Chapter 4: Siege
"This is the raft? Will this even get us all the way to Neighshe?"
"You're right to be concerned, Celestia. I'm afraid this is the best we could do, though." Mayor Mare sighed as they looked over the flimsy wooden raft. It had been assembled hastily from the assorted miscellaneous objects left in the base and effectively consisted of little more than a loosely tied layer of flotsam. It didn't look like it could hold much, despite the assurances of the ponies that had thrown it together. "We'll just have to risk it. We don't have any other way to get across the Lete."
Luna glanced over the cliff face that marked the rear exit to the New Lunar Republic hideout. The rush of water below confirmed the Lete River's raw power. There was every chance they'd be dashed on the rocks below when they jumped off, but there was little choice left. "Are we ready? This shall be a trial no matter how long we delay."
Celestia nodded. "Might as well get it over with. Are you ready, Twilight?"
Twilight swallowed nervously before putting on a strained smile. "Yep! Let's go to Neighshe!"
The four of them carried the raft to the cliff's edge, pausing to stare at the water below. The harsh rapids surged onward, seemingly ready to crush any ponies heedless of the dangers it presented. Mayor Mare turned to the others. "We're going to jump off and land on the raft in the water. On the count of three! One...two...THREE!"
The ponies jumped off the cliff, holding the raft beneath them. The raft plunged into the water, landing with a solid, sickening thwack, which disoriented the occupants. It held together somehow, though, and they were off, careening down the swift waters towards Neighshe. The raft, buffeted by the raging waters, rocked back and forth violently, prompting its riders to hold on to its edges tightly lest they be cast overboard. As they rounded the first bend, a small flock of pterodons took flight at the intrusion. Celestia cursed under her breath. "Oh, give us a break! Hold on, everypony!"
Luna stood up near the front of the raft with her forelegs bent together. Between her hooves, a brilliant sphere of energy began to coalesce. She turned her head up to stare resolutely towards the approaching flock, then screamed, "HADOUKEN!" She thrust her hooves forward, expelling a solid white beam towards the lead pterodon. It connected, scorching the pterodon and causing it to fall off into the water.
The remainder of the flock began to lapse into disarray. They began diving erratically towards the raft, each time met with an emphatic "HADOUKEN!" from Luna. After a while, they dispersed into the distance, deciding their turf was no longer worth protecting. Luna stood triumphantly at the head of the raft and looked at her companions. "Fear not! We shall keep thee safe!"
As the raft continued forward along the tortuous river, Luna blasted the various creatures that sought to attack them. Celestia was shocked at Luna's raw strength, resolving herself to ask about it further when they weren't possibly hurtling headlong towards a watery doom. She caught herself. "Watery doom?" Something about the phrase triggered a memory about the Lete River, and her expression grew anxious. "Everypony! Be careful! There's something in the water!"
Twilight glanced at her, worried. "Wh-what do you mean?! What's under the water?!"
"I'm so glad you asked that question, Ma'am!" a raspy, gurgling voice responded. The ponies on the raft searched frantically for the source, but there was nothing on the surface or in the sky. Celestia had a sinking feeling she knew the source, but he wasn't showing himself. "Oh come now, I just want to grab your attention!"
Twilight yelped as she felt something slimy and sticky begin pulling at her legs, trying to drag her off the raft. Celestia ran to Twilight's side, stabbing the tentacle that was creeping up the edge. The raspy voice screamed in indignant pain, forcing its owner to surface. What they beheld was not pleasant: a slick purple octopus with a single row of what appeared to be teeth contorted into a hedonistic grin. "Hey! Don't tease the octopus, kids! Ultros just wants a little touch!"
Twilight shuddered in revulsion. "You...you were feeling me up?! What a gross octopus!" Her horn began to glow, and she held her forehooves in front of her and blew a stream of fire towards Ultros, prompting him to yelp in pain.
"OWW! What are you tryin' to do, make gumbo outta me?! That's cold, sister!" Ultros fired a jet-black stream of ink at Twilight, temporarily blinding her. "Hey! What's black and purple and has read all over? YOUR FACE!"
Celestia groaned. "Great, we've been held up by the world's most perverse punslinger. Somepony wake me up from this dream."
Luna stood resolutely facing the cocky cephalopod. "Fear not, sister! It is our job to ensure everypony has a good dream! We shall protect thee!"
Before Celestia could object, Luna had leapt into the water, pounding her hooves away at the creature's soft head. As he retreated into the water, he dragged the hapless mare with him. Mayor Mare walked up to Celestia as they began to separate. "She really is a lively one, isn't she? Will she be okay?"
Celestia nodded. "I've never known my sister to be weak." Luna floated to the surface, buffeted by the currents. She was swept in a different direction from the raft, unable to reach the others. "Luna! We'll meet up in Neighshe! Please be careful!"
Luna yelled something in return, but it was lost to the raging waters. Celestia smiled to Twilight and Mayor Mare. "Don't worry. She'll be all right."
Luna opened her eyes slowly. The bright sun forced her to wince and shield them with her hooves. She was definitely separated from the others, but she had no idea where she was. Her body ached, and her pride was a touch wounded after being forced into an effective stalemate with a cheeky octopus. Rising tentatively to her hooves, she scanned her surroundings. There was a single house nearby, but little else in the way of civilization. Luna grimaced, surmising that she must have floated very far off-course. "Oh well. I suppose I should get going if I want to meet up with everypony in Neighshe," she said to nopony in particular.
As she approached the solitary house, she noticed a butter-hued pegasus with kind, demure eyes and a pink mane sitting near a well in front of the house. A small bunny was dutifully patrolling the area around her. It shook the stick it was carrying menacingly at Luna as she went to greet the mare. The pegasus' eyes widened, and she stared rigidly at the bunny, causing him to drop his stick in fear. "Angel, you know better than to threaten other ponies! You apologize right now!"
Angel reluctantly bowed in contrition to Luna. "My, what a strong will you have!" Luna remarked, clearly impressed. "Prithee, may we beseech thee for thine name?"
The pegasus shrunk back from Luna in response, squeaking meekly. "My name...my name is Fluttershy," she said, averting her gaze shamefully.
"Well-met, Miss Fluttershy! We would welcome thine company in our travels!"
"W-well...um, I suppose...that would be okay," Fluttershy squeaked.
Luna eyed Fluttershy in confusion. "We are afraid we do not understand. Do you have problems being around other ponies?"
Fluttershy averted her gaze once more. "Yeah...I have no problems talking with cute animals like Angel here, but I can't seem to bring myself to talk to most ponies."
Luna nodded sagely. "We understand. We would still welcome thine company, noble Fluttershy."
Fluttershy acknowledged Luna with a meek nod then scooped up Angel into her saddlebag. "W-we should....probably rest inside this house before we leave," Fluttershy squeaked. "The owner is a bit scary, but he lets people rest here."
As they entered the house, Luna spied a frazzled old stallion whose pupils darted every which way. He locked onto Luna and ran up to her. "You! You must be the clockmaker! That clock's been on the fritz, and you gotta fix it!" he said with an unhinged cadence.
Luna leapt back, startled, before responding. "Ah, n-no, we are not this clockmaker-"
"Then you must be the plumber! Got pipes leakin' everywhere!"
Luna groaned in mild exasperation. "Do we look like somepony that would dirty our hooves with leaky pipes?! You're off your gourd!"
If her objections were registering with the stallion, he wasn't acknowledging it. "Well, then, get out there and cut my grass! It's like 25 feet high!"
Enraged, Luna invoked her royal vocal training. "ENOUGH! WE ARE MERELY HERE TO SEEK RESPITE, NOT TO FIX THINE MESSES!"
Summoning strength even Luna could not seem to match, the stallion angrily shoved both of the mares outside, then shut and locked the door. He opened a small window in his door to berate them. "The last time I had a kid as obnoxious as you, I threw her butt onto the Veldt! Good day!"
Luna stood there, mouth agape. She turned to Fluttershy, her face contorted in a look of abject confusion. "Wh-what just happened...?!"
Fluttershy shrugged in response. "I did say he was weird..."
Luna sighed. "Well, there goes our lodgings for the night. Is there any other place nearby we could seek respite?"
Fluttershy pondered for a moment. "Well...there is Sweet Apple Acres a short ways to the south. They've always been hospitable to weary ponies. Maybe we could check there?"
"Well, then! To Sweet Apple Acres!"
Sweet Apple Acres encompassed a large expanse of verdant land. The oversized family that tended it farmed the land as a giant apple orchard to provide food for many of the world's towns. The family had garnered considerable political and economic influence in this manner, and Sweet Apple Castle had developed into a veritable fortress over the years as a result. The river that ran alongside the border of the orchard was the castle's main water supply and its primary barrier to entry. As Fluttershy and Luna approached the solitary bridge that crossed it, they noticed a large military encampment had been erected there.
Fluttershy squeaked fearfully. "I just passed through this area a week ago! When did all these scary tents and soldiers appear?!" She cowered behind a nearby wall, whimpering softly.
Luna joined Fluttershy behind the wall. "That is strange. Perhaps we can listen in on the soldiers and find out what is going on."
They watched the soldiers patrolling for a while. Eventually, two of the soldiers broke their routes and snuck off towards Luna and Fluttershy. One of them looked around to see if anypony was within earshot. Satisfied, he motioned for his compatriot to move closer and spoke in a hushed tone. "Hey...did you hear the news? They said General Zecora might be getting reassigned!"
The other soldier shuddered. "Seriously?! That'd leave Discord in charge, and that guy's just not right!"
"Not so loud! Do you want him to break your neck?! Look, all we can do is hope for the best and follow orders."
"You're right...I just wonder what's gonna happen around here."
Their conversation was cut short by the echoing post call from the company bugler. Several of the soldiers lined up at attention, with their commander giving them all a once-over. "Listen up, maggots! We have been ordered to participate in an assault on Sweet Apple Castle! You are all to follow me in formation posthaste! Move out!"
The group began marching past the bridge checkpoint. Fluttershy and Luna could do naught but watch helplessly.
"Enemy at the gates! Sound the alarm!"
Sweet Apple Castle was in an uproar. A good-sized Imperial force had surrounded their front gates and were proceeding to batter down the door. Sweet Apple Acres did not have the horsepower to repel this attack if things continued, and the castle guard had fallen into abject disarray.
As a scout ran through the halls repeating the dire warning, more and more of the castle's inhabitants joined in on the panicked frenzy. At this rate, they were liable to fall from within before the enemy even breached the walls. The orange pony decided it was time to reveal her power. She tipped her stetson, shifted the straw she was chewing on in her mouth, and marched stolidly towards the gate.
One of the scouts tried to stop her from leaving. "Miss Applejack! I'm afraid it's hopeless! There's too many of them! We're outnumbered!"
Applejack grinned. "Don't muddy the issue with yer fancy mathematics! Nopony invades mah home and gets away with it!" she responded in her cocksure drawl. "Listen, these guys ain't nothin' more than grunts. Cut off the head of the snake and the body dies. Y'all just cover me as I go after their commander!"
Her command elicited a cheer from the remaining guards, and they formed a small phalanx around her as they charged out of the front gate. Applejack pointed towards the commander threateningly, brandishing her katana from its sheath at her side. "Come on now, let's settle this ourselves! Ah'll show ya a thing or two about country hospitality!"
The commander growled. "You've got a lot of nerve, you stupid bumpkin. I'm going to enjoy cutting you down to size!"
The commander drew his sword and began to charge Applejack by himself. Applejack took a deep breath and shut her eyes, holding her katana in front of her. From Applejack's view, the commander and everything else around her seemed to slow to a crawl as she entered a heightened state of awareness. Her path was clear, and she knew her strike would ring true. Applejack opened her eyes and dashed forward blindingly fast, stopping only once she'd passed the commander. Satisfied, she stood up straight, sheathing her katana. The commander, instead of turning to face her, merely collapsed, unconscious. Applejack merely tilted her head back towards him. "Y'all ought to be thankful Ah hit 'im with the blunt edge. If Ah was fixin', Ah probably could make pony meat outta y'all. Go on, git."
The soldiers, in shock that their commander had been so handily defeated, tripped over each other as they ran in every direction trying to escape the farm pony. Applejack chuckled heartily, rallying her guardsponies to a raucous cheer. "Yeeeeeehaw! If ya can't stand the fire, get the heck outta the kitchen!"
It wasn't long before Luna and Fluttershy witnessed the remaining soldiers flooding back into the camp in a blind panic, their commander conspicuously absent. A pony with black and white stripes and a mane done up in a mohawk strolled out of the command tent. Fluttershy gasped at the sight of her. "That's a zebra!"
Luna nodded. "Indeed, 'tis. It appears that she is high up on their command hierarchy."
The zebra motioned for one of the soldiers to approach, then spoke in meter. "Why do you all move with such haste? What threat has left you so disgraced?"
The soldier paused to catch his breath and regain his composure before responding. "General Zecora, ma'am! Sweet Apple Acres has a champion in their ranks! She has dealt a solid blow to our commander, and she could easily dispatch the rest of us! What do we do?!"
Zecora nodded, then smiled sagely. "Fear not, my little pony troop. We'll wait until we can regroup. A stalling game is what they play? We'll stay and fight another day!"
"But Zecora! We are ready to lay our lives down for the Empire-"
"If what you say is really true, why not then see this battle through? There's no shame in your confession. Part of valor is discretion. We have not lost this castle yet. Now rest, my soldier. Do not sweat!"
The soldier's face noticeably softened as the tension left his body. "Yes, ma'am! Thank you, ma'am!" he said with relief before returning to his post.
Behind their corner, Luna nudged Fluttershy. "It seems this General Zecora is quite wise. If only they'd ditch that Discord brute and leave her in charge."
Fluttershy did not respond, as she noticed a carrier pigeon swooping from the sky. She became lost in a blissful flurry of "cute little birdies," as best Luna could piece together her rambling. The pigeon flew up to Zecora, dropping a letter in her hooves before perching nearby. Zecora's face quickly changed from curiosity to consternation. "The emperor decrees I go. Now Discord shall engage our foe."
Zecora walked into the command tent, making preparations to depart for the capital. Nearby, Discord had overheard Zecora talking to herself and was inwardly gleeful. "Geheheh, now I can finally have some fun around here. It's so boring playing by that stuffy zebra's rules all the time!"
Zecora poked her head out of the tent to provide a quick addendum. "Discord, your task is to conquer these lands. Your treachery better not foul these sands."
Discord grimaced, then responded in a mocking tone. "You needn't worry, you arrogant witch. I'll make sure your soldiers take over that ditch."
Zecora snorted, then walked past Luna and Fluttershy's hiding spot, exiting the camp. As soon as Zecora was well out of earshot, Discord dragged a soldier over towards the command tent. "You! Did you prepare the toxin like I requested?"
The soldier trembled under Discord's stare. "Y-yes, sir! But Zecora said-"
"'Zecora said,' 'Zecora said!'" Discord retorted sardonically. "Zecora's not here now! You will follow my orders or I'll see you hanged for treason!"
"But Discord, sir! Some of our soldiers are being held prisoner by the enemy! If we poison their water supply, the prisoners will die too!"
"That's none of your concern, you feckless grunt. They were stupid enough to get caught, and as far as I'm concerned, they can rot with the lot of those 'Sweet Apple' imbeciles!"
The soldier sighed and walked off to begin carrying out Discord's sinister plan. Fluttershy squeaked fearfully as Luna stood up indignantly. "We are sorry, Fluttershy, but the time has come to intervene. We cannot allow them to carry out their vile plot!"
Luna dragged Fluttershy out from their hiding place, then charged at Discord. "Thou fiend! What you propose is nothing short of genocide!"
Discord guffawed at the intrusion. "My, what is this? The younger Canterlot Sister together with a saccharine traveling companion, here to foil my master plan?" His tone noticeably darkened. "Someone stop this juvenile ride. I want to get off."
"Shut up! We will not allow thee to perpetrate these acts today!" Luna yelled as she lunged at Discord, belting him in the gut with her hoof.
"Yeowch! Such a brutish display! I suppose I'll have to deal with you later!"
Luna fumed, snorting fiercely. "Thou shalt desist!"
Discord snickered as he turned around to run away. "'Desist,' she says! Do I look like a desister? Wait...is that even a word?"
With that, Discord took off towards the Sweet Apple front. Luna and Fluttershy gave chase, but were soon stopped by a small unit of soldiers that had witnessed the exchange. Luna cursed under her breath as they paused to deal with the new threat.
"Miss Applejack! I have something to report!"
"Well, spit the chew outta yer mouth and let's hear it!"
"Our scouts have reported that the Imperial base is bustling with activity upriver. We believe they must be plotting something!"
Applejack scoffed, tipping her hat up. "It'll take more than a little sneaky river business to pull one over on this pony!"
The messenger nervously rubbed her hooves together. "Well, that's the thing. See, everypony around the castle has reported feeling ill recently except you. I think it's worth investigating."
Applejack's breath caught in her throat. "Everypony? Even the king? Even mah family?"
"Yes. Something's fishy around here, and we don't know what."
"Wait...they're doing things upriver, and now everypony's sick? Oh mah goodness...Ah haven't drank any of the water since yesterday! They must be poisoning the water! We gotta get everypony to stop drinkin' the water! Quick, to the king!"
Without missing a beat, both Applejack and the messenger charged through the halls of the castle. Already many of the guards lay in crumpled heaps scattered throughout the various rooms, never to awaken. Applejack hoped she wasn't too late to save at least somepony, but it wasn't looking good.
Applejack bucked open the double doors leading to the throne room. There, on the floor, was the king, barely conscious. His breaths were labored and his eyes heavily lidded. Applejack gasped, crestfallen. "No...Ah was too late! Yer Majesty, speak to me!"
The king opened his eyes slowly. "Applejack...is that you?"
"Ah'm here! Everything's gonna be okay!"
"Applejack...I'm done for. But I want you to know...your mother and father would be proud. You are the most...honorable and dependable pony...Sweet Apple Acres will ever know..."
"Save yer breath, Yer Majesty! We can still save ya!" Applejack desperately pleaded.
"Applejack, thank you...for all that you've done...Please...go be with your family." With his last words, the king's consciousness faded, and Applejack laid his head down for its eternal rest.
Applejack stood up and bolted out the door. "Mah family! Please, no! Somepony, anypony has to be alive!"
She burst into the room where her aunt and cousin were staying. On the floor lay the motionless body of Aunt Betty. Applejack sighed, certain she was too late to save Betty. Casting her gaze to the bed, she noticed somepony sleeping, and her heart sank. "No...Apple Fritter?" she said as she moved the covers. The stiff corpse of a filly fell out from the covers, landing on the ground with a sickening thud. Applejack fell to the ground, broken. She tilted her head up, screaming in despair at nopony in particular. "Why?! She was just a foal! Ah'm goin' to skin as many Imperials as Ah can, even if it kills me!" In a blind rage, she charged heedlessly out of the room, towards the front of the castle. If the Empire was going to take everything she'd ever loved, she'd make damn sure they paid for their sins.
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You were nice enough to comment on our work, so I'd like to return the favor.
Looks like you've gotten through a good deal of the game. Right on!
I tell ya, I miss having hands for my characters to work with. Having to work around the lack of fingers in a world like this is tricky.
Descriptions are a little lacking, but that will get better as you write more. I didn't see anything overly bad grammar wise.
I know there's a lot to this game, but keep at it! A little writing each day makes the whole load a little easier to bear.
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Wow, thanks for the comment! It does mean a lot.
I'm trying to account for the whole "hooves" thing, but since I'm basing this on a romhack where they stand upright on two legs and wield weapons in much the same manner as their human counterparts, it's not very easy sometimes. I've somewhat relied on the show's "magic limbs" philosophy with regards to, say, earth ponies manipulating objects. It is admittedly a hard concept to write around. I may rewrite some of the older scenes when I have a better handle on how to describe it.
Really, more than anything, this is one long practice run for me to beat out all the bad description habits. I have confidence in my ability as a writer, but I lack the experience. I can see myself improving, but especially after reading what you've got so far, I've got a ways to go. I do feel like I have somewhat of a style, but there's so much more I can do, and I'm gonna write for as long as it takes.
Hey, you're back! I'm still enjoying this thing. And now Applejack has joined the fray! Awesome. Can't wait till you reach the Veldt!
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Cue hot drum rhythms. Awwww yeah~