Vanguard

by knives4cash

Phase Three

“And then she assembled splints for you,” Twilight asked while writing down the information on her notepad.

“And made off with the Alicorn Amulet, too,” Zecora finished in rhyme as she lay in a Ponyville Hospital bed.

Nurse Redheart busily attended to her newly acquired patient.

Telekinetically tapping the notepad with her pencil, Twilight groaned. “It doesn’t add up. First she steals Rarity’s Mare Do Well costume, then she paints it black, and now she steals the Alicorn Amulet. Not only can we no longer identify her, now she's supercharged!” She clutched her stomach as it growled. “I didn’t get to eat breakfast,” she muttered.

Nurse Redheart said, “I’ll get you some,” as she exited the room.

Left alone with Zecora, Twilight continued, “I just want to know one more thing.” She sat uneasy. “Zecora, this pony sounded female, right?”

Zecora answered, “Indeed she did.”

“Did she sound,” Twilight hesitated, “familiar?”

Grimacing, Zecora nodded. “I’m afraid so. Like whom though, I do not know.”

Twilight wrote the information down. “I was afraid of that.” She closed the notepad. “I think that we know this pony.” She got up and made her exit. “Get well, Zecora,” she said before turning into the hallway, “I’ve got a case to crack.”

“Twilight Sparkle, you leave with haste! Your breakfast will go to-” realizing the futility of the matter, she sighed.

Nurse Redheart appeared again with a tray of hospital food in her mouth. Upon seeing that her visitor was no longer there, she groaned in exasperation.

---

Meanwhile, in the small clearing of a campsite, the pony practically danced with joy as she performed a variety of flips, attacks, blocks, and an entire assortment of other moves. “This sorcery is incredible! I now find myself with not only an infinite amount of time, but an equally infinite amount of power to coordinate with it as well!” She leapt up into the air and performed several backflips on the way down and landed soundlessly. “I’m making progress. In less than twenty-four hours, I have practically leveled the battlefield.”

She paused her performance. Looking around, she pondered. “Phase Two is complete.” She quickly and effortlessly climbed to the top of a tree to analyze the sun’s current position in the sky. “I do believe that I still have enough time to initiate Phase Three.”

Saving herself a climb down, she leapt up into the air and fell to the ground, landing on the ground with ease, still excited by her newfound power. “And with luck, Twilight Sparkle’s decision will allow me to transition into Phase Four.”

She ran out of her campsite and through the Everfree Forest. “Which will be all too easy, considering how well I know you, Twilight Sparkle.” She emerged from the forest and stopped, getting her bearings. “I just have to play the arrogant villain. Your friends will do the rest.” Bearings achieved, she took off at full speed in the desired direction. “Phase Three begins now!”

---

With a firm buck, apples fell from their resting place within the apple tree. Big Macintosh and Applejack diligently worked in silence, unaware of the impending chaos.

The pony arrived at the farm and immediately began her reconnaissance. “Those two are in the fields.” She turned her view to the farmhouse. “Granny Smith is most likely inside.” She turned her view to the barn. “ Soon I will no longer have to pilfer my food supply from this installation.” She began running through an evasive course to flank the two ponies in the fields. “If I have not miscalculated, I should be able to catch the train in time.”

Applejack raised her hind legs to buck another apple tree, when an apple impacted her head and knocked her hat off in the process.

Caught off guard, she stumbled to the side. “Ow! What in tarnation-” she looked up in the direction that the fruit had come from to see a black Mare Do Well standing before her. She exclaimed in rage, “You!”

Big Macintosh was immediately beside her, on his guard.

“You got some nerve! Trespassing on our farm!”

“There is no need for this to come to blows,” the pony said in her low, smooth monotone.

Applejack scoffed. “You practically give Rarity a heart attack, steal her clothes, and you don’t think you got it coming?!”

The pony simply tapped the Alicorn Amulet with a hoof in response.

Applejack faltered and demanded, “How’d you get that?!”

“That information is irrelevant,” the pony smoothly stated. “I care not what you think of me, but know that I am fair.” She warned, “This amulet is augmenting everyone of my physical attributes, especially shear strength.”

Applejack growled as sweat began to form on her forehead. "You can't scare me."

“If you engage me in hoof-to-hoof combat, you will not win.”

Applejack hesitated at the possibilities. “What did you do to Zecora? She’d never let you just have it.”

The pony gave a small laugh. “Before this,” she tapped the amulet again for emphasis, “I was at a grave disadvantage. Outnumbered, outgunned, and outmatched on every level, I had no choice but to be discreet.” Underneath the mask, she grinned. “Zecora put up a good fight. It was only when I came down on her with all of my weight that I broke her legs-”

Applejack flinched at the mental image.

“-and thus gained the victory, allowing me to claim the Alicorn Amulet as my reward.”

Taking advantage of the villain’s monologuing, Applejack continued, “What do you want with Twilight?”

Train of thought broken, the pony gave a small “hmm?” and answered, “Twilight Sparkle has committed a capital crime. I intend to take my vengeance through justly punishing her.” The pony stepped forward. “My time and patience are running out. We must turn our attention to matters more pressing.”

Applejack readied herself for the incoming attack. “Says the pony who’s going around hurting and stealing!”

Ignoring the attempt at provoking her, the pony deadpanned, “I’m here for your money.”

Applejack spat, “Fat chance! You’re not getting anything out of us!”

“I was not asking,” the pony said as she instantaneously closed the distance between herself and the two defenders. She went after Big Macintosh first and, with all of her might, kicked him into an apple tree.

Big Macintosh connected with the trunk of the tree. The impact caused him to break through the entire tree, chopping it in half and sending him into the next row of trees.

Alarmed, Applejack began to respond, rearing up to bring her hoof down on the pony.

Unfortunately, the pony was too fast. She seized the opportunity and immediately dropped to the ground. She flipped onto her back just as she hit the ground and, not discriminating, kicked Applejack in the stomach with an equal amount of force.

The kick sent Applejack flying back and up through the air. She landed a few feet next to her brother, who had scrambled to his hooves.

Under the dire circumstances, he ignored the well being of his sister and charged towards the pony, despite the pain he was beginning to feel from her first attack.

Back on her hooves, the pony waited for Big Macintosh to get close. When he did, she easily rolled to her right, dodging whatever move he could have possibly made against her.

Big Macintosh tried to compensate, but she used the momentum from her role to perform a roundhouse kick that connected directly with his jaw, making an audible crack.

The pony landed on the ground and watched as Big Macintosh was sent tumbling down the aisle that they were currently fighting in. Seeing that Big Macintosh wouldn't getting up anytime soon, she turned her attention to Applejack, who was currently fighting her own body in an attempt to get back up to her hooves.

Despite her violent coughing fit, Applejack managed to stand up, albeit swaying.

The pony grabbed Applejack by the neck and dragged the struggling mare back into the original aisle. “It’s not worth it, Applejack.”

The pony threw Applejack down onto the ground, next to her brother.

Applejack looked up to see the pony firmly set her hoof down on Big Macintosh’s side. Speaking over his moans of agony, she stated, “I can paralyze him. I can render him useless to the family.”

In between coughs, Applejack pleaded, “You can’t do that.”

“Can’t I?” Behind the mask, she smiled. “I finally have the power.” She looked down at Applejack. “And there’s nothing you can do to stop me. Twilight Sparkle will be powerless against me.”

Applejack just stared at the black Mare Do Well. “Who are you?”

“I am the vanguard of Twilight Sparkle’s destruction.” She removed her hoof from Big Macintosh’s back. “Yes. Yes, that should suffice. You can call me Vanguard.”

Applejack dropped her head in defeat.

“Now,” Vanguard calmly stated, “Go get the money. I’ll be on my way as soon as you do.”

Applejack got to her hooves again and began trudging towards the farmhouse.