//------------------------------//
// Chapter 31 
// Story: Hostile History 
// by Jest 
//------------------------------//

“How the hell did noone notice these guys?” Applejack shouted as she grabbed the picnic bench, turned it to the side and drove it a foot deep into the ground.

The girls, and Timber Spruce, piled in behind the makeshift barricade, bullets already slamming against Rarity’s shields. Sunset Shimmer quickly enchanted the impromptu barrier, creating a bulletproof obstacle for their foes. It wasn't the greatest defence, but it allowed Rarity to relax and for Sunset to cast a now familiar enchantment spell over almost all of them.

“How are you guys not freaking out? They are shooting at us!” Timber yelled, the male crouched low to the ground with his hands over his head.

“We’ve done this before,” Rainbow Dash remarked.

“So what's the plan Sunset?” Pinkie Pie asked.

Sunset’s magic slowly died, her spells complete and her friend’s body’s now enhanced in order to make them far more resistant to damage.

“We’ll split into teams of two,” Sunset began. “Applejack, Twilight, and I will try to subdue the statue while Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie can focus on the soldiers.”

“What about us?” asked Rarity, who gestured to Fluttershy.

“You girls help where you can with a focus on keeping civilians out of the way,” Sunset replied.

“We need to move, that statue is nearly upon us!” shouted Twilight over a hail of gunfire.

“Right let-” Sunset’s declaration was cut off when a grenade flew over the top of the barrier.

Noone had a chance to even think of a response before Rainbow Dash became a blur, and the bomb was thrown high into the air. A second later and a shockwave rolled over their location, bits of shrapnel hitting the picnic table as well as the ground around them.

“Go!” Sunset shouted.

Everyone save Timber burst into motion, with the two groups of girls splitting up and moving towards their targets. By then the front of the school had become a battlefield, with everyone who wasn't a soldier, or one of their targets having fled the scene by then. All save for a few stragglers who had taken cover around the area, though the students were ignored by the black armored men.

Portable cover had been deployed, heavy weapons were being set up, and all across the front of the school a battle line had quickly formed. Dozens of rifles spat short bursts of lead at the girls, with most shots going wide or being blocked by Rarity’s many shields. Though intimidating due to their numbers and ruthless efficiency, the soldiers werent nearly as scary as the giant statue charging the picnic table.

Heavy enough to send small tremors through the ground, the animated stone horse had broken out into a sprint. With head down and nostrils flared, the creature seemed intent and running straight through its foes.

“Lemme handle this bucking bronco,” Applejack declared.

Sunset wanted to argue, but chose to instead trust her friend and stand aside while Applejack discarded her jacket. Now wearing only a thin white tank top, Applejack spread her stance wide and waited, muscles flexing. She didn't have to do so for long, as the horse seemed enraged by Applejack’s bold strategy and ran right into her, intent on flinging the girl high into the air.

That never happened though, as the farm girl had somehow managed to grapple the creature despite the height difference. Strong, weather-beaten hands held firm to the horse’s neck and shoulder, stopping it from moving Applejack more than a few feet back. Muscles flexed and with a sharp jerk of her body, Applejack attempted to flip the creature over, but it twisted out of her hold at the last second.

It didn't stop at merely escaping Applejack’s grip though, as it rose up onto its back legs and swung its forehooves down at the girl. A bit of quick thinking pulled Applejack out of range however, as Twilight’s telekinesis relinquished the hold it had on the farm girl’s pants a second after she was safe. Applejack gave her savior a quick nod of thanks before charging the creature, intent on knocking it to the ground.

Sunset Shimmer aided in this endeavour by using her magic to buffet the horse with fire, distracting it while Applejack got in close. Unfortunately for the farm girl, her opponent was unfazed by the flames, and swung its head like a mace, hitting Applejack in the side. Sent flying by the force of the blow, Applejack was swiftly caught by Twilight’s magic and deposited on the ground.

“This guy is tough,” Applejack muttered.

“I think you will find I am more than a match for a bunch of teenagers,” declared the statue in a deep, reverberating tone.

“Ha. We’ve fought things twice your size and twice as ugly,” Twilight retorted.

“But that was when I was aiming to send a message, not kill,” retorted the statue.

Twilight gulped.

Across the field things were going a bit better, with Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie making quick work of the closest batch of soldiers. They accomplished this by Pinkie Pie throwing a stun grenade she had conjured from a handful of confetti. The disorganized group of soldiers barely had a chance to figure out what had happened before Rainbow Dash was in the middle of them.

In a flash their hands were bound by the metal cuffs they had brought with them, and their shoelaces had been tied together. Angry shouts of surprise were punctuated by the thump of falling people and soon the first three soldiers were completely out of the fight. The girls didn't have long to appreciate their victory however, as the deep repeated thump of a heavy machine gun sent fear surging through them both.

Caught unaware, Rainbow Dash tried to slip away, but was nearly tripped when one of the fallen soldiers grabbed her ankle. Thankfully Rarity was quick on the draw, and conjured a barrier over the speedster, giving Rainbow Dash the time she needed. After booting the soldier who had grabbed her in the face, Rainbow Dash quickly sprinted away, rejoining Pinkie Pie and the others behind cover.

“Dang these guys are way better than the other bunch of shlubs we beat up before,” Rainbow Dash shouted over the din of gunfire.

“What do you think we should do?” Fluttershy asked.

“How about run?!” Timber shouted.

PInkie Pie snorted. “Running away ain't our style, man. Besides, I already got a plan!”

“Oh, well you better tell us soon, because I think they’ve got back up,” Rarity pointed out.

All eyes followed the fashionista’s gaze towards the group of black unmarked vans sitting up the street. Striding out into view from the back of one of the vehicles were a pair of heavily armored soldiers, their bodies encased in a mix of metal and plastic. Wielding only a pair of batons, they didn't seem that intimidating up until they activated their defences and electricity arced off of their bodies.

“They came prepared,” Pinkie Pie muttered.

Rainbow Dash snorted dismissively. “We can take em, right girls?”

“Heck yeah!” PInkie Pie proclaimed.

Their confidence wasn't shared with the rest of their friends however, as Sunset was quickly growing frustrated with her foe. The stone horse moved with an incredible speed that belied its enormous size and considerable weight. Even Applejack, who had initially been able to grapple it with moderate success, was now unable to do much against the creature.

Its marble exterior ate up magic and physical attacks alike without leaving behind so much as a mark. Even Sunset’s most powerful fire spells only blackened its exterior, though it was clear that the damage was only topical. It at least left an opening for Applejack to deliver several rapid fire punches to the horse’s midsection, though they did little bit injure her knuckles.

“Any help would be greatly appreciated!” Sunset shouted at Twilight before leaping to the side, dodging a buck which would have sent her flying.

“I’m thinking, just give me a sec-” Twilight tried to reply, only to be knocked onto her back when a burst of gunfire hit her in the midsection.

“Twi are you okay?” Applejack yelled.

“I’m fine,” Twilight muttered as she struggled back to her feet. “And I got a plan.”

“I do hope that plan is to lay down so I may crush you beneath my hooves,” remarked the statue as it charged Twilight head on.

“Not likely, pal,” Applejack retorted before slamming into the creature’s side and steering him away from the stunned caster.

“R-right,” Twilight muttered.

With Sunset moving to assist the farm girl, Twilight had a moment to put her plan into motion. She started by summoning her magic and reaching down into the earth, and gathering the elements she required. Once she had all she needed, Twilight pulled hard, causing six, foot long spikes to emerge from the ground only a few feet away.

“Sunset heats them, and Applejack sticks him!” Twilight shouted, tossing the bundle of spikes at Sunset.

Though the girl looked confused for a second, Sunset quickly put two and two together. 

Alright, let's put this guy in the dirt. Sunset thought to herself.

“Heck yeah, let's do this!” Rainbow Dash shouted before sprinting out from behind cover, a bundle of metal objects held tight against her chest.

“Don't slow darling!” Rarity shouted.

If Rainbow Dash had heard her friend, she would have laughed at the absurdity of such a statement. But by the time Rarity had even uttered such a sentence Rainbow Dash was already halfway across the open expanse. It wasn't even terrain however, as several grenades had been lobbed at the group of girls, creating a dozen or so small craters.

This slowed Rainbow Dash down significantly, allowing the various groups of soldiers to line up a series of shots. Only for their rounds to bounce harmlessly off a dozen gem shaped shields which had appeared out of nowhere. Worse yet for the soldiers, Rainbow Dash had begun throwing canisters which upon hitting the ground, began spitting out a stream of pink smoke.

“Yeah go Dashy!” Pinkie Pie shouted.

“Quiet darling, I need to concentrate,” Rarity muttered over the din of gunfire.

Soon the soldiers were unable to even see their targets, and though well equipped, they did not have any gadget capable of clearing the smoke. Most abandoned their rifles in favor of knives, or pistols, while others hastily began backing up, attempting to move upwind. Either way, the majority of the soldiers had their actions rendered moot by a bright teal blur.

The detonation of a trio of stun grenades caused the LMG squad to drop their cargo and grab at their eyes. By the time they knew what was going on, they were handcuffed to one another, unable to move more than an inch. Rainbow Dash attempted to follow this up by knocking out another squad with an arm load of concussion grenades but was stopped by the two arc soldiers she had seen earlier.

“Damn,” Rainbow Dash cursed.

“Damn,” muttered Sunset as she was forced to stop her fire spell and dodge to her right.

The horse statue wasn't able to follow up on its attack however, as Applejack slammed into it with enough force to knock it back several feet. When they came to a stop the statue twisted its body, somehow managing to get under Applejack’s arms and plant its head against the girl’s sternum. With a heave, the creature threw Applejack high into the air, though she was thankfully grabbed by Twilight’s magic a second before she could hit the ground.

“Thanks,” Applejack sheepishly remarked.

“Try to avoid the throw next time and be ready with the spikes,” Twilight yelled back.

Thankfully for them, Applejack’s attack had knocked the statue off balance long enough for Sunset to heat the first three spikes. Which she tossed one at a time at Applejack the second the other girl hit the ground. Applejack’s deft reflexes proved up to snuff as she caught each one without burning herself in the process.

And just in time too, as the creature had reared up and was attempting to club Applejack with its forehooves. Applejack was quicker still though, and shoulder checked the statue directly in the chest, putting it off balance once more. This time she immediately drove her advantage home by slamming the three spikes against the creature’s chest, creating a short line.

“Keep it going! We got this!” Twilight shouted.

“Keep going, you got this! I think,” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

“I don't think we thought this plan through,” Fluttershy muttered.

Together the group peered out over the battlefield, or at least they tried to, as all they saw was a wall of pink smoke that obscured almost everything.

“Oh I know!” Pinkie Pie proclaimed, turning to Rarity. “Why don't you use your shields like a giant fan and blow away the smoke?”

“I er… never tried that. Allow me to do so now,” Rarity declared.

As usual, the girl conjured forth a trio of gem shaped shields, only this time they were located far away from the enemy. Rarity focused hard on the three barriers, urging them to move up and down as quickly as possible. Though nothing happened initially, it wasn't long before her creations obeyed Rarity’s will and began to blow away the smoke.

Revealing an angry, and cornered Rainbow Dash who was pinned between two black armored soldiers. The dou werent able to hit the athletic girl, but their armor put off enough electricity to make Rainbow Dash’s movements jerky and uncoordinated. Worse still, the other soldiers not already dealt with, were beginning to try and free their comrades.

Pinkie Pie wasn't about to let that happen, and with a battle cry on her lips, she ran out from behind cover. As she approached the first group of soldiers Pinkie Pie reached into her bag, and threw a handful of strange green pills at her foes. Upon impact, a puff of gas was released, knocking all four of them out within only a few seconds.

The pink haired girl didn't stop for a second, trusting that Rarity would cover her sides and allow her to continue on without slowing down. Rarity had seen this coming and was ready when a black armored man burst from behind cover, his pistol raised. Rather than simply block his attacks however, Rarity batted the weapon from his hand with a shield.

Hold on Rainbow Dash. I’m coming! Rarity declared.

Hold on Applejack, I’ve got you! Twilight thought to herself.

Twilight used her magic to grab hold of the statue’s forelegs, keeping them from battering Applejack. Allowed to work unimpeded, Applejack pounded the first three spikes deep into the creature’s chest. Seeing that she was ready for another trio, Sunset tossed the first of the spikes at the farm girl who deftly caught it out of the air.

Before she could ram it home however, the statue broke from Twilight’s grip and attempted to crush Applejack under its bulk. The farm girl proved faster once more, leaping to the left and rolling away from the ensuing stomps of the horse’s hooves. Seeing an opening, Sunset used her magic to turn the ground beneath the statue’s forelegs to mud, causing it to rapidly sink.

A blast of heat caused the mud to turn back to dirt, sealing the creature before it could pull its legs free. Without a word having to pass between them, Applejack knew just what to do and ran forward, stabbing the spike into the beast’s belly. A fifth metal rod was tossed into her open hand a second later, and Applejack rammed it home beneath the fourth.

“No! You will not defeat me so easily!” shouted the statue.

The ground heaved, and dirt exploded as the creature pulled free its forelegs from its earthen prison. It immediately brought its hooves down at Applejack, intent on ending the greatest threat to its existence as quickly as possible. The farm girl proved her strength and speed once more, catching the creature’s forelegs and stopping it dead in its tracks.

“Finish it off Twilight!” Sunset yelled, already throwing the final spike at her friend.

For a moment Twilight nearly succumbed to panic, but quickly beat it back and caught the white hot metal rod in her magic. Her first instinct was to use her telekinesis, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to get enough power behind it if she used magic. So she ran forwards, dropping the spike into her open hand.

“No, no no!” Shouted the statue as it tried to twist out of Applejack’s grasp.

“Don't even try it!” Applejack shouted back.

The creature tried to wriggle out of Applejack’s grasp, and almost managed to do so only for a jet of fire to slam into its face. The spell, though barely able to damage it, left the statue temporarily blinded and unable to fight back. Giving Twilight enough time to stab the final spike into the creature’s belly, completing their plan.

“Da-” was all the statue could utter.

There was a brief groan before the stone split cleanly down the middle, its two halves falling on either side of Applejack. Without the threat of being clubbed to death by stone hooves, Applejack released a sigh of relief.

“That was close,” she muttered.

“That was close,” Rainbow Dash whispered to herself as a gem barrier blocked a stun baton mere milliseconds before it would have slammed into her face.

Every strike, bullet or desperate kick aimed at her shins was blocked by a shield, leaving the girl relatively unharmed. The electricity arcing off their armor still occasionally hit the speedster, but thankfully the enchantment soaked it up without harm. With her friends on her side, Rainbow Dash was able to awkwardly sprint between the two soldiers, escaping their range.

The pair then attempted to follow after her but were left scrambling when a trio of black circles landed directly in front of them. Muffled cries of panic could be heard a second before the bombs detonated, sending the soldiers flying through the air. Somehow lacking any shrapnel, the concussion grenades left the two adults more embarrassed then harmed.

Landing hard on their back or side, the black armored soldiers found their suits inoperable. They were also sprawled out on either side of a girl with a bright pink head of hair.

“I’m very disappointed in you,” she declared before pulling a pair of pink grenades from seemingly nowhere. “Hold onto these for me, kay?”

Not waiting for a response, the girl tossed them at her foes, who reflexively caught them with the intent on tossing them away. Before that could happen though, the orbs exploded, spilling out a great wave of sticky pink goo. Within seconds the expanding mass covered their torsos, and bound them securely to the ground.

The rest of her friends were also cleaning up their own enemies with similar ease.

Rarity had used her shields to trap a squad of soldiers near a car and was rapidly shrinking their newfound cage. Within seconds they couldn't even move, though they struggled anyway, punching or headbutting the barriers. Unbothered by their attacks, Rarity maintained her wall until a pink grenade flew at her bound foes, then she released it. The ensuing mass of brightly colored goo bound the four men tightly to one another as well as the black SUV they had been standing next to.

Rainbow Dash, now free to reach her max speed, was easily taking care of the few remaining stragglers. The first foe was downed with a leg sweep, his weapon disappearing a second before he found himself handcuffed to his ankles. His nearest ally managed to squeeze off a few rounds from a pistol before she suddenly found herself hit from behind.

The magical gem shield knocked her off balance, and before she could even stand up again the soldier was hogtied with lightning fast efficiency. The final soldier, seeing every single last one of his comrades either trapped in goo, or subdued in some uncomfortable manner, threw up his hands.

“At least one of you guys are smart,” Rainbow Dash remarked, skidding to a stop in front of the male.

The soldier opened his mouth to speak, only for the girl to turn into a blur a second before his weapons were suddenly gone. He then found himself handcuffed, and shoved to the ground without a word.

“And done,” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, dusting off her hands. “That wasn't too hard.”

“You missed one,” Rarity declared, pointing down to a female soldier who was trying to crawl away.

“I got it!” Pinkie Pie shouted.

A pair of pink grenades left the soldier covered from neck to foot in goo, her body all but encased in the stuff.

“Is the fighting over?” whispered Fluttershy, who peeked from around the side of her cover curiously.

“Just a second darling,” Rarity replied.

The fashionista slammed a shield against the face of a handcuffed man who was reaching for his sidearm.

“You may come out now,” Rarity called.

Fluttershy sighed. “Oh thank goodness. That was scary.”

“I can't believe that just happened,” muttered Timber Spruce. “I just saw my whole life flash before my eyes.”

“Good job dealing with these knuckleheads,” Sunset remarked, kicking one of the soldiers in the stomach. “I assume no one we care about got hurt?”

“I’m a little fried, but could be worse,” Rainbow Dash replied with a shrug.

“I can't believe they just ran in there guns blazing like that. Shouldn't they be worried about collateral damage?” Twilight asked.

“Oh Twilight, thank goodness your okay!” Timber gushed, all but falling into the girl’s arms. “You arent injured, are you?”

“I’m fine…” Twilight muttered as she gazed down at the trembling form of the young man. “How are you holding up?”

“I was nearly shot, and blown up by a grenade. How do you think I’m doing right now?” Timber yelled back.

“Don't worry about him. He's probably just in shock,” Fluttershy whispered.

“Forget him. We need to figure out why these pack of psychopaths attacked us in the first place,” Sunset declared, hefting one of the handcuffed soldiers off the ground. “So are we going to have to do this the hard way, or the easy way?”

The man scoffed. “What are you gonna do, kid? Bore me to death with cringey tik tok videos?”

“My videos aren't cringe, they're based!” Pinkie Pie shouted.

“I think they are quite cute,” Fluttershy muttered, a blush crossing her face.

Sunset Shimmer rolled her eyes. “I’m not a kid, and you’d know this if you were anything more than a sacrificial lamb sent by your nutjob boss. Now are you going to talk or do I have to turn you inside out one limb at a time?”

“You wouldn't,” declared the soldier.

Sunset activated her magic, causing a bright sigil to spring into existence over the man’s right arm. 

“Try me,” sunset replied.

“Woah there. Let's not do any war crimes, okay?” Applejack interrupted.

“It hardly matters,” retorted the soldier. “We accomplished our mission.”

“You got a funny idea of what victory is. Not like funny haha, but more funny as in you seem to be completely loko in the koko,” Pinkie Pie remarked.

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash agreed, kicking a fallen soldier in the chest. “It looks to me like you idiots lost, and badly too.”

“That's what you think,” exclaimed the soldier.

“What is he talking about?” Twilight asked.

“Look darlings,” Rarity interrupted, pointing back to the school.

Where dozens of people had their phones raised, and were at that moment filming the interaction from a wide variety of angles. Even a few teachers stood within the school itself, looking down on the small group with their cameras active. It seemed as if at that moment everyone was watching them, and everyone was eagerly recording their actions.

“I don't get it,” declared Pinkie Pie.

“I think he wanted to make the existence of our powers more well known,” Rarity reasoned.

“But everyone knew about us anyway,” Fluttershy murmured.

“Not like this,” replied the soldier. “And they certainly didn't know that you were the type to assault federal officers.”

“You guys are little more than mercenaries and fanatics,” Sunset retorted.

“That's not what they will see,” exclaimed the man.

The crunch of asphalt made all eyes turn towards where several new SUVs had stopped in the middle of the road. In a flash the girls were ready for another fight, a barrier covering their front half while Sunset prepared a spell. Their paranoia turned out to be unfounded however, as more armed men piled out, only these ones wore official police uniforms.

They were also accompanied by a sharply dressed man that they all recognized.

“Perfect Tempo?” Sunset muttered.

Upon spotting the small group, Perfect Tempo smiled and walked over to them at a quick, confident pace.

“It is good to see that you are unharmed,” he began.

“Oh thank god. Someone sane,” Timber Spruce exclaimed. “Please tell me you know what's going on here.”

Perfect Tempo raised an eyebrow and glanced at the other man. “Who is this?”

“Timber Spruce, my boyfriend,” Twilight muttered somewhat regretfully.

“Go speak with one of the officers. He’ll tell you everything,” Perfect Tempo replied.

Timber Spruce immediately ran off, leaving Twilight behind without so much as a goodbye.

“You certainly have an interesting choice in partners,” Perfect Tempo deadpanned.

“He’s been through a lot,” Twilight weakly exclaimed.

“So, are you going to give us the scoop now or what?” Rainbow Dash interrupted.

“I am, though first I must apologize,” Perfect Tempo began.

“For what?” inquired Fluttershy.

“For not properly vetting the men I had placed as your protectors. It seems as though they remained loyal to Foxtrot, and fed that jingoistic fool all the info he needed,” Perfect Tempo answered.

“Wait, you were watching us?” Applejack asked, glancing over her shoulder.

“I was hoping to ensure something like this didn't happen,” Perfect Tempo replied.

“Fat load of good that did us,” Rainbow Dash muttered.

Sunset Shimmer stepped forward. “Thank you Perfect.”

“It is not a problem dear. We must always look after our own,” Perfect Tempo stated.

“So what is the story going to be?” Twilight asked, gesturing to the soldiers being hauled off into the waiting vehicles.

“These impersonators were attempting to blow up a school for unknown reasons and were stopped by seven amazing young girls,” Perfect Tempo declared. “The Canterlot Police will take credit for responding to an anonymous tip, and you will be hailed as heroes.”

“He seemed really confident he could paint us as the villains,” Fluttershy reasoned.

“His information network is good, but mine is better. You might end up the focus of a few conspiracy theories, but most people will think you are super heroes,” Perfect Tempo continued.

“Oh oh!” Pinkie Pie shouted, waving her arms over her head. “Make sure to call me the Pink Menace.”

“And I'll be the Blue Blur,” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, striking a dramatic pose.

“We can decide on what our hero names are later. Now I’d really like to get into some different clothes,” Applejack muttered.

“And some water,” added Fluttershy.

“I could use a shower as well,” Rarity glumly remarked.

“Lets head back to my place. We can get all of that there,” Sunset offered.

“An excellent idea, Sunset. I will remain here in order to oversee the containment of these fools and will speak to you once it is done,” Perfect Tempo stated.

Sunset Shimmer nodded. “Excellent. Come on girls, let's go.”