Part 3
The trenches...
The scene which greeted the ponies on the other side was not a pleasant one.
Dust and smoke filled the air, cutting down on visibility, although it did appear to be lifting.
The ponies reacted with caution. This was so far removed from anything they were used to. Not a tree or animal was in sight. Just a roughly hewn trench around eight feet deep and around ten feet wide, which meant the ponies could see nothing of the surrounding area.
To their right, the trench ended abruptly around ten feet along.
To their left, it continued around fifty feet, ending in a 't' junction, and was partly blocked by a still smoking and clearly abandoned tracked vehicle, which looked to have taken a nose dive in to the trench.
The big cannon in the turret was buckled up under the front of the huge vehicle, and a smaller gun hung
uselessly in a side mount.
Even this weapon was bigger than any of the ponies.
Distant sounds of gun shots and vehicles could be heard faintly, suggesting any real action had long since moved on from this area.
"No point in hangin' around here", stated Applejack, "Care ta give us a headin'?"
The three unicorns used a little magic, and all came to face in the same direction.
"Down this trench, take a left at the end, then next right", said Twilight.
"That close?" squeaked Pinkie,"OOOH!"
"No,Pinkie, the staff seems to be around five to six kilometers that way" explained Twilight calmly.
"Okey Dokey Lokey!" Even a place like this didn't seem to put a dampener on Pinkie's cheerful demeanor.
The ponies set off. At the 'T' junction at the end of the trench, Pinkie popped her head around the corner, then quickly leaped back as what looked like a tiny missile hurtled past her nose.
"That wasn't very nice!" she squeaked.
All the ponies backed up nervously.
An armored hand grasped the corner of the trench five feet up, making a certain yellow pegasus squeak in barely subdued terror.
A huge steel boot slammed down in front of them, dark red with ornate brass edging. The ponies didn't even come past the knee level.
It was followed by an armored giant brandishing a boxy gun of some kind, and an axe with chainsaw teeth instead of a blade.
His helmet was adorned with a pair of huge horns which appeared to grow straight through the armor.
His red eye lenses glowed with malice.
Lyra stepped forwards.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!!", exclaimed the element bearers ,"RUN!!".
"I have a duty to protect you Twilight, although a little help here would be appreciated".
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Thaldus was angry. Most of the action had moved on from here, and the itching in the back of his mind, a side effect of the 'Butcher's Nails' implant, was getting annoying.
He needed to get back in to combat. To feel the thrill of the fight. To draw blood and cleave flesh, that which his deity craved.
He had just caught a momentary glimpse of a potential target, his super human reflexes allowing him to fire off a shot at whatever it had been in the split second it had been visible.
What it had been was a mystery, although the god Khorne cared nothing for the source of his sacrifices. The only thing the god of slaughter craves is that the blood flows.
As he rounded the corner, however, what confronted him stopped him in his tracks.
Seven equine creatures in a bewildering array of colors.
One of them, a green colored one with a horn, stepped between the group and himself, then the aliens conversed briefly in perfect low gothic.
This felt like some sort of sick joke by the other gods of Chaos.
Probably Slaanesh, given the creature's appearance.
The momentary shock of seeing brightly colored equines wore off quickly. The warrior raised his gun. Lyra shot a bolt of magic at it, the blast catching a lucky hit on the clip and the weapon vanished in a cloud of shrapnel as the rounds within it exploded, stunning the berzerker again.
A purple glow surrounded the mint green unicorn and, shocked, she shot backwards six feet.
The axe blade slammed down in to the ground where she had been a moment before, the spinning teeth kicking up a cloud of dust and grit.
The warrior let out a bestial howl of frustration.
'Blood for the Blood God,' he growled as he straightened up, 'SKULLS FOR THE SK...'
His outburst was cut short as his head burst out sideways in a cloud of red mist and fragmented armor.
Fluttershy and Rarity fainted clean away. All the other ponies stood in a horrified silence.
They had never seen something this graphic. The now headless warrior toppled backwards with a resounding crash.
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From his vantage point in the tower of a relatively undamaged building that overlooked the trenches, the ratling sniper Fenrick reloaded his sniper rifle, and congratulated himself on a fine kill.
Those creatures down there looked quite plump, although they would be difficult to hit. Some good meat there.
Looked like he and his rag tag group of survivors may be able to have something a bit different for dinner tonight.
He took aim at the purple horse alien at the head of the group. Then noticed a little movement in the shadows of some crates beside him.
A darker shape detached itself from the shadows.
For a moment, he caught an image of huge violet eyes, framed by jet black hair. Then a grey hoof swiped across his temple, knocking him unconscious.
His rifle fell to the ground, and the Ratling slumped beside it.
His assailant checked that he wasn't going to get up soon, then looked out from the vantage point and saw the Element bearers with Lyra in one of the trenches. "So much for stealth'", she muttered.
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The ponies, having two of their number out cold, decided to head for a ruined building they could see overlooking the trenches.
At least it was in cover.
Also, there was a round narrow tower around four stories high on one corner of this building which looked like it hadn't taken any damage yet.
"What was that?" asked Twilight, catching a glimpse of movement in the top tower window.
"Who cares", retorted Applejack ,"I just want ta get outta the firin' line before I end up like that guy back there".
Rarity shifted on Applejack's back with a groan.
"I think that shot may have come from up there", answered Twilight.
All five conscious ponies looked up at the window, to be met with a welcome sight.
A grey pony with a black mane waved to them, beckoning them over.
"Isn't she part of the Canterlot royal orchestra?", stated Rainbow Dash.
"Well, I guess it is a good cover for her true role", said Twilight ,"who'd suspect a famous musician of being a spy?"
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The ponies met up at the top of the tower, which was a circular room around twenty feet across. The single arched window filled the room with a dull light..
Fluttershy and Rarity had revived by now, much to the relief of Rainbow Dash and Applejack who had been carrying their prone forms.
The ratling sniper sat cross legged in front of them, nursing his head. His rifle lay behind the ponies, well out of reach.
Twilight regarded the strange creature before her. Two legged, covered in dust-ridden clothing. At first, he reminded the alicorn of her last foray through the mirror, although this person was far shorter- probably not much taller than she was when stood upright.
"So who's this?" she asked, ever the talkative one.
"Fenrick", he answered, "how come I can understand you?"
"A simple translation spell", replied Twilight ,"our princess cast a spell on us so we could communicate with your kind. She thought it may prove useful".
"Psyker", grumbled Fenrick, spitting at the side of him ,"always bad luck".
"I take it 'psyker' is what you call magic users here?"
"Yes", came the retort ,"and I know you and that green one there are of that ilk".
"Does that mean...you...hate us?", whimpered Fluttershy with a look that would melt a heart of stone.
Fenrick smiled. "To be honest, you're just too damn cute to hate".
His gaze returned to Twilight, and his expression hardened again, "but I will find it hard to trust you".
"I didn't tie you up", pointed out the purple alicorn ,"I thought that would help us get along better. Octavia wanted you bound and gagged to avoid drawing attention".
Fenrick rubbed his head. "She gave me quite a headache but at least I'm still alive".
"I thought you were aiming for my friends", added Octavia.
"Nah", lied Fenrick ,"just using the scope to get a better look. Don't normally see brightly colored ponies on a battlefield".
"Then I apologise for striking you".
"I understand why you did it. Might've done the same thing in your shoes...hooves".
"I take it Celestia used the translation spell on you too then?" asked Rainbow Dash, changing the subject. Octavia nodded.
"Well", said Fenrick standing up to his full height and looking Twilight right in the eye, "I need to get back to my own friends".
"How can we trust him?" asked Lyra.
"We need all the help we can get", answered Rarity ,"and I'd sooner trust this guy than that.. monster back there". She shuddered at the recollection of that traumatic encounter.
"We shall accompany you then", said Twilight ,"lead on".