War of the Horns

by TiberiusBronycus

Prologue - The Fall of Steam Steppes

Swifty Blazefeathers needed more time. That's why even as the boxes came tumbling down on what had been some of Lemon Tart's closest friends, the mustard-yellow Earth pony didn't hesitate to kick a few more in their way to further slow them down. Lemon had to remember that these were not her friends anymore. That no matter how much it might hurt her to see her friends buried under those boxes, she had to keep going around and causing more of a ruckus. Lemon had to keep them chasing her around the town of Steam Steppes and to continue buying Swifty as much of a head start north to Dodge Junction as she could.

It shouldn't have come down to this, Lemon thought to herself as she ducked around a nearby shed, avoiding a few of the town's residents who were on the hunt for her. Resting against the wooden shack, she gulped down as much air as she could into her lungs while listening to the sounds of the retreating ponies. Yet while her pursuers went off in a different direction, there was no escaping the thoughts that had nagged and hounded her the entire time. How could this be happening? When their first few attempts to get a response from Canterlot failed, why had they not grown more suspicious? And why in the name of Princess Celestia had everypony lost their minds all at once?

The truth of it was that when the first pony had come out of the Singed Mines with their Cutie Mark gone, the ponies of the Steppes had been more curious than alarmed. Nearly all of the thirty or so pony residents of Steam Steppes were Earth ponies, with only a single Unicorn and Pegasus among them, but more importantly they were all frontier ponies. They were able to deal with the rough life of being out on the edges of known Equestria and the general consensus amongst them all had been to figure it out on their own before sending out a letter to Canterlot for help. Even when other ponies began to lose their Cutie Marks, stubborn pride had held through. After all, no one had started acting differently, so what was the big deal? Lemon had even been one of the most vocal to state that they didn't need any help from outsiders.

"I was so stupid.." As soon as Lemon opened her mouth, she regretted it. A cry of alarm from around the shed told the mustard yellow pony that somepony had heard her and her rest was being cut short. The chase was back on and before she knew it, she was dashing past the familiar houses that had just a few weeks back been filled with happy and hard working ponies. Now? Now every single house was empty and all of the town was looking for her.

That was a good thing, she had to continue reminding herself. If they were looking for her, that meant they weren't chasing Swifty. Lemon had to keep telling herself that. It was the only thing giving her the strength she needed as she leapt over the reaching hooves of two of the possessed ponies of the Steppes. A look back drove a dagger into her heart, nearly causing her legs to buckle under her when she landed as she realized that the ponies who had tried to reach up for her had been her own parents. They had been one of the last ponies to lose their Cutie Marks, but whatever was affecting everypony, it didn't seem to matter how long it was since one had lost their Mark. In the end, they all still fell prey to the sudden madness that had turned the Steam Steppes upside down.

The craziness had happened all so fast. Just this morning Flint Tumblestone, the only Unicorn who lived in Steam Steppes, had returned from his trip to the nearest mailbox all the way in Dodge Junction. It was a three day trek each way and by the time the Unicorn had returned to the Steppes, most of the town's population had lost their Cutie Marks. Worse, they had all been replaced by what appeared to be a charred hoof holding a length of iron chains. The frightening appearance of the new Cutie Mark had been the last straw days ago and the reason why the normally reclusive Flint had volunteered for one final run to Dodge Junction.

When the Unicorn had sworn to the town that he had made sure that the mail pony had picked up the letter before leaving from Dodge Junction, Lemon had been relieved. There had been no reason to doubt him. They were all frontier ponies, out here on the outskirts of Equestria, and it was their unity that kept them strong. The threats of wild creatures, terrifying dragons, and the ever present danger of the unknown might lurk around them, but the Steam Steppes' ponies had known each other for years. Besides, Flint surely had wanted his own Cutie Mark back so why would he lie to them, right?

That same night, Lemon, Swifty, and the remaining four ponies who still had their Cutie Marks had decided to hold a meeting in the town hall to continue discussion as to what other preventative steps could be taken to make sure this affliction didn't overtake them all. The first measure they had taken had been to shut down the mines. When that had not worked, the town had begun quarantine efforts. Now, with so many having lost their Cutie Marks, the last resort had been to abandon their loved ones until help arrived. It felt wrong, went against their very natures, but when Swifty had suggested it Lemon couldn't find the strength to disagree. Besides, this whole mess would soon be resolved once Princess Celestia sent some magical help to deal with this issue and they would all be able to come back and live with their families again.

Swifty Blazefeathers had pulled Lemon aside while the others continued the meeting to discuss the logistics of the temporary departure. The Pegasus had been Lemon Tart's closest friend since they were fillies, long before they had come out to the Steam Steppes, and just like Lemon Swifty's own parents had contracted the mysterious ailment. Swifty was also the toughest pony that Lemon had ever known, her best friend having been one of the few mares she knew of to serve in the E. U. P. Guard. The dark scarlet Pegasus might still have been serving in that elite squadron if not for an injury she had sustained during her tenure, her maimed right wing having cut her career short and taken away her ability to fly.

If her friend could be strong during this, so would she. The two best friends had agreed that they would take barely any supplies and leave everything they could for the ponies who would be staying behind when the door to the town hall had simply exploded, spraying everypony inside in a shower of splinters and woodchips. The cries of confusion and alarm from those who had just a few moments ago been discussing what to do about the town quickly were replaced by shouts of protests and anger. Two of the ponies who had been inside and near the now broken door had been quickly pounced upon by three of those who had lost their Cutie Marks, even as Flint Tumblestone trotted in with two others.

There had been something in Flint's eyes then, a sort of unbridled malice, that had nearly stolen Lemon's breath away. It was unlike her to freeze in a situation like this - this was the same Earth pony who had not hesitated to dive and tackle a fellow miner out of the way of a cave in - and yet there she found herself, rooted in place. The incredulity of seeing the ponies of the Steppes fighting amongst themselves had been too great. She certainly had not moved when Flint's eyes landed on her and Swifty, still had been in shock even as the Unicorn lifted a hoof in their direction and screamed for the now crowd of afflicted ponies outside of the town hall to seize everypony inside.

Lemon would have been caught right then and there, snatched up just like everypony inside the hall, if it had not been for Swifty's fast thinking. The Pegasus had kicked the nearby table in the direction of the approaching ponies before grabbing Lemon and diving out a nearby window with her friend. Even though the surprise of what was unfolding in the building behind them had left Lemon's legs feeling as heavy as lead, Swifty had refused to leave the mustard yellow Earth pony behind. The Pegasus had thrown her over her shoulder, certainly strong enough to carry her friend as they tried to elude their neighbors, their friends, who had seemingly transformed to become their enemies and captors. With the screams coming from the town hall, it wouldn't be long until Swifty and Lemon would join them, more than likely unable to avoid the pursuers until help arrived.

The realization that no help was probably coming was what had smacked Lemon right out of her bewilderment. Why would Flint have delivered the letter if he was now having everypony captured? What was worse was there was no way that the two best friends would get out of the town together. There were just too many ponies and even then she heard them calling out to circle around and surround them. There was only one choice left to the friends, one plan of possible escape. Swifty had known it too, because when Lemon had opened her mouth to tell her best friend to flee, to go for help and tell anypony she could find about what was happening in the frontier town, the Pegasus' eyes had already grown misty.

Still, Swifty Blazefeathers was tough. She had been a soldier. More importantly, she was the fastest pony in all of the Steam Steppes. She might not be able to fly anymore, but unlike most Pegasis, her strength had never been primarily in her wings but in her legs. She could outrun most Earth ponies with ease and often could keep up with many Pegasi flying overhead as well. That's why she knew she had to be the one to go while Lemon stayed behind. The two best friends didn't waste any time beyond a quick hug before the scarlet Pegasus darted off into one of the streets of the town, no doubt to make her way north towards Dodge Junction. Swifty had known what she had to do and Lemon's mission of buying her friend time had begun.

That same mission was what currently had Lemon Tart hiding on a rooftop, daring to peek her head out to see if any of her pursuers were close to her location. Luckily she didn't have to worry about being spotted from above, as the only Pegasus who resided in the town could not fly and was hopefully, by now, hours away on her way to Dodge Junction. Lemon had kept the town occupied for most the night. Hopefully the Earth pony was slowing down whatever it was that Flint Tumblestone and the other ponies of the Steam Steppes had planned. It was a shame for the town's residents that Lemon was fantastic at playing Hide and Seek. She wasn't sure how much longer she could hold out, but even if she bought herself a day, maybe two, that had to be worth something.

She kept repeating that to herself, this time mentally, until a feeling of absolute dread abruptly clamped down on her throat like a vice. The air that had been so eagerly flowing in and out of her lungs thickened, her lungs straining, as if a heavy weight was forcing the very act of breathing to be a taxing effort. She had never before felt such anxiety, such panic, and it was all too unnatural because she knew it wasn't coming from her own thoughts. Surely the night's events had been frightening, but not like this. This terror, this sense of dismay that felt as if it were choking the life out of her, was coming from behind her. Somehow, someway, she knew that something had suddenly joined her on the rooftop. It took everything in her, all of Lemon Tart's willpower, to slowly turn her head to look behind her.

And by all that she held dear, she had never wished for anything more than to not have looked into those burning eyes as her consciousness slipped away..