//------------------------------// // A Thin Grey Line Between Allies and Enemies // Story: A Long Hot Day // by Short Blade - The Oak //------------------------------// At first he refused to believe what he was seeing. He knew they were Luna's ponies, but no princess in her right mind would ever place her personal seal on something unless that pony was on official royal duties for that princess. "They must have stolen them!" Was the first thought that crossed his mind. "Yes, shadow ponies always travel in groups of three or more for protection, they must be outcasts." Then he took a closer look at Turnip. The buttons around the collar of his cloak had loosened. From his angle he could see underneath it to the edges of a dark blue uniform. Complete with badges and an Equestrian captains ranking for the general army! Silverstar, in complete shock let his spear fall from his hoof. He took a few steps back as he struggled to process this new information. After a few agonizing moments his mind fell back to an article in the weekly paper 'Equestria Times'. In the article, it stated that the princess of the night formed an elite squad made from the refugee shadow ponies of the south. Their sole purpose was to guard the vast southern boarder of Equestria from the western portion of the San Palomino Desert, all the way to the most eastern part of the Badlands. His eyes darted between the pegasi, as the realization came upon him both these two must be members of that elite squad! With what appeared to be a break in the fight, a dozen Appleloosians ran from opposite directions across the street. Most were mares with their foals heading to the town hall. The place everypony was to go to when trouble occurred. The rumbling began again as most of the ponies finished their crossing. Suddenly Tulip let go of the rock and shot off toward the end of the street quickly followed by Turnip. To Silverstar's horror they were headed directly towards the last two ponies still out. His own wife and small colt! The normal stone like expression that the entire town saw in Silverstar contorted into a heart wrenching vestige of fear. As the two pegasi closed in on their obvious target, Silverstar lurched forward. Spear unknowingly in hoof and aimed at the pegasi. The two, who had in the heat of the day proved to be enemies, drew nearer as Silverstar cried out his wife's name. "Fannnnyyyyy!!!". In the instant before he let loose his spear the rumbling earth erupted next to the sheriff's family. All eyes fell on the massive worm as it tore itself up from the earth. Light brown and covered with a thick carapace the worm kept rising into the sky. It rose higher then any of the structures in town before arching downward. It's maw turned as it descended onto the mare and small colt. His attention now turned, but still screaming his wife's name, Silverstar let loose his spear. It soared through the air as Turnip and Tulip drew ever nearer. The worms mouth opened to reveal four layers of pointed, shark like teeth. The beautiful golden haired mare could do nothing but grab her colt in a vain attempt to shield him from immediate death from above. They both closed their eyes. The pegasi sped towards the helpless pair but appeared to be just out of reach. Just then, the spear Silverstar let loose passed right over Turnip's head and disappeared deep into the worms massive maw. While it appeared to do no real damage. The strike caused the worm to hesitate slightly. In that fraction of a second Turnip and Tulip reached the sheriff's family and tore them apart from each other. Tulip, carrying the colt, kicked off to the right of the worm. They rolled on the ground for a moment before she threw the young pony head first into a nearby building. Imminently after, she flipped herself over and ground her hooves into the hot earth. The only other sound came from inside the building as the colt crashed into several tables, a few chairs, and a china cabinet. Turnip hit the ground as he skidded forward with the mare wrapped tightly in his hooves. They both disappeared as the worm came crashing to the ground. Blowing dust and debris in all directions. In the confusion Silverstar ran blindly forward to ascertain the fate of his family. Braeburn stayed at his side trying to get the sheriffs attention but it was no use. The normally hard and focused sheriff was lost in a maze of uncertainty. His gaze, solely focused on the last spot he saw his family. Tulip grit her teeth as she flew forward, blades extended. Crossing what anypony would guess as the head of the beast, she cut a dozen deep laceration into the behemoth. But to no avail, the worms carapace was too thick for such light blades to fully penetrate. As Tulip flew, everypony still on the streets made for the closest building. Only the pegasus, Silverstar, and his loyal friend Braeburn seemed to stay in the midst of the battle. Tulip finished her pass on the worm. She hovered in the air briefly while it turned it's head to her. It's maw opened and it spit a yellow substance at her. While the behemoth's attack was far too slow to catch such a nimble pegasus, it just happened to be within range of the two earth ponies on the ground. Focused solely on what was in front of him. Silverstar kept moving forward, unaware of the danger from above. Braeburn's eyes darted between the sheriff and the worm as it spat. He hesitated slightly out of fear of crossing the sheriff. But at the last second he came to his senses and tackled Silverstar, pushing them both out of the way of the goo as it splattered on the ground. Braeburn rolled to the side as some of the strange yellow substance dropped next to him. He swallowed in fear as he saw smoke from the powerful acid burning several holes into the ground where it fell. Looking up, Silverstar saw a silver bolt shoot up from behind the worm. And with all the speed he was born with, Turnip made two circles around what passed for the worms neck. Somehow sensing danger the worm began to slowly move backwards through the hole it came out from. Tulip hovered in the air as all this happened. Head darting, teeth gritting, blades hungry, as though she was looking for something. Finishing his circles Turnip stopped, hovering at the base of the monster tying what appeared to be several ropes together. "Paaaa?" A small sound called from inside a nearby building next to the sheriff. Both him and Braeburn looked up in surprise as the voice of Goldstar, Silverstar's son, squeak out from inside. "ALIVE," the sheriff realized. His chest rose from the ground as though Celestia herself inflated it with magic, the steel edge returning to his face. He turned his body to the massive monstrosity that was threatening what he loved. While he still did not know the fate of his wife, he was certain she would want him to fight on for their son's sake. Braeburn, taking courage from the sheriff, stood with equal determination at his friends side. Tulip's head finally focused on what she was searching for. Landing blades first, she pierced the carapace of the creature and onto a soft spot on top of the worms body. Those ponies who witnessed the battle would mostly remember how naturally she seemed to sit on the back of the beast as It twisted and turned in obvious pain. Much like a rodeo, some ponies would recall. They would also recall how familiar these two ponies seemed to be with this creature. They would later learn for other shadow ponies who occasionally visited. That they had indeed learned of ways to fight and destroy these foul beasts, and a score of others like them. Knowledge gained and passed down throughout the generations. Tulip continued to sit there on the beasts head, trying to hold on and occasionally twisting her blades to cause as much damage as she could. The beast reared up, an unbearable grumbling coming from deep within, namely pain. Turnip, finishing his task, threw the ropes in two different directions. He backed away from the worm far enough to get Tulip's attention. She lifted her head to see Turnip looking at her and pointing his hoof at the worm. Without reaction, Tulip launched herself from her perch. She flew high above Turnip for a moment then shot herself straight at the monster. Turnip also sped forward, driving himself down before leaping up, ramming his shoulder into the worms underside. As he did this the worm briefly lurched up. It's teeth jutting forward as Tulip charged, blades first, then disappeared into the massive maw of the beast. Some mares screamed at the sight of the apparent suicide attack. Little happened in the next few seconds as the worm simply continued it's attempt to crawl it's way back into its hole. Turnip jumped out of the way of the beast and positioned himself again between the two ropes. As he did he tore off the tattered remains of his cloak and stood their, showing the entire town his uniform and ranking. He cocked his leg and unfurled his wings in a pose. Then he spoke, or rather commanded! "Ponies of Appleloosa! HEAR ME!" All ponies turned their heads to the strange small pegasus. "I know not your ways. For I am not your kin. But I tell you now, if you do not do as I say then there will be no future for Appleloosa. There will be no future for any of us who dwell in the desert! Now join me now, pull these ropes so we can slay this beast! AND ENSURE A FUTURE FOR US ALL!!!" There was a roar, as ponies from all over Appleloosa came to the call of battle. Silverstar not seeing any other choice but to trust his enemy, found himself to be the first to pick up the rope. He wrapped it around his hooves and braced himself on his rear legs. As they pulled the massive worm from its hole he could only marvel at the pony in front of him. Mere minuets ago he sought only this pony death, now he was fighting right beside him. A perfect commentary on the confusing nature of war itself, he would think to himself sometime later. And while he would never admit it with words, he began to respect this little pony. Blood began to leak out of the giant worms mouth. While only Turnip knew the reason why. It still was an encouraging sign, causing all ponies to pull harder. "1,2,3, PULL! 1,2,3, PULL!!" The two teams yelled as they pulled the massive worm from out of it's hole. In a flash Turnip let go of the rope and raced forward, his blades plunging into a second soft spot on the worm. Racked with pain the beast tried to pull it's head back. But the ponies held strong and the worm came crashing down onto the ground again, blood gushing from it's mouth as it fell. Turnip darted out of the way as it came down the final time. Following suit, the ponies holding the ropes dashed left and right to avoid the blood. In the mists of the blood a single lump of what appeared to be nothing but a clot jutted out from the worm's mouth. It splattered here and there then came to a stop. It rose off the ground slightly as an odd shape began to appear. At first it was blobish in it's appearance. Then, as the blood fell off, it took the shape resembling something akin to having a head and six appendages. Turnip sped to the spot of the aberration as the worm behind him flattened out, dead. For the first time all afternoon the town became silent. Everypony just stood and stared at the awesome spectacle of what just happened, of what they just helped do. The blob slowly rose from the ground. Wobbling this way and that as it tried to keep it's balance. As Turnip came to it he began wiping off some of the blood and gore. Those watching could see a pair of wings beginning to flex out, finally taking the shape of Tulip. Turnips hooves traced their way to the head. As he finished wiping the thick blood away from her face and mussel she took a deep breath. Though still covered in blood she gave Turnip a smile in gratitude for his help. Seeing she was OK, Turnip fell back pointing his hoof at Tulip, roaring in his silent laughter. With most of the blood wiped away Tulip started to shake the rest off. He sat up still smiling as blood and gore splattered all over his face. When she had finished she was still stained from head to toe, but was free of all the clumps. She took a moment to wipe her goggles clean then ran up to Turnip. They embraced each other, then began to give a celebratory prance about the blood... an awkward celebration to say the least. And without doubt the part of the story the Appleloosians always left out when they recanted the tale to visitors. Seeing their saviors unhurt, the ponies of Appleosha gave out a great cheer. Friends shook hooves and others threw hats high into the air. The pitched battle against the sudden appearance of a terrible enemy was over. Silverstar head slumped slightly in exhaustion as he looked upon the dead worm. Braeburn, head turning, tapped Silverstar on the shoulder. The sheriff turned around to see his wife Fanny and son Goldstar emerged from behind a building. She was battered, her dress torn her mane a mess and her shoulder and side had no small amount of scrapes and bruises. Goldstar was a little worse off since he was thrown hard into a building. He had several bandages on his neck and flank. His left eye was purple and bruised, and his gold colored fur was stained with dry blood. Silverstar's eyes widened as he saw them. Fan Dresser, or Fanny as she preferred to be called, sighed in relief and smiled as her eyes met with her husband's. Without thinking he ran over to them. Fanny extended her hooves to him, but Silverstar stopped short of embracing his mare. He just sat there holding her face in his strong hooves. Staring at her as though he was trying to burn the image of her face forever into his memory. After a moment, he rained down a series of kisses all over her face. She giggled, both at the silliness of her husband, and at how his thick mustache tickled her. Silverstar stopped his gentle assault and they touched foreheads together. His son, Goldstar came around the pair just in time for his pa to pick up the young colt and he gave them both a hug. Braeburn wiped a tear from his eye as he watched the reunion, then glanced over to the two pegasi. They were sitting in the middle of the pool of blood each making gestures to the other. He noticed they never really seemed to talk. For whatever reason they had this must be how they communicated with each other. Without warning they shot into the air and flew to the southeast. "The apple orchards", Braeburn thought. "They must be heading for the river." Braeburn's guess was a good one since it was indeed to the river they went. While the sun was still high in the sky, enough time had passed so that the hottest part of the day was gone. But by no means was it cool. They picked a shady spot that overlooked the life giving river and apple orchards. They spied a few mares with foals still hiding in the orchard then sat and took off their weapons and uniforms. Taking out small kits each possessed they began the difficult task of cleaning their weapons. The process was quite a long one considering each blade had several springs and gears hidden inside. Plus the screwdrivers they had were rather small and difficult to handle. Still, both pegasi were well practiced with their weapons, and had dis-assembled and re-assemble them so often they could do it blindfolded. After some time they managed to properly clean and oil their 'Lockblades', as they were called. Turnip then grabbed his uniform and began washing it in the river, with Tulip quickly following suit. While they did the best they could it didn't mattered much. Tulip's uniform, normally a dark shade of blue, was rendered pitch black and hopelessly stained by the worm's blood. Turnip's uniform was torn in several places when he rescued Fanny. Getting bored with all these chores Tulip tossed her uniform aside then jumped into the river. Turnip looked up in time to get his face splashed with water. Placing his own uniform on the rock he jumped into the river after Tulip. They played around in the water for a moment before Turnip paddled back to shore to grab his cloak. He ripped a large piece from it, wet it down in the river, then returned to Tulip to began scrubbing down her body. Other then her eyes that were covered by the goggles, Tulip was stained from nose to rear with the worms dirty blood. He silently cursed himself for forgetting he should have washed Tulip first. She didn't resist as he scrubbed every inch of her body, and for a good reason. There was much disease in the desert sands of their former home, and any contact with creatures like those worms had to be treated with caution. Since it had been known to make a pony quite sick from time to time. After cleaning her body and intimate areas he ripped off another chunk of his tattered cloak, washed it down, and opened her mouth. He sighed in relief when he saw it perfectly clean. While he completely trusted Tulip in battle he still was a little worried she would swallow some of the blood while she was cutting up the worm's insides. But she kept her mouth shut tight as he knew she would. Taking special care to clean out her nose and ears he dunked her head into the river to rinse everything off. When they finished bathing they emerged from the water, picking up their uniforms along the way. They sat down in a flat area and Turnip quietly laid out his uniform. Tulip held up her uniform proudly as though saying good as new. Turnip giggled at the ruined uniform. She frowned then shrugged at Turnips rudeness, pouting at her wounded pride. He leaned over to give the mare an apologetic hug. Her smile slowly returned. As he let go she brushed her nose against his. They looked at each other for a moment before Turnip turned back to his uniform, blushing as he finished spreading out the wrinkled areas. He closed his eyes in quiet meditation, trying to slow his rapidly beating heart. Then he suddenly sprang to his hooves with a playful expression on his face. Tulip likewise dropped her uniform and they both ran to the tall rocks nearby. While the danger was long since passed many of the Appleloosians still took refuge in the apple orchards. After all there was a rather grizzly cleanup that was needed. Chiefly a bloated carcass and a small river of blood that all had to be cleared before the sun went down. The worm was easy enough. As it simply needed several strong ropes and twice as many strong backs. The blood was another matter. They first mixed in some dirt and leftover wood chippings from the sawmill. After a bit of stirring, it was scooped up and shoveled into several wagons. Then, the worm, blood and wagons were all dragged to a nearby cliff upwind of Appleloosa, and unceremoniously shoved off the side. While the stallions continued the extensive clean up. The rest of the fillies, colts, mares, and elderly, stayed at the river to take a break from the excitement and to get away from the oppressive heat. Goldstar trotted out of the orchard next to the river just in time to see Tulip leap off a rock and cannonball into the gently running water. His eyes lit up as he ran over to join. His mother pulled him back though, a look of concern on her face. The look quickly passed though when another five foals followed Turnip off the rock. Fanny glanced by the bank of the river and spied several of her friends keeping a close eye on their young. Her thoughts turned to back when the worm was about to eat her and Goldstar. The last thing she remembered was closing her eyes as the worm began to descend on her. Then the feeling of hitting the ground hard and tumbling around. When she opened her eyes she saw the silver pegasus standing above her. Before she could think straight he grab her by the neck and began yelling at her. "Go to where I saw those foals and mares go!" Fanny looked up at him in shock but understood what he said. He was referring to the town hall, it was considered the safest building in town and the place to take shelter in during a crises. Like when Turnip was fighting the sheriff. "Gather them up and head to the river," he continued. "This beast will die if it gets too close to the water, so that makes it the only safe place! If the battle goes bad then take everypony and lead them north, as far as you can. And do not fear for your son, he is safe with Tulip, now go!" He finished as he lifted her to her hooves then shoved her away. She ran towards the town hall, looking back to see the pegasus run into the hardware store. She did as he instructed and got everypony safely to the river. Then headed back to find Goldstar. The memory faded as the sound of laughter filled the air. She sighed, while dangerous she could not believe these two meant to harm anypony. Not after risking their lives to save them the way they did. She let go of Goldstar who ran to join his friends, then she trotted out to join hers. And there they stayed, as the two ponies of shadow played games with the young foals of Appleloosa under the hot sun.