Assault on Ponyville
Chapter Four: Assault on Ponyville
The shrill whistle of a pipe organ's melancholy music pierced the afternoon air of the Crystal Empire, its tune carrying an eldritch, dark quality wholly befitting of the talented organist who played it. Within the personal chambers of King Sombra was a pipe organ of impressive size. A musical device of Imperial origin, it was one of the few things in the Empire not bearing his face or symbol that the king regarded with a degree of fondness. The organ was a powerful instrument; when it sang, you listened.
At this moment, Sombra was dusting off his skills at the organ, playing wicked melodies written by himself. (for who else's genius would ever deserve to be recited at his hooves but his own?) Sombra admitted that it was a weakness, a frivolous activity. But damn it all if he didn't find the experience stimulating. He could only stand to look upon his hard-working slaves for so long before he grew bored of observing, and he had already pored over virtually every spellbook in the library, mastering every useful spell he could find. It had been a thousand years since he had last sat at this gilded chair and graced his halls with his musical genius.
His gorn glowed with the power of darkness as black tendrils of energy snaked out of his horn, dancing across the keys while his hind legs operated the lower pedals beneath the chair. A frightening, animalistic grin stretched across the mad king's face as he played, letting the power of the notes ring in his ears, giving him a twisted sense of ecstacy. One could say Sombra tended to get rather...\passionate about his music.
All too soon, Sombra's euphoria was cut short as an Obsidian pegasus entered the room. "Your Majesty!" he stated loud enough for his master to hear.
Sombra's grin twisted upside-down for a moment before the energy wisps fizzled out, cutting his performance short. He turned around and got off the chair, shooting the intruding soldier a scathing look. "I ordered you not to disturb me unless it was important," he growled.
The Guard's face betrayed no emotion. "And I am following those orders, milord. There has been an...incident in the mines."
Sombra's eyes narrowed dangerously. "What sort of incident, Captain?"
"It seems that a large group of peasants managed to break free of their restraints and attempted to instigate a rebellion, sire."
The expression of tranquil fury on Sombra's face would have given Nightmare Moon chills. "A...rebellion?" he hissed.
"The criminals were all captured before they could cause much damage, and have all been locked in the dungeons."
Sombra turned his back on the Obsidian captain and stared out the window. "How many traitors were there?"
"Thirty-six, Your Majesty."
"Did they have a single leader?"
"Yes, milord. One of the Palace Guard when the Equestrian whelps occupied the throne. What shall be done with them all, My Liege?"
Sombra's lips curved upward into a smirk. "The leader shall be publicly executed at dawn tomorrow. He will serve as an example to those who dare rise against the throne. The others are to immediately be indoctrinated into the Obsidian Guard."
The captain inclined his head. "Yes, sire."
The pegasus turned to leave, but Sombra's next order stopped him. "And after that is done, send them to the Equestrian village of Ponyville. Our scouts reported that the current bearers of the Elements of Harmony reside there. They are the only remaining threat to my future conquest of Equestria. Find them. Kill them. Bring the Elements themselves to me."
"Thy will be done, King Sombra," the pegasus vowed, bowing before exiting the king's chambers.
XXXXXX
That night, many of the denizens of Ponyville found their sleep fraught with nightmares. Princess Celestia had publicly announced King Sombra's return two days ago, and had explained everything about the powerhungry tyrant, so the whole town was on edge. Pinkie Pie lay in her bed in the sweets shop of Sugarcube Corner, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. There was too much on her mind, a rarity for the usually-excitable, somewhat attention-deficit party pony. She had been experiencing this insomnia for two days now.
She could still recall the feeling of utter terror she had felt when Sombra had descended upon the Imperial city after Princess Cadance's shield collapsed due to her exhaustion. She had never been so frightened in her life, not even when she had faced Nightmare Moon and Discord. Neither of them could compare to the sheer magnitude of Sombra's evil. She had no desire to experience such primal fear again.
She sighed as she got out of bed and trudged downstairs to get a drink of water, refraining from switching on the light so she wouldn't wake anypony. However, when she reached for a glass from the cupboard, a sharp jolt of pain went up her knee, causing her to cry out. "Ow!" she yelped.
Her eyes widened in fear. Her Pinkie Sense was acting up. A pinchy knee meant something VERY scary was about to happen. "Oh no..."
Suddenly and without any warning, an explosion blasted a nearby wall apart, knocking Pinkie to the ground. She covered her head to protect herself from the rubble as Mr. and Mrs. Cake rushed down the stairs. "Pinkie!" Mr. Cake yelled. "What's going--?!"
Another explosion cut him off mid-sentence, taking out the area around the front door. Pinkie lifted her head up and screamed, "Get the foals! We gotta get outta here!"
Outside, magical bolts whizzed through the night air like missiles, blasting apart houses and terrifying the newly-awakened townsfolk. Twilight jolted awake at the noise and looked out her window, her eyes widening in shock.
Ponyville was under attack.
Ponyville was under attack!
Twilight rushed down the stairs as Spike also woke up in surprise. "Agh! T-Twilight! W-what's going on?!"
"Spike, take Owlowicious and Peewee and get into the basement!" Twilight yelled.
"But--!"
"Spike, DO IT!"
Twilight ran out the door of the library and immediately caught sight of the attackers. They were ponies, but their skin appeared hard and glossy like polished stone, and they were covered in ghastly-looking armor. Their soulless eyes matched those of the mad tyrant they now served. The pegasi flew overhead, diving down on houses and tearing through the roofs. The unicorns marched in an ordered line, firing magic bolts in every direction. Earth ponies carried tarnished silver lances with needle-sharp points, ready to impale anypony foolish enough to confront them.
Celestia's words rang through Twilight's head. The Obsidian Guard. Faster, stronger, more durable, and mindlessly obedient to Sombra's will.
It had already begun.
Swallowing her fear, Twilight stepped forward into the hellfire to confront the enemy.
XXXXXX
The Cutie Mark Crusaders were all fast asleep in their clubhouse. Applebloom had convinced Applejack to let her and her friends have a sleepover there that night. She, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo were joined tonight by their newest member, Dinky Hooves, the mailmare's daughter. Their peaceful rest was interrupted by the sudden sound of explosions and screams of terror. "What in the hay?!" Scootaloo yelped as they all clamored at the window and looked outside.
Ponyville was in flames.
The gathered fillies all stared in shock at the scene transpiring before them. Suddenly the door burst open, startling them. However, the intruder was immediately revealed to be Applejack, who was currently not wearing her hat. "Girls! Git into the barn with Big Mac 'n Granny Smith!" she ordered, pushing the fillies out the door.
"Applejack, what's happenin'?!" Applebloom shrieked, starting to cry.
"Ah don't know! Jus' git to the barn, NOW!"
"B-but, what about Rarity?!" Sweetie Belle cried.
"She c'n take care'a herself! Go!" Applejack yelled, ushering the terrified fillies towards the barn, where Big Macintosh was frantically waving his hoof.
"I want my mommy!" Dinky shrieked, making a break for it and running towards town. "I gotta find my mommy!"
Seeing her bolt, Applejack screamed, "Dinky! Ya'll come back 'ere right now!"
She turned to Big Mac, who was nudging the Crusaders inside. "Bic Mac! Keep an eye on 'em! I have to git Dinky 'fore she gits herself killed!"
"Take care'a yerself, sis!" Big Mac said before slamming the barn door shut, locking it from the inside.
Without a moment to lose, Applejack galloped towards the beseiged town.
XXXXXX
Fluttershy, having barely managed to overcome her terror at the explosions rocking Ponyville, gently herded her animals towards the relative safety of the woods, ushering words of reassurance and comfort to them. She did not notice the Obsidian pegasus bearing down on her from behind.
However, somepony else did.
The Obsidian pegasus was knocked out of the air by Rainbow Dash, who yelled down at her friend, "Fluttershy! Get outta here! Now!"
Fluttershy eeped in fright, but sighed in relief as she realized it was Rainbow talking. "I have to get the animals to safety first," she explained as calmly as she could.
"Fluttershy, they don't care about the animals! They're after us!"
Meanwhile, the Obsidian pegasus was getting back to his feet. Noticing this, Rainbow got in Fluttershy's face and said, "Get to the forest, and stay there! Got me?!"
Fluttershy dumbly nodded her head and fled with her animals towards the Everfree Forest. Rainbow Dash then turned around and slammed the Obsidian pegasus into the ground. "You wanna piece'a me, chump?!" she challenged, flying into the air. "Come and get me!"
The Obsidian Guard happily obliged.
XXXXXX
Irontalon awoke to the sounds of exposions. His eyes quickly snapped open as he heard nurses running past his hospital room, talking frantically with each other. He managed to catch the words "Ponyville" and "under attack", and immediately put two and two together. Ponyville was under attack. Cursing, Irontalon pulled out his IV needles and jumped out of bed, wincing slightly at the stitches in his back, and flew out the window, barely managing to fit through.
Fires were spreading throughout the town, and the townsponies were scattering about in panic as pitch-black, armored soldiers attacked them. The Gryphon prince shrieked a fierce battle-cry and dive-bombed an Obsidian unicorn that had cornered two fillies, one dark pink and wearing a tiara and the other gray and wearing blue glasses. They screamed in distress as the Gryphon and corrupted pony fought. Irontalon managed to slam the unicorn's forehead against the ground hard enough to snap his horn in two, causing him to scream in agony. Irontalon then lifted the stunned Obsidian pony above his head and threw him into the side of a burning building.
Now that they were rescued, Irontalon yelled, "Where are your parents?"
"I-I don't know!" the pink one, Diamond Tiara, cried. "I w-was sleeping over at Silver Spoon's, a-and--!"
"I don't care where you were! You have to get to safety!"
"Diamond! Diamond Tiara!" a pony cried.
Diamond's eyes widened as her father, Filthy Rich, swept her up in his hooves, sobbing. "Daddy!" she cried.
"Sir, you have to get out of here immediately!" Irontalon cried. "Go where it's safe! She can't be out here!"
Filthy Rich nodded, tossing both Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon on his back. "Come on, children!" he cried, galloping off.
Irontalon barely had time to react as an Obsidian Earth pony bore down on him, his lance pointed directly at his heart. The Gryphon side-stepped the attack, grabbed the lance, and wrenched it out of his foe's grip before whipping it around and smashing it into the side of the Obsidian pony's head, cracking his skull open and killing him instantly. Irontalon tightened his grip on his new weapon and plunged head-first into the fight.
A few of the bolder townsponies were either seeing to the town's evacuation or joining the fight against the invaders. Twilight was busy duelling an Obsidian unicorn, and though her magic was obviously superior to his, the unicorn soldier's armor was lessening the effectiveness of Twilight's magic attacks. But at the very least, she was distracting him from attacking anypony else.
XXXXXX
Rainbow Dash played an intense game of cat-and-mouse with her adversary, weaving between clouds and looping through the air. Though she was unable to shake the Obsidian pegasus, Rainbow was still faster and more maneuverable than her opponent. She didn't know how she could actually injure the pegasus, with both his armor and rock-hard hide, but she was intent on keeping the Obsidian pony too distracted to attack the civilians.
Rainbow didn't see the other Obsidian pegasus right in front of her until it was too late. The enemy pony bucked Rainbow right in the face, knocking her unconscious as she went into a tailspin. Rainbow hit the ground hard and did not move. The two pegasi landed on either side of her, fanning their sharp wings in preparation of cutting her to ribbons.
A lance then lodged itself firmly into the first one's neck, the weapon somehow easily piercing his hide. The pegasus made a strangled gurgling noise before he toppled over, dead. The second foe had more time to react, and defended herself as Prince Irontalon returned his favor to Rainbow Dash, blocking his thrust with her wing. As the two fought, Rainbow slowly came to, her vision spinning and her head pounding.
She saw the Gryphon and Obsidian pegasus fighting and blearily looked around for something, anything, she could use. She then noticed a piece of rubble roughly the size of a pony's head a short distance away and discreetly slunk over to it. Before the Obsidian pegasus knew what was happening, Rainbow Dash slammed the rock onto her head with all her strength. A resounding crack was heard as the Obsidian pegasus's skull split open. The pegasus then slumped forward and lay on the ground as the life slowly left her eyes.
Rainbow stared down at the pegasus, breathing heavily. The dead pony's eyes gazed unblinkingly up at Rainbow, who slowly loosened her grip on the stone and let it drop. The eyes of the pony whose life she had just taken.
Rainbow had just killed somepony.
She had killed somepony.
Rainbow Dash felt her legs give out, unable to look away from those horribly empty, lifeless eyes. Irontalon caught her before she fell as a strained choking noise escaped her throat. Tears fell down her face as Rainbow Dash broke down sobbing, overcome by her guilt. Irontalon wordlessly tended to her, calming her as best he could before returning to the fight. Rainbow just sat there and watched the madness, almost catatonic to the world around her.
XXXXXX
Dinky ran through the streetsof Ponyville, calling desperately for her mother. Luckily for her, none of the remaining Obsidian Guards had taken notice of her yet, so she continued on, crying profusely as she searched for her mommy. A cross-eyed, gray pegasus with a blonde mane and tail suddenly heard her daughter's cries from where she was hiding and whipped her head around. "Dinky! Dinky?!" Derpy Hooves cried, dodging the occasional magic bolt to get to her daughter.
"Mommy!" Dinky cried upon seeing her.
Derpy scooped her daughter up in her arms and flew into an alley between two houses that had miraculously not caught fire yet. "Oh, Dinky," Derpy whispered soothingly, stroking Dinky's mane and hugging her tight. "It's okay. Mommy's here. Mommy's here..."
"I'm scared, Mommy!" Dinky whimpered.
"It's okay. Mommy won't let anything hurt--!"
Derpy suddenly let out a gasp of pain as a lance was forced through her chest from behind. Specks of her mother's blood splashed onto Dinky's face as she watched in horror as the Obsidian Earth pony behind Derpy pulled his lance out of her body, letting her fall on her side. "MOMMY!" Dinky shrieked, heedless of the Obsidian Guard preparing to run her through as well as she came to her mother's side.
"NO! YOU BUCKIN' BASTARD!" a female voice with a country accent bellowed with righteous fury.
The Obsidian Earth pony looked up in time to see a pair of orange hooves buck him in the face, the force so great his cranium caved in. The pony crumpled to the ground as Applejack ran to the fallen mailmare's side. She gently moved Derpy on her back and looked down at the grievous wound in her chest. Dinky cried into her mother's chest as Derpy weakly stroked her hair, blood trickling out of her mouth. "It's...it's alright, Dinky," Derpy struggled to say. "It'll all be o...okay. You're mommy's...special little muffin, and I love you."
The dying pegasus looked up at Applejack, whose eyes were brimming with tears. "T-take c...care of my little Dinky," Derpy whispered, her vision starting to go dark.
Applejack frantically shook her head and put both hooves on Derpy's shoulders. "N-no! No way! D-don't ya dare talk like that! Yer gonna make it, Derpy, ya hear?! YER GONNA MAKE IT!"
A single tear fell down Derpy's as her breathing slowed. "I-I just...don't know...what...w...went..."
With a final gasp, Derpy's body slackened, and she moved no more. "M-Mommy?" Dinky whispered, gently shaking her. "Mommy? P-please...please wake up...Mommy, please...I-I'll never s-steal your muffins again! J-just please, MOMMY WAKE UP!"
Dinky buried her head in her mother's blood-stained chest, wailing in agony. Applejack couldn't stop her own tears as she gently pried Dinky off her mother's lifeless body, trying desperately to tune out her anguished cries as she bolted for the safety of Sweet Apple Acres.
XXXXXX
Princess Luna idly brushed her mane, looking upon herself from her vanity cabinet. Her sister's report had deeply troubled her; that King Sombra had not only survived a direct attack by the Crystal Heart, but was now once again in charge of the Crystal Empire. Thoughts about that vile stallion coursed through her mind. Oh, how she hated him. She would never forgive him for what he made her do...
No. That was a lie.
She was the one who had been foolish enough to listen to him in the first place. And the minute she had become Nightmare Moon, Sombra had gotten the last laugh.
With her mane looking as wonderful and starry as ever, Luna stood up and walked to the balcony of her room to gaze at her beautiful moon.
What she saw instead was distant fire.
Luna's heart stopped as she witnessed Ponyville burning. All other thoughts leaving her mind, Luna invoked the Royal Canterlot Tone with more force than ever before: "TIAAA!"
Celestia jolted awake at her sister's cries and mumbled, "Unh? What's going on?!"
Luna flew into her sister's bedroom, a look of panic on her face. "Sister! Ponyville is under attack!" she exclaimed.
All color drained from Celestia's face. "ROYAL GUARDS! TO ME!" she bellowed.
Within moments, the Lunar Guard and what few Day Guard were still on duty burst into Celestia's room. "Your Majesties, what is it?!" the Lunar Captain Shadewalker cried.
"We're going to Ponyville!" Celestia answered, her horn glowing. "NOW!"
XXXXXX
Twilight was exhausted, and her enemy showed no signs of letting up. The bookish unicorn strained against the shield she had erected around herself to ward off the Obsidian unicorn's attack. Her attacks had done little, all she could do now was defend. Sweat poured down her forehead as Twilight gritted her teeth. Is...is this it\? Twilight wondered to herself as the enemy unicorn sent continuous salvoes of magical bolts into her barrier. Is this how it all ends for me?
Suddenly a bright light flashed in the center of town, catching everypony's attention. And when it dissipated, there stood the Princesses Celestia and Luna, and the entirety of the Lunar Guard, along with a few Solar Guards. The Ponyvillians that remained cheered loudly, and the surviving Obsidian Guard all turned their attention towards the new arrivals. Wings of steel and lances clashed, and magic flew this way and that as the real battle began.
Princess Luna charged head-long into the thick of the fight, unleashing gravity spells that crushed her enemies into nothingness. Princess Celestia flew over to Twilight, who was kneeling on the ground, panting from exhaustion. Twilight looked up and managed a smile. "Princess...Celestia! You...came!" she panted.
"You've done beautifully, Twilight," Celestia replied benevolently. "Now return to the library and watch over Spike. We'll take it from here."
Twilight wearily nodded her head and retreated back to the library. Relieved at knowing her precious student was safe, Celestia turned around towards the battle, her eyes glowing menacingly. "SERVANTS OF KING SOMBRA," she intoned ominously in the Canterlot Tone. "YOUR TIME IS NIGH!"
XXXXXX
Spike yelped in fright as he heard the basement door open, but sighed in relief when he saw it was Twilight, who shut the door behind her. As Twilight hugged her assistant, Spike said, "Twilight, what's going on out there? I'm scared!"
A muffled explosion and the scream of a dying stallion assaulted their ears. Twilight just squeezed her eyes shut and held Spike close. "It's okay, Spike. I'm here. I'll keep you safe."
"O-okay," Spike whispered, snuggling up close to her.
And there they stayed until the noises of battle dimmed in intensity until there was only silence.
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Dude, the hate that you would receive from this, keep one eye open while you sleep.
Anyway, good writing.
Great story so far, well written
Although, I may have to kill you for killing Derpy
Wow. I was listening to the season 3 soundtrack of Game of Thrones and the song 'Dracarys' just happened to pop on when the attack on Ponyville began. It was epic.
Good writing. I was kinda worried that all cannon characters will survive and you will be killing of oc's. I wonder who else will die. I do expect a bittersweet good ending, but I do wonder who else will die.