Chapter 7
By KidtheBrony
Pinkie Pie was like having a kid drink several cups of coffee and then feeding them candy for about an hour. Endless energy and a mouth that could probably power a city if you could make it, literally, a motor mouth. But even she knew when to mellow for a moment and focus on something important, and Mark saw that a lot during their work together. She was always in the mood to talk, even as orders came in and baking needed to be done, but unlike many moments from the show it was slow and steady compared to the sporadic, random near-babble of many fanfictions and even reality. But even when calm she would be humming, bouncing, and always moving. One second rolling out a pie crust, the next cutting cookies out of the dough, and then another slipping something into an open oven and bumping it closed with her rear. There was no stopping Pinkie Pie from being energetic, but then again Mark liked her for that and enjoyed really seeing it face-to-face.
Having started as soon as he was hired, Mark had gone back into the kitchen and now some time later things were finally starting to hit a lull. Since he'd come to town around noon, they'd been filling out the quota for lunch and so far business was good. He imagined it had something to do with him being here; how often does a bipedal creature nobody had seen before come into town and suddenly get a job after all? Mr. and Mrs. Cake certainly seemed to appreciate his work and the small boon he was causing their shop, and already they'd once come in to praise him for one of his pies. That had earned another big hug from Pinkie, and together the two of them secretly shared a few spare cookies in celebration.
Now, in the midst of a small lull, Mark was listening to a few jokes from Pinkie while enjoying their snack of milk of cookies. They were both covered in flour, and the kitchen was a mess of bowls and ingredients, but that could wait for later while they worked on some friendship bonding. Chuckling, Mark saw a small spot of flour on Pinkie's nose, but chose not to comment as she neared the punchline. It was too cute to interrupt her for anyway.
"...and so then he said, 'That's not a sculpture, that's my laundry!'" Pinkie said, before breaking out into a fit of giggles and rolling onto the floor. Shaking his head, Mark chuckled and grabbed the empty plate of cookies and took it over to the sink.
"Heheh, good one Pinkie Pie. That really explains a lot of modern art I've seen actually." Dropping the dishes off, he wiped his hands on the apron he was wearing and then walked over to the still giggling mare on the floor. He offered her a hand up, and once she was back on all four hooves he looked around. "Well, I think that was the last order of the afternoon. Is there anything planned for the evening rush?"
"Hmmm, nope!" Bouncing in place, Pinkie smiled up at him. "This should do it for today. Anything we don't sell I get to take home, oh and of course you can take some too if you want Markie!"
"Don't you keep some to sell tomorrow?"
"Well only a few things, like pies and cakes. We don't want anypony getting stale donuts or muffins though, now do we?"
"Good point." That definitely hadn't been the way his old bakery had done things, although thankfully they'd only kept things for a day instead of like, a week for example. It had been a nice place, but very laid back in maintaining quality and order. Scratching his cheek, Mark thought on what to do next. "Well uh, now that we're done-"
"Oh i know!" Pinkie Pie interrupted. "Why don't I take you to meet all of my friends! I'm sure Twilight would love to meet you, and Fluttershy will be, well, shy duh, but once she gets to know you I'm sure everything will be fine. Rarity probably will ask you all about your clothes..."
Tuning Pinkie Pie out a little bit, Mark thought over her idea. He'd come to Ponyville not planning on actually meeting all of the Mane 6 like most fans probably would. Instead, he had hoped to simply settle in for a bit, casually meet them, and befriend who he could. He liked to think he was a decent guy that could get all six of the girls to like him, but at the same time he had little experience in actually befriending people. It wasn't even his fault, mostly; living in the wilderness in his parents old home had given him plenty of peace and quiet, but also few people to talk to and simply hang out with. All of the friendships he'd made over the years, what few there were, had all been spur of the moment, and generally revolved around shared likes such as baking, or being co-workers at the bakery. Whenever someone left their job, while Mark would still contact them from time to time, nothing really ever continued.
And then there was the problem of where he'd come from.
If anyone asked him about his past, he was prepared to go for the basic, and most possibly overused story imaginable. He would say that he was a wandering stranger from a faraway land, exploring the world in hopes of discovering new and exciting things. When he heard of Equestria and the strange magic they had, he'd decided to come here and eventually made his way into Ponyville. High Road got this answer when asked, and although he had no desire to form friendships with a big lie, it wasn't like Mark was going to say anything else untrue about himself otherwise, nor would he have faked any emotions or personality quirks just to get the ponies to like him. Plus, as long as he was careful on how much knowledge from the show he used, then nobody would have to suspect him either.
That didn't stop him from not feeling well about lying to anyone, period, but then again meeting Pinkie Pie and getting a job at Sugarcube Corner hadn't been on his original plan either. If anything life had taught him was that, for every plan he made in advance, there would be three that he made in a split second before doing anything that he would do instead.
"Markie? Hellooooooo, earth to Markieeeee."
Blinking at the pink hoof waving in his face, Mark realized that he'd spaced out longer than he thought. He looked down, seeing Pinkie staring at him in curiosity with her head tilted to the side and an ear flopping lightly. It was a cute sight, one of many that he knew would be in his future if he was lucky, and chuckling he waved a hand in apology. "Sorry Pinkie Pie, I was...just thinking about something."
"Thinking about what?" She asked.
"Mmm...nothing important. Come on, I'd love to meet your friends."
Pinkie Pie grinned, already bouncing in place in excitement, when suddenly there was a deafening boom from outside. On instinct, Mark grabbed the pink pony and dived to the floor, covering her head with his body as the windows shattered and sprayed glass all over the kitchen. Hearing her scream, Mark could also make out several other ponies outside doing the same, and when he looked up he realized how dark it suddenly was. Getting off of her, he checked her for any cuts, and then did so for himself, before carefully helping her up. "W-What was that?" She asked, looking very startled. "And why is it so dark? Did Princess Luna raise the moon too early?"
"I don't know Pinkie Pie, but stay here." Mark ordered, suddenly looking very serious. Walking over to one of the shattered windows, he carefully brushed any glass on the window shelf off before leaning out and taking a look at the street outside. Ponies were running to and fro, screaming their heads off and likely seeking shelter in their homes. But what all of them were doing was looking up, and doing the same Mark felt something cold settle in the pit of his stomach. "That's no moon."
The sky was covered by what looked to be the underside of a mountain. Loose soil fell from around thick boulders and what seemed to be the broken remains of an underground structure, with pipes and other odds and ends hanging warped and incomplete. Its size was hard to tell, so vast and big as it was, but at the very least it covered roughly half of Ponyville, and if the lack of light was any indication, then perhaps it was even bigger than the whole town in diameter alone. There was no telling just how tall it was, and outside of the very obvious magic that had to be holding it afloat, Mark felt something heavy and dark when he gazed at it.
Then, from above the floating mass came the sound of a horn.
Wincing at the noise, Mark cupped one ear on reflex and listened with the other as thousands of voices answered the horns call. This caused the ponies in the street to panic even more, but it wasn't until a few minutes had passed before anything appeared to reveal the real level of danger. Dark silhouettes rushed across the sky, at first staying close to the floating mountain, and then swooping down at the town. When they closed in, Mark saw them drop something red and bright, before explosions blossomed wherever these objects landed and the light revealed giant bats and vulture-like beasts with mounted men atop it. They laughed and roared, chasing the pegasi still flying around, and flung nets at any that came close. From down the street, more shouting and yelling began to increase in volume, and Mark realized that these invaders had ground troops as well. Worse - he could hear more than just humanoid voices closing in. There were likely more creatures with them, just like the bats and vultures up above, and they sounded pretty big too.
Finally tearing his attention away from the view outside, Mark turned and saw Pinkie Pie sitting in the middle of the kitchen with a terrified look on her face. It was obvious that she'd been watching some too from over his shoulder, and the fires actually flickered as shadows across her face and from the other windows around the room. Stepping closer, Mark knelt down and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Pinkie Pie." When she didn't immediately respond he lightly tapped her cheek with his other hand. "Pinkie Pie!" Blinking rapidly, she looked into Mark's eyes and was surprised at how serious and intense they were. It reminded her of how she and her friends got when serious trouble cropped up, but none more so than Applejack, who was often the most level headed of them, beyond even Twilight. Seeing it on Mark's strange, almost alien face, made her feel oddly safe with him. "Go help the Cakes hide, possibly down in the basement if the bakery has one. Lock the door, don't go near any windows, and wait until I come back okay?"
"What?" Pinkie Pie shook her head. "N-No way, I've got to go find my friends! Twilight, and Applejack, and-"
"That comes later." Mark interrupted. "There are soldiers coming and we need- I need, to take care of them. Okay?" Pinkie Pie shook her head, opening her mouth to argue, but Mark clamped his hand down over her muzzle to silence her. He stared at her some more, a small caring smile on his face. "I can take care of myself, don't worry. Besides, I doubt the Elements can take out an entire army or whatever is invading the town. You need to wait for the bigger target to reveal itself."
"....O-Okay." She whispered once he removed his hand. Wrapping him in a hug, she squeezed him tightly before letting go. "Be careful Markie."
"Don't worry Pinkie, I will." Standing up, he glanced out the window, and after a moment of thought, looked back at the pink pony. "Actually, maybe there is one thing you can do to help. Got anything special lying around, say for big pranks?"
Pinkie Pie grinned from ear to ear.
Leading twelve men down the dirt paved street, the sergeant felt a rare surge of joy. Having served the Emperor for five faithful years, he'd been both fortunate and unlucky to rise to his position during a lull in rebellions and thus had seen little in terms of combat or conquests such a this. He relished every scream from the strange four-legged inhabitants of this village, and made sure that all of his men lit fires to ensure nothing would survive the bombing from the air support that had swept through the area ahead of them. This was sure to be yet another successful conquest by his Lord, and as he'd been chosen to lead a very important squad, he was sure to be promoted yet again once his task was complete.
Looking over his shoulder, he noted the man in the middle of their group. Clad in the same red armor as the rest yet carrying no weapon, he held in his hands a strange rod that glowed a toxic purple and waved it around at every house and captured native they passed. He was unsure what this man was doing, or why it required such a large group of soldiers to protect him solely, but the rod had noticeably darkened the further down the road they traveled, so obviously they were getting close to-
"There." The man spoke, lifting the rod that now pulsed slowly like a heartbeat. "Our objective lies within that shop."
Turning his head to face forward, the sergeant grimaced in disgust at what he saw. It was a bakery designed to look like a giant gingerbread house, with bright colors and confectioneries all over the outside of the building. All the bright colors of this place had already made him sick to his stomach, but seeing this bakery took his hatred of this place to a higher level than he thought possible. Unsheathing his sword, he grumbled, "Lets just get this over with then. Stay here men, I'll take care of this."
Shaking his head slowly, the rod-man watched as the sergeant marched forward with some swagger in his step. It was clear to him that the other man hoped for some kind of glory by obtaining the objective himself. He however, knew more than what the sergeant had been informed of, and unlike the other man had faced off against rebels and seen how desperate people could surprise even the most prepared offense/defense. Stepping back some out of the formation, he gestured for the other men to step forward to follow their leader. Nobody noticed because of this the strange green glow over his eyes, or how he tensed up for a few moments.
As the sergeant reached the front door of the bakery he noted with amusement that someone had clearly locked the door. Scoffing at the feeble defense, he kicked at the door and smiled a little as it nearly came off its hinges with just a single kick. "Feh, such weak creatures. Even their homes are as feeble as they are." Raising his sword, he aimed to strike the lock and march in, but suddenly from inside came a loud shout.
"FIRE IN THE HOLE!"
BOOM!
The last thing the sergeant thought before falling unconscious, was that the doors were still sturdy enough to knock a grown man cold.
Coughing, Mark waved away the smoke from Pinkie's Party Cannon. "Ugh, I guess I used too much gunpowder. Where the heck did she even get this thing?" Still coughing, he carefully reloaded the cannon before pushing it back and stepping out into the street. The door lay off to the side next to a man in armor, with bits of a cake and other pastries splattered over both. Since Pinkie Pie had built the thing to, apparently, take all kinds of party supplies he'd gone and loaded everything he could so that it could pack a real wallop and floor whoever was on the other side. Unfortunately, as he looked around the street at the soldiers all still standing, it was obvious that he still had quite the fight ahead of him. "Well darn, and here I was hoping to take out more than one guy. What's wrong, didn't like him so you sent him in first?"
Taking their moment of disbelief to evaluate them, Mark saw that they all wore the same kind of armor. Red, spiky, with gold borders and a dragon head helmet and face guard that obscured everything save for their yellow eyes. All of their weapons were close-range and rather standard, with swords and hammers being the most common. They were very intimidating with most of the men standing around six feet or more, but the more he looked at them the more Mark realized how skinny they must really be. It gave him a little hope, as he'd need every advantage he could get against the dozen troops with his younger, less fit body. If he was his original age this would be almost nothing if he remained level headed, but now all he had was the little fitness he'd gained at this age, and the memories of all the combat and training to hopefully get his muscles to move the right way with.
Making a note to fully check out his younger body and its limits later, Mark raised the broom shaft he'd armed himself with, the bushy end snapped off to keep it balanced. Just in time too, as the soldiers finally came out of their daze and started walking closer to him with malice in their steps. This is going to get ugly.
"You dare strike one of the Emperor's forces?" One soldier yelled, stepping forward with his sword drawn quickly, In response the other men all drew their weapons, and the ring of drawn steel echoed around the street. One by one they circled around him, blocking any chance of escape. The talkative one stood in front of him, looking down and breathing heavily from only a foot or so away from Mark. "Have the rebels truly grown so desperate as to send children to fight their pointless struggles?"
Mark tilted his head, curious as to who these 'rebels' might be. "I think you've got the wrong guy mister."
"He's right," Another soldier remarked from behind Mark. "Just look at the boy - clean clothes and not a lick of dirt on his face. Pah! So weak and scrawny too! Hardly a rebel, more than likely a simple native humanoid."
"Hey now, I've got muscles. You don't have to be all bulgy to have them." Mark protested.
"He probably thinks he's being a hero." A third one spoke from beside the first soldier, contempt and mocking laughter clear when he spoke the last word. "Thinks he can take on the entire might of our Lord's army." That brought a round of laughter from all of them, and Mark lowered his head slightly so that his eyes were shaded by his hair. Inwardly he was smirking though, as they were falling easily into the second trick up his sleeve. After all, if all they thought of him fighting was that he stood no chance, then they'd underestimate him.
Nobody should underestimate Mark Magnum.
"Enough!" Ordered the lead soldier, and with a raised fist the men grew silent. Looking over them all, he turned his attention back to Mark and sneered behind his faceplate at the boys posture. "Any last words child, before I end this silly little resistance?"
Mark thought about it for a moment.
"...Your shoelaces are untied."
"Huh?" The soldier looked down, as did many of his comrades.
Quick as lightning Mark struck the faceplate of the lead soldier, the thin metal crumpling with surprising ease from the force of his blow. The man let out a muffled howl as most of his face was smashed in, hindering his breathing and staggering him, and Mark used that to spin him around and kick him into the three soldiers behind him, sending them all into a pile on the ground. The other soldiers, stunned by the sudden and violent turnabout, couldn't respond fast enough to stop Mark from repeating the face smash two more times and quickly disarming another two with sharp whacks to their wrists. Twirling his staff, Mark performed a leg sweep that almost got the men, but his initial window of surprise had closed and most of them stepped back in time save for those he'd already attacked. "Get him!" One yelled, before Mark zeroed in on him and got in close for a vicious upward haymaker with the center of his staff. The man fell to his knees choking and clutching at his throat, and with a solid punch to the side of his helmet he was knocked out as Mark spun to parry two swords that had been aimed for his back. Grunting, Mark quickly slid to the side to save his fragile weapon and kicked the legs out from one of the swordsman before kicking off from his stomach to knee the second in the face.
"Eiyah!" Mark yelled, rolling and performing a handstand. Swinging his legs, he forced off three more attackers as they charged at him long enough to push off and stand, before jabbing at one in the stomach and delivering two strikes with his 'staff' to the sides of their head. The other two, still stumbling back, were pushed forward by some of their comrades and they raised their weapons - an axe and a mace - to strike Mark down. However their swings were wide, and with a simple ninety-degree shift sideways they slipped past Mark's body and he dropped his staff for a second to deliver two palm strikes right at their faceplate as their heads leaned in close. Ignoring their muffled howls, his hands snaked around their heads and stepping back he slammed them hard against one another, knocking two more out before he quickly crouched and grabbed his staff again.
Five still stood, the rest out cold or too impaired to help. Eyes roaming over the remainder, he noted their cautious stances and how the two he'd disarmed earlier had reclaimed their weapons. Smiling, he twirled his staff and beckoned them to approach. "Come on fellas, I'm not getting any younger yet!" He taunted.
Two of them bristled at his remark and charged, the left with a halberd and the right wielding two small hammers he'd claimed from his fallen comrades. Jumping back Mark parried the hammer strikes and moved clear of any of the thrust attacks from the spearman. Eventually the halberd wielder overextended in one of his thrusts, and using the opportunity Mark slid his staff against the side of the haft and pushed it into the way of a double overhead strike by the hammer soldier. With a roar of pain the spearman's hand was smashed and his halberd shattered by the impressive strength of his comrade. Startled, the other man was caught off guard as Mark used the momentum of his staff as it had slid across the haft and deftly shot up and jabbed the man directly on the nose. The metal crumpled, blood splattering over the edge and into his eyes, and blinded the man couldn't defend against the second blow that actually broke Mark's staff and knocked him cold. Crouching to grab one of the hammers, Mark swung up and with a high pitched squeal the other soldier stood onto his toes as his privates were...yeah, it wasn't pretty getting those smashed. More out of pity than anything, Mark grabbed the second hammer too and quickly knocked the suffering fellow out, before standing up and looking at the remaining three.
Taking a deep breath, Mark closed his eyes for a split second and then opened them again. They danced in the flames of the surrounding fires, showing an intensity that belied his apparent age. Despite themselves, the trio stepped back once out of stunned fear.
"H...How is this possible!?" One cried out, lifting his double headed axe up like a shield before him. "One child...one scrawny brat took out over nine of us in such a short time!"
Smirking, Mark felt some sweat trickle down the sides of his face. He was a lot more exhausted than he was showing, the harsh reminder of his younger form. If he was older then fighting for this long wouldn't have gotten him even close to sweating. He was mentally thanking himself over and over that he'd started training in mixed martial arts at a young age, and that for the most part, he was plenty agile and flexible even now to keep up with his future training memories. "You're the one who said I was a hero, right?" Mark asked, nodding at the axe wielder. "Well, you know it's funny. I never thought I was one, but I sure have plenty as my role models. I always said to myself, 'If you don't train then you'll never stand beside them.' My dad said that too, and he was the biggest hero in my life." Rolling one shoulder, he casually lifted up a hammer and pointed it at the soldiers. His eyes narrowed and something flashed across them that wasn't entirely from the flames reflecting in them. "You scum are attacking Ponyville, harming the inhabitants of this peaceful world, and more importantly..." He intoned. "You were trying to come to my friends home, hurt her and the Cakes, and probably burn down Sugarcube Corner." Gritting his teeth, he slipped into a stance, ready to continue fighting. "As a man who dreams to bring hope and peace, a man who wishes be known as a Hero, I won't let you take one more step forward!"
Charging, Mark pivoted on his right heel as he got in close and swung wide with both hammers. Smacking the axe wielder across the flat of his weapon, sending him sliding back, he managed to disarm another of his mace and missed the third. Still spinning, he crouched and pushed off to dive at the axe wielder, and with a double hammering at his chest he knocked the soldier completely flat and stomped on the mans head once he was down. Turning, he threw one hammer at the advancing swordsman, distracting him by making him parry the projectile, and with a quick flick and shift of his foot he removed the helmet of the downed soldier and flipped it up into the air. "Catch!" He yelled, kicking the helmet at the mace wielder. To both of their shock, the soldier actually dropped his reclaimed mace to catch it with both hands, but unlike the dummy Mark charged forward and swung the hammer up to smack the helmet into the one he was wearing. There was a loud 'Clang!' as the two pieces of metal struck, and a faint cry from the soldier as his helmet crumpled, and with a palm thrust into his stomach Mark knocked him flat and out of the fight.
Turning to face his final opponent, he stumbled back and as a reward only received a narrow cut that sliced his shirt open and created a faint line of red across his skin from his left pectoral down to the right side of his stomach. Hissing at the pain, Mark clutched at the wound and parried several follow-up strikes, narrowly avoiding having more cuts added to his body. Glancing back, he continued to retreat until he was right at the entrance to Sugarcube Corner. He threw the last hammer at the man, which was easily blocked by the flat of the swords blade, but it bought him time to dive into the shop and out of sight. Predictably, the soldier followed, confident in winning, but like the sergeant at the start of the battle he was laid low by the Party Cannon as Mark tugged on the cord and fired the final salvo.
Boom!
Flying out of the bakery, the final soldier rolled for several feet before finally stopping against one of his comrades bodies, covered in cake and streamers. Silence filled the street for a few seconds, not even the bombing and fires making any noise it seemed, before at last Mark sighed and stepped out of the shop again. Patting his chest, he barely felt any blood and concluded that it was a shallow cut, hardly something to worry about. "Not bad for a first day's work." He said, before grimacing as his wound pulsed with pain. Shallow or not it hurt terribly, and he wasn't looking forward to having it permanently scar.
A slow clap caught his attention, and snapping his head up he gazed around the street for the source. There, in the shadow of one of the houses, stood another soldier. He was dressed the same as the rest, but clipped to his waist was a strange rod that pulsed steadily with a dark purple light. Just looking at it made Mark feel ill, and knew that it wasn't anything good for him or anyone else it might be intended for. "Impressive." The thirteenth soldier said. "You not only faced down a force greater in number, but succeeded, and at such a young age as well." Stepping closer, Mark finally noted something different about this soldier from the rest. His eyes were green, and his faceplate was missing. Because of this he could see the pale, almost albino white skin underneath, as well as the amused smirk on his face. "Such talent is worth saving from a painful death."
"Well, forgive me if I don't thank you for the compliment." Mark grumbled. The green-eyed man shrugged. "So who are you? You can't tell me you're just some two-bit thug like the rest of these guys. For one thing you're actually talking instead of just spouting threats."
"Indeed I'm not, in fact you can say I'm somewhat of a...Specialist." Lifting the rod off of his belt, he held it up and pointed it toward Sugarcube Corner. It reacted by changing the rate of its pulsing, and Mark was pretty sure that he wasn't just imagining the sound of a heartbeat as he stared at it. "Do you know what this is?" The soldier asked.
"...At first glance, I'd say some kind of magical dowsing rod." Mark answered warily.
The man looked impressed. "Correct! More specifically, it's attuned to the powerful energy source contained within that building. Or rather, the wielder of that power. My Lord was very clear that all sources of this power were to be eliminated, and the...Elements of Harmony? Yes, the Elements of Harmony, were to be acquired."
"The Elements?! How do you know about them, or that their wielders live here even?"
"My Lord knows more than you can imagine." The soldier let out a quiet chuckle, heavy with dark humor. "You do not truly understand the enemy you face. The cannon fodder might be within your range to defeat, but even taking a step above the rank and file...ah, now that would be an amusing fight to see! I wonder what would break first - your spirit or your bones?"
Gritting his teeth, Mark ran his eyes over the ground around him. There were several broken and discarded weapons lying around, but most were too big or heavy to wield easily, and or he had little experience with them. The only staff-like weapon had been the halberd, and that was lying broken in pieces and not even in usable chunks. Looking back at the strange soldier, Mark evaluated his chances on defeating this man, even with him appearing unarmed. Seeing what the boy was doing, the rod wielder chuckled again and wagged a finger.
"Ah, ah, ah, I wouldn't if I were you." He chided. "Remember, I am not some common 'thug', as you put it. Besides that, I have no desire to confront you." Still chuckling, he squeezed the rod until it shattered, disintegrating into dust as the power holding it together faded. Turning to leave, he began walking away at a casual pace. "You won this battle, and I see no reason to contest that fact. The Element you guard is safe for the time being."
"You're just going to leave?" Mark frowned. The way he and the others made this Emperor sound like, then failure surely would be met with more than a reprimand or even a light punishment. "I thought you had a mission to complete?"
"True..." The soldier stopped, humming in thought. Looking over his shoulder, his green eyes flashed in cruel amusement. "This body does have that objective...alas, since he has failed, I suppose I shall have to punish him." And then with another flash of his eyes, the soldier was suddenly smoking and vile green smoke began billowing out from the joints of his armor. Crumpling to the ground, Mark wasn't able to see from where he was standing but as the armor continued to smoke he noticed how it grew loose and then eventually rolled apart in places as the body inside disintegrated. Gagging, he walked over once the smoke stopped and lightly poked the helmet with a foot. It rolled over easily, revealing empty space where a head should have been.
"What the heck...?" He muttered in shock, before grimacing as his injury flared again. Hissing, he turned and headed back toward Sugarcube Corner to patch himself up. Just who are these people? And who was that controlling that soldier just now? Why would he simply let me go; he couldn't have been a pushover if the vibe I got from him was right.
"Mark?"
Looking up, Mark saw Pinkie Pie standing behind her cannon, a pie in her hoof as if she was prepared to throw it. She looked surprised to see him, but when her eyes trailed down to his ruined shirt, they grew impossibly big.
"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh! You're hurt!" She squeaked, rushing out of the room and coming back with a first aid kit in her mouth. "Don't worry, Doctor Pie will fix you up!"
"Ah, wait, Pinkie..." Mark opened his mouth to try and explain that it wasn't bad, but before he could blink she was all over him and his world was a blur of pink and white. "Mfffff!"
"Tadaah! All better!"
Blinking in surprise, Mark realized he couldn't move, bound by white gauze all over his body like a mummy. Only his eyes were uncovered, and sighing he stared at Pinkie with exasperation. Well, at least that answers my question on whether or not she really can pull off cartoon physics. Toppling over, he grunted and rolled, staring upside-down and wiggling like a worm to try and get free. "Mmm."
"Ah, whoopsie!" Pinkie Pie giggled. "Too many bandages...sorry."
"Nnn-mmm."
One soldier on the edge of town turned just in time to see a flash of blue before losing consciousness. Another, hearing the dull thud of his comrades body hitting the dirt, saw nothing still as he turned far too slowly to catch the red and white sneaker that swung and kicked him in the back of the neck. Shortly after, a low buzzing filled the air, and then with a faint gust of air a ball of blue spikes shot forward into the dense grouping of soldiers ahead.
Bowling over several soldiers at once, Sonic uncurled and hopped off another man before finally stopping to assess the danger. Eyes darting left and right, he saw the men all begin to notice him and shout for reinforcements. Smirking, he dashed off and rolled, swerving between sword swings and legs. He blasted through them like a wrecking ball when he saw them begin to clump up, and despite their greater numbers already the casualties began to pile up fast. Soon, the street was full of unconscious or groaning soldiers, and dusting his hands off Sonic turned to face the reinforcements that were coming by land and air. His smirk didn't waver a bit.
"Is that all? C'mon fellas, I'm just starting to warm up!" He taunted.
One of the strange vulture creatures screeched and dived, its brethren following in loose formation. Gliding across the ground, they were hopped over by the hedgehog and he hitched a ride on the last one to pass under him. The soldiers atop it barely had time to cry out before Sonic knocked them off, and taking the reigns he yanked the bird up into the air. "Giddy up!" Squawking, it fought his control until another vulture swooped into its chest, knocking the two down with a cry from the other mounts soldiers as they fell. Having jumped, Sonic curled into a ball and homed in on the next aerial monster, and then the next, ping-ponging around and quickly taking out the air support. Landing on a nearby rooftop, he turned and smirked at the next wave that was quickly coming in, this time with the bat creatures and their riders accompanying them. They all appeared to be loaded up with glowing balls, and when one was tossed in his direction there was a massive explosion that nearly took out an entire house.
"So that's where the fires came from." Sonic said, smirk vanishing quickly. "Guess I'll take those ones out first then."
There was a roar from the street below, and suddenly a massive club appeared from the side swinging at the roof. Jumping off, Sonic narrowly avoided getting turned to pulp as the house was crushed and splintered under the terrible strength of the lumbering beasts weapons. Sliding to a halt on the street below, he saw a massive creature with dozens of chains dangling from a spiked collar around its stubby neck. A few soldiers were walking behind it, but they apparently didn't care to restrain the beast in its attempts to kill its latest prey. He frowned, thinking of what to do, and then shot off toward the troll-like beast. It roared and stomped down at its prey, thinking it an easy kill, but the speedy hedgehog was too quick for it and easily zipped under before it even began to come down. Rushing into the crowd of soldiers, he circled them and kept them busy until the beast turned and smashed them all with its club. Rushing up the wooden weapon, Sonic punched and kicked at its face, but it only seemed to annoy it as it swatted him off and into the side of a nearby building. Grunting, he recovered and rolled out of the way of another attack, before curling up and slamming hard into its belly.
Stumbling back, the troll roared and flailed its club at the ball on its belly. It only managed to hit itself though, as Sonic rolled up its body and bounced off its face. It landed with a thundering crash on the ground, and landing by its feet he flicked his nose with his thumb and placed a hand on his hip. "The bigger they are, the harder they fall. You could lose a few pounds there tubby." He taunted.
Roaring, the troll slowly got back onto its feet, beady eyes bulging in rage. Heaving and panting, it began pounding the earth with its feet and club wildly, trying to kill the little blue blur that dodged all of its attacks. Craters filled the street and dust was kicked up all around the monster, until finally nothing could be seen above its stomach. Growling, it tried to find its prey, until Sonic solved the problem for it by latching onto the back of its head. Roaring again, it flailed and tried to pry the little hedgehog off, until finally at wits end it swung its club up and tried to squish him with it. Seeing it, Sonic dropped down, and with a loud meaty crunch the troll crushed the back of its skull with its own weapon and fell to the ground dead.
Frowning, Sonic waved away some of the dust and looked over the corpse of the beast. Killing living enemies always bugged him, but he couldn't deny that they always were beasts and monsters like this one. Hardly any different than the machines Eggman often tried to kill him with, but still it was more unsettling than the programmed, heartless robots of his old foe. Hearing the dull thud of explosions pick up nearby, Sonic turned and saw the bat bombers flying overhead and attacking the town once more. Leaping up to the rooftops, he shot off to stop the next wave of enemies, knowing that the battle was far from over.
After removing all of the excess bandages, and re-wrapping his stomach for a little extra padding to protect himself with, Mark tossed his ruined shirt aside and double checked his backpack for anything he might need in the upcoming fights. With only a combat knife and a shop full of pastries to rely on though it didn't look too good. Pinkie Pie meanwhile was trying to see if she could re-attach the front door. She seemed to be mostly doing it just to keep busy, as her smile was pretty fragile and her mane was a little less poofy than usual. He was honestly surprised she wasn't already racing out to try and find her friends or save the day. Then again, the stillness of the street outside was probably half the reason why not - the unconscious and now tied up soldiers too probably. And there was a heaviness to the air, like something malicious was watching them and waiting to pounce. Mark wasn't too sure it had been there the whole time or not, which made him suspect that he wasn't just being paranoid and that somebody really was watching.
Then again, maybe he was just being paranoid about being paranoid. It made about as much sense as everything else about today.
Sighing, Mark stood and dusted his hands off. "It's no good; I packed for comfort, not combat. Aside from my knife..." Trailing off, he looked out the window at the dark town and floating citadel overhead. At least the fires seem to be going out. Must be a brave soul or two dousing them and fighting back. I hope this means the other girls are okay. Glancing at Pinkie Pie, he stood and walked over to her. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he quickly caught the door with the other as she jumped and whipped her head around to him, forgetting to hold it up.
He smiled at her reassuringly. "I'll help fix this when I get back. But right now, I think we both need to do something to help out Ponyville."
Pinkie Pie nodded, her smile growing a little more organic and real. "Uhuh! What are we going to do Markie?"
"I'll head out and try to find the rest of the townsfolk. I think they were herding them somewhere, maybe the center of town." Mark glanced outside and saw town hall peaking over the rooftops. A number of flying mounts were circling the square around the building, and their numbers were too great to be anything but a guard against intruders. "If I'm lucky, I can free them all and maybe get away before I'm in over my head with bad guys. You meanwhile need to go find your friends." He looked back down at her. "Go to the library and find Twilight and Spike. Tell Spike to write a letter to the Princess and get the Elements asap. There's got to be a super villain running the show somewhere up there, and that's who you'll need to take out for Ponyville to have a chance."
"No problem-o Mark-o! You can count on me!" Saluting him, Pinkie Pie rushed out and headed down one of the alleyways nearby. Listening until he couldn't hear the clop of her hooves, Mark sighed and pulled out his uncles combat knife. He looked at himself in the dull reflection of its side, noting the still youthful face peering back at him. He still didn't know why he'd been de-aged, especially to a point where he'd be nearly too young to be any help. He was certain now that he was around sixteen years old at least - too young to have the physique he once had, but old enough to have all the skills. If he kept his fighting down to short bursts he wouldn't tire out too quickly, but on the negative side his punches and kicks would be a lot weaker unless he put his all into it, which in turn would tire him out faster. There was so much going on that he didn't understand...but right now the one thing he did needed his attention.
"Save Ponyville, beat the bad guys, and hope that nothing else will turn up before I can get some answers." Sheathing the knife again, Mark tucked his backpack out of the way and stepped back outside. Looking up, his eyes narrowed and he shot off down the street.
High up within the dark castle, a room was bathed in pale blue light from the massive pool elevated in the center of it. Surrounded by pillars, it shimmered and showed not a reflection, but the world beyond the citadel walls. Two men stood around it - one towering and thick with muscles, the other slim and hardly above five feet. Not only were they physically different but also horribly clashing in personality and temperament. While the smaller one watched the pool with a mysterious smirk and hand propped under his chin, the larger one growled under his breath and griped the silver colored ring of the pools edge enough to make the stone crackle and the metal bend.
"Careful, Lord Wrath, it wouldn't do to ruin my creation in your anger." The slim one remarked, green eyes flashing in amusement at their comrades anger.
"Perhaps then you would take its place, Lord Envy?" Lord Wrath asked. "I feel the need to wrap my hands around something, and your neck has always been a fond dream of mine."
"How amusing - you managed to avoid threatening me for exactly five hours this time. Your temper is surprisingly mild today."
Snorting, Wrath looked back down into the pool. An overhead view of a street rippled inside the arcane waters, with a lone figure running slowly down it. The 'camera' followed the figures movements, and with a light tap from Envy it zoomed in on the persons face. A humanoid, young and injured judging by the bandages around their chest, and with a face set with determination and calculating eyes. Seeing the young boy up close made Wrath growl again, as he'd watched earlier the fight with his troops. "This boy is strong, and skilled too."
Lord Envy chuckled. "A mere human against an entire army of our Lord's forces. As I said to him myself - to go beyond the rank and file is hopeless. One of Gluttony's commanders should take care of him easily enough, and keep me from having to sully my hands with his blood."
"You underestimate this boys resolve..." Wrath rumbled, before waving his hand and causing the image to shift. The view flew across town to another corner, where most of the armies forces were swarming to take care of a more immediate threat. A blue blur zipped and rolled around dozens of soldiers, and whenever aerial support came to bomb or pierce him with their talons and beaks he would simply hop up and eliminate them as well. The fighter paused long enough to reveal a blue hedgehog, smirking and looking as fit and healthy as when he'd first rolled into town. He dusted off something from his shoulder, and then zoomed off to continue the fight. Lord Wrath slammed his fist down, anger mounting at the casual demeanor of their foe.
"But who...who is this accursed beast?! To so casually attack my forces, and defeat them with a smirk on his face...!"
"An Avatar of Chaos." Spoke a new voice, slipping out of the shadows of the pillars. While clearly female, little could be seen of her appearance due to the all encompassing silver robes, hooded cloak and veil shrouding her body. What's more, her voice was deep and monotone, further hiding anything about her. It would be impossible to even say that the tall figure was female even, except for the noticeable mounds on her chest. "Free spirited, a warrior who fights only because there is nobody else who can. As impossible to predict as a leaf in the wind."
"Oh?" Lord Envy raised a thin eyebrow. "And what do we have to thank, to be blessed with your presence, Lady Sloth? Does your tower no longer interest you as it once did?"
Lady Sloth ignored him, gazing at the pool and the clenched fists of Lord Wrath on the edge. Wrath, feeling her unnerving gaze, turned slightly and caught her eyes with his own.
"Another prediction?" He asked.
"A bout of interest." She replied, hardly showing what she spoke of. "I wanted to see if you would do anything."
Snorting, Lord Wrath turned back to the pool and gazed at the now flickering images. Dozens of locations flew across the surface of the pool, showing others fighting back and repelling their forces to some degree. A farm, a cluster of rain clouds, an old tree that looked more like a house. The number was unsettling, as was the success of each group and individual who fought. What had promised to be an easy invasion was now turning into a mess, and so far the blame could be put squarely on the soldiers - Wrath's own troops. With another pounding of his fist it settled onto the familiar running figure of the young boy. He appeared to be closing in on the center of town, and unknowingly into just the kind of situation Envy was hoping for. His eyes narrowed, glowing brighter in the shadows that blanketed his face.
"The Emperor wants us to remain within the castle." Lord Envy reminded. Lady Sloth turned and gazed at him, and after a moment he had to turn away from her unwavering stare, teeth clenched and bared slightly in disgust.
"An army is lead by their General, and I am that man by the Emperor's own command." Wrath straightened up and turned. "It is obvious to me that there are some rebellious souls that need to be put down, and I hardly think he'd disapprove of a show of force to quell any more uprisings from the local beasts."
"The ponies, however, are not your target, are they?" Lady Sloth half asked, half stated.
"..." Walking out of the room, Lord Wrath's eyes glowed and flickered, his mind still back at the pool, at the lone human fighting against them. She is right, as always. He thought bitterly. That woman always knows what I'm thinking, clairvoyant powers or not. The beasts of this world will fall easily enough once the sources of their power are obtained. But that human...that hero...
"I will crush that look in his eye." He rumbled out loud, malice laced in every syllable. "That look of Hope..."
The long race toward the library had been tiring and riddled with too many close encounters. The strange warriors were everywhere; they came from the ground and the sky, roaring and setting fire to everything around them. Bombs detonated in the distance, and despite her best attempts Twilight more often than not lost ground with a teleport, as she would appear amidst the soldiers and then have to dodge their blades and weapons. Thankfully, her foxy new friend seemed to be rather skilled in quick escapes and keeping them distracted, and so with the aide of some simple magic tricks they'd avoided capture again and again. But it had taken what felt like hours for them to cross town, which was usually only a few minutes away at a casual trot. Her fox companion had more than a few bruises scattered over his body, and some of Twilight's tail had been hacked shorter by an inch or two after a close shave. She was also feeling the strain of using so much magic, and teleporting with a companion, that her vision was a little wobbly. If not for the danger everypony was in, she might have simply curled up to sleep once at the library.
Looking back at her companion, she also noted the magical gem still clutched tightly in his hands. He'd not let go of it, or even tucked it away out of sight for a second the whole time. It was obviously important - just the name itself was enough of a warning to Twilight. When he looked up after feeling her gaze on him, he smiled but also hugged the gem closer, perhaps to protect it or maybe as some kind of comforting gesture. It was hard to read him, since his face was flatter than any ponies and not a common trait even among the non-pony races bordering Equestria. "Are you alright?" She asked.
He nodded and gave her a thumbs up, which she didn't fully recognize the gesture as. "Uhuh, don't worry miss I can keep going." To emphasize this, he began twirling his tails and started hovering along above her. Having seen the odd feat before during battle, it only now registered to her that his anatomy was perhaps even more bizarre than she'd thought.
"How are you even able to do that? I've never heard of a flying fox before, much less a two legged, two tailed one that can actually speak Equestrian."
"Well, I've never heard of a quadruped, unicorn pony that can speak Mobian." He teased back, winking at her. Twilight giggled and shook her head.
"Okay, good point; I guess we're both a little strange looking to each other. You'll have to tell me more about yourself later..." Looking ahead, she saw the familiar turn that would lead into the library square. "...at least, once we're out of this mess." She finished quietly.
Reach the bend, they turned and slid to a halt at the sight awaiting them. There was the library, just ahead, but surrounding it was a pink barrier that shimmered and pulsed. The cause for those pulses were the numerous swords and hammers being struck against it by the dozens of soldiers along the front of the building, and barking orders behind them was one warrior wielding a strange purple rod. Twilight could sense dark magic emanating from it, but what chilled her the most was how it seemed to reach for her, tendrils feeling her out and clutching at the air around her. Instinctively she formed a barrier bubble to keep the magic out, but that seemed to just make it happy as suddenly the rod began pulsing madly, catching the eye of the warrior holding it. He turned, and upon seeing Twilight and her friend, roared at the other soldiers, "It's her! Leave killing the other beasts for later, she must not escape!"
His words made Twilight snap to the window next to the main door of the library. There, staring out, was little Spike, looking terrified and completely lost at what to do. Thanks to the shield runes she'd put in place after Discord's appearance the library was well protected, but that still wouldn't stop a dedicated force especially not with her outside and unable to refuel the magic. His eyes caught hers, and they got so impossibly small that his pupils were just little dots. He was very afraid - not only for himself, but for Twilight since she was greatly outnumbered. She could also see Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo pop up suddenly behind him, and together they were all banging on the glass yelling her name.
Seeing the fillies and baby dragon - and recalling what the rod-wielding man had said - made something inside of her snap.
"GET AWAY FROM THEM!" She screamed, eyes glowing with pure magic. In a flash her body and hair changed color, mane and tail aflame while her coat turned pure white. Still screaming, she whipped her head to the side and a wall of fire arose between her and the soldiers. They cried out in shock and pain, the closest being singed across their red and golden armor. The rod wielder however caught the full brunt of it, and crying out in pain he stumbled and began rolling on the ground trying to put himself out. Twilight growled and flung him aside with a quick levitation spell, before using the firewall to summon up hundreds of fire butterflies that swarmed and landed on all the exposed points on their bodies. Some soldiers tried batting them away or off of their bodies, but others fell as the butterflies super heated their armor and melted the metal down onto their skin. Not done with them by a long shot, Twilight called forth even more fire, and with a roar that shook the houses around the square, a great dragon of flames rose up behind her. It bellowed out streams of blue flame and singed the soil where it was standing, glaring over its summoners body at the huddled warriors. Stepping over her, it roared and swiped at them, burning and clawing many while its tail swatted some into the sky.
"Retreat! The Element user is too strong!" One smart soldier cried, before turning tail and running. Others began following his lead, but not without a parting shot by Twilight in the form of her dragon construct turning into a blazing fireball and blasting the street they escaped down. With a rumble the two buildings lining the path fell and closed it off, and with some more levitation magic Twilight tossed any soldier still lying in the square over the blockage, not caring if they were hurt by dropping several dozen feet after she let go.
Panting, the transformation faded and Twilight returned to normal, slightly singed but otherwise fine. Feeling her knees wobble, she was saved from face-planting by the fox who carefully supported her, even slinging a leg over his shoulder. "Whoa..." He said, looking over the battlefield. "T-That was amazing! I've never seen magic like that before."
"Me...neither..." She said between breaths. Although she had been in control for the most part, there had been a veil of anger that muddled her memories of what had just happened. All she knew for sure was that it was familiar, and that this time she couldn't ignore it like with Pinkie's doozy. "Got to...remember...to research later..."
"Come on, lets get inside." Carefully walking with her half on top of him, Tails moved closer to the pink barrier and sighed in relief when it parted slightly thanks to her horn lighting up. Reaching up to knock on the door, he almost fell forward when it opened on its own. A little lizard kid stood on the other side, eyes wide in awe with two young fillies behind him. When he caught sight of Twilight, his eyes watered, and then together all three dog-piled the exhausted duo.
"Twilight!" They cried out, before Spike said alone, "Thank Celestia you're okay! What did you do to those guys? You were all fire-y, and so cool, and warrior unicorn princess like, and-"
"Not now, Spike." Twilight said tiredly. "Right now I need to sit down for a second and figure out how we're going to save Ponyville." She looked around, smiling at Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. "Hey girls, did Rarity bring you here?"
They both nodded. "Uhuh, but Rarity went off trying to see if she could find you." Sweetie said. "I think I saw Rainbow Dash fly overhead too - probably kicking some serious tail!" Scootaloo exclaimed, miming punching somepony.
"I really wish she'd stayed here, but I can't blame her for wanting to find everypony else." Twilight sighed. "This is a disaster - how could we have been caught off guard so badly?"
"It's not like you were expecting to be invaded." Her companion argued. "Trust me, you never expect this kind of thing, no matter how often some crazy bad guy tries to stir up trouble. My friends and I never have at least."
"How would you know..." She blinked and shook her head. "Wow, I can't believe it but, I don't even know your name! How did I forget to ask that?"
"You were a little distracted." Tails said, smiling in good humor. "I'm Tails, full name Miles Prower, but everyone just calls me Tails. I'm a mechanic for my friends and I, and an inventor." He held out a hand to shake. Twilight raised a hoof, a sparkle of interest in her eyes at his profession, and together they shook.
"Twilight Sparkle, local librarian and student of Princess Celestia...and currently trying very hard to not freak out, excuse me." She finished weakly. Walking over to the bookshelves, she began pulling several thick tomes out and flipping through their pages. Her eyes flickering back and forth, she zoned out from the rest of the room and its occupants, leaving the others to watch her in worry and confusion. Facing Tails and the fillies again, Spike shrugged.
"Sorry, she gets like this sometimes." He said. "Don't worry though, I'm sure she'll find something that can help us save the town."
"Are you sure Spike?" Sweetie asked nervously. "There's an awful lot of monsters out there."
"They're not monsters Sweetie Belle." Scootaloo argued. "They're just a bunch of overgrown jerks in armor. We'll kick their tails in no time and save the town! Think about it - maybe we'll get Town Saving Cutie Marks!"
The two girls moved over to a corner, talking in excited whispers about things. Tails looked over at Spike, confused, and the little dragon shrugged in a 'What can you do?' gesture. "They get like that sometimes. As long as they stay inside the library though it should be fine...at least, I hope so."
"Well what can we do ourselves?" Tails asked. "I mean, we can't just sit here and let Twilight do it all by herself."
"Well I don't know about you, but I'm just a baby dragon. I don't even come up to their knees I think!"
"I really wish I had some of my equipment." Tails looked out the window, sighing as he thought about his hanger and all the gear stored inside of it. Of course, that was back on Mobius, and by now he was sure this was an entirely different planet. "I could probably get into the Tornado and take on most of these guys, or maybe the Cyclone."
"I dunno what you're talking about, but they sure sound cool."
Tails opened his mouth to explain some of his inventions, but there was a series of knocks on the door, startling the occupants of the library. It almost sounded like 'Shave and a Haircut', but before anyone could really figure this out the door slammed open and close, admitting a pink pony who was gasping for breath.
"Twilight! Emergency!" Pinkie Pie screamed.
"Pinkie?! How did you-"
"No time! Danger! Help! Save Ponyville! Friend in Danger! Letter! Message! Fire! Monsters! Incomplete Sentences!"
Giving her friend a deadpan stare, Twilight's horn lit up and there was the sound of things moving around in the next room open. When the door swung open, it revealed that the kitchen lay beyond, and a bucket of water floated through before being splashed in Pinkie's face. The pink mare sputtered and shook like a dog, but outside of her mane which bounced back fast she still remained drenched. Spike and Tails however weren't too happy with the splash getting both of them as well, the fox wringing his tails out and Spike snorting a few flames to quickly dry himself.
"Now...complete sentences please, Pinkie Pie." Twilight instructed. "And remember to breathe too - we don't want a repeat of the last time you tried to say everything at once." Nodding, Pinkie took a deep breath, but then a cloth that had sneakily followed the bucket wedged itself into her mouth. "Inside voice as well please; This is a library and we're also only a few feet away."
Nodding sullenly, Pinkie waited for the cloth to be removed and passed over to Tails to use before taking a calmer breath and beginning. "Well...me and Markie were making sweets in Sugarcube Corner and we were laughing and having a great time baking and then we were finished with baking so I said 'Hey lets go hang out with my friends!' And he really, really seemed to like that idea but before we could do anything there was this really big BOOM-!" Everyone jumped when Pinkie suddenly rose up onto her back legs, waving her forelegs in the air and shouting. "And then it was night but it turned out not to be nighttime but actually a really big spooky castle and there was screaming and scared ponies and horrible flying monsters and these wicked fire starting soldiers and Mark told me to go hide so I did and he went 'Hiya!' and 'Eiyah! and 'Wham! Boom! Pow! Bop!' and kicked all the soldiers butts I know because they were all knocked out and on the ground and then after we tied them up he came up to me and tried to make me happy again and I really, really appreciate that because I was feeling a little down because there's this horrible vibe in the air and then he sent me here to find you and send a letter off to the Princess and I really hope that the Elements can stop whoever it is that's behind all of this!" Pinkie Pie finally gasped for breath, her fur tone returning to normal after nearly reaching the same tone of purple as Twilight's mane. Blinking rapidly, she then said in normal speed, "Oh and did you know that you can just dig under that weird bubble out there to get in? Boy am I glad, because then how would I have ever talked to you like this?"
Tails blinked in shock.
Spike rolled his eyes and facepalmed.
Twilight gave Pinkie Pie a deadpan stare, before sighing and rubbing her forehead. "What did I just ask, Pinkie?"
"Oh...whoopsie! Sorry Twilight, I got carried away a little."
"It's okay, I at least understood most of that." She sighed again. "Okay...first question: Who's 'Markie'?"
"He's my new friend-"
"That's not surprising." Spike grumbled.
"...and he's a little weird looking, but like I said he saved me and is a really good fighter. He said he was going to go to the center of town and try to rescue everypony."
"All alone?!" Twilight asked in surprise. "How can one pony possibly fight against that...that army out there?"
"Oh he's not a pony. Actually, I'm not really sure what he is - he's kinda like those mean soldier guys but doesn't have any armor or weapons except this knife he tried to hide from me."
"What!?" Spike and Twilight shouted. Tails frowned, thinking a similar train of thought as the other two. Pinkie however was oblivious to their shock and fear.
"What's wrong?"
"Pinkie, if he looked like them, don't you think he might've been one of them? What if he was some kind of scout, or was supposed to infiltrate the village before calling the rest of them here?"
"Mark wouldn't do that." Pinkie said firmly, surprisingly serious all of a sudden. "Mark is my friend and he saved me, Twilight. He wouldn't have done that - he wouldn't be out there right now risking his life to save everypony - if he's actually a bad guy."
"Just because he might look like one, doesn't mean he is." Tails suddenly spoke up. As everyone turned to him he continued. "There was this one time, when my friend Sonic was accused of doing a lot of bad things by another hedgehog that looked like him. Everyone thought he'd turned bad, and nobody was willing to listen to him. It wasn't until after we saved the world and got the real bad guy to admit to everything that they finally apologized for saying all those things about him."
"When did you save the world? I thought that was Twilight's job?" Spike asked, raising one eye ridge in confusion.
"Uh..."
"Ask later Spike; We need to deal with these soldiers, and nothing's getting done by us just standing here." Twilight stepped forward and nodded at Pinkie Pie. "Pinkie Pie, go find the others and tell them all to gather here right away. I'll send a letter to the Princess so we can get the Elements and hopefully some support from the royal guard." Pinkie Pie saluted and galloped out the front door. "Spike, write a letter to the Princess." Spike, having thought ahead, pulled a quill and piece of parchment out from behind his back and began writing fast. Nodding at the little dragon, Twilight finally looked over at Tails. "As for you Tails..."
"I wish I could help more." Tails said regretfully. "But I'm not really that strong physically, and all of my gear is back home."
"It's okay, I wasn't going to ask you to do anything you couldn't. For right now, it might be best if you just stay here and keep an eye on that...Chaos Emerald of yours. If it's really as dangerous as you say, then we need to keep it as far away from the soldiers as possible." Tails nodded. Turning around, Twilight opened the door to the basement with her magic and began heading down.
"Where are you going?"
"To get something a little more useful for a crisis like this."
Sending the message off with a puff of green flames, Spike looked nervously over at the basement door. The only two things stored down there at the moment was a lot of Twilight's machines and gadgets for research, and the Restricted Section. It was called so, because Twilight had been all but forbidden to read the subject matter stored down there, and had barely managed to even get permission to bring the books over from Canterlot. Only with permission from Princess Celestia was she supposed to read even one of those books, and yet it looked like she was planning to break a rule. If that didn't tell the little drake how bad things were, then he was scared to see what might instead.
Oblivious to his new friends and their thoughts, Tails stared out the window at the giant looming castle overhead. The Chaos Emerald in his hand pulsed steadily and continued to repel away from the castle, as if fearing what lay within. Never had he wanted Sonic to come and save the day more then right now. Instead, he was helpless and could only hope that these new friends - and their magic - could turn this bleak attack around. Clenching his hand tighter around the gem, he silently hoped that his best friend really was out there somewhere, in this new world, and that he was on his way.