Two Days Later
Autumn Blaze fought to keep her Nirik form active as her anger faded. She may have been powerful as a Nirik, but such a kind soul could only channel anger for so long before becoming apathetic.
She looked upon the wall of blue and pink flames she erected to buy some time, not too surprised when her opponent walked through it.
The Chaos Space Marine stared her down with purple lenses, it's idling chainsword seeming to growl in hunger as it hung loosely in the monster's hand. Skulls of creatures the young Kirin had never seen adorned it's dark blue armor, and flayed skin bearing a Pony's Cutie Mark was nailed onto his right shin.
The monster did not speak, nor did it attack, it simply waited to see what futile effort it's latest victim would throw at it.
Autumn summoned her rage, ignoring the fear and shame that would come with defeat. She couldn't lose, she wouldn't lose. With a scream of defiance, the Nirik unleashed a concentrated inferno that struck the Warp-tainted curiass of her foe with enough force to drive him backwards.
The Astartes carved trenches into the earth with its feet as it fought to retain its balance, squatting and shifting its body to take the inferno onto its pauldron. The shoulder redirected the flow of flames away from the heretic and allowed it to slowly advance.
If Autumn Blaze had been focusing on her opponent, she could've redirected her stream of fire to the enemy's head. But alas the drawback to drawing power from anger is losing control.
Oh, she could focus her anger onto a single target to avoid lashing out at unrelated bystanders, but she couldn't strategize how to win beyond empowering herself enough to rival an Astartes. If she turned her focus away from her anger, her flames would lose their potency and be ineffective, even when striking the enemy's weakpoint.
Her only hope was that her rage burned hot enough to destroy the monster. And so she focused on all he had killed, all he would kill, on every single living thing just trying to live their lives in peace and pursue their innocent dreams and ambitions without harming anyone. The fact that this monster would slaughter them all if Autumn didn't stop him was the only thing she focused on.
She screamed in outrage and fury that this monster forced her to dig so deep, her flames burning hotter and shooting from her throat in greater force. Only the greatest of Dragons could match a furious Nirik's fire. The greatest of Dragons...and the Emperor's chosen.
A ceramite clad hand grabbed the Nirik's throat and squeezed. Shock and fear snuffing her flames instantly and changing her back into a Kirin as she sought to make sense of what was happening.
The Astartes lifted her up to look her in the eyes. As he did, Autumn Blaze looked upon his armor to survey the damage. His pauldron had barely held. The ceramite was cracked and losing fragments, but it was far from enough. "I...I failed."
"As I suspected..." The Chaos Space Marine began as it lowered the Kirin and disappeared in a flash of purple flames.
"...even the strongest Nirik fire isn't good enough to burn through Space Marine armor." Pharynx concluded, barely paying any attention to the 2nd degree burn on his shoulder.
Autumn's ears hung by her head as she processed all this. "...I guess we're not going to be much help, huh."
Pharynx snickered. "Don't be ridiculous. You can still use the Equestrian Defenders, and Nirik flames will work wonders against Chaos Cultists or Ork invaders. Just because Greenskin is on our side doesn't mean the next Ork will be."
The young Kirin nodded solemnly. The Changeling was right, but it was still a shock. The Kirin had once used a magical stream to remove their emotions for fear of their destructive power, to realize that power wouldn't be enough to defeat the forces of Chaos was a culture shock to say the least.
"...Don't worry about it. We're strong enough together." Came a new voice, alerting the training warriors to the arrival of Freedom Fighter.
"How are they doing?" Pharynx asked the large armored colt.
"The Kirin are still getting the hang of it, but I think we'll be ready in a few more days." Freedom replied. They were of course referring to the formation drills. The ideal defensive formation consisted of armored Yaks at the front of the group in a spearhead formation with Dragons and Griffins right behind them armed with Equestrian Defenders. Behind them would a group of 3-7 Unicorns and Changelings(depending on the size of the formation) who would supply magical shields before testing the Yaks' enchanted armor.
These formations would be divided between the first and final defensive lines, as they were the most powerful. Other lines would be better entrenched in order to compensate for the lack of heavy armor, and would feature heavier firepower...including Dazzling Light's latest weapon of war.
Cloudsdale may have been destroyed by the Dark Eldar two years ago, but in those two years the city of Las Pegasus had changed from a vacation resort to the new capital city of the Pegasai, and featured it's own Weather Factory. A fact that the Fireworks crafter turned Gunsmith was absolutely delighted to discover.
Prior to the invasion of the Dark Eldar, Dazzling Light had an idea to utilize weather manipulation in order to create a short range artillery weapon. Two years later, the idea had manifested in the form of the Cloudsdale Cannon. Far different from Pinkie Pie's Party Cannons, this weapon fired a glass orb containing a thundercloud into the sky and down upon the enemy force. Members of the Mirror Dimension would've compared it more to a mortar than to a cannon, but Equestria new nothing of mortars, and so the name remained.
"Perfect! At this rate even a Greater Daemon won't be enough to take us down." Pharynx chuckled.
"Not one anyway. There's no preparing for the sheer absurdity of Chaos and it's forces." Freedom reminded him.
"Hey, who's the veteran here kid?" Pharynx asked him.
"Heh." Freedom smirked at the compliment, but his focus was elsewhere.
"Hey." Pharynx called to get his attention. "He's fine. He'll be back before you know it."
"Yeah...I know." Freedom sighed, wondering to himself how powerful the enemy must be to hold Aries and the Element Bearers in another dimension for so long.
In the two days since the human Rainbow Dash's death, Sunset Shimmer's resolve compelled the humans and Equestrians around her to spread the Magic of Friendship to her world. She would have to leave this to her friends until her would be assassins were dealt with, but that didn't stop her from doing what she can in hiding with Aries and the two police officers guarding her.
The first step was simple: copy Twilight's journal, change every mention of 'ponies' to 'people' and spread it far and wide.
The Pinkies took the Lion's share of the books on their next 'vacation', while the rest attended a county fair.
The Twilights would attend a booth with the books, while their friends would spread the book to all who would read it throughout their own activities.
"Ya brought it on yerself ya git." Greenskin snarled to the rattling animal kennel she had stuffed Hooknose into before returning to help Fluttershy tend to the petting zoo.
Most humies would freak out at there suddenly being two of everyone, but with the humie Rainbow Dash's death, most of the other humies didn't feel like running small businesses anyway. So the humie Fluttershy stayed in the back where she could help if she was needed.
Fortunately, the fact that Equestrian Fluttershy was an adult, and familiar with creatures the likes of Manticores, Bugbears, and even Cerberus itself, meant that her teenage humie counterpart could stay in the back with her head in her arms.
"...is you sure yer okay?" Greenskin asked her as she passed.
"...No. But Sindri isn't going to wait." Fluttershy sighed.
Greenskin didn't know how to respond. The difference between humie mobs and Ork mobs were staggering, and Greenskin himself never had a mob, so he simply nodded his head, gently squeezed the young human's shoulder, and went back to the front where Equestrian Fluttershy was overseeing a Pony ride.
Fluttershy watched her go, trying to think about anything else, when there was suddenly a loud crash further back.
Fluttershy shot up immediately. Her first thought was that Hooknose had gotten loose again, but then she saw someone sprinting towards her: Aria Blaze, covered in blood.
Panic shot through Fluttershy, and she tried to scream, but Aria closed the gap first and put a hand over her mouth. "Shhh! Your green friend isn't going to hear me out and I need your help! You were right about them, okay!"
Fluttershy took in the situation, as well as the panic and urgency in the rogue siren, and nodded her head as she calmed down. Aria's came away with a relieved sigh. "Thank you. Thank you! I thought I was done for."
"It's okay Aria. I'll tell the others that you were betrayed. We won't let Greenskin hur-" Aria cut her off. "There's no time! I didn't escape alone, and my friend was badly hurt while helping me escape! She took a hit that was me and I-I can't stop the bleeding!"
Fluttershy understood immediately. "I'll get my other self an-yeep!" Before Fluttershy could respond, Aria was pulling her by the arm through the barn where the animals were kept and out the Employees Entrance she had come in from.
A sharp icy pang of fear told Fluttershy she needed to call for help, but Aria was just trying to save her friend's life. And if Greenskin heard Fluttershy shouting, she'd rip Aria's head off.
Luckily, a juvenile life of being pulled around by Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie gave Fluttershy some experience in this sort of thing. Allowing her to pull out her phone and text the emergency phone she had given to her other self as Aria pulled her into an alley way where another figure was slumped against the wall clutching their side.
At the sight of someone in need, Fluttershy rushed ahead of Aria. She knelt down and gently removed the hooded figure's hand to see his wound.
There wasn't one. The person's clothes were covered in blood or thick syrup. Confusion dazed Fluttershy for half a second before the terrifying realization set in.
The other Chaos Cultist seized the young girl's wrists. She tried to scream, but Aria covered her mouth. "Works every time. Idiots like you are the easiest ones to isolate from their little herds."
Fluttershy tried to drive her elbows into the siren's stomach, but the other Cultist held her firm while Aria pulled out a knife and raised it over her head. "Two down. Four to go."
"Hmm?" Fluttershy said to herself when an audible 'ping' sounded from the device in her pocket. She pulled it out and read a hastily typed message from her other self.
spmeone in rrouble. Went 2 help out bsck.
"Oh dear, why did she- Greenskin, I need you to go out the back entrance to find my other self. She says someone needs help." Fluttershy asked the Orkette.
Greenskin, just staring at kids riding with nothing else to do, shot right up.
Going into the back, a cold feeling crept up the Orks humie spine. Someone had come in here in a hurry and knocked over Hooknose's kennel.
Greenskin ran over and grabbed the small cage, and sure enough, the Snot Dog was gone. And the back door was wide open.
"Oh Zogg!" Greenskin shouted as she ran after him.
All thoughts of helping Fluttershy's humie double went out the window. Greenskin ran in a straight line trying to find any sign of the bite happy Snotling before-
KYAAAAAAAAAA!!!! "OH NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!!!!!" Greenskin ran with all the speed her black studded boots could manage... which by Ork and humie logic wasn't very much.
Greenskin came to an alley that echoed with angry shouts and beastly snarls. But when she turned into the alley, she saw something very different from what she expected.
Hooknose had bitten into someone alright, but it was the Dazzlin' Git. And she was holding a knife while someone else was holding Fluttershy!
All concern for the Snotling went to the Squig pens as Greenskin reached for something on her waist. Fluttershy hadn't let him to carry in public during their first encounter with the Dazzlinz, but her opinion changed after the humie Rainbow Dash was killed. It came into this world as an Ork Big Choppa, but the mirror transformed into what the late humie Rainbow Dash described as a 'Tacticool Tomahawk'.
"WAAAGH!" Greenskin shouted as she ran full tilt at Aria with the intent to split her head open. But even with a Snotling chewing on her calf, she managed to duck Greenskin's overhead chop.
The Dazzlin' tried to stab Greenskin while the other Git kept holding Fluttershy, but Greenskin tagged her in the temple with the butt of the ax and went to swing again.
Finally, the other Git realized Aria wasn't going to handle this on her own and shoved Fluttershy into Greenskin who fell right onto Hooknose, dislodging him from Aria's leg.
"We should've just used this from the start." The other Git, a girl by her voice, hissed as she pulled out a pistol and leveled it at the Orkette.
Greenskin didn't have time to throw the ax properly, and so opted for a thrusting throw which, by the grace of Gork and Mork, landed the top of the ax blade just under the gun and into the other Git's fingers.
The other Git didn't drop the gun, but she did cry out and stagger while Fluttershy removed herself from the Ork. Who then shot up and tackled the Git with a gun and bit into her gunhand.
The other Git gave a shrill scream and tried to grab the gun with her other hand, but Greenskin seized her wrist with her right arm and used her left to start pummeling the Git.
The Git tried get a foot under the Ork's stomach, but Greenskin got her feet under her first and kept her knees bent over the Git's legs.
Blood dropped from Greenskin's mouth as the thrill of a propa fight took him. Greenskin wrenched and pulled to tear free a chunk of the Git's hand. Only to finally realize that one of the terrified screams wasn't coming from the Git!
Da Dazzlin'! FLUDDASHOY!!! Greenskin remembered before doing something completely reckless. With one last punch, Greenskin brought both hands away from the Git and tried to snatch her gun.
As she pulled, she put her eyes on the rest of the fight. Aria was on top of Fluttershy, Fluttershy was trying to keep the knife from skewering her, and Hooknose...
... Hooknose was laying on the pavement. Blood pooling from his neck. He wasn't the best Snot, he wasn't a good Snot...but he was Greenskin's Snot.
As he processed the battlefield, Greenskin wrenched the gun free and righted it in her hands and fired at the Dazzlin'. An Ork's accuracy in a small teen's body saved Aria's life the first two times. The third shot winged her, but the other Git grabbed Greenskin's wrists before he could shoot again.
Greenskin headbutted the offender, knocking her to the ground, and put two boolitz through her face before turning back to Aria.
The Dazzlin' legged it. There was a blood trail Greenskin could follow, but Fluttershy had a cut on her neck and Greenskin wasn't a Dok.
"Call da Boss! We needz ta stop da leekin'! Dey ain't takin' you too." Greenskin said as he came over. Once he saw Fluttershy pull out her voicy box, she went over and put a gentle hand on Hooknose. "Good Snot."
Author's Note:
I! HAVE! RETUUUUUUURNED!!!!
I'll bet you all thought this story was dead. I did for a minute. But I'm happy to tell you all it's back.
Now, some of all know I've started a new fic called Ahriman's Answer(Harmony cures the Rubric) and I'm not stopping that. In fact, I'm probably gonna drop a new chapter of that before anything else.
I'm also currently cutting my way through the next chapter of the Lion's Heresy(With Ponies) hopefully I'll have that up before next year.
All in all, I got my groove back...sort of. Shit is still chaotic in my life right now and things could change at the drop of a hat, but for the foreseeable future, I know where I'm going with this now.
Regarding the chapter itself, veteran readers will recognize half of it(the good half) as the last chapter I wrote before I petered out, I got the pacing a little bit better this time. I'm still going to get us back to Equestria relatively quickly, but not jarringly so.
And if Greenskin didn't like Aria before, he definitely don't like her now. I honestly didn't know what I was doing with Hooknose going in. I wanted to do a Grot, but I know the Ork lifecycle does Snotlings first, then Squigs, then Grots.
I honestly should've just went through that during the time skip, but hindsight's 20/20. And rather than just erasing the Snot, I decided to let him go out like a Boss. He finally got to bite something, and he saved EG Fluttershy's life. Not bad for a Snotling.
That's all I got for this one, I'll see you all in the next one.