• Published 3rd Feb 2013
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Equestria Special Forces - Miniscule Literary



Months after the events in the Crystal Empire, Twilight and her friends are tasked with the defense of Equestria, a pursuit that will take them to the ends of the country and beyond.

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Chapter Seven

“Is everypony alright?”

The sound cut through the dilapidated battlefield better than any swipe of a hoof. This kind, sincere concern was the first sign of life in what felt like ages. An oppressive cloud of dirt and debris hung in the air around the speaker, limiting sight to only a few feet. After a few tense, silent moments, other shapes began to rise up in the cloud, some coughing, others muttering about soreness or injury.

“I’m fine,” said a certain rainbow-maned pegasus, fluttering awkwardly through the dirty haze to land at Applejack’s side.

“Very displeased about all this filth, but alright,” added Rarity, fidgeting in the murk to Applejack’s left; trying to clean off the dirt, no doubt.

“Fluttershy? Pinkie?”

“I’m…ok…I guess…” Fluttershy murmured, though they could not pinpoint where she was. A moment later, they spotted Pinkie Pie, sitting happily atop the fallen pegasus.

“That was crazy! Super! Stupendous! …I ran out of words!” Pinkie said suddenly, just as Applejack was about to ask if she was alright.

“Um…Pinkie,” Fluttershy muttered from below, managing to pull a foreleg out from under her. “Could you please…move…?”

“Abso-lutely!” Pinkie replied in a sing-song voice, springing off the pegasus with renewed gusto. “Where’s Twilight?”

The bizarre, surreal calmness that had befallen the group melted away with the question. Even Pinkie’s smile disappeared, recalling what had caused the mess in the first place. It was impossible to tell if Twilight stood among them, let alone if she remained in the field where she had fought.

“Twilight?” Applejack called, pushing through the murk to examine the other shapes standing within in. Only the other ponies from the train stared back at her, in varying states of annoyance and fear. “Are ya’ll alright? That was quite the blast,” the earth pony asked, swallowing her concern for her friend for the moment. These ponies were in just as much danger as they were, after all.

After a few tentative “I’m ok”s and numerous sarcastic “just pleachy”s, Applejack fought her way through the omnipresent cloud of filth toward the field that lay beyond the tracks. After a full minute of searching with nothing to show for it, the pony clung desperately to the idea that she was just lost in the haze.

“Twilight, please! Say something!”

Silence; then, a groan.

Charging over to the source, Applejack’s eyes widened as she stood before the bruised and battered form of the once Great and Powerful Trixie.

“Trixie! …You’re alive!” Applejack gasped, and then paused. She was unsure how to proceed; Trixie was definitely out of commission, but her injuries were hardly life threatening. What would they do with her now? If nothing else, the mare’s condition gave her hope for her friend’s safety. Trixie clearly suffered the brunt of the attack, and if she was alive, so too must be Twilight.

“Twilight? Twilight!” Applejack called incessantly, stumbling blindly through the fog. She had hoped finding Trixie would give her some sort of sense of direction, but again she was met with little success. Just as she was at the end of her rope, the dust around her was suddenly swept away, seemingly by a bright flash of light. A moment later, the battered form of Twilight Sparkle stumbled through, panting and exhausted.

“Oh thank Celestia!” Applejack exclaimed as she trotted over to her friend.

“Sorry…I heard you yelling…I just can’t seem to yell back…” Twilight explained weakly, giving the earth pony a tired smile.

“That’s alright, Twi. Let’s just get back to the train,” she replied, positioning Twilight to better ease her burden for the journey. Before they could even leave the dome of clarity Twilight had created, Pinkie and Rarity emerged from the murk to their left, while Rainbow Dash shot out of the veil from above. A moment later, Fluttershy joined them as well, mirroring Rainbow’s entrance.

“Twilight!”

“I’m so glad you’re alright, darling!”

“I knew you could take her, Twilight!”

“Oh, that reminds me!” Pinkie added suddenly, bouncing in place in front of the two ponies. “I found Trixie!”

“She survived?” Rarity asked with some disbelief. The thought of the mare’s destruction was not a pleasant one, even if she was completely insufferable, but considering the amount of damage the climax of the fight had inflicted on the surrounding area…

“I…never meant to destroy her,” Twilight assured with a shake of her head. “I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t have returned the gesture, though…”

“Just what in the hay was she trying to do, Twilight?” Applejack asked, giving the unicorn a serious look. “How did she even find us here? I thought only the Princess knew where we were going.”

“She probably followed us all the way from Canterlot!” Rainbow Dash said, hovering a few feet overhead with her arms folded against her chest.

“I don’t think so,” Twilight replied. “She told me I was just ‘another step toward greatness’. She didn’t seem to want revenge.”

“But that doesn’t explain how she found us,” Rarity said with a frown.

“I can’t answer that one,” Twilight said with a shrug. She paused. “Where did you say you found her, Pinkie?”

“You aren’t going to take her with us, are you?” Rainbow asked suddenly, though she knew the answer already. “She tried to kill us! She was going to destroy everypony just to sate her ego!”

“If we leave her out here, Rainbow, she could die,” Applejack replied lowly. Rainbow Dash frowned.

“But…what if she wakes up on the train…?” Fluttershy questioned ominously, her hoofs held up in front of her face at the thought.

“I don’t think she’s in any shape to fight,” Twilight replied with a smile. “And I’m sure you girls can persuade her to behave if she tries anything.”

This earned an enthusiastic “You know it!” from Rainbow Dash.

“I don’t know if I like this,” Applejack began with a sigh. “But we can’t just leave her. Let’s get her on the train before it takes off on us.”

As Applejack and Fluttershy helped Twilight get back to the train – with a little magical help from the latter to guide them – Rainbow, Pinkie, and Rarity began their search for Trixie. Rarity managed to produce a less reliable version of the spell Twilight was using to help them get through the haze, but it wasn’t exactly necessary; Pinkie led them right back to the battered mare without incident.

By the time the six friends had reassembled, the train denizens had already cleared out most of the dust from the locomotive’s side, where they were still standing.

“What is she doing here?” one pony asked with venom in her voice, pointing an accusing hoof at the unconscious form of Trixie draped across Rainbow’s back.

“You aren’t really taking her on the train, are you?! She’s psychotic!” This comment earned numerous mutterings of agreement.

“Unless you want the death of this here pony on your conscience, I suggest ya’ll shut up and get on board!”

In no time at all, the ponies boarded the train once more. The walls had been cleared at some point during the struggle, allowing their journey to begin again without further delay. Returning to their car, the six friends made sure to bring Trixie with them, in the event the battered mare would return to the waking world.

Much of the rest of the journey was spent in silence. With only the sounds of Trixie’s snoring and Pinkie’s oblivious humming to keep them company, the assembled ponies tried their best to rest and recuperate from their ordeal. Even with some much needed rest, they knew Twilight was in no condition to fight. Should things go south in their meeting with the Pygmies, it would be up to them to keep their injured friend out of harm’s way.

Just before sunset, the train rolled into the station at Appleloosa. The dusty town looked considerably larger than when they had first seen it, but had not lost its rustic, if not incredibly isolated, charm. The station itself was almost completely deserted at this point, with only a single, small form sprawled across one of the benches that faced the tracks. As they pulled in, the shape was woken with a start by the train’s entry.

“I think we should spend the night in here in town and set out in the morning,” Twilight said as they filed out, wincing as she bumped her saddle bags against a nearby light post. Her friends had insisted they help with her things, but she was determined to pull her own weight.

“Fine by me,” Applejack said, glaring at the large ornate chest Rarity was carrying out of the train with her magic. “Can’t say I’m lookin’ forward to puttin’ that armor on.” This earned a disapproving “humph” from Rarity as she passed.

“Let’s head to the inn so we can-“

“Spike?” Fluttershy said suddenly, hovering a few feet ahead of the group.

“Spike?” Twilight repeated, her eyes widening as she followed the pegasus’ gaze.

“Spike!” Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing over to the little dragon seated on a nearby bench. Spike looked quite irritated initially, but overcame his grouchiness when he spotted his friends.

“Hey everypony! What took you guys so long?” Spike asked as the ponies surrounded him. His gaze soon fell on Trixie, once again situated on Rainbow’s back. “Is that…Trixie?”

“It’s a long story,” Rainbow growled lowly, glaring up at the mare’s unconscious form.

“What’re you doing all the way down here in Appleloosa, Spike?” Twilight asked, concerned, but couldn’t help but smile. It had been a few weeks since she had seen her faithful assistant, and she was more than a little glad to see him now.

“Princess Celestia sent me to meet you guys,” he explained, giving her a wide grin. “Something about wanting to keep a direct line of communication. I was on the train before yours, and they said you would be arriving a half hour after me. What happened out there?”

“I’ll fill you in later,” Twilight assured, giving the dragon an affectionate nuzzle. “Let’s get to the inn first. These bags are getting heavier by the second!”