Terror Puppet

by Windrunner

Travails

'

Keeping the ever nearing monster puppets at bay has become far more deadly as the heroic Ponyville defenders struggle to fend them off. Once in the town proper, fighting them will certainly become increasingly difficult. A running urban battle is well-known to be one of the most terrible forms of warfare even long past the last recorded incident. Approaching horrors grind down the wills of wearied fighters. The addition of pegasi to ground forces has added some much needed power to the defenses. Defenses which could very easily be overwhelmed with a solid push. A push the enemy will attempt.

The dead minutes continue to fall off the clock, one by one. Leading to those minutes never passing. Feeling like they are entombed in this instant. The ponies harried defensive line holds, just barely. The stubborn defenders refuse to collapse in the face of this onslaught. No matter the horrors which make themselves known, they continue to fight and resist. This is a battle of multiple dimensions, of thoughts, feelings. That which is physical is almost an afterthought to the devastation being wrought. Some imagined slight or real reasoning behind it all? It doesn't matter. What matters is the reality of it. The battle is here and it is no bad dream to dispel. It is indeed, here. There is no escape from it.

These defenses were not weak or hastily erected. The invaders army is merely in control of enough power to keep pressing forward. Costs are of no consequence to the bestringed puppet throngs encroaching ever closer step by clattering step. They do not talk, they do not scream as the living. They only attack and keep on doing so until unable to continue. An assault of dead flesh and carved wood imbued with some semblance of unlife. No, they do not live. There are no souls encased within. Nothing more than puppets that somehow carry enough force to slay those in front. A few even deadlier than the rest, these nailed and sanded mimics of the living. Their intent clouded but somehow clear. Destroy.

Spitfire currently leads a roaming defensive action, but ground is slowly being lost as the seemingly endless horde of demented constructions marches ever closer. Mere moments from invading long-held territory never fought over before. Some new infernal thing has breached the front line in secret, but its presence is felt by all. Any moment now some terrifically awful thing will reveal itself. Every single soldier and support knows it is so. That feeling is beyond awful. Not the same as before. This is not death, but some equal in terror. A sinking sensation that cannot be quelled. There is no shield that can hold emotions and feelings in check, no mirror of truth to turn the horror on itself as in some fairy story.

A passing shudder goes through everyone present within the town confines. One of their grand alicorn rulers is injured, but still standing. Luna survived once. It may be enough for now. So long as even one remains there is that spark of a chance. Chance that things will turn out alright. That fortune may allow good to stand in triumph one more time over now blood-soaked fields, stained with the very life of so many. So much sacrifice already is hard to see and bear. A flowing feeling of guilt pervades the locale. A strong motivator to make things right somehow. Massive hurt and anger come from within that flowing feeling of pain and horror flooding past. Desperate actions are usually not the best course to take.

They are reactive and unsound in their very nature. For the moment such desperation has not taken hold despite mounting losses. It is so close. Strong and dangerous simply in existing. An existence unimagined to this very moment. Dark and horrible. Stark in relief to the light. Light that stands ready to fight until last breaths are taken. What quirk of fate has lead to this most disturbing moment? Why now? Is their enemy truly so intractable it may not be reasoned with in any capacity? Such anger and ferocity is unrivaled. To bring this about must only be true madness. A sort of absolute insanity has to stand behind this. What distantly alien logic would make sense of this otherwise?

To levy this much towards vengeance is far beyond the realms of most understanding. Such immeasurable depth of anger was heretofore unthinkable. To quench this kind of thirst may well be an impossibility. Whoever truly stands pressing for this capitulation of sanity and reason takes steps none other has ever dared. Be they standing upon hooves or otherwise, this can only end badly for all involved. This conclusion is clear. Outrageous fortune has dealt a horribly unfair blow to those who believe in righteous justice. There is in truth little hope to be found here. Hope which has been fleeting for far too long already. Victory now would still bring further pain and suffering. Is it all by design? This much despair?

Rainbow Dash is finding her squad under increasing pressure from all sides. Soon there will be no choice but to let slashing horrors enter the beleaguered town unchecked. Never in her life did she nor any other imagine being forced into such a battle with unending mysterious foes. They give little away and what is given only makes for more frustration. Whatever they face in truth is awful and hidden behind many layered destruction apparently pushed without reason. Does good and evil really face off here? That reasoning feels flawed. There is no doubt this is evil. What else could let loose such a horrendous blight to intrude on a mostly peaceful reality? A reality all felt was at last secured until mere days before now.

Forced to combat the remains of formerly living creatures is a vile act indeed. Unforgivable in severity. One immense danger is being followed so closely by another. Time is winding down towards some undefined moment, when some small decision or other will either save all or bring a swift end. The true battle here is one of willpower. The back and forth of false life, the dead and still living striking at each other. Whoever did this must be stopped here or all the world is lost. Agonizingly, there is no way to put an end to this right now. No one knows the how or why of it. Only that hope is slipping away with each near miss. Near a full thousand ponies and allies now lay dead or injured, withdrawn from the battle.

Far too often hurt guards are dragged from the battlefield by pegasi units. Despite an excess of caution, these losses are mounting by the hour. Some units have lost so many they must link up with others to remain capable of fighting in any capacity. This confusion of combat is taking a huge toll. Mentally. Physically. Still they push back. A fight with no clear conclusion in sight. Only horror. Out on the very brink of towns northwest outskirts this battle skims the very razors edge of untenable. Once within town combating this evil would take on entirely new dimensions. Their enemies know tactics and how to employ them as well. Such an even battle cannot be called. It is too close to hazard a guess. What is coming?

Something close. So close it can be felt. Nearing. Ready to bring something new and deadly into the fray. Even with all the death surrounding them, none can afford to let up the pressure or the town itself could be wiped out in some fraction of the time a second thought might be given. This battles every move is decisive. Enemy forces are now much too close to utilize the old siege weapons scrounged up. Their accuracy is simply not up to that task. A tremor in the air. This feeling of impending doom grows closer still. Creeping. Something big is once more about to occur. A feeling which only grows heavier and worse. As if time is slowing down around the would-be heroes of the hour, dragging by even more slowly.

If the intention of it is to make ponies flee in abject terror it fails to succeed. If anything it brings them and their honored friends to fight all the harder, seeking relief from this oppressive atmosphere imposed against their will and spirit. Soon it must break. A ghost is here, whatever is coming has grown steadily nearer with each slowly passing second. With it shall come more pain and death, surely. An inescapable certainty. A haunting, deadly thing is present. It is not like before, this feels somehow larger if not more powerful. Could anything even be more powerful than that horrible thing mimicking death? There can be no surety it was destroyed. It simply vanished in a cloud of combating powers.

It could not be counted as defeated. A clear victory would help morale. The intensity of battle is only increasing as guards engage in an ever more brutal fight. The momentary intent of their opposition is clear. Destroy everything in their path no matter how trivial it may be or seem. There is no other goal to achieve with this sort of action. Why they would want to level the town itself is just another question in an increasing pile of too few answers. What little information is at their disposal has mostly brought forth more of the same. Why and how? The scale of this simply has no precedent. The overview reveals this to be the very reverse of how such a battle would normally head. Something is wrong with it.

Without a desire for resources the only thing that can be possibly gained is submission, but this is not being sought. Only the complete annihilation of anything standing in front. This will to visit destruction on the far reaches of the countryside has no parallel in all recorded or distantly mumbled about history. To no recollection has there ever solely been the intent to crush everything to dust. What would be the point in doing so? This is a source of consternation to those facing these unforgiving odds. Why? Why do this? No mere battle, this is nothing other than a wave of insanity raining down upon them. Sheer and ever present pain. To go this far must have something more behind it?

The strain on the wearied guards is clear. Exhausted forces clash again and again with the increasing number of puppets. Keeping the constructs from flooding into the town will very soon be completely impossible. The lurching terrors just keep marching forward, and killing. All delaying tactics having been exhausted by what would otherwise be dawn of the fourth day approaches. If only it could be seen. Those delightful rays of first morning light are nowhere to be seen now. They grant no hope, hidden behind an impenetrable wall of clouds no pegasi can move nor even touch for fear of courting an agonizing end. Better to take their chances under the cloud cover. At least their enemies can be seen and fought here.

The deep hurt behind all of this has to be a special case. A yawning chasm measuring so vast it is nameless and untellable, clouded to perception itself. Clever defenses make for little when the opponent has no feelings to be hurt. Denting numbers does little more. These dead things have no remorse to stir nor guilt to stay them. All they do is march and march, and kill what does not destroy them in turn. In dark and emptiness only the screams portray what is truly out there. Not invulnerable nor invincible, these attackers are well-armed, acting as a very disciplined force. Many of the weapons came from the very capital of Canterlot itself. Terrible irony to add just that further layer of pain and disjointment.

Long hung as trophies and other bric-à-brac along the great castle walls. Now turned once more to the business of pain and terror instead of remaining hanging there like they should always have as a reminder of what lay far behind. Things that should have been left where they lay for all to see and not touch. Close and closer it is creeping. As though the very dark itself could keep secrets from the living. This seizing fear in the chest and heart tries to turn the tides without so much as a glimpse of the very real fact it is actually there. Present among the throng. So barely pressing the attack to keep them at bay, everyone wonders. Is this the moment? Is this the instant when that thin barrier of glass shatters and rains down?

Something else unexpected breaks the warm night air. Not the howl of some wayward banshee or other monster. A wailing scream of a far different sort. No, this is not some new horror come to gobble everybody up whole. It is a scream of hope and defiance. Somewhere out there in the dark a lonely whistle once more intrudes upon the scene. What is this? What can this be? Something good for once. Twilight looks up from her command platform to see off in the distance the source of this. The commander is informed. For the moment, hope returns once more.

"A Crystal Empire train!? Messenger, inform two pegasi squads to defend the station!" He orders and they fly like the wind itself to make this happen.

The train comes to a screeching squealing halt as fast as imaginable just short flying off the tracks, coming to offer salvation perhaps. Much to their surprise Twilight's brother himself steps forth, followed by a throng of heavily armed and armored crystal guards from every car. He issues a single command down the line of emerging ponies.

"Crystal Paladins! Hold bravery in your hearts. We are not here to be heroes. We are not here to win the day. We are here to uphold the value of life itself! Form up and reinforce any flagging squads, move out!" The order is given with a quick salute, conviction and an air of the absolute as though unstoppable.

The pegasi quickly count some five hundred added to their numbers. There is still hope after all. Quickly as possible he rushes to meet his beloved sister. Adorned in full battle gear leaves him as quite the sight. He and his guards in all purple armor gilded in gold and stars in relief. A large buckler shield strapped to their left forelegs and a multitude of preferred weapons over the other shoulder at the ready. They were ready to jump into the thick of battle.

"Shining Armor!?" Twilight could not help but spout. He looked grave.

"Twilight, I'm Sorry we took so long. I wanted to bring everypony I could outfit and ready." He was then quickly briefed.

"So that's the situation huh? So many dead. If I may offer, we have medical and combat supplies. Offload that and get the most seriously wounded on the train. They've done their part." Her brother was a most welcome sight.

"Shiny you.,.you shouldn't be here. What about Cadance? You have a wife, a family.." Twilight went to go on but he interrupted.

"As do many of these fine friends of ours laying out on the fields. I spoke to her about it at length as we prepared. She knows I may not return and accepts that. She knows." He huffed. Getting a bit teary-eyed.

He quickly wiped that away and turned to the commander.

"I can't say we aren't glad to see ya. Things are not exactly going the greatest here. We've been holding our own but it's getting close." He returned to conferring with advisers and strategists. This looked very bad.

"Where are the others? I thought they would likely all be around you." Shining asked. Her tense expression prompted a clearly pained Luna to speak, holding one of her legs up a bit awkwardly. It was easy to tell she'd seen some intense combat herself. He nearly winced at realizing that an alicorn had taken such injury.

"Rarity and Trixie were moved to a safe location having been taxed well beyond their limits. The use of magical items at such a high level was so far above their normal skill and power they were hurt greatly by the effort. Rarity the worst. The rest are engaged in battle in some capacity or other. All of them." Luna explained succinctly. He looked surprised.

"Trixie? I thought she was just.." This time it was his sisters turn to interrupt.

"Long story, she helped save my life. I'll explain later. If there is a later." She finished.

"Well, wonders never cease." He looked deep in thought. Out on the front lines the battle for Ponyville raged anew across the field, reinvigorated with the crystal paladins support. Rapidly informed how to attack these enemies, fresh new unicorns firing off spells at pace were a most welcome addition. The clang of metal on metal as weapons met shields and the crackling sizzle of blasting magic lent new urgency and vigor to the defenses. They may not be able to go on the offensive, but there was once again a the tiniest chance of victory here. The heavy armor was a most happy addition. Full crested enchanted chestplates offered much more protection than most others. They could still be pierced.

For the moment that feeling of impending doom subsided. Perhaps it was only imagined this whole time. These forces sudden appearance on the battlefield was likely unexpected this late into the fray and may have thrown the enemies plans into muddled disarray. It could be hoped. If this was the case it did not show much or at all. They fought as ever, slowly adjusting tactics to deal with the presence of more heavily armored ponies. Whatever happened, they still stood up to the elites. There must be great experience behind them. That was clear from the start, made far more stark now. The real will behind this knows how to inflict damage of every sort.

Fending off an enemy of equal power often hinges more on intelligence than simple numbers and battle power alone, but given that was also equal leads only towards greatly extending the fight. A situation not to be wished for. There was now little choice but to carry on and try to reach some tipping point. Some moment of incident or accident. To make a lunge for some minute crack in strategy that would grant reprieve and a stab at true victory. A moment like this had not revealed itself as no moment like this ever makes itself apparent lightly. This was truly becoming a battle of epic proportions. The slightest miscalculation could lead straight to disaster.

"You have this under control so far. I will go lend aid to the weakest part of the line." Shining prepared as best he could. Celestia and Twilight both gave him a rundown of what worked so far. It was all they could offer.

"Be ever on your guard. We know there are still more and worse things out there in the dark. One of my night guards will escort you there. Stay alive." Luna chimed in and bid. It was the most odd feeling to hear that from her of all ponies.

"I will. Good luck." He galloped off behind the lone night guard to join the rest of his forces, looking back to the three with an odd sensation in his heart and gut. He shook it off.

The constant din, the clash of steel and magic of all sorts flying every direction could at best be described as disorienting. A maelstrom of sensory overload. Battle in the truest sense of the term. Only a supremely concentrated effort to keep squads fighting coherently in some semblance of organization was holding them together. It would be too much asking for a break in the action now. The great shield was long gone. Emplacing another was out of the question. It would take far too much time and power only to be destroyed again anyway, despite the relief that might provide it could not be done. Repeating the same tactic might also prove useless anyway.

Hours slip past as strength wanes and stamina drops. Exhausted ponies being forced inexorably backwards. For some there is no other option but to retreat far away and rest. No further relief or aid will be coming. The interminable darkness is certainly no help. The flashing flicker of magics all around serves only to highlight how disturbing the things they face really are. Twisted caricatures of animals, ponies, griffons and others strung up in that sickening way. The more recent corpses are the worst of all to face. Some were reporting becoming ill facing and fighting them. The real bodies mostly hit harder in every way. Their weapons strike heavier, hurt more.

Add another new layer of misery to top it all. Some wounds are grievous, far beyond terrible and seemingly resistant at varying degrees to nearly all forms of healing whether magical or not. There appears to be no limit to the travesties being visited upon them. A menace this unhinged would stop at nothing. Nothing is too squalid or disgusting for them to sink towards doing. Is there really no end to their depravity? Once more the fight has become too even. Almost a stalemate, but that cannot last. The pegasi also need rest periodically, no matter how well trained or disciplined, how steeled the will. One has to rest. Then something new walks to the fore. Something unusual. Something bad. A hulking figure.

"Now what? Lieutenant, is that what I think it is out in that direction?" One of the defending captains asked as he helped knock down yet another puppets strings.

"I'm afraid so, sir. That's a minotaur alright. No mistaking" His superior sighed heavily hearing that, perking his ears and gave orders to the others in the group.

"Great. Just wonderful! Listen up! Focus on that thing. Swarm it. We have to bring that one down right now or it will mean serious trouble for all of us." They all went straight for it. Some of them were immediately bashed away.

It swung an enormous club past the rest. Nearly a whole tree in comparison to the ponies. Two of the guards may have been killed by that one swipe alone. They lay upon the ground unmoving.

"Squad, get it together! This isn't the time to be making errors like that. Now get firing!" The captain gruffly stated. The rest started taking quick circling magical potshots at it. Getting too close to that one could easily lead to a quick death. It was slow, ponderous even, but it was dangerous. Without warning it picked up one of the other puppets and threw the wicked thing directly at the circling fighters.

"Look o.." Another was gone in that instant. He hit the ground and was silent. The shock was almost too much.

"Take care of that and keep firing!" The captain once more urged. It could almost be imagined this lumbering thing was angered by its inability to strike them directly. That did not make any sense of course. Puppets have no emotions to hurt. It was only doing what it was bidden to do.

"What is it trying to do now?" One of them yelled out as it took hold of the club by both ends, immediately sending it sailing into another circling guards helmet. Her helmet landed with a terrible clang. She landed at an odd angle, eyes agape.

She was gone. Other puppets were moving in to support it now, forcing them to circle closer. Too close.

"Sir, this thing is picking us apart!" The lieutenant was correct in his assessment.

"We have to stop it now. Got to s..gahg" As the captain went to say something the puppeted minotaur picked up a large rock and sent it flying through the air straight into the captains face, making him crumple to the ground. The aim was perfect. They'd been taking losses here and there all day long. These added much more hurt and sorrow to that number.

"Capt.." The minotaur swung widely, knocking yet another pony to the ground. Likely dead. The whole squad was gone.

The lieutenant was all that remained. He was sure of it. It was all so fast. How could he stop this thing by himself? He fired off a flare calling for immediate aid. This section of the front line was a shambles. He could only hope someone would come. He was just out of range for now. It was not going to be enough.

"You killed my captain, my squad. Bring it!" For the slightest instant he imagined there was some reaction to that. It must only be imagination. The true reality, this thing designed for murder would end his life next and set about doing exactly that. Giving it the faintest opening was enough with this one. A little faster, stronger than the rest.

"Come on. I just need to stall it long enough. Somepony will come. Someone will come." He thought to himself as he backed away, firing off wild shots from his horn at the puppets strings. He was being unnerved as it relentlessly strode towards him. Each shot went wide doing no damage. Engaging in close combat with that thing would mean certain death. A shocking incident happened at this instant. The captain he'd thought certainly dead leaped from behind and wrapped his forehooves around the strings, making it stumble about like an out of control bull. His one eye was gone, bleeding profusely. The guard was stunned.

"Now what did I tell you? Ya aren't going to give up that easily are you? Now be quick and accurate lieutenant. I can't hold this for long. Go for it!" This would be the captains final order.

"Yes, sir." The lieutenant summoned up every last ounce of power he could muster and blasted away at those strings granting motion to this horror. They were severed. As it slumped to the ground the captain fell back hard. It was obvious he was dead. Somehow he'd forced himself to live just long enough to help take this puppet out. The lieutenant teared up and gave a quick salute.

"Thank you, captain. Thanks, all of you." He turned and ran seeking anything living. A few moments later he found a squad heading straight for his location. Someone was coming after all. Seeing his armor patch their captain asked.

"Where is the rest of squad 12, soldier?" They already knew something was wrong from the flare. He hung his head.

"I..am squad 12, sir." He coughed heavily as he spoke and started crying despite his best efforts not to.

"I see. I'm sorry. I won't ask you to pull yourself together. Run for medical and get checked out, ya hear?" He put a hoof on his shoulder and looked him square in the eye.

"I know you did a fine job, whatever it was. Now go." He ordered. The lieutenant sprinted for town in a haze of regret and sorrow. Their entire squad lasted until today, just to be cut down like so much grass? This hurt so badly in every conceivable way. He was the last one. It was sinking in they were all gone. Every last one. All but him.

"We were supposed to be some of the best, weren't we!?" He scoffed at himself. The best? What a joke.

"We got killed by a few pieces of wood and a rock!" He kicked the ground angrily, almost tripping himself in the process. coming to a halt he sobbed heavily a few times. Somepony was walking out of the medical area. A soft calm voice called.

"Oh my..you don't look so good. Are you hurt?" A yellow-coated pegasus wearing a nurses hat and with a bunny on her back asked. The tears subsided a bit.

"I think I'm..broken." He managed to stammer out.

"There there, come with me alright? We'll get you all cleaned up." She gave a gentle smile. That sounded good.

"Yes, okay." With his mind reeling from the shock of it all he let her lead him to a treatment area where she began to remove his light armor. He just stood there blankly as she started brushing out his mane and coat gently.

"I've seen more like you here ya know." She said quietly. What was that? He turned his head.

"What, like me?" He blinked, feeling confused.

"Relax. It's okay. It's just that expression on your muzzle. Everyone is trying so hard. It's too much. I couldn't even stay with my friends because of it. I wanted to help, but I'm back here instead. I feel like such a coward." She was so gentle about everything. He finally noticed her cutie mark and it struck who she was.

"Fluttershy? But, you've been right there at the front of so many things. You must be a brave one." He managed to say.

"Brave? I don't know. I just can't let my friends down. I have to be there for them in some way, but this time I just.." Did she just squeak?

"Listen, that sounds pretty brave to me. I just ran off crying like a little foal. Me. A royal guard. What am I doing? Stupid, stupid.." He trailed off. Fluttershy reached out, bringing him into a tight hug and he gasped.

"Shh now. I'm sure you did your best or you wouldn't be here, right?" Such a gentle caring mare.

"I..thank you." He trembled and held to her tightly for a long moment before letting go.

"We need to get you into a bed immediately. You need rest. We've been told to use any house or building around here so there is definitely somewhere you can sleep." She looked very concerned for him as she spoke.

"I don't think I can sleep." He really was uncertain about that.

"Of course you can. Sleep is always good for you. Try for me?" She really did act so gentle.

"Alright. Where should I go?" Somehow, he was feeling a slight bit better now.

"I think there's some free beds in that one. If not just come check with me, okay? Get a good rest." She returned to her duties.

Running ragged, mistakes are inevitably made. Few at first. More as time progresses. Exhausted troops are ineffective, even becoming dangerous towards each other and must fall back. The truth is this beloved town shall be enveloped into the fighting much too soon. Within nine hours or less at best estimate. As this is realized so is something else. That feeling has returned, strong as before. Worse. Heavier yet. Whatever stalking thing is out there has come back, to turn hope to despair and potential victory to defeat. It is closing in. That feeling on all sides is foreboding. It makes everyone nervous and jittery. Save for a particular lieutenant now sleeping quite soundly in a warm bed.

This will be the moment it springs some deadly trap envisioned by lunacy and some crazed desire to pour on the pain. An aberration about to pounce and inflict massive harm. Once again, something that deadly is gazing squarely upon the emboldened but wearied forces daring enough to stand before it. How dare they resist their inevitable end? It is a foregone conclusion they will die today. Why fight it? Give in. It is inevitable. Your end draws near. This feeling spreads far and wide. A sensation of hackles raised and some immediate danger spring like wildfire among the determined troops. They know. All that have feelings could never overlook this spiraling drill of warning. Run. Gallop, fly away. Flee now.

The battle has unfortunately begun to drift into the roads directly at the northwest edge of town. Roads long felt to be safe and familiar to so many now begin to become stained red and damaged by the comings and goings of warfare. Like a malignant cancer the battle strains and grows against the impeding defenders bent on holding the line. A line which is inexorably bending inwards until it must snap under the constant pressure. A pressure increasing by the moment. Soon the very core of the town itself will begin to see the horrors of such brutality and combat. It was never meant to happen here. Anywhere but here. Not this town. This should not be.

As they swore to do, everyone continues to stand their ground. All the while knowing they may die at any moment. Any second now. Horror has once more risen to confront them and now is the moment of truth behind it. The dreadful thing in the dark takes aim skywards and lets loose the first of it's horrific arrows. Not a usual thing in any way. Jagged and odd on the tips. First one arrow, just one. A single flash blacker than pitch itself streaks through the air with a horrendous whistling noise as if some errant banshee has taken flight. Behind follows a trail of just barely visible mist flowing out along the path it takes. Rainbow Dash, fighting alongside Soarins squad hears the sound and looks up just in time.

"Whoa!" She manages to dodge it, this time. Soarin, does not. It is only a mere scratch. Not even an injury. Nothing that should stop... He hits the ground and stumbles a little before swiping at the nearest movement as though a creature possessed. It takes six other guards to hold him down as he frantically struggles while frothing at the mouth. Dash finds herself forced to dive out of the way of a veritable hail of similar arrows now in sets of three. Three each time at once? Always three. She takes note that several others exposed too closely to them have also gained this strange affliction, causing them to lash out wildly in every direction towards movement.

Some kind of poison must have been employed. A new awful feeling takes hold.

"Get him out of here. Tell as many as you can these incoming arrows are poisonous and leave some kind of fog behind them or something. Stay out of it whatever you do. Go." She orders. The group obeys as best they are able with Soarin struggling so violently. A fifth set of incoming arrows once more necessitates diving for ground cover. Cover that is almost not enough. These arrows smash through buildings as though they were made of mere butter. The force behind them is incredible and terrifying.

There is one slight positive. Things they hit do deflect the arrows from their trajectory, and the shields Twilight ordered set up earlier above the streets now provide protection from the sky, sending many of them careening off course to some degree. Unfortunately, this also has the effect of spreading the mist flowing along behind them further. Thin, wispy trails barely visible, just enough to note and avoid. Breathing that in would surely result in the same madness. Was this what happened to some of the ponies from Canterlot? Possibly. Something did not feel the same about that. It did not look quite the same.

Whatever is firing them off is no slouch, quickly adjusting to aim beneath the roadway shields. This at least reduces their effective range, but only amplifies the massive force of their impacts. Whole buildings are now being shredded as arrows poke through everywhere. How many could it possibly have? Somewhere out there, it was taking aim specifically at her. It was clear now. Rainbow finds herself racing through the bleak streets of Ponyville as a streak of color herself, desperate to avoid being skewered. That distinctive rainbow behind her. This thing seems vaguely aware of her position via some unknown means. The enemies capacity to cause damage was huge. Impossible to predict in action.

This edge of town was practically being destroyed by the volume of incoming arrows. So many. If she were any slower a pony Dash would be a veritable pincushion by now. Only her speed and reflexes were a saving grace for now. Whatever was doing this has one obvious objective, to kill her specifically. There was no choice but head straight for where the princesses all stood and gain their assistance. She could not possibly keep up this pace for long no matter how well-trained and honed her skills and stamina were. Already wheezing and gasping for breath as she dives and weaves her way towards them, she was rapidly becoming exhausted.

As she approached, Celestia caught sight of the blue blur heading for them. Instantly realizing there would be little reason for her to be directly on the ground, all prepared to tackle this new threat. Finding herself being enfolded in a protective shield provided by Twilight finally allowed her to catch a breath and fall to the ground heaving, gasping for air heavily. The arrows simply stopped coming. What could this be? Why? Now what? This was not making sense. Their enemy always had some plan or other in motion at all times. This would not be any different. It was wearying trying to fend off so many threats at once. Rainbow lay there out of breath, chest heaving.

There were no clear limits to what their opponents would attempt or what capabilities they truly held. This made any kind of forward planning tenuous at best. Commonly held belief is that defending forces always hold the advantage. This is proving somewhat untrue as it has never been tested against a force willing to march forward at any cost to itself without the slightest care whatsoever. Again they were at a serious handicap facing off with such unknowable foes. Like fighting against a fog of misconception there was little to be seen or strike back at. Layers of subterfuge and lack of information twisted perceptions towards incorrect paths. Decisions were fraught with danger.

Only the puppets they faced now presented any kind of tangible target to be destroyed. The powers behind them were nearly unheard of until now. The only real option was to destroy all of them before moving on to dealing with the real problem. If they could make it further was becoming less and less certain with each strange switch in the flow of battle. There must be one of the immensely powerful puppets just outside their visual range right now. Twilight focused intensely while Starlight stood down behind. Despite several previous misadventures, both were very little experienced in actual combat. It would have to be enough.

The tense nervousness in the air was obvious as they tried to formulate some move to make. Would it be them or the horrendous stealthy puppet out there who would take the first shot? Dash, now able to move again, dragged herself away behind them. That was all the protection that would be afforded her. Perhaps only a paper-thin sheet of defense in reality against this monstrous construct. It chose to act first. A sound in the distance and then a veritable hail of arrows sails through the air whistling. The shrill shrieking noise they made in such high volume was nearly enough to hurt the ears and make even the most steadfast shake to hear it. Starlight chose to act immediately as well.

The three alicorns found themselves pinned under the massive amount of incoming fire. All of their shields absorbed and deflected impacts like like some deadly rain from above. Completely unable to move they could take no offensive actions whatsoever. Only Starlight was able to back away, galloping past Rainbow who was slowly standing. She was shaky on her hooves from exerting herself so heavily to survive. She would be unable to fly for quite some time. The only thing Starlight could possibly do was sneak around and through buildings to try and locate their unseen enemy. There was no other way to help at this moment. If Starlight did not decide to do so immediately she would have been trapped.

The command tent itself was in danger from this mass of arrows and misty trails flying every which direction. If the three meager shields they held up failed then the entire command staff would be rendered useless or worse. This was certainly part of the plan. Pinned like this gave no options but to hold up the shields. Starlight must hurry. It was unlikely she could fully take on this archer alone. At best make a distraction to allow the alicorns a shot at retaliation. The arrows direction kept changing. This one was extremely skilled. It must be swapping positions on the move yet remaining on target. It was extremely difficult to avoid this ceaseless hail of arrows bouncing every which way. Too close.

The amount of flinging arrows was dangerous to anything in front of the three. Starlight herself was having trouble staying out of their nearly random paths. Getting hit by one of those things directly must be a terrible experience if not fatal on contact. This was definitely intricately planned. Forcing Dash to to run straight for them revealed the exact position of the main command area. Were they ever really trying to hit her? Rainbow realized this too late to do anything about it and felt positively crushed inside. What else could have been done anyway? Losing her would be a great hindrance to their chances either way.

As yet, Rainbow did not have the chance to even explain what happened to drive her here. Wanting desperately to assist her beloved friends but unable to act was such a frustration. Dash looked at the wail of death sailing through the streets punching holes in everything the arrows touched. If not for the shields they would all naught but be utterly destroyed. Some few guards in the area and the command staff themselves were lending power to the shielding. There was nothing else they could do either. True escape was impossible. Starlight got lucky with quick thinking. Anyone approaching or leaving the area now would be struck immediately. No aid was coming here. All the power was needed for the shields.

From above a pegasus trio broke from a squad, attempting to affect a rescue from the air. This was proving fruitless. The moment they approached arrows would also careen up at them. The shooter was a true expert with the bow. Fast and accurate, able to calculate angles the arrows might bounce off the shields. There was just no way to pull any of them out of there at this moment. The sheer amount of arrows was ridiculous. Could there be more than one shooter out there? Only one enormously empowered presence was being sensed. The aim of this thing was so rapid and accurate it almost seemed impossible.

"Celestia, Luna. We can't do anything like this. The army can't even be given messages this way. We can't just keep standing here, can we?" Twilight yelled over the wailing horrors flying along the roads and through walls. How did they have so much power behind them? Each punch of them against the shields was enough to nearly feel.

"We can only keep the shields up. If we move everypony here will die. Trust your student and the skills you have nurtured, Twilight. We have to keep the enemies attention on us. Rainbow Dash, are you alright?" Celestia finally was able to call over to her.

"I'm alright but I can't move either, if I do they will start shooting at me again. This was a trap, I'm so sorry!" That at least clarified what was happening a little bit. It was not of any value otherwise to know. Her coming here helped them aim the arrows straight at them, that was all.

"You are at no fault. Our opponents are shrewd and taciturn. This was well timed. The execution was almost perfect. Hold your position for now. We can only wait." Luna said in a matter of fact way. This was an exercise in absolute frustration for everyone.

"You don't understand. All those other ponies were hurt because they were coming after me. I should have seen it and done something else." Rainbow felt very poorly over this turn of events. She'd let herself be herded right to where they wanted her to be. Feeling stupid like this hurt inside.

"Rainbow, no. You could not have known. It's not like that at all. This is these things fault, not yours." Twilight spoke gentle words despite holding up her own shield. The effort of fending off so many strikes was extremely tiring. This did raise her spirits somewhat.

"I..alright. Thanks, Twi." Dash was very grateful for such good friends as these. She took a deep breath. This was left to Starlight to deal with. All present could only wait and see. She was still trying to find a path to the edge of town without getting herself killed. At least the shields she put above the roads actually were proving useful already. Twilight could not have known this would happen, but the precaution was greatly appreciated at this time. This was not the benefit of foresight, just a good decision on her part. Probably not at all what Twilight was expecting when ordering her student to emplace them. It was nonetheless proving useful, just not in any imagined way.

The deadly archer was out there, somewhere. The paths and trajectories of the arrows kept changing constantly. What was it doing? Following them back to their source would not be a simple matter. This must also be part of the plan. Pin the alicorns and prevent allied forces from moving in to assist any of them or the command staff. This was a master stroke on their enemies end. It was also causing communication with the commander to be nearly impossible due to the noise. The army was left to its own devices for the moment. They could not be left rudderless for long, but if he were to attempt moving out of the shields he would be targeted immediately as well. This one was a true adept.

Their hopes were solely contingent on Starlight successfully locating the would-be assassin. No one else besides perhaps Shining Armor would stand so much as a chance of success in this. He was too far away and could not be notified of the situation quickly enough for it to matter anyway. His presence would not be determining this one.

"Oh these blasted things, where are they coming from?" Starlight thought as she searched desperately for a way to determine their origin. It was certain to be close by now. A glint, the slightest shimmer in the corner of her eye over there in the dark. Did she actually see that? It was very little to go on.

Slipping close as she dared in dim light it was beheld. An ominous armored puppet. Much larger than the usual. That has to be it. Yes, it flipped not one but three large black arrows from a quiver into orientation with the bowstring so quickly and fired, then moved. An equally black colored bow almost unnoticeable against the dull backdrop. So skilled. So that was this ones game. After every shot it moved so fast to a new position and shot once more. This was a speed Starlight could keep up with using magic, but it would not be enough. She would have to find a moment to take a shot herself. Just blasting away at this thing would not work according to what she was told. This was going to be extremely dangerous, possibly deadly for her. There was no time to get help.

Then she noticed it. Each time the quiver neared empty more of the strange arrows were teleported into it. Someone must be watching out there somewhere. She almost walked right into that. Naturally it had support. If she'd revealed herself whoever was assisting would have been at her throat instantly. Somewhere within range. You had to be able to see to do that with it constantly moving. Her decision was to find and take them out first. That would put an end to the arrow barrage for a while at least. Whatever it was would be much easier to deal with than the large monster before her.

"Sneaking around in the dark isn't my style. Never was. Come on, where are ya?" She thought to herself as she searched.

One thing she did know of war so far, supplies were important. Running out of one thing after another made that abundantly clear. Cutting this easy supply of arrows would be a great hindrance to something like that. It would have to do. She must find it without attracting the big ones attention. Taking two on at once alone would be far from ideal, especially that thing. Whatever it may be did hold awesome power, she could feel it radiating from the terrible puppet. What horror to feel. Being near it felt wrong in all possible manners. These things were far too strong. Everything taking place across the entire battlefield should be consuming an amount of energy that was unsustainable, but nonetheless they kept moving.

By her own estimation the amount of magical energy to bring down the barrier shield should have been just short of impossible to achieve without inside help. A single expertly trained mage should have had no trouble holding it up alone once emplaced, but despite this the empowerment of an entire section of them was not enough to fend off whatever struck it down. That amount of power was insane. Attempting to wield that much energy at once would destroy an entire battalion of unicorns. How was this possible? No time to consider this further right now. Somewhere very close was a thing she must succeed in destroying very shortly or her friends would die. This was all such a miserable thing to happen. Why?

Starlight must take care of this quickly, the instant she took action the large one could spin about and very easily dispatch her. She was confident in her own shields, but this was something different. Three alicorns were having difficulty fending it off. Without aid she would not last. This darkness providing cover for the enemy, provided it for her as well. It was easy to tell those arrows were exceedingly special and dangerous. Longer than the norm, surprisingly heavy and emitting some kind of mist as they were fired off. Better steer clear of that. She could tell by the volume of fire this thing meant business now. It was nothing other than a stroke of luck she managed to slip away before it got too bad for her to leave.

The supplier must be in visual range of the armored thing, which would mean if timed incorrectly the moment she took it on would give mere seconds before the hefty thing would destroy her outright. These invaders meant to do only one thing. Kill. Conflicting emotions rise inside as she prepares to risk her own life. Having made terrible mistakes in the past was one thing, but she'd never truly intended to kill anyone. That was not once her true desire. These things in front were something else. They must be stopped whatever it might cost. If that meant sacrificing herself she was fully prepared to do so. Many others were doing the same right now. Many already paid that ultimate price, without regret. She spotted it.

It was another unusual looking thing. This was once some poor unicorn now being made to serve the purpose of teleporting a stream of arrows into the quiver of the other from a huge supply wagon. It must have been hauled here in secret. There could be thousands of arrows in there. More than enough to keep shooting until it brought down the alicorns shields. Far more than enough to keep that mist spraying off of each. A horrible thought occurred to her. Were that wagon itself to be rolled into town it could cause immense trouble as well. A veritable fog of the stuff steamed into the air above and around it. That could not be allowed. Her best bet was to attack just as it went to teleport more arrows.

Now was the time to take this kind of risk. There would be no clearer moment and no better instant to make a move. Starlight needed no weapons, she was a powerful unicorn with the backing of royalty. Whatever happens next lay on her. Taking a deep breath, she struck down the supplying puppet a half second before it could resupply the large puppet. As it clattered to the ground the archer twisted in the most terrifying way straight towards her. This was it. Her death was upon her. So fast, it was nearly at her immediately. Starlight raised her most powerful shield as it struck. That single blow from a raised hoof sent her slamming into the ground. Were it not for the shield she would be dead already. It fell as she did.

Knocked unconscious in a single motion. The archer approached. It was going to crush her to death with one further stomp. Before it could, Celestia and Twilight both appeared close to her. The short break in the streams of arrows gave them just enough time to teleport themselves here. Both stood shocked by the sight of this horrendous puppet and Starlight laying there bloodied. She'd gone down so quickly. Now they could see their opponent. It wore white gilded armor. In relief were griffons. A bronze colored helm they could not see within, holes everywhere about it. Full plate mail of an unrecognized sort. Such heavy all white armor, fully trimmed in golden art suggesting good, but that black quiver and bow did not match at all. It turned to face them and paused for some reason.

"It can't be." Celestia sounded taken aback for the second time.

"Celestia, what is it? Do you know what this thing is?" Twilight dare not remove her gaze from this thing bringing so much damage along with it. Twilight realized the puppet wanted to reach the wagon there. They stood between it.

"I do. A little." Her voice was strained. This thing disturbed Celestia deeply enough to halt her a moment as well.

"You continue to claim mantles that do not belong to you? You dare pretend to be the ancient suneighrian war priest, Conflict!?" She trembled. Twilight did not know this history. It was unusual for her not to know something like this.

"Conflict? You know who this is supposed to be?" Twilight questioned.

"I do. This depicts a war monger from long ago. His ideal was totalitarianism and border expansion. He could fight, but tricked many into doing the same to each other through lies and deception instead. He was the direct cause of many wars. Always in secret. Twilight, leave this one to me. Go." She was going to take this one on alone? That was crazy.

"But.." Twilight was silenced by her.

"Your student needs medical attention, take her." Celestia faced this thing taken from mostly forgotten history.

Twilight levitated Starlight onto her back.

"Be careful." Twilight said to her dear mentor and friend. Twilight hurriedly teleported away with her protégé in tow. For a long moment the two merely stood in silence. Appraising the other perhaps. Celestia was hardly powerless. Certainly a match for any normal unicorn, but what was this thing? Everything they faced thus far contained just that little bit too much strength, or raw power it should not have. This one would be no different. Was he really in there somewhere? Could he be? A decision made now could not be retracted. Her death may be standing right there in this moment.

"I know you can hear me. Please, stop this? So many have died. You know none of them deserved to fall like this. There is no need for more. If you want me to suffer, I have! If it will end this I offer myself to you. If you ever loved me, make it end. Kill me if you want, I will not resist. Just stop this!" She pleaded towards this truly well-crafted puppet before her, tears in her eyes. She had to try. The behemoth of a puppet turned to face her straight on. Surprisingly, the voice of the king puppet rang from within. It was terrifying to see and hear. She actually felt herself tremble. Something not felt in ages. Did that mean she was overconfident? This was not the time to be second guessing herself.

"My dearest Celestia. You once again fail to miss the point. I don't need to kill you. You only need to wish you were dead." It intoned darkly. Why was he so cruel? This was not like she remembered him in any way. Why was he pretending to be the king he once served under as well?

"Why are you doing this!? Make it stop. Please stop! I cared for you, I did, I swear it." Celestia begged, but it was likely no use. She knew this, but must make the effort one more time. Was her pain being enjoyed?

"My beloved subjects are dying right now. You know this hurts me. Please..I'll do anything." She could only plead.

"Anything you say? You swear? Cared for me? What about when you swore it was possible for us to be together? What about that? I thought you loved me. Your word is worthless, as you are. I see little reason to treat with dirt. However, I give you leave to walk away from this one. You may die last, if you stand and watch your subjects be slaughtered you may see how this chapter ends before I end you." He said nothing more. Just walk away and watch them all die? How could he ask such a thing of her? No. Never. That could never happen. He would know this. Was this really just some kind of sick game to him now? There could only be one response.

"The one in the wrong here is you. I will not allow you to do this. No matter how many you take. No matter what you do to hurt me, they nor I will break. We will defeat you. Prepare for battle." She was finished talking as well. It was beyond clear now there would be no reasoning with him. Whatever his motivation or intentions, they left no room for negotiating. What could possibly have brought him to this? Was it really him? What would happen now? Taking a direct injury from this thing could be dangerous even to her. Whatever method of attack she chose, this was potentially deadly. This carried so much pain. It hurt so bad to see and hear someone that once cared for her to act this way. If it was truly him. It felt like him.

Celestia stared at this mocking thing. If it did not intend to kill her, perhaps that could be used to some advantage. At present the how of that was not apparent. If there was the slightest possibility present she must not squander it. Any second it would attack. Despite this carefully engineered monster standing before her, the wagon filled to brimming with those horrific arrows was the true danger. It must be eliminated now. This was no one prone to taking anything for granted. If she realized this, so did the enemy standing there. This time there really was no alternative. Hit it with everything she could. Prevent it from seizing the moment even if it did wind up killing her in the end. Take action. She ran forward.

---

An arrow went seeking only to return, wreathed about in fire and flame

Comments

[Rainbow_Dashie_5000]

At last a new chapter has appeared. You didn't disappoint, it's awesome.

But I suggest you split the text to more chapters, it feels much too long like this. Almost all of your chapters have 1000 words so it feels weird to read the 3 with 10000 words.

Also, I think you should ease a bit with the descriptions in chapters, it feels a tiny bit weird to read these:

Something close. So close it can be felt. Nearing. Ready to bring something new and deadly into the fray. Even with all the death surrounding them, none can afford to let up the pressure or the town itself could be wiped out in some fraction of the time a second thought might be given. This battles every move is decisive. Enemy forces are now much too close to utilize the old siege weapons scrounged up. Their accuracy is simply not up to that task. A tremor in the air. This feeling of impending doom grows closer still. Creeping. Something big is once more about to occur. A feeling which only grows heavier and worse. As if time is slowing down around the would-be heroes of the hour, dragging by even more slowly.

Nevertheless it was a beautiful chapter, you really managed to show the despair the characters feel and their will to fight.

Looking forward to the next chapter.

[Windrunner]

10096420
Think you might be missing a slight bit of the point. Hehehe. I will take your words under advisement though, but I simply felt to get writing and it is best to keep going when I do or there might be nothing at all or too much to split in a good way..

[Rainbow_Dashie_5000]

10096501
True, best to keep going while you have the inspiration.
And at the end of the day, it doesn't matter what I or someone else might prefer, all that matters is that you write the story on your mind.

[Mad Maudlin]

The purple prose really isn't working for ya.

[Windrunner]

10993643
Know what kind of comment is both futile, useless, and pointless? that kind