//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: The Battle of Sweet Apple Acres (The Fray Part II) // Story: Time Crusade // by Fervidor //------------------------------// “What the hail is going on out there?” Girard barked. From deeper within the orchards, the sound of scarecrows cawing had alerted the griffons that something was amiss. Standing by the doors of the barn, Girard could see flashes of green light through the thick fog as the cries and clamor of a battle reached his ears through the stillness of the air. A griffon scout landed next to him, giving him a quick salute. “Sir! A group of ponies have engaged two patrols in the eastern orchard.” Girard cursed under his breath. “How many?” “We don't know,” the griffon replied. “They must be a small force or they wouldn't have been able to sneak passed our defenses. They seem to have brought some kind of artillery, though. And, um, apparently they have a dragon, sir.” “Crusaders!” Girard spat. “It must be the Grand Priors. Send everything we have to surpress them! Activate the glockens too!” His subordinate gave him a nervous glance. “Will that be enough? Against the Grand Priors?” Girard gritted his beak. They couldn't afford to take any chances, there was too much at stake. “Prepare for battle, all of you! And start up the walkers! I will lead the counter-attack myself. We can't be allowed to falter now!” The griffon mercenaries immediately heeded his commands, grabbing spears and halberds and scurrying out of the barn with flapping wings and clanking armors. Girard himself took flight and landed on one of the huge walking tanks parked outside. Shaped like a giant crab, the tank stood on six mechanical legs. It was equipped with two large cannons on its back and two massive pincers in the front for clearing obstacles. Girard pulled open the hatch on top of the vehicle and climbed inside, flipping switches and pulling levers in the cockpit. Soon the clockwork machinery whirred into action and the walker's two telescopic eyes spun into focus. With a hydraulic hiss the machine started moving and moments later the second tank followed it. Commander Girard allowed himself a vicious smile. These ponies would rue the day they dared challenge the Time Contumacy. Meanwhile, the barn lay deserted save the prisoners and the two guards left to watch over them. The griffons shifted nervously and tried to ignore the two farmponies glaring at them. Neither noticed the pair of amber eyes peering at them through one of the windows. “I can't believe we got stuck watching these two while the others are out fighting,” one of them muttered. “I signed up for glory on the battlefield, not guarding some old barn.” “Is the coast clear?” “There's two of 'em left. Nothin' we can't handle.” “Speak for yourself,” the other griffon replied. “I'd rather be in here than out there dealing with that dragon of theirs.” “What about Mac an' Granny?” “Ah see 'em. Ah think they're alright.” The first griffon snorted. “I ain't afraid of any overgrown lizard. Besides, I heard he's actually half pony. How tough can he be?” “Well, I heard he once took out a Raptor-class destroyer by himself, and that he's fought the general to a standstill several times!” “You shouldn't believe every crazy rumor you hear. I bet you and I could take him on our own. I mean, he's only got one head, right? So, like, if we both attack from different angles one of us should get a shot in, right?” “Yeah, well, if we ever get the chance, you handle the part of him that breathes fire.” “Y'all ready?” “Ready. Twilight, try to land us right in front of 'em.” One of the griffons turned his head and frowned. “Did you hear something?” “Probably just mice or whatever,” his partner shrugged. “Seriously, don't be such a...” There was a bright flash of purple and suddenly five ponies had appeared out of nowhere. Apple Bloom instantly swung her body around and hit one of the guards right in the face with a powerful buck. Before his companion had time to react, he too received a buck courtesy of Applejack. The two griffons dropped to the floor, both out cold. “Takes care o' that,” Applejack concluded. “Sweetie Belle, Fluttershy, y'all keep watch in case any 'o them come back,”Apple Bloom said. “AJ, Twilight, you get Granny an' Macintosh untied. Ah'm gonna see if Ah can find some useful tools lying around.” Twilight wasted no time, quickly freeing the prisoners of their bonds with her magic. Applejack helped her grandmother on her hooves. “Don't worry Granny, Ah'm here now.” “An' about time too!” Granny exclaimed. “Applejack, what inna wide world o' Equestria is goin' on here?” “There's no time to explain,” Twilight said. “Those griffons are going to overrun all of Ponyville if we don't put a stop to them now!” “Then what're we waitin' for?” Granny cried. She somehow produced a Brodie helmet from out of nowhere and resolutely placed it on her head. “We Apples founded this here town an' Ah'll be darned if we hand it over to a buncha overgrown feather dusters! To arms!” “Um, no offense, Granny,” Twilight said, “but maybe you should get to...” But Granny didn't seem to listen, having already picked up an old shovel which she now swung around like a battleaxe. “It's no use, Twilight,” Applejack sighed. “Ain't no talkin' to her when she's like this.” She leaned over to her brother and whispered: “Make sure an' watch her back out there, okay?” Big Macintosh nodded. “Eeeyup.” Apple Bloom returned, having strapped on some old saddlebags she'd found. She held out a rope, offering it to Applejack. “Here, ya might need this.” “Thanks.” Applejack took the rope and gave her sister a slightly worried look. “So, you sure this plan's gonna work?” Apple Bloom shrugged. “Too late to change our strategy now. Remember, it'll be up to you to lead the others past the main force without gettin' intercepted. You can do it, AJ, nopony knows these orchards like you do.” Applejack drew a deep breath and nodded. “Alright. Ya can count on me.” “Good. We should hurry up, the others are countin' on us.” Apple Bloom trotted over to Sweetie Belle and Fluttershy. “We good to go?” “The coast is clear,” Sweetie Belle reported. “Then let's get a move on!” Apple Bloom turned to the pegasus. “Fluttershy, Ah need ya to do me a favor...” The battle raged on. The air was heavy with the smell of burning wood and the ground was littered with sticks, confetti, popped balloons and ashes. More scarecrows had come swarming to the site and while many were incinerated by Future Spike, he could only torch so many of them without setting the whole orchard on fire. Between short bursts of flame, he fell back on simply mowing through his opponents with his claws, smashing them to splinters or slashing at them with his tail like a giant whip. The younger Spike meanwhile had dismounted and now ran around in a state halfway between panic and exhilaration, distracting the enemies with thrown rocks and the occasional apple. “Take that! And that!” he cried. “Haha! We're beating them! We're actually...Woah!” He cried out in surprise when something grabbed him from behind - a scarecrow had managed to sneak up on him. Lifting him by his neck, it snapped at him with its wooden beak. Spike reacted on instinct. He opened his mouth but instead of a scream he unleashed a bright flame of green fire directly into the scarecrow's face. It instantly caught fire and let go of him. Shrieking, it stumbled a few steps backwards and then collapsed in a heap. “Nice job,” said Future Spike. “You okay, kid?” “I... I think so,” Spike gasped, trying to calm his rapidly beating heart. “I just... I've never killed anything before.” “Don't worry about it,” Future Spike said. Almost without looking, he plunged his claw into the chest of a scarecrow who had been trying to flank him, ripping out a round object and holding it up for Spike to see. It was a glass sphere the size of a tennis ball, pulsing with green light. “They're just golems held together by these cores, powered by captured nature spirits from the Everfree. We're pretty much doing them a favor by destroying them.“ He clenched his claw, crushing the core and releasing a shimmering green mist into the air. The remains of the scarecrow, which had already started to levitate towards him, promptly fell to the ground. Spike let out a sigh of relief. So he wasn't a killer. Future Spike smiled and gave him a pat on the back. “Stay sharp, though, there's still a lot of flank to kick.” The ponies were holding their own as well, but fatigue had started to set in. Individually, the scarecrows were relatively weak and fragile, designed to swarm the opposing force in great numbers, but they had an advantage in that they didn't grow tired. “Hiiyah!” Rarity cried, smashing a scarecrow with a powerful kick. She quickly found its core on the ground and crushed it under her hoof. She was breathing hard now and her movements had started to lose their previous grace. “I'm not sure I can keep this up. Shouldn't Twilight and the others be here by now?” “Just hang in there!” Scootaloo yelled. She had stolen a spear from one of her foes and wielded it like an expert. Rainbow meanwhile made use of her explosive speed, dashing about the battlefield like a living missile. Suddenly a new sound emerged through the clamor – a rhythmic metallic clacking and clanking. Recognizing the sound, Scootaloo turned to see a new enemy enter the scene. They moved in perfect formation on four mechanical legs, their gait rigid but surprisingly smooth. Made out of silvery metal, held together by bolts and rivets, they vaguely resembled ponies in shape save for two extra arms mounted on the front of their barrels. Their heads were oblong and their faces a single round glass lens. The pincers at the end of their arms gripped metal rods with forked tips. Scootaloo swore. “Glockens! Watch out for those lances, even a glancing hit can stun you really bad!” Pinkie aimed her cannon at the new opponents and pulled the cord, but all the came was an impotent click. Pinkie frowned. “I never thought I'd say this, but I'm all out of party!” Rarity was not discouraged. She galloped up to one of the automatons and landed a solid buck on its steel frame. There was a metallic clang and the glocken staggered a bit, only to regain its posture unharmed save for a small dent. Rarity gulped. “...Oh oh.” “YOU HAVE COMMITED AN ACT OF AGGRESSION AGAINST THE TIME CONTUMACY,” the glocken said in a hollow monotone voice. It raised its lance. “YOU WILL NOW BE DESTROYED. PLEASE DO NOT RESIST.” Just before it had time to strike, Rainbow Dash came speeding from above and delivered a flying kick that crumpled its head like tinfoil. It toppled over and stopped moving. “How's that for an act of aggression?” Rainbow quipped. Rarity sighed. “Thank you, Rainbow.” “Don't mention it,” Rainbow replied. “But don't drop your guard, there's more of them coming.” “Hey you guys!” Pinkie came galloping. “Those timber-things are getting back up!” Rarity looked behind Pinkie and stared in horror as the scattered pieces of wood floated into the air and started to reassemble themselves. “Pinkie, didn't you break the cores?” Pinkie blinked. “Break the whats now?” The scraps of timber quickly grew into a monstrous form, and before long a terrifying beast towered over the ponies. It had the shape of an enormous timberwolf, but with scarecrow heads on either side of its lupine snout. Several arms stuck out of its body at odd angles, each gripping a spear. The creature opened its three mouths and let out a cawing howl. “...Run!” Rarity squeaked. She and Pinkie cut into a sprint and the monster ran after them. “Sonnova...!” At the same time, Rainbow found herself struggling with another glocken. With an angry grunt she managed to rip one of its arms out of its socket and started to smack it against its former owner's head. Scootaloo had picked up a shock lance, wielding it in one hoof and her spear in the other, whirling them around in a deadly dance. She plunged the lance into a scarecrow's chest, causing it to erupt in a shower of sparks. Spinning around, she threw the spear straight through a glocken's eye. The gears inside its head ground to a sudden halt and it fell over. Catching her breath, Scootaloo saw Rarity and Pinkie pursued by the timber-chimaera, but before she could take action the ground shook under her hooves. Scootaloo turned her head and grimaced when she saw the two enormous walker tanks advancing on their position, knocking apple trees out of the way as they went. In the air above the treetops a large squadron of griffons swarmed. As if that wasn't bad enough, more scarecrows and glockens were pouring in, and Scootaloo found herself surrounded. She raised her lance, even though the charge was now depleted. She'd have to make a stand. Suddenly a bright purple beam of light shot out of the sky. It cut a gash across the ground, slicing glockens in half and blowing scarecrows to smithereens. Scootaloo drew a sigh of relief as Twilight Sparkle came swooping in on unsteady wings but with a determined look on her face. She powered up her horn and fired another maser beam, cutting down yet another row of enemies in a single sweep. Her display hadn't gone unnoticed by the griffons, however, and several of them broke from them main formation to attack the princess. But before they could reach her, Rainbow Dash came speeding out of nowhere. Blindsiding the griffon leader, she struck him hard and sent him crashing into an apple tree. Not letting up for a moment, Rainbow kept zooming around, hitting and running faster than the griffons could react. In just a few seconds the entire group had been dismantled. “Thanks, Rainbow,” Twilight said. “You're a lifesaver.” “Heh, don't mention it,” Rainbow chuckled, coming to rest in the air beside to the alicorn. “You keep clearing the ground. Leave these bozos to me!” On the ground, Scootaloo kept fighting, not noticing another griffon swooping in low to attack her from behind. But suddenly he found himself snared by a lasso and pulled back – Applejack had arrived at the scene. “Jiiihah!” she cried. Pulling the rope with her tail, she swung her unfortunate captive like a giant flail, smacking him into his own comrades. Sweetie Belle came running right after Applejack, her horn blazing with magic. Behind them, Granny Smith hobbled along, swinging her shovel wildly like an elderly berserker, while Big Macintosh quickly and discreetly took out any enemy that came close to her. “It's about time!” Scootaloo shouted. “We still need to deal with those walkers, though!” “No worries!” Sweetie Belle replied, picking up parts of broken glockens with her magic and hurling them at the enemies. “Apple Bloom is on top of it!” “A little to the left.” “O-Okay...” “Too much left! A little to the right!” “Oh, sorry. Is that better?” Gliding through the air, Fluttershy struggled to see where she was flying over the brim of Apple Bloom's hat, her forelegs holding on tightly around the earth pony's barrel. Apple Bloom, who had a better view, tried her best to give directions while keeping her eyes on their target. “Griffons!” she shouted. “Dive!” Fluttershy immediately dipped down just as a pair of griffons swiped at them. When they passed by over her head, she felt the tip of a spear whiz by just short of her ear. She tried not to think about it, fearing she might drop her burden. Apple Bloom felt the leaves of an apple tree brush against her hooves. “Pull up! Pull up!” Fluttershy flapped her wings, bringing them to a higher altitude. Another griffon came flying straight at them but was tackled aside by Rainbow Dash. “Keep flying straight ahead!” Apple Bloom commanded. “We're almost there! Get ready to drop me on my mark!” “Um, are you really sure about...” “Now!” Fluttershy let go and Apple Bloom fell, landing right on the top of the walker. Inside the cockpit, Commander Girard frowned as he heard the slight thud of something hitting the vehicle. “The hail was that?” He opened the hatch a peeked out, just in time to see Apple Bloom pry open a maintenance panel in the walker's armored chassis. Apple Bloom looked up at him and grinned. “Howdy!” “You!” Girard cried. “What do you think you're doing, pony?” “Well, this here's my hometown, see?” Apple Bloom said. “Can't have y’all Contumacy goons go stompin' around makin' a mess o' things. So Ah figgered Ah'd throw a wrench in yer gears.” She reached into her saddlebags and produced an actual wrench. “Literally.” Girard's eyes widened. “Don't you dare...!” But Apple Bloom had already lobbed the wrench into the exposed machinery. There was a terrible grinding sound followed by several loud bangs and things going sproing. Then the walker stopped moving, let out a hydraulic hiss, and collapsed on the ground. “One down,” Apple Bloom said. “Damn you!” Girard growled. “You think you can stop us, Crusader? We've got an army!” Apple Bloom kept grinning. “Oh yeah? We have a Spike.” Future Spike punched a glocken, causing its front to cave in and sending it flying into a timberwolf, smashing it. A quick burst of flame incinerated the remains, just to be safe. The grounds around the dragon was littered with broken constructs. Nearby, his younger self had stopped throwing rocks in favor of lighting up any remaining scarecrow with his own fire. A few of the more daring griffons swooped in to attack Future Spike – one braving him from the front while two more tried to flank him. The one in front swung his halberd and Future Spike raised his arm to block. The steel blade fractured against the dragon's hard scales, barely nicking him. Future Spike countered with an uppercut that clocked the griffon out cold. Noticing the other two in the last moment, the dragon knocked the wind out of the first one with a hard kick while wrapping his tail around the other's neck, flinging her into an apple tree. Hearing two familiar screams, Future Spike paused and turned to see Rarity and Pinkie being chased by an enormous three-headed, spear-wielding timberwolf. He sighed. “Oh geez...” Suddenly a massive shock hit him. He let out a roar of pain and surprise as sparks of electricity danced about his spines. Hearing him, Little Spike gasped and sprinted towards his older self to make sure he was okay. With an angry growl, Future Spike turned to the glocken that had managed to hit him from behind. The glocken raised its lance for a second strike. “PLEASE COOPERATE OR BE DESTROYED.” Future Spike replied with a blast of fire breath that instantly heated the machine to a bright orange glow. As its legs started to bend under its own weight, Future Spike grabbed the hot metal with his bare claws and crumpled it like paper, quickly contorting the glocken into a large metal sphere of twisted steel. He breathed more fire on the sphere to keep it hot, then tossed it into the air like a volley ball and swatted it hard with his tail. Pinkie and Rarity had just been backed into a tree by the looming timber-chimera when the red-hot projectile came flying like a flaming cannonball. It struck the monster square in the side and with a surprised roar the creature fell as flames exploded out of its body. “Nice shot!” Pinkie cheered, while Rarity half fainted from relief. Spike simply stared at his older self in wide-eyed wonder. “...I'm going to be the most awesome librarian ever!” Future Spike took a moment to catch his breath, but then the ground shook and a shadow fell over him. He looked up to see the second walker approaching. It lowered one of it's large cannons to aim at him. Future Spike sighed and cracked his knuckles. “Well, the bigger they are...” Suddenly a purple aura enveloped the tank, lifting it off the ground. Hovering close by, Twilight Sparkle grunted as she strained her magic to the maximum, her horn flaring like a torch. The levitating walker slowly turned upside down, then the magic aura abruptly vanished and the vehicle landed hard on its back with a loud crash. “...The... harder... they fall?” Twilight gasped, panting from the effort. While badly discombobulated griffons crawled out of the wreck, Future Spike gave his adopted sister a small wave. “Thanks for the assist!” Twilight smiled. “Don't... mention it.” “An' that's two,” Apple Bloom said, jumping to the ground next to the other walker. “Hard part's over.” Girard looked around in growing panic. As impossible as it seemed, his forces were getting decimated. Most the scarecrows and glockens had been destroyed and between Twilight and the dragons, the remainder wouldn't last for long. As for the Lionheart mercenaries, they weren't doing much better. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo were dominating the air battles, fighting together with such coordination they almost seemed able to read each other's thoughts. They were backed up from the ground by Applejack and Macintosh, and even Rarity had caught her second wind. A group of griffons tried to surround Sweetie Belle, but she powered up her horn and let out an impossibly loud, piercing scream. All nearby griffons fell to the ground, clutching their heads. “Don't just stand there, you idiots!” Girard yelled at a nearby squad. He pointed at Apple Bloom. “Get her! She's only an earth pony for heavens sake!” The mercenaries hurried to obey their commander and landed in a circle around Apple Bloom, grinning menacingly at the lone mare. Seeing her sister surrounded, Applejack came sprinting to help. But Apple Bloom calmly struck a fighting stance. “Bring it on!” The griffons all leapt at her at once but the pony suddenly moved with uncanny grace and precision, kicking and punching with her hooves while simultaneously dodging and deflecting their attacks. Despite their advantage in numbers the griffons were unable to lay a single talon on her. Within seconds, Apple Bloom had beaten them all to the ground. Applejack slowed to a trot and whistled at the mayhem. “Glad to see them kung fu lessons pay off,” she said. With a cry of rage and frustration, Girard grabbed something from within the walker and leapt to the ground. The object he held resembled a short tournament lance with a glass canister at the end of the grip. Inside the canister, sparks of lightning crackled. Apple Bloom tensed up. “Uh-oh.” “That's right! I have a stormcaster!” Girard cackled and pointed the weapon at the two ponies. “Let's see you dance around this, you little...” A shovel hit him in the head from behind, causing his pickelhaube helmet to ring like a bell. Girard went cross-eyed and toppled over. Behind him, Granny Smith leaned her shovel over her shoulder. “How ya like them apples?” Applejack sighed in relief. “Nice timing, Granny.” “Alright,” Apple Bloom said. “Now that we got that outta the way, Ah think it's 'bout time we wrap this up.” It occurred to Fluttershy that, for a pony who didn't very much like confrontations, she always seemed to find herself in rather violent situations. Whether it was magical artifacts gone wrong, maniacal tyrants from ancient times or rampaging monsters, her life had proven to be improbably adventurous in recent years. It struck her as a bit unfair, since she had never actually asked to be a heroine, but short of dragons she never seemed able to just say no or even run and hide when she found herself in over her head. Which was frequently. After dropping Apple Bloom off she had retreated to the outskirts of the battle while trying to make herself seem as insignificant as possible. The whole ordeal reminded her of the changeling invasion, except this was worse since she couldn't just bluff her way through it. Luckily her strategy seemed to be paying off. That is until a griffon soldier finally noticed her. “Aha! Thought you could sneak away, huh?” “Wh-Who, me?” Fluttershy stammered with a very nervous smile. “Oh no! I-I was just out stretching my wings for a bit and had this sudden craving for apples, that's all.” She started backing away. “You all seem really busy, though, so I guess I'll just come back later...” “Ha! Nice try!” the griffon yelled and threw herself at Fluttershy with talons raised. Fluttershy cried out and tried to turn away. At the same time, she reflexively struck her hoof out in the general direction of her attacker. She felt it impact on something soft, like punching a big pillow, and she heard a muffled groan. Daring to look back, she saw that she had struck the griffon squarely in the abdomen. The griffon collapsed on the ground in front of her, struggling to breathe. “Oh my gosh!” Fluttershy exclaimed. “I'm really sorry! Are you okay?” “Ghurgh...” the griffon gurgled. Something very large and white fell out of the sky directly behind her, landing hard on the ground with enormous alabaster wings spread. At first Fluttershy thought it was another griffon, but then she saw that his ears and hindquarters were that of a pony, and that his flank bore a cutie mark in the shape of a blood-red symbol. A hippogriff. Noticing him, the griffon soldier struggled to talk. “Sir... forgive me... I...” But the hippogriff barely spared her a second glance. As he passed her by he struck out with his talon, sending her rolling across the ground. “Pathetic,” the newcomer growled. “All of you, routed by some ragtag band of pony civilians. Are you all trying to make me look bad?” Fluttershy stared in shock and confusion. She had heard about hippogriffs – the hybrid offspring of griffon and pegasus – but they were supposedly very rare. This one was large, even larger than Big Macintosh. Both his feathers and coat were white as snow, his eyes an icy blue. Albinism, said a small part of Fluttershy's mind, but the rest of her was mesmerized by his terrifying beauty. Despite being half pony, this creature was somehow more predator than any of the griffons, or any animal Fluttershy had ever met for that matter. He paced towards her with the grace of a natural killer, at first looking at her as were she nothing but meat. But then his eyes lit up in recognition. “Well, well, well!” he said, his beak curving in a cruel grin. “Admiral Fluttershy, I didn't expect to find you here.” “I-I think you have the wrong pony,” Fluttershy whimpered. She desperately wanted to turn tail and run but she was paralyzed from fear. Her wings cramped against her sides and her legs felt like jelly. “I think not.” A lightning-quick talon shot forward and grabbed Fluttershy by the throat. The hippogriff lifted her off the ground as if her weight meant nothing to him. “What shall I do with you, I wonder? Perhaps I'll bring you back to the princess as a prize? Or maybe I should just get rid of you right now and save us some trouble down the line? As a fellow commanding officer, what is your tactical assessment?” “P-Please...” Fluttershy struggled to breathe, fighting in vain against his iron grip, tears streaming from her eyes. “Please... I'm... I'm not...” The hippogriff studied her expression for a moment. His triumphant smile fell. “...Ah, that's right. I'd forgotten how weak you used to be. Such a shame.” “Get your filthy claws off Fluttershy!” came a cry from above as a furious Rainbow Dash came speeding towards them from the sky. “Gladly.” Barely even looking up, the hippogriff swung his arm and sent Fluttershy flying like a ragdoll. She collided with Rainbow and the two crashed to the ground, the albino simply taking to the air and letting them tumble across the grass underneath him. Rainbow cursed and struggled to get back on her hooves, still clinging to Fluttershy who coughed and whimpered, finally able to breathe again. Hovering above them, the hippogriff scoffed. “So much for the legendary Rainbow Dash. Is this all the fight you primitives can put up?” “Memnon!” The hybrid turned to see Future Spike come flying towards him. His face parted in a wide grin. “Spike! Just the one I was hoping to...” He didn't make it further than that. As Future Spike closed the distance, he unleashed a massive blast of green fire at point blank range. The flame completely engulfed the hippogriff and the force of the blast sent him hurtling into a nearby apple tree which immediately lit up like a giant matchstick. Touching down on the ground, Future Spike stared grimly into the inferno. Spike came running up to him. “You just killed that guy!” he said, eyes wide from shock. “No I didn't,” Future Spike replied. “I just set him on fire.” “That's what I meant!” Spike cried. “Why did you set him on fire!?” “I figured it was a good start,” Future Spike's eyes remained fixed on the flaming apple tree. “I'd throw him into a volcano if we had one nearby.” Confused, Spike opened his mouth to speak when suddenly the hippogriff, still covered in flames, rose from the burning tree like a phoenix. He extinguished the fire with a hard flap of his wings and Spike caught a brief glimpse of his charred form, but then the snow-white coat and plumage immediately started to grow back. No, not grow back - they rather seemed to reassemble themselves directly from the smoke and ashes. Mere moments after emerging from the flames, the hippogriff was completely restored. He threw his head back and laughed. “You really do know how to show me a good time, Spike!” he shouted. “Still pretending to be a librarian?” “Memnon,” Future Spike called back. “You still have that annoying healing power, I see.” “You wound me, Spike,” Memnon said. “My time-locked biology is so much more than a mere healing ability.” By then the rest of the ponies had noticed what was going on and came running to the site. Twilight looked up at the white creature and frowned. “Friend of yours?” “Hardly,” Future Spike growled. “That's General Memnon, a high-ranking Contumacy officer and Morning Star's personal attack dog.” “We've had some run-ins before,” Scootaloo added. “This guy's a real psycho, and a total pain in the flank too!” General Memnon looked down at them with an expression of dismay. “This is it? This is all of you? That's even more disappointing than I thought. I should have known better than to leave that fool Girard in charge.” “General Memnon,” Twilight called out to him, “I am Princess Twilight Sparkle.” Memnon gave her the barest glance, as if she wasn't interesting to him at all. “Yes, I know who you are.” Twilight's frown deepened. “As an official representative of the Equestrian crown it is my duty to inform you that this attack constitutes an act of war against our sovereign nation and its allies. On behalf of our government I must demand that you and your forces put down your arms and surrender immediately.” The general let out a chuckle as if he'd just been told a joke. “Well then, your highness, I'm afraid you don't understand the situation here. First of all, from our perspective we've already been at war with your Equestria for years. Second, I only take orders from one princess, and you are certainly not her. As for your demands, I do believe I'm the one here who should be asking you to surrender.” “Why don't ya come down here an' make us?” Apple Bloom shouted. Memnon grinned. “I was hoping you'd say something like that. It's no fun if you don't put up a fight, after all.” He raised his right talon and touched a silver bracelet on his wrist, making the blue jewel in its center light up in a small field of magic. “Captain, decloak the ship and prepare to open fire on the town at my command.” “Belay that order,” said a female voice from the communicator. “General Memnon, you are to withdraw your forces and return to base immediately.” “That voice!” Sweetie Belle gasped. “Is that...?” “What!?” Memnon spat, suddenly enraged. “You can't be serious! You want me to retreat now, just when things have started to get interesting?” “Interesting is not how I would describe this development, Memnon,” said the voice. “This mission is a disaster. Your orders were to capture Ponyville quickly and covertly, but now you've lost the initiative and most of your troops. Our whole strategy must be reconsidered, and Princess Morning Star is furious. Withdraw at once, general. That is an order.” Memnon growled and glared at his communicator in open outrage. He seemed more than willing to continue arguing, but restrained himself in last moment. “Lionheart Company, return to the ship. We're leaving.” All over the area the battered and bruised griffons all took off towards the overcast, many flying less then straight. General Memnon looked down at the group of defenders. “You got lucky today. Another time, Crusaders.” Then he flapped his mighty wings and disappeared into the clouds. For a few moments the air was so still that the Ponyvilleans could hear their own breaths. Then a loud clash of thunder sent a shiver through the treetops and blinding lightning flashed. The dark clouds dispersed immediately, revealing nothing but the clear evening sky. Sweetie Belle whistled. “A heavy-mass long-distance warp spell!” Apple Bloom nodded. “Must have been one of their newer ships.” “An' don't ya dare show yer ugly mugs at our farm again!” Granny Smith shouted, waving her hoof in the air. Big Macintosh stomped the ground in agreement. Granny turned to the others. “The nerve! What inna blazes was that all 'bout, anyways?” But then she seemed to notice the Crusaders for the first time – particularly the redhead standing right next to Applejack. “...Gracious me. Apple Bloom, is that you?” “Um... well...” Apple Bloom mumbled and exchanged an uncomfortable glance with Applejack. They'd been so caught up in planning the rescue that they hadn't even considered how to explain the situation. Granny approached Apple Bloom, walking around her to get a better look. “Yer huge! An' look, ya got yer cutie mark! What inna world happened to ya, child?” “It's kind of a long story, Granny.” Apple Bloom sighed. “Basically, Ah'm from the future.” Granny and Macintosh stared at her for a moment, then at Applejack, then back at Apple Bloom. And then they both smiled. “Oh!” Granny said. “Well, that explains a lot!” Apple Bloom blinked. “What, just like that?” “Makes perfect sense to me!” Granny said. “Ah always knew you'd grow up into a pretty young mare. Why, yer the spittin' image of yer mother, bless her.” Big Macintosh nodded. “Eeyup!” “Welp, we're all safe an' sound now an' that's all that matters,” Granny stated, almost as if invasions by futuristic griffons and time traveling relatives were just another part of life on an apple farm. She gestured them to follow her. “This calls fer a celebration! Ah just hope them featherbrains didn't get to the good cider.” Apple Bloom just stared at her, speechless. Applejack nudged her. “Feels good to be home, huh?” “Yeah...” Apple Bloom smiled, with her eyes and everything. “Yeah, it does.” “Oh, such a touching scene.” They all froze in place and turned towards the voice that had just spoken. The huge walking machine Apple Bloom had disabled earlier seemed to momentarily whirr to life. One of its large mechanical eyes turned in its socket and suddenly projected a wide beam of blue light. At the end of the beam, right in front of the group, a ghostly transparent shape of a young mare appeared. She was dressed in a neat suit of vaguely military cut, her long pale mane was intricately braided and she wore a pair of narrow glasses on her muzzle. The apparition smirked and let her gaze wander over the orchard turned battlefield. “My, this is all so nostalgic.” “You!” Scootaloo spat, looking furious all of a sudden. “I knew it!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed. “I knew that voice sounded familiar!” Apple Bloom approached the projection. Her smile had disappeared completely and her amber eyes had turned incredibly cold. “Silver Spoon.” “Hello there, Apple Bloom,” said the older Silver Spoon with a pleasant smile. “It's been a while, hasn't it?” “Ya got that right,” Apple Bloom said. “Last time Ah saw ya face to face we were still technically on the same side. An' now yer orderin' Memnon around? Sounds like somepony got promoted.” “What can I say?” Silver Spoon shrugged. “Her Highness is very appreciative of my administrative skills. I am now Princess Morning Star's personal aide-de-camp.” Apple Bloom chuckled dryly. “Can't say Ah'm surprised. Ya always were a huge sycophant.” “Oh, listen to you,” Silver Spoon snorted. “The little farm pony using big words, trying to sound all sophisticated.” She cocked her head. “Speaking of which, how is Diamond Tiara doing?” ”Don't you dare talk about Diamond Tiara!” Scootaloo growled. The visage of Silver Spoon turned to the pegasus and smirked. ”Oh? Can't a girl inquire about her best friend, Scootaloo?” Scootaloo glared at her. ”Friend? Ha! You don't even know what that words means, you filthy traitor! Tiara is ten times the pony you are and if you had the guts to be here in person, I swear I'd...” ”That's enough,” Apple Bloom firmly cut her off, before turning her narrowed eyes back to the projection. “Attacking our home was a mistake, Silver Spoon. You've gone an' made this awfully personal.” Silver Spoon rolled her eyes. “Oh, spare me the emotional outbursts. This is war, and the Contumacy will do whatever it takes to preserve its existence. We know about this insane plan of yours and we will stop you.” “Then ya better try harder than this.” Apple Bloom kicked the broken head of a clockwork soldier straight through Silver Spoon's hologram for punctuation. “We ain't schoolyard foals anymore, so if y'all think ya can bully us into backin' down ya got another thing comin'. An' ya can tell that so-called princess o' yers Ah said so!” “Don't worry,” Silver Spoon smiled triumphantly. “Pretty soon you'll be able to tell her in person.” Apple Bloom's eyes widened in surprise. “Morning Star is coming here?” “Coming?” Silver Spoon laughed. “Apple Bloom, please, do you take me for a matinee serial villain? Do your really think I'd be sporting enough to warn you about her arrival ahead of time? She is already here.” The walker's projector powered down and the hologram vanished in a flicker, leaving the Crusaders to trade worried looks. “Uh-oh,” Sweetie Belle whispered. “Um, girls?” Big Macintosh said, looking at the sky. “Ah dun know what's goin' on here, but... what's that?” They all turned to follow his gaze and the time travelers let out a collective gasp. As the sun slowly set in the west, the eastern sky was turning dark. Right above the horizon, a large star had appeared that they didn't recognize. It glowed red against the dark, brighter than any other star they'd seen. Red as blood. “Oh hay no,” Future Spike groaned. “What is that?” Twilight asked. “It's the Lightbringer,” Sweetie Belle said, her voice full of dread. “It's Morning Star. She's here, in this time.” “And she brought it with her,” Scootaloo said. “All of it.” Apple Bloom looked at the red star with a grim look on her face. “Here it comes. The War of the Fray.”