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So here we are, in the Crystal City! I’ve never seen anything quite as beautiful as the giant castle standing in the center of the city. It’s really amazing! Davie Pie told me that years ago, one of the Princesses of Equestria lived there, and that the ponies that used to live here looked as amazing as the crystal around them! I wonder what happened to them, and why nopony looks like that anymore? He says the Heart is missing, whatever that means…
Star Gaze is going into that castle to find somepony for Davie’s Mother, Pizza Pie. But the castle is where the lizards are, so I hope he’s careful! Please, Celestia, watch over him!
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Star Gaze followed Pizza Pie down the street, studying the gleaming white castle that rose up into the sky from the middle of the city. He watched as around a dozen or so Vectin guards moved around the square under the castle, each one wearing light armor and carrying a single bladed staff. Some stood at attention guarding the gates in the fence that separated the square and castle off from the rest of the city, while others marched around, as if on patrol rounds.
“Are you sure this will work?” Star asked, casting a worried glance around him. There were a few other ponies wandering the streets, all with lowered heads and looking tired. None of them looked up at the newcomer in their midst. “I mean, won’t they know I’m new here, and not part of your family?”
“No, they won’t,” Pizza Pie replied, looking back at him. “Like we said, they don’t bother keeping track of our identities. I’ll claim you as another of my nephews, and that will be that.”
Star sighed, still not totally convinced, but followed her anyway. They past barely a dozen other ponies, as few were allowed to live here in the city. Most of them lived out in the barracks closer to the bio-fields just outside the edge of town. The Pie family’s status as leaders of the pony (or slave, Star told himself) community gave them the right to live in the city. Davie Pie had filled him in on the details last night. Only those that worked with or for the Vectin were allowed to live in relative comfort within the city itself.
As they approached one of the gates, a guard lowered his staff to block their path. Pizza Pie stepped forward.
“My cousin is unable to work today,” she told the guard, and pointed a hoof back at Star. “My nephew will work in his place.”
The guard seemed to think about that for a moment. Then, with a growl, he reached back and slid the gate open. Pizza Pie nodded at Star, who, with a final sigh, followed her through into the square below the castle. As the gate slid shut behind them, Pizza pulled him along, towards the far side of the square.
“So far so good,” she muttered. “Stop looking around, and just face forward!” Doing as he was told, Star forced himself to keep his eyes ahead, and tried to mimic the worn down, hunched walk of the other ponies around him. They all looked, well, tired was the best way he could describe it. Tired, and miserable.
“Now what?” he asked, as Pizza Pie lead him past the castle, to what appeared to be a storage area just beyond the square, next to a large blue-white structure covered in a big dome. Dozens of large, round containers appeared to be stacked in piles, each one made of the same, now familiar greenish-brown color, and big enough to hold a pair of ponies curled up inside. A few other stallions were scattered around the field, rolling the containers around from one place to another.
“Now, you get to work,” she replied, pointing to the piles of containers. “As more of the storage pods are brought in, you need to sort them by the size of seed-pods inside. Each one is marked, so it should be simple.”
“And that’s it?” he asked, giving her a quizzical look. “How am I supposed to find Botanica by moving pods around?”
Pizza Pie sighed. “I thought Davie covered all of this. We’ve been told that every now and then, a pod gets delivered from the palace. The labels aren’t marked with the seed sizes, but with her cutie mark, which is three green leaves. Just watch for those, and try to track them back to where they came from.”
“Easier said than done,” he muttered, but couldn’t argue with her logic. “And what about getting out when I find her?”
She pointed to a sloping bridge that seemed to connect the dome-covered building to the back of the castle. “Just get her onto there,” she said, “to the point in the middle where the roof has broken away. I’ll have some friends watching and waiting to grab you.”
He gave the older mare a puzzled look, but her eyes told him not to argue. “Fine,” he agreed. “Guess I’d better get started.” With a final nod, he moved in line with the other workers, grabbed a pod from the file, and using his head, started rolling it towards the organized rows nearby….
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“Hey Mel! Grab that wrench for me, would ya?”
Sweet Melody looked away from the castle in the distance, and, using her teeth, picked up the wrench out of the toolbox, and dropped it next to the harvester machine that her friend was working on. “Is that the right one?”
Sparky Hooves poked her head out from under the harvester. “Yup, that’s the one,” she confirmed, but instead of picking it up, she looked at Melody with concern. “Are you ok, sugar?”
Melody turned back to the distance castle. It towered over the city surrounding it, casting a long shadow across the landscape, almost all the way to the bio-fields they were standing in. She couldn’t make out any individuals at this distance, but knew there had to be many of the mean lizards in there.
And yet, her brother was going inside anyway.
“Sweet Mel?” Sparky asked again, having crawled out from under the machine.
“I’m ok,” the young mare replied, forcing herself to look away from the castle. “I’m just nervous for Star Gaze, that’s all.”
“I know,” Sparky said, placing a hoof over her younger friend’s shoulder. “I’m worried too. But he’ll be alright.” She grinned. “Cause if he isn’t, he’ll have to deal with us girls when he gets back, right?”
That finally got a smile out of Melody, and her body relaxed a bit. “Yeah,” she said weakly, “and we can always go save him if he gets in trouble!”
“Now yu’r talking!” Sparky cried out, and picked up Melody for a big hug. Setting the younger mare back down, she turned back to the machine. “Now, let’s say ya give me a hoof fixing this here machine.”
“What’s it for, anyway?” Melody asked, looking over the device.
“For harvesting the bio pods!” said a voice next to her. Melody jumped, and turned to see Davie Pie standing there, having appeared out of nowhere. He pointed to the bushes growing in perfect lines all across the fields. “It rolls along between the rows, shaking the pods free from the bushes. Makes the work a lot easier than it used to be, when we had to pick them by hand.” He pointed to the other harvesters moving along the fields, each one followed by two ponies, with a third sitting on top at the controls. “See? Now it takes only three of us to collect a row of pods. It used to take nearly a dozen!”
Melody watched the workers, feeling a pang of guilt. Nopony in her Herd had to do labor like this. They lived an easy life compared to the ones here.
Deciding she should do everything she could to help, Sweet Melody grabbed the handle of the toolbox in her teeth, moved closer to Sparky, and set it back down. “Well then, let’s get to work!” she said with a grin.
“Thatta girl!” Getting down onto her belly, Sparky pulled herself back under the machine. “Just pass me the tools as I call’em out, ok?”
“You got it!
----------------
That’s twenty one so far, Star thought to himself, and still no sign of that cutie-mark. He’d been at it for nearly three hours now, helping the half-dozen other stallions unload, sort and re-load the pods off and on the hover-carts that would be pulled in from the fields by other ponies, and taken away to somewhere he didn’t know of. The work wasn’t that difficult, just tedious, though he was starting to get a minor headache from pushing the pods with the top of his skull.
Out of the corner of his eye, Star noticed a single light-red stallion approaching with a smaller hover-cart trailing behind him, connected to a harness wrapped around his back. Moving over to assist, he looked to the label, ready to move the two pod-containers to their correct rows, when his eyes went wide. On the label, instead of the size marker, were three green leaves.
This is it, he thought, and struggled to contain his excitement. It must have been too obvious, for the light-red pony was giving him an odd look.
“Hey, you gonna just stare or unload these?” He asked sharply.
“Sorry,” Star replied, reaching up to grab the first pod. “These are marked differently,” he commented, trying to sound casual. “Are they special or something?”
“Dunno,” the other replied, “the lizards just tell me to come get ‘em, so I do.” He smiled weakly. “Just do what we’re told and don’t ask, right?”
“Yeah, right.” Where ever he got these should be a good place to start looking. “Say, where did these pods come from, anyway?” he said, while grabbing one between his front hoofs and hauling it off the hover-cart. Lighter than the others, too…
The worker pointed back over his shoulder at the palace entrance. “Them lizards bring ‘em down, I haul ‘em here,” he replied, watching as Star pulled the second pod off the cart. “Beyond that, haven’t got a clue.”
“Thanks.” With a nod, the other pony pulled the hover-cart away, and Star eyed the Palace door on the far side of the square. His head slowly lifted, as his eyes followed the crystal walls of the castle as they rose from the entrance, to sweep over his head, coming back down a three other points holding the structure up. Following his gaze, he noticed a somewhat less styled door built into another of the castle’s legs. There was only a single guard at this entrance. All I need is a little distraction. Now that I know those pods came from inside, it doesn’t matter which door I use.
He looked around, taking inventory of the square, and looking for inspiration. The same group of ponies was still working on sorting the pods. The same dozen guards were either patrolling around or standing at attention. The rest of the square under the castle was empty, save for the stacks of pods.
The pods…
Having not really paid much attention to them while he was working, he now took the time to study them. Stacked in their rows, which had grown longer as the day went on, they waiting to be shipped out to Celestia-knows-where. That’s when he had his idea.
Pushing the two new pods over, he lifted one as if to place it on top of an existing row. Trying to appear casual, his deliberately set it down off-center, barely balanced on the pod below. It started to lean to the side.
He had just enough time to wander close to the smaller palace door, when the pod fell… right into the four-high stack sitting next to it. The result was all Star could hope for, as the stacks fell like dominoes, one into another, and causing such a commotion that the guards couldn’t help but be drawn towards it.
The one at the door was no acceptation. With a slight heave, Star pushed open the doors, and took a glance behind him. While there was some guilt knowing the other ponies would have to suffer with his little scene, he quickly reminded himself that he had no other choice. With a sigh, he slipped inside…
The palace interior was just as elaborate as its exterior. After climbing up a few flights of stairs, Star Gaze found himself starring down an elaborate corridor, or gallery. The polished-blue floors reflected the sparkling lights coming off the crystal-white walls, almost as if he was in a palace of ice. Amazed at the sight, he almost missed the sound of footsteps approaching. With just a heartbeat to spare, he jumped behind one of the dozen archways that lined the corridor, as a Vectin soldier entered from a side door. It stopped, made a grunting noise, and then turned to its right, heading up another flight of stairs.
Star gave it a full ten-count before emerging from behind the archway. I thought this place would be crawling with them, he thought. But he’s the first one I’ve run into so far. Must be my lucky day. Or else, the commotion he caused outside was keeping them all busy. Keeping his eyes and ears open, he crept down the hallway, looking for any sign of where a single scientist prisoner might be kept.
A faint clanking gave warning that another armored guard was approaching. Thinking quickly, Star pushed open a door to hind in a side room, slowly closing the door behind him. Taking a moment to catch his breath, he turned to study the room he found himself momentarily trapped in. It featured the same high ceiling and walls of the rest of the palace, but also had a red square-shaped rug covering the middle of the floor. Centered on the rug was a round, blue table. Slowly moving around the room, he noticed the domed building out of the windows.
“I wonder what they’re using that for,” he thought out loud, trying to get a look out the window without those on the ground noticing him. He could barely see past the rim of the dome…
Wait! What’s that?! Just beyond the edge, standing out against the blue-white crystal, was a patch of green. Green? Are those plants and grass? He squinted his eyes trying to get a better look. What is grass doing in the middle of a crystal-
Suddenly, the realization hit him like lighting. “If I was going to hide somepony who was growing things for me,” he said to himself, eyes focusing on the dome, “where better than a patch of grass hidden right in the middle of the city!” He looked around the palace room again. “Smack in the middle of a dome, where nopony but myself, up in my castle, can see!” Excited now, he jumped away from the window, and crept towards the door. Pressing his ear against it, he listened for any sign of the guards. Silence greeted him, and slowly he pushed open the door.
The hallway was empty, but that could change at any moment. Deciding to risk it, Star darted out of the room, and headed down the hall. Several doors flew past him, before he found himself at what appeared to be a greeting hall. It was a wider open space, with cushioned benches against the walls. Taking a cautious look around, he noticed an open doorway, with two staircases on each side. That must be it, he thought, approaching the doorway, and peering through. Beyond, the floor sloped downwards, with a round ceiling covering the narrow walkway.
“The bridge!” he exclaimed, before suddenly ducking his head down, ears flattening and eyes searching nervously. If that doesn’t bring any guards… he thought, slowly creeping into the covered walkway that connected the palace to the domed structure. He paused for a moment, and listened for any response. Hearing nothing (which still puzzled him), he slowly continued on….
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He stomped along, clawed feet clicking on the crystal floors of the palace. The anger on his face scared the few guards in the building from making eye contact with him. Which suited Thrakish just fine. It was one insult to be removed from an active hunt, and to be ordered back to the home sphere in disgrace. But now, to be summoned like some worthless underling? It took all of his mental strength to prevent himself from tearing out the Sphere Leader’s throat!
As he approached the doors to the throne room, a familiar sent crossed his nostrils. Pausing, he took a deep breath, trying to identify it. Questrin? In the palace? He looked around, but couldn’t see anyone else except the lone guard near the stairs. He had assumed that no Questrins were allowed inside the palace since Kessish had made it his personal residence. But the disgraced Hunt Leader had already stopped applying logic to the Sphere Leader’s thoughts. Though sent is familiar. Perhaps after Kessish I will track down. With a nod, he turned back, forced the doors open, and entered the throne room…
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He could see light at the end of the tunnel. Holding back a snicker at the thought of a joke, Star made his way to the bridge exit. He had kept low and moved slowly, hoping he wasn’t spotted from the outside. So far, it appeared his luck was holding.
Entering the domed building, he was forced to hold up a hoof to block the sudden ray of sunlight that hit his eyes. Giving them a moment to adjust to the brightness, he took a look around, and had to catch his jaw from dropping to the ground.
Dozens of rows wrapped around the building, each one a bit shorter and one level lower than the one above. Each row was wide enough to serve as a seat for hundreds of ponies. This must have been a stadium or something, he thought, slowly approaching the edge of his level. The bridge had led him to a spot about half-way up the rows, giving Star a good vantage point. And even though there weren’t any ponies filling it anymore, the stadium was far from empty…
Each row was filled with potted plants. Hundreds of them, all shapes, sizes, and colors, each in its own pot. Eyes wide in amazement, he took a careful step down to the next row, studying the different plants around him. Many appeared to be varieties of the Vectin pod bushes, like the ones he saw in the fields outside the city. Some looked like hybrids of pods and other, more common plants. As he walked, his hoof bumped into something. Looking down, he noticed a pipe, running along the floor between the pots, a bit of condensation sticking to the sides. A glance around revealed similar pipes on each level, all connected to the various pots.
A watering system, he realized, still amazed at the sight if it all. Taking care to step over the pipe, he continued to make his way down the stairs, heading towards the center of the stadium, and the grassy floor he saw from the tower. Even down here there were pots, all spread out, some with seedlings, and some with large adult plants. A few pots were empty, while others had just dirt, as if waiting for seeds. And just past them, in the center of the stadium ‘floor’, was a small cottage.
Using caution, aware that he could be spotted at any moment, Star approached the cottage. Unlike everything else in the city, it wasn’t made from crystal, but wood. Logs laid sideways formed the walls, with wooden planks making up the roof. More pots, smaller and filled with flowers, were lined up against the outside walls. The door was slightly ajar…
Suddenly, it swung open, almost hitting Star in the face. He ducked back, and peered around the edge. Standing there was a light-brown mare, her green-aqua mane flowing out to end in curls. A pair of black squared glasses sat on her nose. Carefully, elegantly, she stepped away from the cottage, trotting over to a small cluster of pots that featured newly grown seedlings. He watched as she picked up a pot and studied the newly formed plant. After a moment, she set it back down, and reached for another. But what caught his attention most, was the image of three leaves that adorned her flank.
Believing now was a good a time as any, Star stepped out from behind the still open door. “Ehem…” he cleared his throat, “Botanica, I presume?”
The mare froze in place. “You’re not supposed to be here,” she said, her voice soft, almost quiet.
“I know,” he replied, stepping forward. “But Pizza Pie sent me to come and get-“
“Pizza Pie sent you?” she asked, still facing away from him. “Then you should return to her now. Before the guards find you.”
“I intend to,” Star said, “after I get you out of here.”
“No.” The sternness in her soft voice caught him by surprise, and she finally turned around to face him. His next question died unspoken, when her eyes came to rest upon him. One, yellow as the sun above them, the other green as the grass beneath their hoofs. “I must remain here.” Her eyes worked their way over him. “I do not recognize you. You are not from the camps outside.” It wasn’t a question.
“No, I’m not,” he said. “I came from a herd outside of Ponyville. My name is Star Gaze.” A thought occurred to him. “You don’t seem too surprised to see me. Nor exited at being rescued.”
“I do not wish to be rescued,” she said, turning back to her plants. “Pizza Pie keeps forgetting that. But she sends rescuers’ anyway.”
Shock fell over him. “What do you mean, ‘rescuers’? Somepony has tried to get to you before?”
Lifting a pot to study the seedling, Botanica ignored the question for a moment. Setting it back down, she reached for a clipboard sitting nearby. “You are the fourth,” she replied, before taking a pencil in her teeth to make notes.
Star simply stood there in disbelief. Pizza Pie had lied to him, just like Apple Core before. Was he really that gullible? Or just too quick to trust others?
Botanica must have noticed his confusion, and put down the pencil and clipboard. “Don’t worry,” she said, “it isn’t you. Pizza Pie wants me out so I can’t help the Vectin anymore.”
Shaking his head, Star focused on the here and now. “Then why don’t you leave?” he asked. Then, he remembered what Davie Pie had told him about the ponies that were allowed to live in the city. “It’s your family, isn’t it?” he asked. “Working here allows them to live in the city.”
She nodded, eyes closed and a sad expression on her face. “Yes. As long as I stay, they are safe and free of the fields. But it is more than that.” She looked up, to gaze upon the rows of plants ringing the stadium. “By making the pods easier and faster to grow, I’m making the work easier for the ponies in the bio fields. I must do everything I can to make their lives better.” Her eyes came to rest upon him again. “That’s why I can’t leave. Besides,” she shrugged, “they would just come to bring me back anyway.”
Star’s ears perked up. “About that,” he began, “Pizza Pie has a plan for keeping them from just taking you back.”
“Oh?” she asked, surprised. “This is new. What is it?”
“Well, they can’t capture you if they can’t find you,” he said. “Not if you leave the city, and come with us.”
“With you?” Now it was Botanica’s turn to be shocked. “Go where? And who is us?”
He smiled. “My sister and friend, along with myself of course.” Pointing a hoof towards the distance, “and we’re going to the Crystal Mountains.”
“Why would anypony go there?” she asked, but her voice sounded interested.
“Well, let me explain,” Star began…
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Slamming the doors closed, Thrakish stormed down the hallway, away from the throne room. Once again, Kessish felt the need to insult and shame his name. The Hunt Leader demanded to be allowed to continue after his target, and finish what was started, as honor required. But the Sphere Leader was not swayed, and once again ordered Thrakish to return to their home sphere in disgrace.
He cannot do this! Thrakish screamed in his mind. This is greatest dishonor! I should gut him on that crystal throne- He froze in place, thoughts stopped in their tracks, as the familiar sent once again drifted over him. He knew it was one of the Questrins, but it seemed much more familiar then that. He took a deep breath…
…and suddenly, he had it. “So, my prey is here,” he growled, glancing around the halls. “Why you come? To face me perhaps? Finish what started in forest?” Slowly, the trained hunter began to stalk the halls, eyes searching for any sign of intruders. While protocol demanded he alert the guards to a possible intruder, Thrakish was determined to make the capture, or kill, on his own. Not like many guards around anyway. What Kessish thinking? Making his way, room by room, he searched for his prey…
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“And you believe this ‘Star Princess’ can help us?” Botanica asked, after Star Gaze finished telling her of his adventure so far. They had moved into the cottage, to hide Star from view in case any guards decided to check on her.
“Honestly, I don’t know,” he admitted. “All I know is that Twilight seemed to think we might need her one day.”
“And you still think she was referring to you directly?” Botanica looked at him skeptically. “I’ve heard stories about Princess Twilight, and how powerful she and the other princesses were. But to predict the future that accurately…” she frowned, “I’m sorry; it just seems a bit farfetched.”
“And it may be,” he agreed, “but I have to know. I believe whatever we find in the mountains could be the key to saving Equestria.” Star looked her directly in the eye. “Come with us.”
Botanica shifted uneasily, and he could tell she was conflicted. “But if I leave,” she began, “what will happen to my family?”
“You know Pizza Pie will take care of them,” Star replied, watching her move around the cottage. A single pot sitting on the window seemed to keep her attention. The plant growing out of it looked like just a weed to him, but it had a strange, yet beautiful flower growing out of it. She seemed to caress the plant, almost like saying goodbye.
“They’re not evil,” she said, “not all of them, anyway. You believe that…” she turned to look at him, her eyes pleading… “don’t you?”
“Honestly?” he asked, “I thought they were.” His eyes shifted to look out the window, at the clouds above. After hearing what they did to Cloudsdale, I just figured they were all evil. Looking back at the mare, and seeing the hurt in her eyes, he realized his mistake. “I’m sorry, I just never thought beyond what they’ve done to us.”
“I know,” she said, giving the flower one last caress, before moving towards the door. “Just remember, even weeds can grow flowers.” Star looked to the plant, the ugly weed-like leaves, and the beautiful flower growing out from between them.
“Come on,” he said, leading the way out of the cottage. “It’s time to go.” Nodding, she followed him out into the light. They headed for the stairs that lead to the crossover bridge, when a growl froze both of the ponies in their tracks.
“So, you come for her,” came a deep, raspy voice from the door to the bridge. Pushing Botanica behind him, Star braced himself… as a large form emerged from the shadow of the doorway. The Vectin appeared larger than most of the guards, and wore what appeared to be different, more functional armor that covered most of his body. Squinting his eyes, Star suddenly realized that he recognized this Vectin. It was the same one that attacked them at the edge of the forest, the day they met Davie Pie.
It was the Hunter.
Cowering behind him, Botanica moved backwards, and bumped into a pot, nearly knocking it over. Trying to keep himself between her and the hunter, Star lowered his head, eyes locked on the lizard.
“You still resist?” it asked, voice almost mocking in tone. His mouth opened slightly, as if showing off his rows of teeth. It took a moment for Star to realize the creature was grinning at him. “Good. I like that in prey. Giving up makes hunt too easy.” He stepped forward, the claws on his feet scratching at the ground.
Knowing he still had to get Botanica out of there, Star thought quickly. The lizard seemed fixated on him alone, so maybe he could use that to an advantage. If he’s too busy dealing with me, Botanica can run for the bridge, he thought, still backing away and pushing Botanica behind him. I just hope Pizza Pie is ready with whatever she has planned to get us out of here! They were moving along one of the stadium levels now, away from the stairs and door to the bridgeway, with the Hunter blocking the way. Eyes darting around, looking for inspiration, he suddenly noticed the Hunter was about to step over a water hose. His gaze followed the hose, and he realized it snaked around a large pot and back to a faucet just next to him. Perfect. Trying to appear casual, he took another step back, but also close to the faucet, so his rear-left hoof was right next to the hose. He waited, and after a moment, the hunter lifted his foot…
NOW!!!!
Flicking his hoof, Star pulled the hose taught, just as the Hunter’s foot would have crossed over it, instead catching and causing him to lose his balance. But the Hunter was quick. With a snarl, he reached out to grab the closest plant, but the distraction was enough. Launching himself forward, Star rammed his head into the lizard’s chest, sending him crashing into the pots on the next row down from them.
“Run!” he shouted to a startled Botanica, “Head for the bridge!” She stood there starring in disbelief for a moment, before shaking her head back into focus. Taking off at a full gallop, she sprinted past the fallen Hunter, and disappeared into the doorway. Star was about to follow, when a roar of anger demanded his attention. The Hunter was back on his feet, eyes burning with fury, and locked onto Star. He jumped towards the grey pony, reaching out with clawed fingers, jaws open in a snarl. Reacting faster then he thought possible, Star jumped to his left, up to the next row, just missing getting snagged by the claws. He barley landed, before bucking back with his hind legs to strike the Hunter in the side, knocking him into a pair of large, empty pots, sending them crashing to the level below. Not stopping to admire his work, he jumped over a small plant, ready to head for the bridge himself. But the Hunter recovered quickly, and launched itself at him, head butting Star into a pile of fertilizer bags. Dazed, he looked up, to see the Hunter standing over him.
“You put up decent struggle,” it said, “but hunt over.” Reaching down, Thrakish grabbed Star by the stomach, and lifted him above his head. “I am Thrakish, Hunt Leader, and I claim you as prize!” Realizing he had only one chance left, Star primed his back legs.
“Not today!” he shouted, and kicked Thrakish in the head, while twisting around to break free of the Hunter’s grip. Crying out, the Hunter released one hand to grab the side of his head, still holding Star with the other. But his balance was gone, and both fell off the level, to crash into several potted bushed below them. Still moving, they rolled down two more levels, crashing through pots, plants, and dirt piles. Seeing a pipe hanging to one side, Star managed to grab it with his teeth, while Thrakish continued past, finally coming to rest on a pile of seed bags.
Reaching up, Star managed to pull himself onto the row above him, legs barley able to stand. He looked down at the fallen Hunter, whose one eyes glared back at him. “Who are you?” Thrakish asked, cradling his right arm over his chest?
The pony smirked. “My name is Star Gaze, and I won’t be your prize today!” Then, summoning his remaining strength, he started walking down the row towards the stairs, breaking into a fast trot, finally a full gallop, and the Hunter struggled to rise to his feet. Star could hear the roar of anger behind him, as he struggled to run up the stairs, and entered the bridgeway. Now, if only Pizza Pie was ready…
He was half way up the first incline of the bridge, when he heard the shout...
“STAR GAZE!!! UP HERE!!!”
“What the-“ he muttered, looking up at the hole in the bridge ceiling. The sight caused him to nearly trip over his own hoofs. Circling above on two slender wings was a pony. A flying pony.
“Come on!” it shouted, changing direction to dive towards the opening. “Jump out! I’ll grab you!” Thinking fast, and knowing that the Hunter, or other Vectin, could be on him any moment, Star jumped out the hole, legs outstretched. The flyer, a Pegasus he reminded himself, swooped down and snagged him by wrapping his forelegs around Star’s stomach.
“Oomph! You could shed a few pounds!” he shouted into the wind, flapping his wings to get lift. The sound of shouts coming from below them drew Star’s attention, and he saw several guards standing below, watching them. But it was too late, as the Pegasus carried him away from the castle.
“Where is Botanica?” he shouted up and his rescuer.
“Lightning Dash already got her!” the other called back. “We’ll meet up with them soon. Just enjoy the ride!” Deciding to do just that, Star looked ahead, and realized they were heading for the mountains in the distance. He was about to ask if that was their destination, before a wave of dizziness overcame him. Guess I’m still weak from that fight, he thought, closing his eyes. Maybe I’ll just rest a while…