Chapter 6: Retaliation
Not even in there for twenty-four hours, and she was already the town hero.
The next day, a party was thrown in her honor. Everypony in town came to thank her personally. Even a couple of Ganz's thugs came to apologize and turn themselves in. Of course, most of them ran off with their tails between their legs.
“Typical bullies,” Storm scoffed, taking a sip of her beer. “Cowards, every one of them. At least these guys are stallion enough to accept their loss.” She gestured to the seven stallions n blazing orange vests cleaning up garbage.
“Eeyup, and Ah think one of 'em got a thing for you,” Applebloom smirked, a hard cider of her own in her hoof, nodding toward one of the mares that quickly looked away.
“Yeah, right,” the dragon-pony huffed. “Probably thinking I'm going to eat her.”
“Or hoping you would,” AB teased.
Midnight looked at the crazy pony like she was... well, crazy. “You are a strange pony. Then again, I've heard stories about Ponyville.”
Applebloom went quiet for a moment. “What makes you think Ah'm from Ponyville?”
“That's where Dawn Shield's based,” Storm pointed out. “Green Hoof's brother is Quick Shot. He showed me some of their fighting style when he last came over... well, he showed his sister, I was just shopping.”
Applebloom's eyes widened at that. She remembered him. He, Rarity, and Sweetie Belle often train with him. “Ah know him. He's a good sniper. Not too good with long shots, but with tactical sharpshooting, he lives up to his name.”
“Of course, you don't seem like royal guard, to me.”
Applebloom cast her gaze down in mild shame. “Sorry Ah didn't tell you. Ah just... needed to get away from that, at least for a while.”
Storm laughed. “I can understand the need to get away. Hell, I need to daily, the way some of these damn ponies act around me.”
“Most of 'em seem to just let you be,” Applebloom observed.
“Yeah, well, who cares about that,” the half dragon stated. “This is your day! To the town's new hero!”
Applebloom just waved it off, “It was nothin'. Just bustin' the heads of a few idiots that couldn't fight worth nothin'. I mean, seriously, they were just bad.”
The two talked well into the night, sharing stories and bonding. By the end, when the two said their goodnights, Midnight Storm could honestly call Applebloom a friend, something she hadn't had in more than twenty years.
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Applebloom's day was going great. She had not only helped fix quite a few pieces of broken furniture, but had even found her experience carving fences for farm use translated pretty well to making decorative fences quite well.
It had been rather nice, here, and in the week after her little act of 'heroism' she had been quite welcome in town. Heck, Midnight even said she wasn't getting quite as much hostility, attributing her friendship as the most likely reason.
Even her boss had agreed to let her take her break early, as soon as the the day's lumber shipment arrived, to take lunch with her friend.
Sure enough, the draconic mare arrived, but with a concerned expression. Applebloom held out until they arrived at Sliced Bread's sandwich shop, but the moment they sat down, she had to ask.
“So, what's up? You been actin' funny.”
“Did you read today's paper?” the half-dragon asked.
“Ah ain't had time, why?” Applebloom answered.
Midnight Storm grabbed the paper tucked in her wing in her mouth and laid it out on the table. “Bad news”
The headline, in big bold letters, announced:
Changelings Attack Ponyville
“What?!” Alarmed, Applebloom snatched up the paper and read over quickly.
“No one was killed,” Midnight Storm assured, “but there were some injuries. I just thought you might want to know.”
“This...” Applebloom's eyes teared up a little. “This is mah fault. If Midnight were still alive, he woulda creamed them before they even had a chance to do anything.”
“Would you quite that, already,” the black mare demanded. “Seriously, it wasn't your fault, so stop. Besides, I doubt this other Midnight could do that much on his own. Even as great as you say he was, the changeling queen led the attack.”
“Ah'm sorry... Ah gotta go,” Applebloom said, quietly.
“If you want, I can stop by after my next delivery-”
“Ah mean, go back,” the yellow mare clarified. “Ah gotta go back and make sure everyone's alright. Ah shouldn't have left. Ah'm sorry.”
With that, Applebloom ran out of the shop, towards the inn.
As Applebloom rushed down the road, she noticed several ponies running toward her. They seemed to be running from something, and considering what happened back home, it could have been a changeling attack.
“Miss Applebloom!” one of them shouted, a light pink mare with a sandy mane. “Miss Applebloom, you have to help us! That Ganz guy is back, and he brought an army!”
Applebloom raised an eyebrow at that. “An army? That loser has an army?”
“Yes!”
Sighing, she said, “Alright, Ah'll take a look.”
Home'll just have to wait.
As she approached, a loud voice boomed through what sounded like a loudspeaker.
“Is this thing on? Ah, excellent!”
The voice was deep, refined, and educated. That ain't Ganz.
“Good afternoon, Riverton. I am seeking a particular pony. This mare is a bright yellow, with a fiery red mane adorned with a pink bow. She is wanted for assault, and the disfigurement of my idiot son.
Deliver her to me... and the killing will stop.”
“What?!” Applebloom felt a deep rage well up in her. This guy wasn't going to give them a chance first.
Screams rose up from the town as ponies started panicking.
Applebloom rounded a corner, just in time to see the army she was told of. Frighteningly, it was a very astute description. Unlike Ganz's boys, these griffins marched in a well disciplined formation, spears shouldered as they approached slowly, conserving their energy for what would surely be a slaughter.
“Not gonna happen,” Applebloom whispered to herself as she put on more speed.
Using a barrel, she leaped to a stack of crates, then to the roof of the local masons shop. From there, she shouted a battle cry as she rocketed into the air.
The soldiers stopped in shock before the mare slammed into their ranks, blasting the ones in the immediate area away with the shear force of her impact.
“Ain't no need for that. Ah ain't hidin' from the likes of you.”
Sitting on a large, ornate carriage was a hard looking griffin of similar pattern to Ganz, though, brown where Ganz was white, and white where Ganz was orange. Another difference was presence. Unlike the cocky thug his son was, the elder had the air of danger. To top it all off, Applebloom recognized him. He was wanted in Griffany as the head of an illegal mercenary group. He was supposed to be in Zebrica.
“Ah'ma have to talk to our intelligence department, 'bout this,” She called out to the griffin. “You ain't supposed to have no livin' relatives, Ganfre.”
“Hold!” the griffin ordered his troops before addressing the lone pony. “What an interesting surprise. You know who I am... and you're still here. Either you're incredibly stupid, you have a plan despite your apparent surprise at seeing me, or you actually don't know who you're fucking with.”
“Or maybe you just ain't a threat,” Applebloom quipped.
The griffin laughed. “Alpha, kill her. Bravo, Charlie, kill the rest.”
The closest mercs lunged at her, only to be impaled on earthen spikes as they were thrust from the ground. A spear from another found it's mark on her left side, only to glance off the shimmering, steel-like flesh.
She had to deal with these guys fast and get to the town before the other two teams started killing ponies. She turned to see if they had made into the town yet just in time to see half of one group engulfed in indigo flame.
A familiar black figure soared overhead, calling down below, “Applebloom! I'll protect the town, you rip that fly's wings off!”
With a wicked grin, the Element of Strength replied, “With pleasure.”
Catching the wrist of a swordsgriffin as he attempted to cleave her shoulder, Applebloom drove her forehead into his, caving the softer skull like tinfoil, and using his body as a bludgeon to beat off another pair of assailants.
A flash of her seal launched dozens of tiny pebbles at several hundred hooves per second, piercing any hide in a wide arc that wasn't covered by some kind of armor and even some that was.
A high-pitched, keening sound pierced the sounds of battle, drawing Applebloom's attention briefly to Ganfre. She didn't know what that whistle was for, but she didn't like it. It was even more apparent when the soldiers started breaking off.
It was then that a massive, brown scaled monstrosity came barreling over the hills, heading straight for them. It had a long, muscular body, shaped almost like a regular lizard, but much bigger and with much thicker scales. Four legs ended in five wicked scythes each, and its tail was lined with small, but sharp looking spikes. Its neck was reminiscent of a cobra, with its armored hood. The head and face was similar to a hydra's, but more elongated.
“There's my little cuddle lizard.” He scratched the monster under the chin like it was a house cat, before pointing a claw at the now lone mare. “Now, Hades, kill!”
The creature hissed and charged at Applebloom, who tried to raise sharpened earthen palisades to skewer or at least slow the charging reptile. Instead, it just climbed over them as if they were just rocks. She launched several stone javelins, but it weaved around them. Despite its size, it was quick, and agile, yet the scales would deflect anything smaller, so swarming it with small projectiles was useless.
Before it reached her, she launched herself into the air. At the peak of her flight, she summoned her war hammer, the weapon materializing in a flash of light. She dropped like a meteor, as the drake lunged at her, not seeing the small object in her hooves as a threat.
Applebloom swung the hammer with everything she had. The force of the impact shattered the skull, which in turn shredded the flesh, causing Hades' head to literally explode in bone, blood, and gore.
“No!” Ganfre yelled, obviously grieved to see his pet fall. “You bitch!”
Applebloom turned just in time to see the older griffin fire a crossbow at her. She moved just a little too slow, catching a deep graze on her right side.
With a grunt, she launched herself with a stone pillar, dismissing her hammer, and driving her hoof into the old bird's chest.
The few mercenaries that remained looked on in horror at the gruesome sight, before three of then slammed purple rocks down in front of them, which ricocheted upwards and burst in midair. Immediately, every one of them within sight of the obvious signal took to retreating, many passing the remains of both Hades and Ganfre, giving the blood soaked mare a fearful glance.
Applebloom tuned to head back to the town when a sudden dizzy spell took her off her hooves. Confused, she glanced down at herself, expecting to see a sword or spear adrenaline kept her from noticing to find the graze from Ganfre's crossbow bolt foaming.
“Applebloom!” called a familiar voice.
“P-poison,” was all Applebloom could utter before everything went black.