Timeline Sparkle: Trails and Tribulations

by Symphonicdysonince

Chapter 9: Saving the Farm, and Other Extreme Sports

Author's Note:

Sorry 'bout the wait for this chapter, but it's done now. Damned 'puter crashed three times on me, so i kept losing all my work.....

Well, It's up now, so, like always, read review, and enjoy.

We barely had an hour's sleep when the bells by the barn started ringing. I flowed out of the pile of hay Cheerilee had thrown me into, and over to Cheerilee's head. Said mare was covering her ears and groaning.

"Any idea what's going on?" I sifted into her ears to help muffle the sound.

"Oh, Discord, that tickles!" She shook her head in an attempt to dislodge me. "No, I'm not sure. Applejack said that one ring is for an unknown, non-hostile pony, twice is for known, non-hostile pony, and thrice is for hostile and/or Feral ponies. But she never said what a continuous ringing was."

The bells stopped ringing shortly after they started, and I drifted back to my Amulet. "Well, if they need us, they'll send somepony." I reasoned.

Our attempt to sleep was rudely interrupted by two sets of hooves thundering into the barn and up the ladder. I peeked out the hay pile in time to watch two foal-shaped missiles slam into Cheerilee's side. The 'missiles' immediately began to babble over each other.

"Miss Cheeriwee, Miss Cheeriwee!-"

"Miss Appyjack told us ta-"

"She wooked mad!-"

"An' she's lookin' for you-"

"'Cause o' th' bells-"

"Quiet!" Cheerilee cut through. "Okay, now, what does Applejack want?" Both foals open their mouths, "Just Pumpkin, please."

Blowing a quick raspberry at Pound, Pumpkin spoke with a proud nod. "Appwejack's wookin' for you."

"And what does Applejack want?"

"She want's you ta meet her at th' wall." Pound began.

"The one by the Evewfrwee Fowest."

"Did she say why?" Cheerilee rubbed her temple with a hoof.

The cake twins looked at each other before Pound answered, "She said ta brin' th' Amulet."

"You don't remember why. Great." Cheerilee sighed. "Okay. I'll go find her."

I drew back into the Amulet, tugging on Cheerilee's hoof so that she could find it."If this about the bells, it might not be a good idea to let the twins follow us to the wall."

"It's not a good idea for them to be at that wall, period." Cheerilee turned back to the foals, "Stay here. If anypony comes in that you don't know, hide."

She descended the ladder to a "Yes, Miss Cheerilee." in stereo. Leaving the barn, Cheerilee kicked the doors closed. Now, because the barn had a bad lean to it, only Big Mac could easily get it open. Moving at a trot through the small orchard, I clasped the Amulet around Cheerilee's neck as she approached the wall. As we neared, we could see all the farm hands lined up along the top of the wall, all armed in some way.

Applejack almost flew down the stairs built into the wall. Armored in what appeared to be a steel version of the Royal Guards' armor, she passed Cheerilee a spear while holding her own close to her chest. "Ah hope ya remember how ta use one o' these." She turned and led the way back up the stairs, "There's a group o' Ferals tryin' ta hide near th' edge o' the Everfree. Thy're just stayin' there, though."

"How many?" Cheerilee asked as she reached the top of the wall.

"Not sure," Applejack peered over the edge of the wall into the Forest, "last we checked, there was 'round fifteen o' 'em down there." A bit of color blanched from her fur. "Looks like that's grown, though."

As Cheerilee took a peek over the wall, I lifted a tendril out to take a look myself. Sure enough there was a large group of ponies trying, and failing, to hide in the sparse bushes near the tree line. It was hard to get a good count because the constantly shifted places.

"Applejack, Ah can't seem ta find Big Mac." We heard Applebloom whisper to her older sister. "Ah don' think he's even on th' farm."

We turned to look at the two farm ponies. Applejack stomped a hoof. "Great, this is the biggest attempt they're makin' ta git in here yet, an' Big Mac decides ta up an' vanish!"

Flim leaned over to his brother, "What're we going to do without his inpony strength?"

"Cheerilee, I might have an idea, and I'm going to need to tell Applejack."

"I'm listening." Before I could pass my idea on, a loud cry was taken up by the Ferals.

*^*

I watched from the bushes as the horde charged forth, the few faster ponies pulling ahead. This was a tactic they've always done, and charges like this have been successful against lesser defended farms. I was always saddened when the walls here had stood defiant at the end of every attempt. Still, more of them would've succeeded if that large red stallion wasn't there.

He could easily toss three Ferals off the walls.

I frowned and twitched my ears towards the wall, because I could almost hear.... Singing? As the song got louder, I saw a large, purplish, misty cloud spread from the wall down to the ground. It barely slowed as it seeped into the dead grasses. What was that? The thought had barely crossed my mind when the first of the Ferals reached the spot where the cloud was....

And fall over. Every Feral that stepped into that area was finding it hard to press forward. Looking closer, I could see something wrapping around their hooves. However, once the main group of the horde approached, more and more ponies were able to break through.

Soon, enough ponies broke through to be a problem at the wall. Whatever they did, it had changed nothing.

*^*

I released the finial few Ferals from the grasses I had caused to grow. I had left Cheerilee to hopefully stop the charge all together, but the grass swiftly became brittle when I wasn't controlling it. And I couldn't be everywhere I was needed.

"What happened, Twilight?" Cheerilee had her eyes closed, pretending to be controlling me more forcefully than she normally does. "I just heard somepony groan and there's this pounding noise coming from the wall."

"I couldn't stop enough of them."

"Now what's the plan, grow them a welcome mat?" The sarcasm oozed through her thoughts. She had been against the plan from the start. "Or, maybe you could grow a tree they can use for a ramp?"

"That could work! The growing trees part, not the ramp part." I shifted through the ground to the middle of the horde "If I angle this right, i could launch them back into the forest! Cheerilee, you're a genius!"

I began to find as many apple seeds I could spread over, and concentrated. "Twilight," I could feel the seeds grow into saplings, "I don't think this is -" I felt and encouraged the saplings to explode in a massive growth spurt. I 'aimed' the growth to push back towards the Everfree.

I floated up to get a clearer look at the fleeing ponies. I could feel my pride swell knowing I was the cause of their flight. I have just routed an, admittedly small, army. And without bloodshed! Shining would've been proud! I settle back to the ground with a sigh. All I could feel was contentment. Not even when I felt the first drops of a slow rain fall.

"By Discord, Twilight...." That was when I noticed the lack of clouds in the sky. "What did you just do?" I looked down at the red puddle starting to grow underneath me. I traced my eyes to the branches above my head.

There was a stallion there. His belly was rent open by a large branch that stuck out through his spine, with two more spearing through where his front left leg should be. Said leg was wedged into a fork in a branch just a hoof away from my 'head'. While most of his entrails hung in the branches below him like some macabre version of Heartswarming tinsel, some had followed the main branche out his back. On the other side of the tree, I could make out a mare who was being held up solely by a branche that had grown through her head. Her lower jaw hung uselessly, while her muzzle and right eye had been all but obliviated by the invasive twigg.

I turned and looked around at the carnage I had caused with the other trees. Here, a stallion twitched his last as he bled out from his many perferations. There, a mare cought at the edge of the ring of trees finished ripping her own leg off to hobble back to the woods. She collapsed just inside the treeline.

I could feel a part of me starting to panic. After a few years of practice, I knew how to force that part to the back of my mind. Even then, only one thougt chased itself through my head. What have I done?