What I was utterly amazed by was the fact that the young mare had somehow managed to recover from a demonic possession! I needed to find out how that occurred later on for sure. Then, I focused a bit more so that I could peer over Pumpkin Cake’s shoulder, and lo and behold…
Loads of other citizens of Ponyville had shown up beside her. From what I could make out, among them were loads of important individuals which included: Derpy Hooves, Dr. Hooves, Nurse Redheart, Treehugger, Limestone Pie, and--wait...really??
“Cheery?!” I let out a nervous squeal, and caught myself as I cleared my throat. “Ahem...what are you doing here? You...specifically.”
My purplish-pink marefriend trotted up to me. “We’re all here because we knew that nopony else would keep our home safe if we didn’t. I hope you don’t mind the extra help.”
Of course I didn’t, but something about it kind of--how to put it--unnerved me. As if I knew something negative could come about from this. “Oh no, of course I don’t mind. It’s just…” aaaand I couldn’t complete that thought. I was too afraid of my own words to put them out into the air.
Cheerilee cupped my chin with a hoof, and turned my head so that we could make eye contact. “If you’re worried about everypony’s safety, then I understand. However, the Mayor convinced us that the only way we’re going to keep each other safe is by putting the effort in for ourselves. And of course, I’d imagine the efforts of a certain somepony swayed her into allowing us to fight? Isn’t that right?”
If that was indeed the case, then who was I to deny them the right to fight for what they believed in. The more the merrier, right?
From out of the corner of my eye, I notice a shift in the positioning of some of the demons. Drat. For the few small moments I had taken to speak with the folks that had arrived to offer me their help, some of the cretins used it as an opportunity to sneak into Ponyville itself!
“Shit...shit,” I mumbled as I took a look around, my body twisted and turned from sporadic anxiety, “Lost track of them...they could be anywhere. Okay we need to spread out and round up as many as we can to minimize the damage they can potentially cause.”
That’s when Cheerilee took control of the situation. “Alright, everypony. You heard him. We need to spread out to where we can contain these nasty things and put them back in hell where they belong!” she explained with a stomp of her hoof to which everyone immediately gave her their attention, “And I want us all to stay in groups of at least three so we don’t get overwhelmed. Understood?”
The crowd sounded off in agreement. “YES MA’AM!” And they all split up into small groups to head out and conquer this threat.
To say that I was impressed would be a massive understatement. “...How did you manage to--”
She cut me off to offer a swift explanation. “Working with children for over two decades grants you good leadership skills. Also the Mayor put me in charge of managing the defense forces. Now come on,” the mare charged towards the town in a sprint, “We need to keep track of everypony and take out any stragglers.”
I followed her, both worried and excited to see just how she intended to fight alongside us all. “Oh dear…wait, what about Cozy?”
“Look up, Pale,” she pointed a hoof to the sky where we could see Cozy Glow continue to perform her lightning rod trick. “Her supply of feathers will run out eventually. So she’ll meet up with us soon. For now, follow me, okay?”
There was no way I could refuse a direct order from her of all ponies. The Mayor made a good decision to put her in charge of the main effort. But where was she? I hoped that nothing bad happened to her in the midst of the crossfire.
First up, we charged past the far side of the town near the hospital. About a dozen or so demons had surrounded the building, to which Cheerilee and I exchanged a determined gaze before we split off.
I took the right side, and charged in confidently. Cheerilee took the left, and what happened next completely stole my attention.
“HIYA!”
CRACK!
I skid to a stop. Cheerilee performed a full suplex upon one of the demons, effectively breaking its neck, and it was knocked out cold. From there, she performed an elegant backflip that transitioned into an ‘elbow’ drop upon another.
“HAAA!”
CRUNCH!
My heart skipped a beat--I couldn’t take my eyes off of what I had seen her do. Just how...was she so--
SNAP!
Once she had landed on the ground, another demon tried to charge at her. But she stopped them with those muscular hind legs of hers which ensnared all four limbs of her opponent like an almighty pair of scissors. With one single flick of her body, she turned, and slammed that demon pony into the dirt hard enough to send piece of smoky matter all over the place.
“H-haaah...wha…?” My mouth was agape as I watched her fight. It was utterly beautiful. So much so, that I didn’t even notice the fact that another demon had charged at me from behind.
“LOOK OUT!” a mare’s voice cried out.
POP! POP! POP!
I was snapped out of my stupor, and looked behind me to see a demon with multiple syringes lodged in its head.
That’s when Nurse Redheart appeared with a drum-like blaster weapon slung over her shoulder that fired the needles as projectiles. “Don’t get sloppy now. We need to keep each other safe.”
I had to tip my hat to her for that. It was impressive. “I really appreciate that, Red. But um...wait…” I shut my eyes. The spirit of the demon wasn’t at rest yet. Not only that, but it--she was very familiar. “...Red, she’s not down yet.”
We both took a step back as she rose to her hooves. Her body was unrecognizable thanks to the demonic corruption, but her eyes remained the same. Deranged moderate cerise, yet with the smallest hint of pain hidden behind the way the pupils quivered. With no way to properly speak, her screams were silent, but palpable...
“Who is it, son?” Redheart asked with her weapon raised, “Somepony we know?”
I looked down, my hat tilted to conceal the fear on my face. “...It’s Screwy. W-we have to...put her out of her misery again.”