A Different Sunset: The Battle for Ponyville

by Evowizard25

Part 2

Blossomforth’s golden armor chafed against her white, virgin skin as she sat on top of one of Ponyville’s many roofs. It was lighter then she thought it would be. She chalked it up to be the work of special enchantments. Even the field telephone pack, which she wore on her back, wasn’t heavy enough to bother her. As the armor was one size to large, it rattled about as Blossomforth shook in fear. Her dark pink and green mane flittered out from beneath her helmet. She clung to her spear for dear life as she tried to block out the outside world. Never before had the Pegasus donned armor, being a simple florist, and she hoped she’d never have to wear it again. The only reason she was doing now was because she was hastily conscripted into the army to help plug up the loyalist lines.

Her eyes were closed tighter then the seal to the local bank. ‘This isn’t happening. This is just a dream. This isn’t happening. This is just a dream. This isn’t…’

Blossomforth opened her eyes and looked at her companion: Cloud Kicker. The Pegasus mare was lying on the side of the slanted roof, peering over the edge. She was light purple with a blond mane. Her cutie mark, a cloud partially covering up the sun, was obscured by her much more fitting armor. Which made sense, since Cloud Kicker was second in command of Ponyville’s town militia. Cloud Kicker was everything Blossomforth wasn’t: loud, boisterous, and loved to chase some tail. She wasn’t one to back down from a challenge.

Cloud Kicker had turned her gaze from the musket she held firmly in her hooves. “Stop shaking, Blossomforth. They’re going to hear you rattling about if you keep it up.” She shot her friend an annoyed glare.

“Sorry,” Blossomforth looked away in shame. “I’m…just not used to all this.”

Cloud Kicker’s expression softened. “I’m sorry for snapping, but if we’re spotted we’re done for. You got that?”

Blossomforth nodded. She didn’t need to be told twice. Getting killed was the last thing she wanted. ‘Especially if one of those warlocks gets their hooves on me.’ She shuddered at the mere thought of them. It didn’t help that one of them was on the other side of the building. “But why did you choose a musket? Aren’t they usually loud as Tartarus?”

Cloud Kicker smirked and patted the weapon. “This one was enchanted by Bon Bon to be as silent as a sleeping babe. As long as I don’t make an arse of myself, we’ll be fine…Still a pain in the plot to reload though.” She grumbled the last part more to herself then to Blossomforth. “Still, I give credit where credit is due. Priestesses surely know their stuff…and have such nice flanks too.” She held a dreamy expression on her face.

Blossomforth rolled her eyes. “Focus, Cloud Kicker.” It was no secret Cloud Kicker was the town flirt. Okay flirt was putting it nicely and Blossomforth wasn’t going to think of any harsh terms for her friend.

“I know, I know,” Cloud Kicker went back to readying her rifle. “Fight now, sex later." The mare paused. "Of course, we could always…”

“I don’t swing that way.”

Cloud Kicker chuckled. “Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it.”

Looking over the edge, the two looked over at see a Warlock acolyte drawing some kind of large, circular symbol on the ground. His black cloak covered most of his body, except for his head. Like all Warlocks he was a unicorn. The pegasi could tell he was an acolyte by how ‘normal’ his eyes were, whereas full blown Warlocks have serpent eyes. They could see him muttering something under his breath as he worked, but they were too far away to catch any of it. There were several Nightmare Soldiers walking about, guarding the acolyte.

The duo ducked their heads back down so as not to be seen. Blossomforth huffed. Honestly, she felt it was pointless to stake out the position, but Cloud Kicker wanted to keep an eye on the acolyte. She could have left if she wanted to. ‘I’m not leaving Cloud Kicker alone like this.’ With that thought in mind, she summoned all the courage she had to stay...It honestly wasn't that much.

“Don’t go all ‘huffy’ on me,” Cloud Kicker grumbled. “We’re staking out an enemy position.”

“Then why don’t you just shoot somebody so we can leave.”

Cloud Kicker looked at her and raised an eyebrow. “Just shoot him? Right now?” She shrugged and offered the musket to her. “Fine then. You shoot him.”

Blossomforth was at a loss by the suggestion, sending fearful looks at the long ranged weapon. “Sh-shoot him?” Never in all her life had she taken somepony’s life. ‘I don’t have the heart for this kind of job.’

Cloud Kicker nodded. “Yeah, if you want us to leave, just finish him off. Easy as that.”

“Don’t ask me to do that,” Blossomforth’s eyes pleaded for her friend to shut up. “Please don’t ask me to murder somepony.”

“It’s not murder. He’s a heretic. It’s simply stamping out a nuisance.”

“How can you call it that? He’s a pony like us.”

“That sold his soul to Nightmare Moon,” Cloud Kicker clarified. Her voice carried a slightly harsh undertone.

Blossomforth winced. ‘She has a point.’ “Still…”

“Still nothing,” Cloud Kicker interrupted. “It’s either take his life, or let him take some little colt’s soul for his own uses.” She brandished her weapon and took aim. “And we’re staying. His master’s got to come around sooner or later.”

“Maybe he’s busy,” Blossomforth shuddered at what could keep a Warlock ‘busy’.

“Well he’s got to appear soon,” Cloud Kicker said. “This guy looks like he’s almost done setting up some kind of spell.”

Just then, Blossomforth heard the low ringing noise coming from the portable phone. Quick as she could, she took off the pack, opened the flap, and held the phone up to her ear. “Hello, this is Blossomforth. How can I help you?” She recited just like she would when greeting a customer.

“This is Inquisitor Time Turner,” the voice replied. “Status report.”

Blossomforth gulped and her eyes widened in fear. ‘I didn’t expect to be called by the Inquisition.’ While she had met Time Turner a few times before, she always felt nervous around him. The Inquisition were known to be ruthless in their endeavors. She quickly handed it over to her friend. “It’s for you.”
_____________________________________________________________________

Cloud Kicker sighed and lowered the rifle. ‘I have to do everything myself.’ She took the phone. “We’re somewhere over on the south side of town.”

“And what of the enemy?” Inquisitor Time Turner spoke.

Cloud Kicker honestly found the guy cute. ‘Too bad he’s dead set on Ditzy. He could have made a great lay, if he wasn’t so shy. Shy’s are great to cuddle with though.’ Getting back on topic, she peered at the group again. The nightmare cultists hadn’t made any move from their position. What really caught her eye was a strange, gray box, that pulsed with some sort of purple energy. Several enemy combatants stood watch over it. “They’re all just standing around, guarding some sort of pulsing box.”

“HA! We found it! I would kiss you if you were here now.”

“We’ll save that for the victory party.” Cloud Kicker smirked. "And a little more for the after-party." She knew that Turner was blushing. ‘He’s so easy to tease.’

“Yes…well…be glad you found that box. It’s crucial to ending this black campaign of theirs….Is there anything else to report?”

“Yeah, there’s this lone acolyte guy. He keeps drawing some weird images on the ground and muttering some stuff,” Cloud Kicker replied. “I’m waiting for his master to show…”

“KILL HIM NOW!”

Cloud Kicker pulled the phone as far away from her ear as possible. The shout was ringing in her skull. Pulling it closer, she scowled. She was lucky that the nightmare cultists were too far away to hear the shout. “Geez, do you have to shout. I’ve got this…”

Time Turner interrupted her again. “This isn’t some chaos cultist you’re dealing with. Nightmare acolytes are strong enough to summon daemons by themselves, without any help of a master.”

Cloud Kicker’s eyes widened in realization. ‘And I’ve just let the guy do his thing all this time…I’m so going to get executed.’

“So I say again. SHOOT HIM NOW!”

Not wasting another second, Cloud Kicker lined up the shot and fired. Smoke left the barrel of the musket, but the night kept it hidden. The bullet impacted the stallion’s skull, scoring a nice clean kill shot. But instead of falling down, the acolyte screamed a miserable, other-worldly cry of agony, before exploding into shadow. ‘Glad it wasn’t a gore fest. I don’t think I could stomach it.’
Cloud Kicker smirked. “Another day, another cultist.”

“YOU GOT HIM!” Blossomforth shouted in astonishment.

Cloud Kicker gave out a cry of “Wah” and jumped in fright. Quickly, she put a hoof over Blossomforth’s mouth, but it was too late. The nightmare cultists had obviously heard her friend and looked their way. Cloud Kicker’s irises shrunk to the size of pinpricks. “Oh dear.”

One of the soldiers pointed their way and shouted something. The others turned their heads and started running at them.

Cloud Kicker looked to her now shaking friend. “Run.”
__________________________________________________________________
Right outside the Ponyville spa

“FIGHT, DAMN YOU,” Thunderlane roared at his troops. He blocked another strike with the sword in his forehoof and pushed the attacker back.

The Celestial Guardsponies fought tooth and nail against the opposing soldiers of nightmare. Occasionally, from the rooftops, musketeers would take pot shots at the enemy. Most of the musketeers were pegasi, since they were the quickest of the three races and could fire from just about anywhere. Unicorns were still plentiful amongst the ranks thanks to their magic, while Earth pony musketeers were rare. It was hard to manipulate the muskets by hoof, even if they were designed with equines in mind. Time was something you couldn’t waste on the battlefield.

“VICTORY OR DEATH!”

“I think they heard you the first time,” Rarity sent him a small glare as she used her magic to send several, sharpened shards of crystals at the enemy. The shards shredded both armor and flesh alike. She stood in front of the spa, far enough from the enemy lines to not be in immediate danger. The unicorn mare wore a stylized red armor that fit her body perfectly. The shoulders held the mark of Celestia, with half the sun coming over her shoulder like a pair of proto wings. Around her were several diamond dogs, doing their best to keep any and all shadow cultists away. “Or would you rather keep yelling at them. That’s what you seem best at.”

Thunderlane had to admit, it looked incredibly sexy on her. ‘Oh how I’d love to take her out of it.’ Of course, with her last jibe, he grit his teeth in annoyance. “For the last time, I’m sorry we didn’t bring you to the meeting. We had our hooves tied.” He flapped his wings and dodged the charge of an earth pony cultis.

“That still doesn’t change the fact that you left me out,” Rarity grabbed another batch of crystals from a nearby chest. Using her expert magic, she swiftly sharpened them to a point and started her barrage anew. “I am an essential part of this town. You simply can’t keep me and my diamond dogs in the dark. That will simply not do.”

“Well I…we,” Thunderlane quickly corrected his mistake. He didn’t want to single himself out to her. ‘She’ll still think it though.’ Honestly, he didn't want the dogs in town at all, but that was out of his hooves. Most of the others hadn't seen anything wrong with letting the dogs fight. Of course, with the meeting cut short, the issue wasn't brought up at all. “The town council didn’t think the battlefield was the place for a lady such as yourself.” With a pump of his wings he jumped forward and sliced into the chest of a nearby enemy.

“While that is noble of you darling," Rarity said, which told Thunderlane he was caught up in his fib. "I simply must protest. My skills and my dogs most assuredly can handle these ruffians.” To punctuate her meaning, she used her magic to throw a couple of enemy soldiers amongst a group of diamond dogs. Needless to say, the dogs ripped them apart with their swords, spears, and claws. Smirking, she turned her eyes back to him. “I believe my point has come across.”

Thunderlane rolled his eyes. ‘Leave it to a unicorn to show off.’ Suffice it to say, he was glad the dogs were on his side. Diamond Dogs could rip through the hardest metal with ease and tear apart the biggest soldiers the Celestial Guard could muster. He was glad he had never had the need to face one in combat. Fortunately for him, the nightmare soldiers couldn’t say the same. Flying over to her side so as to get a better view of the battlefield, he peered down at her. “So why are you here anyways? Isn’t your beautigue several blocks from here?”

Rarity nodded. “Yes it is, but I simply couldn’t dare to think what those scoundrels could do here to my friends. I had to help.”

The spa twins, Aloe and Lotus Blossom, stuck their heads out the door. They were a pair of nearly identical earth pony mares, only being separated by their inverted colors: Aloe had a pink coat and blue mane, while Lotus had a blue coat and pink mane. “And we couldn’t be happier.” The twin sisters had an unusual accent, one with which they had brought from their home in the city of Stalliongrad. An arrow whizzed past their heads and into their shop, causing both mares to shout in alarm and duck inside.

Thunderlane couldn’t help but chuckle, which earned him an annoyed glare from Rarity. Before he could respond, two mares flew right smack into him. The three ponies tumbled across the ground for a short distance, before ending up in a mangled pile.

“Sorry,” a mare, he knew as Blossomforth muttered from beneath him.

Realizing he was atop of her, he blushed. “Nothing to be sorry about.” The three ponies untangled themselves. “Just watch where you’re flying next time.”

"Awww," Cloud Kicker said. "Do I have to? I rather enjoyed getting all tangled up in your big, strong legs." She sent him a half-lidded smile. "Maybe we can do it again sometime."

Thunderlane groaned. "Keep it in your armor, Cloud Kicker. Just tell me why you were in such a rush, or I'll send you back where you came from."

Cloud Kicker straightened up and saluted. “Sir, I wish to speak with Inquisitor Time Turner. I have crucial information about the enemy that he must know.”

Thunderlane nodded and returned her salute. “I’ll see that you get to him.” Dismissing the salute, Cloud Kicker then did the same. ‘I just hope it’s about those damnable…whatsits the inquisitor was talking about. I don’t think our lines are going to hold forever.’

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Apostle scowled as he viewed the battlefield from one of the taller buildings. His troops were making progress for sure, but it was slow and costly. I hoof-picked each and every one of them. I trained them, I fed them, I took care of them and this is how they repay me?' His body would have shook with rage, but he was better than that. He kept himself collected, at least on the outside.

'And how dare these...sun touched fools resist us. They should be groveling before our glorious goddess of the night. Do they not appreciate the stars above? The moon? No, they love the sun, the ball of flames you can't look at without hurting your eyes. MORONS!'

"Sir," a voice interrupted his inner monologue.

"What?" Apostle said, without turning to face the soldier.

The soldier shrunk back in fear. He found the courage to speak up. "Our forces are finding it hard to press any further. The loyalists are making it difficult for our troops to move."

"Then press harder," Apostle turned his head to send him a glare that slashed through the soldier. "Spill the blood of those who fight against Nightmare Moon."

"We...We are trying, my lord," The soldier shook like a leaf. "But, the loyalist...."

"Are not blessed by the goddess of the night," Apostle interrupted him. "We are the chosen few who serve the rightful ruler of Equestria. So tell me, why are the sun loyalists giving us such trouble?"

The soldier was silent for a moment, trying to think of something that would save his hide. "The sun fools are a tough bunch, my lord. They won't go down without a fight, but they will go down no matter what. We'll wear them down."

Apostle's face scrunched up in distaste. "That's your answer? We'll wear them down?"

"Y-y-yes," the soldier was shaking in his armor.

Apostle shook his head. "I'm sorry, I thought I trained you better than this. It is apparent I chose a bunch of sniveling, weaklings instead of soldiers worthy to carry the mark of our goddess."

"I am wor..."

He never finished the sentence, for Apostle blew his head off with a spell. "You are not." Apostle needed to tell his majesty. She would know what to do. With that, he departed from the battlefield in a mist of shadow.

Comments

[punzil504]

Blossomforth gulped and her eyes widened in fear. ‘I didn’t expect to be called by the Inquisition.’

Nobody expects to be called by the inquisition!
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[Honeytongue]

Whoo! Shimmerverse Cloud Kicker (and Blossomforth) at last!

[NobodieZ]

great chapter, I like how you gave a look into the rest of Ponyville during the battle.

“Geez, do you have to shout. I’ve got this…”

I think you meant “Geez, don't you have to shout."