• Published 29th Jan 2016
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The Last Cutie Mark Crusader - Jatheus



Equestria is at war. The land is plagued by an unending horde of timberwolves that pour out of the Everfree Forest. Cities have fallen, and it seems everypony is powerless to end the slaughter. Scootaloo was one of the first to enlist...

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15 Gain

Frigid snow crunched beneath Cloud Blazer's hooves as he padded quietly up the gentle slope at the summit of the mountain. The air stabbed around his eyes and nose like ice, and his breath was a foggy cloud as he exhaled. The cold, though a bit numbing, felt incredibly exhilarating. The lone stallion took off at a run, galloping around in the snow bank. He darted one way and then another with snow spraying the air when he changed direction. He charged up to the very peak itself and finally rolled in the snow, stopping on his back to stare up into the night sky. It was the deepest black imaginable, punctuated by thousands of stars, refusing to be overcome by such darkness.

Panting for breath, he lay there, the frozen ground as his cushion, and nothing between him and the heavens that were sprawled out above displaying all their glory. As he lay there, Cloud Blazer could have sworn he saw a star disappear. He didn't think much of it until the second and the third vanished as he stared at them. He sat up, looking wildly around. The lights were being extinguished right in front of him. It was as if some great snuffer were putting them all out. Soon, only blackness remained.

Scanning the sky for what seemed like ages, Cloud Blazer's gaze finally came to rest on a single glowing point in the sky, one final star that still shone faintly above. It seemed to be growing brighter. Soon he realized that it wasn't gaining intensity, it was falling. He stood up, shook the snow from his coat, and found it again. It was moving fast now, a shooting star. It flew overhead, and was coming down far south of where he stood. He saw Ponyville in the night, lit up just as he remembered it from his childhood. The shooting star fell into Ponyville silently.

"Come to me!" a voice boomed, shattering the quiet and echoing across the land.

Cloud Blazer shook his head. The voice was coming from Ponyville. He darted down the snow-capped summit to the edge of a cliff face and leapt off, spreading his wings to take flight. The icy wind rushed through his mane and under his wings; he was back in Ponyville in a matter of moments, landing on top of the Princess of Friendship's castle tower. He looked around, but he couldn't see any indication from where the voice had come. As he turned to the Everfree Forest, a massive explosion painted the sky brighter than the daylight of the sun. It was as blinding as the roar of it was deafening. As Cloud Blazer turned his head away from the light, he saw Princess Twilight standing on top of the tower with him, her eyes glowing white.

"Run!" she frantically screamed.

Leaping from the tower, Cloud Blazer glided down to the ground and galloped away from the incoming destruction as fast as he could. The ground became slick, melting as though it were made of wax. His hooves sank into it, and he could barely even walk. He flapped his wings to fly away, but he was unable to get off the ground with his hooves stuck. It was getting impossible to move at all. The explosion finally overtook him, burning hotter and hotter. He couldn't walk, or fly, or even turn now. He was completely immobilized as his entire essence burned away.

Slowly, the pain of burning became the pain of waking. Cloud Blazer realized that this had only been a dream. He felt himself shivering slightly, with stabbing pain shooting through his entire body. A gentle hoof began stroking his mane. It had an amazingly soothing effect, and soon he stopped shuddering. He was glad that Scootaloo was there. He couldn’t actually perceive who was with him, but who else could it have been? It must have been her, and he loved her all the more for it.

...

"You think?" Scootaloo said to Lightning Dasher. His relationship with his duplicate notwithstanding, this aspect of their personal situation was extremely laughable. Sometimes stallions just wouldn’t listen.

"Why? Should it be obvious?"

"She just thinks we're not good enough for her friend," LD said.

"It's nothing to do with that," Scootaloo replied. "You just don't know Apple Bloom very well."

LD and Lightning Dasher exchanged a glance.

"No offense, but you're just not her type.”

"What is her type?" LD asked, his tone betraying the hopefulness he felt inside.

"Let me put it this way," Scootaloo began. "What do either of you know about farming?"

They stared blankly at her for a moment.

She giggled slightly and said, "Well, there you go."

"There's more to her than farming," Lightning Dasher said. "I just have to find the right moment."

"Didn't she already shut one of you down pretty hard a few days ago?"

“Why is everypony on about that?” LD asked as he sheepishly hung his head. He sighed, "Yeah, that was me."

"Don't get me wrong, I wish you... guys... the best of luck. May the best stallion win and all, but you’re barking up the wrong apple tree."

The pair of them seemed dejected. Scootaloo looked back up at the zap apple tree, but there had been no change. The drab gray fruit hung lazily in the branches, illuminated by firelight, still waiting to ripen. LD was on top of the massive fallen tree trunk acting as lookout. Scootaloo and Lightning Dasher were near the fire. It wasn't a cold night, but there was a chill in the air. Now that they had been resting for a few hours, she was feeling much better. All signs of the wooziness had gone, but her sprained ankle still throbbed uncomfortably.

"Not to be nosy," LD began, "but I've been wondering."

"About what?" Scootaloo asked, laying down.

"You... don't have a cutie mark," LD said almost gently.

Scootaloo immediately shifted into defensive mode, leaping to her hooves but keeping weight off of the sprained one, "What of it?" she asked with a hotness in her voice that startled LD and Lightning Dasher.

Shaking his head disarmingly, LD said, “No, no, I didn't mean; I would never-"

"Never what? I want to hear what you have to say," Scootaloo barked at him.

Thunder rumbled in the distance. A burning rage inside the mare was about to lash out.

“I’m sorry; I didn't mean to upset you," LD finally said.

Scootaloo began to realize that she was not under attack and began trying to calm herself. She believed that he wasn't trying to offend her, but she was just so tired of this same thing. Everywhere she went, whatever new ponies she met, they would always get around to bugging her about this. It’s not like she hadn’t tried everything she could think of to get a cutie mark. She’d spent half her life in pursuit of it. It’s not like it was something she could control.

"Forget it," Scootaloo said, turning away from LD in frustration.

Lighting Dasher was being deathly quiet, staring into the fire. Scootaloo started walking into the forest.

"Hey, don't go alone," Lightning Dasher said as he stood up.

"I'll be right back; I just need to walk around. Hold this position," she ordered.

Scootaloo left their little camp behind her as she walked into the forest. She crashed through the foliage, away from the light, from LD, from her anger. At this point she didn’t even care what cutie mark she got so long as she could have one. Why couldn't she just be normal? She padded on a little more quietly but didn't go far. It would be much too dangerous to go any distance away from the other two. Her anger was cooling when she heard a rustling nearby. She spun on three hooves to see it was just some squirrels chattering over some acorns that they had found. Her heart was pounding loudly, either from the anger or being startled by the squirrels. Lightning lit up the sky above the tree canopy, casting strange contorted shadows through the foliage. Moments later, thunder rumbled overhead; it was close. Scootaloo didn't really want to be outside in a storm, but they were not about to risk missing the opportunity to get the zap apples. They were incredibly lucky to have found the trees that they had; there was definitely no excuse to let this opportunity slip by. Another flash of lightning was followed almost immediately by the bang of thunder, and wind began howling through the treetops. Deciding she had best return sooner than later, Scootaloo trotted as quickly as she could through the undergrowth back to their camp.

LD was still sitting up top looking around, and Lightning Dasher was scratching at his cast-covered fractured leg. The wind really started picking up. The trees creaked under the strain, and leaves began to fall.

“Applesauce,” LD called out.

“Starswirl... LD, get down from there," Scootaloo commanded.

LD jumped down, and another lightning bolt crashed overhead, startling the three of them. A gust of wind nearly blew out the fire.

"Into that hollow tree, let's go!" Scootaloo shouted.

LD, Lightning Dasher, and Scootaloo sought refuge inside the ancient dead tree, which was just big enough for them to go into single-file. They didn’t even have room to turn around as they squeezed themselves inside. Scootaloo backed in so she could see. The wind whistled through the doty trunk, rustling through the exposed parts of Scootaloo's coat, sending a chill down her spine. A small amount of rain began falling, and the lightning began coming in rapid succession unlike anything Scootaloo had ever seen before. It struck multiple times close to them. Instinctively, they all dropped down as low as they could, covering their heads. Boom, boom, crack, pow, boom! Each bolt of lightning lit the forest brightly in shades of white and purple. It was pleasantly surprising to the mare that the noise actually hurt her ears, which was probably a good sign for her physical condition. Her hearing may not have been quite back to normal, but it was getting close.

Quite suddenly, the lighting and wind stopped completely, the trees and their branches eased back to their resting positions, and there was an eerie calm. Moments later a much smaller sound of electricity could be heard, and silvery sparks showered down all around outside, dancing on the forest floor and vanishing. When that stopped, all that remained was the sound of three frightened ponies breathing softly and the crackling of their scattered fire. Scootaloo slowly stood, inching her way out of their temporary shelter. Her heart was thumping so hard in her chest that she could feel her pulse in her head. As she emerged, a sigh of relief flooded over her. Scattered firebrands threatened to catch the forest ablaze, which simply wouldn’t do.

“Let’s get that cleaned up,” Scootaloo said as she stamped out a small conflagration in the darkness as the sounds of the night creatures returned to the area.

LD and Lightning Dasher emerged from the tree and helped her put the flaming wood back into place, and they rebuilt the fire. As it began to flicker and grow, it lit the forest again and revealed what magic had taken place. The zap apples had ripened. An immeasurable joy filled the mare at the discovery.

“Look! It's just the zap apples!" Scootaloo said excitedly.

“That’s the most dramatic fruit I’ve ever seen,” Lightning Dasher said.

“Right?” LD agreed.

Scootaloo stood in awe for a moment at the rainbow colored zap apples, ready to be picked. She grinned at the other two, and then the flapping of three sets of wings could be heard as they flew up into the trees to collect as much of the magical fruit as their saddle bags could carry.

...

The desert is a difficult place to build a city, especially a large metropolitan area. Sometimes a location is the perfect site, but it has to be altered in order to serve as such with regard to supporting a population. In the case of Las Pegasus, reservoirs were built to hold water for the city during the times of drought, which were frequent. There were several of them around the city, but the odds of falling out of the sky and landing in one uninjured must be astronomical. These thoughts flooded Swiftlight's mind as he splashed down, still strapped to Golden Hour's lifeless body. When he had spread his legs in every direction, the drag had reoriented him into a falling position with her body beneath his. In the darkness, he had no way of seeing where he was falling. In fact, he had thought he was about to die even as he hit the water. Certainly, if Golden Hour's body hadn't taken the brunt of the impact, he would have been killed. As it was, he survived the fall shaken, but he seemed otherwise completely unharmed.

He was beneath the surface for a mere shadow of a moment before he realized that he was still in as much danger as he had been only seconds before. Swiftlight had exactly one lungful of air, and he was sinking to the bottom of a reservoir like a stone. Weighted down by Golden Hour's body, not to mention her armor as well as his own, Swiftlight struggled to reach the release cord that would unlink his harness from hers. The seconds ticked by like minutes, and the impulse to panic was almost overwhelming. Swiftlight took a moment, remembered his training, and put his right fore hoof back, reaching for the cord. In a sweeping motion, he pulled it forward but found nothing. He began counting to give his mind something to do other than panic. One, two, three... He reached back again, making that same sweeping motion. Four, five, six... He still couldn't reach the release cord. Seven, eight... 'Don't panic,' he thought. 'What are my options? I'm going to drown. No! What is at your disposal? You are in the fight while you are alive, and you are very much alive. I can't reach the release. Can I cut it free? Yes!' His thoughts poured through him frantically. He pulled out his knife and attempted to fix it to his boot, but in a moment of clumsiness brought on from a combination of cold water and adrenaline, it slipped from his grasp and sank into the murky depths.

Panic nearly took him a second time. Nine, ten, eleven... 'Okay, that was bad, now what? Do you have anything else to cut yourself free with?' He removed his helmet and dropped it. Twelve, thirteen, fourteen... ‘My spear. What about Golden Hour's knife? Yes!' Swiftlight twisted as best he could, his lungs already burning for air. Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen... He was just able to grip the knife in his mouth and pull it from its sheath. He went immediately to work on the first strap that he could reach, part of Golden Hour’s harness, cutting through it in a moment. Kicking his hind legs, he was now able to twist about to get the main strap that connected him. This one was harder to reach, but he was just able to get it. Eighteen, nineteen, twenty... The severed strap fell away with Golden Hour; he was free but still sinking. Swiftlight quickly removed his breastplate, spear, crossbow, and armored boots, keeping only the knife in his mouth and his combat harness. His lungs were screaming for air. He still was holding it in to help himself float, and he now began kicking toward the surface with all of his strength. There was light above, which made up and down easy to distinguish. He began trembling and let go some of his breath. He stopped, holding the rest and taking in some water, but soon he would lose his air regardless of his intent. 'Almost there; just a little farther,' he thought as he propelled himself upward.

As he burst forth above the water, he quickly exhaled and then drew in a deep breath of sweet air, also chocking on a lungful of water. Coughing and sputtering as he thrashed in the reservoir, it was all he could do to stay afloat. After what seemed like minutes of catching his breath, he opened his eyes again, wiping the water from his goggles. The light he had seen was an impressive barrage of lethal magical bolts being shot back and forth. Changeling magic from somewhere nearby on the ground, and unicorns returned fire from the air back that same direction. Had it not been so deadly, it would have been rather beautiful. The last waves of their force were moving into the city.

The combination of near death, falling from three-thousand feet, and inhaling water had a churning effect inside, and Swiftlight took the knife from his mouth just before he vomited. It was an unpleasant experience to say the least as it hit the water and splashed his face. The heaving wrenching of his innards subsided, leaving an acidic taste in his mouth.

A loud splash nearby diverted Swiftlight’s attention from his own disgust as another downed pegasus hit the water. That could be another lucky passenger; Swiftlight was sure he could hear others impact into the ground not far away. The knife in his teeth once again, he swam to the loud splash. Taking a deep breath, he dove under the surface of the water, and was able to find the cause of it. It was another earth pony that had been with a pegasus. Swiftlight swam to him quickly and pulled his release cord. He didn't move. Swiftlight took off his helmet and armor for him, but kept the spear and crossbow attached to his harness. Then then he pushed him upward.

At the surface, the firefight had died down somewhat, but there were still sporadic blasts of magical energy heading this way and that. The soldier that Swiftlight had just rescued finally came to his senses and began thrashing.

"Calm down!" Swiftlight shouted.

Shaking his head, the other pony, a white stallion with a black mane replied, "Yes, sir; sorry, sir."

"Quite a ride," Swiftlight said disarmingly, "but I need you to buck up and deal with it."

The other pony nodded. They began swimming for the shore.

"Name and rank," Swiftlight demanded.

"Earthroot, private," he replied.

"What was your objective?"

"We were on our way to the grain mill to secure it."

"Okay, we'll head that way and hook back up with your unit."

"Yes, sir," Earthroot replied.

As they emerged from the water, the surrounding bank was quiet. There were many noises of fighting farther into the city. Stowing their goggles and dividing the weapons, they moved at a brisk walk. Earthroot had a slight limp, presumably from that fall, but he seemed in good shape otherwise. Swiftlight’s neck felt a little stiff. There were no trees, but there were low scrubby bushes that they had to work their way past that scratched at the ponies’ unprotected legs as they padded silently through the night. The air was foul with the putrid stench of timberwolves. Swiftlight was glad to have a spear at least. He saw them out of the corner of his eye and just had time to drop down out of sight to the ground as they charged toward the pair, snarling as they came. Earthroot staggered backward slightly, a wild terror in his eyes. He then turned and galloped away as quickly as he could. Swiftlight laid still, clutching the spear close as the timberwolves crashed through the bushes. They passed over him and followed after Earthroot. There may have been twenty or thirty of them in all.

After they had gone, Swiftlight stood and looked after them. 'Even if I go, there’s too many,’ he thought to himself. ‘I can't help him.’ Turning the other way, he galloped on toward the city. He arrived at the outskirts without further incident, but the firefight had a renewed intensity as the unicorns began massive bombardment on areas that they suspected timberwolves or changelings might be hiding. Swiftlight slowed his approach, creeping stealthily into the edge of the scraggly wild bushes he was using for cover. After a few minutes, he spotted the grain mill, which was surrounded by EUP soldiers. The windows and doors were shielded with a bright magical barrier.

Swiftlight was moving closer, and then a green blast of magic struck the ground directly in front of him, kicking dirt into his eyes. He dropped immediately and rolled left over and over again, scrubby bushes scratching him and sticking him with thorn-like projections. Blinking hard to clear his eyes, his vision was blurred, but the stallion managed to scramble behind a small slope, a safer position as it shielded him from view, a natural defilade. Skirting around the other side of it, he took off at a full gallop toward the mill. He pushed faster and faster, his breath pumping in and out, almost mechanically. His heart was racing even faster than his hooves were. More raw energy exploded right behind him, he instinctively glanced back and then abruptly came to a complete stop as he collided with an armored pony. He lost his spear and they both went tumbling to the ground. Something hit Swiftlight in the head. He rolled over and put his hooves up defensively, but no more blows came.

He had stumbled into a squad of unicorns and earth ponies. As he cleared his eyes, he saw the unicorns had directed some fire back at the changeling that had been chasing him and killed it.

"Thanks," Swiftlight said.

"Where'd you come from?" a sergeant asked.

"Captain Swiftlight, aide to General Mane Crusher."

"If you don't mind my asking, what are you doing down here, sir?"

"I was shot down, landed over in that reservoir," Swiftlight pointed.

"Welcome to the party, captain," the sergeant said. "Alright, our sweep is done, let's get back to the mill."

After retrieving his spear, they moved quickly back to the rest of their force. As they approached, Swiftlight heard the unmistakeable sound of chaos reigning there. Two regiments had been assigned to secure the mill. The main force must have already continued into the city. There was a kind of a square directly before them, and that is where the EUP force had landed. They had clearly fought their way into the position they now held, but it looked as though their progress had halted. Most of them were pinned down in one place or another, trying to reach their objective. The left flank was mostly filled with timberwolves pushing through the buildings on that side. The ponies were holding it well enough at the streets and alleys. The right had so much magic energy blasting back and forth that the noise was deafening. It lit up the night in flashes of green, blue, purple, and white. The very air felt alive with electricity.

As the squad approached, the sergeant called out, "Colonel Greymane, I found a captain for you."

Colonel Greymane was a white pegasus with a gray mane and silver eyes. He was yelling to a scout, "Tell him I have already lost a quarter of a regiment! I need more support on the right flank, now! We do not hold the mill!"

A loud explosion nearby sent everypony ducking for cover. Debris rained down in tiny particles all around. The scout nodded, flapped his wings, and took to the sky. A green bolt of energy cut him down immediately. His charred body fell back to the ground.

"Celestia's mother!" the colonel swore. "Lieutenant!" Greymane called out. "Our scouts are all dead; find me a pegasus to use as a runner!"

"Aye, colonel!" the lieutenant replied, running off.

Finally turning to Swiftlight, Greymane asked, "Captain Swiftlight? What's your story?"

"I got shot down. I fell in the-"

Another loud explosion cut him off. Swiftlight felt the ground shake underneath, dropping him to his knees. A charred, empty helmet landed near him.

"We have got to get some air support," the colonel said. "Did you see anything on the way in that might be helpful?"

Swiftlight shook his head. "If you're thinking of a flanking run, I'd say forget it. Those ranged attacks are bad enough in here. I came in alone and they started taking shots at me from the right."

A barrage of changeling fire compelled everypony to duck low. It was coming from the top of a nearby building, and it poured through several lines of the ponies taking refuge, killing them where they lay. Several unicorns and earth pony archers returned fire, and after a brief exchange, the changelings were forced to fall back, several of them dead from the encounter. Swiftlight heard an explosion somewhere in the distance, followed by two more that were much closer.

"Sir," Swiftlight began, "Can we not get inside the mill?"

"That's the best part, captain. It's all sealed up a magical shield stronger than anything I’ve ever seen. We can't get in."

“How did they put up a shield that we can’t get through?”

Another explosion prevented the answer.

Colonel Greymane surveyed the area from his position, and shook his head, "This is suicide; we can't stay here. Major, I need some volunteers." Turning to Swiftlight, "I'm afraid I can't spare anyone to get you back to where you belong; as long as you're here, I'm going to put you to use."

"Affirmative," Swiftlight said. He needed something to do to keep his mind occupied.

"Find yourself some armor, and go join our left flank," the colonel ordered.

Swiftlight saluted, and then crawled off toward the buildings on their left flank. Unfortunately, spare armor was in abundance. It didn't take Swiftlight long to find some that fit. 'I just hope this armor does more for me than it did for the previous owner,' he thought to himself. He was also fortunate to find another crossbow and arrows.

The again-armored Swiftlight approached his new mission, and it looked to him as if the timberwolves were pressing all along the line to the edge of town. The ponies on that side, mostly earth ponies, were holding their own. They were using the buildings as bottle-necks, and forming gauntlet-like funnels, cutting down the timberwolves as they tried to pass. An explosion off the right flank sent a fireball into the night sky, lightning the urban battlefield in oranges and reds from its glow. Swiftlight couldn't tell what had gone up, but it made the entire area look like the lowest level of Tartarus for a few moments. Searching for the commander on this side wasn't difficult, but as Swiftlight approached, sniper fire from nearby buildings scattered everypony as they sought cover.

Dropping down behind an abandoned cart, Swiftlight peered around it. The line was still holding, but sporadic fire from the changelings was keeping everypony else pinned down. Some unicorns began returning fire, and Swiftlight picked his moment to advance. He dashed past several lines of soldiers that were stuck here, waiting for orders. He finally located the major with a few of his officers using a stone fountain for cover.

"Captain Swiftlight, reporting for duty," he said.

"Right," the major answered.

Just then a bolt of changeling energy struck down a lieutenant that was standing nearby.

Shaking his head, the major said, "We're getting murdered out here." Turning to another nearby officer, he said, “Captain, I want you to take your company, push around the left. Get into those buildings and take out those snipers."

"Yessir," the captain responded, galloping off.

To another, he said, "Take your company and see if you can push right. Make a hole, and get into those buildings on the right. We've got to get those snipers."

"Copy that!" he replied, galloping off.

Turning to Swiftlight, the major asked, ”Captain, eh? How much fighting have you seen?”

"I was in the middle of it when we retook the river a few weeks ago. I also was in the action at Ponyville; I'm fit to fight," Swiftlight answered.

An energy blast struck the fountain, which exploded, sending gritty shards of stone in all directions. Swiftlight and everypony else fell down as they were pelted by the fragments. Swiftlight's adrenaline was already flowing fast. His mouth was dry, and he was certain that this entire place was a bad position.

"That was fun," the major said loudly.

"Sir, sir!" a runner yelled as he came up, "The middle! We need-" he was cut down by sniper fire as he ran and fell down groaning.

Glancing in that direction before putting his head down again, the major said, "Looks like you're up, captain. Get in there and do what you can. We can't afford to lose the center."

"Affirmative!" Swiftlight yelled back.

He put his head up, and dropped it again as a bolt of magical energy sizzled by. He then mustered all of his strength to power his legs. The stallion sprang up and immediately went into a full gallop. As he charged in, he could see snipers exchanging sporadic fire with unicorns and earth ponies with crossbows on the ground, and the EUP defense line in the middle was in the process of falling apart. He began yelling at the soldiers that were fleeing, "Stop where you are! You do not run from this fight!"

They ignored him.

As he got close, he reared up, clubbing the first one he came to directly in the face with the butt of his spear, sending him sprawling on the ground with a bloody nose. Those behind stopped short as they got near. "You do not run from battle! You do not cower; you do not fear; you do not die unless you are ordered. Is that understood?" he yelled at them in a voice that was so terrifying that it commanded their complete faith and attention. "I'm going into that breach, and you are all coming with me. Now get on my flank, and let's take care of these stick-dogs! Charge!” he cried as he vaulted through the crowd that had gathered. He didn't stop to see if they were following, but galloped headlong through the mess that had developed as the fighting had spilled out all along the middle. There was no line anymore; it was much more akin to a brawl. None that saw him would have known it, but Swiftlight was actually afraid that nopony was following him.

The dark coated captain ran right through the middle of it, and much to his surprise, he was largely ignored until he arrived in the street where they needed to form the line. There were timberwolves pouring through, and he picked the first one that came at him. It lunged forward as he reared back, and he came down smashing through its body with his spear, driving it into the stone street. A half spin and he was bucking another so hard that its head came completely off. At this point the other ponies that had been retreating joined him in the gap, and they hit hard and fast enough to stop the flow of timberwolves into the square. Ponies and timberwolves were dropping left and right from their injuries; it was total madness. In fewer than two minutes, so many bodies had piled up from the carnage that they were able to use them to choke the alley even further to slow the advancing enemies.

Swiftlight was able to pull himself back from the front line for brief a rest, but he’d lost his spear. Looking around for an officer in charge, he realized that he was the only one at this position. The fighting in the square was getting much thinner with the timberwolf reinforcements cut off. A massive explosion somewhere off of his left sent everyone, timberwolves and ponies alike sprawling as the ground shook beneath them. Swiftlight regained his hooves and turned to see a massive fireball reaching upward into the sky. In that direction, he noticed a squad of unicorns that were pinned down by changeling sniper fire. They were in a trench in the street that looked to have been made by a previous explosion. He made a mad dash for their position, sliding down into the ditch with them.

"Who's in charge here?" he yelled over the cacophony of the battle.

One of them pointed at a lieutenant whose head was missing, apparently burned off by magical fire.

Swiftlight turned back to them, ”Alright, it's time you guys helped us out. We're getting slaughtered in the middle, and those snipers are taking out the entire field. I need you to spray those buildings with everything you've got." Another blast nearby shook the ground; dirt rained down moments later. "I don't care if you can see them or not, just shoot anywhere close; we've got to get them pinned down or we're dead!"

"Aye, sir; on your command," one of them replied. They all moved into a ready position.

"Open fire!" Swiftlight commanded, and the unicorns unleashed a barrage into the nearest of the buildings. So much smoke and debris was raised that the changelings were only able to blind-fire through it. "That's it; keep it up!" Swiftlight yelled to them over the roar of the fighting. The captain looked around to assess the situation, and it wasn't quite as grim as before, but their numbers were still shrinking. The dead were strewn all across the square in quite a macabre scene. The wounded were crawling back toward the center. He could easily have believed that they were below half strength by now.

Swiftlight jumped back up and dashed forward to the middle again. He reached it just in time to see a changeling flying between the buildings. He only had a moment to look at her, but she was much larger than any of the others. Easily being twice their size or better, she must have been the queen. Time slowed as he beheld Queen Chrysalis; Swiftlight raised his crossbow, but a blast of energy shook the ground, ruining his aim. His shot went wild, and as her horn glowed brightly, he instinctively dove to the side. A massive burst of raw lethal energy ripped through timberwolves, ponies, stone, and earth in a sweeping path that cut down all of the defenders at that center street in one attack. The ground shook as it burned under the fierce power that was unleashed. Smoke obscured what happened to the queen, but Swiftlight had another concern.

"To the middle! We need reinforcements at the middle!" he cried, once again charging in alone.

He was the first living thing to arrive, and he stood in the center of the burned street, waiting for the mass of timberwolves that was spilling around the corner. The ground was hot beneath his boots and steaming as he loaded his crossbow and fired. The stick-dogs were heading directly at him, snarling and growling as they came. Just then, several dozen more ponies arrived and formed the line. They met the timberwolves head on, colliding and bringing the tide of them to a halt once again. Then something happened that Swiftlight had never seen before. The timberwolves piled so thick that they were on top of each other, three or four high in some places. It was like a rising tide on a windy day. They were over and on top of the defenders, trampling them. Swiftlight managed to side-step this flood and flattened himself against the stone facade of the building at his left as the remaining defenders turned and ran back toward the center of the square. The changeling snipers began spraying magic at the fleeing soldiers. As Swiftlight decided to join them, timberwolves came from the other side. The left had collapsed, and a timberwolf leapt at the stallion. He put one hoof against its throat, and the other against its fore-leg. They pushed back and forth for a moment with jaws snapping at the captain’s face, and then Swiftlight did a half spin, bringing it to the ground and stamping on the timberwolf's body. Not wasting another moment, he clamored quickly up the side of the stone building. In a matter of seconds, he had made it two stories up; his years of rock-climbing in Van Hoover had apparently been time well spent. The timberwolves couldn't reach him for the moment, but he was hardly safe.

Looking back around the battlefield, he saw the nest of unicorns get overrun. Timberwolves poured in on top of them even as they were being blasted apart by the frantic flood of magic from the soldiers inside. They destroyed several dozen of the beasts before the firing stopped. The entire exchange lasted only a few seconds. Deciding that down was no longer an option, Swiftlight climbed farther up the building, working his way to the high windows from where that sniper fire had been coming, some of the damage aiding his ascent. He could clearly see his objective from this vantage point, but they wouldn't be able to see him until he got to the window, unless they happened to stick their heads out. Being careful to mind his grip, Swiftlight climbed up, positioning himself beneath the opening. His muscles were burning from the effort, and he rested there for a moment. This last part would be the worst of it. He had to get into that window and take out the sniper before it could get him. His heart pounded furiously as he waited for his moment. By the frequency and positions of the blasts, there were at least three of them. Swiftlight got his crossbow ready; he only had one arrow remaining. Just as the nearest changeling unleashed a blast, Swiftlight pushed hard up, grabbing the window with a front hoof and vaulting with his hind legs against the outer wall. He sprang up and into the window, firing the arrow into one changeling, he dropped his crossbow, grabbing another enemy and twisting as he landed. The look on the changeling's face caught Swiftlight off guard. The creature was much smaller than he'd expected, and in the eyes, he didn't see hatred or evil. Surprise and terror were the only emotions Swiftlight detected as he slammed the changeling head-first into the wall and threw him out the window. Drawing his knife as he spun, Swiftlight identified another changeling that was aiming to fire. He threw the knife, which spun through the air, striking the changeling in the face, handle first. A misdirected blast of magic hit the ceiling; he was not seriously injured, but the knife bought Swiftlight a precious moment that he needed. The captain sprang forward hard, just being missed by another magical blast from a fourth changeling that he hadn’t noticed to his right. He caught his target in the throat with one hoof, and in the side with the other, slamming it against the wall. Grabbing it in a headlock, he spun around as the other fired twice. The first shot struck Swiftlight's armor. He felt a sharp pain as it burned into his back. The second shot struck his own comrade in the head, killing it instantly. As it fell, Swiftlight leapt forward, ramming the remaining changeling with his helmeted head. It tried to dodge, rearing up, but Swiftlight caught it in the belly, sending it to the ground writhing as furniture as knocked out of their way. He then used the prow on his helmet again to strike the changeling in the face, stunning it. Using his powerful hooves, Swiftlight ended the creature’s suffering quickly.

In a frenzy, he scanned around the room; Swiftlight found that he was now alone. There were more snipers in the building, and every moment he delayed would mean more dead soldiers outside. He took a quick drink from his canteen before replacing it in his harness. He picked up his knife, fixing it to his boot, grabbed his crossbow, retrieved his arrow from the dispatched changeling, and crept silently to the door. He held his breath as he opened it to the hallway, trying desperately to listen to anything that might give him a clue as to what he'd find out there. The explosions outside were loud, and while that made sneaking easier, it also made it difficult for him to hear anything else that might be moving about. Sweat trickled down his nose, and he wiped it away. Once the door was open, he could clearly see that the corridor was empty.

Silently padding up the dark hallway to the next door, Swiftlight found it open. The room was empty. He moved to the next door, which was also open. Green flashes of light against the wall told him that there were enemies inside. Slowly he peered around the corner. There were three changelings, their backs to him as they fired their deadly magic mercilessly through the open windows. They were not watching their backs at all. Swiftlight slunk into the room, dropping low behind a big cushioned chair. He waited there a moment, sweat now running into his eyes. He wiped it away and crept low behind a table, the injury on his back burning with each movement. This was the last bit of furniture he could hide behind. As he was about to spring out, a bolt of unicorn magic shattered one of the closed windows, the energy impacting into the ceiling and exploding. Swiftlight froze in place as bits of wood, glass, and plaster splintered about the room.

The changelings swore as they ducked.

"Close one, eh?" one of them said, almost cheerfully to the others.

"Nah, they were aiming for you!" another laughed back.

They carefully got back up and resumed firing. Swiftlight hadn’t been seen. He chose his moment and approached the one on the right quickly and quietly. His heart was pounding in his chest, and all he could hear was his own breathing. He sprang up, and at this close range, fired his crossbow, striking the farthest one away in the head with the arrow. Dropping his crossbow, he leapt from the ground and onto the nearest changeling's back. He pulled its head to one side with his left fore-hoof as his knife found its mark in the changeling's throat. It sputtered as he held it there, and Swiftlight turned his attention to the last one. It was backing up, too far away to leap to, and it had already turned to face him wearing an enraged look on his onyx face. The one he held was as good as dead but still clinging on to that last ounce of life. He had to move quickly, before his changeling shield expired. Swiftlight dove to his right, ramming his shoulder into the wall and scrambling his way across the room to the other. It flapped bug-like wings and flew up onto the table. In the moment of flight, Swiftlight dropped the one he’d been using as a shield and dashed straight for the live changeling. A green blast of magic flew past his head as Swiftlight rolled, sliding under the table. He kicked up hard with all four hooves, embedding his knife into the wood and shearing the blade in two as the table toppled over. The changeling fell directly onto him, and they struggled hoof to hoof.

Swiftlight caught the changeling with a left jab, deflecting what would have been another magical blast. The changeling kicked him in the ribs, a blow that was absorbed by the armor. Embracing the changeling and rolling to one side, he got it off-balance, and now they were both on the ground. He tried to work his broken blade into the changeling's throat, but teeth found Swiftlight’s fore-leg, drawing blood. The armored pony head-butted the changeling, for which the prow on his his helmet was designed, twice before it stopped biting him. It was only dazed for a moment, but that was long enough for Swiftlight to gain the advantage. He was now on top, his right front leg pressed into the changeling's throat. It struggled, wings flapping, hooves clawing, but Swiftlight was too heavy. Green magic glowed on the changeling's jagged horn as if he were powering up another shot, but the light went out as the life left his eyes.

Swiftlight held the dead changeling there for a moment, just to be sure, and then rolled over onto his own back, panting. He lay there for barely a minute before he got up, drenched with sweat. He took another small drink, and searched for anything that might make a good weapon. The arrow he had fired had broken when the dead changeling had fallen. All he came up with was a broom handle. Once separated from the bristly end, he used the stump of his knife to cut a crude point in the wooden shaft. It was not the best spear he'd ever made, but it would have to suffice. As he was turning to leave, he heard a voice in the hall.

"Hey guys, you'll never believe what I just found," a changeling rasped as it entered the room without hesitation.

Swiftlight launched his spear without a second thought. The changeling panicked, spinning ineffectively to dodge and was pierced through his flank and pinned to the wall. It cried out in pain, dropping a book to the ground. Not wasting any time, Swiftlight ran up on him and sliced at his throat with the broken knife. It didn't cut deep, but it was enough. The changeling wouldn’t cry out again. Turning his attention to the book that had fallen to the floor, Swiftlight was surprised to discover that it was a volume of nursery rhymes. He could only wonder what the beast could have wanted with it.

After a search of the rest of the floor, Swiftlight was satisfied that there were no more changelings in the building. He moved to the corner of an empty room, hiding behind a book case. He sat there and tried to catch his breath. The soldier was exhausted from the last hour of fighting, and by the noise outside, things could only have turned for the worse. The explosions were constant now with almost no time in between them. Swiftlight considered finding a way back to the battle, but he collapsed from a lack of strength, sweat saturating his black coat. The entire building was shaking from the destruction that was unfolding outside. His fore-leg was still bleeding, so the captain used his med-kit to put a stop to it. There wasn’t much he could do for the magical burn on his back, but he managed to stuff a bandage under his armor to stop the bleeding. Swiftlight could only wonder at the new tactics the changelings were employing. Until Ponyville, they had been keeping their involvement completely secret. Now, they were out in full force with their timberwolf minions, a most lethal combination. In any case, the situation at hoof wouldn’t allow Swiftlight to safely exit the building. He hunkered down in his corner behind the book case and rested, waiting for an opportune moment to rejoin the fight.

...

Sparklefly pulled her plow with Java Chip and Apple Bloom. With three of them it was fast work, but she was nearly ready to pass out from a combination of hunger and exhaustion. Coughing was widespread in the darkness with the smoke from the Everfree Forest still hanging thick over Ponyville. It had combined with the dampness of night and the scent of churned soil. They had already completed plowing about half of the zap apple field, but there had still been no word from Scootaloo.

"Keep it up, everypony!" Applejack shouted in the darkness that was the orchard, lit only by firefly lanterns that were being carried in front of anypony that needed to see.

It had been hard work, but it felt rewarding for Sparklefly. It was good to be on a farm again. The fresh tilled earth under her hooves, everypony working together, and even a sense of community were all here. It didn't completely replace what she'd lost back home, nothing could do that, but Sweet Apple Acres was definitely having an effect on her. She was a bit impressed with Apple Bloom's abilities as a work-horse. If she’d been a pegasus, they could have been sisters. Unlike Sparklefly, she had lost both of her parents when she was just a filly.

After finishing their row, they’d earned a water break and returned to the barn where some had congregated to rest. Most were still out working, but a few dozen were inside at any given time to get water and some relief from the haze in the air. It irritated Sparklefly’s lungs most unpleasantly. The barn was dimly lit by a few firefly lanterns, and everypony inside was chatting about the progress they were making. A few had taken to napping already. A refreshing drink of cool water brought Sparklefly back from sleepiness for a moment.

"What time is it?" Java Chip asked.

“I dunno,” Apple Bloom shrugged.

Sparklefly answered, “It’s well after midnight.”

"I think we're in pretty good shape, considering," Apple Bloom said.

"We just need to get those seeds back before dawn."

"Anypony heard anything?" Java Chip asked.

Apple Bloom spoke confidently, ”My friend, Scootaloo, is searching the Everfree forest for zap apples right now. If there are any in there, she'll find 'em!"

Sparklefly was a little more skeptical, but she wasn't willing to dash anypony’s spirits. The ‘if’ was certainly the factor on which the plan hinged. She remained silent, scratching at her bandaged eye.

"What happened, if that’s not rude to ask?” Java Chip asked.

Quickly dropping her hoof down, Sparklefly simply replied, "Timberwolf."

"I'm sorry," Java Chip said.

Unsure what to reply, she said, ”I got off pretty lucky... we lost friends that day.”

There was a long awkward silence. It was filled only by coughing and muted talking amongst the other ponies that were resting in the barn.

"Has anypony heard any news from Van Hoover?" Java Chip asked.

“Not me; why?" Apple Bloom replied.

"That's where I'm from.”

Sparklefly began, "The last I heard out of Van Hoover was that a timberwolf swarm had attempted an attack, but they were beaten back by EUP forces there. Apparently, they chased the timberwolves all the way back to the Galloping Gorge before returning to the city.”

"Get 'em!" Apple Bloom praised.

A commotion outside drew everypony's attention. Sparklefly turned toward the barn door trying to listen, but she couldn't hear well enough.

"What's that?" Apple Bloom asked as Sparklefly stood and began walking toward the exit.

A gentle push from the pegasus and the old doors creaked open. Through the darkness, only illuminated by firefly lanterns, she could see a crowd of ponies all gathered together. She trotted over to them, followed closely by Apple Bloom, Java Chip, and several other curious ponies. The night air was cool but still filled with smoke.

"Make room! Make room!" Applejack was hollering.

As the pack of ponies parted, Scootaloo, LD, and Lightning Dasher emerged from the crowd, their saddle bags full to bursting with zap apples.

“Y’all did it!" Apple Bloom cried out as she ran to Scootaloo, giving her a big hug.

"Easy there, or all you’ll have is applesauce,” Scootaloo said with a smile.

“No hugs for me?” LD and Lightning Dasher said together.

Applejack interrupted any response that Apple Bloom might have made, "We need to get those into the house."

"My squad plus a volunteer or two can start getting the seeds out right away," Scootaloo offered.

"That's mighty kind of ya," Applejack said, tipping her hat.

"Let's go!" Apple Bloom said excitedly. "Come on, Java Chip!"

Scootaloo led the way through the now excited crowd, and the squad followed her to the house. As Sparklefly walked away, Applejack addressed the crowd again, bringing back the sense of urgency.

"Alrighty everypony, we’ve got the seeds now, so they’re waitin’ on us to do our part. Back to the plows!"

Sparklefly was glad to have something much easier to do, but the apples looked quite enticing. Her stomach growled in agreement.

Java Chip voiced a similar sentiment, "Now those look amazing!"

"Ain't you had our zap apple jam before?" Apple Bloom asked as they entered the house, the door squeaking shut behind them.

"No, sorry," Java Chip said.

"Well, then; y'all are in for a treat!" Apple Bloom beamed, her pink bow bouncing as she spoke.

Sparklefly’s eye devoured the zap apples as Scootaloo, LD, and Lightning Dasher dumped out their saddle bags on the kitchen counter. They must have gathered a few hundred of them, all ripe and inviting.

"Go ahead and have one; don't be shy!" Apple Bloom encouraged.

Sparklefly picked up a zap apple and examined it. She had never seen this multicolored variety before. She bit into it. The flavor was initially just like a red apple would be expected to taste, but after a moment it began to change. Suddenly it was the flavor of a golden delicious, and then a tart granny smith. The tartness was followed by another sweetness that was similar to an apple crossed with something else, perhaps a pear or plum. Maybe those were two different tastes that she was getting confused. The mixture of flavors was heaven dancing across her tongue.

"Oh, wow!" Sparklefly exclaimed as she wiped the juice from her chin.

"These are fantastic!" Java Chip agreed.

"Told ya so!" Apple Bloom said proudly.

Scootaloo was grinning widely as she sank her teeth into a zap apple. LD and Lightning Dasher didn't seem quite as impressed as everypony else, but they were each enjoying one as well.

"You brought the zap apples!" Mr. Cake almost shouted as he entered the kitchen.

"They sure did. Now we just need to get the seeds out and ready to plant."

Apple Bloom found some bowls in the cabinet and set them on the counter where she found a place not covered in the magical fruit.

"Mr. Cake, do you have a good recipe for zap apples so we can share them with everypony that came to help?" Apple Bloom asked.

"If I had the flour I'd make us some pies," he replied, a little saddened at the thought.

Scootaloo said, "At any rate, we need to get to work."

In general agreement, everypony began cutting up the apples to get to the seeds. They quickly decided to quarter them for easy sharing later. They set the quarters aside in one bowl, and the seeds were all going together in another one. The repetition of Sparklefly’s job made for mechanical efficiency. Grab, set, slice, turn, slice. Pass the quartered apple on. A few dozen apples later, the door creaked open.

"How's is coming in here?" Applejack asked.

"Great, sis," Apple Bloom answered.

Glancing at the seed bowl, Sparklefly said, "If you get a can or something to take these in, you can go ahead and start planting."

"I'll get one," she replied.

It was much nicer than plowing. Sparklefly’s muscles were already weary; they would be aching soon. She and the others had time to talk and laugh as they cut up zap apples into the breaking of dawn.

...

Scootaloo felt her head falling as she gave in to slumber. The monotony of separating seed from flesh of apple had joined with the lack of sleep to hypnotize her. The kitchen, with all of its sounds and scents began fading away. Just before her head hit the wooden counter, she managed to shake herself awake again.

"You alright?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just need to walk around a little," Scootaloo replied as she stretched.

"Not to worry," LD began.

"We're just about done," Lightning Dasher finished.

"You know, it's kind of creepy that you guys do that," Sparklefly said.

Java Chip made a face and nodded in agreement. Scootaloo let out a long yawn and went to the door and opened it. As she stepped outside, she was surprised to see that the haze which had been covering Ponyville was gone. The air was fresh and clean, and the orchard was bathed in golden morning light. She walked away from the house, and saw that the plowing and planting teams had nearly completed their tasks. Turning east, Scootaloo could see that a southern wind had pushed the smoke off to the north, away from town. The weather was just so unpredictable when not being managed by teams of pegasi like it had been before the war. The seemingly random patternless weather from the Everfree Forest now dominated all of Equestria. In a way, it was somehow exciting to never know from day to day whether it would be sunny or rainy. Everypony on the farm seemed in high spirits. Scootaloo was as well, but she was also hungry; her only regret was that they hadn't found more zap apples. As it was, they'd barely had enough to give one to everypony that had come to help work the farm. On the other hoof, the fact that they had found food in the Everfree Forest was likely to guarantee that foraging teams would soon be out daily. LD trotted past her with the last can of zap apple seeds.

"Keep it up every pony!" Applejack encouraged the workers. Deep circles under her eyes betrayed the weariness she felt. She sort of lumbered as she turned about, her large belly an obvious encumbrance.

"Have they already been planting?” Sparklefly asked. “I thought these zap, apples, were supposed to grow up immediately.”

“They have, but I don't see anything growing yet," Scootaloo said as she turned to face Sparklefly, who seemed deep in thought. Seeing the bandaged eye, Scootaloo remembered something. "Hey, Sparklefly, I had completely forgotten. While I was in Manehattan, I had a gift made for you."

Coming back to the moment, curiosity brimmed as Sparklefly asked, "What is it?"

"This comes from an old friend. Sweetie Belle's older sister, actually. She is the finest fashionista in all of Equestria," Scootaloo said as she held out a small gift box, retrieved from one of her harness pockets.

She watched intently as Sparklefly opened it. Peering inside, her friend seemed uncertain what to say, and the expression on her face told that she was even less sure how to feel.

"It's all hoof-stitched, and it's reversible too. Flip it over," Scootaloo tried to be encouraging.

Sparklefly turned over the present, and then turned it back the other way. Rarity had make a silk eye patch at Scootaloo’s request. It was solid black on the back side, and on the front, it was black with embroidered golden thread that created an apple tree with red apples. Stitched above this was a silver cloud, and blue raindrops falling to water the tree. It was exactly like Sparklefly's cutie mark, the color of the apples notwithstanding. The silken embroidery glittered in the morning sunlight.

Scootaloo went on, "That is a hybrid silk; it is the finest thread in Equestria. Rarity makes it when she can get the raw material. This was from the last spools she has."

Sparklefly continued staring at it for so long that Scootaloo was becoming concerned. She certainly hadn’t intended any embarrassment or discomfort with the gift.

"It's beautiful," Sparklefly finally said. She looked up, clearly touched by the gesture, "Thank you so much."

"Ah, it's nothing," Scootaloo deflected. "I was just tired of seeing that bandage on your head."

Sparklefly smiled with an understanding that Scootaloo read plainly from her face. Then Sparklefly looked down, took off her bandage and tied the eye patch on, placing it over her mangled left eye. The embroidery was facing out, shining in the sunlight.

Looking back up at Scootaloo, Sparklefly asked, "Well, how do I look?"

"Amazing," she replied with a wicked grin, "I think it's a real improvement. We should do the other one too."

Sparklefly looked incredibly uncomfortable, actually taking a half-step backwards.

Scootaloo quickly said, "Hey, I'm sorry. Bad joke. It looks good."

Sparklefly smiled uneasily as she rubbed her eye for a moment, fiddling with the eye patch. Apple Bloom came out of the house with Lightning Dasher at her hooves and approached them.

With a yawn and long stretch, Apple Bloom said, "I am plumb tuckered." Looking at the other two, she noticed Sparklefly's new adornment, "Oh wow! Where did you get that?"

"Nice eye patch," Lighting Dasher agreed.

"Thanks," Sparklefly said as she instinctively turned her head to hide it.

A small stir among the towns ponies caught Scootaloo’s attention. It was caused by the arrival Mayor Diamond Tiara. Scootaloo sighed her frustration out. Making a gesture with her head, she beckoned the others to follow her as she went to see what had caused the commotion. They trotted together, joined by LD on the way there. As they approached, Scootaloo could see that Diamond Tiara had brought her newest project along, the Ponyville City Guard. Just after the siege had ended, the mayor had put out a call for all able-bodied ponies that were interested to report in for the formation of a civilian militia in Ponyville. She had ten recruits so far, but they hadn't had any sort of training to speak of. They were dressed quite officially, and Scootaloo found herself wondering where Diamond Tiara had found the fabric for their uniforms.

"Mornin' Mayor," Applejack called out cheerfully as the squad approached.

"Why are all of these ponies here? What’s going on?” Diamond Tiara was clearly confused.

"I had some friends over last night to help me with some replanting," Applejack replied coolly. “We’ve got to get the apple trees up again and the orchard producing.”

Diamond Tiara sighed, clearly annoyed, ”Well, you've all been wasting your time. I sent word yesterday that you were not to plant trees. Princess Twilight Sparkle signed an order that gave me the authority to appropriate land for the planting of crops. All of this land is reserved for growing oats."

Scootaloo looked around at tilled and planted rows; whatever magic was supposed to make the trees grow hadn’t happened. The Ponyville citizens that weren't finishing up the planting had crowded around the developing situation.

"No can-do, Miss Mayor," Applejack answered. "You see, we've got these trees here that are ready to produce at any time."

Diamond Tiara glanced behind them and stifled a giggle.

Looking up into the sky, Applejack called out, "Hit it, Fluttershy!"

"Okay," came the timid reply as a few dozen pegasi flew over with watering cans, raining on the rows of planted seeds.

“It will take trees, what, a few years to produce?” Diamond Tiara began. “We don’t have time to waste on...”

She was interrupted by magical lightning that made the very air feel alive with its presence as trees began shooting out of the ground. It made a splitting sound and dirt showered through the air, retreating from the rapid growth. The seeds sprang up into full grown trees in a flash one by one, right before all of them. Cheering erupted from the citizens of Ponyville, and Diamond Tiara's mouth dropped open in complete shock. She wasn’t laughing now. For Scootaloo, this was an incredibly satisfying moment. The mayor so often had the last word; it was nice to see her flummoxed for a change. As the pegasi made the end of the field, the trees all grew up in place, there had to be hundreds of them.

"You!" Diamond Tiara spat as she turned to Scootaloo. "You're EUP! Where are my soldiers? Where is the detail that was promised to be out here this morning?"

Scootaloo hadn't considered where the soldiers might be; she had assumed that they were on their way even now. Shrugging, she replied, "I honestly have no idea."

"Well, don't just stand there! Go and find General Mane Crusher. I demand an explanation!" Diamond Tiara fumed.

"First of all, I don't take orders from you. Besides, my squad and I are on medical leave.”

"Mind your tone!" one of Diamond Tiara's guards snapped.

"Seriously?" Scootaloo yawned back. "If it's zap apples or oats, what difference does it make to you as long as ponies are getting fed? It's not like there isn't plenty of land around Ponyville that's good for farming."

“I’ll thank you to keep your opinions to yourself. You're practically still a child," Diamond Tiara seethed as she stared directly at Scootaloo's lack of a cutie mark. "What would you know about anything?"

Scootaloo took one step forward as a rage kindled inside her. She felt Sparklefly's hoof gently on her shoulder. Looking left at her, Sparklefly was shaking her head and whispered, "She's not worth it."

"Ponies all over Equestria are starving," Diamond Tiara continued. "I am part of a coordinated effort to generate more food as quickly as possible to help feed everypony."

"Now how in the hay are we supposed to think we're not helping that effort?" Applejack asked. "Half the town just pitched in and we now have hundreds of zap apple trees, ready to feed us all. If you’re bent on using the apple orchard, there’s lots more of it to grow your oats.”

"Just under three-hundred trees by my count," Sparklefly added.

"And just when are these supposed to produce?" Diamond Tiara retorted, growing hostile. "Does anypony even know? They're magic. They only bloom when they want to. I'm sorry, but we need the entire orchard to accomplish our goal; you've all wasted your time. Remove these trees at once."

It was all Scootaloo could do to rein in her anger that was growing steadily to a boil.

"Easy, Serg... LT,” Lightning Dasher whispered.

"You've got this, LT, don't give her the satisfaction," LD agreed. They were both apparently concerned at Scootaloo's increasing frustration.

"How's that now?" Applejack asked.

"I said you have to remove these trees immediately," Diamond Tiara repeated with feigned calm.

"Yeah, that ain't gonna happen!" Applejack said defiantly.

"This order was written by the Princess herself," the mayor insisted.

"Don't you princess me," Applejack cut her off. "Everypony here knows that my friend Twilight would never give you Sweet Apple Acres for any reason.”

Diamond Tiara stomped forward savagely right up until she was face to face with Applejack. Scootaloo felt her whole body tense up as the mayor issued words like venom. Had she not been standing so close, Scootaloo would not have been able to hear.

"This is my town! I swear to Celestia, I will bury you if you don't take these trees down."

Applejack put her hoof against Diamond Tiara's shoulder, giving her the most gentle nudge, "Go home, miss mayor."

Diamond Tiara dramatically threw herself back on the ground screaming. Rolling back, she cried out, "She attacked me! Arrest her!"

The look on Applejack's face was utter confusion. Scootaloo's eyes darted from Applejack, to the crowd of citizens whose eyes were wide with terror, to the mayor, and then to her goons on the Ponyville Guard, which were now rapidly approaching Applejack. Now the soldier had had enough.

Scootaloo darted forward, shouting to her squad, “Defensive line on me!"

Scootaloo, LD, Lightning Dasher, and Sparklefly shot in between Applejack and the ten incoming Ponyville Guards with such speed that Diamond Tiara’s brutes hesitated.

"Hold here! They do not pass us," she ordered her squad.

"What are you doing?" Diamond Tiara shouted. "She attacked me, and she's under arrest!”

"Now I did no such thing and you know it!" Applejack objected.

"Stay where you are, Applejack," Scootaloo commanded, her voice flooded with a strange power. Applejack froze in place. Turning back to the mayor, Scootaloo said, "If you want to arrest her, you have to go through us."

Diamond Tiara laughed, standing up again. "If you hadn't noticed, there are only four of you."

That was true. It would be four against ten. The four were injured from cuts to sprains and fractures, and Scootaloo would much have preferred to have armor and weapons. However, she did know that they possessed one thing that the ten didn’t: combat experience.

"Yes, there are four, so I recommend you withdraw before your goons get hurt," Scootaloo spoke defiantly. "On my authority in her majesty's EUP, I order you and your stallions to leave Sweet Apple Acres immediately."

Turning to her town guards, Diamond Tiara said, "Arrest all five of them."

The guards did not hesitate this time, they bolted straight at Scootaloo's position. They weren't in any particular formation, and Scootaloo let out a cry, charging directly toward them. Followed closely by her squad, she met them head-on. Holding her sprained right hoof close, she clubbed one in the face with her left, and Sparklefly crossed and tackled one that was rushing up on her right. LD jumped, and with a short flutter of his wings leapt over Scootaloo, dropping on another of the mayor's stallions. Lightning Dasher cut off one that had tried to go around them at Applejack. His fractured leg wasn't slowing him down too much. Scootaloo turned and was just able to duck under what would have been a nasty blow to the face. Pivoting on her good front hoof, she let go kicks into two of their assailants with her hind legs, knocking one back and dropping the other one with blood gushing from his nose. In that moment that she was turned, she saw Sparklefly take a kick in the ribs; she twisted, grabbing around the fore hooves of her attacker and threw him on the ground. As he tried to get up, she kicked him in the face and then sprang backwards. Scootaloo rounded on another one, taking a glancing blow off the top of her head. It hurt, but she maintained her focus, pushed into him, stomping on his hoof. LD darted behind him, tripping the stallion as Scootaloo pushed him back. Lighting Dasher came out of nowhere and sacked another one. It was a full-on brawl, but it was actually over in less than two minutes. As the dust settled, eleven ponies were on the ground, and four remained standing. Scootaloo’s eyes scanned for threats as her breath heaved in an out. Adrenaline surged through the mare, chasing away the sleepiness and making her feel powerful. It was then that she realized that eleven ponies were on the ground.

Diamond Tiara moaned, "You crazy blank-flank! You've crossed the line now."

Scootaloo almost felt as if she were going mad. She knew that Diamond Tiara hadn't charged in with her goons, but there she was, laying near them in the dirt.

"Get up you big faker!” Java Chip yelled at the mayor.

"You're all going to pay for this," Diamond Tiara said as she got to her hooves and galloped away.

The other ten were all groggily standing back up and stumbling after her. Their fancy uniforms were all soiled, wrinkled, and bloody now.

"Serves y'all right!" Apple Bloom taunted them as they left.

Scootaloo held up a hoof to silence her. Looking around, she realized that the crowd had largely dispersed in the few minutes since the mayor had arrived. Scootaloo's anger was subsiding, and she let out a long sigh. As often follows in the wake of such an outburst, a certain remorseful reflection overcame her. Considering the likely consequences of this turn of events, she wished that her rage hadn't taken a hold of her now.

"Sparklefly; you're in command until I return. Do not allow the mayor or any of her guards back on this farm.” Scootaloo ordered. “Is that understood?"

"Yes ma'am; completely," Sparklefly answered.

"I'm going to find Brax and report this," Scootaloo said uneasily, the potential ramifications of her actions now sinking in. She paused a moment, exchanging nervous glances with the rest of her squad, "Hopefully I didn't just get us all court-martialed.”

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