//------------------------------// // Attack On Ponyville: Part 2 (An Uneasy Truce) // Story: Batmare Triumphant // by SuperPinkBrony12 //------------------------------// The explosion in The Everfree Forest caught the attention of the royal guards, and just as Two Face predicted, Princess Celestia was quick to send them to the scene of the disturbance. "I do not know who or what is responsible for disturbing the peace of Equestria, but they will not succeed!" Princess Celestia said sternly "I am authorizing lethal force! These trouble makers must be stopped!" Captain Shining Armor (who had been called back from duties in The Crystal Empire) quickly took charge of the situation. "Alright men, I want you all to split into units. And each unit will check a designated corner of The Everfree Forest. First Lieutenant Flash Sentry, I want you to lead a unit to patrol Ponyville. Make sure everypony in that unit stays alert. We're not going back until we have apprehended the suspect or suspects responsible for the assault in The Everfree Forest, and all threats have been neutralized! Let's move out!" "Sir, yes sir!" the royal guards replied, and in a matter of hours, Ponyville and The Everfree Forest were overrun with the prescence of royal guards. "It's just like you said, boss. Those suckers took the bait, hook, line, and sinker." one of Two Face's goons reported. "Excellent! And with that pesky Zecora out of the picture for good, everything is in place!" Two Face replied "Proceed to phase two, now!" "Yes sir!" the goon said with a smile "Over and out." "So far so good your frostiness." Two Face told Miss. Freeze "It won't be long until Ponyville is firmly in our hooves." "A wise pony once told me, a fool counts his victory before he has earned it. Prey, that you do not prove said pony to be correct." Miss. Freeze said seriously. "You worry too much." Two Face replied "Those incompetent guards couldn't beat us even if I gave 'em a fifty/fifty chance. By the time they realize what's going on, Ponyville will be ours!" "Then, I shall make final preparations for our triumphant entrance into the town." Miss. Freeze told Two Face and marched away to complete work on her secret weapon, a giant freeze ray that was capable of turning an entire city into a frozen wasteland. First Lieutenant Flash Sentry would normally have been overjoyed to be in Ponyville, especially considering how much respect he had for Princess Twilight. But he knew this wasn't a social call, and business came before pleasure. He could enjoy talking to the princess all he wanted, when he wasn't on duty. But the more he thought about the situation, the more he felt that something was not right. "Why would a bunch of random ponies attack Zecora's hut, blow it up, and then vanish without a trace? For that matter, why would they even be in The Everfree Forest to begin with? Everypony knows how dangerous that place is." he thought to himself, as he patrolled the streets of Ponyville with the other members of his unit. "Is something on your mind Lietuenant Flash?" a royal guard asked. Normally, guards were not to question their superiors, but Shining Armor specifically considered such a thing to cause more problems than it prevented, and so he usually never bothered to enforce that rule. "I just can't help but wonder, why those ponies would stir up so much trouble, and then just disappear?" Flash Sentry explained "It just doesn't make sense." "No offense lietuenant, but you worry too much." another guard replied "Chances are, they realized we'd come after them, and they ran away in the hopes that we wouldn't find them. But we'll show them! We'll show everypony that the royal guards can accomplish things without that pesky Batmare getting in our way all the time." "Batmare has been a big help to us in the past, and you know it!" Flash Sentry said crossly. "But even you must know that she's a vigilante!" the guard added, clenching one of his hooves up in anger "What kind of a message do you think we send to the rest of the known world, when we need the help of a masked crime fighter to help us out?!" Before Flash Sentry could reply, in the distance there came the familiar sound of gunfire, followed by teriffied screams from citizens of Ponyville. Pretty soon, the sound of explosions followed by more gunfire began to fill the air. Flash Sentry quickly took charge of the situation, even if he was absolutely horrified at what could be going on. "Come on men, the citizens of Ponyville need our help! Whoever those jokers are, they picked the wrong town to mess with!" With Flash Sentry leading the way, the royal guards traced the source of the disturbance until they approached the outskirts of Ponyville. What they saw, horrified them to no end. Two Face's goons were swarming in by the hundreds, rounding up civillians, attacking homes and businesses, and opening fire on anyone who tried to flee. Not since Discord himself had Ponyville seen such chaos. "What are we gonna do?!" a royal guard asked, and turned to Flash Sentry. He outranked them all, and therefore, he was in charge. Flash Sentry was silent for a moment, as he observed the horrific scene that was unfolding before their very eyes. At last, he plucked up courage and said boldly "Let's teach these clowns a lesson! Our duty is to protect the citizens of Ponyville, and that's just what we're gonna do!" "But sir, they outnumber us! We'll be killed!" another guard protested. "So be it! We swore an oath when we became royal guards, that we would fight and die for our country if need be!" Flash Sentry bellowed "Anypony who wishes to disregard that oath may walk away now and forever live as a coward! But if anypony is willing to stand and fight with me, perhaps together we can work a miracle! And even if we can't, at least we will have died fighting for a cause we believe in! So, who's with me?!" A few members of the royal guard threw down their weapons and ran away, they were convinced Flash Sentry had gone crazy and no longer wished to serve him. If they were court martialed for their common sense, so be it! Flash Sentry wasn't rattled by the deserters, he simply turned to the guards that had stayed and said "Men, this is where we make our stand! Whether we live or die does not matter, so long as we give our all to protect this town with everything we've got!" Putting his helmet on, and fastening it tightly, Flash Sentry gave the order, and he and the royal guards charged into battle. While the royal guards were occupied tangling with Two Face's flunkies, the rest of Ponyville soon found itself in a predicament. Ponies could either fight and risk being killed, or flee and hope they could escape the destruction. The resulting confusion caused mothers and fathers to be seperated from their children, brothers and sisters were split apart, some friendships broke down while new ones were forged from a general sense of needing to survive. Against the wishes of her parents, Scootaloo had headed out into the confusion and chaos in the hopes of finding Rainbow Dash. "If anypony can save the day, she and her friends can!" Scootaloo had said, before speeding away on her scooter. "Scootaloo, come back!" Dizzy Twister had shouted, but it was too late, Scootaloo was gone. And so it was, that Scootaloo found herself searching amongst the fleeing crowds. "Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash, you've got to help us!" Scootaloo called out, but it was no use. "Leave us alone you freaks!" a familiar snobbish voice cried out. "Yeah! Don't you guys have better things to do than pick on defenseless fillies?!" another familiar snobbish voice added. When Scootaloo heard those voices, she skidded to a halt. What she saw, was a sight that she had never seen before. There stood Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, looking absolutely terrified. They were currently surrounded by several stallions in thick black suits, and masks that obscured their faces, and all of them were brandishing guns. "Just come us with us quietly, and you won't get hurt!" one of the stallions said to the fillies. "You can't take us away! We won't go!" Diamond Tiara said, obvious hints of defience in her voice. "Fillies, I don't think you realize what sort of situation you're in." another stallion replied, pointing his tommy gun at the fillies "If you don't co-operate, I'm afraid we'll have to kill you." "You wouldn't shoot a bunch of defensless fillies." Silver Spoon spoke up. "Really? Care to wager your lives on that foolish bet?" the stallion asked, firing his tommy gun into the air for a few seconds to prove it was loaded. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were horrified, and didn't know what to say or do. "I can't just leave them to die, even if they've made my life miserable!" Scootaloo realized "I just hope they appreciate what I'm doing for them!" And without hesitation, she charged at the stallions, using her scooter to boost her speed. Just before she was going to collide with the stallions, she quickly turned around and skidded to a halt. That was enough to shower the stallions with dust. "What the-" Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon said at once. "Hop on, quickly!" Scootaloo instructed. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon didn't need to be told twice, and they quickly jumped onto the scooter. Diamond Tiara pressed up against Scootaloo's left, and Silver Spoon did the same with Scootaloo's right, and the three fillies sped away as fast as their hooves and the scooter would let them. "After them!" the stallion with the tommy gun ordered, as he spotted the trio of fillies fleeing into the distance. "I don't get it, Scootaloo." Silver Spoon said, breaking the tence silence between the three fillies. "What don't you get? I just saved your lives!" Scootaloo replied. "Why did you do it?" Diamond Tiara asked. "Because it was the right thing to do, and because even fillies as rotten as you don't deserve to die at the hooves of those stallions!" Scootaloo explained. "That ridculous logic makes no sense at all!" Diamond Tiara complained "We made your life miserable on several occasions. We bullied you for not having a cutie mark. We teased you about your possible inability to fly. We even nearly ruined your friendship with Princess Twilight. And yet, after all that, you still saved our lives." "I know you think it doesn't make sense, but if the roles were reversed you would probably do the same thing. That's what true loyalty is!" Scootaloo said seriously. "Don't think this changes anything between us." Silver Spoon said crossly. "Trust me, I know it won't." Scootaloo replied "As soon as this whole invasion blows over, it's back to being the harshest of enemies. But until then, I suggest we work together." "You proposing an alliance?!" Diamond Tiara asked. "An alliance would be too much to ask for." Scootaloo said, shaking her head "This is a truce, a temporary one at that. For right now, whether we're blank flanks or not, we need to work together. Because it's not gonna make one bit of difference whether or not we have our cutie marks, if our town is destroyed!" "Now that, makes sense." Silver Spoon replied. "Same here." Diamond Tiara agreed "Consider this truce official, but remember, it's only temporary!" "Good, now that we have that settled, hang on tight!" Scootaloo shouted, and she prompty sped up. All the while, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon kept a sharp look out, knocking out any goons that got in their way. Not to be outdone, Scootaloo threw a few punches and kicks whenever she had a chance. And for a while, the trio of filies made good progress. Taking out scores of goons. But suddenly, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon saw a sight that made their hearts quiver. The goons from earlier had somehow gotten ahead of them, and sealed off the path. "Scootaloo, there's a roadblock ahead!" Diamond Tiara cried out. Scootaloo braked hard, and came to a halt several miles before said roadblock. "I'm aware of that, thank you very much." she snorted. Silver Spoon was frantic, and so was Diamond Tiara. "What are we gonna do now, Scootaloo?" Silver Spoon asked. Scootaloo looked at the roadblock, then at the two fillies with her, then back at the roadblock. In her mind, she was coming up with a plan. "It's risky, but it's their best chance at survival." she thought to herself, and a look of determination crossed her face. "Yo, Scootaloo! Got any bright ideas?!" Diamond Tiara asked desperately. "Run." Scootaloo replied seriously. "What?!" Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon asked, unwilling to believe what Scootaloo had just told them. "You heard me. Run." Scootaloo replied, and explained "There's no way those guys are going to just leave on their own, somepony has to make them leave!" "Are you crazy?! You'll be killed!" Silver Spoon protested. "Maybe, but at least the two of you will be safe." Scootaloo explained "Besides, I'm pretty sure I can take them." "You must be joking. There's no way we're going through with that plan, there must be another way!" Diamond Tiara insisted. "I'm not gonna say it again." Scootaloo said, as she prepared to take off "Run. If you start running now, you can make it past the roadblock while the goons are busy with me. Get out of here, and don't come back! And if you see Rainbow Dash, tell her I'm proud to have been her honorary little sister." And with that, Scootaloo was off. "NO!" Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon shouted, but it was no use. Their pleas fell on deaf ears, as Scootaloo sped towards the goons. All of whom brandished their weapons and prepared to turn them on the scooter speeding filly as soon as she was in their sights. If Scootaloo was worried, she didn't show it, as she continued to speed towards the roadbloack. A smile of determination remained stuck firmly on her face. But then she saw something that she hadn't spotted before, a massive fuel drum was part of the roadblock. And the instant it was struck, it would surely catch fire and explode. But it was too late for her to reconsider her plan. Sure enough, just a few seconds later, a small but powerful explosion ripped through the heart of Ponyville. Miraculously, at the last second, Scootaloo had jumped off her scooter, and flown into the air. But she wasn't able to fly high enough to escape the blast. Upon opening their eyes, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon's mouths hung open in shock. The roadblock was in flames, the goons were all dead, and Scootaloo was still alive. But she had not escaped unharmed, and being caught in the blast radius had come with a heavy price tag. Scootaloo was a mess of bloody cuts and painful burn marks that were at least second degree, possibly even third degree. Not one inch of her body was unharmed, and her scooter was nothing but ash. When Scootaloo tried to move, pain rocketed through her body as if somepony had just stabbed her. "Scootaloo?! Scootaloo, can you hear us?!" Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon asked frantically, as they rushed to the scene of disaster. Scootaloo only coughed in response, blood emerging from her mouth. "We've got to get her to a hospital, now!" Diamond Tiara said desperately, as she scooped up Scootaloo with her hooves. Despite what most ponies thought, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon had certain lines they wouldn't cross. And leaving somepony to die was one of them. Even if that pony was one of their greatest sources of strife. For a very long time, it was touch and go, and Scootaloo was brought back from the bring many times. "There's only one way we can save this filly's life." Doctor Stable realized at last. "You can't possibly mean-" Nurse Redheart began. "We have no other choice! I'm not going to let this filly die without knowing I did everything possible to save her!" Doctor Stable said seriously "Tell the technicans that their first patient is ready for treatment." "Yes sir." Nurse Redheart sighed. The last thing Scootaloo could remember before passing out, was being wheeled into a room at Ponyville General Hospital that she had never seen before. Sometime later, Scootaloo awoke in the recovery room. Her bedside surrounded by doctors and nurses, as well as some ponies with outfits that looked more like they belonged to scientists than medical professionals. "How are you feeling, Scootaloo?" Nurse Redheart asked. "I feel.... different." Scootaloo replied. "Well, that's because you are different." Doctor Stable told her. "What do you mean?" Scootaloo asked. Doctor Stable turned to the ponies with the scientist outfits, then back to Scootaloo and said "I think it's best if you let them explain it to you." "Thank you, Doctor Stable." the scientist pony said kindly, and cleared his throat. "Scootaloo, you were in a very bad accident, and most of your body was damaged beyond repair." "So then, why am I alive?" Scootaloo asked nervously. "Because, Scootaloo, you became the first patient in Equestrian history to undergo the cybernetic replacement surgery." the scientist pony explained. "What?!" Scootaloo gasped, suddenly realizing that the right side of her body felt much more "robotic" then it had just hours ago. "We were able to save your live, by attaching metallic electronic parts to the damaged areas." the scientist pony told Scootaloo "You are now half pony, half cutting edge technology." "Does, anypony know about this?" Scootaloo asked. "We told your parents, your 'big sister' Rainbow Dash, and your friends that brought you into the ER." Nurse Redheart spoke up "But they are the only ones who know about what has happened to you. It will take time for you to become acustomed to your new body, so for now we all think it's best if you remain in the hospital and undergo training." "Training for what?" Scootaloo asked crossly. "As the first pony/cybernatic hybrid, we need to know how the technology attached to your body works." the scientist pony explained "With your help, we can design newer and better technology that will benefit all of pony kind." "By using me as a guinea pig?!" Scootaloo complained loudly. "Guinea pig is a bit harsh." the scientist pony replied "We like to think of it more as, 'Test Subject'." "Just, leave me alone! I need some time away from you weird scientist freaks!" Scootaloo said angrily. At this point, although she was glad to be alive, she was horrified at the thought of having robotic machinery taking up half of her body. "Very well, we will let you rest." Doctor Stable said kindly, and he and the scientist ponies (as well as Nurse Redheart) left the room. They had no sooner done so, when Scootaloo recieved a visitor that she hadn't been expecting at all. Said visitor announced its prescence with a blinding flash of white light. The visitor was a figure obscured by a purple cloak and matching hood, but something about the figure seemed strangely fimilar to Scootaloo. "At last, I have found you." the figure said to Scootaloo, her voice sounding like some sort of creature from a movie Scootaloo had once seen her parents watching. "Who are you, and what do you want?!" Scootaloo asked crossly. "My name is unimportant, but I am a friend. I can feel your emotional anguish, Scootaloo." the figure told her visitor "But now is not the time to feel sorry for yourself. There are poines out there in need of your help." "But what can I do? I'm bedridden until those creepy scientist ponies have a use for me!" Scootaloo complained. "I can free you from that binding contract, and upgrade your technology to be more suitable to combat." the figure explained "But if you do, you must vow to never use your powers for evil, or I shall take them away!" "You got yourself a deal!" Scootaloo agreed "Anything's better than being a lab rat for those scientists ponies!" "Very well then, let's get you out of here and see what I can give you." the figure replied, and with another blinding flash of light both it and Scootaloo disappeared. When the scientist ponies came back to check on Scootaloo, they were shocked to find her gone. There were no signs of an abduction, or that Scootaloo had fought her way out. It was as if she had just vanished without a trace.