Great Southern Desert, Aesusess
“Hold the line! Hold the line!” cried an orange Earth Pony, her Stetson threatening to blow away in the wake of a nearby explosion. “Stop those bastards! For the God-Princess!”
“Yes, Captain!” cried the troops of the Appleloosan 76th, or the Desert Rangers as they prefered to be called, as they charged towards the advancing Rhinox, saddle mounted lasguns firing into the horde.
Captain Applejack surveyed her position. Ahead of her were the Rhinox, savage beasts whose appetite for war matched no others. Slightly larger than a pony, with sharp horns and thick, shaggy hides, they wielded a motley collection of crude and primitive weapons and armour.
Behind her were the gleaming towers of Aesusess Secondary, the second largest city on the planet. And her troops were tasked with holding the line against the horned menace.
Another explosion tore at Applejack’s hat as a crudely made artillery shell detonated nearby, sending a dozen ponies into the God-Princess’s wings. Applejack had no time to mourn, however, as she spotted a mob of Rhinoxes break away and charge towards her through the newly created gap.
Adjusting her lasrifle, she turned to her squad. “With me, sugarcubes! Lets show these waddling pigs how it’s done! For the God-Princess!”
“For the God-Princess!” the squad roared back, before following Applejack’s lead and charging into the fray.
Within seconds Applejack was surrounded by a whirlwind of horns and axes and crude pistols firing wildly into the melee, but she was more than skilled enough to keep up. Whirling on the spot, she downed one Rhinox brute with a well placed buck, snapping its horn, at the same time as firing her lasrifle into another. She spun once again, rearing up and trampling a third Rhinox beneath her hooves. A fourth knocked her onto her back, its horn trying to gore her through her barding. By pure luck, it found a gap in her armour, leaving a long bloody scratch along her barrel, barely missing her internal organs.
Crying out in surprise, she bucked upwards, her hooves cracking against its bony chin and knocking it to the floor, where a well placed stomp put it out of its misery.
She turned to face the next foe, but to her surprise none were left. Glancing around, she saw what remained of her squad regroup around her. Less than a quarter of them had made it through that tussle, despite outnumbering them two to one, but that was more than enough. They were Guardsponies, after all.
Applejack looked around, ignoring the pain coming from her barrel, and instead focused on the horde before them.
“Job’s not done yet,” she said, spitting out a mouthful of blood. “Lets give these—”
Whatever she was going to say next was cut off as an artillery shell struck the middle of the group, the explosion sending her flying.
Applejack landed hard, rolling on the ground. Her whole body burned with pain, and she felt something wet run down her back. Her vision beginning to fade, she lifted her head and saw a group of Rhinoxes turn and head in her direction.
“Oh horseapples...”