Chapter 3: In The Trenches
Far away from Cloudsdale on the ground that the folk of Equestria know as the No Folk’s Land a small platoon rests up from a long forced march. They came from the front lines far to the East trying to get some confirmation about Cloudsdale being under attack. If an air battle was being raged in the skies above then they needed to know if the enemy was massing for an attack on the ground. So far they found no evidence that the Quil were even attempting to mount an offensive across the battle scared ground. No grass grew here, no trees or flowers, most of the magic having been stripped from the ground when the Quil took the White Tail Woods nearly a year and a half ago.
“They are getting hammered up there Gunny…” A blue Earth Folk mare with a red mane said slowly as she lowered her binoculars which were turned up towards Cloudsdale. They were close enough for her to get a little information about the battle without having to listen to the comm channels, something none of them wanted to do as the battle reports would be filled with the screams of the dying. She turned to the mare in charge of their little group. An orange skinned Earth Folk mare with a blond mane and tail that flicked in irritation wearing full battle fatigues. Her arms were crossed and her head down with one leg crossed over one upraised knee as her and the entire platoon took shelter in a large crater. “Gunny?”
“I heard ya. Ain’t much we can do down here Ah think.” Gunny Sergeant Applejack pushed her helmet off her eyes and looked around. “Segerant Rarity! Put your super peeper to use, Ah recon they just might use that Lightening thingy. See if you can spot it.”
A white skinned Horned Folk mare looked up at her from where she sat on the ground by two other soldiers. Compared to the rest of their group she seemed oddly out of place. Her uniform was still crisp and clean like it just came from the dry cleaners while the rest of the platoon looked like they have been roughing it in the field for a week. To be honest they have been doing just that for nearly two weeks. Her purple mane, while tucked under her helmet seemed to hold the perm like it was new.
“Oh Darling I would be happy to assist you.” Rarity said with a salute as her horn glowed an azure blue. From the ground next to her as she pushed to her feet a high powered sniper rifle with scope rose up into her hands. Applejack rolled her eyes, no matter what she may or may not think about this prissy Horned Folk she knew, and saw with her own eyes, Rarity’s ability to make her shots count. Laying against the dirt that lined the gently sloping sides of the crater without a complaint, Rarity got her rifle into place and looked through the scope.
“Quil, quil, winged one, falling body, quil…ahh I see now.” Rarity looked up at Applejack. “Confirmed they are charging their secret weapon.” Rarity turned back to her rifle and stared to scan the ground before her as Applejack turned to the others in the platoon.
“Pack up quick like, Ah think we are out o’ range. But I want to be sure. “
“Contact!” Rarity shouted. Applejack turned to where she was facing as the blue skinned mare passed her the binoculars. What she saw through them made her teeth clinch.
“Grab n go fillies and colts we got us some company!” Applejack shouted as she passed the binoculars back. “Move!”
The five of them grabbed their packs and weapons then bolted over the side of the shallow crater. At a march they were about an hour away from the front lines and safety. At a run, still nearly twenty minutes away if not more. All of them knew they couldn’t make that, they were already tired from the march. Applejack pulled a radio out of her pack.
“77th Battalion Bravo company, 3rd platoon to command. Contacted with whole mess o’ enemy, falling back to regroup with rest o’ Bravo Company. Coordinates 093 mark 055, Copy!” Applejack yelled as she ran. She chanced a glance backwards, while still a ways out she could make out a sizable force of Quil heading their way. Massive bug like creatures that walked on four razor tipped leg, and they were galloping right for them easily identifying them as Quil Soldiers. “Oh Horseapples…” She muttered.
“Copy that, we are starting artillery bombardment.” A voice called back.
“BOMBARDMENT?! Aw ponyfeathers…” Applejack shouted. “Scoot your boots everyone, we got incoming!” The 3rd platoon needed no second bidding to run faster.
*************
Elsewhere in the quiet of a small small valley not far from a town called Ponyville, a small fire base of the Equestria Armed Forces suddenly came to life. Orders floated down from command to the 45th Artillery battalion causing crews to scramble to their artillery pieces. Crew commanders called out the coordinates causing the large pieces to turn in places as their barrels rose to point at the blue sky. Suddenly the peaceful tranquility of the valley was shattered as the crews started their bombardment.
Like the well oiled machines they were trained for, Earth and Horned folk crews worked to keep the large cannons fed as they fired with a sense of urgency. A large force of Quil were heading for their friends on the front lines and if they didn’t soften the assault up then the line would break, right into them. They loaded and fired with the speed of folk fighting for their lives, for in a way they were…all, except one. One artillery piece didn’t fire, didn’t send its shells sky high to come down upon Quil.
This piece, this cannon, this…weapon remained unused. Something the captain noticed from the command post. He and a personal assistant jumped into a jeep and drove over to the silent weapon. The captain prayed to Celestia, to Luna and all the demons below that the weapon in quested wasn’t commanded by a certain pink filly. Unfortunately the captain wasn’t a betting man and even he knew how the house stacked the odds. He knew that Sergeant Pinkamena “Pinkie” Diane Pie would be commanding this team, and he knew something was up. He didn’t understand just how up it was until he saw her on the ground and flopping about like a fish out of water, he could only watch in shock as he stepped out of the now stopped jeep.
Suddenly the Pink Earth Folk mare stopped shaking and opened her eyes. “Wow, that was a doozy…” She sat up and looked at her crew, each of them watching her calmly having see something like that before.
“What’s your ‘Pinkie’ Sense telling you now Sarge?” The Horned Folk Stallion who spoke up glanced towards the jeep. “Oh Captain!” At the word captain the rest saluted then looked back to Pinkie Pie.
“It’s a Doozy-dooz-doozy of a doozy…” She looked around kinda blank eyed, then she gasped and jumped to her feet.
“Sergeant, what is going on here?” The captain asked but was cut off by Pinkie rushing past him to the controls.
“Help load and prepare to fire! Party burst 2, 3, and Chocolate Cake 3.” Pinkie shouted pointing at a green Earth Folk stallion who was sitting at the controls. He quickly got out of her way as she dived into the seat. There was a smile on her face as she turned knobs causing the overlarge gun to change its angle.
At her shout the four stallions behind her paused only a second before the sprung into action. Instead of the stack of standard shells near by the group pulled back a tarp behind the cannon and started to assemble three unique shells. Each of them had the words ‘Party Time’ panted across the shell. One would set the shell on the ground pointing upwards as another dropped the powered charge and the third would set the warhead and the last would push it into place with a pop. Then the forth would grab the shell and loaded it. The captain watched this stunned at what he was seeing. He just watched four stallions assemble an artillery shell that would take machines to make.
“What the hay is going on here?” The captain roared as the third shell was nearing completion.
“Don’t look at us sir, these shells came from Sergeant Pie there and well I’m sure you noticed she’s a little…odd.” One of the two Horned stallions said. He turned to look at Pinkie Pie causing the captain to follow his gaze. Pinkie was sitting at the controls staring intently at the dials as she angled the weapon. Her tongue was sticking out, cocked to the right as she concentrated. “When she has a ‘Pinkie Sense’ tingle we listen. Last one who didn’t ended up in the medical wing for a week.” The stallion shuttered slightly thinking back. “Right now captain, if that tail of hers shook and she said run we would be half way to Canterlot with in thirty seconds.”
“That makes no sense Corporal so I’m giving you a direct order…” The captain started but was interrupted by a shout.
“FIRE!” Pinkie yelled. In one motion all five of the artillery crew pulled on ear guards and fired sending the unique shell sky ward with a belch of fire and noise. By the time the recoil could settle the breach was open, the shell ejected and a new one loaded as Pinkie spun the dials again. Suddenly her hand pointed at one of the stallions and he hit the fire button sending another shell upwards. Again the weapon was reloaded as Pinkie spun dials and with one last point she hopped off the seat with a grin and throwing her ear guards off. The captain wasn’t so lucky, he was collapsed to the ground clutching his ears from the sudden blast of the cannon but Pinkie ignored him.
“Ok, standard shells now. I reset the dial to where I need you to fire next. I need that shell launched in twelve minuets from when I tell you. No more no less. Pinkie promise me to get that shell off.” She said.
“Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” All four stallions took on hand and crossed their heart then made the motion of sticking a cupcake into their eye.
“Good, and keep the party going you guys. I don’t think I’ll be coming back.” She said sadly, though there was a smile on her face they could see the sadness in her eyes at leaving them before she lowered her head.
“You sure Sarge?” One asked. He was with Pinkie the longest and understood her quirks the best.
“Yeah, that was part of the Doozy. I won’t be artillery again.” She looked up the sadness in her eyes gone, replaced by the twinkle of joy they grew to expect from their crew commander. “So I need you guys to keep the party going and make sure everyone is happy here. Got it? I’m counting on you.”
All four stallions threw a salute, a crisper one than they gave the Captain. “Yes Ma’am!” They shouted.
“Good, start that timer…now!” Pinkie yelled. She turned and ran for the jeep as one of the Horned Folk flashed his horn and a countdown appeared floating before the trigger counting down from twelve minutes.
“Sergeant you are not…oof.” The assistant tried to stop Pinkie from getting into the jeep only to get hit with a pie straight to the face. The sheer audacity of the attack, not to mention where in the hay was she hiding that pie, made the assistant pause in his tracks as Pinkie hopped into the driver seat. Once the engine roared to life she stepped on the gas as she turned hard for the entrance of the fire base with a giggle.
“This Doozy should be fun!” She yelled as she raced for the lines.
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Applejack knew they were bucked. Even with the ‘inspiration’ of moving faster the Quil were still gaining. They were nowhere near their lines and no one was going to come out to save them.
{Ah’m sorry Big Mac, Ah joined this war to find you and here Ah’m going to die in the middle of nowhere. Forgive me…} She could hear the Quil behind her. A low growling as four legs galloped behind her. She could almost feel its breath. {NO! Ah made a promise to Granny and Apple Bloom, Ah WILL come back alive!} Her face grew grim as she reached over her shoulder for her weapon. A custom made combat shotgun, and she was in perfect range. She lunged forward as her weapon cleared the holster on her back and spun in air. All around her it seemed time slowed to a crawl. She saw her shotgun level with the enemy as a sharp tipped limb slashed through the air where she was just a second ago. The Quil was too close, she knew it and by the look that glowing red eye gave her, it knew it too. Applejack fired knocking the Quil soldier backwards with a roar that was quickly cut off. The recoil of her shotgun spun her around again as time resumed normal speed and she kept on running not missing a beat.
“We can’t out run them Applejack!” Applejack wanted to roll her eyes as only one of her platoon would use her name and not her rank, Rarity.
“Ah know that Sugercube, but we got nothing for cover!” Applejack spun on a heel and fired again knocking another one down. “A little help would be nice too.”
“Oh you really expect me to run and shoot? This elegant weapon needs a soft touch that only I, a true lady, can give it.” She said, her high class upbringing appearing in her voice. Applejack only deadpanned her. “Oh alright, but I’ll only do this for you Darling.” She said returning to her normal voice. She pulled out a small mirror as she laid her weapon over her shoulder, the barrel pointed at the enemy. With one hand she held the mirror over the butt of the rifle and sighted down it using the mirror and with her other hand she pulled the trigger dropping a Quil behind them.
Then they heard the whistling from above. “Incoming!” One of the platoon yelled. Explosions erupted all around them but they kept running. Ahead of Applejack and Rarity, the other three of the platoon ran. Two were taking their weapons and turning to either the left or the right, firing at Quil that tried to over take them. The last one, a large Earth Folk mare running with a very large weapon in her hands kept her eyes forward, but didn’t see the dead root sticking up from the blackened earth to trip her.
With a scream she went down. Before the two behind her could turn to see why she screamed they had already passed her. They started to turn to help their friend when Applejack’s yell kept them running.
“Keep moving you two! Rarity!”
Suddenly the downed mare glowed with a light blue aura and was picked up to her feet and almost flung back up to where she was.
“Sorry deary but, no offense, you are heavy. Let’s blame it on the equipment.” Rarity called from behind. Her voice sounded heavy like she was tired. Applejack picked up on that quick and grabbed Rarity’s arm and pulled her along. “Let me go Darling, you can still get them to safety, I’ll just slow you down and we all will die.” Rarity told her.
“No can do Rarity, not going to let you throw your life away that easily.” Applejack glanced over her shoulder. The Quil were dangerously close now. Despite the bombardment Quil were still about to over run them. That’s when they heard the new sound. It wasn’t a whistle of artillery, but more like an girly scream of excitement. “What the hay?” Applejack said as she looked up.
In line with where they were running a shell landed but instead of fire and earth being thrown everywhere, instead was earth and…confetti? As the earth settled the words ‘Here’ with an arrow pointing down appeared for a moment then drifted off with the wind. Two more high pitched screams of joy could be heard. One went to Applejack and Rarity’s right, another went to the left both exploding, not with explosives but with streamers. Behind them they could hear the roars of rage and pain from the Quil.
“What the hay…?” Rarity breath as she looked behind her. The streamers were not ordinary streamers but razor streamers. Ripping and slicing the Quil that got caught in them. The flailing of the Quil trying to get free sent more to those around them. Rarity paled when she saw one Quil get cut in half by a streamer and another flail about with its front legs missing before one roll of streamer went through its eye and out the back. “I am officially disturbed by this development…” She looked back to see Applejack and the rest of the Platoon dive into the shallow crator made by the first shell. At the bottom surprisingly enough was a few boxes of ammo. The five of them paused for only a moment as they looked at the neatly stacked boxes. Then they turned and started to fire at the approaching Quil.
Rarity looked at Applejack as she took aim and fired. “Applejack, Darling. Can you tell me what in Celestia’s name just happened?”
“No clue Sugercube, no clue but Ah’m not about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Maybel, get that weapon set up and firing. Dusty, get that ammo spread out and for the love of Celestia move it!”
As the two in question scrambled to follow their orders Applejack saw quite a few of the Quil start to close in on their position. Above the Quil, in the distance, she saw a bright purple flash of light.
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Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy suddenly found themselves spiraling out of control when the warp field collapsed on them. But with a few flicks of their wings they straighten themselves in the air.
“W-what happened?” Fluttershy asked.
“I don’t know, where is that rider?” Rainbow Dash said as she looked back towards Cloudsdale. They watched as a large sphere of energy radiated out from the city. They knew that anyone caught in that blast would be destroyed.
“Oh I hope she wasn’t caught in the blast.” Fluttershy said.
“She was right behind us…” Rainbow looked at Fluttershy. “I’m going to go look for her. With luck she crashed and she’s fine. We owe our lives to her.” Fluttershy nodded. “Let’s hit the deck and see what we can find out.” Rainbow stopped flapping her wings and let herself drop through the clouds feet first soon followed by Fluttershy.
****************
Twilight had a problem. Spike roared with pain, and she too had an injury. On Spike’s back before her stood a Quil flyer both arms up to strike when her horn glowed and a beam of purple energy shot out taking out the Quil’s head. She felt one right behind her and something in her side. Glancing down she saw a Quil blade embedded long ways in her side. The wound was shallow but still hurt. Her horn lit up again, the Quil blade was pulled from her side and broken off of the Quil that owned it a moment before it was shoved into its face. Twilght spun in her saddle and knocked the Quil off into the sky as she looked around. Another Quil was tearing Spike’s wing and another was somehow on Spike’s belly. As Spike grabbed the one off his belly Twilight blasted the Quil on his wing with another magic bolt.
“Spike, you ok?” Twilight yelled. She saw more Quil coming for them both as they fell. She leveled her gun and started to fire bursts at Quil.
{No, I’m hurt bad. Not fatal but bad. I can’t fly with that wing, maybe glide but we are going down.} Spike thought back with a grunt.
From behind the Quil she could see a ball of energy start to expand from where Cloudsdale floated in the sky.
{The Lightening blast…} Twilight thought, forgetting about the fact Spike could hear it.
{Hold on Twi, I might be able to make another Warp…}
“Don’t bother.” Twilight yelled out as she holstered her weapon and spun back around. “Hang on its going to be close!” Her horned glowed a purple as the spell charged. Behind them the expanding ball of energy started to close in on them frying Quil that got to close. Just before the expanding energy ball could hit them, they vanished in a flash of purple light.
With that one discharge, another of the many battles of Cloudsdale was over. The Quil defeated, leaving a battered Cloudsdale behind to rebuild its defenses and muster up more defenders. No one noticed that a certain purple horned mare never showed to report for duty, figuring she was lost with the rest of the 10th Dragoons.
But Twilight Sparkle and her Dragon Spike were far from lost. Twilight wasn’t aiming for a place, just distance and distance she got as the two of them reappeared in a flash of purple light. Only they were much closer to the ground.
{I got nothing left Twi, I can’t flap my wing and its taking everything I got just to hold it open.} She could hear the pain in Spike’s thoughts.
“Hang on a little more we are almost to the ground.” Twilight said. She stood up in the saddle to get a good look at the ground ahead. She saw flashes, like tracer rounds streaking a ways ahead. “Why is the ground moving?” She asked to herself. As they drifted closer her eyes grew wide. Below them a massive Quil army moved. The tracers came from a small group of soldiers pinned down and fighting for their lives. While most of the Quil ignored them, Twilight could see some Quil moving in for the kill.
{Spike…I’m sorry.} Twilight thought as she pulled her weapon. {We are about to crash in the middle of a whole lot of Quil.}
{I see them. I’m going to land near that group of soliders. Get off of me as we hit and get into that crater and take as many as you can with you. I got one more surprise for them.} Spike’s thoughts were grim.
Folding his wings in the two of them started to drop faster. Using the forward momentum they built up while gliding, Spike was able to keep in line with the soldiers closing on the group.
{We are coming in too fast Spike!} Twilight thought as she clung to the saddle. She could feel the mental grin come back to her, even if it was tainted by pain.
At twenty feet over the ground the soliders in the crater stopped firing in surprise at the Dragon Rider’s appearance. And at that distance even they could see Spike’s injuries as he inhaled a big breath. Suddenly he exhaled and a steady stream green flames shot out incinerating a number of them at the same time slowing them down. As they flew past the front ranks of the Quil Spike stopped the flames and went limp crashing into the ground not far from where the soldiers hid in the crater. Twilight was ready, as they hit she cast the spell to change Spike from a large flying dragon to his normal self causing the two of them to roll over the ground in a tangle of limbs.
Twilight was dazed, a ringing in her ears drowned out everything around her. Her vision was half blurred and shifting around. Spike half on top of her was pinning her to the ground but she still had her weapon. Even in her dazed state she could see Quil closing in on her. She took aim then fired.
*********************
Applejack couldn’t believe her eyes. That dragon was badly injured and probley dead now but gave its last breath to help them. The rider somehow managed to change the dragon’s size so when they rolled she wouldn’t be crushed by her own dragon and is still fighting despite being badly injured from the crash and a teenage dragon on top of her. It took only a second for her brain to kick back into action.
“Rarity with me, you three keep up covering fire.” Applejack yelled as she pulled herself over the rim of the crater. Rarity was quick to follow behind her but quicker knowing what Applejack was going to do.
Rarity raced forward and slid in the dirt to a kneeling position and started to fire at the Quil while they tried to reorient themselves. She was impressed by the line of fire the dragon left and the number of burnt Quil bodies. With one hand on the barrel, one on the trigger and her horn glowing she fired. Her magic loading the next bullet into the chamber as she aimed for another, again reload and again fire. Quil dropped as fast as she could reload the gun as Applejack easily lifted the two injured to their feet.
“Come on yall, can’t be sitting out here. Rarity, fall back!” As Applejack, with Spike on one side and Twilight on the other still shooting towards the Quil, started to make her way back to the crater Rarity stood up and without missing a beat and kept firing as she slowly made her way backwards.
A roar sounded above them. Applejack looked up in horror. A Quil soldier was falling towards the crater. Before she could shout a warning it landed in the crater and three death screams sounded. Impaled on three of its legs were the three other members of her platoon. As it stepped to turn towards the three of them, the bodies flailing about like rag dolls. Applejack dropped Twilight who fell to one knee bringing her rifle to bear. Rarity spun in place aiming for the Quil in the crater and Applejack leveled her shotgun. Three trigger pulls answered for the three lives just lost collapsing the Quil soldier like a house of cards.
Looking down to pick her back up, Applejack saw Twilights side. It was oozing blood, her fatigues were soaked and she was looking pale. She has seen enough battles to know that unless she got some medical attention now she was going to die. And in the middle of this fight, there was no medics to help or hospitals to rush too.
“Ah ponyfeathers…” Applejack muttered. Despite the pain this mare was still fighting. Aiming and pulling the trigger like a pro, though she could see the fear in her eyes. “This is the poor mare’s first fight and it will be her last.” She gently set the injured Dragon on the ground and stood over the both of them as Rarity took the other side. “Let’s give them a stand that even the Quil will remember yall.”
As she took aim and fired she saw a Cyan and rainbow streak pass near her. Looking up she saw a Cyan Winged Folk with a rainbow colored main and tail start to dart around the battlefield startling Quill and pushing them away from the four of them with a loud battle cry. Then she heard a gasp of shock from behind her. Spinning she saw another Winged Folk, a yellow one with a pink mane putting away her pistol as she pulled out medical supplies. At the same time she glanced down and saw the mare wasn’t doing too good. She had stopped firing and looking around blankly. Then she fell over as the Winged Mare kneeled next to her.
“Oh my gosh, please be ok, please be ok.” She went to work on both Twilight and Spike and with an expert touch had Twilight’s wounds patched and was working on Spike.
“Who are you?” Applejack asked over the roar of gunfire as she turned and started to fire at the Quil again.
“Sergeant Fluttershy, that’s Staff Sergeant Rainbow Dash, we came looking for this one because she saved us at Cloudsdale.” Fluttershy said.
Applejack looked over her shoulder. The mare was scared to death, her eyes wide and she flinched every time Applejack fired her weapon but her hands didn’t stop. They moved with a training and skill to rival full time doctors and unfortunately with the skill of repeated practice.
Applejack grunted slightly. “Name’s Gunnery Sergeant Applejack, that’s Sergeant Rarity. Don’t know who you are working on.”
“Darling, can’t you see. Its 1st Sergeant Sparkle.” Rarity said from beside her as she popped in a fresh clip. “Oh dear, last clip.”
“How in the hay did you know that?” Applejack asked her gun clicked on empty so she put it away and stepped a few feet forward.
“Rank bars on shoulder and name on chest.” Rarity said with a small laugh. Applejack blushed slightly, feeling foolish for missing the obvious. But to her defense she was kinda distracted.
One Quil saw its chance and rushed them. Before Rainbow noticed one was making a rush or Rarity could bring her rifle around it leapt at Applejack, one leg raised to cut her in half, who looked at it calmly. At the last second she shifted to the side, the blow landing harmlessly into the ground. Grabbing the leg just above the joint where it turned into a blade Applejack kicked the Quil hard in the body knocking it away with enough force to bowl over two other Quil who tried to follow. A roar of pain erupted from the tangle of Quil and one rose up missing a leg. The leg in question remained in Applejack’s hands. With a flick of her wrist she threw it back at the Quil.
“Want to try again?”
The Quil, enraged, charged her on three legs with a roar. Once it reached her the Quil reared up and tried to cut her with its blade again only to have Applejack step inside the blow and punch. The sickening thud of flesh being impacted was loud enough to have Rainbow Dash turn to see what was going on. Another punch, another thud staggering the Quil backwards. It roared at her again but suddenly stopped when its jaw was grabbed by Applejack and with a strong quick jerk pulled the jaw off. The Quil started to thrash around in pain stepping back away from the Earth Mare in front of in. Stepping forward with a small hop Applejack came level with the Quil’s face and bucked out with both feet landing solidly on the Quil’s eye. With a twist she landed in a crouch then stood up to see the Qull was knocked back nearly thirty feet from her attack unmoving. The Quil around the fallen soldier looked at the body then back to the mare. With roars of rage they started to charge only to have an artillery shell land in the middle of them knocking nearly all of them off their feet.
Behind the group they heard the roar of an engine and the honking of a horn. Turning they saw a pink Earth Folk mare sliding to a stop near Rarity, Fluttershy and Twilight. She was grinning wide as she waved for everyone to get in. Applejack ran up and grabbed Spike and Twilight and tossed them into the back of the jeep and climbed in herself along with Rarity as Fluttershy took the passenger seat. The pink mare looked at Rainbow.
“Come on silly, we need to go!” She yelled out.
“Right behind you Pinkie, move it.” Rainbow called back. She zipped around a few more Quil then flew after the accelerating Jeep. She chanced a glance behind her and saw the group of Quil falling back in the distance. Though they still had many more Quil heading for the front before them they were at least in the clear at the moment.
“That was close to say the least.” Rarity said looking around. She could see charging Quil on both sides of the jeep but they were a few hundred yards away.
“Not quiet.” Pinkie said. She turned to the others with a grin. “CHAPTER BREAK!”
“Say what?” Four voices called back.