//------------------------------// // The Battle of the Everfree // Story: The Encounter // by Winter_Solstice //------------------------------// Captain H’iix returned to consciousness with a slight gasp. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around. The Antashi had their backs to him and were both concentrating on the shuttle’s controls and they appeared to not have noticed him awake. Then he heard a sound in his ear. “Captain! It’s Chapel, sir! Nod if you can hear me.” H’iix did so, keeping the rest of his body still. He then heard a sigh of relief from her. “We’re working on getting you out of there, sir, but we don’t want to do anything to provoke the Antashi.” H’iix shook his head and smiled. “Captain?” Instead of answering, H’iix slowly charged up the holdout blaster embedded in his suit’s right arm. He then raised that arm at the nearest Antashi and fired. The bolt struck R’ell in her back and she screamed as her armor seized up and went rigid. Priel spun around to face H’iix, but he was too slow. H’iix fired again, and Priel joined his companion in immobility. H’iix got to his feet and addressed Chapel. “The situation is now under control. These two should be out for hours and I want them off this planet. Send down a shuttle with ten fully armed security personnel. We still have a mess to clean up down here.” “Sir?” “The creatures these two unleashed. I want them all contained.” “As ordered, sir!” ___________________________________________________________________ The mood had changed at the hospital with the setting of the sun and the absence of the Moon to replace it. Nopony there could remember a time when the Moon had not shone in the night sky and the effect was extremely unsettling. Add to that the bodies of those creatures that had been piled in a heap a short distance away, but not out of sight. Their presence made the night all the more sinister, as who knew what else could be hiding in the dark? As a result, the majority of townsponies decided home would be much safer, and had started to trot away, when Zecora showed up. She was panting with her exertion, but still raised her voice and addressed the crowd. “Citizens of Ponyville, hear my plea! Our Princesses are in need of thee!” The crowd turned to each other in confusion. “The Princesses? What do you mean?” asked one. “What can we do?” asked another. “Their Highnesses are in a helpless state! We must defend them before it is too late!” cried Zecora. Just then Applejack came out of the building. Zecora’s voice had carried through the broken doors of the hospital, but she couldn’t believe what she’d heard. “What’s going on, Zecora? Why do the Princesses need our help?” she asked. Quickly Zecora explained all she’d seen and the conclusions she’d drawn. That was enough for Applejack. “Then there’s no time to lose!” She raised her voice. “We need all the help we can get! Who’s coming with us?” Several ponies raised their hooves, but the majority fidgeted and looked at each other uncomfortably. Applejack stared at them. “What’s the matter with y’all?” The ponies refused to look her in the eyes. Finally, one said, “We…we can’t fight monsters, Applejack!” “But if’n we don’t do something, the Princesses could die!” The crowd’s faces all turned red, but nopony dared speak up again. Finally, Carmel came forward. “We can do it, everypony!” He pointed at the bodies of the slain beasts. “Me and a few others took one of them down. If we band together, we can stop more of them!” He looked around, but all except a few wouldn’t meet his eyes. Applejack felt the anger building inside her and she started to make a retort at their reticence but bit it back. Instead, she said to Carmel and Zecora, “I’ll be right back!” then turned and ran back into the hospital. Making her way quickly to Fluttershy’s room, she burst in and said, “Pinkie! We’re needed by the Princesses. Let’s go!” As they both turned to leave, Haze held up a hoof. “What’s going on? Are the princesses in trouble?” “Yes!” cried Applejack. “I hate to be rude, but I ain’t got time to explain this!” Haze got to his hooves. “That’s alright; you can explain on the way. I’m coming with you.” Seeing his father about to speak, Haze cut him off. “I have to, Dad! Just stay here with Mom and Fluttershy.” Before his father could reply he turned back to Applejack and Pinkie. “Let’s go.” They’d almost made it to the front of the hospital when they felt a tall presence behind them. The ponies looked back to see the hue-mun had followed them, seeming just as determined as they. “I come with you!” The ponies looked at him. “It’s too dangerous, Char-Elles. Stay here!” said Applejack. But he shook his head. “I come with you! I he-lp!” Pinkie and Applejack exchanged a look, then Applejack said, “We don’t have time for this! Come if you’re coming!” With that, she turned and sped away. When she got back to the front of the building, many of the crowd had taken advantage of her absence and fled. Carmel, the two bat pony Guards, Zecora and the few others that had raised their hooves remained, and were in a group by themselves. Applejack’s heart sank at the low numbers but she put on a determined face. For their part, the other ponies’ faces lit up when they saw the hue-mun. One of the earth ponies ventured a question. “Is…he coming with us?” as he pointed a hoof at Char-Elles. “Why? Is that a problem?” asked Applejack. The other ponies exchanged glances and smiled. “Far from it being a problem; this gives us every advantage!” said the pony. “Beg yer pardon?” A unicorn piped up. “He’s the Hero of Ponyville! Didn’t you know?” Applejack started to say something, but Pinkie stood on her hind legs and said, “That’s right! The Hero of Ponyville is coming with us!” When she dropped back down, Applejack was staring at her, but Pinkie said, “Ya gotta play the crowd, Cousin!” as the ponies murmured among themselves and some pointed at the alien. Many of those that had refused to join the group before now came over and stood with Carmel and the rest. For his part, the hue-mun just looked stunned. Pinkie noticed and asked him what was the matter. “I…I not ‘hero,’ Peen-Kee.” “Oh, you understood that! Don’t worry, we can use this to our advantage! Look!” She pointed at the crowd, which had gone from being apprehensive to almost merry. Still, there were more faces that didn’t look too thrilled, Hero or not, and these began to turn away and leave. Applejack looked from the crowd to the hue-mun, then she raised her voice once again. “Alright, y’all! Everypony…and hue-mun…that’s coming with us, we need to go now! Zecora, lead the way. Let’s move!” “Not yet.” Applejack spun around to see who had spoken. Glancing down, she saw someone she registered as Spike, but she’d never seen that look on his face before. His claws were balled into fists, and a steam issued from his nostrils as he stood there. Pinkie was no less stunned. Taking a step forward, she quietly asked, “Spike? Are you alright?” Spike stared at the ground as he spoke. “You all are going to fight those monsters, aren’t you? I’m coming with you.” Delicately, Applejack said, “Spike, sugarcube, you’re not old enough for this fight.” Spike’s eyes swiveled like gun turrets to Applejack and she took an involuntary step back. “Those creatures hurt Rarity and Fluttershy. I’m going to make them pay!” Applejack tried once more. “I know yer angry, Spike, but if something happened to you Twilight would never forgive me.” “You’ll have to tie me up or worse to keep me from following you, Applejack. I’m. Coming. With. You.” Applejack exchanged a look with Pinkie, then she sighed. “Alright, Spike. Just…just stay close to me, alright?” She then lifted him onto her back. “Hold on.” She turned and nodded to Zecora, who began to lead them all back into the Everfree at a brisk pace. As Spike clung to her back, Applejack thought to herself, This is a mistake. ____________________________________________________________ The Stellar Authority Stalwart, a Dreadnought-class interstellar vessel, engaged its engines and set course for the planet Equus. This capital ship is the highest caliber vessel operated by the Stellar Authority, their commanders all hand-picked from the noble Houses by the Stellar Council. Unfortunately, this led to more bureaucrats being in charge than seasoned military personnel. The Stalwart’s commander was one of the former. As soon as they entered orbit, Lord Suurno addressed his crew. “Open a channel to the Diligence and bring her up on the main viewer.” His Communications Officer spoke up. “Diligence responding, sir.” The main viewscreen was filled with the rather harried face of Lieutenant Chapel. “Diligence reporting in, sir. Acting Captain Chapel in command,” she said. “Chapel? Where is Captain H’iix?” Suurno asked. Beads of sweat immediately broke out on Chapel's brow when she realized who was addressing her. Suurno's reputation was well known throughout the sector, but maybe this time, he could be reasoned with. She took a steadying breath before replying. “He is down on the planet’s surface, sir. We have a situation where two Antashi smugglers were caught interfering with the indigenous lifeforms and released dozens of non-indigenous creatures onto the planet. The Captain has ordered us to send more Hkari to the surface in order to capture them all.” “Belay that order, Lieutenant. Patch me through to your Captain.” Chapel turned and nodded to her subordinate. After a moment, H’iix responded. “Chapel? What is happening? Where are my troops?” “Captain H’iix, this is Lord Suurno. Why have you violated Stellar Authority by making contact with an off-limits species?” he demanded. H'iix inwardly sighed, then said, “My Lord, as I’m sure my second in command already explained, we are dealing with the aftermath of the actions of two criminals. We—” but he was cut off. “Stellar Authority rules are clear: no interference with unsanctioned worlds. Report back to your ship at once.” H'iix only just managed to keep the scowl off his face. “With all due respect, sir, we are correcting an error committed by members of our own, albeit fringe members. The creatures they released are all extremely dangerous, and I do not know if the natives here can properly engage them. I respectfully refuse that order.” Suurno smiled, leaned back in his ornate throne and steepled his fingers. “Then you leave me no choice. You are hereby relieved of command." "My Lord, again with respect, you cannot simply relieve me of command. These natives need our help!" Suurno waved the situation aside. "I care not for some primitives on a backwater planet. And as for relieving you?" He leaned forward. "I just did. I will confer with the Admiral in charge of this sector if anything is to be done about the planet’s situation, but until then you are to return to the Diligence and place yourself in the brig. Chapel, you are now in full command. As soon as your former Captain is on board, you are to leave orbit.” Chapel’s struggle was visible on her face. Finally, she said, “I…I cannot obey that order, sir. Captain H’iix needs us, and the planet needs us.” Suurno’s face turned red, and he slammed his fist down on his chair. “I will not tolerate this insolence from a mere crew member! Do you finally see what your 'leadership' has done, H'iix?!” Turning to his Weapons Officer, he barked, “Tractor beam! Pull the Diligence out of orbit. If she resists, disable her engines!” As soon as the order was carried out, Chapel knew she was beaten. The Stalwart was more than a match for the Diligence, even if she’d been so foolish as to fight. All she could do was make one last transmission to her Captain. “Seven keep you, sir.” H’iix was on his own. ______________________________________________________ Most of the ponies’ enthusiasm lasted right until they’d entered the heart of the Forest. The majority had never ventured into it at night and were now regretting their decision to follow. Their murmuring reached Applejack’s ears, and she gritted her teeth in frustration. After a few more minutes, she called a halt and faced the group. “Listen up y’all! I know this is scary, but like I said before the Princesses need us! If any o' y’all want to go back, now is the time. We ain’t that far into this here Forest, and y’all should be able to make it back to Ponyville safely. But,” and here she pointed at the hue-mun, “this here alien is risking his life not only fer the Princesses but fer all of us!” She looked around. Some met her gaze, many did not. Finally, she sighed and said, “I ain’t gonna try to talk y’all out of it. If’n yer coming, let’s go! The rest, go on home.” She turned and sped off, with Spike still clinging to her back. She refused to look behind her. They’d all follow or they wouldn’t, there was nothing left to say. As for the townsponies, many were shamed by Applejack’s words and continued the journey. The rest, roughly a third of the group, hung back and looked sheepishly at each other. After a few moments, they turned as one and ran back to Ponyville as fast as they could. Many months after the battle, most of this group moved away from town out of shame. The rest found ways of coping, helped largely in part by Princess Twilight and her friends. But things were never the same for them. Back in the present, the alien kept his thoughts to himself. _______________________________________________________ What the hell was I thinking? My ribs still hurt, but the pain was just bearable. Even so, I was now going into yet another battle and worse, all these ponies considered me a hero. No one has ever depended on me in my life, and I found the sensation extremely uncomfortable. Especially given the fact we may be all marching to our deaths. Still, if I understood the situation, we all had little choice: the Princesses are in danger, and that meant Twilight was there as well. I remembered tangling with one of those creatures in that ship, and I didn’t come off too well then. I’d have to find some sort of weapon better than a rock this time. Ahead, some of the unicorns had lit their horns to light the way. Good thing too, as with no moon the night was pitch-black. The bat ponies flew on, one ahead of us and one in the rear. I’m guessing they have superior night vision, so the dark wasn’t a problem for them. As we all ran through the forest, a large section of the ponies was keeping unusually close to me, which further increased my anxiety. I knew those guards were capable of defending themselves, but I wasn’t so sure about these regular types. Hell, I wasn’t that sure about myself when it came to it, but I couldn’t sit this one out. Before I came here, I’d never even been in a fight with anyone, let alone having to fight for my life. The only thing that made this bearable is I’m fighting for another person, or pony I should say. I thought about all the battles I’d ever heard of, and wondered if those involved felt the same fear I was now feeling. All of a sudden, the lead guard called out, and we stopped. By squinting, I could just make out the shape of something large blocking our path. It’s starting already! But the creature or whatever it was didn’t make any threating gestures, it just growled in what sounded like an inquisitive manner. Then Fluttershy’s brother came forward, and we all waited as he spoke with the beast. Turning to us with a relieved look on his face, he explained the beast wanted to know where we were going. Apparently, the sight of so many ponies in the forest at night was such an unusual occurrence it had piqued its curiosity. Then I went forward and got a good look at the creature. I couldn’t be sure, but it seemed to be that same lion-scorpion creature I’d seen in those aliens’ ship. At the same time, it saw me and growled. Fluttershy’s brother translated its greeting, which removed all doubt. I came forward and spoke. “This is one of those Equestrian creatures that was in those aliens’ ship when the Princesses and I were captured. Is he here to help?” Fluttershy’s brother spoke to it again. It then growled again, nodded and flew off. I looked at the pony in confusion. He says not only will he help, but he’s also going to go get others of his kind. Hope surged through me at these words. I’d already seen that beast take out a number of the aliens’ monsters on its own; a pack of them would surely shift the balance in our favor. The pony then told the rest of the group what had just happened, and there was a collective sigh of relief. We may just survive this after all. ___________________________________________________ Far on the other side of the Forest, the alien creatures’ scout group lost no time in making it back to the gathering. Quickly, the lead scout told its leader what they’ve observed, and emphasized the time to strike was now. With the purple one disabled and helpless, there would never be a greater opportunity to take over this forest, maybe even take over this world. The Alpha growled its agreement and gave the order to move out. They were only a few dozen strong, but they all were the most vicious and cunning of the aliens’ horde. As such they’d yet to encounter any large, indigenous predators. But that was about to change. Abandoning all means of stealth, the leaders opted instead for speed as they made their way towards their goal. As they crossed a wide stream, they were suddenly assaulted by a large cragodile. It leaped out of the water and grabbed one of the larger beasts in its jaws. That would have been the end of the creature, but the Alpha rushed back with its subordinates and sank their fangs into the neck of the cragodile, gave a mighty wrench and pulled its head from its body. Even so, the alien creature it had grabbed lay panting and bleeding, while the Alpha silently regarded it. After a moment, the Alpha turned away. This creature was now too weak to fight, so it was of no use. Growling again at its group, it turned and continued on its way. The wounded beast watched as it was quickly abandoned, then gave a great cry of rage. That was its undoing, for the noise attracted other cragodiles to its location. It was over soon after that. The brief fight had further convinced the Alpha of its species’ superiority, for if one of the others could fall so easily to the beings of this planet, only for that creature itself to be dispatched so quickly and easily, the Alpha knew only one being stood in their way. It doubled its speed, for all now rested on killing the purple one, its only real threat, before it could regain consciousness. __________________________________________________ Timorous had never stood out in a crowd. True to his name, the unicorn had never been known for doing anything of note. This was an aspect of his personality he’d always hated but had never found the opportunity to change. So he’d purposely moved to Ponyville a few years prior, for he’d heard of the adventures of six mares there and while he didn’t believe half of the stories before coming there, he’d then seen ample examples since. And each time there had been some crisis that had involved the majority of the town, he’d told himself he’d spring to action and show everypony “timorous” was just his name, not his destiny. And each time he’d failed. Until now. He’d been part of the crowd at the hospital that had followed that weird alien back to the hospital and listened as the ponies around him excitedly spoke of its deeds. He did his best to keep the emotion off his face and force a smile while he listened, but all he felt now was jealousy. It simply wasn’t fair! Here was this creature, this freak, being showered with admiration just because it had supposedly killed some monster. And here he was, a pony that belonged in Equestria, being ignored once again. He sat on the outskirts of the crowd, keeping his thoughts to himself when all of a sudden the sun had sunk below the horizon and full night replaced it. But there was no Moon, and he felt the same fear most of the ponies around him were feeling as they stared up at the unfamiliar night sky. He’d just about made up his mind to turn and head back to his home when that zebra had shown up and began yelling at everypony, something about the Princesses. That couldn’t be right! Nothing could hurt Princess Celestia or Luna; that zebra had to be mistaken. But as he listened, that familiar voice inside him began to speak up, the one that always told him to leave while it was still safe, to let somepony else deal with whatever the trouble was. For though he didn’t know the zebra well, as he watched and listened to her he knew she was telling the truth: the Princesses are in trouble! As he wavered along with most of the crowd, there suddenly emerged from the hospital the one pony he’d always admired but had never the courage to approach: Applejack. As he watched, she’d spoken to the zebra, and then she’d added her voice to the plea. He dared not speak up as some ponies argued against their going and then another pony had added his encouragement, pointing at the dead creatures. Timorous looked again at the bodies of those monsters and could not for the life of him understand how anypony could face them. Then Applejack had run back into the hospital and like many, he saw this as an opportunity to slink off, but then he realized that’s just what he’d be doing: slinking off like a coward. Again. Then Applejack came back, and behind her was a creature that made up his mind for him. So now he was running behind Applejack as she carried that dragon on her back and that alien…that... “hero,” followed close behind. We’ll see this time. We’ll see who the hero is. _______________________________________________________ H’iix quickly went through his options. The Antashi had taken several panels apart in their efforts to override the shuttle’s controls, so repairing them would take time. Time he probably didn’t have, if the urgency of the situation hadn’t changed. H’iix swore to himself as he glanced down at the two criminals. Damn them! And damn “Lord” Suurno for being his usual porcine-headed self. Yes, H’iix had violated regulations by coming down here, but what about the Authority regs about “preserving life?” He’d lodge a formal complaint if he got out of here, but now these are the priorities: doing whatever he could to help this world’s beings and then getting out of here alive. He looked down at the Antashi again. His blaster had disabled their armor and rendered them unconscious, but there was a chance their weapons were still operational. Then he remembered the device that had affected himself and the ponies in their ship and thought better of trying to use their equipment. As wily as these two were, it wouldn’t be that much of a stretch for them to have rigged their own weapons to malfunction without their authorization. It simply wasn’t worth the chance, so he was left with his holdout blaster as his only weapon. Which did not have an infinite charge. But right now, he had to get back to the aliens’ ship and do what he could for the ponies. He activated the door panel and stepped out into the night. Engaging his optical implants, he was able to see almost as well as during the day, which was needed as there was no illumination other than his shuttle. He set the door to close, confident the Antashi would remain unconscious for at least a few hours, and then began running back to the criminals’ vessel. When he arrived there he stopped and watched as several ponies were engaged in carrying their companions into the ship. He couldn’t see Celestia or Luna from his angle, but he assumed they must be on the ship as well, still affected by that psionic device. He then reasoned without Celestia or Luna to speak up for him, these ponies would probably be hostile, so he carefully raised his hands and spoke in a loud, clear voice. “Ponies! I am Captain H’iix of the Hkari! I am here to help!” The nearest guards spun around at the sound of his voice and leveled their weapons. “Step into the light where we can see you!” one shouted. H’iix did so slowly, keeping his hands in plain view. “That’s far enough, alien! What are you doing here?” H’iix looked around. The guard that had spoken was a pegasus, as were several of her companions, but he saw a few bat ponies as well as one pegasus with multi-colored fur. He tried again. “I am here with the blessing of your Princess Celestia, who accepted my earlier offer to help rid you of those creatures released by the Antashi.” The rainbow one came forward. “Hang on. You look like Char-Elles, except for the ears. Do you know him?” H’iix shook his head. “I don’t know him, but he must be a similar species the Antashi captured if there’s a resemblance. Please,” he added, “I’m here to help and we may be running out of time.” “What do you mean?” H’iix gestured at the area. “Look around you. It’s nightfall, which means it’s the predators’ time. If any of the creatures I suspect were on that ship, they could be in the vicinity right now, watching—" everyone froze as a roar shook the night. "Look out!" cried the multi-hued one as she pointed behind H'iix. He ducked and rolled forward without looking at whatever it was. He only knew he had to get some distance away from it! The beast's jaws closed on air as it missed H'iix, but it bounded forward after him, followed by its pack. H'iix rolled to his feet, spun around and fired his blaster, but he only managed to graze the beast's shoulder. That only angered it. Before he could fire again, he was flung aside by claws that would have impaled him if not for his armor. His head spinning, he got to his feet again and yelled, "Get inside the ship!" to the ponies. Firing his blaster as quickly as he could, he managed to finally bring down the creature that had attacked him while he backed up into the ship's hold. The loss of the one caused the others to approach more cautiously, giving the ponies and the Hkari time to regroup. The ship's hold was filled with the unconscious bodies of several guards, as well as the Princesses and the gryphon. H'iix backed slowly into the hold, keeping his blaster trained on the creatures outside. He cast a quick glance at his weapon's readout and saw he only had a few charges left. May as well make them count! _______________________________________________________ The Alpha hung back and watched, keeping the two others of its species near it. It observed the pony guards come up to either side of that alien with the energy weapon as they blocked the way into the ship’s hold. This wouldn’t do at all. The Alpha could see the purple one in there lying helpless, but just out of reach. And now its forces appeared to be wavering. None seemed eager to face that energy weapon again, so the Alpha came to a decision: they all needed to fear itself and its companions more than that weapon, so it roared to get the pack’s attention. Once enough of them had turned to face it, it bounded upon the nearest beast, pulled it down and ripped it apart. As it stood over the mess, it roared once again. The Alpha’s meaning was clear: face them, or face me! That turned the tide, as now all the beasts rushed forward. The first two fell to the energy weapon, but then the alien stopped firing. The pony guards came forward and took out one other, but then they were quickly overwhelmed. The Alpha watched with satisfaction as two of the ponies were taken down, but the others just managed to retreat further into the hold as the beasts climbed over and around the fallen bodies to get at the defenders. The alien with the energy weapon was now using its fists and feet to attack, so its weapon must no longer work. Excellent. Now it was time for the Alpha and its companions to join the fight, so it barked the order at them and they then started forward, knocking the others out of the way. They were just about to enter the ship when the Alpha saw something moving beyond the ship’s illumination. Another group of ponies had arrived. _________________________________________________ Timorous froze in terror as he got his first look at the live monsters. He saw the hue-mun grab a discarded lance from the ground and run forward. Beside the alien came Applejack, Pinkie and a few others, including the bat ponies and that zebra. This was madness! The sight alone of those monsters made his blood run cold and he couldn’t move. Now all around him, the other ponies were rushing into battle. The monsters had all stopped their advance into that odd structure and had turned upon the newcomers. Timorous fell to the ground, tightly closed his eyes and covered his head with his hooves, but he couldn’t shut out the sounds of roaring, fighting and creatures dying. And he would have stayed that way, had it not been for somepony screaming, “For the Princesses!” Moments later, the cry was echoed by the battling ponies and radiated through the night like a thunderclap, as they all fought with renewed vigor. Ponies that had never harmed another living being suddenly became savage, unstoppable warriors, all intent to protect their Princesses. That made him open his eyes to look. Ponies were fighting with all their might in groups, engaging the monsters en masse, just as that one pony had said. The hue-mun roared as he was laying into the beasts with his lance, and there was one creature dead at his feet already. Applejack and Pinkie fought side by side and he now realized it was Applejack, like a Pony Valkrie of legend, that had initially shouted the Battle Cry. He then slowly got to his hooves. There were only three other ponies beside him, looking just as terrified. Ahead, he could see some others were on the ground, not moving. The rest were all fighting. Even that dragon, that baby dragon, had joined the battle, searing any of those beasts that came near with his flame. The sight moved him, but it was the Battle Cry that had awoken something within him: anger! He slowly looked around the Battle as his knees firmed, and his Fear evaporated. His jaw jutted forth. He looked back at the ponies who had been cowering with him and saw the same light of resolve shine in their eyes. Before he could stop himself, he echoed the Cry, “For the Princesses!” as he and the others with him ran forward and began to fight. ___________________________________________________ Corporal Sable laughed when she took in the sheer number of monsters facing her group. "Now this will be worthy of a song!" she shouted as she flew forward and attacked the nearest creature. The beast reared up on its hind legs and swiped at the bat pony with both sets of claws. Big mistake. Sable dropped and rolled under the attack, then drove her lance into the creature's belly. It screamed and pulled at the weapon, but managed to strike Sable across her face, knocking her away. The blow forced her to release her primary weapon, but she was far from done. She spit the blood out of her mouth and smiled. "That the best you have?" Then as the monster leaped after her, she inhaled a deep breath and unleashed her sonic attack at point blank range. The beast screeched at the pain and fell as its eardrums exploded. The bat pony leapt up into the air, somersaulted and drove both back hooves into its head, crushing it into the dirt. She then quickly retrieved her lance as Private Nocturne joined her. He was already bloody, but from himself or from the enemy she couldn't tell. "Late to the party again, Private?!" she shouted as they both engaged another monster. He was already panting as they took on the creature, but managed to yell, "You're crazy, Corporal!" She grinned as she fought. ______________________________ Though Charles tried to stay as close to Applejack and Pinkie as he could, he saw ponies in trouble all around him. Nearby, he saw a group of Earth ponies giving everything they had to bring down one of those monsters, but they were about to be overwhelmed. That's when he decided he had to intervene, so he left Applejack and Pinkie and engaged the beast. It had already taken down one of the ponies by the time he'd ran over, but by God, it wouldn't do that again! Charles bared his teeth and plunged his lance into its throat, then ripped sideways, spraying blood and viscera over the area. The beast had only enough time to center its fading vision on the hue-mun before those same eyes rolled up in its head and it toppled over. The ponies he'd saved had no time to thank him as they quickly joined another group and fought with them against the monsters. And that's when Charles heard a scream behind him. He turned around and froze in horror as a huge creature took down both Applejack and Pinkie. He screamed "Noooo!" as he started to run back, but before he'd taken two steps another pony, a unicorn, leapt forward and threw himself at the beast. It sank its claws into the pony as it held him off the ground, but though mortally wounded the pony refused to quit fighting. __________________________________ From the ponies that had fled the Forest, news of the impending battle soon reached the ears of the ponies remaining in Ponyville. Some, like those that had fled, were too frightened to leave the safety of their homes to do anything about it. But a great many others gathered in the Main Square of Ponyville, and, despite the danger to themselves, resolved to do whatever they could to protect the Princesses, even if it meant giving their lives. In the end, it was at least a hundred strong shopkeepers, merchants, family ponies, and other assorted otherwise ordinary ponies who marched as one as quickly as they could to swell the ranks of those fighting the monsters, led by a few of those who had previously fled, but now filled with new resolve to restore their own honor. _________________________________ Timorous coughed up blood as he was being impaled in the beast's grip. He kicked it with his rear hooves as it brought him to its mouth, intending to bite his head off. The moment became slow motion as Timorous knew he was about to die, so there was only one thing left to do. Deep inside him, from a place he'd never touched before, he drew power from his own lifeforce and channeled it through his horn. He screamed as he let forth a blast of such intensity it burned the beast's eyes right out of its head. His horn cracked from the discharge. The creature howled in agony as it dropped him and clutched at what was left of its smoking face, as Timorous fell heavily to the ground. __________________________________ Charles ran over and buried his lance in the beast's stomach, then twisted the lance. He then ripped it free as he'd done before and the creature gave one last cry before it fell. He started to kneel to check on Applejack and Pinkie, but there was no time. Already another beast was approaching, so Charles stood to face it over the bodies of his friends. __________________________________ Sable crawled over to Nocturne and held him close. All around them, the civilian ponies were fighting, but she could see they wouldn't last long. Her throat was raw from using her sonic attack and one wing and leg was broken. That last monster had a particularly tough hide, which is where she'd finally lost her lance. The bastard had been strong as well, for with one blow it had smashed her side, causing her injuries. And that is also when she'd lost the Private, for he had dived in to defend her, only to get savaged by the beast himself. The intervention of several townsponies had saved her life, for they had piled on the creature and overwhelmed it by sheer numbers, though the effort had cost them dearly. The fighting continued, but in her area it was relatively quiet, just quiet enough for Sable to make her way over to Nocturne and place a hoof under his head. Sable gently chided him. "I told you to help those civilians, not me, Private." He didn't answer, so Sable smiled and said, "Lucky you're gone, or else I would have demoted you." Her smile turned to tears as she wept. _________________________________ The ship’s massive hold gave Dash just enough room to circle it once, build up her speed and rush into the few creatures that had remained inside the ship. She became a blur as she plowed into one of the creatures and knocked it off its feet, which gave the guards behind her time to rush forward and impale it on their lances. But the largest of them all was just ahead of her, so she poured on more speed and flew directly at it. She put everything she had into her right hoof and slammed that hoof against its head as it had turned to observe whatever was outside. The impact made her hoof go numb and she managed to stagger the beast, but it quickly regained itself and turned on her, snarling. She flew up and out of its reach as it swung its huge claws at her, which would have cut her in half had they connected. She dove down and angled both back hooves at it while it leaped upward to meet her. But she was slightly faster. _____________________________________________________ The Alpha roared in pain as the pony, an insignificant creature, managed to blind one of its eyes as they collided together. It fell heavily to the floor and the wind was knocked out of it. It clutched at its face as it roared at its subordinates, but they were too busy fighting battles of their own. With its now one good eye, the Alpha looked up to see the cursed creature hovering above it, out of its reach. It then felt the first tingles of fear, for it had never before been wounded. Then it shook off the pain and pushed its fear aside. It would not fall to these creatures! That pony wouldn’t wound it again; it would wait until it flew forward, then grab it and snap it in half! The pony was faster, but the Alpha was stronger and it was time to show these creatures who would rule. Then its subordinates came up on either side of it and its confidence grew. The guards and the two-legged alien backed up as they advanced. The rainbow one was circling again, gathering speed for another run. That would be the first to fall, the Alpha would see to it! Just then there was another, unfamiliar roar behind it, but the Alpha refused to look, concentrating on the fast approaching pony. All of a sudden she screeched to a halt in midair and stared behind the Alpha. Then the Alpha turned to look, only to see a pack of creatures it didn’t recognize enter the ship. ________________________________________ Charles stood over the fallen bodies of Applejack and Pinkie. He couldn’t tell if they were dead, but he refused to leave their side, stabbing any creatures that came near and quickly moving back to position. Then Spike came running over and stood beside him, keeping the monsters at bay with his flame, but Charles could tell he was tiring. He himself was exhausted as well, but there was no turning back now. The hue-mun was covered in the blood of the creatures he’d slain, as well as his own blood from those that had gotten through past his lance. But they’d paid for it as in his desperation his strength and his weapon had so far kept him from serious injury. But it couldn’t last. All around him, the townsponies and remaining guards were falling, but those that still stood fought courageously, which made him double his efforts. These deceptively cute creatures were a terror in battle as they fought against these monsters, biting, kicking and in the case of the unicorns using their magic to blind the creatures until a group finished one off. But the tide was turning against them. They needed a miracle! All of a sudden the air was split with the roar of several creatures that flew into the battle. Charles looked up, and hope surged inside him as he recognized the beasts. The manticores dove into the enemy, using fangs, claws, and stingers to decimate the remaining creatures. Some of them turned at last to run, but they were cut down midstride and torn to pieces by the furious beasts. Charles fell to one knee to catch his breath. He then turned to Applejack and Pinkie, afraid of what he might see. But they were both still breathing. Zecora ran up, her supply of defensive potions exhausted, and she herself sporting a gash in her side, but still she took the time to quickly examine the fallen ponies. She then turned and smiled at Charles and Spike, and they both heaved a sigh of relief. Now all turned to the three remaining beasts inside the ship, the largest of them all. As Charles watched, the manticores flew in and attacked. He saw Rainbow dive in as well, strike fast and hard then fly off again. Charles gripped his lance, picked himself up, and ran in. _________________________________________________________ The Alpha managed to get his fangs into one of the manticores and kill it, but now the others redoubled their efforts. As it and its subordinates fought, the Alpha then felt an excruciating pain in its back. It spun around and lashed out with its claws, but the two-legged alien ducked under the strike and stabbed again with its lance. Then the pony dove in once more and landed a solid blow to its face. The Alpha fell to its knees. To its side, the manticores finished off its subordinates, until only the Alpha was left. It screamed its defiance and made one last leap at the pony, but it was pulled down from behind by the angry manticores. They took their time, biting, slashing and stinging… _________________________________________________________ The battle was over. _________________________________________________________ Sable kept herself awake through sheer force of will, so she had witnessed the manticores dive in and savage the remaining creatures. She'd even seen that alien take on several monsters himself, which had surprised her. She resolved never to be surprised again after this. She looked around. Some of the manticores were still prowling about, making sure those creatures were dead. Ponies were already being tended to by those those ponies who could stand and that zebra shaman...those who could be helped, that is. There was nothing she could do at this point, so she sighed, and lay her head down on the Private. The fighting was complete, so now it was time to rest. At last. She closed her eyes and fell asleep, still cradling Nocturne's body.