//------------------------------// // Declaring Challenges // Story: Forged Anew // by Vermillion Prose //------------------------------// The party was in full swing once the rest of Twilight’s friends had arrived, and a few other brave souls dared enter and join the festivities despite the intimidating presence. Those that did had been invited by Pinkie specifically for their more grounded traits, or for being friendly to a fault. In fact, Hesperos spent a surprising amount of time conversing with the grey pegasus mare perched awkwardly upon his armored backpack. The local mailmare introduced herself as Derpy and had already explained she was perfectly comfortable before offering him a muffin, which made their audience of three fillies, each a different tribe yet all bearing a similar mark, giggle at their exchanges. He had mentally chuckled when they declared themselves the Cutie Mark Crusaders. The four female ponies had been among the few who approached him with little to no reservation, and he had complimented their audacity and entertained their presence with more enthusiasm than Twilight had expected of him at a social event. He was regaling a tale of a rather amusing battle where he had nearly lost his life if not for the almost fated and comical timing of one of his battle brothers coming to his aid, impressing the princess that he would speak for so long to ponies he barely knew, when she spotted furtive activity in a corner away from the storytelling warrior. Pinkie Pie was excitedly whispering to Rainbow Dash, who looked curious and slightly confused until her wings flared and she donned an expression somewhere between offense and eagerness. The moment she spotted Pinkie equipping Rainbow with a water hellgun identical to her own, she realized things would likely go awry very quickly. She made a beeline for Hesperos and interrupted his story, much the the chagrin of the fillies, and tugged on his arm towards the exit. He immediately addressed her odd behavior with suspicious questioning as to why they would need to depart. He quickly received his answer when a boxy contraption slid across the floor towards him. Twilight looked down at it and stared agape at the nearly perfect rendition of a box-fed Umbra-Ferrox pattern boltgun. He had a moment to pick it up and examine it with Twilight before things escalated. “For Equestria!” a pair of feminine voices cried out into the shop. All heads snapped to Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, kitted out in equine replicas of the carapace armor worn by human guardsmen across the Imperium. Nopony moved until they both unleased the surprisingly potent water guns mounted on shoulder harnesses, hosing down ponies left and right. Twilight quickly erected a shield to protect herself and the Crusaders, while Derpy immediately ducked behind the tall crest of Hesperos’s helm. Twilight glanced warily at him as a rumbling sound emitted from him, until she recognized the sound. He was laughing, the deep grinding sound of shifting boulders signaling his mirth. In an instant, the boltgun was hefted and leveled, and he yanked back on the charging handle before the bolter coughed out concussive bursts of air and what appeared to be either colorful paint or frosting that splattered over the counter, sending the assaulting equines diving for cover. Twilight did a double take at the new armament while Hesperos ceased with warning shots. He had to be sure it was a non-lethal tool before properly addressing the upstarts. Pinkie dashed from cover to cover and guest to guest, distributing a plethora of arms to the gathered ponies. Some frantically waved her off, while others, such as Applejack, armed up and joined the battle with war cries of their own. Hesperos made a fighting withdrawal to the doors with his charges in tow, the Crusaders shouting their encouragement to him and Derpy decrying their opposition as meanies. Twilight shielded them as the partygoers not cowering in cover, as Rarity or Fluttershy were, increased the pressure. Ponies outside were so flabbergasted by the sudden eruption of battle from Sugarcube Corner that few made it to cover before the water cannons roared to life. The repulsed quintet found cover behind a market stall while Hesperos assessed the situation. As Twilight’s mane finally frayed beyond the point of no return, she immediately commanded the ponies not cowering to retaliate. When they replied with a confusing mess of complaints or questions as to how, she encased Hesperos’s new paint bolter in her magic, drawing his attention, before replicating it into a few dozen of the same. Ponies obeyed in wide-eyed surprise as the Princess of Friendship hefted two with her magic and turned them upon Sugarcube corner, the Crusaders working together to field another. As the battle erupted into full swing, ponies close by could hear the guidance, praise, and amusement of the towering warrior-armor as the Crusaders took to the art of combat with unabashed eagerness.