Forged Anew

by Vermillion Prose


Fortification & Frosting

Ponies, by and large, are highly unaccustomed to the subject of armed conflict. Most were only familiar with the spears and swords carried by royal guards, and those seldom saw use.

As such, the residents of Ponyville were supremely wary of Sugarcube Corner this day. Most looked upon its temporary additions and renovations with confusion, for they had never seen much of what now adorned the normally cheery building. As Twilight stood, eye twitching and mane fraying, her mind struggled to comprehend how Pinkie had learned of, let alone acquired, the new architectural panoply in which the bakery was dressed.

Concrete dragon’s teeth connected with faux plastic razor wire channeled patrons through the front door, and floodlights, while currently dark, were placed to illuminate all approaches to the building. Metal panels covered the windows, and large firing slits fitted with mounted water cannons with overlapping fields of fire were set for full overwatch of the building. A drab facade had been applied to the colorful exterior to render it a more militant appearance, though the cupcake spire had been left primarily untouched, and seemed to be a mark of heraldry judging by the hung banners bearing an image of the same cupcake.

Pinkie stood waving cheerfully from her balcony, wearing the same camouflage uniform she had worn during the dragon migration. Across her back was a large backpack with hoses connected to what appeared to be an Imperial hellgun, though the clear tubing indicated it was likely a water gun replica. Even so, that fact was enough to distract Hesperos from attempting to break Twilight’s own stupor.

They remained still and, in the princess’s case, gaping, until Pinkie bounced up to them and gently closed Twilight’s dangling muzzle. “Super duper, right?!” she asked animatedly, “I made sure to get everything perfect so Dusty can feel right at home!” Upon mentioning him by nickname, the towering rubricae finally shifted his gaze to the pink mare, who had made a point to attempt to wrap her forelegs around him in what would have been a crushing embrace to any pony. Pinkie was eternally grateful that he was so durable and she could hug him with extreme prejudice, especially since he had missed out on so, so many warm hugs!

Hesperos allowed the party mare to continue while his purple companion recomposed herself, before placing a gauntlet on Pinkie’s head and petting her gently, armored fingers running through the unnaturally poofy mane. He had witnessed, on several occasions, the reality warping capabilities of this particular creature. He had not once sensed the presence of sorcery or warp dabbling, and despite exhaustive querying of the princess and his own observations, he could come up with no better understanding or explanation than the other ponies. Pinkie Pie was, simply, Pinkie Pie, as fundamental as the immaterium or stars in the heavens. As such, he strove to not displease her, lest he somehow invoke her wrath.

Pinkie escorted them in, expositing in her usual rapid-fire fashion, and though the initial shock had worn off, they still gazed about at a loss to what they were witnessing. The tables mostly remained the same, though they were now dressed with camo netting, but the chairs had been swapped for the folding type often used for camping or military field exercises.The tool cabinets had been disguised as arms lockers, and the pastry display now sported transparent stickers listing the specifications and attributes of the treats on sale. Mr. and Mrs. Cake, seemingly unperturbed, were dressed the same as Pinkie, and greeted the mares warmly before their gazes moved to Hesperos behind them. They hesitated for a moment, sharing a look, before Carrot cleared his throat and offered in a faintly shaky voice, “Welcome to Sugarcube Corner mister, ah…” he stuttered. His ears pinned back as he looked to the mares around him for help.

“Dusty!” Pinkie chirped merrily before Twilight interjected, “Hesperos, Mr. Cake.” He gave them a subtle and thankful nod.

“Mr. Hesperos, welcome to our humble store. I hope it is to your liking,” he finished, his voice more confident as he finished. Even so, a bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face as he waited for some perceived judgement.

Hesperos made a show of panning his gaze about before nodding and inclining his head towards the bakers. They started as his vox speakers rumbled into action. “You honor me with your efforts. This will more than suffice,” he offered slowly before turning his gaze to Pinkie. “I know not how this was done, but I am most impressed. However, I believe the libraries of Tizca would have been more welcoming,” he said at length. Upon seeing Pinkie’s expression dim and her mane lose some of its bounce, he placed a hand upon her withers. “Fret not, Miss Pie. This suits my tastes well, and we must merely do better next time.” It was a calculated risk on his part to imply there would be another party. Even so, he found himself rewarded.

Pinkie Pie not only perked up to her cheery state before, but he would swear that he felt an echo in the warp from her joy as she latched onto his arm and began to prattle on about all the things she could do at the next party.

Undignified for an Astartes, perhaps, to offer such kindness to a sentient equine. But given it inspired a sense of satisfaction unlike any he had achieved in battle, he chose not to ruminate on that fact long.