"Iron Skull detected." The familiar whispering voices called out from the mysterious beyond. A grumbling voice replied to them from a dark portion of the room, near the large bed.
"I heard ya the first time." The humanoid figure the deep, gruffier voice belonged to began to stir in the otherwise peaceful darkness.
"Iron Skull detected."
"Wherever you are, when I find you I'm gonna..."
"Yes, yes. The Iron Skull is here, fools. Cease and desist with the whispering."
"No."
One subtle detail about the skulls suddenly caused the shadowed figure to cease both its threat and its stumbling near the armoire. It stood still, giving pause. The orange glow of a lighter flickered on, briefly revealing a frowning, grizzled face before it died out. It left only the telltale circle of flame from a lit cigar in its wake. "Did you just change your voice? Decided to stop the ghostly whispering charade, huh?" the figure asked.
Avery Johnson, clothed in only his standard issue Corps combat fatigues, boots, and undershirt, stepped out from the dark and into the morning sunlight that was flooding in through the room's twin pair of large windows. He looked around, scanning for any trace of this so-called Iron skull and perhaps whoever else might still be lingering in his room.
"Spike, did you come back in here when I had my back turned, is it you making that voice?" Johnson scanned his surroundings with a suspicious gaze, tiny trails of smoke hanging in the air as he turned his head. "C'mon now, this ain't funny son." he said in a slow, reproachful voice. Nothing but the sound of his own breathing answered back. "Just in case you haven't already guessed, soldiers aren't the kind of gentlemen to be sneaking up on."
"Come now. Do I really sound like that hatchling dragon to you, dear? Hmm?" The voice of the intruder finally called back.
"What?" Johnson's brow furrowed as he paused and took a second to analyze the voice. Either Spike was secretly a professional voice actor, or the Sergeant Major's intruder was a middle aged, aristocratic woman of possible English descent. "Where are you?" Johnson retorted back, resuming his three hundred and sixty degree scan of his surroundings. "And what are you?"
"Listen, human. My identity, indeed my true nature, is as relevant to you presently as the life story of a stone." The voice declared suddenly and quite dismissively. "Now, open your drapes. Let the sunlight of your Princess Celestia bathe this room! Only then will I be revealed to you."
Johnson's unseen intruder instantly transferred her intonation from one of casualness to a commanding one Johnson would normally equate only to the likes of Jilan Al-Cygni or Senior Chief Petty Officer Franklin Mendez. A smaller but still powerful voice in the back of Johnson's head even tried to compare her voice to that of Doctor Halsey's or Lord Hood's. "Alright, fine. We'll have it your way, skull lady. You better not be playing some trick."
Slowly, Johnson approached the windows, still looking around. "I don't have time for games or nonsense. Certainly not when the world might be in danger from talking bones like yourself and cocky, ten foot tall mutant magic men, or whatever the heck the Princesses said Discord was."
"Games?" The feminine voice laughed, her aged sound reducing it to a gruff cackle. "When we fought and crushed winged ground trotters in my day, there was nary time for such idle fancies as games! Please human, properly illuminate this dreary chamber so you may hastily heed the notices of my whispering colleagues. They annoy me as much as they seem to pester yourself, if you so choose to believe."
With a bemused grunt, Johnson pulled the satiny drapes further open, then followed suit with the other window. At last the entire room was basking in the warm light of morning. Johnson resumed his scanning.
"Over here, dear. The 'Iron' skull is hither, in this sitting area. Well, in the interests of the accuracy, it's my skull that rests here."
Johnson turned his gaze towards his room's sitting area. The fireplace was cold and still, nothing seemed out of place there. An empty pitcher that once held tea sat on one of the end tables with the ottomans and plush chairs, all undisturbed from when he last left them the night previous. Johnson didn't finally see the skull until the feminine entity that seemed to be attached to it greeted him directly from her apparent location.
"Up here, on the fireplace mantle! Why I appeared behind these empty cider bottles after being carried around by a Draconequus who's terrorizing a metropolis, I'll never understand."
Wasting no time, Johnson jogged over to the fireplace and pushed the bottles aside, revealing the Iron Skull glinting in the light. Unlike previous skulls, Iron still possessed its own lower jaw, and the skull stared Johnson down with a ghastly grin. He grunted indignantly at the sight, then swiftly grabbed it. That was when the unexpected happened.
Sitting in Johnson's hand, the Iron Skull did not vanish like the others before it. The man was caught by complete surprise, and his cigar nearly toppled out of his mouth. The voice emanating from the skull emitted a satisfied sigh. "Ah, it is a refreshing change to finally be in the hands of a sane being, and a human no less. Things could be worse, one of those winged ungulate vermin could have found me instead. Oh, and yes," Iron's voice sounded as if she was clearing her throat, which should be impossible for reasons obvious to all. "Iron Skull acquired."
The soldier grunted again and rolled the skull about in his palm, examining it. The sigil of a hammer within a circular brace was stamped on the skull's forehead, between where the temples once resided. He paused his inspection, connecting the word 'iron' with the hammer. He made the logical connection quickly, then another thought popped into his mind. "Hold up skull lady, or Iron Skull, whatever the hell you are. You call me human...almost as if you're not human yourself. Why is that, and why didn't you disappear?"
"Ah, you're question must be pertaining to the shape of the final vestige of my estranged mortal form, my skull. I will tell you this: looks are deceiving, my dear. As for my acquisition by your hand, I was not put into this disembodied state in the same manner as the others were, you see. Ergo, I am not bound by the same rules governing my people's theory on Divine Metaphysics."
Johnson seemed to have more to say regarding the matter, but clearly the entity was no longer willing to remain idle in his hand, spewing out ancient secrets. "Now, enough blather! I overheard the words of the adorable hatchling you call Spike. Clearly you are needed elsewhere."
"Aeyup, that's one thing we seem to agree on." Johnson murmured. He set Iron down on the nearest end table. He left his BDU absent from his ensemble for now and donned his Corps hat, preparing to head downstairs and outside. "So, Iron skull, what am I going to do with you in the meantime?"
The voice of the Iron skull chuckled. "Simple! Take me with you. I'm lightweight, human."
The prospect did not please him much. However, Johnson shrugged and scooped the skull up in his left palm, marching out into the corridor while Iron commented on the primitive appearance of his garments, surrounding decor, and everything in general. Johnson currently wondering how she was able to actually see the physical world when her eyes were obviously long gone.
Something told him he'd probably be better off not asking.
Air shattered sharply as a rifle-musket sent its round down the targeting range. The conical round whizzed through the air, traveling in a gyrating motion. Its journey ended in under a second, imbedding itself in the ventricle artery region of the soldier's target, a crudely drawn cutout of a changeling drone.
"Awesome shot! You should let me try that out." Rainbow Dash exclaimed, observing two earth pony soldiers as they took turns attempting to hone their accuracy and demonstrate their techniques to the surrounding group.
"Sorry Miss Dash." One soldier replied. He was of average build, tan coated, and possessed a narrowly cut brown mane and blue eyes. His appearance indicated he was in his prime years, well beyond adolescence, but nowhere near middle age yet. "Civilians are not permitted to wield Army or Royal Guard firearms without prior training."
The other soldier fired this time, striking the faux changeling in the lower jaw. He raised a hoof. "Yes! I think I just unlocked an Achievement!"
"Aw, c'mon Davenport! Twilight's a regular customer at Quills and Sofas, can't you make an exception, just this once..." Rainbow rose into the air for dramatization. "...for a friend of the Princess of the entire region, and one of your biggest buyers of quills, huh?"
"I'm Colonel Davenport right now, Miss Dash." Davenport turned towards the other and shouted, "Hitting a training dummy is worth only five gamer points, Wexley!" then looked up at Rainbow again. "I only run my shop on weekdays. Now, you'll need approval from Princess Twilight herself first." Davenport signaled for his fellow soldier to carry on, and then shifted his gaze towards the Princess.
Twilight sat with Spike in the soft grass off to the side, observing. The alicorn shifted her personally-crafted weapon around anxiously before replying. "Approval denied. Maybe wait a few more minutes, Rainbow Dash. Then I'll let you fire the Mark I if there's still time."
Davenport nodded and shrugged apologetically at Rainbow Dash. He then turned attention back to the firing range. Rainbow, meanwhile, sputtered for a minute in annoyance. "But...you have the rifle here, right now. It's loaded and it's not even being used!" Dash's voice grew impatient, and she crossed her forelegs.
"I want Johnson out here and everyone ready to pay attention before anything beyond the power of a rifle-musket is even loaded. We only have so much black dragon powder out right now, and I don't have the heart to force one of my secret-spilling apprentices to go blundering out of the lab and back over to the Ponyville Arsenal to fetch some more kegs." Twilight answered back.
This elicited a groan from Rainbow Dash, who landed in front of the pair. "What's taking Johnson so long to get out here anyways? He's a soldier, you'd think the gunshots would get him moving for sure!"
"Heck if I know." Spike interjected, with a shrug. "I woke him up myself, and when I left he was starting to get ready."
"Maybe he got lost in your labyrinth of a house, or stumbled into one of your freaky new inventions and got turned into a toad or something." Rainbow Dash suggested with a note of concern. This provoked a roll of the eyes from Twilight.
"That, or he's been delayed by talking skulls."
"Uh-huh! That, or...wait, what?" Rainbow turned around and saw Johnson himself. She grinned instantly. "Hey, it's you!"
He was standing on the stoop of one of the back doors, wearing a neutral but bemused expression on his face and puffing out smoke from his cigar. "Good to see you again, Rainbow!" To Spike and Twilight's shock, he had a skull in his right hand. "How has the weather patrolling been?"
"Hmm, not too shabby I guess. Light drizzle here, cloudy day there." Rainbow replied with a smirk. "Luckily none of those terrible dragons showed up to spoil my day. I'd hate to have to teach them a painful lesson."
"Hey!" Spike protested, offended.
"Relax! I wasn't talking about you, Spike!" Rainbow declared, snorting with laughter and clutching her gut. Johnson couldn't help but smile slightly.
Two of Twilight's guards flanking the door tensed up after laying eyes on the skull. Twilight herself jabbed a hoof in its general direction. "When did that creepy thing pop up," Her voice registered slight trepidation. "and where?"
Johnson stepped out onto the path and approached them, twirling the skull about and whistling. Twilight and Spike's shock only increased when the Iron Skull spoke to them.
"Creepy? Must we resort to insults? We haven't even been introduced yet, young alicorn! Given the symbol atop my forehead, you may simply call me Iron." There was a brief pause in Iron's voice. "Ah, you must be the young dragon who awoke the human, Spike is it? Tell me Spike, what is a fine young dragon such as yourself doing here, living amongst these Equinoki? Where is your brood, your elders, siblings, and peers?"
"Johnson, did...did that skull just talk, on its own?" Twilight asked in puzzlement. Spike had nearly jumped when the skull addressed him directly. Twilight was still sitting in the grass and Spike was hiding behind her, using her back as an equine shield. She grumbled in disapproval and got up without warning, causing both the young dragon and the repeater rifle to fall to the ground. "Oh and whatever you are, just mind your own business, skull! You're upsetting Spike." The Princess then looked up from the Iron skull and back at Johnson, her eyes requesting an explanation.
"Unsurprisingly, this little 'gift' from Discord appeared not too long after Spike woke me up. I thought it was you pulling a prank on me, Spike." Johnson's frown vanished, but his expression remained serious as he glanced at what lay in his hand. Spike's apprehension likewise disappeared, and he appeared less intimidated by the skull's presence.
Twilight however remained wary. "Appeared where? And what is it? This skull seems different, mainly because it didn't..."
"Vanish?" Iron interrupted. "I've already discussed this at length with your human friend currently holding me. I teleported to Johnson's chambers from somewhere in the Eastern Lands, the Draconequus' doing. As for my still being here...suffice to say, I'm unlike my fellows."
"Hey, who do you think you are, cutting off Twilight like that? And Johnson can speak for himself! Mind your manners or we might as well crush you with something, bonehead." Rainbow Dash retorted sharply, narrowing her eyes. The raising of her voice caught the soldiers' attention, who briefly ceased their target practice and turned around to see what was unfolding.
The Iron skull laughed in a condescending fashion, causing Johnson to grunt and set her down in the grass before them. "Oh my. Tyre Aat, pegazah! I surrender, o' great and mighty winged ground trotter." Another laugh and Dash's face was beggining to reach a boil. "It's of no consequence to you what I was. I'm now a disembodied spirit, well within her right to address anyone in anyway she sees fit, dragon fodder."
Johnson's voice was low and dangerous as he pointed a finger at the skull. "Listen here, skull lady. You insult Rainbow or anyone else here one more time, then I have half a mind to..." Despite his tone, the Sergeant Major seemed almost morbidly comical at a glance, talking to a deceased person's skull that could only grin back.
Sensing things were going in a direction far from pleasant, Twilight decided to intervene, stepping next to the skull and in between Rainbow Dash and Johnson, who both were scowling at it. "Slow down, we're having a confrontation with a bewitched skull here, everyone! Let's just find something to do with erm...Iron...here, for now, so we can focus on showing Johnson some of our weaponry."
"I say just smash the thing!" Rainbow proclaimed.
"I can't seem to make her disappear for some reason, sorry Twilight." Johnson said, shrugging irritably. "Maybe we should burry the damn thing, or smash it like Rainbow said."
Rainbow Dash smiled at the thought of bone fragments flying everywhere. It was almost like a dilapidated old barn being razed to the ground, but on a much smaller scale.
"Where though? I say bury it as far away from Ponyville as physically possible!" Spike added.
"All any of you can do is merely set me down to watch you, I cannot be easily rid of unless one of you has the power comparable to a Draconequus. Here we just have a hatchling, a human, a junior alicorn, and a winged ground trotter." Iron chuckled. "Face it, fools. You're stuck with me!" She declared to all.
"I don't know guys, but it's not your fault, Johnson." Twilight sighed and scooped up the Mark I repeater in her aura, choosing to ignore the Iron entity's blue blood-like arrogance. "You know as little about Discord's mysterious skulls as I do, and at least this Iron skull doesn't seem to be doing anything dangerously malicious..."
"Yet." Johnson and Rainbow Dash ominously said in unison. Iron chuckled haughtily at them from the grass, gazing up with her now perpetual skeletal grin. Davenport's rifle discharged in the meantime, indicating the Royal soldiers had returned focus to their practice.
"Hey, hey! That drone you killed, had a puppy!" Wexley, the other soldier, exclaimed randomly.
"Meh. I think I'm gonna save this and watch it in theater later." Davenport remarked, strapping his rifle to his back and sitting on his haunches as Wexley took his turn.
Not seeking to have any further ridiculous verbal battles with a cursed skull, everyone settled on leaving her on the stoop to mumble to herself and watch them. For the two guards posted there it wasn't a popular move, but they were loyal to their Princess, and did not verbally protest.
Twilight was about to lead Johnson over to introduce him to the soldiers of the Royal Army, when she noticed two newcomers had already materialized next to the firing range. The largest of the new duo noticed and approached them, with the smaller one trailing close behind.
"Iron Will? Flash Sentry? When did you two show up?" Twilight asked.
Iron Will, obviously the big one, answered first. The minotaur flexed his massive arm muscles nonchalantly as he went. "We got here five minutes ago! Huah!"
"And we overheard your entire exchange with this...Iron Skull." Flash Sentry added. "I will oversee the testing of this new repeater rifle of yours. Iron Will is in attendance for a possible manufacturing deal if your weapon proves up to par with Guard requisition specifications."
After having been bested at his own tactics by Fluttershy several years ago, Iron Will had taken time to reflect on himself and maybe devise a new business model. This eventually came in the form of Iron Will Industries, now one of Equestria's largest producers of industrial equipment, as well as anything made of metal really. And, should the need for the Kingdom arise, weaponry could easily be added to the factory quotas, given the minotaur entrepreneur's apparent appreciation for all things powerful and imposing.
This appreciation was quickly exhibited in Iron Will's next words. "Yeah, I'll mass produce your little peacekeeping tool. And regarding your skull problem..." Iron Will folded his arms as he pondered. "Personally, I agree with Rainbow Dash's idea for a solution! Let Iron Will show the..." He formed air quotations with his fingers. "...Iron skull, what it truly means to be as tough as iron! What better way than at the business end of a hammer!" Iron Will put his hands at his hips as he stared analytically down at the skull.
Another creature was just scratched off Johnson's mental list of things that were originally only mythological as he observed the minotaur. In fact, that list was quickly dwindling by the day. Johnson greeted him with a slightly amazed, impressed expression, and the pair shook. Iron Will was around the size of a standing Hunter, easily, but he seemed equally impressed by what Sentry had told him of the human.
Rainbow Dash chorused her agreement with the minotaur and pumped a hoof into the air, while the Sergeant nodded and looked to Twilight. "Sounds like a good enough way to me." He said with light smile.
The Iron Skull had already consumed enough of her time. Twilight nodded assent and waved them off with a hoof. "Fine you two, just clean up the mess afterwards, please." Iron Will and Rainbow Dash set about looking for a suitable hammer, while Dash regaled Iron Will with the tale of her and Johnson's encounter with the dragon Risea far above Canterlot, with a few fantastic embellishments throw in.
Meanwhile, Flash Sentry made his way over to chat with the soldiers. They didn't seem too pleased to see him, the Captain of the Royal Guard. Spike and Twilight lead Johnson over to the range alongside them so she could finally demonstrate her new weapon design to him.
While they went, Twilight was fervently wondering about the skull. "Judging by her disembodied but rather posh voice, I'd hypothesize this Iron skull once belonged to one of the Legendary Folk, Johnson. Definitely a high official or aristocrat of some kind."
Johnson shrugged. "Based on some of what she said, I know one thing must be clear. Their skulls look like those of my people, but they're not human."
Twilight rubbed her muzzle thoughtfully. "Now that you mention it, after taking a closer look at the temporal region of the skull, that is the lower middle section, the being must of possessed pointed ears. I assume most humans have the same or similar ear types, and yours are rounded. So either it's a mutation, or you're right, and Iron, as well as the Legendary folk, are entirely...something else."
"Strange." Spike remarked. The trio stopped as they reached the edge of the shooting range.
"Yeah, strange indeed, Spike. Unfortunately for us, skull lady was pretty adamant about not spilling the beans on who or what she was. She only mentioned something called 'Divine Metaphysics', some gobbledygook like that."
"Strange. So tragic, well for the sake of History and Archaeology anyhow. I suppose its time to put them to rest once and for all." Twilight gave a final passing gander at the skull. Iron Will had found a hammer that struck his fancy, and he and Rainbow Dash would soon get to work ridding the world of another of Discord's mysterious skulls. Twilight's two guards next to the back door watched them with anticipation.
The Princess and the human meanwhile were about to give the Sparkle Mark I repeater its first test run. "Ah, Sergeant Major Johnson, good day to you." Sentry greeted, turning away from Davenport and Wexley, who finally noticed Johnson's presence for the first time. Wexley gave a jumbled salute, while Colonel Davenport greeted with a formal bow.
Johnson approached the Guard Captain, and the two shook hand and hoof. "Ditto, Captain." He turned to the pair of soldiers and gave each a brief salute. "So, you're part of Equestria's fighting stock, huh?"
Davenport and Sentry shot each other contentious looks, then at last the Colonel replied, "Indeed, or what remains of it outside the walls of Stalliongrad, which is a thousand, five hundred miles north of here. They're forced to patrol the ice cold mountainous frontier along Cadence and Shining Armor's Crystal Empire over there." His words carried a minute hint of anger, clearly directed towards Flash Sentry.
Wexley instinctively took a step back from both of them, while Johnson took a drag of his Sweet William, drawing a second and third one out from a pocket of his fatigues. "Stalliongrad, eh? Sounds like a city of strong honest folk! Either of you smoke?"
"Actually I do on occas... " The sight of Johnson's lighter caused the Colonel's eyes to bug out of his skull when he finally noticed it. Davenport reared back in panic. "Sergeant Major, we have live munitions in the open! The gunpowder could ignite if exposed to even the tiniest flame!"
Before Johnson could respond, Twilight stepped in, the Mark I dangling from its strap at her side. "Colonel, Colonel, calm down! I'm sure Johnson didn't consider it. Back in his world, powder-based weapons went obsolete over seven hundred years ago!"
"My apologies, your highness!" Davenport managed, his body still shaking and pumping with adrenaline from an anticipated explosion.
Over on the stoop, the Iron Skull chuckled to herself about something regarding the feebleness of gunpowder weaponry, not noticing Iron Will walking over intently and whistling with something heavy and metallic over his shoulder.
"Ah dammit, sorry! Where's my head?" Johnson stuffed the two cigars back into the depths of his side pocket, and promptly dropped his own to the ground, stomping it out. "I should'a thought of that, maybe that fall onto Canterlot Mountain throttled my noggin more than I thought."
"You're fine, Avery." Twilight said, and sighed. "Just a silly mistake, nothing to fret over now." She pulled her rifle from its strap and brought it out to give over to the human. "Okay, first Corporal Wexley here will demonstrate the usage of a standard issue Manehattan Munitions Model five rifle-musket, then Johnson will fire my Mark I."
"Better known as the M3-5, or the 'Changeling Crusher'. Alongside the Elements of Harmony, this baby was instrumental in helping break the Changeling siege on Canterlot." Colonel Davenport through in. "But do people ever mention the Royal Army's role in the battle? Luna's flank no, they didn't!" He muttered angrily under his breath. "Brave Guards did this, heroic handsome Shining Armor did that! Blech!"
Sergeant Johnson carefully received the weapon in his hands, and moved his fingers onto the trigger, which was almost too big for them. Meanwhile, Wexley picked up his rifle to begin the procedure for loading it.
"Indeed Colonel, thanks for that...extra insight." Twilight turned to indicate she was speaking to all of them. "After both rifles have been fired a few times, Colonel Davenport here will demonstrate the power of a Griffon blunderbuss, and a standard Roaman legionnaire's pistol."
"Should I go get some ear plugs?" Spike inquired, standing next to Wexley.
The soldier could only shrug as he stood up to reach into his bag at the side for a paper cartridge and his loading muzzle. "I can stand it just fine."
Nearby the Iron Skull was about to meet her end, or so it seemed. Rainbow watched eagerly as Iron Will hefted the massive blacksmith's hammer he had borrowed from the tool shed close by over his head for a downward strike. "Iron Skull, brace yourself for Iron Will! Huah!" The hammer came down with force on the crown of the skull.
For a split second the duo grinned in satisfaction, then the grins quickly dropped to perplexed frowns. The Iron Skull was still largely intact, and only a small area was cracked.
Iron began cackling. Her empty eye sockets assumed a red otherworldly glow as her insane laughter increased in volume, drawing the attention of Twilight and company. "Fools, I told you I cannot be rid of that easily! Now you have incurred my wrath!"
"Celestia's mane! She...she sounds like Nightmare Moon!" One of Twilight's pair of guards whimpered, shaking with his fur standing on end and ears flattened.
His comrade just up and fled. "I'm a cowardly fool!" He cried, disappearing around the bend of the topiaries to the side of the manor.
"Hey what the?" Rainbow Dash sputtered.
"You've got to be kidding! One more hit then!" Iron Will grunted and swung the hammer again, going for a roundabout strike. The Iron Skull took the full force of the blow, and still it did not move, only sustaining a few minor cracks.
"This doesn't make any sense at all!" Dash said in desperation and disbelief.
"What the hell's going on?" Johnson demanded, looking up and over from the Mark I in his grip. In his periphery, the Skull Icon was flashing like mad.
"Iron Skull detected. The Supreme Technomancer has gone mad, defeat her. Collect us all!" The whispering voices declared, with a new sense of urgency and emotion Johnson had never heard them express before.
Suddenly, the sky darkened as a bank of storm clouds rolled in from out of nowhere, further confounding Rainbow Dash and blotting out the Sun over Ponyville. Lightning flashed and the clouds descended to form a barrier around the town.
"Skulls, on! Iron, on!" The Iron Skull declared. "Your town will now be my perpetual arena. Rise my soldiers! Rise and crush the pegasi you find, and crush them again when they respawn!"
Lightning struck the ground near everyone, and a dozen spectral ghosts materialized in the afterglow. They each wore the same or similar armor as the humanoid soldiers encountered at Sugar Cube corner, and each wielded a hammer identical to the one a rather puzzled Iron Will was still holding in his burly hands.
Even more perplexing as the soldiers turned to face the party, was that half of them appeared to be dragons, but still in bipedal form like Spike, although far, far older. Through the ethereal blue gloom of ectoplasm, everyone could see that their armor was looser and sparser, accommodating their wide scaly snouts and spiked tails. They stood exactly like their mysterious non-dragon comrades, hissing fiercely and poised to strike with their blunt weapons. Further lightning strikes in the surrounding streets indicated more of their kind were arriving.
At Twilight and Johnson's immediate call, Rainbow Dash, Twilight's remaining Guard, Iron Will, Sentry, Spike, and the two Royal soldiers formed up into a defensive group with whatever weapons and abilities were immediately available. The Iron Skull laughed again, her cackling causing Twilight's rage to boil up as she listened. "Gah! When I get my hooves on Discord, I'll...! Well, I can't even say it in front of Spike!"
"Special announcement for you, human. You and your party may win this arena bout, if you fight through my army and make it to this settlement's seat of government." She paused dramatically. "If either you, the winged ground trotter, or the young alicorn should happen to meet your end at one of my warriors' weapons, all of you will be forced right back here to start your task, all over again!" Iron Skull's cackling ceased as her monologue drew to a close.
"I'm going to your city hall now. May the odds be forever in your favor!" Iron vanished from her place on the stoop in a wink of red light.
The party of armed ghost soldiers growled and hissed as they stepped closer. The living who were brave enough, glared at them. Twilight did so the most intensely, seeing her city being invaded in such a manner and taking it as almost a personal affront.
Next to the alicorn, Johnson checked that the Mark I was loaded, and readied it, peering through the sites. "Discord's skulduggery, it's getting old real quick." He grumbled. At some point he had lit another Sweet William and was now puffing at it. Spike could almost swear the things seemed to practically teleport into the man's mouth, without him even needing grab one out of his pocket. The little dragon contemplated it, as staring at the ghost dragons would only cause him to likely break into a panic.
Rainbow Dash sneered as she hovered next to the Sergeant Major, nodding in agreement. "Let's get ready to own these fools!"
Colonel Davenport flinched as a rogue lightning bolt struck the ground a quarter mile away, lighting some small fields near the woods on fire. When the aroma of the smoke wafted over to him, Davenport sniffed at it and his eyes widened. "Hey, I think that's coming from my Grandma's farm! Wait, but that must mean... Oh no, Granny! And my weed!"
Author's Note: Eeyup, I changed back to the original story Title. Why? Because I've decided the newer one was bland. Celestia and Luna curse me to a thousand years of cake baking in the sweltering heat of Tartarus, if I even think of changing it again.