//------------------------------//
// The Battle of Sweet Apple Acres Pt. 2 
// Story: The P-Team: The Cider Wars 
// by NightmareDash 
//------------------------------//

...and paused, to hear the sound of short, repetitive thunderclaps in the sky above. They started soft, but grew louder by the second. The trees began to bend, and a rush of air swept over Sweet Apple Acres from the direction of Ponyville. A swiftly-flying shadow had appeared in the sky, darkened against the background of the sun. It was not the shape of a pegasus, but much bigger, and less sleek. In fact, it didn't even have wings at all, but a rotor. Starswirl saw this as well as the Flim-Flam Brothers, but unlike them, she knew what the shadow meant.

"Pinkie..."

Up in the sky flew Pinkie, in her pedal-powered helicopter. She flew over the battle, then pulled around to make another pass.

"I should've thought of this before, Gummy! Now we can get a much better view of the game!"

Back on the ground, R.D. felt an unexplainable urge to groan. But it was replaced by the urge to cover her face, as she saw a fine powder fall from the chopper. It dispersed across the field, coating the combatants in white crystals. The Diamond Dogs leaped off of Starswirl and Gemstone, screaming in pain. 

"THE SWEETNESS! IT BURNS, IT BURNS!"

With that, they took off towards the gate, occasionally throwing themselves on the ground to rub the sugar off. Flim and Flam noticed this, and could sense the tide turning. 

"Get back here, you mangy scoundrels!"

"Stay and fight, dogs!"

They were distracted by having been abandoned, so they didn't notice when Starswirl and Gemstone got back up and bucked them in the faces.

"I think these party guests have overstayed their welcome, don't you, Starswirl?"

"Definitely. But we should at least send them off with a party favor."

Starswirl's horn began glowing brightly, and she projected a noxious-looking chemical toward them. It sprayed them dead on, but instead of eating their flesh or setting them on fire, it formed a brown, sludge-like gunk on their skin. The gunk hardened, and Flim and Flam were stuck in place, immobile.

"EWWWWW! Starswirl, what is that disgusting slime?"

"Simple, Gemstone. The chemical I created was sulfuric acid. Very lightly concentrated, of course. It wouldn't affect them directly, but it did react with the sugar on their skin. That reaction formed a thick, gummy residue, which is what they are encased in right now."

"I still don't get most of that, but if it'll hold them, I don't care."

R.D., who had brushed herself off from the apple barrage, was checking out the SSCS 6000, trying to figure out how to get her battle wagon unstuck. She came upon a slip of paper close to the helm, one that she knew would be of some importance.

"Hey, Starswirl! Check this out!"

Starswirl grabbed the paper out of her hooves telekineticly, and pulled it to her eyes.

"Ah... I see... well, this explains a few things. Apparently, the Zap Apple trees produce a rare mineral in the soil. This mineral amplifies a unicorn's magic. Since Sweet Apple Acres contains the only privately-owned Zap Apple orchard in Equestria, and thus, the only place to obtain the stuff. Their employer was trying to corner the market, supply some sort of revolution in Phillydelphia. I'm sure the Equestrian Guard would love to see this. Of course, we shouldn't be there to show it to them."

"I'm afraid it's too late for that, Ms. Starswirl."

She looked back to see the full helmet and armor of an Equestrian Guard commander. Behind him was a troop of Guardstallions, one holding R.D. by the hoof. Starswirl stared back at the commander. Judging by the scar above his left eye, it was the one she knew best. 

"Howdy, Colonel Lynch. How's the buckethead life?"

She playfully gave his helmet a resounding thump. He was not amused.

"Skip the witticisms, Starswirl. You've lost. I knew I'd catch up with you sometime."

"You know, if I had a bit for every time you said something like that to me..."

But before she could state the estimated figure, the signature thunder of Pinkie's helicopter returned. Even faster this time, so that the Guardstallions never had time to notice her. She came in on a low sweep, only a few hooves above the ground. The assembled troop dove away, the chopper's rotor wash blasting against their faces. It sped off as quickly as it had come, and the P-Team had done the same. The three of them were racing through the gates, away from Ponyville. This was not at all pleasing to Colonel Lynch, who immediately ran after them.

"Come on! Don't let them get away!"

The Guardstallions behind him followed immediately, radiating red and blue flashing lights from their horns. The age-old chase was back on again. Or was it? Back at Sweet Apple Acres, Starswirl and co. rematerialized from thin air, as their running duplicated faded into nothing. 

"Nice disappearing trick, Twi."

"Thanks, A.J.. That should send Lynch's Lightweights on a very nice little wild goose chase. I love it when a plan comes together."

The foursome joined in laughter, and high above, in the distance, Pinkie glanced back to them. Nopony could know for certain what she was looking at, but she winked, as if to some invisible watchpony.