War over the Sun

by starfox64x

Ch 6. Her first and last fight.

War over the Sun Ch 6

The girls were quite as they followed Shaleel down the beaten path through town, passing by still concerned onlookers. They were a bit shaken up by Shaleels comment about his wife, although they were still unsure as to what had happened to her. They decided just to keep quite for now and follow him home.

The door opened before Shaleel could even reach out to push it open, five small zebras rushed out to see him, calling out to him in their native tongue. He laughed and greeted them all, nuzzling their heads gently. However it didn’t take them long to notice the other ponies behind him. They grew quieter, whispering to their father cautiously. The five ponies just smiled, trying to put on friendly faces for them.

Shaleel stepped aside to let the children see the ponies, “Children, these are Daddy’s new friends. Say hello.” The children nervously said hello to them in Equestrian, still a bit unsure. “I’m sorry for their behavior. They’ve never seen ponies like you all before… I think it’s a new experience for them.”

“Aw, they’re adorable Mister Shaleel.” Fluttershy said with a little smile, approaching the kids. She kneeled down and said something in their native tongue, again, leaving the other ponies in the dark as to what she was saying. Whatever it was that she was talking to them about, it seemed to warm the children up to Fluttershy, as well as her friends.

“Come inside everyone, it’s getting dark… I have soup cooking inside, and I have plenty for everyone.” He held the door open for his guests and children, making sure everyone got in. “Aluu, get inside please.” One of his children seemed distracted, running around outside. However when his father called, he reluctantly headed back in.

The inside of Shaleel’s hut looked very similar in style to Zecura’s, however it seemed a bit messier, although it was harder to tell. There weren’t may potion bottles laying around, but they did seemed more scattered and out of place, “Excuse my mess, it’s hard keeping the house clean with five little ones running around.” He chuckled a little, heading to a kettle that was simmering over embers. “Please sit and make yourselves comfortable.”

Everyone took a spot nearby, except for Rarity. She seemed a bit… unsettled by the mess, and the dirt floor beneath their hooves. “Um, Please excuse for just a moment girls…” she excused herself out for a moment, heading to the carriage.

The other seemed to get pretty comfortable, considering their next move. Twilight was already getting ideas, “Well, I think our best option now would be to go to the princess and tell her how things went.”

“Couldn’t we just send her a letter like we usually do?” Fluttershy laid herself down a large rug, keeping her head up to continue the conversation, “Canterlot is awfully far away.”

Twilight shook her head, “No, we need spike to send a letter… I can’t send a letter through magic this far from Canterlot… I can’t focus in that well from here.”

“I could take it.” The group turned to Rainbow Dash, a bit surprised by the idea, “I mean I could get it there in a day and come back the next with a reply… Maybe she’ll want us to try something different, we don’t want to have to go ALL the way back to Canterlot just to come ALL the way back here…” she elaborated the long trip by swaying to one side then ALL the way to the other side, nearly tipping over. no one seemed to object the idea yet, so she continued, “I’ll zip on over there with a letter saying what’s going on, and zip on back… Hey! I can drop by Applejacks and let her know how thing’s are going. Maybe she can talk to Zecura and see if she can give us some advice.”

Shaleels ears perked as the name, “Zecura?” he mumbled through the ladle in his mouth, stirring the soup once more before putting it down, “You don’t mean the daughter of the Chief do you?”

Pink nodded, “Yeah! Apparently, we didn’t know it, but apparently she is. He recognized her pretty quickly when we mentioned that we were the ponies she mentioned in her letters.”

Twilight gave her a blank stare, “You mean when YOU admitted that we were the ones in her letters…” She still wasn’t too happy about that… but she wouldn’t hold a grudge.

Shaleel nodded, “Ah, I’ve heard of the letters…”

“Y-you have?” Twilight was a bit worried now, If the chief kicked them out because of the letters, he might too…

“Yes, I have… I believe the chief may have overreacted a bit…” Shaleels statement relieved twilight a bit, but she stayed quiet as more was to be said, “I believe Zecura’s letter consisted of much praise to you ponies; having fun and so forth. Although it was your first encounter with Zecura that seemed to leave a bad taste in the Chief’s mouth.”

Rainbow Dash quietly listened to Shaleel as he spoke, although something touching her tail caught her attention. She looked out of the corner of her eye to see two of the boys batting at her colorful tail. It was strange for them to see so many colors at once, so of course, they were curious. She smiled a little, moving it quickly toward them, and rubbing their faces with it playfully. The two curious colts jumped back, surprised by the fuzzy attack. They looked over to see Rainbow Dash giggling under her breath, waving her tail back and forth, tempting the two.

“You judged her by her strange looks and odd practices and assumed she was bad, correct?” Shaleel noticed Rainbow playing with the boys, so he directed his attention to the others.

“Yes, it’s true… we overreacted and assumed the worst…” Twilight’s head hung low, still holding a bit of resentment towards herself for that.

“Wait, what did I miss now?” Rarity asked, returned into the home with a rug hovering in front of her. It was a plush purple rug with jewels sewn into the tassels for decoration, certainly something Rarity would enjoy. She laid it down carefully by twilight before taking a seat in the center.

“We were talking about our first time meeting Zecura.” Twilight answered softly.

“Oh.” Her immediate response was just a quick acknowledgment of her reply… however it took her a second to process the information, “Ooohhh…” she suddenly felt stricken with guilt as well, her head hanging low.

“Do not fret my friends… It’s understandable… after all; I was the same way when I saw you today.” He admitted, shifting a bit.

The boys were still playing with Rainbow Dash’s tail, nipping at it in a playful way. Rainbow moved it around quickly, avoiding their capture.

“And I know that the Chief is much like that as well… he has been very bitter towards ponies for a long time, it’s nothing new… he assumed nothing has changed. Even though Zecura’s notes to her father have been mostly positive and happy, he picked out whatever he could to use against your kind and threw out all that was good.”

“I see…” she quietly pondered the situation, trying to think of some sort of solution to their problems. “So do you think there is any way we co-“ Rainbow Dash let out a sudden yelp. The two boys tackled her and were now ontop of her, laughing. She too was laughing, rubbing the boys’ heads playfully. Rarity smiled at the children playing, but she wondered where the girls had gone. She looked around and noticed them right beside her, eying the rug she sat on. She gave them a smile and carefully moved over a bit, giving them room to join her. They seemed uncertain about her, as well as the elegant rug she sat on. She thumped the rug with her hoof, trying to coax the girls over. They walked to her slowly and touched the rug, feeling the soft plush fabric. One of them finally braved to lay down on it, rubbing her face against the plush, giggling to herself as she felt it against her nose. The other two seemed eased by this and joined her, curling close to their sister.

The other ponies were a bit distracted by all the adorableness around them; they didn’t notice that Shaleel was putting soup on the table. “We can talk more later… for now lets eat. Come on children.” It seemed like there was a chorus of groans around them from the children, they had all gotten comfortable where they were and now they had to get up.

Fluttershy couldn’t help but smile from the cuteness, but she had a concern. “Are you sure you have enough for us? I know you weren’t expecting company.”

“I was making more than enough so we could have some for a few days. I got lucky and had plenty of ingredients so I made a lot.” He smiled and took a seat, waving for his children to hurry. They slowly got up and bounded over, taking their seats. The five guests quickly made their way over as well, taking a look at the food they were being offered. It looks like pure broth. Twilight was a little concerned and dipped the spoon into the soup. There seemed to be bits of vegetables… but not much. The portion they were offered was meager at best, but the family seemed more than happy with what they had. Even Rainbow could see a problem here, and although normally she’d complain about such a small amount, she kept her lips sealed. Fluttershy nearly felt her heart break at the sight, they had so little and yet he was kind enough to offer it to them.

“Uh, s-sir...” Fluttershy quietly spoke up before anyone had a chance to eat. “I don’t think I’m that hungry… I had a big lunch today…”

“Nonsense, it’s been a long trip, you need your strength.” He said with a knowing smile. He had a feeling he knew why she was refusing to eat.

“I don’t think I’m that hungry either…” Rainbow said as she pushed her bowl away nervously.

“I have to agree.” Rarity gently pushed the bowl away, moving it closer to the two little girls.

“I understand what you’re doing… and I promise you it is fine. We have plenty here to share, eat up and enjoy… like your pink friend.”

The girls were a bit confused and looked at Pinkie Pie, who was just finishing guzzling down the bowl, “Mmm, Delicious Mister Shaleel!”

“P-Pinkie!” Twilight was offended by her actions, but Pinkie quickly replied to her with a smile.

“He DID say they have plenty to spare, plus this is only the appetizer! We still have a whole lot of food in the carriage remember?”

The others blinked, a bit unsure of what she meant, “I thought you gave them all away.”

“Nopey! I kept some juuuust in case.” She seemed very cheerful about that.

Shaleel smiled a little, “the desserts? Heh, well lets wait until we finish dinner before we have some of them.”

“Okay! But I got real food too!” Again, surprised looks all around, “I’ll go get it!” before anyone could stop her she bounced out of the room. The others began to eat quietly, deciding to wait for Pinkie to return before asking questions. She returned hold a sack by the mouth. She trotted in with a gleeful smile before tossing it at the table. With her odd ability to perform feats of magic, the pots and plates of food landed perfectly onto the table without spilling a drop, even the watered down soup already in front of them didn’t budge. The children gawked at the sigh before them, unable to keep themselves from drooling over the feast before their eyes, “There! Now THAT is a dinner!” Pinkie exclaimed before taking a seat.

Shaleel was stunned at the sight, “You… you’re offering this to my family?” he asked quietly. Even the children were unsure about taking the food; it looked too good to eat.

“Of course! Brought it for an emergency and I’d say this is as good as any!” she started filling her plate up with an eager smile. Twilight smiled as well, taking portions of the food and spreading them to the children. Even with the feast right there in front of their faces, they weren’t sure what to do. They all looked to their father for an answer.

Shaleel looked like he was about to cry. He smiled at his children and gave them an approving nod, signaling them to dig in. he just stared at his own plate for a moment, realizing how hungry he was, “Thank you Ponies… Thank you all so much…” he watched his children eat happily for a moment, seeing the joyful looks on their faces and admiring the change. He soon started to eat as well, along with the other ponies.

By the end of the meal and dessert the children were tired out, half asleep in their seats. Rarity decided to use her magic to lift them up. Of course they were shocked by the floating. But their father assured them it was okay in their native tongue. They relaxed as they were laid on Rarity’s rug. The boys enjoyed the plush feel to the rug, and began to rub their noses into it like the girls had done. The girls giggled; too full and tired to play around with their siblings, so instead they laid down and cuddled up to rest. The others helped clean up the table; all smiling happily at one another. Shaleel probably was smiling brightest of all, “Thank you all… tonight was wonderful.”

“It’s no biggie.” Pinkie waved the compliment away, “Just some leftovers to share with a new friend and his family. Glad you liked it though!”

“I’m glad too, although, now I’m really tired.” Twilight said with a little laugh. “You wouldn’t happen to have a spare bed would you?”

Shaleel nodded, “Well it seems like they are already half asleep on your rug… I might join them there… our bed is much bigger, I’m sure you could all get comfortable in the bedroom.” He told them, laying with his children and nuzzling close. The others watched for a moment before leaving for the bedroom to rest for the night. They didn’t talk much as they settled down, deciding to just relax and get some sleep.

Fluttershy found herself startled awake in the middle of the night; a bad dream plaguing her mind. She quietly got out of bed, feeling the need for fresh air to clear her head. As she walked through the main room, she noticed the children cuddled up on the rug, but no father around with them. She quietly made her way outside, seeing him standing alone in the darkness, only illuminated by the dim moonlight.

“Mister Shaleel? Is everything alright?” she asked as she approached. He was a little startled by her sudden appearance, but he just smiled at her. He had no reason to fear her.

“I’m okay… I just like to come outside at night to think. It relaxed me.” He explained in a soft tone, “What are you doing up so late?”

“Oh, I just had a little nightmare… nothing too bad.” She replied, taking a seat beside him.

“mm, I see… I have those often as well.” He continued to stare up into the sky, watching the moon as it sat there beyond their reach.

“Oh, I’m sorry…” Fluttershy shifted awkwardly, unsure of what to say, “Um, I hope that they’ll go away soon.”

He nodded, “They’ve been getting less and less frequent, so that is good, but… That day is still haunting me.”

“What day?” she didn’t think that maybe he didn’t want to discuss it, or that it might bother him to talk about it. It was just instincts to ask such a question.

He didn’t seem to hesitate to answer though, “The day my wife was taken from me.” He said softly, “Dragons attacked our land and she was the only casualty. They said that the dragons that came over were sick and didn’t know what they were doing. They also told me they were punished but I still loath them for what they did.”

“Oh… I see… I-I’m sorry.” She was quiet for a little longer, before thinking of something to try cheering him up. “You know… Rainbow Dash said she wants to beat up some of the dragons for what they did…” she gently punched her hoof into her other hoof, making a little clop noise as she did, “maybe if you asked she give them a good old kick to the butt just for you!” she smiled awkwardly, hoping it would get him to smile.

It worked, making him chuckle, “Yes, I’d like to give them a kick or two myself… but I can’t… I have my children to take care of. I have to stay here and protect them.”

“Oh, yes, I see… you care for them deeply don’t you?” she asked softly, shifting a bit as she began to look up at the moon.

“More than anything. I would do anything to protect them.”

“Would you fight?” she asked, looking at him curiously.

“If I had to, yes I would… of course, I would try to get them away first. Get them as far away from the fighting… but if had no other choice I would fight with every breath I had left to protect my children.” He looked over at her again, tilting his head, “Don’t you have anyone you’d fight for?”

She blushed a little, looking downward, “W-well… I hate fighting… I can’t stand it. I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”

“But if you’re forced into a corner… and you’re all that stand between danger and the ones you care for… what would you do?” Shaleel stared at the timid pony, trying to tell her that these are things she needs to think about…

Fluttershy found herself breathing more heavily, her heart racing faster at just the idea that she would be pushed into a corner… “I… I…” she couldn’t bring herself to imagine herself fighting, not at all. “I would pick everyone up and fly them out of the corner…” she said timidly.

Shaleel wasn’t happy with the answer, but he decided to drop it, “Just make sure whatever you do it’s the best decision to save your friends…”

She nodded slowly, her head hung low. Her active imagination began to run loose again, and he body began to shake. Shaleel noticed this, and began to regret the conversation. He lifted a hoof and placed it on her shoulder, “why don’t you tell me about your friends? They seem like good ponies…” he said with a little smile.

Fluttershy looked up, with a curious look on her face. She wondered why he changed the subject so fast, but she had no problem with it. “Uh, well, you’ve met Twilight, Pinkie, Rarity and Rainbow Dash… we also have a friend back home, her name is Apple Jack. She runs an apple farm with her family. I also have a pet bunny named Angel, she so sweet and adorable.”

He smiled, nodding at her comments, “I see, tell me more!” his request made her smile, happy to talk about her friends to the curious Zebra. They two talked nearly the entire night, until they were both on the verge of falling asleep where they sat. The two said their goodnights before returning to bed.

The morning arrived quickly, and it wasn’t long before everyone was up and about. Twilight was working hard on writing the letters while Rainbow Dash and Rarity entertained the children. Fluttershy just watched quietly, smiling at the two grown ups playing with the children.

Shaleel sat in the corner, watching them all. Pinkie Pie bounded over to join him, “Hi! Whatcha thinking about?”

“Huh? Oh, um… I’m just happy that my children are happy.”

“Yeah, it makes me happy to see other people happy too! So I’m happy that you’re happy!” She gave him a big hug, making him laugh., “Happiness for everyone!”

“Thank you Pinkie. You’re too kind.” He hugged her happily, making her smile as well.

“Girls I think it’s about time we got ourselves out of here…” Twilight called out, wrapping up the letters with her magic.

The children all groaned, as well as Pinkie Pie, “But we’re all having so much fun!” she whined with a big frown.

“I know I know… but we really should get going. We don’t want the chief to get upset with us for staying… let’s head back to Apploosa and wait there. Rainbow, you ready to get going?”

Rainbow quickly got to her feet, spreading her wings, “I’m ready! I’ll get there in no time!” Twilight’s magic brought her a set of saddlebags, putting the letters inside along with a few provisions, “Alright, come back as soon as you can, okay?”

“Will do!” she rushed outside and was in the air within seconds, flapping her wings hard to get up to speed high in the sky.

The girls watched her fly off, finishing their packing before climbing in.

“Oh! Miss Rarity, you’re forgetting your rug!” Shaleel called out to her, taking a look back at the rug inside.

“Oh you can keep it dear! I’ve got another in here, it’s nothing really.” Rarity waved it away, deciding they were enjoying the rug, so she didn’t need it.

“Thank you… you’re all too kind… have a safe trip!” he called out to them, waving goodbye and Twilight used her magic to get the cart going again. The girls waved goodbye as they traveled toward Apploosa.

Rainbow dash soared through the air at a brisk pace. At least it was brisk for her, most other pegasi would have trouble keeping up with her for a long time, and earth ponies would be lost in mere minutes. She wanted to get the letters out as quickly as she could so her friends wouldn’t have to wait very long for her to return, but she also had her own reasons. She was still itching for a fight. She wanted to buck some dragons around and show them who was the boss around Equestria. Her mind was scattered with these thoughts for a while until she realized where she was. She looked down at the Everfree forest, a bit surprised that she had made it so far so quickly, or maybe it was just that she was daydreaming so long she lost track of time. She kept her eyes down toward the ground, making mental notes of what she was seeing… but something caught her eyes, and her heart began to race.

Three dragons, about medium size, probably just bigger than she was, were walking in the general direction of Ponyville and Canterlot. They seemed to be walking side by side from tallest to shortest, although the middle sized one seemed to be leading them. They still had a lot of ground to cover; Rainbow Dash couldn’t even see the first signs of civilization over the horizon. She stayed high, watching the dragons walk. They seemed pretty buff, and they seemed to have plenty of supplies with them. However what were in the bags they carried was still a mystery…

She decided to get closer… she grabbed onto a nearby cloud and buried herself inside, floating closer to the dragons, just above the trees, hidden in the fluffiness. She moved slowly like a shark after its prey, listening quietly as they talked.

“So how badly was the princess hurt?” the shortest one asked the others.

“Pretty bad, heard she passed out when she got there… I dunno about the other princess, nobody’s said nothing bout ‘er yet.”

“hm, she was in Trottingham though, wasn’t she?”

“Yeah she was there… but she kinda… vanished, I dunno. They said she flew off and there wasn’t anybody around once the fires went out.”

“What about the guards that were with her?”

“Heard they were all found nearby and taken to a nurse in a nearby town or at least some of them… no bodies that they could see, so I doubt the other princess was killed… but the other one looks a lot different. kinda… messed up from what I was told.”

“What do you mean?”

“I dunno, that’s exactly what I was told, ‘messed up’…”

“Huh… I can’t wait to see her then, sounds interesting…”

Rainbow felt her tail twitching, she could tell these dragons were bad news… and she wanted to take them out. But she needed to know for sure… she popped out of the cloud and flew down in front of them, blocking their path. She glared at them, and the glared back, although they were more surprised by her than she was of them.

“Hey there boys… Where are you all headed?” she asked, giving them a knowing glare…

“We’re just roaming… What’s it to you?” the leader asked, giving her a defiant stare.

“Well from what it SOUNDED like, you all are part of the same group that attacked Trottingham a week ago…” she spread her legs a bit, preparing herself for anything.

“Hey! We’re Equestrian Citizens…” he quickly snapped back, sounding offended. “We have every right to be here…” he pulled out an ID card, being a registered dragon citizen of Equestria. “And I find your hate towards us to be racist!” Rainbow Dash was a bit surprised by the sudden turnabout. “We respect and love our leaders, and that fact that you think all dragons are harmful and heartless… you should be ashamed, you’re a despicable pony.”

Rainbow growled, her nostrils flaring, “I’m going to keep an eye on you all…” she started to lift off into the air, turning around to continue on her way. She had no evidence against them… and she knew jumping the gun would get her in trouble.
“YEAH! Run away you little pony! Feather brained pegasi like you should be sent to the moon!” Rainbow gritted her teeth, wanting to beat the stubbier looking dragon senseless for his comments, but she kept on flying. Suddenly a noise caught her attention, a ‘whoosh’ of some sort. She turned her head and spotted a fireball heading toward her. She quickly reacted, dodging it easily. She knew it wasn’t big enough or powerful enough to harm her, but it was still something she didn’t want to hit her.

The stubby little dragon was laughing at her, as was the tall skinny one, but the other one, the leader, shoved him, “Hey, we’re not suppose to mess with them…” he mumbled to him, he didn’t think Rainbow could hear. Suddenly an apple smacked the short one in the forehead, sending him to the ground.

Rainbow dash bucked another apple at the tall one laughing, but he managed to dodge this one, “Hey you little creep!” He took off after her. The leader couldn’t grab onto him in time to stop him. The dragon rushed up to her, swiping at her. She easily slipped past the attack, giving him a kick right between the wings, sending him to the ground. She followed and stomped on him as she landed. She continued to wail on the dragon, grinning excitedly, finally getting her chance to knock around a dragon like she wanted. However her shining moment soon ended as the leader swiped her away with his sharp claws, knocking her away. Before she could get up the short one had rushed over, kicking her in the gut, sending her into a tree. she let out a cry of pain as she impacted the tree, causing it to shake violently. Before her limp body could hit the ground the leader had come back, taking another painful swipe at her, cutting into her skin as he sent her flying down the pathway. She landed and rolled a few feet like a ragdoll being tossed across the room, before coming to a stop. She laid motionless in the dirt, feeling her ribs aching in pain, her back leg twisted unnaturally in the wrong direction. She swore she could feel some liquid running down her cheek. The liquid dripped into her mouth, grazing her tongue. It tasted salty, but bitter. It wasn’t sweat dripping down her forehead.

“Come on! Let me kill her!” the stubby one said as he wiped the apple off his face. “It’s just one! No one will know! We’ll bury her in the forest and no one will ever find her!”

“It’ll be good practice… we might be fighting Pegasus guards while we’re there…” The tall one encouraged the behavior, thinking a bit more logically than the short one. However the leader was still undecided.

“We can’t… we still have things to do… then we have to see about the princess.” He explained to the two, trying to calm them down, “We can’t cause any unnecessary attention…”

Rainbow Dash began to stand, wobbling a bit as she put pressure on her back leg. She glared at the three dragons, her teeth showing and her nostrils flaring, “I won’t let you get to her… I’m going to take you out here and now! I’ll never let you get to Princess Celestia!” She called out to them.

The looks were surprised all around. All three seemed to have just heard something they were expecting. “So then Princess Celestia is alive is she?”

Now Rainbow dash shared the shocked expression. “wh-what do you mean by that? You were just talking about the princess! You said she was messed up! You said Princess Luna vanished…” The leader’s smile was growing fast, and the wheels in Rainbow’s head began to turn, “You weren’t talking about Luna… Celestia vanished from Trottingham…” he simply nodded slowly in response, “A-and Luna was the one you said was messed up! And you are going to go see Luna! Luna is alive! And you have her!”

The leader began to chuckle, and the other two joined in with him, “Hey for a featherbrain this one is pretty smart, huh? Hehe…”

She was shocked, and worried. Now beating up dragons wasn’t the first thing on her priority list… “I have to tell Celestia” she said aloud, although that probably wasn’t the best thing to do.

“Oh no, NOW you’re not leaving yet…” the leader said, stepping forward. His cohorts smiled devilishly, stepping closer with him.

Her heart began to race, she had to go. She bounded off the ground, flying as quickly as she could. But the tall dragon was fast, faster than she was. He grabbed her back leg and tossed her downward, where the leader punched her side. She was headed straight for the dirt path, but she managed to get her wings out and slow her descent. She looked over just in time to see the stubby dragon blowing a line of fire at her, catching nearby trees. She managed to avoid his attack, getting back into the air, but the tall one came from behind and hit her again. She turned to face him, but another Whoosh noise caught her attention. She looked up just in time to see a large ball of fire engulf her body. She screamed in pain as she fell to the ground, slamming against the dirt and rolling to a stop not far from impact. She had rolled out of the fire, but she was still singed and in pain. She panted heavily, feeling dizzy and hurt. She tried to get up, but the leader grabbed her by the throat and lifted her off the ground. She began to squirm in his grip, barely able to breathe.

He smiled as he stared at his prey, “You want answers? I’ll give you some… Yes, we have Princess Luna… we know where she is… and we had orders to see if Celestia was indeed alive or not… but you just saved us a lot of time by answering it for us. So now we can head back home and prepare for our next move…”

She coughed, trying to hold herself up in his grip so she could breathe, “W-Why are you telling me this? You planning on letting me go so I can deliver this message for you?” she grinned a little, trying to put on a tough face.

He grinned back at her, “No… You’re not delivering anything.” Rainbows smile faded as she looked on in horror “Let me explain what I plan to do here… I like to hunt… but I like to play with my prey… First thing I think I’ll do is BREAK on of your wings.” As he said this he reached up with his free hand, grabbing onto her wing with great force. Not enough to break it, but enough to make her cry out in pain, “And then I’m going to let you go… watch you flutter away, trying to fly with a broken wing… Then I’ll grab you and break your OTHER wing, and let you go again. I’ll catch you again and break a bone in your leg and watch you limp away, and I’ll just do that again and again until all you can do is lay there on the ground, crying and bleeding…” Rainbow dash felt her body going limp, too scared by the words that were coming from this dragon to squirm anymore. He smiled, he loved the way she looked, helpless and scared. The claws at the end of his fingers began to cut into her skin, letting little trails of blood roll down her neck, “Then I might start cutting at you… maybe take those wings right off and mount them in my cave… or maybe your cutie mark instead, I bet THAT would look good on my wall, two lightning bolts of a pony I slaughtered myself…” his grip around her wing tightened, still grinning at her. The bones in her wing began to fracture slowly. If she could get enough air in her lungs she probably would be screaming now. “Or maybe… I could take you home alive… it gets so lonely back home… I could use a little pet… or a slave… That way I can torture you every day for the rest of your life… maybe I could bring your friends over…” this set off a spark in her head, he was threatening her friends now. The ones who cared for her and the only family she had in Ponyville. “and kill them in front of you one…. By… one.”

That was it. Rainbow couldn’t listen anymore she let out a loud cry as she pulled her hind legs up, bucking him hard in the chin. The impact was enough to get her loose and within a flash she was flying down the path. The stubby one was blocking her off, preparing to blow fire at her, but rather than slow herself down, she flew full speed, slamming into his stomach. The flames sputtered out of his mouth harmlessly. At the same time, Rainbow Dash grabbed him by the tail, and dragged him across the ground as she flew. The thin one cut her off, but she didn’t care, she flew directly into the trees with the stubby dragon in tow. The leader joined the thins ones side, looking into the thick forest for any sign of her. All they could hear were sound of the stubby dragon yelping in pain as he was hit against trees and rocks. The sounds didn’t seem like they were going away, just traveling around the forest. They couldn’t tell from where though, with all the echoing going around. The leader and the thin one watched carefully… until there was a yell behind them. In the blink of an eye, Rainbow dash had gotten the stubby dragon on the other side of the path, and in another blink she was tossing him into the other two dragons. The large dragon was like a tree slamming into them, forcing them past the bushes, knocking over a smaller tree in the process. The bags that were on their backs practically exploded on impact, leaving their previsions scattered across the pathway.

Rainbow dash let herself down, her body wobbling painfully. Their attacks earlier hurt her leg terribly. Her wing was crooked badly from the dragon gripping it so tightly. The rest of her body was sore and bruised, a couple of cuts letting blood drip to the ground into a red puddle beneath her. She knew she couldn’t outrun them in her condition, but at the same time, she knew she couldn’t fight them directly.

The shadows of the dragons rose up on the other side of the bushes. It was heavily shaded, but their large figures were easy to spot. The leader seemed to be glaring at her with glowing red eyes, the fires of hell brewing behind them. Rainbow Dash felt the heat of his glare burning into her, but a sudden coolness began to run down her cheek. It wasn’t blood this time, the trail had moved on to the other side of her head. These trails of coolness were running from her eyes down her cheeks, dripping from her chin. Her eyes were pouring out tears, she felt absolutely helpless here. She couldn’t run, she couldn’t fight, and she couldn’t call for help. Her legs began to shake as the situation became more and more clear, “I’m going to die.” She whispered to herself, “I’m going to die.” She began to repeat the phrase over and over, “I’m going to die.” unable to escape that painful truth in her mind. “I’m going to die” The dragon seemed to approach slowly, “I’m going to die.” as if they knew she had accepted her fate and that there was no need to hurry. “I’m really going to die.”

“Is anypony down there???” a voice called out from above. Rainbow looked up into the sky, seeing half a dozen or so Pegasus ponies flying toward her, seemingly following the smoke coming from the fire in the trees from one of the dragons.. In that instant she realized she wasn’t looking at the dragons anymore. She feared she wouldn’t be able to look back down in time to see them before their final blow. She forced herself to look back down, but the dragons were nowhere to be seen. They vanished in an instant. Her legs wobbled beneath her, the danger had past. She collapsed to the ground, weeping loudly into her hooves. The team above her heard the cries and quickly got down to her. They were asking lots of questions, but she couldn’t focus. She was too scared now. She had just faced death and was only spared by good luck.

She opened her eyes after a moment, seeing a piece of paper in the scattered mess. The Pegasus seemed preoccupied with the fire, so she picked it up, looking at it. It seemed to be a map with strange writing. It seemed important, but she was too out of it to focus on it. She slipped it into her bag before a sudden lightheadedness hit her. She didn’t realize how much blood she had lost until just now, but she didn’t have much time to think about it. She blacked out within seconds.