//------------------------------// // Confrontation // Story: Majesty: Queen of the Castle // by Paradise Oasis //------------------------------// "Hey ponies, you're waaay too slow!" The panda laughed, racing ahead of Applejack. "Bet ya can't catch meee!" "Oh yeah?" Applejack replied, closing in on the bear with a smile. "Well, you aren't gonna get away from me that easy, kid!" The ponies and pony friends were all so busy playing, that they failed to notice the approaching sound of four sets of hooves approaching the hidden village. When the playing ponies and other animals finally noticed the newcomers, they looked up to see four tall and lanky mares standing before them. "Oh, hello there!" Leafy greeted the newcomers timidly, walking up to say hello. "Are you some new friends, too?" "I'm afraid we're not here to be friends, little one." The lead mare replied, patting the panda child on the head. "We're the Sweetheart sister ponies, and we have some business with you and those ponies over there." "The Sweetheart Sister....?" A look of horror spread across A.J.'s face, as she and the other two mares realized who these four actually were. "Windy, Holly... you and Gabby fly the kids outta here. I'll tend to our... new guests." "Wait, A.J.... what's going on here?" Gabby asked, as Holly and Windy loaded Woolly and Hoppy onto their backs, and took to the skies. "Who exactly are these mares?" "Don't talk," Applejack barked at her angrily. "just go!" The griffin nodded, and flew away with the little panda. A.J. then turned to face the Sweetheart sisters. "All right, you cowardly bounty hunters. Let the kids go, or you'll have me to tussle with!" "You!? Clumsy Applejack of Dream Valley?" Twinkler replied with as laugh. "Yes, we know who you are, we make it our business to know everything about everypony connected to our targets." "So ya know who I am, big deal." Applejack snorted, stomping her hoof. "Doesn't mean it's gonna stop me from kicking your flanks to the curb!" "Come now, there's no need for this." Sunblossom suggested. "I can see from your body type you are a pony of equestrian blood, which means you can be reasoned with. Just stand aside, and let us have the children. I promise you we'll make their deaths nice and quick." A.J. just charged at Sunblossom in response, knocking her backward with a headbutt. The angry mare replied with a kick, which Applejack easily dodged, before delivering a kick to the face of her own. But Twinkler caught A.J. with a surprise hoof uppercut, sending her tumbling to the ground. The other two ponies, Bright Night and Starflash, rushed forward and began to kick the downed earth pony over and over again. Their diamond-hard hooves tore into her flesh, making the mare bleed and breaking bones. "Aieeee!" Applejack screamed in pain, trying to shield herself from the sweetheart sister's powerful blows. "Ughhhhh...." "Well, we certainly didn't want to do that, but a pony has to do whatever the job calls for." Bright Night sighed, as the bloody and battered earth pony passed out. "Now, before we go after those little brats, we should finish what we started, and put this little earth pony out of her misery..." As the four mares closed in on Applejack, Leafy came running out of hiding, and jumped in over the prone form of A.J.. "No!" The little heifer cried out, trying to look menacing to the sweetheart sisters, and failing. "No hurting my friend!" "Well, would you look at that?" Starflash smiles evilly. "One of our targets delivers herself right to us. Thank you for making our job easier, little one." All four of the sweetheart sisters raised a hoof for the kill, and Leafy hunkered down fearfully, waiting for the end. But before any of them could strike, a magic blast shot in from the side, making the four bounty hunters jump back in shock. "What? Who was that?!" Sunblssom asked, as they all looked around. "Who dares to attack us?" The sweetheart sisters turned, and saw the angry form of Majesty standing nearby. The four mares tried to contain their laughter, as they stared at the teenage filly in disbelief. "Well well well, if it isn't her royal uselessness." Twinkler chuckled. "You couldn't even keep the adult pony pals safe, what can you possibly do to stop us?" "I'm only going to warn you once." Majesty replied coldly. "Either move away from those two, or I will end your lives where you stand." "Ohhh, so the pretty little princess is going to hurt us?" Starflash growled. "Now, stay out of our way, or-" It all happened at once... Majesty raced forward, her eyes blazing with a white-hot light as she raced up to Starflash. She touched her horn to the mare, who screamed as she instantly turned into a pillar of salt. Next, she zipped over to Sunblossom, who after a horn touch instantly turned into wood. Before Bright Night could even react, Majesty was on top of her, and a touch of the princess's horn turned the mare into an ice sculpture. Majesty then instantly teleported over to Twinkler, who was left to pathetically plead for her life. "By the alicorns! How did you-?" She looked at the unicorn in terror. "No, please, don't end my life!" "You will be the last Equestrian to threaten anybody, ever again." Majesty replied coldly, glaring down at the bounty hunter. "Your fate will serve as an example to everybody from that blasted kingdom; attack the inhabitants of Ponyland, and die." Majesty touched his horn to the final mare, and Twinkler turned to stone. Majesty then fired a massive blast from her horn, shattering all four of the ponies-turned-statues. The princess then let out a howl of anguish, before collapsing to the ground, weeping. After a few minutes of silence, Leafy finally opened her eyes. Seeing all the bad ponies gone, the heifer timidly walked over to the weeping unicorn mare. "Gee, thanks for saving us, miss unicorn lady." Leafy thanked her, putting a hoof on majesty. "Ummmm, are you okay?" Majesty's only response, was to lay there and weep in sorrow, horrified at what her anger had made the mare become.