The End of Peace

by ceasertiberius

Chapter 4: The Judge

The End of Peace: Chapter 4, The Judge
By Ceasertiberius

Winter Bliss bolted up from her cot. She was sweating and breathing heavily. Bliss quickly gathered herself and looked around the interior of the plane. She heard tearing coming from the back and light breathing next to her. She gazed to her side and saw the dark purple bat pony. Vespertilio was fast asleep, as peaceful as could be.

Winter Bliss got out of the cot and quietly walked around the slumbering bat pony. She yawned in a reserved manner, making sure not to disturb Ves. Bliss walked to the cockpit of the plane and peered out of the dark, massive cave. The valley and mountains glittered in the noon sun. Bliss had only gotten a few hours of sleep, nightmares about the previous day’s events kept her up. James and her dead mother kept replaying in her mind, forcing her to finally wake from her burdened dreams.

She stretched slightly until the tearing sound from the back of the plane recaptured her attention. Bliss groggily walked past the sleeping Ves and into the rear of the jet. Sitting in the back was the silver and black griffon Cutlass. His black panther like haunch was planted firmly on the ground as he used his talons and beak to tear into some sort of meat. Bliss couldn’t tell what the poor animal used to be nor did she want to know. She took a deep breath and tried to keep calm while the male griffon ripped into his food mercilessly.

Winter Bliss cleared her throat to get the griffon’s attention. He looked up at Bliss and swallowed the piece of meat whole. He then narrowed his eyes at Bliss and grinned deviously. Bliss looked revolted as she gagged and looked away. She was heaving slightly before slowly calming down. She then gulped and peered into Cutlass’ golden eyes with her cobalt eyes. “Did you have a good breakfast?” Bliss remarked quite sarcastically.

Cutlass’ grin grew larger, “Yep, freshly caught this morning.” Cutlass picked up part of a furry leg and shoved it into Bliss’ face. “Here have some, it tastes like chicken.”

Winter Bliss stuck her tongue out in repulsion, “Yuck I’ve never eaten chicken and I’m not planning on it. You’re disgusting, what even is that?”

Cutlass grinned even larger if it was possible, “Oh it was a little rabbit mother with her children. It tried to run but I caught it and ripped it from its family. It screamed the whole way.” Cutlass leaned in close to Bliss and narrowed his eyes. “Until I broke its neck!”

Bliss recoiled and squealed in a high pitched voice. She blushed and quickly regained her composure. She put on a brave face as she attempted to change the subject, “Ahm well I hope you enjoyed your meal but we need to plan our course.”

Cutlass was still grinning in an amused manner. He dropped his food and slowly stood up while stretching. He rubbed his belly then motioned for Bliss to proceed. They went to the front of the plane and gazed at the map. They were discussing what route would be the most inconspicuous to take to Hong Prong. They were trying to avoid any major military installations and approach the city stealthily, a nearly impossible task. The pair continued to talk as Ves slept soundly on her cot. They had soon decided that a southerly route through a less populated region would be ideal when a roar reverberated through the cave.

Cutlass and Bliss scrambled out of the cockpit and into the plane’s back. Ves was sleeping soundly and all appeared to be normal and quiet. Bliss was about to make her way back to the navigation system when a second roar echoed through the cave. Cutlass was already strapping on his weapons and combat gear without a second thought. Bliss looked around and decided that she didn’t need a gun so instead she picked up a flashlight. Cutlass nodded and they made their way to the plane’s door.

Bliss looked back at the peaceful Ves and smiled lightly. Cutlass looked at her in a calculating manner. He narrowed his golden eyes at Bliss, “Should we wake her?”

Bliss shook her head while continuing to smile, “No, let her sleep. I’m sure we can handle whatever is causing this ruckus on our own and if not we’ll wake her then. For now let her sleep.”

Cutlass looked back at Ves and sighed. He nodded his head slightly and opened the door. The pair flew out of the plane and into the massive cavern. It was dark, damp and wet. Light was creeping through the angled opening of the cave as the sun was nearly over head. Water continuously dripped from massive stalactites that hung on the ceiling. The cavern had a massive entrance that was big enough to easily accommodate their 110 foot black stealth plane. The main opening was large and mostly empty with the exception of a few cave formations. Yet this was only a small fraction of the chaotic cave system. Smaller passages and caverns wound deep into the earth like a snake.

Bliss and Cutlass couldn’t figure out which one of the caves the sound was emanating from. They walked to the far left of the plane to a fair sized opening several feet off of the ground. It was a dark void of desolation. Bliss was about to move on when another roar erupted through the cave. The sound seemed to reverberate through every nook and cranny but a blast of wind shot through the entrance they were just at.

Bliss turned on her flashlight and flew up to the passage. The cave had a diameter of about 15 feet and was void of any formations. It was perfectly circular with an almost carved appearance. The cavern appeared to almost fight the light Bliss was shining but her and Cutlass flew into it regardless.

They flew through the carved passage for 15 minutes with recurring roars at random intervals. Finally the light from Bliss’ torch spread into a large room. The cave almost seemed to have several stories or layers to it. On the bottom there was a multitude of stalagmites flanking the banks of an underwater river. At the back of the room there was a slope, almost like a ramp, that led up to a balcony like overlook.

Cutlass searched the bottom floor for an exit but found no obvious route. He then flew up to the balcony section of the room. It was rectangular and the part facing the lower level had large formations that made circular window like openings. The room seemed to be magically made and regularly up kept. Cutlass quickly saw that there wasn’t an exit and Immedietly flew to the top level through a circular opening. The top level was smoothly curved at a slope down to a circular opening where the rock was perfectly rounded like a disk. The ceiling above curved into a smooth dome but there still didn’t appear to be any passages. Streams of water flowed from small crevices to the opening and then plummeted to the river below.

Cutlass was frantically flying around, attempting to locate another passage in vain. Bliss calmly flew down to the bottom floor to investigate the river. She knew it had to start somewhere and flow to another location. Bliss went to the beginning of the river which was a crystal clear pool. The streams from above emptied into the pool then flowed with the river. There was no other real beginning, all Bliss could see was a foot wide hole in the bottom of the pool that continuously bubbled. Bliss asserted that the hole was the rivers source and that there was no way to enter the small hole. Bliss then decided to find where the river led to. After a short flight she landed in front of the room’s wall. There was a crevice in the wall where the river flowed down into. Before it dropped into the hole, the river suddenly got much deeper. Bliss peered down the crevice while shining her light. The river fell a ways then coalesced into a pool. The crevice was a few feet wide but with the increased depth of the river Bliss figured they could squeeze into the crevice. She wasn’t sure if it was worth adventuring down into the crevice until the first roar in awhile tore through the room, coming from the crevice.

Cutlass was continuing to fly frantically around the room as Bliss whistled to get his attention. Cutlass instantly dove next to Bliss and looked where her hoof was pointing. He raised his brow skeptically in an unimpressed fashion. “How do you expect us to fit down that little thing? You don’t even know where it leads or if this wild goose chase is even worth it.”

Bliss sighed and glared at the much larger griffon. “A lot of the crevice is under the water which is much deeper in this area. If we spread out and use the water as a type of lubrication we can squeeze in there. You might have to take off your gear and spread out but you should fit. The roar came from down here, I’m sure of it. It leads to an underground pool. Aren’t you curious to what’s making these earth shaking roars?”

Bliss wiggled her brows and nudged the griffon. Cutlass growled in irritation, he could care less what was making those sounds as long as it didn’t attack him. He was just following the little blue pegasus to protect her curious ass from getting killed. She was the only one who could fly the plane and Cutlass needed her help to fight James and retrieve the Generals. Cutlass took off his gear reluctantly and set it down next to Bliss. “I’ll go first. Throw my gear down when you hear from me and I swear if there’s a scratch on any of my gear……”

Winter Bliss cut him off with excited chatter, her curious and adventurous side was showing. “Yeah yeah, just hurry up and get down there.”

Cutlass grumbled then spread out his limbs and wadded into the water. He was looking down into the water for the beginning of the crevice while wading closer. Suddenly and unexpectedly he slipped down and disappeared. Bliss peered into the dark cove below excitedly and expectantly. She shined her light into the frothing water below. For a few uneasy seconds nothing happened but Bliss was confident that Cutlass would resurface. Bliss’ confidence was soon rewarded as Cutlass burst out of the water in an angry, shocked and disoriented manner. He coughed up some water then turned to glare at the smirking pegasus near the crevices entrance.

Cutlass growled as he attempted to regain some dignity from his unexpected plummet. “Damn little hole in the ground caught me by surprise.” Cutlass coughed up some more water then motioned towards Bliss, “Now it’s your turn and while you’re at it throw down my gear.”

Winter Bliss smirked and giggled slightly, “Well it wasn’t that small of a hole if you were able to fall through it.” Bliss threw down Cutlass’ guns and armor then slide down the crevice like a slide. She gracefully came to a stop just above the water. Her small size allowed her to hover above the water in the condense cove. She gave Cutlass a prideful grin then looked around for another passage.

Cutlass just rolled his eyes, “If you were here in the water with me you would know that there was still a current.” Cutlass pointed at a wall next to him, “The water flows that way.” He then got low and peered at the wall before diving under water.

Winter Bliss hovered over the water impatiently, waiting for the large griffon to reappear. After a short amount of time Cutlass resurfaced. Bliss had her hooves crossed as she glared at the black and silver griffon, “Well it’s about time you came back. I’ve been hovering in this boring cove for hours.”

Cutlass narrowed his eyes and sighed, “I was gone for five minutes tops. Anyways, the passage is mostly underwater with a few air pockets in between. It runs quite a ways, I didn’t even see the exit but there’s enough air spread out to where we should be fine.”

Bliss just looked at the water hesitantly. Now Cutlass grew impatient, “Come on, what are you waiting for, an invitation?” Bliss continued to look hesitantly at the water, ignoring Cutlass. The griffon looked up curiously at the usually brash and cocky pegasus who was staring silently at the water. “Oh, is this because of your little underwater heroics back in Aura? Don’t worry the water isn’t nearly as cold or deep, plus there’s air pockets.” Bliss looked at him slightly fearful with her cobalt blue eyes. It then dawned on Cutlass how scared the young pegasus really was. She had gone through a great deal in a short amount of time and that underwater dive must have been more trying than she let on. She was after all still somewhat of a filly even if she was cocky, brave and rash at times. Cutlass tried to keep this in mind as he talked sympathetically to Winter Bliss, “Listen kid it’s just water and this time I’ll be here to protect you. Don’t you want to find out what’s making all these sounds? Don’t worry I’ll stay with you, I wont let anything happen to you.”

This seemed to do little to ease the light blue pegasus’ mind. Cutlass then thought that he had to reach Bliss’ more competitive and prideful side for her to overcome her fear. Cutlass put on a forced smirk as he tried to coax Bliss’ arrogant and independent side. “Well I’m not scared of a little water. I can swim in here all day, I even bet I could out swim you. What, are you afraid that you’ll get beat by a griffon? I could swim circles around you.”

Bliss narrowed her eyes dangerously thin at Cutlass, “No you couldn’t. I just don’t want to get my coat wet and I just went swimming the other day.”

Cutlass grinned wide and raised his brow expectantly, “Then come in here and prove me wrong, that is unless you’re too chicken.”

Bliss’ eyes grew large, “Oh that’s it, you’re on buddy.” Bliss shot like a bullet into the water without hesitation. Cutlass grinned, happy with himself, then dove to follow the slick pegasus. The pair flew through the underground river at impressive speeds being that they were used to flying in the air. This was a result of Bliss’ competitive nature showing and Cutlass’ need to nurture her competitive tendencies to help her overcome her fear. As they swam swiftly with the currents they instinctively took breaths of air when the pockets were available. Both were attempting to outdo each other in the final stretch but it was Bliss who breached the river first. She landed on a small bank, breathing heavily as she pumped her hoof in the air.

Cutlass climbed out of the river, genuinely smiling at Winter Bliss. “Good job kid.” Cutlass wasn’t quite sure why he was proud of her or why he even helped her overcome her fears. It wasn’t necessarily convenient for him. If he didn’t help her they might have just gone back safely to the plane but instead he felt compelled to protect and encourage the young pegasus. Cutlass seemed to be getting attached to Bliss who he’d only known for a day. It was unlike him to get attached to anybody and he figured that it might not be a smart choice in this instance. He decided that he would remain cool and aloof but act like a sort of fatherly figure to Bliss until she got her real father back.

The pair dried off their coats then investigated their surroundings. They were standing on a small bank next to the river with a tall ceiling above them. The river curved a ways then went under another wall. In front of the bank was a passage that could easily accommodate both flying creatures. This passage once again appeared to be carved with an absence of cave formations even with the abundance of water. The pair walked through the relatively short passage and into a gigantic chamber. The chamber easily dwarfed the entrance to the cave that sheltered their plane. Other than its size there was nothing spectacular about the chamber.

The chamber was very dark but as Bliss shined her light around she noticed something curious. At the far end of the chamber her light seemed to either disappear or reflect back. It didn’t cut through the darkness like the rest of the cave but rather abruptly ended at a black void. The mass was absolutely void of light yet it seemed to move. Judging by the curve of the chamber, the void likely encompassed about a third of its space.

Everything was still until an earth shattering roar resonated from the dark void. It then shifted violently and moved up. It quickly grew closer to the pair and started to form into a creature of unimaginable magnitude. It twisted and moved, revealing sets of massive claws that glistened with a titanium silvery shine. A large snout on top of an elongated neck lowered itself towards them. Gigantic spikes and spines jutted out of the creatures head and back. Its face was reptilian and terrifying. Its ebony black scales shifted as a snake like spiked tail wrapped around the entire cavern. The beast spread out to where it engulfed the majority of the cave with its massive scaly body. Its enormous head was looking down at the pair as its eyes instantly shot open. The creature’s eyes were a blood red with a black reptilian slit for the pupil. The red eyes peered into the flying companions. The monster opened up its gaping mouth and roared. The roar was deafening and deep as it resonated through the earth itself. The monster spread out a pair of impressive wings that were each the size of their plane. The black scaly, leathery wings appeared cramped and confined in the enormous cavern. The beast itself appeared to be cramped in such a large space.

At this point it was apparent to both Winter Bliss and Cutlass that this creature was a dragon of legendary size. They had both only heard about dragons in stories and from their descriptions this dragon dwarfed many grand sized dragons. It shifted again to sit on its rear legs in front of the pair. During its movement Bliss saw millions of gems and minerals sparkling behind the beast. Bliss had always heard about dragons’ legendary greed and hording but she doubted that any ever compared to the mass of valuables behind this monster.

The dragon opened its mouth again to reveal rows of silvery, razor sharp teeth and a blood red tongue. The pronged tongue wrapped around the pair, almost like an inspection, then retreated into the beast’s mouth. The dragon opened his mouth again but this time he spoke in fluent Equestrian with a booming deep voice. “A pony and a griffon, welcome to my cavern. I am Soot, the destroyer of cities, the bane of empires, the terror of all species and the judge of this world.” The dragon looked slightly annoyed at the pair but it was hard to tell from his scaly face. “So you are the ones that have awoken me from my deep slumber with your presence. I sensed your unnatural and corrupted presence as soon as you entered my cave.” Soot looked up slightly and took a deep breath. “And there is another pony of the night in that abomination of nature that you have parked in my cavern.”

Winter Bliss showed absolutely no fear as she rolled her eyes and spoke, “Celestia, and I thought I was cocky but you think you’re the judge of the whole world! That’s a new level of narcissism even for me!” Cutlass looked at the confident pegasus in fear, instantly regretting his part in her confidence boost.

Soot released a low growl and got close to the small, prideful pegasus as he narrowed his blood red eyes that were still much larger than both Bliss and Cutlass combined. “Judgment is coming. Your species aren’t fit to inhabit this world. You’re frivolous and destructive, selfish and unrelenting, foolish and weak. Dragons are superior to your measly existence. It is our job to rule and protect the world. Your kind will only harm it. It is my job to prevent that.”

Winter Bliss scoffed at the insanely large dragon, “Great, just our luck, we stumble into the one cavern with the one dragon who is egotistical enough to think he’s the judge of the world. This is just peachy.”

Soot looked furious at the tiny pony’s remarks. “Your mockery is foolish little one. You need to respect the order of the world.”

Cutlass looked nervously at the bold Winter Bliss, “Um Bliss, it might not be a good idea to argue with and mock a massive dragon that could swat us like flies.”

Bliss completely ignored the usually collected and cool griffon as she continued her arrogant tirade. “Oh I understand the order of things: first I say something witty, then I kick your ass, after that you beg for mercy, then I consider it and find forgiveness in my big heart for someone as arrogant and rude as yourself, then I celebrate my victory with ice cream and move on with my life.”

Soot reared back in anger, “I was given the role as the guardian of nature since before pony kind. It has granted me the ability to manipulate anything natural for its own protection. I am blessed with this power of nature to righteously destroy its enemies at its biding.” Soot’s claws glowed and the cave shifted and moved with his will, creating more room for the towering dragon to stretch. “This ability was bestowed upon me to give me authority over nature’s creations. I am entrusted with the great responsibility of preserving nature at any cost. I am assigned with the great burden of judge, jury and executioner over this world and its mistakes so don’t mock my role in this world child. The civilized species of this world have made abominations of themselves and nature. That thing you call a plane and all your machines are a defilement of nature. You build them to make yourselves better than nature then you turn around and carelessly destroy the world you live in and toss away its blessings. It is my job to rid the world of those who have gone astray from their intended design. I shall reign down great fires of vengeance on all those who have defied the natural order of the world.”

Bliss narrowed her cobalt eyes as she skeptically gave a rebuttal to Soot’s claims. “Nature made all creatures, including civilized creatures. Many of us have strived to help nature, do you just choose to ignore what good we’ve done? It’s awfully narrow minded of you to only look at the bad and from that decide that you must kill millions of nature made creatures. If you destroy us based on only our mistakes then you will be acknowledging that nature made a mistake in making us. For as you know all of us are part of nature.”

Soot huffed in agitation, “Nature makes everything perfect, it makes no mistakes. Yet what those creations do, their faults and mistakes, are not natures responsibility. When its creations go awry and defile it I must set them right. I must restore balance to nature, restore harmony as you ponies so arrogantly put it. That is my purpose and that is my objective, to fix what has broken by any means.”

Winter Bliss growled angrily at his response, “Sounds like more ends justify the means bull shit. You’re just like any other dragon. You horde jewels for wealth and their magical properties instead of leaving them as nature intended. You are civilized like other dragons also, you speak our language and this cavern was clearly carved in many places likely for your convenience and comfort. Even your so called blessing allows you to manipulate nature which is exactly what you say you’re trying to protect. You’re nothing but a big hypocrite trying to justify his actions with some self-righteous cause.”

Cutlass started to back up fearfully as Soot flared his wings and nostrils. “Um Bliss maybe we should just.”

Soot angrily cut off Cutlass, paying no heed to the griffon. “You ignorant fool. Dragons admire jewels for their natural beauty and properties. We do not mine the earth for jewels but rather retrieve the jewels that your kind has so carelessly stolen from nature. Most dragons believe as I do and those who have strayed from our ways will suffer the same fate as all civilized creatures. There is nothing wrong with dragons gaining what knowledge the world has presented to us such as language. Being civilized isn’t even the problem, it is your species actions against each other and nature that is the issue. Also this cave is made only by nature or by uncivilized creatures. My powers are only temporary and will revert what I have manipulated back to its pure form. My powers actually leave nature revitalized and renewed.

Unfortunately though, when something strays from nature such as yourself I can not manipulate it. Those who have set themselves apart from nature are immune to my powers over the purity of this world for they are a plague on the world itself.”

Bliss glared imposing daggers on the massive dragon, “So you’re not even going to give our kind a trial. You never tried to intervene or set us on the right path. Never a warning or a fair chance to fix our wrongs. Instead you just decided on your own that we are vile creatures that must be wiped out with no exceptions. You’re punishing the entirety of civilized creatures based off of your limited knowledge of us, never even attempting to contact or truly observe us. Never trying to help or intercede when we make a mistake. What kind of caretaker are you? To decide the fate of so many based on so little when you’ve done nothing. That’s not the traits of a just ruler or of a leader but of a tyrant! Nature would not assign something as malicious and arrogant as you to preserve the world!”

Soot roared in fury, “I have seen your species’ effects on the world. I am in tune with nature itself and I know your actions. It is not my place to intervene with nature but to fix what is broken so nature may start anew. I was not made to give direction to nature but to cleanse it of impurities. And even if I only killed off the vile creatures and left those who cared for nature more would soon take their place and outnumber them. Your kind is broken in an endless cycle of destruction and I shall end the cycle for the sake of nature. That is my purpose, that is my design and I shall not be patronized by a half pint pegasus!”

Winter Bliss angrily flew up to Soot’s face and peered into his eyes, “No one calls me a half pint you hypocritical, narcissistic jerk. Fixing what’s broken sounds like delayed and failed intervention to me. So how about you use your brain that nature gave you and think. Is destroying millions of innocent creatures created by nature really the way to help save nature? Or is getting involved and trying to change them the right course of action? If you had any room in that massive skull for reason instead of self-righteous bull shit then you’d realize that I am right.”

Soot reared up and spread out to show his size and power. Cutlass was cowering behind Bliss. He had fought in many battles against strong enemies and was known for his steel mentality and bravery but what Bliss was doing was suicide. This dragon was not only thousands of times larger than them but he could manipulate nature itself. Cutlass knew that they couldn’t defeat such a foe and Bliss’ arguing wasn’t helping the situation to say the least. Cutlass attempted to regain his cool as he pushed himself forwards. “Um I’m sure that.”

Soot’s voice boomed through out the cave as the pegasus and dragon continued to fire exchanges at each other, ignoring the griffon. Cutlass shut his beak and landed timidly. He attempted to look calm and in control as the pair continued to throw insults at each other. Eventually Soot got sick of the bantering and roared to silence the pegasus. “ENOUGH! I WILL NOT BE LECTURED BY A MEAR FILLY! I WILL BRING JUDGMENT TO THIS WORLD AS NATURE HAS SEEN FIT AND THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO!”

Bliss laughed haughtily at this, “Please, you could use a good lecture to put you in your place big guy. And why do you always act like nature is a being? You’re basically religiously devoted to the laws of science that make up nature but treat it as a living being. It’s kind of childish actually. Are you alright in the mind there buddy? You seem a little crazy, maybe from being cooped up in a cave and talking to nature for millenniums.”

Soot growled in fury, “NATURE IS THE BEING THAT GOVERNS EVERYTHING! I HAVE MET THE SPIRIT OF THE WORLD ITSELF LONG AGO! HOW DARE YOU QUESTION MY MENTAL FACULTIES AND NATURE’S EXISTENCE AS A DIVINE BEING!”

Bliss just chuckled, “Oh yes you’re definitely insane. This is quite entertaining actually. Well tell your nature goddess thing hello for me. My griffon friend and I are just going to be taking some of your gems to power our satanic machine then we’ll get out of your loony cavern of darkness and despair. Seriously you need to lighten the place up a bit, it’s depressing.”

Soot grew a devious grin as he spoke with malice, “It appears that my purge will begin in my own home. How fitting, don’t you agree?”

Bliss narrowed her eyes in anticipation as she grabbed Cutlass. Soot let out a roar that fractured the cave in several places. He then spread out on his four legs and spread his wings. The cave started to get larger to give Soot room to charge. He grinned viciously at the undaunted Winter Bliss and the petrified Cutlass. As soon as Soot started to lunge with his steely claws, Bliss bolted under the beast with Cutlass in tow. She dove in and out of the dragon’s limbs as the massive dragon attempted to swat them. Flying around the dragon at such speeds gave the pair a perspective on how big Soot really was. It took Bliss longer than expected to out maneuver and pass by the gargantuan monster that was attempting to eradicate them.

Eventually Bliss landed in Soot’s horde of treasures and quickly started to stuff the best gems into Cutlass’ gear. She expected Soot to be nearly on top of them but as they flew up she noticed that the dragon was on the far end of the cave, blocking the exit. Bliss narrowed her eyes and quickly looked through the gems to find the necessary components for her escape contingency. She quickly grabbed what she needed and flew with Cutlass in front of Soot as she explained her plan to the griffon. Cutlass went to the left side of Soot nervously as Bliss flew right in front of him.

Soot grew a smug grin as he spoke to Winter Bliss, “Your exit is blocked and you are trapped. What are you going to do now pony?” He spate out the last part with spite.

Bliss grinned as she held out two crystals, one blue the other a bright violet. Soot’s eyes grew large as Bliss slammed the crystals together and threw them at the dragon. Soot held out his claw and magically took control of the crystals. He grinned as he spoke pridefully to Bliss, “The crystals weren’t corrupted enough, I was still able to control their purity. You’re going to have to….”

Before Soot finished an explosion ripped through the side of his head. He stumbled to the side, holding his face as he roared in agony and fury. Bliss took this opportunity to fly through the exit while pulling the shocked Cutlass who threw the crystals along with her. Cutlass continued down the passage as Bliss stopped and looked at the slowly recuperating dragon. She smiled smugly and yelled at the dragon in a haughty tone, “Never underestimate Winter Bliss!” She spat into the cavern then gleefully pranced down the passage before flying after Cutlass.

Shortly after she took off, Bliss reached the edge of the water. Cutlass was waiting nervously for her by the river’s bank. Bliss landed with pride etched on her face from her successful plan and escape. Cutlass fearfully looked back down the cavern, “We’re lucky your plan worked. What if it didn’t work or if he’s quickly recuperating? Do you think he’ll come for us?”

Bliss chuckled slightly, “Of course it worked. He practically ignored you the whole time so when I threw my purposely failed solution at him I knew he would have to arrogantly mock me. That would completely distract him while you threw the successful and much more potent concoction at him. Don’t worry he’ll be down for long enough.”

Cutlass anxiously looked back down the empty passage expecting Soot to ripe through it at any moment. Bliss noticed his very real fear as she spoke, “I thought you were the fearless and stone cold mercenary? Why are you so terrified of this narcissistic jerk? Shouldn’t you be calm and uncaring instead of trembling in fear?”

Cutlass grumbled slightly as he replied, “I’ll fight a manticore or a hydra any day without hesitation. Hell, I’ll even fight a more reasonable dragon without showing any emotion but that thing is different. He is gigantic and has the power to manipulate nature. I can’t understand how that doesn’t freak you out when water had you frozen in place.”

Bliss grimaced slightly, “Hey, I’ll admit I was scared but I was only afraid of being underwater for a long period of time. I did almost drown and freeze after my extended stay underwater the previous day you know, but you helped me get over it easily so now I’ll help you get over this.” Bliss flew up and pumped her hoof in the air triumphantly, “You have nothing to fear! The brave and daring Winter Bliss will protect you from the measly dragon!”

Cutlass looked extremely unimpressed as Bliss changed tactics, “Want to race? I bet I could swim circles around you.”

Cutlass huffed as he continued to look unimpressed, “Bliss the same tactics I used on you won’t work on me, and besides this is a giant dragon of death versus water.”

Bliss landed, slightly let down with her failed attempt to help her griffon friend. “Well then we better get going. I’ll try to help you when we’re in the plane, in the meantime I think the best thing for you is to get as far away from here as possible.”

Cutlass nodded in agreement as the pair readied for their swim. The fliers dove into the water and quickly swam, getting air when possible. They emerged from the river then quickly scrambled out of the crevice. They quickly shook the water off of their coats and flew down the passage that led to their plane. The pair landed next to the plane’s door as Bliss lowered it. They clamored in quickly and shut the door behind them. Bliss rapidly flew into the cockpit while setting all the instruments, preparing for flight. She strapped herself in and began to move the plane to the caves entrance.

Bliss looked back at Cutlass who was staring dumbfounded at the still sleeping Ves. “How is she still asleep? After all that time and commotion she’s still sleeping like everything’s perfectly fine.”

Bliss hurriedly spit out a response, “That’s because everything is perfectly fine! Now go to the back where there’s a large machine with several tubes. Take every single gem we have and put them into the tube that says magical flux compacitor.”

Bliss continued to flip switches as Cutlass questioned her, “Flux compacitor? What are we traveling back in time or something?”

Bliss rolled her eyes, “Of course not, don’t be silly. All it does is convert jewel magic into a fuel source to make energy, simple really.”

Cutlass looked down at the peaceful Vespertilio, “Shouldn’t we wake her up?”

Bliss sighed in agitation, “No, it’s pointless. She’ll be awake soon enough anyways now would you hurry up and put those jewels where I told you.”

Cutlass huffed then went into the back while grumbling obscenities. He put the jewels into the tube which lit up and made a loud ruckus. Cutlass returned to the cockpit, taking note that Ves was still soundly asleep. Bliss noticed him and quickly addressed him, “Now get Ves and strap her into a chair then do the same to yourself.”

Cutlass picked up the dark purple bat pony as carefully as he could. He put her into a chair next to Bliss and strapped her in. Cutlass then proceeded to strap himself into his own chair. He continued to gaze at Ves, amazed by the sleeping bat pony. Bliss flipped some more switches then took the plane to the caves opening.

A massive roar shot through the cave followed by a rumble deep underground. The sounds got louder as Bliss stared intensely at the controls. Cutlass looked at Winter Bliss nervously, “I think that means that we should get going.”

Bliss mumbled to herself as the sounds grew closer and louder, “Come on, come on.”

The cave behind them started to shift violently as the lights on the controls sprung to life. “And not a moment too soon.” Bliss forcefully hit the engine and pulled up without hesitation. The plane shot out of the cave and high into the sky with tremendous force. The speed pushed the companions hard into their chairs. Eventually they leveled out and slowed down. Bliss smiled cockily as she was about to say something prideful, until she noticed the still sleeping Ves. Her smug smile disappeared and her eyes grew big as her mouth hung open, “Damn that girl can sleep! Should we check if she’s still alive?!”

Vespertilio’s chest moved up and down in a calm rhythm as they flew away. Bliss turned the plane to head south. At this point they could see the cave far below them in the distance. The whole mountain started to move and a sinkhole like entrance opened up in the earth. A gigantic stream of blue fire shot out violently into the air. The massive reptile climbed its way out of the abyss and into the sun. Even with the gaping hole in the earth Soot seemed to have to squeeze out with difficulty. The ebony mass that was Soot climbed out of the mountain and wrapped around it, casting it in darkness. Soot’s massive head viciously scanned the horizons until he spotted the black machine heading south at top speed.

Bliss was directing the plane southeast as Soot spread his wings and shot into the air. Forests below the dragon were flattened from the sheer force of his ascent. Even going at RD5 Soot was soon on the plane’s tail. The enormous dragon cast an encompassing shadow on the mountain range below, blocking out the sun for miles. The darkness below seemed to consume the towering peaks like a ravenous night. The sheer size of the shadow put Soot’s size into perspective. He was likely the size of a small city, full of fire and contempt.

Soot flew alongside their plane, casting them in pure darkness. Soot turned his head and glared at the companions with his blood red eyes that were larger than the cockpit. His face bore no marks from the crystal explosion that Cutlass used on the beast. He grinned and yelled at the friends, “There is no escaping judgment young one. You have been quite the nuisance but now I can start my purge.” Even at this speed and altitude, Soot’s voice reverberated in the plane with a deafening boom. Bliss was slightly stunned by the volume of his voice in such a situation.

Soot opened up his mouth to blow out a stream of blue fire. Bliss wasn’t quick enough to avoid the barrage and the flames washed over the plane. When Soot relented the plane was still flying with only some soot marks on it. Soot growled in anger as Bliss pushed the plane to its limits. Even at full capacity the plane couldn’t hope to outrun Soot. Bliss changed tactics as Soot opened his enormous maw to crush the plane. Bliss hit the brakes as the engine stopped and the brake panels opened up. The plane lost altitude and slowed down as Soot snapped where the plane used to be. By the time the beast realized what had happened he had already flown far ahead of the plane.

Bliss quickly turned on the engine and turned the plane north at top speed. Soot attempted to bank sharply but his massive size made the maneuver a labored undertaking. Eventually Soot righted himself and flew after the plane that was now far ahead of him. Soot was in a rage as his roars reverberated through the mountains, echoing through the valleys that magnified his great volume.

Bliss looked to Ves who was still miracuosly sleeping, well maybe not to miracuosly as she had slept through every other mishap that had preceded. Bliss quickly scanned her navigation for an escape route. When she found none she quickly got desperate and decided that flying over Ibex military instillations would be the best course of action. Hopefully the Ibex would concentrate on the oversized dragon instead of their plane, allowing them to pass into the Empire unscathed. Unfortunately for them Soot had no intentions on letting them escape alive.

The pitch black reptile was soon on their tails with new found malice in his eyes. Bliss sighed and set her eyes in determination as she whispered to herself, “Come get me big guy.” Cutlass heard her and looked at the young pegasus in fear. He was about to say something when Bliss grinned deviously as she abruptly pulled the plane up at a steep angle. She then forced the plane upside down as she twisted around the back of the dragon. Soot squirmed and flailed as he attempted to catch the plane that was rolling around his gigantic body.

Bliss kept cool as she pulled multiple G’s around the furious beast. Soot flared his wings and swung his tail in an attempt to strike the plane. Bliss kept a stoic face as titanium claws snapped just out of reach and as blue flames streamed just behind her plane. She did a final roll then shot straight into the air, gaining altitude rapidly as Soot regained his bearings.

Soot quickly recovered and flew up in pursuit. Bliss smiled lightly as the plane continued to climb as her companions and her were being forced back into their seats. She could hear Soot directly behind them as her smile grew and she cut the engines. The plane tumbled down and backwards towards the ground as they neared Soot’s gapping mouth. Right before they got to Soot’s razor teeth, Bliss flared the engines propelling the plane to the side and jolting the companions. Soot was better prepared this time as he flipped backwards to stay within striking distance.

At this point the plane was aimed straight down, plummeting towards the ground. Bliss turned on the engines and pushed them forward. Soot dove after them with his wings tucked back for speed accompanied by an excess of momentum due to his unparalleled mass. When the plane was barely a few thousand feet above the valley floor Bliss pulled up. The plane straightened out and glided above the tree tops as Soot realized what was about to occur. He attempted to extend his wings to slow himself but it did little to help him as he slammed into the ground with a resounding crash.

Soot’s momentum due to his velocity and mass created a massive crater. The whole mountain range shook from the impact. The dust settled to reveal an apocalyptic scene of destruction in the valley. Trees were flattened, dirt was overturned, whole mountain sides collapsed and the ground was torn open. In this massive crater laid the terrifying beast, Soot. He was motionless as the dust settled on him and the valley lay in a mourning silence.

Bliss banked around the destruction as she headed towards a mountain pass to the north. She had a smug grin on her until she turned to her companions. Cutlass was barfing furiously from the G’s Winter bliss pulled and Ves was sitting wide awake in her seat with her eyes wide open in fear and shock. Winter Bliss busted out laughing at the sight as she addressed Ves in between outbursts of hysterical laughter. “How did you sleep?”

Vespertilio slowly turned to look at the now manically giggling blue pegasus, “Fiiiiinnee.” She barely stuttered out.

Bliss laughed again as she attempted to ask another question, “When did you wake up?”

Ves just stared silently for a while before she stuttered out another response. “Wheeeennn yoouuu werrree flyiiiing arounnnddd that thinnnnnggggg. Whatttt wasss thattt? Wwwhhatttt did I missss?”

Winter Bliss couldn’t stop laughing long enough to answer so Cutlass did when he stopped regurgitating his fluffy bunny from that morning. “That was a massive dragon that can alter nature and Bliss managed to piss him off.”

Vespertilio was hyperventilating into a bag as Cutlass rubbed his head. “Ugh, I have the worst headache ever from your fancy little maneuvers. How about next time you warn a griffon before you pull that crap you prick.”

Winter Bliss put the plane in auto pilot so that she could roll on the floor in laughter. Ves finally calmed down but still had a fearful look as she talked to Winter Bliss, “Next time could you please wake me up before you piss off a massive dragon. Being woken up by G force with a gigantic black beast trying to kill you isn’t very pleasant.”

After several minutes of laughter, to the displeasure of Cutlass, Bliss retook control of the plane manually. The mountains began to gain elevation as they neared the pass. Bliss planned to follow the pass into the Empire then swing south to hopefully avoid detection. As they neared the valley a resounding roar tore through the mountains behind them. A black void rose into the air. It climbed into the sky until it blocked out the sun. The void hovered in front of the sun for a while until it released another deafening roar as it dove after the plane.

Author's Note:

I must apologize for the excessive delay of this chapter. I had written before school started which was 7 weeks ago but I wasn't able to get it edited in time. So far my senior year has been hell and I just haven't had anytime(read blog post for reasons). This chapter was originally going to be when all the characters meet up but instead a made a much shorter chapter introducing Soot and delving more into Winter Bliss. I'm not sure when my next chapter will be but my blog post will give a better explanation.