The Ponyville Skirmish
The cabin of the shuttle shook as the craft lumbered through the Equestrian airspace, its belly filled to the brim with warrior and pony alike. With every foreign noise and rattle came uneasy stares and worried looks. At the controls, Kad and his newly-appointed cyan co-pilot, Rainbow Dash, kept the hulk sailing towards Ponyville’s general location.
Kad was impressed with how quickly the young Pegasus was picking up the craft’s controls. Her love of speed and flight made him wonder what it would take to get her behind the stick of a star-fighter. It would probably take quite a few thousand credits worth of alterations to the controls to make the ship work for her. A thought then entered his mind: maybe it would be cheaper to alter the pilot, in the long run. This was something he would have to talk to Torb and Zex about if they survived this whole thing.
“Ponyville, dead-ahead Cap!” Rainbow proudly declared as the tiny village came into view. Her words were met with audible sighs of relief from her fellow Equestrians.
“Good to see it’s still in one piece,” Kad commented as he switched control of the ship back to him, “I’ll see if I can bring us down near the edge of town an-“ He paused as he double-checked a few instruments, “Well, that ain’t good…”
“What is it now?” Twilight asked with a noted tone of annoyance in her voice.
“Oh, nothin’ we can’t handle; just might have to reach the ground without the ship is all.” Kad stated calmly.
“Is crashing ships some kind of theme for you?” The purple Unicorn snidely asked.
“Hey, this sort’a stuff never happened till we picked that one up,” Kad stated with an accusing finger pointed at the Private, “I want whatever dark pact you went an’ made broken before ya get us killed Private!”
Arkanna hung his head dejectedly with a sigh, “Yes sir, sorry sir, it won’t happen again sir.”
Rainbow’s attention was riveted to the ground below, her sharp eyes followed beams of energy flying back and forth across the town, “Cap, it looks like there’s a fight going on down there, and it’s pretty one-sided.”
“Let’s see if we can’t even the odds,” Kad pulled his helmet on before setting the autopilot, “Buckets on folks, we’re gonna hit the ground runnin’ hot an’ heavy. Traycn, pop the hatch, lets’ see how they like a good ol’-fashioned Mandalorian air drop!”
The one armed Taung slammed his fist into the emergency release button on the side of the rear hatch. A loud metallic grinding sound filled the air, followed by a loud pop and then a bang. With little else in the form of warning, the ship began to shudder as it started taking a sharp downward tilt towards the ground, “Uh-oh.”
“What do you mean uh-oh; there should be no uh-ohs!” Twilight’s voice began to crack with panic as she wrapped her forelimbs around the nearest solid object to keep herself level.
“This is turning out to be one of THOSE missions.” Zex grumbled as he slipped on his helmet.
“I don’t know what you’re complainin’ about doc, I can’t get enough of this osik!” Kell happily called out with an excited yell over the chaos.
Despite rumors of incompetence and talks of a lacking in organization, the Mayor of Ponyville was in truth a rather enterprising mare. For years she had managed to get herself re-elected several times over. Every smear campaign her competitors had run to bring her down had ended in failure.
The upcoming attack on her beloved town was a frightening concept but it was also a chance to pad the poles. Elections were coming up in a few months and what better way to cement herself as an unwavering pillar of the community than to remain behind “selflessly”. All she had to do was come out of all of this alive and she was guaranteed to keep her office.
Very quickly, though, she was reminded of Ponyville’s curse. For all the tiny town’s good qualities, it also constantly took center-stage whenever the strange and otherwise crazy or creepy befell Equestria. It was one of the reasons not many ponies ever really wanted the job. This curse became all too clear as a metal hulk tore its way through the wooden walls of her office and came to a screeching halt in front of her desk.
Dust and dirt filled the air as everything slowly settled around the mare. Any normal pony would be cowering for their lives, at this point. After surviving both the return of Nightmare Moon and Discord, and now an invasion of alien warriors that wanted nothing more than to burn her town to the ground, she had understandably become rather desensitized to the strange and unusual. With a loud “THOOMP” and the battle cry of “KARATE!” a sizable chunk of the spaceship’s side suddenly exploded outward, followed by a contingent of armored aliens and ponies.
“I freaking love this leg!” Kell cheered out as the armored plates of his mechanical limb shifted back into place.
The Mandalorians and Ponies alike came to a stop as they all finally noticed the office mare sitting behind the desk, staring emotionlessly at the shuttle parked in the middle of the room, “Oh wow, uh, real sorry ‘bout that ma’am,” Kad stated, “I’m sure we can fix all… of… this…” He slowly trailed off as she reached into her desk and produced a tall bottle of dark brown liquid. With no hesitation or words, she tore the cap off and began drinking down the contents furiously, “Ya know what, this is probably a bad time; we’ll get back at ya later.”
Picking their way through the wreckage, the team made its way outside through the crumbling hole that used to be the front door. Outside they watched the dwindling number of defenders continue their desperate holdout against Deathwatch.
Torb looked out over the growing violence tearing across the small village. His mind quickly began to pick apart the situation and began formulating plans, “Captain, it appears the Deathwatch have a clear division in their ranks. We need to move quickly and take advantage of this schism.”
“You’re the tactical expert, Torb,” Kad stated as he took the saber hilt from his hip, “You got the call.”
“Fighting is thickest at the center of the town,” Torb stated as he motioned over the scenario, “I suggest sending Traycn to assault their right flank and carve towards their heart whilst you head through the left. Meanwhile Kell and Cadet Rainbow Dash will take to the rooftops and provide fire support and engage their airborne troops. The rest of us will head to the center to provide direct support.”
Igniting his saber Kad motioned to the rest of the team, “You heard the man, Epsilon; move out an’ make some noise!”
The scent of fresh backed cakes, muffins, cupcakes and other baked goods were normally what one would expect to be greeted with in Sugarcube Corner. Today was anything but normal, however, as blaster bolts continued to cut apart the air inside the small building. The smell of burnt wood and ozone strangled the sweet smells away as debris rained around the pair of Deathwatch defectors and the pink mare.
“How much ammo do these guys have!?” Yazan called out over the sounds of blasting.
Mackers crawled his way through the exploding bakery to Pinkie’s side, “Pie, does this place have a back door?”
“Well yeah,” she blurted out over the fracas, “Most places have a back door when they put in a front door, especially a bakery. I mean how else do you think we get all the baking supplies in? Not the front door because then we’d have to get around the display counter and that would just be an inconvenience. But I guess that doesn’t matter now since it’s pretty much getting destroyed ag-,“ She was finally quieted down when Mackers grabbing her by the snout firmly. How can anyone talk that much during this kind of situation?
“Okay, thank you, I get the gist of it!” He glanced over his shoulder at Yazan before looking back to her and leveling her gaze with his eyes behind the visor, “I want you to listen to me Ms. Pie, very carefully. When I give you the signal I want you to run out that back door and keep running. Do not stop running and do not look back, do you understand me? DO NOT LOOK BACK.”
She blinked in confusion before pulling herself out of his grip, “Okay great, but what about you two?”
The pair shared a look before Yazan answered her, “Doesn’t matter, we knew the risks.”
Like a bag of flower to the head it quickly hit her and hit hard, “Wait, but if you guys stay here- *GASP* No no no no no, you two don’t need to do that!”
“Pie, this is not a discussion,” Mackers shouted at her, taking her by the back of the mane to keep her eyes on his visor, “Now on the count of three, you run for it!”
Her frantic pleading fell on deaf ears as the two of them braced themselves to rush the entrance of the bakery, “Pie, three!” Mackers yelled out as the pair of them jumped what was left of the counter ready to run through the blaster bolts. Something was different though, “Not to complain but, why’d they stop firing on us?”
The three of them stared confused at the front door of the bakery as the sounds of something new filled the air. A buzzing hum rang out alongside the sounds of blaster fire and yelling. Cautiously, the trio slowly approached the front of the store, Mackers and Yazan kept their rifles at their shoulders, ready for whatever was out there. Suddenly, a body flew through the remnants of the front window, scattering what little glass still clung to the structure. Landing at their feet, a still-smoking gash stretched across his torso, the metal plates of his armor still glowed from the extreme heat.
Pinkie recoiled in revulsion at the sight of the body before them, “He doesn’t look so good…” She muttered out as she carefully avoided the corpse.
Mackers slowly took a step towards the door, “Hey uh, whoever you are, just a heads up! We’re part of the group trying to save the town so, please don’t Jedi us!” He called out.
A quick burst from his jet pack helped give Kell the propulsion he needed to reach the rooftops of Ponyville. A few more quick leaps and short term bursts helped him reach a high enough perch that he had a good view all around of the town. He unslung his beloved weapon of choice and laid himself out on his stomach to steady his aim. Staring down the scope across the town, he paid little mind to the swift breeze that brought his partner for this operation beside him.
“So, you ready for this, chekar?” He asked playfully not taking his eyes from the scope.
With a sigh the Pegasus looked out over the town before her, anger swelling up in her breast, “Does it matter? We can’t just let these punks have the run of the town, can we?” Rainbow demanded as she reached under her wing to remove the vibro-knife from her belt. Gripping it tightly in her teeth, she hit the triggering device once to confirm it still worked. The loud hum of the sonic vibrations brought a feeling of satisfaction to her.
Behind his visor Kell smirked from ear to ear, “A good answer, evaar’la verd,” He muttered as he zeroed in on a target from behind his scope. Drawing a bead on one of the troopers rocketing over the village, his mind quickly ran through all the calculations before squeezing the trigger. With a quiet “vwip” a blaster bolt fired from the weapon and cut down range till it struck the target dead center in his chest.
Sparks flew from the troopers’ chest plate as the blaster bolt pierced through his armor and tore him out of the sky. The limp form zoomed about the air for a moment before slamming into the ground with a small explosion from his jetpack rupturing, “Now get out there before I take all the glory.” Kell happily challenged the mare.
Biting down hard on her weapon’s hilt, Rainbow Dash summoned every bit of courage she had and launched herself into the sky. Zipping through the air, she homed in on one unsuspecting soldier, and could see those eyes again; she had to shut them out, erase her mind of that. She couldn’t allow herself to falter; not now, not this close to the enemy.
Her weapon hummed to life as she made a tearing dash past her target. She felt the all-too-familiar drag of the blade as it cut through what material dared stay in its path. The metallic scent of blood and the cry of surprise assaulted her senses once more. Dash bit down harder on the weapon in her mouth and focused on the adrenalin pumping through her veins. She continued to scold herself; pointing out she didn’t have time to throw up again.
This distraction would have cost Rainbow Dash her life. As she watched the dead trooper tumble to the ground with a jagged, deep cut through his neck, another flew in behind her to take revenge for his fallen comrade. His weapon raised and ready to end the Pegasi’s life, until a sparking flash crashed violently into the side of his head. Over the comlink in her visor band she could hear Kell’s happy chuckle, “Watch your sheb out there, chekar; wouldn’t wanna lose a valuable verd in the making like you.”
A smile crept across his face as he let another bolt fly, striking an unaware trooper in the neck, “You should move your jets by the way; already two kills ahead of ya!” Kell called her out over the com.
Killing turned into a competition? The idea churned Rainbows’ stomach, but then again; if there was one thing the Pegasus hated, it was losing. This gave her something to focus on though; this gave her thoughts and motivations that felt less grim, “Not for long, Staff Sergeant!” She shouted back over the comlink.
Torb led the charge into the heart of the town. Blaster pistol in hand, he fired several shots into the sizable crowd of attackers as his team made their way into the pitched battle. A playful smirk crossed the Chiss’ face as his heart and mind raced to face this test of his strategic prowess. Diving for cover, he took little hesitation in shouting out orders, “Zex, Shy, see to the wounded! Twilight, Arkanna, move up to provide fire support!”
Tolik and Gallant shared a thankful smirk as it seemed help, beyond all logic and reason, had actually arrived, “Damn fine timing, eh burc’ya?” The Mandalorian chuckled.
“Damn fine indeed,” His Unicorn counterpart replied.
Zex grabbed the nearest downed man he saw that still registered some kind of life signs on his HUD. The programmed medical interface began diagnosing the Trooper’s condition as the medic dragged him out of the line of fire and behind a rather ornate-looking statue of a horned Pegasus. The structure immediately brought the image of Luna to mind.
Pulling the young man’s helmet off, he quickly applied a shot of pain killer to the side of his neck, “Just hold on, guy…” He shut out the confused whimpers from the younger soldier as he went on about being sorry for some sin or another, “Knock off the blubbering kid, try and act like a Mandalorian.” He scolded him as he found the blaster wound to his side, “You don’t want to survive this scratch and then have all your friends hear about how you cried, do you?”
To his side he saw the timid Pegasus pulling a man out of the fray and behind a nearby building. Pulling his helmet off, she began running through all the first aid she’d learned from both Zex and her years of tending to the forest critters. Reluctantly, the jaded medical officer had to admit she was doing rather well.
Twilight bit back a few choice words as she found herself once again forced to use her magic in ways her teacher had never intended, while trying not to get killed. Her eyes nailed shut in concentration as she focused her powers on a pair of troopers dug in deeply ahead of her. In a flash of violet, a shockwave rippled from her horn, expanding quickly into a massive tear of energy that tore across the battlefield. Its strike shredded the would-be barricade and sent them hurtling through the air.
She let out a gasp as she saw the destruction she had caused to the building beside them: The side wall had crumbled and shattered into dust from the force of the blow. A cold shiver inched its way up her spine as she started to realize just what her powers could potentially cause. Her train of thought was derailed, however, when a hard metal shoulder slammed into her from the alley beside her. Twilight found herself sprawling along the dirt road till she was pinned tightly to the ground by a Deathwatch trooper. Her eyes went wide in fear as a jagged curved blade sprang from his gauntlet raised and ready to strike.
“Parjai Kyr’tsad!” The trooper yelled out as his arm descended to bring the blade into her neck. Twilight shut her eyes tightly and braced herself for what she was sure would be a rather painful death, but rather than the feeling of cold metal tearing into her fur and flesh or the sounds of her death throws, she heard a sudden and surprised “Urk!” as the weight of the soldier was yanked off of her.
Her eyes shot open quickly as she watched the trooper yanked off of her by a long length of rope around his arm. The momentum of his journey was brought to a sudden and unfortunate stop as the hard tug sent him propelling into a pair of orange hooves. They struck him forcefully in the side of the neck with a loud crack as his head began to hang at an unsettling angle. As his body went limp, Twilight quickly shifted her gaze to the all-too-familiar mare standing over the body with a look of contempt for the invader.
Twilight’s heart sang with joy at the sight of her friend, but before any kind of reunion could be had, a stray blaster bolt chose this moment to skim the surface her pauldron. She could feel the heat of the energy projectile as it skimmed her armor, passing through her protective underlay and making her fur stand on end. This quickly brought her back to one of the many lessons her recent time in combat had taught her, and she felt she needed to share with her comrade, “AppleJack, get to cover!” She shouted to the farmpony before diving behind something solid as well.
From the other side of the town, Kad and his newly-acquired pair of troopers and one pony carefully made their way through the alleyways and around homes. It was a slow progression to the center of town as they weeded their way through several of the Deathwatch Loyalists. Rounding a corner, Kad held his hand up for a halt as he switched on his com, “Need some eyes vod, how’re things lookin’?”
“Torb and the others are holding their own pretty well, all things considered,” Kell chirped casually, “Oh, watch your heads; Kablam, baby!”
From seemingly out of nowhere, an armor-clad form dropped from the sky, landing in front of them, a smoking hole in his chest. Their collective gazes shifted upwards to see a rainbow-tailed fighter engaging a pair of troopers held aloft via jet packs. Trails of fire mixed and mingled with colorful trails as the exchange heated up.
She may have lacked combat training and the firepower of her opponents, but Rainbow Dash had one major advantage she had no problem with exploiting. She was hundreds of times more maneuverable than any jet pack. Utilizing this, she allowed one trooper to get closer to her, keeping herself from moving in a straight line to avoid any blaster bolts. Once her opponent was close enough, the speedy Pegasus performed a swift looping maneuver that took him completely by surprise.
Before he could react, her hooves connected hard with his back and shoulders with all her force. Pushing all of her energy into her legs, Rainbow kicked off of her opponent, sending him into a sharp downward arch that sent him screaming into the ground. Beneath her a small explosion removed the enemy trooper from existence, causing her heart to skip a beat.
Her attention riveted on the final trooper when something from the ground caught her attention, “HEY, RAINBOW DASH!” Shock running up and down her spine, she quickly shifted her sight to the ground, spotting a bouncing ball of pink.
“Pinkie Pie,” She muttered from the blade still clenched in her teeth. This distraction was all he needed to squeeze a few shots off at the distracted Pegasus, and the bolts slammed hard into the thick plating Traycn had placed on her sides; however, the force and heat of the attack still registered with her clear as day. A gasp of pain escaped her as the shock of the assault knocked the fight out of her wings, sending her in a downward spiral towards the ground.
From wreckage of the town hall, Kell had watched the exchange from behind his scope, wincing as he saw her eat the attack with her side but completely unwilling to let this offence go unanswered. Lining his cross hairs up with the last of the air corps, he pulled his trigger back, letting loose a bolt of energy from his silenced rifle. The avenging bolt of energy burnt through the air till it slammed into the jet pack of his target. On the doomed soldier’s back, an unfortunate chain reaction took place as the armor-piercing energy bolt hit his fuel tank, consuming him in a ball of fire.
Kad watched her hurtle to the ground as she tumbled from the sky. Taking off in a dead run, the Mandalorian was able to close the gap with her as she fell head first, his waiting arms quickly grasping her as she fell into his chest rather than the dirt. A pained grunt escaped him as the wind left his lungs and the force of her impact threw him off balance, sending him to the ground.
“OH MY GOSH; RAINBOW DASH, ARE YOU OKAY!?” Pinkie was on the verge of hysterics as she ran to Kad and Dash’s side in a blur of speed.
Kad placed a hand on the top of her curly mane, “Udesii ad’ika, udesii,” He said in a calming tone as he fixed Rainbow’s position against him to let her see her friend’s condition, “She’s fine, just got the wind knocked out’a her is all.”
Dash began to stir as the pain in her side downgraded from a sharp, painful burning to a dull, lingering pain. Coughing as air forced itself back into her lungs, she looked up to see both Pinkie Pie and Kad’s familiar visor and helmet art, “Cap… I lost my knife…” She managed to force out in a pitiful tone.
With a snicker, he ruffled her mane before setting her back on her hooves, “We’ll find ya a new one, Cadet; now shake it off an’ get back in the fight.”
She had barely taken a step when the blue-eyed wall of pink wrapped itself around her neck tightly, “Dashie!” Pinkie squealed out as she squeezed her friend.
Rainbow ignored the clawing pain in her side as she forced a forelimb around her friend, “Hey Pinkie…” She grunted out, “I thought the town was evacuated; what’re you doing here?”
She let out a happy giggle as she took a step back, “Oh, that’s a long story,” She said waving her hoof dismissively, “What about you and the goofy new get-up,” She asked poking one of her armor plates, “Are Twilight and Fluttershy with you too?”
A wry smile crossed the Pegasus’s muzzle, “Yeah, they’re here, too; I’ll explain everything after we finish saving Ponyville for the ten-millionth time.” She said with an exaggerated grin and eye roll.
“Cadet Dash,”
Kad’s commanding tone caused her to make a quick about face and straighten her posture as her side burned in protest, “Sir!”
“Last of the fightin’ is at the center’a town,” He informed her, “If you’re done restin’ your sheb, we got’a siege to break!”
Giving a quick salute with her forelimb, a fire of pride ignited in her chest to burn away the throbbing she felt, “It’d be a pleasure Cap!”
“Hey, chekar,” Kell’s voice rang out in her ear from the comlink, “I’m still two ahead of ya.” He snickered at her from his sniper’s perch.
The Deathwatch Major watched as the last of his men fell to the renewed defenders, “Fall back, fall back!” He yelled out over his com as he let loose bolt after bolt from his pistol. Turning to make a quick escape, he found himself staring into a wall of singed red metal.
With a smirk, Traycn took the Major by his arm, massive digits encasing his hand and weapon with ease. The sound of painful screaming and crushing bone created a crescendo that teased happily at the warrior’s ears. Feeling less and less pity for this coward who would choose to run and live rather than stand and fight till the death, he hoisted him by the broken appendage into the air. Much to his delight, this action caused the screaming to become all the more elevated in pitch and volume.
“Sergeant,” Torb’s voice rang out over the cursing and screaming, “The fight is ours, and it would seem you have caught quite the prize.”
With a proud grin he dangled the Major in front his comrade, “My prowess as a hunter is unquestionable!”
“Kill me, I won’t betray the Deathwatch!” He spat at them through the pain that vibrated over his body; from his crushed hand to his dislocated shoulder.
Torb made a slow and deliberate approach towards the Major as he slid off his helmet. The gleam of his cybernetic eye added another level of terror to the already wicked grin on his face, “That is why they call it ‘interrogation,’ my dear Major. No one ever intends to tell all their secrets. But you will.”
With a happy sigh, Kad watched as the blaster fire died down. Pulling his helmet off and latching it to his belt, he took in the scent of fresh air and lingering ozone as a warm breeze teased at his sweat-soaked brow. He watched as his Pony recruits happily reunited with their friends; it brought a bit of pride to the warrior’s heart, hearing their uplifted tones.
He had watched as Pinkie and Rainbow made a beeline for Fluttershy and Twilight as they entered the rubble of the village square. From around a building, he saw the last two of their group of six come running out to meet their friends, now that it was safe. He was impressed that Applejack and Rarity both seemed no worse for wear, despite the destruction around their town. A coy smile came to the Captain’s lips as he let them have their happy moment; the longer it lasted, the longer before he’d have to hear Twilight nag on and on about their blaster-charred town. It just wasn’t an Epsilon mission if there wasn’t massive property damage.
“From throwing me and my boys around like rag dolls with that sorcerer osik, to saving our shebs,” Tolik stated as he strolled towards Kad, holstering his pistol and removing his helmet, “Name’s Tolik, mighty fine timing, Captain.”
Kad grinned a bit at this statement, “Guess that makes us big damn heroes.”
“Either way, it was a fine rescue, Captain,” Gallant stated as he took Tolik’s side, “I prefer living to talk about a suicidal last stand, myself.”
“Now this right here; was one hell of a party!” Kell proclaimed happily as he entered the square, his rifle slung over his shoulder and helmet on his belt.
Tolik’s gaze narrowed on the sniper, “Mighty fine shooting, marksman; not too many that can hit a target using a jetpack.”
Kell gave a shrug, “What can I say, man? I’m kind of a big deal ya know-“
Tolik’s fist quickly caught Kell across the jaw knocking him to the ground. With no hesitation Kad, took the former Deathwatch soldier by the collar and ignited his saber, “You got a one chance to explain why you just did that.”
“This man killed a good friend of mine,” Tolik stated as he tightly clenched his fists. It took every inch of his self control to keep from risking the saber and leaping upon the marksman to beat him to death, “During the castle assault in the forest, report said a blaster bolt took him square in the forehead.” He growled out.
Kell wiped a bit of blood from his lip with a smirk, “It was a damn good shot, too.”
“Kell, ya ain’t helpin’ the situation.” Kad chastised his brother.
“Tolik, control yourself!” Gallant spat as he pulled him back with a touch of magic, “They just pulled our flanks out of the fire!”
Tolik looked back at his Equestrian comrade before returning to Kell, “Till this is over, I’ll fall in line. But eventually, you and I are settling this score.”
Kell let out a chuckle as he grinned through the pain in his jaw, “Looking forward to it.”
Kad shook his head as he watched Tolik and Gallant leave them. Turning to his brother he offered him a hand up off the ground, “You got a real talent for makein’ friends ya know that.”
Taking the hand, Kell hoisted himself off the ground and dusted himself off, “I’ve always been the popular one vod; you should be taking notes. So what’s our next move?”
Kad turned the situation over in his head, but there was something there, something nagging and burrowing beneath the surface, “Not too sure, I think I’mma take a minute or two, go knock on the sky an’ see who answers.”
Kell let out an annoyed sigh at this answer, “Really wish you’d rely more on your gut than that junk brother.”
“Ain’t steered us wrong yet,” He was quick to remind him with a slap on the shoulder, “Sides, never hurts to look at all the cards bein’ played.”
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Gotta love that mayor!
Least Mackers and his friend lived through it, did them tall as twins survive?
Damn AJ, you scary.
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static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/big_damn_heroes.jpg
Ain't they just?