Chapter 5: The Calm Before The Storm
“Perfect…” the unicorn leader groaned sarcastically, his head in his hooves, “Just abso-kuthing-lutely perfect!”
“And they say lightning never strikes the same place twice…” the pegasus mare replied sullenly, looking down at the rocky floor of the cave and irritably kicking a pebble away.
“Well, it wasn’t a total loss…” the other mare said, her voice muffled behind her white face-mask, “You got back, didn’t you? We did too. We all could’ve ended up becoming dragon food…or worse, from what you’ve told us…”
“Yes…” the unicorn muttered, “At the cost of most of our resources and several good soldiers…and you sending an Outcaste dragon to kuth-knows-where with your sloppy control! And one of our own with it!”
“Do I look like a unicorn to you?!” the masked mare answered with a subtle chill in her voice. “There was nothing for it…” her shoulders slumped slightly, “Believe me when I say I would’ve given anything I could to save her before they vanished!”
With what looked like an effort, the leader straightened his face and stood back up from his seat, “Yes…I understand that you…had no choice in the matter…” He sullenly unrolled the map over the table before them as he changed the subject.
“Listen carefully now…we arrived at the village as planned, but it was deserted - emptied of living or dead. The evidence of a battle was plain to see, but…before we could determine precisely what had occurred, we were attacked by…something. An enormous reptile creature…”
“Dragon?”
“No. Something else. Ground-bound, but just as fearsome as any flyer…”
“What happened?”
The unicorn snorted. “We ran of course. Whatever that thing was, it was strong enough to kill us all! We regrouped and tried to head back through the passes overnight, but the enemy found us first. Then that monster caught up with us…” he sighed, “Thankfully though, it went after the enemy first, and we escaped by airlift.”
“How many survived?”
He growled, “Most of the pegasi did, but some of our earthers and unicorns bought it…”
The pegasus mare snorted and stomped a hoof, “We pegasi are trained to protect the ground-dwellers! Our comrades’ lives are always come before our own! How could they have been so kuthing negligent?!”
The unicorn’s eyes flickered, “They didn’t exactly have much of a choice…” he said grimly, wincing as he remembered his fatal mistake, “I sent them ahead to scout our path during a forced march, and by the time they realized we were being followed it was too late…” He looked down.
“You shouldn’t blame yourself…” the masked one cut in again, “If it was as dangerous as you say, we should count ourselves lucky any of you made it back at all. If it hadn’t been for our mutual friend…” she left the rest ominously unspoken, but her meaning was clear enough.
And as little as the unicorn liked it, she was right. Despite their losses, it could have turned out far worse…
Without bothering with manners or subtlety, he yanked the trunk beside the table open with his magic and levitated a cigar out. A quick spark of his horn and the cigar lit up and floated obediently between his lips. The unicorn took a long drag to calm down (ignoring the pegasus’ disapproving glare).
After several moments of silence, he exhaled a cloud of smoke and cleared his throat. “Well, our first order now has to be to replenish our strength. We’ll close the passes for now until we have about a month of empty skies, and we will have to work on fortifications and gathering resources.” He pulled his cigar out with a hoof and looked up at the stone ceiling in thought. “I have a feeling we may have some unhappy visitors pounding on our doors before long…”
The pegasus snorted, “They know better than to come wandering up here, sir.”
He didn’t reply, narrowing his eyes. It was the masked mare who answered her.
“I wouldn’t be so sure, sister,” she said, “If whatever monsters are down there are hunting the enemy too, it’s only a matter of time before we get desperate refugees trying to make it here.”
The pegasus fell silent at that, and the unicorn nodded, “There is no time to waste.” As he turned and trotted towards to the door, the air commander spoke again.
“What about the Outcaste dragon and the…our lost comrade?” she said the last word like it was hardly her first choice.
The unicorn stopped in mid-trot, glowering thoughtfully at the wall, “They could have come out anywhere, air commander…” He shook his head, “We can’t do anything about that until we have some idea where the dragon went…especially not with our current problems. As for the second…well, wherever she is, she’ll try to make her way back here, I have no doubt.”
The pegasus gave another low snort, “If she’s still alive. Which I doubt…”
*
Nurse Redheart tried futilely to calm her down as she wrestled against her chains, “Hold still! You can’t do anything!”
The earth pony nurse was snapping in a clipped, cold tone that she evidently imagined would puncture any resistance immediately.
But she knew no nurse, not even an earther, would have the strength to stop her if she could just slip out of these annoying cuffs…
Some of the pain was gone, and she knew it was only a matter of time before she could breathe properly again.
Which means there isn’t one moment to lose! There was a bucking Outcaste loose in this pony town! These ponies probably had no clue how to fight it and unless she could get free and find a way to stop the thing…
“Got…to get out…” Words were coming easier to her now – the magic they had been using to heal her was apparently working, “Dragon…will kill you all!”
Though Nurse Redheart tried not to show how nervous that made her, she saw the faint movements as the other mare swallowed, “I t-told you so many times! T-Twilight Sparkle has already written a letter to Princess Celestia herself in Canterlot! Princess Luna and the Night Militant will be here soon…”
She growled in response and redoubled her efforts to break free. Idiot mare! Do you really think spears and stones will stop a dragon?! “It won’t…work. You need me.”
“You,” Redheart said, struggling to pin her down, “are not going anywhere! You have broken ribs, a knitted lung, and so many stitches and bruises it took me hours to get you cleaned up again after your last little stunt! Now sit…still!”
Redheart made a hard shove to drive her last word in and stepped back, apparently tired of wrestling. She pulled more at the chains, but it was no use. In her weakened state, she couldn’t hope to work them loose. Growling again, she settled down and Nurse Redheart sighed.
“We’ve all heard what you’ve said. That zebra and the little filly too...” she grimaced and facehoofed at that, “After I managed to haul them off to get them disinfected, that is…”
She looked down with a scowl - obviously wondering what that “zebra” creature and that pegasus filly were thinking walking into a hospital covered in dragon filth - “and everything that can be done is being done! You running around with your injuries will just make things worse!”
The mare snorted painfully, “Taken worse…than this…”
“Yes, yes, I’m sure,” Redheart said in a deadpan tone as she trotted to the supply bench “After all, you were only several moments from death when you arrived here…”
“You must…let me go. I can save you,” Speaking was getting painful again, and her voice sounded strange to her own ears. She cursed internally as she sensed her lungs must be bubbling again.
The other mare had apparently noticed that too. She came back over to the bed with one eyebrow arched and a concerned frown on her face.
Idea.
“Mask,” she said, her voice now a pained, bubbling sputter, “I need…the mask again.”
Redheart groaned again and gave a slow, long-suffering smile, apparently taking the request as a reluctant acquiescence. The nurse reached up to detach the respirator mask from the headboard.
Easy…
Redheart slowly brought it down to her head, lifting up the muzzle strap with her hoof…
Now!
Quick as lightning, her jaws shot forward and clamped around the steel muzzle of the mask.
“What the hay are you doing?!” Redheart screamed in surprise, trying to tug it back.
She held on fast, grinding her teeth on the tough steel set over the mask’s air inlet. Redheart dug in her hind hooves and pulled harder…
There was a screeching noise that hurt her ears and she felt her mouth come away. Redheart was tumbling backwards with the momentum of being released all at once. The shattered mask fell in bits onto the floor.
She leaned back and worked her jaws in pain. She may have had tough teeth, but that was still going to leave her mouth in agony for several hours…
Redheart pulled herself up, livid, and yelled for a nurse stallion to come hold her still.
This time, the answering stallion was smart enough to place his hooves where she could not reach him easily. He held her forehoof down as Redheart filled a syringe.
“Maybe this will keep you quiet for a while…” the earth pony raged as she stuck the needle into her skin.
The mare did not resist, and leaned back into her pillow as the sedative took effect.
*
“Another one, Spike!”
Twilight pulled the scroll out of the bundle in her assistant’s claws, unrolling it and reading it with intense concentration, copying the bare facts to her spellbook with a magicked quill.
“Good idea, Twilight! We’re going to need everything we can get!” Spike stood up straight with a salute, a determined expression in his eyes.
Twilight frowned at the word ‘we’.
“Remember Spike, when this all starts, I don’t want any heroics from you!” she said without taking her eyes off the page. “Find somewhere to hide and stay there, okay?”
Spike wasn’t happy about getting cut out of what was coming, and opened his mouth to argue again. “Stop talking to me like I’m a little baby, Twilight! You need me to fight that thing!”
Twilight let out an exasperated groan, “How many times do we have to discuss this, Spike? Just because you’re a dragon too doesn’t mean you can wrap the whole thing up for us!”
“But I know a dragon’s limits! Weaknesses! I can help you, Twilight!”
“I know you can…” Twilight said, scribbling down another incantation for a Stone Scale spell, “and you can tell me all those limits and weaknesses again - right here in the library - as many times as you like! But I’m not letting you walk into danger!”
“I’m a dragon too, Twilight!” Spike insisted again, “Dragonfire won’t hurt me! And that thing won’t eat me! I’m the only one who could get close to it and live!”
“We don’t know that for sure, Spike! This is an Outcaste dragon, remember? No decency at all - there’s no telling it wouldn’t eat another dragon! Besides, even if dragonfire wouldn’t harm you, it still has its claws and fangs…”
“I’ve got those too!”
“And from what Scootaloo and Zecora said, that thing’s got at least four thousand pounds over you! Give it up, Spike – I’m not arguing anymore. Stay at home or I’ll see to it you never get another gem for the whole of next year!”
“Twiliiiight!!!”
She leaned a little closer, finally turning her head to look at him. “…It’s not just that, Spike. You’re my number one assistant. My best friend. If something happened to you…I’d…”
Spike pouted, but after Twilight’s last statement, he slowly relaxed and looked down. “I just…I don’t like the idea of sitting out again when you and your friends are putting yourselves in danger, Twilight,” he groaned.
“Spike…the girls and I don’t go out into a mess like this because we enjoy getting in danger,” Twilight said softly, “we do it to make everything go back to normal again. The girls and I don’t like it – we just want to get it over with and get everything back to good old, safe, quiet normal. And what keeps me brave is the thought of coming back home with you safe and sound…”
That statement seemed to finally take the fight out of the dragon. “Okay…if you really think I should hide and miss this one out again…”
“Thanks, Spike.”
“But that doesn’t mean I have to like it…” he added quietly.
She grit her teeth, forcing her attention back on her studies. If everything Scotaloo and Zecora had told her last night was true, she knew she’d need all the magic she could get for what was coming…
Scootaloo had barged into the ward, screaming her name. Twilight had been stunned. The little pegasus looked like she had been playing all day in the mud…
And then the stink assailed her nostrils and she suddenly had a very different idea what had happened…
Zecora had been waiting for them in the hallway, no cleaner than her little friend and busy fending off a half-dozen hospital staff trying to get her decontaminated (all of them trying to do it without touching her). Zecora had resisted long enough to tell Twilight what had happened.
“An Outcaste dragon is a terrible beast, and reasoning with it is hopeless at least…” she said grimly. Zecora told Twilight this particular dragon was one of those whose kin had deemed it unfit for their dragonflight and exiled it with a mark of shame clawed into its face. Outcaste dragons could not be appealed to or reasoned with - and in their eyes, the lesser creatures were only meat.
Twilight had sent a message to Princess Celestia right away, alerting her to the danger. But - after a worrying couple of hours’ silence - it was Princess Luna who replied, saying that Celestia had raised the alarm and was recalling all the Guard she could to Canterlot, but it would be a while before she could set out for Ponyville. The few forces they had in the Ponyville area were already in town helping the gendarmes with evacuation, but the very soonest the bulk of the Canterlot Guard could arrive would be this midnight.
It had seemed too long at first, but Luna had also written she was gathering her own - much more localized - strength for the first time since the Lunar Rebellion, and would be in Ponyville with the newly-reformed Night Militant by sunset.
Twilight felt a stab of frustration at the thought of having to wait so long. But then again, it wasn’t every day a dragon popped up with no warning in the middle of peaceful Equestria – let alone a bucking Outcaste, which hadn’t been seen for more than three hundred years! She knew if Princesses Celestia and Luna could be moving any faster, they would be…
Mayor Mare, who was still in the royal palace at the time, had been informed by Princess Celestia shortly after she received Twilight’s message. Apparently, it had taken a full squad of gendarmes to prevent her from galloping on the next train back and she had been commanded to remain in Canterlot for her own safety. The old earth pony was no doubt scared out of her wits, but Twilight knew she would never willingly abandon her town…
Luna had also enclosed a royal decree - penned by her own horn - that Twilight, after a sleepless night, had read out in town hall that morning…
“HEAR YE! HEAR YE!” Twilight had called (wincing), “Villagers of Ponyville, we command thee to prepare for a time of utmost urgency! Close thine doors, hide thy young, bar thine windows and remain vigilant. Upon my moon of night, there is a grave threat to you all!”
That had caused a lot of bewildered stares all around from the residents who had no clue what the unicorn was talking about, as well as quite a few snickers among Rainbow Dash and the younger ponies. Skeptical mumbling started up, and Twilight, barely keeping herself from dying of embarrassment, read on (this time omitting the archaic vocabulary).
“The Princesses ride to your aid with all haste, but beware the danger! Take everything of aught to your purposes and remain inside and safe! The terrible, fire-breathing dragon of the Everfree forest will face the full might of my Night Militant reborn! And even if they fall beneath the creature’s terrible fangs and claws, rent asunder, spraying blood and bone, they will give their lives protecting you…”
Twilight thought she heard something in the background somewhere, “And should anypony face being incinerated by hellishly painful dragonfire protecting Ponyville homes and carriages, they will not hesitate…”
That nagging sound was getting louder… “You may seek a safer place if you wish whilst our titanic battle rages, and though some unfortunate ponyfolk may perish in the flames, burned to a cinder, severed by claw, and devoured by the foul, murderous beast, it will be as loyal subjects of Equestria…”
Twilight had raised her eyes from the end of the speech to see what that annoying noise was…
…and found herself looking at the town hall floor, deserted except for one slowly-rocking fruit basket.
And the sound of screaming and hundreds of retreating hooves outside.
*
“Sis! Whu-what’s goin’ on?!” Applebloom asked nervously as she watched Applejack and Big Mac gallop all over the orchard in a hurry as the sun reached midday.
She had never seen them look so agitated. Applejack was moving fast, her eyes wide open and taking in everything around her as she danced on her hind legs with her forehooves always full of something. “Never you mind, Applebloom! Now go inside an’ stay there! There ain’t no school today…”
Applebloom tried her best to pout, but couldn’t quite bring herself to do it. This was scary. She could tell they were trying to hide it, but something had to be wrong. Even Big Mac was panting and shooting worried glances over at the forest as he hauled their plow into the last open barn.
Every other barn had been shut and barred, every piece of equipment locked away, and practically their whole pantry had all been thrown hastily into the cellars.
Applejack mopped sweat from her brow with a hoof, “Is tha’ all of it? Good.” She turned and saw her little sister still watching, “C’mon, Applebloom, get down there!” She pointed to the open apple cellar door in the ground, “Tha’ thing could be here any minute!”
She started in surprise, “Whu-! Sis, what’s going on? You jus’ told me ta go back inside. Why d’ya want me to hide in the cellar? It’s dark an’ stinky down there…”
“Jus’ move it, Applebloom!” the orange mare growled impatiently, advancing on her, “There ain’ no time fer this! An’ I can’ tell you anyway!”
Applebloom dug in her hooves, frowning stubbornly. “Nuh-uh! I ain’t goin’ in there ‘til you tell me what this is all abou’, sis!”
Before Applejack could answer her, the filly felt herself being hoisted up in the air from behind. She struggled futilely against her brother’s powerful forehoof. “Big Mac!” she whined, “Lemme go! I wanna know what’s goin’ on!”
“Thanks, Big Mac!” Applejack said, undeterred. “You take care o’ the family down there, ok?”
“Eeyup!” the stallion agreed, with just a little more enthusiasm than usual as he looked around wildly. Applebloom kicked and scrambled with her forehooves as her brother carried her down the steps. She tried not to gag at the smell of old apples in the dark, dingy cellar. She hated it down there.
Applejack, meanwhile, was fumbling with the old bolt on the cellar door above, trying to wrench it out of its coat of rust.
Applebloom stopped struggling for a moment, “Wait a minnit! Ain’t you comin’ down here too, sis?!”
Applejack shook her head shortly, still glancing around, “No, Applebloom! Migh’ be Twilight’ll need me for…” she made a vague circular motion with her hoof over her neck, “…y’know.”
Applebloom felt her eyes widen. She didn’t need to be a grown-up to know something big really had to be going down now! She redoubled her efforts to break free – she definitely didn’t want her big sister going up against whatever it was. At least not without her! But Big Mac merely tightened his grip and gave her a quiet “eenope”.
Applejack looked briefly to the side, “Okay, Granny, it’s tha’ time again!”
“YIPPEEE!” Granny Smith whooped in delight as she happily bounced down into the cellar after them, “Story time in the cellar again, Apples! Ain’ it funny how Applejack always remembers that ol’ family tradition when I can’t remember it mahself?! And how it’s always story time in the cellar whenever we got all these great yahoos running all aroun’ town screamin’?! How ‘bout ah tell ya all about the crossing o’ the Great Hoofstrider Plains?!”
“Applejack, NOOO!” the filly shouted desperately as her sister slammed the cellar door shut over them and kicked the bolt in.
*
“Come along now, Sweetie Belle! Hurry!” Rarity was pushing her along, not hard enough for her to fall down the stairs, but still enough that she was almost shoving the little filly.
“I’m going, Rarity!” she screeched, clutching her little purple saddlebags to her sides and her red scarf to her neck, “But how come you aren’t coming too?! Mommy and Daddy would want you to come too, you know!”
“Nonsense!” Rarity said primly, “My apologies dear, but they know how busy I am with my new line! I’ve already written them and I told them I’ll visit another time. But you…dear Sweetie Belle, isn’t this the opportunity of a lifetime?! You get a nice day off school, and we find out maybe it won’t open again for a little while…well, how can you resist a nice trip with Mother and Father?!” Rarity’s smile was so wide and strained that her little sister was almost frightened.
“I-I don’t know, Rarity…I kinda like the idea of going with Applebloom and Scootaloo to our clubhouse and…y’know…doing some crusading, too…”
Rarity’s smile remained firmly fixed in place, but it didn’t reach her eyes as she started moving and jostling Sweetie Belle along again. “Oh, but darling, you can do that anytime! Think about how far away we are from the ocean! You don’t usually get a chance like this to go out and enjoy it…”
“Rarity… it’s winter!” Sweetie Belle said, not believing her ears, “…and I can’t even swim!”
The older unicorn froze for a moment, seeming to wobble with leftover momentum, before she hitched her false smile back on, “Well…you need to learn someday, Sweetie Belle! And no time like the present! Heh heh!” she gave a strained chuckle and swung her front door open, motioning to the pegasus waiting on the slush-covered hoofpath outside. “She’ll be taking you out to meet them, Sweetie Belle. Be polite, alright?”
Sweetie Belle looked at her sister. Why in Equestria had she asked a pegasus to fly her to Mommy and Daddy?
Is she hiding something?
Then she looked at the pegasus mare. She was a pale gray with a blonde mane and several bubbles for a cutie mark, dressed in a mailmare’s coat and hat. The mare turned her head and looked at Sweetie Belle, and the filly jumped. Her yellow eyes looked funny. What was it – ‘floor-eyed’, ‘ceiling-eyed’? She couldn’t remember the word.
“Derpy…” Rarity said (startling Sweetie Belle – who never heard her big sister say anything so rude), “…I really can’t thank you enough for this. I know you’re a mailmare, not a foalcare flyer but…”
“It’s no problem, Rarity!” the pegasus said in an enthusiastic, bubbly voice, “I’ve got daughters! I know how to fly a filly...” she chuckled in embarrassment, “…and I haven’t lost one since Princess Celestia made that law that says any foal who rides me needs a saddlebelt…”
Rarity nodded (her clenched muzzle suggesting she hoped the strange pegasus had meant a law that applied to all pegasi and not just her specifically), “Anyway, this is Sweetie Belle…” she said, motioning with her hoof.
“Hi there!” the mailmare said, smiling warmly at her. “So you’re today’s ‘special delivery’!” She stuck out a hoof. “Nice to meet you, sweetheart! The name’s Derpy - heh heh - Derpy Hooves!”
Not quite sure how to respond, Sweetie Belle took the offered hoof bashfully…and was promptly shaken up and down.
“Now, now!” Rarity said, hastily interposing herself, “I know how much you like making friends, Derpy dear, but it’s really imperative that you and Sweetie Belle leave as soon as possible!”
“Don’t you worry, Rarity!” Derpy chuckled, ruffling Sweetie Belle’s mane, “I’ll get your little sister there safe and sound!”
“Uh, Rarity?” Sweetie Belle was faintly nervous about flying off on this stranger’s back.
The older unicorn grimaced impatiently, but slowly strained her head down to look at her little sister, “Yes, Sweetie Belle? What is it?!”
“Uh…I like Miss D-…er…Derpy and all, but why’d you get a pegasus mailmare to take me? Can’t I just go on the foalcare carriage?”
Before Rarity could answer, Derpy chuckled again and said, “You could, kiddo, but I think you’d be stuck in that traffic jam outside town for hours! What with everypony l-…”
“Derpy!” Rarity hissed loudly, glaring at the pegasus, who slammed her hooves over her mouth.
After a moment, Derpy lowered her hooves and grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head, “Oops, my bad…”
After a moment, Sweetie Belle added it all up – flying mailmare, traffic jam, school closed, vacation to the beach in winter - “Rarity…is everypony leaving town?”
“Of course not, dear! I’m not going, am I?!” she hammed it on so badly the unicorn filly was almost convinced she guessed right.
After a few moments of staring, Rarity sighed and slumped slightly. “My my, aren’t I lucky to have such a clever, observant little sister?” she grumbled, “Yes Sweetie, a lot of ponies are leaving town. But believe me darling, there’s a good reason for it, and you should go too!”
Her eyes widened, “R-R-Rarity! Is something dangerous gonna happen to Ponyville?!”
“Now now, don’t be dramatic!” Rarity said, examining her hoof primly, frowning her disapproval.
“There is, isn’t there?!” Sweetie Belle promptly dashed out of her saddlebags and wrapped all four hooves around her sister’s foreleg. “Sis! I wanna stay with you! I wanna help protect you an’ Applebloom an’ Scootaloo an’ Twilight an’ all the others!”
Rarity groaned and fell back onto her hind hooves, glaring at the mailmare, who shrugged. “Well done, Derpy! Now she’s getting all up in fillyhood heroics!” She sighed and leaned down to nuzzle her little sister’s mane. “Sweetie Belle darling, there’s not much time. You have to go! This really is for your own good…”
The younger unicorn tightened her grip, starting to tear up, “NO! I’m staying!”
She sighed, “I’m sorry, darling…” and lifted her screaming sister up with her magic. The filly scrambled and flailed in mid-air, wailing and crying.
Rarity gently kissed her horn, which made her stop and open her eyes. “I’ll be alright, Sweetie Belle. Everypony will be alright. This will be over soon and we can be together again!”
Sweetie tucked in her hooves, teary-eyed. “Promise?”
She smiled, with just a touch of strain in her face. “Y-yes, darling…I promise…”
She levitated Sweetie Belle over to Derpy, who placed her on her back, and hoofed her the saddlebags she’d dropped, “Better fasten your saddlebelt, kiddo! Oh, don’t mind that parcel behind you, that’s just a special delivery for…for…” Derpy frowned and tapped her chin “…who was it for again?”
Rarity groaned, “For my mother and father, Derpy! Just in case I…” she caught herself just in time, looking at Sweetie Belle’s suddenly wide eyes, and cleared her throat, “…in case I am a little late for my next visit to collect my dear little sister!”
Derpy gave a bubbly smile, “Oh? Who’s that?” At the flat look she got, she blushed and chuckled awkwardly again, “Oh right! Sorry Rarity! I just…heh…I don’t know your family too well and assumed you had another sister, and…well, that’s all...” She then spread her wings, “Well, we better get goin’, Sweetie Belle!”
“Sis…” the filly looked at Rarity with a positively heartbroken expression.
“I’ll be fine, darling…” Rarity said gently, feeling a few tears of her own sting to her eyes, and added almost in a whisper, “give my love to Mother and Father…”
And with two powerful strokes of her wings, Derpy rose…
…backwards.
And crashed right into the branches of a nearby tree, prompting a screech of fright from Sweetie Belle.
“Derpy!” Rarity yelled in horror.
“Sorry!” the pegasus spluttered from a muzzle dusted with snowy foliage, “I’ll never understand why they always put trees in back-up zones!”
And with a grunt, she popped right up through the canopy and rose into the air, Sweetie Belle gazing back at Rarity until they were out of sight.
*
“Come ooon!” Carrot Cake paced back and forth across the train platform, watched worriedly by his wife and children. The station was jammed full of Ponyville locals waiting for the next ride out, standing or sitting in a strained, nervous silence.
And then a loud, familiar voice shattered it. “Hey everypony! While we’re waiting, let’s have fun!”
BOOM! And the air was full of confetti, sparkles and streamers.
The Cake twins promptly squealed in delight from their stroller. But everypony else ignored it and Carrot kept muttering and pacing up and down, ignoring Pinkie Pie (as every pony wishing to retain some semblance of sanity needed to do at times). But, of course, that didn’t stop the pink party pony from trying.
“Hey, everypony, look at me!” Pinkie yelled through a megaphone, dancing on top of an enormous ball with her hind hooves and rolling it up and down the platform. When it didn’t get much attention, she grunted and redoubled her efforts…not realizing she was rolling the ball backwards towards the edge of the platform…
“There it is!” Cup Cake yelled, just before there was a boing and an “ooof…” from behind them.
The smoke from the train was just visible on the horizon. Three trains had already filled up and left. This one wasn’t the overnight Canterlot Express, but it would take them away from Ponyville at least…
As it grew closer, Pinkie hoisted herself back up on the train platform and squinted through her Handy-Dandy Pinkie Pocket Telescope, “It’s the train to Appleloosa…” she said as she saw the golden bull horns and brass ring sticking out of the engine’s fore, “…that’s pretty far away. How long are you gonna be away?! I’m gonna be really busy running Sugarcube Corner all by myself!” She paused, rubbing her muzzle thoughtfully as she looked at the crowd, “Although there might not be so many customers with all these other ponies on vacation…”
Carrot groaned and facehoofed, “Pinkie! We’re all getting away from that thing! Not going on vacation! We’ll come back as soon as we know that dragon’s gone…”
“Okey dokie lokie! Have a wonderful trip!” Pinkie bubbled, enveloping him in a giant, spine-cracking hug that made his eyes bulge out.
“NO!!” Cup Cake groaned with a facehoof, “Hurry up, Pinkie! You’re coming too!”
She hitched back up most of the bags they’d brought to the station and began to hurry over to the rapidly-forming lines of ponies.
“But Mrs. Cake…”
“No other buts, Pinkie,” Carrot Cake interrupted, panting as he tried to recover his breath from being almost hugged to death. He raised a hoof to her flank to hurry her along, pulling the twins’ stroller behind him, “Just get your ‘butt’ on that train! Now!”
Pinkie twisted around, shaking her head and sticking her snout up in a snooty pose, “Nope! I’m staying right here! Twilight and the girls need me!”
“Pinkie! We’ve been over this a hundred times!” Carrot Cake groaned in aggravation and rubbed his hooves over his temples, exasperated.
“That’s right…” Cup Cake turned and looked at their apprentice, her jaw set, “Pinkie, we’ve got to keep you out of danger! You’ve already been through too much!”
“Do you remember every other time you went and got yourself in trouble for Twilight Sparkle and your friends?!” At Pinkie’s too-innocent smile, Carrot grit his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut, “Well, we do, Pinkie! And no!! No, NO, NO!!! You’re not pulling another stunt like that this time!”
“But…the girls need me…” Pinkie said, her ears drooping.
“The Canterlot Guard will be here, Pinkie!” Carrot said, “Please, Pinkie…just…for us, just this one time! Come with us and stay out of danger!”
“But I can’t go with you and just leave all my friends in danger!” Pinkie screeched, horrified, “Without me, they can’t use the Elements if we need to!” She waved a circle over her neck.
Cup Cake looked down, partly in shame and partly in exasperation, “We know that, Pinkie…but it’s like Carrot said – this time the Guard will take care of it. It’s not Night Mare Moon! It’s not that draconequus! It’s a dragon! A real, living, pony-eating monster! Do you know what that means?! Please, it’s just too dangerous!”
As the train trundled to a stop, an immediate hubbub rose up as dozens of ponies tried to scramble aboard right away – much to the surprise and incredulity of the gaudily-dressed Appleloosa conductors and the few earth pony guests trying to get off. Cup Cake hurried forwards, but Carrot Cake stepped closer to Pinkie.
“Pinkie…please do what we say! Just this once! Maybe Twilight and her friends need you, but we need you too...” He gestured with a hoof at his two children, who were both gazing up at their beloved foalsitter with adorable baby eyes, “Have you thought about how the twins will feel – about how Cup and I will feel – if you run off on another dangerous adventure with those ponies…and this time, you don’t come back?”
Wha-?! This was new to Pinkie. The idea that she might…
“Oh, but of course I’ll come back!” she said brightly, promptly jumping over to the stroller and pulling out the delighted twins for a cuddle, “how could I ever leave?! I love my cuddly-wubbly Pound and Pumpkin!”
Carrot groaned and smacked his forehead again, “I didn’t really mean ‘not come back’, Pinkie!!!”
Confused, she looked up, “Huh?! But you said that-“
“I meant what if you died?!” Carrot yelled, drawing strange looks from all the ponies around them, “If you died!”
Me? Die? Pinkie went ramrod straight as the thought hit her.
Cup slowly turned back from the train compartment door and came to stand next to her husband as he looked at Pinkie, still holding their children. She returned their gaze without saying anything.
“Pinkie…” she began slowly, “…please just think of everypony who wants you to stay safe. You think about the safety of Twilight and the others - and that’s all well and good - but you can’t keep putting your own life in danger for them when so many others are afraid you’ll never come back again…”
She stepped closer. “Remember the promise we made to your father, Pinkie? Are you going to make Carrot and I liars?”
Pinkie’s eyes went wide.
She was - for the first time in her life that didn’t involve rainbow paint or baked bads - completely speechless.
Carrot sighed in relief as he gently reclaimed his children, “Well, I’m glad that’s settled. Come on now, Pinkie – let the Guard take care of it this time! Come with us to Appleloosa…with the ponies who love you…”
The ponies who love me… the thought was strange to Pinkie.
She felt herself being slowly herded towards the compartment door, glimpsed the conductor waving them inside, felt the narrow wooden floorboards of the Appleloosa express beneath her hooves…
The ponies who love me…
That used to mean a small number of ponies. ‘Love’ used to be such a simple thing…
“All aboard!” the conductor dimly announced from somewhere. She was vaguely aware of Mrs. Cake reaching up onto her hind legs to stow their bags on the racks overhead, Mr. Cake fastening the twins into foal harnesses and telling her to find a seat…
The ponies who love me…
There was the sharp, piercing sound of a whistle, and the sharp hiss of steam escaping from the train…
…chug…chug…chug…chug, chug, chug-chug-chug…
The ponies who love me…
Pinkie leapt up out of her seat, squealing, and roughly yanked one of the windows open…
“Pinkie! NO!!” Carrot yelled, making a grab for her hind hoof as she leaped out the window. There was an unbearable scream of dismay from the Cake twins as she vanished from their sight.
She hit the ground, rolled instinctively, and got to her hooves as the rapidly-accelerating train pulled right out of the platform.
She felt tears sting to her eyes as she saw Mr. and Mrs. Cake leaning out of the carriage window, fading fast into the distance.
The ponies who love me…
“PINKIIIIIIEEEEEEeeeee….”
*
Not a sound could be heard from a certain cottage near the outskirts of the Everfree Forest.
Which had every door, window, and even the chimney boarded up.
And every square inch of wood, stone and mortar covered in makeshift foliage.
And a pathway to the door with a crude sign planted every few meters along that warned ‘nopony or animal lived here at all, so please be a nice monster and go away’.
And a certain number of cute little animals hiding and trembling under the bed within.
One of them in the middle of the huddle not so little…
…with a long pink mane, yellow coat and wings.
And her teeth chattering on her hooves in terror.
*
“Raindrops! Silverspeed! Get that thundercloud packed all nice and ready! Lightning, rain, anything that could slow that thing down! We’ll need it!” Rainbow Dash called, pulling Cloud Chaser free of the cloud she’d somehow managed to get herself tangled up in.
“Rainbow Dash!” She turned to see Cloud Kicker flying over, puffing with the exertion of pushing a heavy cargo cloud in front of her.
“What’s this?” Rainbow asked impatiently as Cloud Kicker flapped to a halt and hopped on the cloud.
“Another idea, boss! They’re old, but they might work!” The blonde pegasus leaned into the cloud and pulled out a wingfull of dark gray, baseball-sized gum-bos. The gum-bos were sometimes used as a means of…well, of “gumming” up a cloud that had gotten overstuffed with rain or needed to be weighed down for some reason. Inside its protective, water-proof casing, the gum was light as a feather, but when the seal was broken open, water made the stuff pop up like Pinkie’s instant cupcake mix.
Rainbow picked up a gum-bo from the cloud, frowning in confusion, “Ah…Cloud Kicker, not that I don’t enjoy playing a prank with a cloud or two from time to time but…”
Cloud Kicker shook her head and plucked up a gum-bo in her hoof. She chomped lightly on the case and tossed it over-shoulder into a nearby cloud. There was a soft pop, a tremble in the cloud, and it slowly descended down to the ground (crashing with a fwump onto the resting Raindrops, who poked her head up out of the mess wailing curses and shaking her hoof up at Cloud Kicker).
“The gum can get all these clouds down quickly,” she said, glancing around and pointing at some with her hoof, “When everything gets going, there won’t be a lot of time to move them, but some fog on the ground might help if the dragon goes for the earth ponies and unicorns.”
Ah, Rainbow thought, a quick cloud drop for cover, without even needing a few pegasi to move fast. “Well…it’s not a bad idea,” Rainbow conceded, “Go ahead and stash a few gum-bos for us behind that cumulus over there, but be quick about it! We don’t have one second to waste!”
“Stash them? For you?” Cloud Kicker frowned and her gaze hardened, “I’m going to be throwing them for you, boss...and kicking thunderclouds and giving that thing a taste of wing-blade!”
Rainbow sighed, “I told you, Cloud Kicker! That’s all behind you now. The most important thing is to get this done and get the weather team to safety!” She leaned close. “I know you wanna kick that thing’s flank just as much as I do, but I need somepony I can count on to get Blossomforth and all the others out of here before horseapples hits the hurricane!”
At the mention of Blossomforth, Cloud Kicker stiffened and looked worriedly over at the Ponyville hospital. Rainbow nodded, “Exactly! Are you gonna leave her with a busted wing getting out of town on her own with nopony else?!”
“I know that, Rainbow!” Cloud Kicker growled, “But it’s not fair to ask me to leave you and Fluttershy and all the others in danger either! I have to do something!”
Rainbow put a reassuring hoof on her friend’s shoulder, “You’ve already done more than enough. And, yeah, like I said, the most important thing is for somepony with a brain to lead the weather team out of here…and I can’t do it!” She grimaced and facehoofed as she realized exactly what she had just said, “’Cos I’m needed here, I mean! ‘Cos of Twilight and the others. Not that I don’t have a totally awesome brain and couldn’t lead everypony out! But…ya know…” she waved a hoof dismissively.
Cloud Kicker nodded slowly, apparently choosing to ignore Rainbow’s gaffe under the circumstances (when normally she would’ve taken the ninny mercilessly). “No, I guess you can’t.” She shrugged, “Fair enough boss, but I’m turning back the instant I’ve got them to Cloudsdale evac zone! No argument!” she fixed Rainbow with a glare.
Rainbow nodded to humor her, knowing it was the best she’d get out of her stubborn, impulsive but undoubtedly awesome assistant manager. Cloud Kicker was fast enough…not as fast as Rainbow (and is anypony at all, she thought), but she knew that with a whole weather team following Cloud Kicker it would take her at least a couple of hours to get to Cloudsdale - let alone get back afterwards - and probably it would all be over by then…
As Cloud Kicker flew off into the cloud canopy with her gum-bos, Rainbow looked around. Most of the weather ponies had finished clearing their skies of clean clouds, setting up rough banks and dark thunderclouds. It looked appropriately ominous for a battle with dragon. Rainbow just hoped the Guard pegasi would be savvy enough to guess it had all been left there for their benefit.
Suddenly, she heard a voice calling her name. Rainbow looked down at the distinctive accent. Zecora? What does she want?
She zoomed down to the ground, taking the opportunity to try one of her new, steep pull-ups. A mere two feet off the ground, Rainbow curled her back and snapped her body upright from a headlong plunge.
If Zecora was startled by her abrupt appearance and her stunt, she made no reaction beyond a faint twitch of her eyes, which irritated Rainbow for some reason. She did make those stunts to impress ponies – or zebras – after all…
Zecora, from the look and smell of her, had finally gotten all that dragon crap off (though if Rainbow had any doubts she’d never willingly lay a hoof on the zebra before - well, she was sure now). But, to her irritation, she was still wearing that annoying bone-thing in a ludicrous knot twisted into her mane.
Just what the hay is that thing for anyway? The pegasus didn’t much care for fashion and style in most ways, but, as could be testified by her proud, flawless spectrum, she’d give Rarity a run for her money when it came to treating your mane right.
“What’s up, Zecora? Did you manage to find some awesome magic or something to help take down that dragon?!” She couldn’t resist flapping a couple of feet into the air and punching it with her hooves a few times. She was well aware she had a tendency to show off in front of ponies she barely knew…but, what the hay, she was Rainbow Dash! It was important they knew all about her awesomeness – especially Zecora, considering the state Rainbow had been in when they first met.
Zecora raised her eyebrows and shook her head, “It’s Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash!”
Rainbow raised her eyebrows. Okay, no rhyme - big trouble!! “Scoots?! What about her?!”
“She is afraid now that her friends are gone. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle must be on the run!”
Rainbow grimaced. Yeah, of course they would be. And we couldn’t count on Scoots’ mule of a mom for anything…
“I have never seen her this way before…” Zecora said worriedly, glancing back over her shoulder, “She says your name ever more and more!”
“I get it, Zecora. Where is she?”
“In the hospital next door to our stranger,” she frowned, “And if she stays there she might be in danger…”
“Huh?! Danger?! Why? That big lizard is going to the hospital?!”
Zecora shook her head. “Not the dragon, that is not what I mean…” she frowned again, “I think Ponyville’s…other visitor is not what she seems…”
Rainbow grimaced – in all the excitement, she had almost forgotten about that messed-up, crazy mare in the hospital. She ruffled her wings at the memory of being tossed into the air like a rag doll, “Yeah, you don’t need to tell me that! That crazy pony is really dangerous! I definitely don’t want Scootaloo hanging around her!” She snapped her wings and rose, nodding up at Cloud Kicker and waving with a hoof that she was going somewhere briefly. The other pegasus nodded.
She was about to zoom off when Zecora suddenly spoke again.
“Hark!”
Huh? Rainbow hovered there, “What is it?”
The zebra had her head cocked to the side, seeming to be listening closely. The pegasus followed suit, looking up and trying hard to listen - which wasn’t something Rainbow did much and was a bit of strain.
Then she heard it. Wings. There was a faint flapping noise, drawing steadily closer.
The dragon! Rainbow promptly shot up into the air and swivelled her head in all directions, looking for it, squinting in the gathering dark.
Wait…
It wasn’t just one set of wings. Rainbow could hear irregular breaks and snaps in the rush of air. It was many wings, coming in the same direction.
There was then the sound of a low, majestic fanfare. Somepony in the distance was blowing a trumpet.
As she squinted, she saw the moon had risen through the clouds.
And a group of ranked and armored pegasi were descending from the face of the moon, led by a large chariot of gleaming silver.
Princess Luna had come at last.
*
Twilight galloped outside just in time to meet the royal procession in front of the town hall. The ponies who hadn’t left town were gathering to meet the Night Militant for instructions, and the crowd was swelling fast.
Princess Luna was standing before the town hall with a grim expression on her face.
Last time they had met, Luna had still been shy and slightly awkward. And who could blame her? Centuries of cultural displacement and being portrayed as a children’s nightmare monster had to have made Luna a little conscious about her actions amongst her peaceful, docile subjects.
Now, however, she stood hard-faced, with her jaw set, eyes determined and driven by purpose. She looked as Twilight had never seen her, garbed in fierce-looking, dark blue-enamelled greaves and vambraces, peytral, crupper, pauldrons, and the Luna Crown surmounted a helmet that – Twilight shivered – was faintly reminiscent of Night Mare Moon, though Luna’s face and mane were unmarked and plain to see.
Together with her armor, it was only the complete absence of that terrifying malice and evil in her eyes that stopped her from looking as fearsome as her former self had.
But if this worried Luna, she didn’t show it. She stood proudly before the crowd of nervous ponies and spoke using the traditional Royal Canterlot Voice.
“HEAR US, RESIDENTS OF PONYVILLE! THE NIGHT MILITANT HATH ARRIVED! KNOW THAT TOGETHER WE WILL PROTECT THEE FROM THE MONSTER OF THE EVERFREE WITH OUR VERY LIVES!”
“IF THOU HAST MADE PREPARATIONS TO LEAVE PONYVILLE FOR THE DURATION OF THIS MENACE, THEN WE URGEST THOU TO DEPART IMMEDIATELY!” the urgency in her voice was plain for Twilight to hear.
And why not? Twilight thought. She loves Ponyville too, after what happened during Nightmare Night…
“AND IF THOU WOULDST STAY, WE DIRECT THEE TO BARRICADE THYSELVES UNDERGROUND! PONYVILLE TOWN HALL HATH A LARGE ENOUGH BASEMENT TO ACCOMMODATE THEE. MAKE HASTE, FOR WE HATH LITTLE TIME BEFORE WE SEEK TO DRIVE THE FOUL CREATURE FROM ITS LAIR!”
There was an outbreak of activity at that, with several ponies starting to shuffle off, but then one voice spoke up.
“And what if we don’t want to run or hide, Your Highness?” asked Thunderlane loudly, “What if we want to stand and fight?!”
Well, he was born and raised in Ponyville, Twilight reflected. It only made sense that he, being the tough and hot-headed pegasus he was, wouldn’t want to abandon it.
The princess gazed slowly at him, and a Militant pegasus snorted angrily, “Who is this who speaks without Our Mare Luna’s leave?” He started forward, but Luna waved him off and spoke again.
“IF THOU WISHEST TO REMAIN AND ASSIST IN PONYVILLE’S DEFENSE, CITIZEN…THEN THOU AND ANY OTHER WHO WISHEST SO MAY REPORT TO MARSHALLE SILVER WING FOR THINE ASSIGNMENT.” She gestured with a hoof to the mare in gilded armor on her right.
The Night Militant resembled the guards Twilight had seen accompanying Luna the last time she had visited Ponyville. They were mostly pegasi whose armor enchantment had darkened their coats and glamored their eyes and wings to appear reptilian - but now she could see several ranks of similarly-enchanted earth ponies and unicorns marching down off large transport chariots. Every suit of armor gleamed pristine and unmarred, and not a single Guard bore any scar or visible injury.
A new army. Just how well would they do against one of the greediest and most vicious monsters in the world?
There was an immediate rattle of activity. Most of the ponies made for the town hall, but some stallions and even a few mares stepped forward to the Marshalle of the Night Militant, who nodded in turn and barked a few orders over her shoulder for them to be armored and briefed. While Luna’s suppliers and officers hurried to obey, the princess herself trotted over to Twilight.
“Twilight Sparkle…” Luna said with a quick nod, her voice back to normal volume, “…It is indeed pleasing to see thee again…though we wish ‘twere under better circumstances…” she glanced over at the shade of the Everfree forest. “Come. We must speak in private…and thou shouldst bring thine friends with thee.”
*
“This Outcaste dragon’s arrival is most unanticipated,” Luna said grimly as she paced up and down the library floor, her glittering mane shimmering behind her helmet with each hoofstep, “We assure thee our sister is coming with all haste she can.”
The six ponies looked at her with not a little awe. Luna had to have grown about a foot or so since last time they had met, and her voice had to have deepened at least half an octave – or so it seemed right now. The sheer presence of the Princess of the Night ran over each of their coats and threatened to bowl them over. Twilight wondered if it was this new side of her personality doing it or if Luna had simply been using an enchantment Twilight didn’t know to repress her aura of power during their last meetings.
Luna frowned at the ceiling, “We shall not lie to thee, fair ponies - this will not be easy. Outcaste dragons are eternal predators, and the only way to end their gluttonous feasts is death. Their size and power of flight make them difficult to combat through physical means, and mayhaps we will need a special weapon…a weapon capable of destroying a dragon…” she glanced at the chest in the corner of the library, “…and we found the smite of the Elements of Harmony most unpleasant…”
Applejack swallowed visibly, “Ah, p-princess, ah hate to interrupt, but…jus’ how big is that thing?”
Luna glanced at Twilight, who answered for her. “According to Zecora, about the size of a house. Not counting the wings.”
Applejack groaned and pulled her hat down over her head. “Why didn’ anypony think about some way for fightin’ dragons before now?!”
Luna stared at her, and nodded slowly, “Indeed, fair Applejack! We once possessed special weaponry in ages past for battles with winged predators…but no Outcaste hath been seen in this part of the world for centuries and the weaponry hath not survived. Without it, we must depend on numbers and, wherever possible, the element of surprise. Thou shalt be our first weapon, of course…”
Fluttershy gulped, trembling and looking for all the world like she wanted to run and hide under the rug (Twilight had already needed to drag her out from under her bed by the tail to get her to this impromptu meeting).
“Thou shouldst beware, however…” Luna said grimly, “The Elements of Harmony hath never been used against a dragon. We cannot be sure of their effect. If the Elements refuse to destroy it, then we must rely on the strength of the Night Militant. Thou wouldst do well to abandon the field if such cometh to pass…”
“No way, Luna!” Rainbow scowled, shooting up into the air and swinging her hooves aggressively, “I’m not gonna run from that thing! I don’t care how dangerous it is – I’m staying to fight!”
Luna’s eyes flickered briefly to her, “It warms my heart to see such courage, Rainbow Dash, but thou wouldst take care not to be brave to the point of foalishness. Nopony in history hath ever had the strength to destroy an Outcaste dragon alone.”
Rainbow stiffened, and then, to everypony’s surprise, gave a curt nod, descending. “OK, fair enough! That thing’s a dead-red killer dragon and I’m just a little pegasus…but I’m not running either way! What’s the plan?!”
Subtle as always, Twilight groaned.
Luna, however, nodded approvingly, “Very good! Thou art wise to come to action quickly!” She brushed her mane back, “Dear sister Celestia will be here shortly, and we shall seek to drive the dragon from its lair after her arrival. In no small part thanks to the Zebronian ambassador, we know where it may be found nesting. We plan to collapse its roof over its head. With luck, the beast will be caught unawares and thou shalt…”
Suddenly, there was a deep tremor in the ground. The library trembled and heaved repeatedly like somepony was ramming a giant hammer repeatedly into its trunk. Everypony yelled in surprise and fell off their hooves. Even Luna stumbled and grimaced with the effort of staying upright in her armor. Everypony yelled ‘earthquake’, bookshelves rattled and spilled their contents everywhere, and almost every piece of furniture that wasn’t bolted down tipped over.
Twilight swayed, fighting to stay upright on hooves that shivered with every tremor, “Everypony, this isn’t an earthquake! Something’s not right!”
And then, there was an enormous roar from outside, followed by the screams of dozens of ponies and the heavy beating of enormous wings.
“NO!” Luna roared, the royal voice falling back into play, “THIS IS TOO SOON! WE MUST FACE IT AT ONCE!”
And with the deep grumble of a black hole collapsing around her, Luna was gone, teleporting outside the library and bellowing orders in the Royal Canterlot Voice.
Slowly, everypony got to their hooves and looked at each other in horror.
“It’s here…” Twilight whispered, her heart hammering almost painfully against her ribcage.
Everypony looked at her with wide eyes.
Twilight turned and bolted for the Elements’ chest.
*
She glared down at the pony town, scowling.
All that secrecy and hunger for nothing. It seemed her prey had been forewarned of her arrival after all. Most of the soft, fat morsels she had spied from the forest were gone, and in their place ran iron-clad warrior ponies, brandishing weapons and falling into formation to meet her. Most of the structures had been emptied or fortified too.
She snapped her fanged jaws petulantly. It must have been the pest that entered with her - she should have finished off that annoying pony before she went into hiding – or maybe it was the interlopers she thought she smelled in the clearing last night…
Well, no matter. There was still plenty of meat to be had.
The warrior ponies clad in their hard steel casings were an impossible meal, but even as she rose above them, she saw what looked like columns of ponies fleeing the town. Those would do for now…and she was not yet too senile to notice - from the crude, hasty state of the ponies’ defences - that warning of her presence had come late. Late enough for more tasty refugees to likely be only a few short miles away.
Suddenly, a voice rang out from below like the roar of one of her kin. It was loud, clear, and authoritative – not unlike the cry of the might Helgedad himself cowing the dragonflight – but what really drew her attention was the sheer boldness in the speaker’s choice of words.
“COME TO MEET THY DOOM, MONSTER!”
After her eyes adjusted, she saw the impudent creature. The speaker was an anomaly: an armored pony - winged, horned, and crowned - obviously a leader of some sort. But most intriguingly, she radiated an aura of raw power that made her appear more a creature of innate magic than any pony she had ever seen.
The dragon licked her lipless muzzle. Interesting. At this rate, she might even face half a challenge in claiming her new kingdom…
She stretched out her jaws and bellowed mocking laughter down at the pony leader. It would almost be worth allowing the remaining fodder on the ground their escape for the chance to show that loud-voiced insect and her cohorts their bravado…
But no…she was hungry…
Roaring, she drew back her neck, eyes fixed on the ground. She furled her wings, flipped her tail and dived.
Her massive jaws opened, and the air before her became a living vortex of sickly green fire.
*
There was no time! She had heard the roaring. She had to get loose!
The mare pulled against the cuffs, inching her booted forehoof closer and closer to her muzzle.
Almost there….got it!
The steel links of the chains bit painfully into her flesh as she managed to unhook her shoulder. The popping of the joint was not a pleasant sensation either, but she knew she could not stop.
Straining to keep her rapidly-numbing foreleg from falling back, she worked her tongue around it her mouth, trying to pry something loose. Finally, her tongue dug around her inner jaw and pushed up the broken sliver of steel behind her teeth, which she gripped tightly in her jaws.
As she dug the pointy end into the fetter’s lock, she couldn’t help but feel a brief ripple of satisfaction at her success – she would have to remember to thank Nurse Redheart for this piece of metal…
With a click, the fetter opened obediently, the links of chain giving a dozen tiny shrieks of protest as they fell back over the bedside to the floor.
Yes! Elated, the mare growled and leaned over, ignoring the pain spreading through her dislocated foreleg. Time enough to tend to that when she was free.
She bit down on her pick tightly again and rammed it into the other fetter - much easier to reach now that she could move onto her shoulder – and within moments, it clicked loose and she surged up onto her rump…
…promptly banging her head on the overhanging headboard. She yelled in pain and surprise, and her precious sliver went flying from her mouth.
NO! The mare felt like screaming in frustration as she rose up again. She needed that to get free!
The precious, priceless piece of torn cheap steel was now all the way across the room from her bed. How could I have made a stupid mistake like that?! I have to get out of here!
There was another roar in the air. There was not much time. She needed to get her hind legs free.
She leaned forward slowly, wincing at the pain still in her weakened ribcage, and chomped down on the chain holding her left hind leg. She knew she couldn’t bite through it, but maybe she could jerk it loose from the bed frame…
After about a minute of futile yanking…
Clink!
She looked up in astonishment as her pick was dropped back into the steel surgical instrument tray next to her bed…
She slowly looked up to see two tiny, light-brown forehooves resting on the tray.
And peeking out from behind them, the tiny muzzle, wide purple eyes and short mane of a pegasus filly…