her?"

K: "Actually, that's exactly what I'm thinking. Pinkie!"

PP: "Yeah?"

K: "Can you go find Rainbow Dash? Take Applejack with you."

AJ: "Honeybun.."

I hugged her. Hard.

K: "You two will be fine. Stay together. Scouting only - if Dash is in trouble, get back here as fast as you can."

PP: *Giggle* "We'll be fine! Come on, Applejack!"

Off she ran. I wondered how Dash was doing.. I was worried. If the Shadow Demons had harmed her...

K: "Rarity!"

RY: "Yes, darling?"

K: "See if you can find any gems around here.. I have an idea.."

Maybe the Prism Cannon wasn't such a bad idea after all. I was already digging through my backpack and Twilight's saddlebags to find what I needed. It was going to be a rough build.. IF it worked.

TS: "What are you doing, K?"

K: "Making a Prism Cannon. It's from an old video game that I particularly enjoyed."

TS: "A Prism Cannon?"

K: "Yes. Do you have any potion materials with you that can generate some raw magical energy?"

TS: "I might.. yes.."

K: "Good.."

RY: "I found some! GOODNESS, I found some!"

K: "Strongheart, can you give her a hand digging them out?"

LS: "Of course."

 

After a few minutes, I had a hollow log, several 'burst' potions, and quite possibly the finest gems I had ever seen. Two of them, the size of my face, went at either end of the Prism Cannon, and I sealed the back of it with glue, a shallow metal pan from my cooking kit, and some pins I took from a spare parts kit for the Shermans. I had no idea if it would work - it was as primitive as a cannon could get, and it was powered by magic. I was out of my depth. If it worked, I would have something to fight with. Artillery, at that. If it failed, we were likely screwed harder than a..

 

PP: "K!!"

AJ: "HONEYBUN!"

 

I stood, and turned, to see them running up the embankment that led to the edge plateu. Pinkie's hair was messed up, and my dear Applejack's hat was torn. Their faces were dirty, scuffed. They'd been in a scrap.

 

K: "What happened!? Where's Rainbow Dash?"

AJ: "We dunno, honeybun. We.. we found the guy controllin' the Shadow Demons, though. An' y'all'll never believe who was with him!"

TS: "Who!?"

PP: "The Great and Powerfullllll.... TRIXIEE!!" *Giggle*

 

Twilight's jaw hit the ground, and scraped. I was even in shock. Trixie!? What was she doing here!?

 

K: "HOW!? Didn't she get run out of town!?"

AJ: "Yeah, an' Twilight saved us from the Ursa she summoned.. but.."

K: "Tell me everything, honey."

AJ: "Well, we got about ten minutes out at a good gallop, when we saw a cloud of dust off in the distance.. so, we went an' checked, thinkin' it was Dash, right? Well, Pinkie's Pinkie Sense told her that whoever wuz out there, t'weren't friendly, right? So, I did as you taught me, we snuck in real quiet like, and there he was - big as day. Taller'n Princess Celestia, four legs, red an' black fur, huuuge horns.. an' there was Trixie, right next to him, talkin' to him all friendly-like."

K: "Could you hear what they were saying?"

AJ: "Somethin' about how this oughtta bring the Elements to them.."

TS: "Oh, no.. they must be after the Elements of Harmony. After.. us!"

K: "But, can you use the Elements without Dash here?"

TS: "No, no, we can't."

K: "Crap.. that might be why they need them - they might be the only thing that can dispel the Shadow Magic. But, at least we know they don't have Dash, otherwise, Trixie would have said we're here already. Now, how did you two get so scuffed up?"

PP: "Scorpan! He found us while we were sneak-sneak-sneaking around and listening to Trixie. He even said to us.." *Gruff voice* "I am Scorpan, servant of Tirek! He will be most pleased I have brought him two of the Elements!"

K: "TIREK! That was his name.. And Scorpan.. Scorpan.. hm.. he was a human prince in the cartoon.. I doubt that's true here. He's the one that roughed you two up?"

AJ: "Not e'zactly.. he sent Shadow Demons after us."

K: "Really?"

PP: "Uh-huh! We were almost pounded into little cupcakes! But Applejack said to switch, so we switched, and they didn't know-"

K: "Switch?"

AJ: "Yeah! We were fighting our own Shadow Copies, but, then I thought 'Well, if our Shadows know what WE'RE gonna do, are they gonna know what the OTHER pony is going to do? So, I switched and fought Pinkie's double! Put 'em right off guard, we squashed 'em, an' we got away."

K: "Genius move, my love."

I gave her a quick hug and kiss. She blushed at the public display of affection.

K: "There's a piece of advice.. if you see your own Shadow Copy, switch with someone else. Are they heading this way?"

AJ: "Pretty sure they are, now. Trixie yelled at 'em all ta git us, while we was runnin' away.."

K: "We don't have much time. Everyone, get the slope filled with rocks for cover, and hide. We'll try to ambush them."

TS: "So, they can be defeated.."

K: "Yeah, but I'm still pretty sure magic is going to be the deciding factor here. Remember, even Earth Ponies put off a weak magical field, allowing them to manipulate items. I have no such field."

TS: "Right. Everyone, get ready."

 

It was minutes later. But Shadow Demons weren't what they brought with them. As I expected, Trixie herself was leading the army.. and she had Raptorians with her. It made sense - she was EXPECTING the united Elements of Harmony to be here, and if the Shadow Demons were weak against magic, it would be suicide to use them! So, if Trixie had half the brain she claimed to have, she'd use something NON-magical. Something physical, which the ponies would be weak against.. or so she thought..

 

K: "CHANGE OF PLANS! GET YOUR SHERMANS!"

TS: "What?"

K: "THOSE ARE RAPTORIANS!"

AJ: "HE MEANS, SHOOT 'EM!"

 

The girls scrambled back to their saddlebags and armed themselves with their firearms.. this was it, the real first combat test of my weapons. One squad of mostly untrained Ponies, versus what had to be at least.. seventy Raptorians? More? Trixie wasn't taking any chances. I wished I'd invented a Machine Gun..

 

K: "REMEMBER WHAT I TAUGHT YOU! GET TO COVER, MAKE EVERY SHOT COUNT!"

 

I put in my improvised ear pro.. beeswax ear plugs with a leather fob. It wasn't much, but it supposedly helped some World War II vets avoid deafness. I took position with Applejack, behind the largest boulder, at the head of the crest. We'd only packed a couple of magazines each, to save weight. Each Sherman magazine contained 10 rounds, giving us 20 rounds per Pony. I wasn't going to use scare tactics.. once everyone was in position, I gave the order.. the one I didn't want to give, but the one I had to give..

 

K: "OPEN FIRE! SHOOT TO KILL!"

FS: "Oh, my.."

 

From behind the rocks, the ponies opened fire. Six Sherman rifles, banging away all at once, with no warning. As I expected, the loud noise confused and scared the Raptorians, allowing us several volleys before they could react properly. Fire raked their disorganized lines, dropping the ones in front almost immediately, then the ones immediately behind them. Rarity was armed with one of the Sniper Shermans (she made the scopes and all, so, it was only fitting), so she and I were picking our targets, while Fluttershy, Twilight, and Pinkie raked the lines with semi-aimed fire. Applejack was unloading both barrels as fast as she could squeeze the trigger lever, and reloading like a beast. Trixie was shocked.. she called for retreat, and the remaining Raptorians did just that. Into the darkness..

 

K: "Spike! Count bodies!"

Spike: "Uh.. hmm.. mmh.. twenty four!"

K: "Ammo Count!"

FS: "One magazine left."

PP: "Same here!"

TS: "One and a half!"

RY: "I only fired four rounds, darling."

AJ: "I'm almost out. I should'a brought more shells."

K: "Switch to your Lee. Save the shotgun for if they get close, keep it loaded. Spike! Did you get a count on how many ran off?"

Spike: "Uh.. about.. twice the number you guys killed."

K: "Crap. This is going to get ugly.. FIX BAYONETS!"

 

I hurriedly mounted my bayonet to my Sherman. If there were about fifty left, we'd be out of ammunition long before they ran out of troops. We'd fired, between us, 29 rounds from the girls, plus five from me (34 rounds out of 100), and Applejack had used up most of her shells (she had six left, out of twenty). So, quick math in my head, it took us 48 rounds to kill 24 of the enemy. Two bullets per kill. Yeah, we were in trouble.

 

LS: "Those firesticks are amazing.."

K: "They're called Rifles. We intended to show them to you, and offer them to you, to protect your tribe and land with, if you would have agreed to let us build an armory here, to make them. But.. I'm not sure we're going to live long enough to talk about it."

CTH: "If.. if we live long enough to see the end of this, I will agree to your proposal.. if these.. rifles.. save my people."

K: "Get back under the enclave! You're too wounded to be out here!"

CTH: "A Chief's place is with his brothers.. and he who spills their blood with me today, is my brother."

K: "That sounds very poetic.. and very familiar."

TS: "What's the plan?"

K: "Show them these... firesticks.. are just as deadly up close. Get ready for hoof-to-hand!"

 

I didn't even realize at the time that I'd said it properly. This place was corrupting me just as much as I was corrupting it - and I hoped for a balance. Hand-to-hand fighting is among the worst things you can intentionally do. No one walks away from a knife fight unhurt, unless they're damned skilled and the other guy isn't. The Girls.. knew the concept of how to use the Shermans with the bayonets mounted, but..

 

K: "Fluttershy, get high, pick them off from above. Don't shoot unless you have a clear shot. Rarity, get up on the edge of the enclave. Same deal - don't shoot without a clear target. Make every shot a hit."

 

..I wasn't about to trust Fluttershy with a bayonet. I wasn't sure if she'd go Full Psycho on them, or get so scared, she wouldn't have the cajones to stab them. If Angel was here, I'd give him a butcher knife and set him loose (that rabbit scared the piss out of me some times). I passed Rarity my extra magazine, detached my scope and handed Applejack my bayonet-mounted Sherman. I was going to use my knife.. and my PA-63. We didn't have to wait long. They charged us again, this time, bearing sticks and rocks. I felt like I was in the movie 'Zulu' and I was the British. As I recalled, the battle didn't go very well for them...

 

K: "Get ready.."

 

..but I have Scots blood in me. William Wallace blood. I may not have an eighth of the bad-assery that he had, but I wasn't about to let this be the end. Even though I was afraid of just that. They were being cautious as they approached.. very cautious.. they were expecting to get shot like last time..

 

K: "CHAAAAARRGE!"

 

..only, this time, they were met with steel. Knife in one hand, pistol in the other, I was in the lead, with Twilight to my left, and Applejack to my right. Pinkie was behind us. I heard the crack of Rarity's rifle, and then Fluttershy's. They paused, and just as we got to them, their ranks broke in fear. I saw four go down right away, and three more as they fled. We ran to the edge of the U, and stopped.

 

K: "HALT! FALL BACK!"

 

And we did, taking up different positions, this time. Where the HELL was Dash!? I needed to buy time..

 

K: "TRIXIE! I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME!"

 

GAPT: "You bet I can! You're a fascinating one - I bet these firey sticks are your invention, aren't they?"

 

K: "SURE ARE! THIS ISN'T MAGIC, TRIX, THIS IS SCIENCE! AND SCIENCE WILL FUCK YOU!"

 

GAPT: "Yeah, right!" *Scoff* "I've got LOTS more where THESE came from, and YOU'RE trapped! Whatever you are, you'll make a nice handservant for Trixie!"

 

K: "In your DREAMS!" And my nightmares. Though I didn't say that out loud. "YOU CAN'T WIN, TRIXIE! SURRENDER NOW, SPARE YOUR TROOPS CERTAIN DEATH!"

 

GAPT: "They'll DIE for me ANYWAY. They don't CARE. YOU should surrender to ME. If you're NICE, I'll let you polish my HOOVES."

 

K: "NOT HAPPENING!"

 

GAPT: "Then I'll have to kill you, those stinky Buffalo, and take the Elements of Harmony by force!"

 

K: "THAT'S NOT HAPPENING, EITHER!"

 

She was right about one thing, though. I was trapped. I was expecting Shadow Demons and combat that wouldn't have 'front lines' or any way to withdraw. Or a cause to. Now, I was faced with a conventional ground engagement, and I'd trapped myself. I knew what I'd done, our backs were against the wall, but at least those Raptorians couldn't get up around our flanks or rear.. they should have had wings, but they didn't. Or, at least, the wings seemed poorly formed, almost vestigal, and the arms were more defined as actual arms.

The situation degenerated into a siege for the next hour. Trixie was trying to figure out a plan, I was stalling for time, praying Dash had either gotten to Appleloosa or somewhere else, and found help. Fluttershy's pacing didn't help, but I focused on staying calm. It was easy with Applejack there..

 

AJ: "We'll get out of this, honeybun."

K: "I hope we do.. I still owe you a flank massage.."

AJ: *Giggle*

TS: "Why hasn't she done anything?"

K: "She's trying to figure out a counter to our Shermans that doesn't involve squandering her forces on suicide charges."

RY: "Is there one?"

K: "If I was her, I'd send for reinforcements, and hold us in place. A siege she can control, is a victory she might get, if she can get enough forces to overpower us. Spanish conquistadors in South America were able to hold off four or five times their own numbers with weapons much less complex than these, versus an enemy similarly armed and as intelligent as the Raptorians."

PP: "Why doesn't she just call on Shadow Demons?"

K: "She might not have access to that - Tirek might keep that power close to his vest, it's probably more powerful than Trixie's own magic. That's what you get in a relationship based on power, instead of trust."

LS: "K? Chief Thunderhooves.."

 

He tugged at my jacket - it was a nice, leather jacket. Rarity had made it for me. It was.. like a European motorcycle jacket, coming down past the waist, with two pockets there. Black, of course. I didn't ask where she got the leather. Getting up, I went over to where Thunderhooves was.

 

CTH: "Be truthful - do we have a chance?"

K: "We might. We didn't plan for a battle like this, so we didn't bring enough ammo to kill everything out there. But.. I have an idea, if you'll humor me.."

 

At the end of the hour, I suppose Trixie came to the same conclusions that I did. Charge with everything you have, and hope the troops can get in close enough, fast enough, and disable the Ponies. But, I was ready. The stones I'd had rolled on to the slope, as many as we could gather, were at the top of the slope, waiting for them. We opened up with a volley of fire, firing exactly twice per person, forcing the Raptorians to duck and cower. That's when the Buffaloes released the rocks, rolling them down the steep hill, and into Trixie's amassed forces. That forced them to retreat or die.. we'd held them off again.

 

TS: "Well, THAT went well.."

K: "It did. But we only downed a few of them, the rest ran off. Trixie will wait, now.. she's probably going to beg Tirek for reinforcements.. that's her only real option at this point - more bodies."

FS: "H-How long? Do you think?"

K: "Dawn, if she has any sense of poetry."

 

It was dawn, indeed, before Trixie tried anything. The Darkness was her friend in the Siege - we couldn't pick off her troops in the darkness, and it hid her true numbers. It also concealed the fact that Rainbow Dash wasn't with us, and that she could have used Shadow Demons without fear of the Elements of Harmony being used against them. Right as the sun was coming up, we saw it.. a massive, massive force of Raptorians. Hundreds. Tirek wasn't taking any chances, he was going to crush us.

 

FS: *Quivering* "Oh, my.."

TS: "OH, MY!"

RY: "GOODNESS!"

PP: "Woooooooowwwwww!!"

AJ: "Oh, Celestia.."

K: "Dear God.."

CTH: "..we are doomed."

K: "Yeah.." I racked the slide on my PA-63, making sure a round was loaded. "..but we're going to exact a high price, if I have anything to say about it."

AJ: "Honeybun.."

K: "I know. If we lose, you'll be taken prisoner, the rest of us.." I looked back at the wounded Buffalo. "..I expect no quarter."

 

She kissed me. Hard, passionate, full tongue down my throat in a desperate embrace. Fluttershy hugged up on Twilight, desperately, gently sobbing. Little Strongheart hugged Thunderhooves.. Pinkie's hair.. went flat. Rarity placed a hoof on her shoulder, her face stuck into a grim snarl. We were in the Wild (Mild) West, and we were about to repeat Custer's Last Stand. And I'd made the same mistakes he had - I hadn't brought enough firepower. Of course, Custer had been hunting his enemy, and I had no idea I was walking into a war.

 

AJ: "I love you, K.."

K: "I love you, too, Applejack.." I said grimly, taking position behind a rock. I handed off my partial magazine to Rarity, ready to go with pistol and knife. If I was going down here, I was going to make every action movie director cream their shorts with my badassery, courage, and-

 

RD: "YA LOOK LIKE YOU COULD USE A HELPING HOOF!"

All: "RAINBOW DASH!?!?"

 

Flying into view was Rainbow Dash, leading Luna's Guard, and the Wonderbolts. Reinforcements! And they all had firearms! Spitfire glided to a stop right next to me, nodded, and nodded to the enemy.

 

SF: "We've got your bombs with us.. where you want 'em?"

K: "Get out there and strafe and bomb Trixie's redoubt! Once Luna's Guard breaks through to us, strafe and bomb the reinforcement columns! GO!"

 

Off she flew, relaying instructons to her team. Rainbow Dash landed, and started passing out ammunition to everyone. She even brought extra rifles. I took my Sherman back, re-mounted the scope, and loaded it.

 

K: "NOW WE CAN WIN!"

GAPT: "NO! NOOOOO!!!!! NOT WHEN I WAS SO CLOSE!! ATTACK, YOU WORTHLESS WORMS!! CHARGE THEM NOW! KILL EVERYTHING!"

 

Her forces left the starting gate before the Wonderbolts could start their attack run. I waved them off, and they flew towards the reinforcemnt columns. Trixie charged us with her entire remaining force. And she led them. We turned, and started firing right away. This time, though, the Raptorians weren't afraid of the gunshot noises, they kept coming. We managed to magdump into the charging Raptorian Wave Attack, and cut down the entire front and second ranks. Pinkie was making ungodly war-cries, louder than the guns. But, they kept charging us. All the way up the slope, and we had no choice but to counter-charge and meet them head-on.

I rushed into the first Raptorian I saw, and jammed my bayonet into its stomach, fired twice, and kicked it off. Pinkie swung her Sherman like a war club, cracking the stock over the head of a Raptorian, breaking both. She kicked it in the face, tore her bayonet off of the front of the rifle, and tackled three more, stabbing them with a Norman Bates ferocity.. no, more like Jason Vorhees. Rarity had fallen back, initially, to provide sniper cover, but moved forwards with us, levitating her Lee alongside her, and firing both her rifle and pistol at the same time until they ran out of ammunition. She jumped, grabbed her Sherman, and impaled it straight down into the head of the nearest Reptilian, as graceful as a ballerina, before front-flipping off of it, and coming down, rifle and all, making an over-head sweep with the rifle, impaling the blade into another. Twilight and Spike were magdumping like a pair of survivors fighting off a zombie horde, from on top of a rock, with her flinging a few magic bolts here and there at random targets. Fluttershy had gone Full Raeg Mode, screaming an incredible line of curses she could only have learned form me, along with a few more inventive turns-of-phrase, shooting, stabbing and kicking every Raptorian in sight.

Shotgun blasts were going off, with country-fried taunts following - 'That's my gal!' I thought. I saw Applejack out of the corner of my eye, then in a burst of light, she was flying backwards. In horror, I turned to the source of the light, and there was Trixie, charging at me. I didn't have time to swing my rifle around, so I dropped it, and braced for impact. Her horn hit my solar plexus, knocking the wind totally out of me. I was on my back, with her on top of me, her eyes fixed for murder.

 

GAPT: "YOU! YOU! IF IT WASN'T FOR YOU!!"

 

She started pounding me with her hooves.. hard.. she was trying to beat me to death.. I could barely raise my arms up to try to block her.. I could feel blood on my face.. it was getting dark..

 

AJ: "GIT OFF'A MY MAN!" *KA-TA-CHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM*

 

The Prism Cannon.. it fired, it caught Trixie square in the face and chest, and blasted her off of me, sending her rolling down the slope. She came to a stop, and wasn't moving very much. Her troops saw this, and everything stopped. One of them screamed, and bellowed something I couldn't hear.. and they all started running off. The reinforcements saw this blinding pillar of light, and combined with the strafing and bombing, they, too, broke ranks and ran. I struggled to my feet..

 

K: "A-applejack.."

AJ: "Right here, shug.."

 

I felt the warmth of her body up against mine as she pulled me to safety.

 

K: "Are you hurt?"

AJ: "Not as bad as you."

 

I was pulled back over to the enclave area, and sat up. I fiddled for my glasses, straightening them on my face.

 

K: "We won?"

AJ: "We won."

TS: "TRIXIE'S STILL ALIVE!"

 

Pinkie Pie.. no, Pinkamina Diane Pie.. spun on her hoof, and started marching.. stomping over to where Trixie was.. blood dripping from her face, from her knife.. she was going to kill her!

 

K: "STOP HER! I NEED TRIXIE ALIVE!!"

Spike: "PINKIE!"

PDP: "WHAT!?"

Spike: "Catch!"

 

He threw a pie in her face. I was dumbstruck. A pie? All of a sudden, though..

 

*POMF!*

PP: *Giggle* "Good one, Spike! I never saw it coming!" *Laughter*

 

Spitfire landed by me, while Luna's Guard came up beside her. The Wonderbolts landed behind Spitfire, as she plodded forwards, nodding to me.

 

SF: "You look like a squashed cupcake."

K: "I feel like one. Report."

SF: "Her Majesty, Princess Luna, is in Appleloosa, with two of her Guards. She sent the rest of us ahead to help you. Well.."

 

Spitfire looked at Rainbow Dash.

 

SF: "Dash here.. flew back to Equestria to get us. Get help. She pulled us all out of bed, she said you were in trouble."

K: "We were, until you showed up. Dash? Care to explain?"

RD: "Uh, yeah.. well, see, I flew to Appleloosa to get help, but then I saw this demonic-looking guy leading all these.. monster things.. and I knew you guys were going to get squashed, so, I flew as fast as I could back to Equestria. I met Princess Luna along the way - she was afraid they'd attack Appleloosa, so she went on ahead, and I flew back to Canterlot to get the Wonderbolts.."

 

She blushed a little.

 

K: "Why the blushing?"

RD: "I was so worried, I Sonic Rainboom'ed again.."

K: "In LEVEL flight!?"

SF: "I couldn't believe it either, but when she flew into our quarters, sure enough, she was trailing a rainbow."

K: "So, you were so emotionally distraught, you managed to pull off a Sonic Rainboom all the way back to Equestria, in level flight."

RD: "Yeah.."

SF: "I gotta admit, I've never seen something like that before. That was awesome. We would have been here sooner, but it took more time than we thought, getting our weapons and bombs ready."

K: "I think, from now on, I'll have an Armory next to your quarters, so you can QRF."

SF: "QRF?"

K: "Quick Response Force. If something like this happens again, you can be here.. 'the firstest with the mostest' as we say on Earth."

 

Blaze and Spitfire gathered up Trixie, and Luna's Guards held her while I walked over. Her face was smoldering, and when I lifted her hair aside to look her in the eye, all I could see was scorched flesh over the right side of her face.

 

RY: "DEAR CELESTIA!"

K: "Oh, my god.."

 

Even I had to hold a hand to my mouth for that. That was.. just.. her face was burned into a huge scar. I was certain she was blinded in that eye permanently. She was mumbling to herself, incoherently. I think she knew that her looks were ruined, and was having some kind of mental break.

 

K: "Get her medical attention! I don't care if she's the enemy, we're not about to let somepony suffer. Just.. keep an eye on her."

 

Several hours later, we were all in the Clinic in Appleloosa, with Braeburn fretting over Applejack... then she told him we were engaged, and..

 

BB: "WHAT?!"

AJ: "It's true, I love him, cousin."

K: "She saved my life, I saved her heart."

PP: "BUT! You didn't save SOMETHING for Marriage!" *Giggle*

AJ: *Sourly* "Thanks, Pinkie."

BB: "I.." He paced over to me, with the most confused, puzzled look on his face. Then he shook his head and held out his hoof to me. "WELCOME to the Apple Family, K!"

 

I weakly shook hooves with him.

 

K: "Thanks, Braeburn. I sure am enjoying this comfortable hospital bed here in Aaaaa-ppleloosa."

 

I exaggerated the pronunciation just like I remembered him doing, but without his usual excitement. I was just too tired. Then, Luna came in the room, with Colonel Steelhoof.

 

K: "Princess Luna!"

PL: "Greetings, K. It's been a while." Her voice had a little blush in it. I deduced she was still carrying a bit of a torch for me. Applejack didn't seem to notice, or if she did, didn't care.

K: "Yeah.. how are you?"

PL: "We.. I'm just fine."

 

Someone's been working with her on how to talk like a regular person.

 

PL: "We were.. very worried on hearing you'd all been injured."

K: "Nothing serious. Applejack got off the worst."

 

She had a big burn bandage over her midsection. Trixie scorched her pretty good, but it wasn't serious by any means. Rarity had a bruise on her neck (and she was going ON and ON about how she'd never be able to cover it up - her complaints made me feel good, though), Spike got his tail slammed under a club, and it was bandaged. Twilight got a cut on her right foreleg, fairly deep, but nothing remotely dangerous. Fluttershy didn't even get a scratch - she was in the air most of the time. Pinkie had sore hooves from beating a Raptorian to death, and a sore leg where one managed to kick her. RD and the Wonderbolts were also unharmed. As for me, I had a bruise forming on my stomach that'd be tender for a few weeks, and I'd gotten a cut on my head. No concussion, thankfully - Trixie just wasn't that strong.

Trixie, though.. her face was half-bandaged, like a pony Harvey Dent. I felt bad for her. I knew that we couldn't kill her - and I'd always been critical of Batman and Superman for that, watching their cartoons. But now, I knew how they felt, I knew their thought process. I knew why they didn't kill their opponents, despite living in far less innocent times than we did right now - it simply wasn't the example they wanted to set. They wanted to be.. like the Girls.. forgiving.. caring.. or, in Bruce Wayne's case, because even as a Dark Knight, he couldn't bring himself to that level. I knew, exactly, though, that her survival meant she would one day escape imprisonment and try to kill us all. That was unpreventable, unless we killed her - and that was off the table.

 

K: "Overall, Princess, the Shermans performed better than expected in real combat. The rounds are real manstoppers, better than I ever thought. The Lees may lack shock power, but they'e just as deadly - Rarity proved that. Chief Thunderhooves has agreed to the Armory at the site we originally planned, and has agreed to protect it. Overall, my only recommendation is that we all.." I indicated myself and the girls "..not be dumb enough to go out on a trip like this without more ammunition. I'm sure Tirek will try again."

PL: "We-I've come to the same conclusion. Sheriff Silver Star has asked for weapons."

K: "I'd like to borrow Braeburn, actually, and train him as a Model Soldier." I looked to Steelhoof.

Col. ST: "That can be arranged, of course."

K: "Braeburn? It's gonna be your job to train the Sheriff and a few trusted townsfolk. You're going to be forming the Appleloosa Militia."

BB: "Wow! I-I don't know what to say!"

K: "How about offering us some apple pie? That'd be a great start, I'm famished."

BB: "You got it!"

 

That night, we broke ground on the Armory, but it was a bittersweet thing. Two Buffalo had died while we were protecting the enclave, and Thunderhooves' injuries were serious enough that Little Strongheart had to attend in his stead.. she looked right, wearing the full head dress. Despite this, we had our start. Now, Equestria would be able to produce more than just a few weapons at a time - and we now had a reason to use them.

 

{End chapter}